November 15, 2012 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian civil war:
- At least 95 people are killed across Syria according to the Local Coordination Committees, including 46 in Damascus and its suburbs. (CNN)
- According to the UN refugee office, at least 414,838 Syrians are in neighboring countries registered as refugees or waiting to register. Turkey has the single highest number, with 114,944. (CNN)
- Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that his government recognizes the newly formed Syrian National Coalition as the legitimate leader of the Syrian people, two days after France became the first Western country to recognize the council. (New York Times)
- Operation Pillar of Defense:
- Three Israeli civilians are killed in Kiryat Malachi, Israel, in a further barrage of rocket attacks on southern Israel from Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Rockets have hit apartment buildings, schools and private houses so far. (The Times of Israel)
- The Palestinian death toll rises to at least 16, including 2 children. Officials in Gaza report at least 150 have been injured since the start of the Israeli operation. (Al Jazeera)
- Two rockets are fired at Tel Aviv, with one landing in the sea and the other hitting an uninhabited area in the city's suburbs. Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the incident, which was the first attack against the city since the 1991 Gulf War. (The Jerusalem Post) (KleineOnline)
- As nationwide protests over fuel price hikes continue in Jordan, unidentified gunmen storm a police station in the northern town of Irbid, leading to the fatal shooting of 22-year-old civilian, and injuries to 13 police officers and 4 protesters. Protests and sporadic looting are reported from Al Karak, Salt and Madaba. (Al Jazeera)
Business and Economy
- Deepwater Horizon oil spill:
- BP announces it will plead guilty to charges of manslaughter and obstruction of Congress, and will pay a total of US$4.5 billion to the US Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission. (Wall Street Journal) (Bloomberg)
- Separately, the two highest-ranking BP supervisors on board the Deepwater Horizon on the day of the explosion have been indicted on 23 criminal counts. (CNN)
Disasters and accidents
- Four people are killed and 17 others are injured in the Midland train crash after a Union Pacific train struck a parade float in Midland, Texas. (Chicago Tribune)
Law and crime
- A former BBC Radio 1 disc jockey is detained by police in the ongoing investigation into the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal. (The Daily Telegraph) (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Chinese leadership transition at the 18th Party Congress
- Xi Jinping is chosen as the General Secretary and Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and the next leader of the People's Republic of China. (BBC)
- Other members of the Politburo Standing Committee include Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli. (BBC)
- Xi Jinping delivers his first speech as General Secretary in a "plain-spoken" style very different from that of his predecessor, Hu Jintao. (BBC) (BBC Transcript)
- The Myanmar government pardons 452 prisoners under an amnesty in a goodwill gesture before a visit by US President Barack Obama. State media said some of the people released were foreigners, though it remained unknown if any dissidents are among them at all. Human Rights Watch accuses the government of using strategically timed prisoner releases to appease the international community. (Al Jazeera)
- Elections are held to choose 41 Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales. Three by-elections also take place in Cardiff South and Penarth, Corby and Manchester Central. (BBC)