Portal:Current events/2014 September 19

• Tropical Storm Fung-wong
  • Manila is inundated by massive flooding causing flights to the international airport to be cancelled and businesses to shut down. (Bloomberg)
• Between 20,000 to 30,000 people are evacuated in Luzon as the Philippine volcano Mayon spews lava. (TIME)
• Indonesia's Mount Slamet erupts.(TIME)

• Saturday Night Live alumnus Darrell Hammond is chosen to be the new announcer of the long running U.S. variety show following the death of Don Pardo in August. (The New York Times)

• Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group lists on NYSE in one of the largest initial public offerings in history. (BBC)
• A report by Verité states that one third of migrant workers in Malaysia's electronics industry are slaves. (The Guardian)

• 2014 Australian terror raids
  • Australia raises security for its Parliament after conducting raids that arrest dozens of suspected terrorists. (CBS News)
• Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  • France launches airstrikes against the Islamic State. (Fox News)
  • Malaysia says that Muslim women are joining IS as "prostitutes" which is contrary to the teachings of Islam. (The Diplomat)

• 2014 West African ebola outbreak
  • Sierra Leone begins a nationwide lockdown in order to slow the spread of the disease. (CNN)

• Japan vows to continue its whaling program despite passage of an anti-whaling vote in the International Whaling Commission. (Reuters)

• China fines Glaxosmithkline US$490 million for its alleged involvement in a bribery scandal. (BBC)

• 2014 Scottish independence referendum
  • Scotland votes "No" to Scottish independence. (The New York Times)
  • Voter turnout in the referendum hits 84.5%, a record high for any election held in the United Kingdom since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1918. (ITV)
  • Prime Minister David Cameron announces plans to devolve further powers to Scotland, as well as the UK's other constituent countries. (BBC)
  • Alex Salmond announces his resignation as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party following the referendum. (BBC)
• Slovenia's 12th government is sworn in with Miro Cerar as the new prime minister. (Slovenia Times)
• Poland's new prime minister, Ewa Kopacz, presents her government; Grzegorz Schetyna becomes new foreign minister, while the outgoing FM Radoslaw Sikorski becomes speaker of the parliament. (Euronews)

• In tennis, Chinese two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na announces her retirement after persistent knee problems. (AP via Sports Fan)
• The 2014 Asian Games gets underway in Incheon, South Korea. (AP)
• In Australian rules football, the AFL minor premiers, the Sydney Swans, advance to the AFL Grand Final by defeating North Melbourne by 71 points in the first preliminary final at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. (THE AGE)