Portal:Current events/2014 July 23

July 23, 2014 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine:
- Pro-Russian separatist commander Alexander Khodakovsky of the Vostok Battalion confirms that the rebels did possess the BUK missile system - believed to have shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 - originating from Russia, and it could have been sent back to Russia subsequently to remove proof of its presence. (Reuters)
- The Red Cross officially declares the fighting in Ukraine as a civil war. The formal classification means participants in the fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east could eventually be prosecuted for war crimes in international courts. (The Local)
- Ukrainian forces recapture the villages of Karlivka, Netailove, and Pervomaiske in Donetsk Oblast from pro-Russian separatists. (Kyiv Post)
- Two Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-25 military fighter jets are shot down by pro-Russian separatists in Savur Mogila. (AP via Chron News)
- The bodies of crash victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 are returned from Eastern Ukraine to the Netherlands together with flight recorders from the flight. (Business World Online)
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Two explosions rip through the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna killing at least 82 people. (Yahoo! News)
Operation Protective Edge:
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay condemns both Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip and Hamas for "indiscriminate attacks" on Israel, and warns that war crimes may have been committed. (BBC News)
- Speaking in Qatar, Hamas political chief, Khaled Mashal rejects the current ceasefire efforts and threatens future attacks from the West Bank. (YNet)
- A pro-Palestinian protest in Sarcelles, France turns violent as protesters vandalized and looted Jewish businesses and called for the gassing and killing of Jews. (HuffPost)
- A football friendly in Austria between Maccabi Haifa and French team Lille is abandoned after pro-Palestinian protesters storm the field and attack the players. (ESPN)

Business and economics

Lithuania and the euro:
- The Council of the European Union (General Affairs Council) adopts a final decision allowing Lithuania to adopt the euro as its currency on January 1, 2015. (Consilium)

Disasters and accidents

TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashes into residential buildings in an emergency landing in Taiwan's Penghu Islands, with at least 47 feared dead and 11 injured. (USA Today)
2014 Pacific typhoon season:
- The total death toll for Typhoon Rammasun (Glenda) reaches 151 as Typhoon Matmo (Henry) hits Taiwan. Typhoon Matmo has been described as a likely cause of the crash of Transasia Airways Flight 222. (AP via Washington Post) (Dow Jones via The Australian)

International relations

A glitch in the United States Department of State Consular Consolidated Database causes delays to issuing of US passports and visas around the world. (AP)

Law and crime

Authorities in Millau, France have formally charged two men in last Sunday's machete attack in which three Clermont Auvergne rugby union players were injured. (AFP)^{[permanent dead link]}

Sports

The opening ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games is held in Glasgow, Scotland. (BBC News)