Portal:Current events/2017 December 19

December 19, 2017 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Houthis say that they launched a Volcano H-2 missile targeting at the Al-Yamamah Palace in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh. According to the Saudis, the missile was intercepted south of Riyadh and caused no casualties. (Reuters)
- The Secretary-General of the OIC, Yousef Al-Othaimeen, says the repeated launch of ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia served to confirm the Houthis' "hostility and criminality" and further claimed "The Houthis are trying to destabilize Saudi Arabia and the entire region." (Anadolu Agency)

Disasters and accidents

2017 Washington train derailment
- An NTSB spokesperson says that preliminary indications are that the train was travelling at 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) on a 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) track. The Positive train control (PTC) safety system was not operational on the train, says Amtrak. (BBC)
A tour bus crash in Mexico leaves at least 12 people dead and 18 injured. The cause of the crash is under investigation. (The Washington Post)

International relations

Canada–United States relations, North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announce the formation of an international group that seeks to increase pressure on North Korea regarding their nuclear program. The group, comprised of 18 countries, will meet for the first time on January 16, 2018 in Vancouver. (AFP)

Law and crime

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
- The United States House of Representatives passes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 by 227 votes to 203. After being sent to the United States Senate for a vote, the Senate's parliamentarian found that several provisions in the House bill violated Senate rules, which forced the House of Representatives to call a second vote on an altered version of the legislation that has the violating provisions removed. The second vote by the House of Representatives is expected to take place on December 20, 2017. (NBC News)
Taxation in the Philippines
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act. (The Philippine Star)

Sports

In U.S. college women's basketball, two Hall of Fame coaches win their 1,000th career games—first Sylvia Hatchell of North Carolina, followed a few hours later by Geno Auriemma of Connecticut. Auriemma becomes the fastest coach to reach the mark in NCAA Division I history for either men or women, doing so in his 33rd season and 1,135th game. (ESPN)