UN Peacekeepers killed in North Kivu.
UN Peacekeepers and Congolese troops face attacks. (Image courtesy of Reuters)
On 7 December 2017, UN Peacekeepers from the Monusco mission were attacked by suspected members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in North Kivu. At least fourteen peacekeepers and five Congolese soldiers are dead with over fifty wounded. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been experiencing instability for years with groups fighting for territory. The UN has been in the region since 2010 but citizens are unhappy with their presence because they are dissatisfied with the soldiers’ effectiveness.
Source and more information can be found here.
Same-sex marriage legal in Australia.
Celebration at a bar after same-sex marriage is legalized in Australia. (Image courtesy of Getty Images)
On 7 December 2017, Australia’s Parliament legalized same-sex marriage after a national referendum showed immense support. Politicians and the public voiced their gratitude and happiness with spectators in the public gallery singing, “I Am Australian” after the vote was confirmed. The event is especially welcomed in Australia after twenty-two previous attempts to legalize same-sex marriage since 2004.
Source and more information can be found here.
Palestinians confront Israeli troops after Trump’s Jerusalem statement.
Israeli troops clash with Palestinian protesters. (Image courtesy of Getty Images)
Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in the West Bank after United States President Donald Trump announced plans to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The move is controversial as both Israelis and Palestinians recognize Jerusalem as their capital, and have not made a peace deal. Governments around the world criticized Trump’s decision, predicting more conflict in the Middle East. Tensions are already rising in the area with Jordanians protesting at the American embassy in Amman and Israel moving more battalions to the West Bank.
Source and more information can be found here.
Ex-President of Georgia arrested by Ukraine agents.
Ukrainian security officers arrest Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia. (Image courtesy of European Pressphoto Agency)
On 5 December 2017, Georgia’s ex-president, Mikheil Saakashvili, was arrested by Ukraine agents on the rooftop of his apartment building. He presided over Georgia during the war with Russia in 2008 and is currently a regional governor in Ukraine. After besmirching Ukraine’s President, Petro O. Poroshenko and other officials, Saakashvili was arrested but then released by his supporters after they swarmed the van transporting him. The ex-president then led a protest with hundreds of others to Kiev, asking for Poroshenko to be removed from office.
Source and more information can be found here.
Former Yemeni president killed by Houthi rebels.
A Houthi rebel stands on a truck in front of Saleh’s residence. (Image courtesy of Getty Images)
Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former Yemeni president, was killed by Houthi rebels on 4 December 2017. He was ambushed with a rocket-propelled grenade attack on his vehicle and rebels took his body after the attack. Houthis were in a pact with the Saleh and fought against Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the current President of Yemen, but broke the agreement after Saleh began discussions with Saudi Arabia. The rebels have been fighting for regular utilities, jobs, reasonable oil prices, and an end to corruption. The situation in Yemen is being called the worst humanitarian crisis with over twenty million citizens who need aid and over half a million with cholera.
Source and more information can be found here.
