July 17, 2015 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Boko Haram, Timeline of Boko Haram insurgency
- Suicide bombers killed at least 64 people in multiple blasts in the northeastern towns of Gombe and Damaturu, Nigeria. (WSJ via AP)(Local 10) (BBC)
- Niger’s army killed at least 30 suspected Boko Haram fighters as it searched for militants in villages just over the border with Nigeria. (NewsDay Zimbabwe)
- At least six people are killed in clashes between supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian police. (BBC)
- 2015 Khan Bani Saad massacre, Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)
- Tolikara riot
- 12 people injured, 1 boy killed, and several home and kiosk burned in Tolikara Regency, Papua, Indonesia. (Solopos)
Arts and culture
- Australian artist Nigel Milsom wins the 2015 Archibald Prize for a portrait of barrister Charles Waterstreet who represented Milsom when he was sentenced for armed robbery. (ABC News Australia)
- Holy Trinity University, Puerto Princesa, Philippines has been named as a new center to research ancient Palawan man, Tabon Caves, and large sculptures found along Palawan's coast. (Palawan-News)
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
- 2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Nangka passes through the western part of the main Japanese island of Honshu, causing at least two deaths, widespread flooding and the evacuation of 100,000 people. (Reuters)
- Indonesian volcano eruptions
- Thousands of Indonesians are stranded on the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan as five airports remain closed as a result of the eruption of the Raung and Gamalama volcanoes. (BBC)
- At least five people are dead and three are missing after a coal mine in the Philippines province of Antique collapses. (AP)
- Two commuter trains collide at the Booysens train station in Johannesburg, South Africa, injuring more than 250 people. (News24)
- Formula One driver Jules Bianchi passes away at his hospital in Nice, France due to head injuries from his accident at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix. (ESPN)
International relations
- The People's Republic of China releases 10 South African tourists held for allegedly distributing terrorist material. (News 24)
- Ukraine expels Valery Shibeko, Russia's top envoy to Odesa, after declaring the consulate general "persona non grata" for conducting unnamed activities "incompatible" with his diplomatic work. (AFP)[permanent dead link]
- Liza Maza, a human rights activist and former Filipino congresswoman, and the Center for Women's Resources criticized the United States and the Philippines governments for preventing Maza's boarding of a July 9, 2015, Korean Air flight destined for Washington, D.C. Maza, who has a U.S. visa valid until 2018, was scheduled to speak before a left-wing conference on U.S. activities in the Philippines. (Bulatlat) (Bulatlat) (Philippine Daily Inquirer) (CommonDreams.org)
Law and crime
- Protests are held, and social media amasses over 200,000 #SandraBland tweets after the Death of Sandra Bland, an activist against police brutality, while she is imprisoned in Waller County, Texas. (The New York Times), (WSWS)
- The Pakistan Rangers, a paramilitary group, raid the Karachi headquarters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party on the grounds that it had allegedly been producing hate speech, and arrest two people. (Reuters via Business Insider)
- A man goes on a shooting spree in Maine, U.S., killing two people and wounding three others in the towns of Lee and Benedicta. A manhunt is executed, and the suspect is arrested in Houlton. (CBC)
Sport
- List of world records in athletics
- Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia breaks the world record for women's 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) at the Herculis IAAF Diamond League event in Monaco running 3 minutes, 50.08 seconds. (BBC)
Science and technology
- University marine scientists observe that a shipwreck discovered off the North Carolina Coast on July 12 may date back to the American Revolution. (NBC News)