Portal:Current events/2012 November 18

• Operation Pillar of Defense:
  • An Israeli strike on a home in Gaza has killed at least 10 people, officials say, as Sunday became the deadliest day since Israel launched an operation against Hamas militants last week. Over 80 Israeli alleged terrorist targets were hit today by IDF bombs including rocket firing sites and weapon smuggling tunnels. The IDF releases a video showing rocket launching sites adjacent to a Mosque and accuses Hamas of using human shields. (BBC) (The Jerusalem Post)
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells foreign leaders Israel is ready to accept a cease fire agreement with Hamas if their rocket attacks cease. Israel launched Operation Pillar of Defense in response to rocket attacks from Gaza and is currently amassing troops in preparation for a ground incursion. (HaAretz)
  • Israel has been shelling Gaza from the sea and air as its bombardment of the coastal enclave moves into a fifth day as over 492 rockets have been fired into Israel. (BBC)
  • At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also told a meeting of the Israeli Cabinet that, if necessary, he would be prepared to authorize a substantially broader operation, though he did not indicate whether the 75,000 Israeli soldiers put on reserve would be used in a future ground operation or not. Egypt, whose leaders have been working with the U.S., Hamas leaders, the Arab League (which has convened an emergency meeting), Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been trying to secure a (lasting) cease-fire, to avoid a repeat of the 2008 war. During his Asia trip, U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated that Israel had a right to use any means possible to keep its citizens safe from external attacks. (NBC News)
• Syrian civil war:
  • Gunfire from conflict in Syria hits an Israeli army position in the Golan Heights, prompting return fire. (Al Arabiya)
  • The Syrian government criticises countries that recognise the opposition Syrian National Council. (New York Times)
• 2012 East DR Congo conflict:
  • M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo advance on the city of Goma. (BBC)
• 2012 terrorist attacks in Kenya:
  • Five people are killed after a grenade destroys a bus in Nairobi, Kenya. (Al Jazeera)

• Martial arts star Jackie Chan confirm his next film Chinese Zodiac will be his last as an action star. (BBC)

• A fire breaks out at a residential highrise, the Tamweel Tower in the Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, UAE. (Al Arabiya)

• 7th East Asia Summit:
  • ASEAN leaders sign a controversial human rights declaration. (Global Post)
  • ASEAN nations ask China to begin talks over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. (Radio Television Hong Kong)
  • Leaders describe ongoing violence in Burma between Buddhists and Muslims as "disturbing". (Financial Express Bangladesh)

• Clashes take place at an anti-gay marriage protest in Paris, France. (Times of India)

• Brazil wins the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup after a thrilling final in which they beat Spain 3-2 after extra time in Bangkok, Thailand. (FIFA)
• In the 2012 Davis Cup final Czech Republic defeats Spain 3-2 in Prague. Radek Štěpánek wins a decisive fifth match against Nicolás Almagro. (BBC)
• British racing driver Lewis Hamilton wins Formula One's 2012 United States Grand Prix ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. (BBC)
• Brad Keselowski wins the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship ahead of Clint Bowyer and former 5-time champion Jimmie Johnson. (Speed.com)