Portal:Current events/2016 January 5

Current events of January 5, 2016 (2016-01-05) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks War in Afghanistan (2015–present) A United States Army soldier is killed and two others wounded in a joint operation with Afghan National Security Forces in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province. (Washington Post) 2016 Kaliachak riots Violent riots break out in Kaliachak, West Bengal, India, after political activist Kamlesh Tiwari allegedly insulted the Muslim prophet Muhammad. (Times of India) Nimr al-Nimr One Shia protester is killed and a child is injured by Saudi police in Al-Awamiyah, Eastern Province. (FT) Libyan Civil War (2014–present) Islamic State militants continue to besiege the Libyan oil port of Sidra, attacking checkpoints on the road to the port, leaving seven guards dead. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) said an oil storage tank in the port was set on fire by a long-range rocket, and that the oil tank fire started just as firefighters were close to bringing under control another blaze at an oil tank that was hit during fighting in the nearby Ra's Lanuf Refinery on Monday. (Reuters) The Islamic State, following Saudi Arabia's execution of 47 people on Saturday, threatens to destroy Saudi Arabia's Tarfiya and al-Ha'ir Prisons holding Al-Qaeda and ISIL supporters. (Reuters) (Daily Mail) Disasters and accidents A bus catches fire in the Chinese city of Yinchuan resulting in at least 14 deaths and over 30 injured. (AP via Fox News) Environment 2015–16 North American winter Droughts in the United States California's state climatologist Michael Anderson mentions that the recent El Niño-fueled storms will put a dent in the ongoing drought, but not end the conditions citing larger reservoirs that are still below normal. (USA Today) 2014–16 El Niño event Back-to-back-to-back storms from the current El Niño, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says ties the strongest on record (1997–98), are likely to produce dangerous flooding and mudslides in the Western United States with as much as 15 inches (30cm) of rain, and about 2 feet (60cm) of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains over the next two weeks. (UPI) (NBC News) International relations Syrian Civil War Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir says the country's recent tensions with Iran will not interfere with Syrian peace talks scheduled to begin in Geneva, Switzerland, later this month. (Reuters) (The Washington Post) China-Taiwan Relations China says Chinese passengers flying from the Chinese cities of Nanchang, Kunming, and Chongqing, will be allowed to stop at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before flying to a third destination. Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou applauded this step toward normalizing relations between the two states. Taiwan's opposition party expressed concern that Beijing is trying to interfere with the country's January 16, 2016, presidential and legislative elections. (Reuters) (The Straits Times) (Central News Agency) Politics and elections Reform of the People's Liberation Army in China: The Second Artillery Corps is re-organized into the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force. The People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force is founded, with Gao Jin as its inaugural commander and Liu Fulian as Political Commissar. The Ground Force is re-organized under the People's Liberation Army Ground Force Command, under commander Li Zuocheng. (SCMP) Former Beijing Deputy Communist Party Secretary Lu Xiwen is expelled from the Communist Party of China for "interfering with the market economy and law enforcement" and "living a luxurious lifestyle", among other offenses. (SCMP) United States presidential election, 2016 On January 18, 2016, the British Parliament will debate a petition, signed by more than 560,000 people, calling for the Home Secretary to ban United States Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump from entering the United Kingdom because of 'hate speech' that is unacceptable behavior, non-conducive to the public good. The conclusion reached by the lawmakers will not be binding on the UK government. (The Washington Post) (AP via The Washington Post) United Kingdom withdrawal from the European Union The United Kingdom's Prime Minister David Cameron announces he will suspend collective responsibility ahead of the referendum on the country's EU membership, allowing ministers to campaign for the UK to leave the European Union. A member of his cabinet was reportedly due to resign over the issue within 24 hours. (The Telegraph)