Portal:Current events/2015 November 29

Current events of November 29, 2015 (2015-11-29) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
  • The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports Russian airstrikes kill at least 18 civilians and wound dozens more in the town of Ariha in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. Idlib is controlled by the Army of Conquest, a rebel alliance of mainly Islamist groups, including al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front. (Reuters) (The International New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

• A fire in the South African city of Cape Town leaves two people dead and four thousand people homeless. (Times Live)

International relations

• 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown
  • Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu says the body of the pilot from the Sukhoi Su-24 jet downed this past Tuesday will be handed over to Russia. The body is being treated in accordance with the Orthodox tradition. Russia's military attaché is going to Hatay in southern Turkey as part of the procedures to recover the remains. Turkish officials refused to comment on how they came to be in possession of the body . (Reuters)
• Pope Francis' 2015 visit to Africa
  • Pope Francis arrives in the Central African Republic, the last stop of his six-day African tour, becoming the first modern pope to enter an active war zone as the country is in a state of civil war. (The Guardian)
• November 2015 Paris attacks
  • Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls the recent Paris attacks “blind terrorism,” according to IRNA, the country's official news agency. The Iranian government condemned the attacks immediately after they occurred. (The Washington Post)
• European migrant crisis
  • Turkey agrees with leaders of the European Union to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for cash and visas, and renewal of talks on joining the EU. A key element is 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in EU aid for the 2.2 million Syrians now in Turkey. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• Conservative MP Philip Davies has called for a crackdown after it was announced up to 100 prisoners serving life sentences in British prisons will be let out of jail at Christmas for a five-day break with their families. Last year a total of 1,347 prison inmates, including 93 lifers, were given leave. The scheme has been defended by Justice Minister MP Andrew Selous but has caused outrage among justice campaigners. (Sunday Express)
• European migration crisis
  • A mass brawl breaks out in a refugee shelter in Berlin with a hundred police required to restore order. (Daily Star)

Politics and elections

• Burkinabé general election, 2015
  • Voters in Burkina Faso go to the polls to elect a new parliament and president after a year of turmoil. (BBC)
• Labour deputy leader Tom Watson demands party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who opposes PM David Cameron's (Conservative) proposed air strikes on Syria, to ensure MPs are given a free vote on the proposal this Tuesday. (The Independent)
• 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
  • About 20,000 pairs of empty shoes lay around Paris, symbolizing the absent marchers who would have joined this weekend's worldwide climate change protests pressing for a bold international agreement at the upcoming climate summit there. The capital city was planned to be the center for demonstrations but French police banned large protests following the terrorist attacks this month. (The Washington Post) (The Daily Mirror)

Sport

• 2015 Davis Cup
  • In tennis, the Great Britain Davis Cup team wins their tenth title in the Davis Cup and their first since 1936 defeating Belgium 3-2 in the final in Ghent. Andy Murray won all of their games he played with two singles wins and teaming with his brother Jamie Murray to win the doubles. (New York Times)
• 2015–16 NBA season
  • In basketball, American star Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers announces he will retire at the end of the season. (ESPN)