logo
Today in History: March 17, white South Africans vote to end apartheid

Today in History: March 17, white South Africans vote to end apartheid

Today in history:
On March 17, 1992, white South Africans voted 68.7%-31.3% to end over 40 years of apartheid in a national referendum. (Voters of all races were allowed to vote two years later in the general election that resulted in Nelson Mandela becoming president.)
Also on this date:
In 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick's Day parade.
In 1776, the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city.
In 1950, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley announced they had created a new radioactive element they named 'californium.'
In 1969, Golda Meir took power in Israel, beginning a term as prime minister that would last through five crucial years in the nation's history.
In 2003, edging to the brink of war, President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave his country. Iraq rejected Bush's ultimatum, saying that a U.S. attack to force Saddam from power would be 'a grave mistake.'
In 2010, Michael Jordan became the first ex-player to become a majority owner in the NBA as the league's Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan's $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.
In 2016, finally bowing to years of public pressure, SeaWorld Entertainment said it would stop breeding killer whales and making them perform crowd-pleasing tricks.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court said it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes because of his alleged involvement in abductions of children from Ukraine.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US and China are holding trade talks in London after Trump-Xi phone call
US and China are holding trade talks in London after Trump-Xi phone call

San Francisco Chronicle​

time18 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

US and China are holding trade talks in London after Trump-Xi phone call

LONDON (AP) — High-level delegations from the United States and China are meeting in London on Monday to try and shore up a fragile truce in a trade dispute that has roiled the global economy, A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng is due to meet U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at an undisclosed location in the city. The talks are due to last at least a day. They follow negotiations in Geneva last month that brought a temporary respite in the trade war. The two countries announced May 12 they had agreed to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that had sparked fears of recession. Since then, the U.S. and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, 'rare earths' that are vital to carmakers and other industries, and visas for Chinese students at American universities. President Donald Trump spoke at length with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone last Thursday in an attempt to put relations back on track. Trump announced on social media the next day that trade talks would be held on Monday in London. 'We are a nation that champions free trade and have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody's interests, so we welcome these talks,' the British government said in a statement.

Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg, officials say
Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg, officials say

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg, officials say

Israeli forces seize Gaza aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg, officials say Show Caption Hide Caption Climate activist Greta Thunberg sets sail for Gaza to deliver aid "We have to keep trying." Climate activist Greta Thunberg set sail to deliver aid to Gaza just weeks after a similar mission was thwarted by bombs. JERUSALEM, June 9 (Reuters) - Israeli forces have taken command of a charity vessel that had tried to break a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip and the boat with its crew of 12 including activist Greta Thunberg is now heading to a port in Israel, officials said on Sunday. The British-flagged yacht Madleen, which is operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aiming to deliver a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza later on Monday and raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis there. However, the boat was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on its Telegram account. The Israeli Foreign Ministry later confirmed that it was under Israeli control. More: US vetoes UN Security Council demand for Gaza ceasefire "The 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. The passengers are expected to return to their home countries," the ministry wrote on X. All passengers were safe and unharmed, the ministry later added. "They were provided with sandwiches and water. The show is over." Among the 12-strong crew are Swedish climate campaigner Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament. "The crew of the Freedom Flotilla was arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 a.m.," Hassan posted on X. A photograph showed the crew seated on the boat, all wearing life jackets, with their hands in the air. More: Greta Thunberg sailing to Gaza on aid ship after drone attack setback The yacht is carrying a small shipment of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula. The Foreign Ministry said it would be taken to Gaza. "The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels," it wrote. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military on Sunday to prevent the Madleen from reaching Gaza, calling the mission a propaganda effort in support of Hamas. Israel imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007. The blockade has remained in place through multiple conflicts, including the current war, which began after a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people, according to an Israeli tally. Gaza's health ministry says over 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel's military campaign. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents are facing famine. The Israeli government says the blockade is essential to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has supported the FFC operation and on Sunday, urged other boats to challenge the Gaza blockade. "Madleen's journey may have ended, but the mission isn't over. Every Mediterranean port must send boats with aid & solidarity to Gaza," she wrote on X. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer, Yomna Ehab and Enas Alashray; Editing by Richard Chang and Lincoln Feast.)

Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says

timean hour ago

Polish and allied planes briefly scramble amid Russian targeting of Ukraine, Poland says

LONDON -- Polish and allied planes briefly scrambled early on Monday in Polish airspace, as Russia targeted nearby Ukraine with aerial strikes, the Polish armed forces said. The Ukrainian air force issued a series of alerts early on Monday, saying Russian drones were targeting areas throughout much of Ukraine. The operation commander of the armed forces in Poland "launched all available forces and resources at his disposal, the on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness," the military said in a statement in Polish translated by ABC News. The launches were "preventative in nature," the military said. About three hours after that initial message, at about 7 a.m. local time, the military said the threat of Russian strikes had been reduced, so the Polish and allied warplanes had been returned to their usual activity. "We inform you that no violation of the airspace of the Republic of Poland has been observed," the military said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store