December 17, 2018 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- Six U.S. air strikes over the weekend kill at least 62 Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, according to The Pentagon. (BBC)
- Two Scandinavian women on a backpacking holiday were found dead in Morocco with cuts to their necks. The bodies were found in an isolated area in the Atlas mountains, near the tourist village of Imlil, Marrakesh-Safi. 13 men are arrested with links to a Jihadist group. (The Guardian)
Arts and culture
- Miss Universe 2018
- Catriona Gray from the Philippines is crowned Miss Universe at the IMPACT Arena in Thailand. (CNN)
Business and economy
- Tolls are scrapped for the Severn crossing bridges connecting England and South Wales, making travel across the River Severn free for all commuters for the first time in 800 years. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Politics of Poland
- Polish President Andrzej Duda signs into law the bill, passed by the Parliament of Poland three weeks ago, reinstating the Supreme Court judges who had been forced out of their jobs when legislation to lower the judges's mandatory retirement age was enacted in July. This addresses one of the issues that has been in dispute with the European Union. (The New York Times)
Science and technology
- 160 million-year-old fossil anurognathid pterosaurs are discovered that show feathery coverings, suggesting either deep common ancestry with theropod dinosaurs or independent coevolution. (BBC) (Nature)
- Astronomers announce the discovery of trans-Neptunian object 2018 VG18, the most distant object in the Solar System ever observed at a distance of ~120 AU. (Space.com)