Portal:Current events/2013 December 7

• Syrian civil war:
  • The Islamic Front has taken over Bab al-Hawa bases from the Free Syrian Army. (Reuters)
• Central African Republic conflict under the Djotodia administration:
  • France expands its role in the conflict in the Central African Republic. BBC News.

• 87-year-old American comedian Don Rickles is recovering after treatment for a leg infection of necrotizing fasciitis, better known as a flesh-eating disease. (FOX News)

• United States Supreme Court associate justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg turns down a stay to block the December 9 American Airlines/US Airways merger. (FOX News)

• Typhoon Haiyan:
  • The death toll reaches 5,800, with 26,233 injured and 1,779 still missing. (BW)

• Researchers at the New York University School of Medicine are published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, describing a link between decreased levels of gut microbe diversity and increased colorectal cancer rates. A possible cause of the link may be that such people's digestive tracts have lower levels of bacteria that ferment dietary fiber into the anti-inflammatory fatty acid butyrate. However, the causative link remains uncertain since there could be other influencing factors, such as genetics, obesity, or the presence of inflammatory types of microbes. (MSN)

• 2013 Korean crisis:
  • North Korea releases 85-year-old American retiree Merrill Newman after 42 days in captivity. The United States once again asks the DPRK to pardon and release Kenneth Bae. (CNN)
• The World Trade Organization meeting in Bali, Indonesia, concludes with agreement to simplify trade deals and make it easier for poorer states to sell their goods as part of the Bali Package. (BBC)

• Local government elections are held in Balochistan, Pakistan. (Dawn News)