Portal:Current events/2014 December 31

Current events of December 31, 2014 (2014-12-31) (Wednesday)

Disasters and accidents

• Pacific typhoon season
  • As Tropical Storm Jangmi (Seniang) weakens, the Philippines death toll reaches 53 people. (AP)
• Explosions at a factory in the southern Chinese city of Foshan kill 17 people and injure 20. (Reuters)
• A New Year's Eve celebration stampede in Shanghai kills at least 35 people and injures another 48 others. (BBC)(China Daily)
• The Italian coast guard boards and regains control of a cargo ship that had been sabotaged and abandoned by human traffickers carrying nearly 1,000 passengers, mostly Syrian refugees, that was in immenient jeopordy of crashing into land. (Wall Street Journal) (eNews Channel Africa)

Law and crime

• A riot breaks out at a New Year's Eve festival in Gisborne, New Zealand, leaving 83 people injured and 63 arrested. (NZ Herald)

Politics and elections

• President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano announces his impending resignation, citing "old age". (Business Week)
• President of Gambia Yahya Jammeh remains in power after a failed coup attempt while he was travelling outside the country. (Al Jazeera)