• edit
• history
• watch

• RENAMO insurgency (2013–2019)
  • A peace deal is signed between the leaders ofRenamo and the ruling partyFrelimo inMozambique, officially ending a conflict that plagued the country for years.(DW)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • 51 security forces, includingSouthern Movement commanderMunir Al Yafi, are killed and scores wounded in a rocket attack on a military camp near the city ofAden,Yemen. The rocket attack was claimed byHouthi movement.(Anadolu Agency)
  • 13 people are killed by asuicide bomber inSheikh Othman. The bombing was claimed byIslamic State.(The New York Times)
• Somali Civil War
  • Mayor of MogadishuAbdirahman Abdi Osman dies from injuries he sustained during the24 July 2019 Mogadishu bombing.(The New York Times)

• China–United States trade war
  • President of the United StatesDonald Trump announces in a tweet that theUnited States will impose import tariffs of 10% onUS$300 billion worth ofChinese exports starting September 1.(CNBC)

• The town ofWhaley Bridge inDerbyshire, England, is evacuated after heavy rain and flooding causes structural damage to the nearby dam at theToddbrook Reservoir amid fears the dam could collapse. A severe flood warning has been issued for communities situated along theRiver Goyt.(BBC News)

• 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
  • U.S. Commerce SecretaryWilbur Ross says that theUnited States has "a blueprint" to recover Venezuela's economy ifNicolás Maduro leaves office as the nation's disputedPresident.(Wall Street Journal)
  • U.S PresidentDonald Trump says that he is considering ablockade ofVenezuela as the U.S increases pressure on President Maduro to step down.(Reuters)

• List of nearest exoplanets
  • Astronomers from theMax Planck Institute for Astronomy announce the discovery ofred dwarf starGJ 357 and its three confirmedexoplanets in theHydra constellation, one of which (GJ 357 d) is highly likely to be asuper-Earth planet located in the system'scircumstellar habitable zone where life can exist. The discovery was made usingNASA'sTransiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).(The Independent)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Yemeni Civil War,Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
  • At least 19Yemeni soldiers are killed by anAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula attack on amilitary camp inAbyan,Yemen.(Al Jazeera)
• 2019 Bangkok bombings
  • Multiple bomb blasts hitBangkok,Thailand, asUnited States Secretary of StateMike Pompeo attends a regional security summit. At least four people are injured.(DW)

• 2019 Japan–South Korea trade dispute
  • Japan announces the removal of South Korea from its list of most trusted trading partners, effective on August 28.(Marketwatch)

• Russia–United States relations
  • TheUnited States formally withdraws from theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty withRussia.(CNN)

• 2019 Zagreb shooting
  • A gunman opens fire in the home of his ex-wife inZagreb,Croatia, killing six, including a ten-year-old child. He later committed suicide after a manhunt.(Reuters)
• Women's rights in Saudi Arabia
  • Saudi Arabia grants women the right to travel without permission froma male guardian, and expands their marriage and custodial rights in a series of royal decrees.(Reuters)
• Capital punishment in Japan
  • Japan carries out the first executions this year,hanging Koichi Shoji, 64, who killed two women in 2001, andserial killer Yasunori Suzuki, 50, who killed three women between 2004 and 2005 inFukuoka Prefecture.(Kyodo News)

• UK House of Commons:2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election
  • TheLiberal Democrats gain theBrecon and Radnorshire seat from theConservatives. This marks the first time a seat has changed hands in a by-election triggered by a successfulrecall petition. The working majority of theConservative government is reduced to one.(The Guardian)
• List of Donald Trump nominees who have withdrawn
  • President Trump announces he will not nominate RepresentativeJohn Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats asDirector of National Intelligence when he resigns on August 15, and plans to block Principal Deputy Director of National IntelligenceSue Gordon from serving as acting director.(The New York Times)(The New York Times²)
• Murder of Alexandra Măceșanu
  • RomanianPrime MinisterViorica Dăncilă sacksMinister of EducationEcaterina Andronescu for her controversial comments in atelevision interview about murdered 15-year-old girlAlexandra Măceșanu, saying she was "taught not to get in cars with strangers". A 65-year-old man has since admitted killing Alexandra Măceșanu and another teenage girl who has been missing since April.(BBC News)
• Deforestation in Brazil
  • Brazil'sNational Space Research Institute Director-GeneralRicardo Galvão is dismissed from office as a result of the release of data showing arise in Amazon deforestation. PresidentJair Bolsonaro has called the release of the data "irresponsible and sensationalist".(BBC News)(The Guardian)

• Argentine footballerLionel Messi is suspended from hisnational team for three months and fined US$50,000 for criticizing theSouth American Football Confederation.(The New York Times)

• edit
• history
• watch

• 2019 El Paso shooting
  • At least 22 people are killed and 24 others injured in amass shooting at aWalmart inEl Paso, Texas. A suspect Patrick Crusius ofAllen, Texas was captured alive. The case is being investigated asdomestic terrorism given that Patrick Crusius had posted a 4-pagewhite nationalist manifesto titledThe Inconvenient Truth on8chan where he cited a supposed "Hispanic invasion ofTexas" and "Simply trying to defend my country fromcultural and ethnic replacement" as motivation for the shooting. The suspect was also inspired by Brenton Tarrant, the perpetrator of theChristchurch mosque shooting inNew Zealand.(CNN)
• Indian authorities issue evacuation orders for thousands of people, including tourists andHindupilgrims heading to theAmarnath Temple foryatra (which has been cancelled) to immediately leaveJammu and Kashmir because of security alerts about possible militant attacks. Also, the pilgrimage toMachel Mata for yatra, which also began on 1 July, has been suspended.(BBC News)(CNN-News18)

• Argentina–United States relations
  • Argentine PresidentMauricio Macri receives theU.S. Commerce SecretaryWilbur Ross, who expresses full support from the U.S. for his re-election in theupcoming Argentine elections.(La Nación)

• 2018–19 Sudanese protests,2019 Sudanese transition to democracy
  • TheAfrican Union announces theSudanese military council and the opposition agreed to a constitutional declaration that will pave the way to a new transitional government. It calls for the new government to be headed by six civilians and five generals, and formally places theRapid Support Forces under military command.(BBC News)
• Several hundred people are detained byRussian police at unauthorized protests in Moscow. The protests occurred because several opposition candidates were disqualified from running in the upcomingMoscow City legislative election.(RT)

• X Games Minneapolis 2019
  • Mitchie Brusco becomes the firstskateboarder in history to complete a 1260° (3½-revolutionaerial spin) in competition.(CBS Sports)

• edit
• history
• watch

• 2019 Cairo bombing
  • A car drives into three other cars causing an explosive crash outside theNational Cancer Institute Egypt campus in centralCairo, killing 20 people and injuring 47 others. TheInterior Ministry says that the car that hit the others contained explosives and was to be used in aterrorist operation. The driver fled the scene before the explosion. The minister accuses theIslamistHasm Movement of being behind the attack.(Reuters)

• Iran–Iraq relations
  • Iran seizes a foreign tanker, reported to beIraqi, in thePersian Gulf, according to Iranian state media. TheIranians accuse the tanker of "smuggling fuel for someArab countries".(BBC News)

• 2019 Dayton shooting
  • Amass shooting occurs at a bar in theOregon Historic District ofDayton, Ohio,United States. Nine people are killed and at least 27 others are injured. The shooter Connor Betts is killed by police.(BBC News)

• French inventorFranky Zapata successfully crosses theEnglish Channel on the jet-poweredFlyboard Air. The 22-mile (35.4-km) journey took 22 minutes with one refueling stop about halfway toDover, England.(BBC News)(The Guardian)

• 2019 Women's British Open
  • Ingolf,Japan'sHinako Shibuno wins the year's finalmajor championship by one shot overAmericanLizette Salas. Shibuno, a 20-year-old rookie on theJapan LPGA Tour, was playing outside her home country for the first time, and was also playing for the first time in a major recognized by theU.S. LPGA.(AP via ESPN)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Second Libyan Civil War
  • ALibyan National Army airstrike on the southernLibyan town ofMurzuk reportedly kills at least 43 people and injures 51 others, according to local officials. An LNA spokesperson says the raid had targeted "Chadian mercenaries".(France 24)

• China–United States trade war
  • China lets its currency drop to its lowest reported level since 2008 and also asks its state-owned companies to halt imports of U.S. agricultural products. In response theU.S.Treasury Department designatesChina as acurrency manipulator.(Reuters One)(Reuters Two)
• Harland and Wolff, known for constructing several famous ships, including theRMSTitanic andHMSBelfast, collapses into administration. All 130 employees have been given redundancy notices, and the company is expected to cease trading after 158 years.(BBC News)

• A bus carrying volunteer doctors fromLa Paz towards the north ofBolivia crashed, leaving 14 dead and 21 injured.(NDTV)
• A fire and large explosions at aRussian Armed Forcesammunition dump prompts the mass evacuation of civilians from the nearby city ofAchinsk.(RFE/RL)

• TheUnited Kingdom announces it is joining aUnited States-led naval mission in thePersian Gulf to protectoil tankers, following several seizures ininternational waters byIran'sIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.(The Guardian)
• Venezuelan refugee crisis,Colombia–Venezuela relations
  • Colombia grants national citizenship to all children born in the country toVenezuelan parents since August 2015. The measure will be in force for two years.(Reuters)

• October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts
  • Cesar Sayoc is sentenced to 20 years in prison for sending pipe bombs toCNN and several prominentU.S. Democrats including formerPresidentBarack Obama and formerVice PresidentJoe Biden last year.(CNN)
• R. Kelly is charged with two counts for engaging inprostitution with a person under 18 inMinnesota.(CNN)

• 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests
  • Hong Kong citizens call for a city-widegeneral strike with varioussit-ins in seven districts. With around 2 million residents participated in the strikes, thousands of workers announcing their participation, over 200 flights were cancelled,MTR lines halted and theHang Seng Index dropped sharply. Chief ExecutiveCarrie Lam blamed protesters for "destroying Hong Kong" and rejected their demands.(Bloomberg)(Hong Kong Free Press)
• India revokesJammu and Kashmir'sspecial status amidst increased regional tensions. The Indian government moved additional troops into the sensitive area before banning assemblies, closing schools, restrictingtourism and announcing a plan to split the state into twounion territories.(The New York Times)

• 2019 El Paso shooting
  • 8chan is taken offline afterSan Francisco-basedCloudflare cuts support for the site in response to the perpetrator Patrick Crusius posting hiswhite nationalist manifestoThe Inconvenient Truth on the site shortly before killing 22 people and injuring 24 others at aWalmart inEl Paso, Texas which was ananti-Hispanic terrorist attack.(BBC News)

• German association football clubChemnitzer FC sacks club captainDaniel Frahn for "openly displaying sympathy forNeo-Nazi groups". Frahn, who is currently unable to play due to injury, watched the club's recent match in the stands withfar-righthooligan fans.(The Guardian)

• edit
• history
• watch

• War in Donbass
  • FourUkrainian Ground Forces soldiers are killed in an attack by pro-Russianseparatists, near the village ofPavlopil in the war-torn easternDonetsk Oblast.(RFE/RL)

• United States–Venezuela relations,International sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis
  • U.S. PresidentDonald Trump signs an executive order freezing all assets and interests of theVenezuelan government as contained within the United States, a severe escalation from recent industry sanctions and verbal rhetoric. Twenty-one exceptions are issued, for companies providing services including oil, aid, and telecommunications. The expanded sanctions are widely criticized as likely to worsen the conditions for people in Venezuela.(Reuters)(BBC News)
• India–Pakistan relations,Kashmir conflict
  • Pakistani Prime MinisterImran Khan vows to fightIndia's unilateral decision to revoke Indian-administeredKashmir's autonomy, including in theUnited Nations General Assembly andSecurity Council. Mr. Khan stated this move is a breach ofinternational law, adding he feared the possibility ofethnic cleansing in the Muslim-majority region.(BBC News)
  • China, which administers the Kashmir territories ofAksai Chin and theTrans-Karakoram Tract, voices opposition to this "unacceptable" Indian move and, along withTurkey, reaffirms their support for a peaceful resolution.(EurAsian Times)(Newsweek)
  • Kashmir remains onlockdown, with the internet out and nearly all phone lines severed.(The New York Times)

• Florida GovernorRon DeSantis orders law enforcement to handle a criminal probe ofJeffrey Epstein's jail release in the late 2000s.(CNBC)

• Crisis in Venezuela
  • The Argentine government says it has already received "hundreds" of reports ofhuman rights abuses and criminal accusations against the Venezuelan government, days after Argentina invited Venezuelans in the country to file reports against the Venezuelan government.(La Nación)

• Scientists at theSpring,Texas,Arch Mission Foundation confirm thattardigrades in acryptobiotic state were added to the payload of the failedSpaceILBeresheet lander that crashed on theMoon on 11 April 2019, and may have survived the crash.(The Guardian)(CNET)
• 2019 in spaceflight
  • TheEuropean Space Agency successfully launches theGerman Aerospace Center-operatedEDRS-Claser communication satellite on anAriane 5 from theGuiana Space Centre inFrench Guiana.(BBC News)
  • SpaceX successfully launchesIsraeli communications satelliteAmos-17 on aFalcon 9 rocket fromCape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch was provided by SpaceX for free following the destruction ofSpacecom'sAmos-6 satellite in 2016.(Space.com)

• edit
• history
• watch

• War in Afghanistan
  • 7 August 2019 Kabul bombing
    • Acar bombing by theTaliban kills 14 and injures over 150 inKabul, Afghanistan.(CNN)

• The death toll of the heat wave inJapan rises to 57, while 18,347 others are hospitalized.(Japan Times)

• 2019 California stabbing rampage
  • AGarden Grove, California, man stabs and kills four people and wounds two others in a two-hour crime spree at a series ofOrange County locations. Both injured victims are expected to survive. The motive of the 33-year-old suspect, who was arrested at the last scene, appears to be robbery as well as "anger and hate."(CNN)(AP via KESQ-TV)

• 2019 Argentine general election
  • Sources from theBrazilian government reveal thatBrazilian PresidentJair Bolsonaro suggestedU.S. PresidentDonald Trump visitArgentina in order to back the re-election ofPresidentMauricio Macri.(La Nación)
• Cyntoia Brown is released from prison after serving fifteen years for killing Johnny Allen in 2004.(NY Times)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Kyrgyzstan'ssecurity forces storm the compound of formerPresidentAlmazbek Atambayev on the outskirts ofBishkek for the second time after a failed overnight raid left one officer dead. Atambayev and his loyalists are "putting up severe armed resistance", according to PresidentSooronbay Jeenbekov. Atambayev is detained, ending a two-day standoff. One officer was killed, while 80 people were injured.(Reuters)(BBC News)
• War in Catatumbo
  • The Human Rights Watch breaks a report on violence around theColombia—Venezuela border since theColombian peace process, announcing that there has been an ongoing War in theCatatumbo region since early 2018.(The Guardian)(Human Rights Watch)

• Floods hit the states ofKarnataka andKerala inIndia, resulting in 11 dead and 43,000 people being evacuated.(Gulf News)

• Dengue fever outbreaks
  • The Department of Health of thePhilippines declares a nationaldengue epidemic in the country, as cases spike to 622 deaths.(Gulf News)

• Uruapan massacre
  • Jalisco New Generation Cartel massacres 19 people, hanging 9 of their desecrated bodies from a bridge inUruapan.(The Guardian)

• Matteo Salvini,Italian Deputy Prime Minister, announces the collapse of thecoalition government with theFive Stars Movement, opening the possibility of holding a snap election.(Politico)
• Marek Kuchciński, speaker of theSejm inPoland, announces his resignation after admitting the use of a government jet for 23 personal flights.(Euractiv)

• edit
• history
• watch

• TheU.S. Environmental Protection Agency has given waivers to 31 small oil refineries, freeing them from obligations to blend biofuels into their gasoline.(Reuters)
• TheInternational Monetary Fund finds that China's currency, theyuan, has been "broadly stable" against other currencies over the last year. The yuan is pulled down by market pressures due to the slowing economy. Suggesting little intervention byChina's central bank, the IMF position is at odds with the designation of China by the U.S. as acurrency manipulator.(AP News)

• A landslide in south-easternMyanmar kills 59 people.(BBC News)

• A massive power failure affects most of the northwestern and southeasternUnited Kingdom andLondon, leaving thousands of homes, varioustrain lines, and parts ofNewcastle International Airport without power.(Reuters)

• Canadian tourist Kristian Lee Baxter, who had been held inSyrian detention since 2018, is released inLebanon.(BBC News)
• Le Parisien claimsFrench ex-head of securityYves Bonnet brokered a secret deal withFatah in the 1980s offering immunity in exchange for no furtherterror attacks in France.(The Guardian)

• Deputy Prime Minister of ItalyMatteo Salvini presents avote of no-confidence againstPrime MinisterGiuseppe Conte.(Reuters)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Yemeni Civil War
  • Fighters of theSouthern Movement capture the port city ofAden from forces loyal to the internationally recognizedPresident of YemenAbdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.(Al Jazeera)
• Libyan Civil War
  • Acar bomb goes off inBenghazi, killing three members of theUnited Nations Support Mission in Libya and two other mission members, and wounding dozens of civilians.(The Guardian)
• Bærum mosque shooting
  • A man inBærum,Norway, opens fire in Al Noor Islamic Centre, injuring a congregant. A woman was found dead at the house of the suspect.(BBC News)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israeli forces shoot dead fourPalestinian militants near the border withGaza, the Israeli military say. Israel Defense Forces say the men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades.(The Guardian)
  • Israeli forces arrest twoPalestinians who are suspected of having killed an Israeli soldier.(Jerusalem Post)

• The death toll due to themonsoon flooding in southern and westernIndia rises to 147, while hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes.(Al Jazeera)
• At least 56 people have been killed and more than a million forced from their homes asTyphoon Lekima hits easternChina.(BBC News)
• Morogoro tanker explosion
  • At least 75 people have been killed and 60 injured in afuel tanker explosion inMorogoro,Tanzania.(Xinhua)
• Five people are confirmed dead and three injured following an accidentalrocket explosion on a naval test range nearSeverodvinsk,Russia on Thursday August 8th. The rocket used an experimentalnuclearisotope liquid fuel source, causing a brief localized spike inradiation. 9500 nearby residents were evacuated.(BBC News)

• North Korea–United States relations
  • In a letter sent byNorth Korean leaderKim Jong-un toU.S. PresidentDonald Trump, Kim apologizes for the testing of short-range missiles. Trump says he expects to meet Kim soon and see a denuclearized North Korea as "one of the most successful countries in the world".(Clarín)

• Death of Jeffrey Epstein
  • American financierJeffrey Epstein is found dead in hisManhattan jail cell in an apparentsuicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.(The New York Times)

• 2019 Moscow City Duma election
  • As many as 50,000 people gathered at ongoing protests inMoscow against theRussian authorities preventing several opposition candidates from running in the election, which turned into a protest against the government in general. It is the biggest such event since the2011 protests.(ABC News)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
  • Saudi coalition forces intervene inAden. TheSouthern Transitional Council says it will not "negotiate under duress" with their coalition partners.(Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Israeli riot police clash with Palestinians at theAl-Aqsa Mosque andTemple Mount site inEast Jerusalem. With holidays coincidentally falling on the same day (11 August) this year for both Judaism and Islam, some Palestinians began protesting the admittance of Jewish visitors to the site, despite a longstanding agreement barring Jewish visitors. Following the agreement, the Al-Aqsa police barred Jews from the site. Israeli forces then fired rubber bullets and tear gas at people inside. The Jews were then admitted, which caused further tensions on both sides of the dispute.(Al Jazeera)

• Pope Francis recalls the 70th anniversary of theGeneva Conventions after his Sunday afternoonAngelus address. The 1949 conventions concern the treatment of the sick, the wounded, prisoners, and civilians in war.(Vatican News)

• 2019 Guatemalan general election
  • ConservativeAlejandro Giammattei is elected in the second round of the presidential election and will take office in January 2020.(BBC News)

• edit
• history
• watch

• 2019 Argentine general election
  • AfterArgentine PresidentMauricio Macri comes second inArgentina'sprimary elections, the country'speso loses 15% of its value against theUS dollar.(Reuters)

• At least 24 people die after floods strike acrossVietnam. In the south, nearly 3,900 houses and more than 22,000 hectares of crops are submerged, mostly inLam Dong Province. Floods also damage more than 30km of national roads, including the road leading to the tourist city ofDalat and destroy 142 hectares of aquarium farming and 4,300 cages of river-raised fish.(Al Jazeera)

• Japan–South Korea relations
  • In atit-for-tat move,South Korea removesJapan from its preferred trade list.(US News)
• Human rights in Venezuela
  • Venezuelan activistTamara Sujú visitsLondon to ask theUnited Kingdom, and specificallyDominic Raab, to pressure theInternational Criminal Court to investigate claims of torture and human rights abuses by theNicolás Maduro government.(The Guardian)

• Death of Jeffrey Epstein
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation agentsraid late financier billionaireJeffrey Epstein'sprivate Caribbean island, amid an investigation into allegedsex trafficking. The raid comes two days after Epstein's death.(NBC News)

• Hong Kong protests
  • TheAirport Authority Hong Kong cancels all departure flights fromHong Kong, effectively locking downHong Kong International Airport amid ongoing unrest.(BBC News)
  • A spokesperson forChina'sHong Kong and Macau Affairs Office releases a statement accusing violent protesters that threwpetrol bombs atHong Kong Police officers of being "terrorists", saying that a violent minority within the pro-democracy movement poses "a serious challenge to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability".(Channel NewsAsia)
• 2019 Argentine general election
  • FormerChief of the Cabinet of MinistersAlberto Fernández gains a 15% lead over incumbentPresidentMauricio Macri inArgentina'sprimaries.(The New York Times)
• Operation Car Wash
  • Text messages leaked byThe Intercept Brasil show thatDeltan Dallagnol, former coordinator of Operation Car Wash's prosecution team and anti-corruption public figure, knew thatBrazilian PresidentJair Bolsonaro'sChief of StaffOnyx Lorenzoni was involved in corruption, but chose not to act on it.(O Dia)

• edit
• history
• watch

• China–United States trade war
  • TheUnited States Trade Representative announces a delay until December 15 on a significant number of products affected by 10% import tariffs announced on August 1 and set to be imposed in September.(CNBC)(Reuters)
• Verizon agrees to sell the social networking siteTumblr toAutomattic, owner ofWordPress.com, for less than $10 million, less than two years after acquiring the site in 2017.(Los Angeles Times)(Axios)

• According toInterfax, the governor ofArkhangelsk Oblast dismisses as "complete nonsense" the advice by authorities inSeverodvinsk to residents ofNyonoksa to evacuate on August 14. This follows the accidental explosion on Thursday of what is speculated to be a nuclear-powered missile. Russian nuclear agencyRosatom says the failed test involved a "nuclear isotope power source" for a liquid-propelled rocket engine.(The Independent)(CBS News)
• Venezuelan migrant crisis
  • A new poll from Consultores 21 suggests that at least 4.7 million Venezuelans are living outside of the country, with the range going up to 6 million — 19% of the nation's entire population in 2017.(Miami Herald)

• 2019 Sydney stabbing attack
  • A man inSydney,Australia, stabs and kills one person and wounds another. The motive of the suspect, who was arrested at the crime scene, is unknown.(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

• 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests
  • U.S. PresidentDonald Trump tweets that U.S. intelligence informed him thatChina is moving troops to the border withHong Kong.(Bloomberg)

• Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro
  • Hundreds of thousands of students, schoolteachers and university professors hold demonstrations acrossBrazil against sweeping cuts in the education budget. Protestors also voice opposition to the government's plan to delegate the administrative and financial management of federal universities and institutes to a privately-held fund.(Agência Brasil)(Telesur English)
  • Earlier in the day, over a thousandIndigenous Brazilian women, representing over 100 ethnic groups, march onBrasília after an overnight occupation of the headquarters of theMinistry of Health's Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health. Protestors chanted against the government's recent attempts at municipalization and privatization of the Indigenous health subsystem, and called for stricter environmental regulations.(BBC News)(Telesur English)

• List of nearest exoplanets
  • Threesuper-Earth exoplanets are announced orbiting around the nearbyred dwarfGliese 1061, one of which orbits within the star'shabitable zone.(Arxiv)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Syrian Civil War,2019 Northwestern Syria offensive
  • ASyrian Air ForceSukhoi Su-22 jet isshot down by rebel forces near the town ofKhan Shaykhun in theIdlib Governorate,Syria.Hayat Tahrir al-Shamjihadists say they have captured the pilot.(BBC News)(Al Masdar News)

• Economy of Germany
  • TheFederal Statistical Office of Germany discloses thatGermany'sgross domestic product shrank by 0.1% in the second quarter.(The Guardian)
• TheScholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, a U.S.-based organization that aims to keep educational materials broadly accessible, has asked theAntitrust Division of theJustice Department to halt a planned merger between two large textbook companies,McGraw-Hill andCengage, a merger it claims will cause students "irreparable harm".(Reuters)

• California regulators announce a ban onchlorpyrifos, an organophosphatenerve agent used as a pesticide.(Los Angeles Times)
• France banselectric pulse fishing.(AFP via Yahoo! News}

• August 2019 Philadelphia shooting
  • Six police officers are shot, sustaining non-life threatening injuries, by a gunman inPhiladelphia; a seventh officer is injured in a related automobile accident nearby.(CNN)(NBC News)
• Nisour Square massacre
  • In a third trial, Nicholas Slatten is sentenced tolife in prison.(AFP via VoA)

• Crisis in Venezuela
  • Venezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro creates a new government ministry, the Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Trade.(Venezuelanalysis)
  • Tarek William Saab strips the parliamentary immunity of the opposition politicians Juan Pablo García,Tomás Guanipa and José Guerra.(Venezuelanalysis)
  • A Norwegian delegation arrives in Venezuela to restart dialogues to end thepresidential crisis.(Reuters)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Ural Airlines Flight 178
  • AUral AirlinesAirbus 321 crash lands in a field nearZhukovsky International Airport inMoscow Region,Russia. The event is dubbed the "Miracle overRamensk", as only 23 passengers had minor injuries, similar toUS Airways Flight 1549. Preliminary reports say the aircraft struck a flock ofseagulls.(CNN)
• ACessna Citation carrying formerNASCAR driverDale Earnhardt Jr., his wife and infant daughter crashes on landing atElizabethton Municipal Airport inElizabethton, Tennessee. All occupants survive without serious injury.(CNN)

• Colombia–Venezuela relations
  • Venezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro gives a speech wherein he accuses formerColombian PresidentÁlvaro Uribe, Uribe's Vice PresidentFrancisco Santos Calderón, and Venezuelan politicianLester Toledo [es] of planning to kill him.(Reuters)
• Iran–United Kingdom relations;Iran–United States relations
  • Gibraltar says theUnited States has applied to seize theIranianoil tankerGrace 1, which is being held by theUnited Kingdom territory for an alleged breach ofEuropean Union sanctions againstSyria.(Reuters)
  • The UK releasesGrace 1 back to Iran after receiving written assurance that the oil would not be sent to Syria.(BBC News)
• Israel–United States relations
  • Two AmericanMuslimcongresswomen,Ilhan Omar andRashida Tlaib, are barred from enteringIsrael before a planned visit to the country due to their support of theBDS movement, a decision which was encouraged byU.S. PresidentDonald Trump.(CNN)
• Proposed United States purchase of Greenland
  • Press sources report thatU.S. PresidentDonald Trump repeatedly expressed interest in buyingGreenland.(The Wall Street Journal)(AP News)

• Belgian Federal Police confirm that fugitiveBelgian large weapons smuggler andarms traffickerJacques Monsieur was arrested inPortugal yesterday.(Het Laatste Nieuws)(Le Soir)

• 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
  • Former Colorado governorJohn Hickenlooper announces that he is suspending his presidential campaign.(UPI)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Proposed United States purchase of Greenland
  • In response to reports thatU.S. PresidentDonald Trump expressed interest in theUnited States acquiringGreenland, Greenland's Foreign Minister Ane Lone Bagger dismisses the idea, noting onTwitter that "a better and more equal partnership withDenmark should be the way forward for a stronger and longer-term free Greenland".(BBC News)(Reuters)
• Israel–United States relations
  • According to Israel's Interior ministry, U.S. CongresswomanRashida Tlaib sends a letter to Israeli Interior MinisterAryeh Deri, asking for permission to visit her elderly grandmother in theWest Bank. Tlaib's request was approved on the condition that she "not advance boycott activities for the duration of her visit". Tlaib later declines to come, saying she won't let Israel impose "oppressive conditions" on her.(CNN)

• Death of Jeffrey Epstein
  • The death of accused sexual traffickerJeffrey Epstein is ruled a suicide by hanging by the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Epstein's attorneys say they will be conducting their own investigation into his death.(CNN)

• edit
• history
• watch

• War in Afghanistan
  • 17 August 2019 Kabul bombing
    • 63 people are killed and 182 wounded in a suicide attack at a wedding party inKabul, Afghanistan. The attacker set off explosives among the invitees.(Al Arabiya)

• Aftermath of the2018–19 Sudanese protests
  • Theruling military and thecivilian opposition formally sign a power-sharing deal establishing a three-year transition period towards the election of a civilian government.(Al Jazeera)
• 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests
  • Thousands of school teachers join the 11th weekend of anti-government protests inHong Kong.(Reuters)
• A rally offar-right groups such as theProud Boys andPatriot Prayer is met by left-wingAntifa inPortland, Oregon.(The New York Times)
• TheArgentinian Treasury Minister,Nicolás Dujovne, resigns after incumbentPresidentMauricio Macri's loss in aprimary vote saw Argentina'speso fall to record lows.(Bloomberg)

• China announces the successful first launch of theSmart Dragon-1 [fr;de] carrier rocket.(Reuters)

• edit
• history
• watch

• War in Afghanistan
  • 17 August 2019 Kabul bombing
    • ISIL claims responsibility for a terrorist attack against a wedding party in Afghanistan the day prior, which left 63 people dead and over 200 injured.(The Guardian)

• Iran–United States relations;United Kingdom–United States relations
  • Gibraltar authorities reject the request by the U.S. to seize the Iranian oil tankerGrace 1. They argue that EU, not U.S. law, is applicable in Gibraltar. The tanker is also renamed.(Al Arabiya)

• 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests
  • The organizers claim that at least 1.7 million people join a peaceful rally inVictoria Park,Hong Kong. Protesters spill into nearby streets, with train service intermittently suspended due to the sheer number of people.(The Guardian)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Syrian Civil War;2019 Northwestern Syria offensive
  • Syrian Air Force warplanes repeatedly strike aTurkish military convoy driving through the rebel-held region ofIdlib, reportedly causing several casualties and forcing it to stop. Turkey claims the convoy was aiming to supply observation posts, while Syria accuses it of carrying weapons and ammunition to rebel groups.(BBC News)(The National)
  • TheSyrian Army enters the strategic town ofKhan Shaykhun in theIdlib Governorate for the first time since losing control of the town to rebels in 2014, according to theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights.(Middle East Monitor)
• War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
  • 66 people, including children, have been wounded after a series of ten explosions in restaurants and public squares hit the easternAfghan city ofJalalabad, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule. No group claimed responsibility for the bombings. Even if many bombs exploded and several people were injured, no one died in the attacks.(Al Jazeera)
• Insurgency in the Maghreb
  • Suspected Islamist militants launch an attack on aBurkina Faso Armed Forces unit, killing 24 Burkinabé soldiers and wounding 7 others, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist terrorism. The army said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack.(Reuters)

• Deforestation in Brazil,2019 Brazil wildfires
  • After fifteen days of raging fires in theAmazon Forest inRondônia, thick smoke clouds cover theBrazilian city ofSão Paulo in darkness. Street lamps had to be lit in the city around 2PM. The fires, suspected to be intentional, are still burning the forest.(G1)

• 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests;Cross-Strait relations
  • China condemnsTaiwan afterPresidentTsai Ing-wen offered support andasylum toHong Kong protesters facing prosecution in Hong Kong courts.(Al Arabiya)
  • Twitter says it has suspended more than 200,000 automated accounts on thesocial media site that it believes were part of aChinese government-run campaign to spread misinformation about theprotests inHong Kong.(ABC News)

• 2016–present purges in Turkey
  • Turkey's Ministry of the Interior tweets that 418 people in 29 provinces are detained by police, for suspected links with theKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The authorities have also announced that they "replaced" the mayors of three major southeastern cities.(Reuters)
• FormerPresident of SudanOmar al-Bashir appears in court for the first time at aKhartoum court to face corruption charges.(Al Arabiya)
• Women's rights in El Salvador
  • Evelyn Hernández is acquitted of murder after her newly-born child was found deceased in a toilet. The ruling is being held as a landmark case decision for women's rights inEl Salvador, which has one of the strongestanti-abortion laws in Central America.(BBC News)

• ThePalestinian Authority bansLGBT activities in theWest Bank in anticipation of an upcomingAl Qaws event.(Jerusalem Post)

• Astronomers led by a team fromMcGill University inMontreal announce the detection of eight new repeatingfast radio bursts (FRBs) using theCanadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME)radio telescope. The astronomers report they also found complex morphologies and downward-drifting sub-bursts in some of the eight new FRBs.(Phys.org)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Syrian Civil War,2019 Northwestern Syria offensive
  • TheAl-Qaeda-linked factionHayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) acknowledges "a redeployment" south of the strategic town ofKhan Shaykhun.(AP News)
  • Media close to the government reports that theSyrian Army enters the northern sector of the town of Khan Shaykhun, following the reported HTS withdrawal.(Al-Masdar News)

• TheSpanish Ministry of Health declares an outbreak oflisteriosis inAndalusia as a national health alert after cases are reported in Asturias, Madrid, Catalonia and Extremadura, including one death.(RTVE)

• 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
  • Nicolás Maduro confirms United States reports that top Venezuelan officials are having secret meetings with members of theTrump administration. Maduro claims that the talks encourage Trump to listen to him; United States sources claim that the talks encourage Maduro supporters to defect.(The Guardian)
• Proposed United States purchase of Greenland
  • U.S. PresidentDonald Trump cancels his September state visit to Denmark becauseDanish Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen says that she has no interest in discussing the purchase ofGreenland.(BBC News)
• Holy See–Vietnam relations
  • The two sides meet in theVatican and discussbilateral relations, ecclesial life and the future visit of VaticanSecretary of State, CardinalPietro Parolin. The Vietnam — Holy See Joint Working Group first met in 2009.Vietnam, a Communist nation of 97 million, is 7% Catholic.(Vatican News)

• Crime in Brazil
  • Thirty-seven passengers on a bus overRio–Niterói Bridge,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, are held hostage before police fatally shoot the armed hijacker. After closer inspection, police discover that the hijacker used a fake plastic gun.(BBC News)(Extra)
• Former professional basketball playerMateen Cleaves is acquitted of several sex crimes in a court in his hometown ofFlint, Michigan.(MLive)(WJRT-TV)
• A modification of theVolcker rule is approved by theOCC and theFDIC. The new version eases rules onproprietary trading by Wall Street banks. Consumer groups criticize the rule change, claiming that it removes protections from taxpayers.(Reuters)
• TheTexas Department of Information Resources reports that the computer systems of 23 towns in the state were hit by aransomware attack on August 16. "One single threat actor" is suspected.(Insider)

• Politics of Italy,Conte Cabinet
  • Italian Prime MinisterGiuseppe Conte resigns. He criticizesDeputy Prime MinisterMatteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition for personal and political gain. ThePresident of Italy,Sergio Mattarella, accepts Conte's resignation and announces that he will start consultations with party leaders.(Reuters)(Reuters)

• List of unmanned aerial vehicles
  • TheRussian Ministry of Defence announces that the six-tonne satellite-controlled reconnaissance droneAltius-U has performed its maiden flight.(TASS)

• Expansion of Major League Soccer
  • Major League Soccer, the top level of the men'ssport in the U.S., announces thata team inSt. Louis,Missouri will become the league's 28th team, most likely in 2022. The ownership group, led by several female members of the Taylor family that controls theEnterprise Holdings car rental company, is the first in MLS in which women hold a majority interest.(ESPN)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
  • AUnited StatesMQ-9 military drone is reportedly shot down in Yemen'sDhamar Governorate. AHouthi spokesperson claims responsibility and adds that they used a locally-developed missile.(Reuters)
• War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
  • 17 August 2019 Kabul bombing
    • The death toll of asuicide bombing during a wedding inKabul, Afghanistan, four days ago, increases to 80.(Al Jazeera)

• United States federal budget
  • TheCongressional Budget Office forecasts a deficit ofUS$1 trillion next year, up from the previous estimate of $892 billion.(The New York Times)

• Australia–United States relations
  • Australia announces its agreement to join the United States' coalition, along with theUnited Kingdom andBahrain, to preventIran from targeting ships travelling through theStrait of Hormuz. Australia will deploy aBoeing P-8 Poseidon and afrigate.(The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Denmark–United States relations
  • QueenMargrethe II of Denmark expresses surprise atU.S. PresidentDonald Trump's abrupt cancellation of his planned visit to her country. Experts on theroyal house call the move an act of "disrespect" as illness is not the apparent cause.(TV2)
• Iceland–United States relations
  • The office of thePrime Minister of IcelandKatrín Jakobsdóttir confirms that she will not meet theVice President of the United StatesMike Pence on his visit in September, citing "prior commitments."(AP News)

• Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Australia
  • TheSupreme Court of Victoria rejects an appeal made by CardinalGeorge Pell against a six-year jail sentence forchild sexual abuse.(The Guardian)
• China–United Kingdom relations
  • TheForeign Ministry of China confirms thatUnited Kingdom consulate in Hong Kong employee Simon Cheng, who was reported missing, is administratively detained for 15 days byShenzhen police.(CNN)
• Indian senior oppositionRajya Sabha MP and formerCabinet MinisterPalaniappan Chidambaram is arrested by theCentral Bureau of Investigation on charges of corruption and money laundering during his term asMinister of Finance. Chidambaram says to theSupreme Court that the government is practicing a "politically-motivated vendetta" against him and his son Karti, who is also an opposition MP.(BBC News)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Papua conflict
  • Indonesia cuts off Internet in the provinces ofPapua andWest Papua amid pro-independence unrest.(The Guardian)(RTÉ)
• War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
  • A ninth round of peace talks between theUnited States and theTaliban starts inDoha,Qatar.(Al Jazeera)

• At least four people are dead and more than 100 injured afterlightning strikes the summit ofGiewont in theTatra Mountains,Poland. Another person is killed inSlovakia.(tvn24.pl)(gazeta.pl)(BBC News)
• At least five people are killed and 21 others injured in a stampede at a rap concert inAlgiers,Algeria.(BBC News)

• Japan–South Korea relations,GSOMIA
  • South Korea decides against extending theGeneral Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). South Korean officials express that the exclusion fromJapan's preferred trade list on 12 August eliminated any benefit to maintaining the agreement.(NHK)

• 2018 Chemnitz protests
  • ASyrian man is jailed formanslaughter in relation to a stabbing inChemnitz,Saxony,Germany last year. The killing sparkedfar-right protests andriots in the city.(BBC News)
• Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez murder
  • Philippine Department of Justice SecretaryMenardo Guevarra andBureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director-GeneralNicanor Faeldon says that former Calauan MayorAntonio Sanchez is ineligible under a 2013 law that credits good conduct time allowance (GCTA) for an early release from prison.(Philippine Daily Inquirer)

• 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
  • WashingtongovernorJay Inslee drops out of the presidential primaries to focus on hisre-election bid.(The New York Times)

• The secondGPS IIIA satellite is successfully launched by aDelta IV Medium rocket fromCape Canaveral Air Force Station. It is the last launch of the Delta IV Medium vehicle.(Orlando Sentinel)
• The uncrewedSoyuz MS-14 mission to resupply theInternational Space Station commences. Its launch is a successful test of a Soyuz spacecraft atop aSoyuz-2 launch vehicle, which will replace theSoyuz-FG as the carrier rocket for Soyuz spacecraft starting next year.(NASASpaceFlight.com)(Space.com)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Syrian Civil War,2019 Northwestern Syria offensive
  • TheSyrian Army captures the entire northernHama-southernIdlib rebel pocket, asserting control over the strategic towns ofKafr Zita,Al-Lataminah andMurak, as well as numerous villages andan archaeological site, following the withdrawal of rebel forces.(Reuters)(Al Masdar News)
  • TheTurkish observation post near Murak isencircled by government forces.(Asharq Al-Awsat)(Ansamed)
• Iran–Israel proxy conflict
  • U.S. officials confirm that an airstrike on anIranian weapons depot inAmirli,Iraq on July 19 that killed two Iranian military commanders was conducted byIsrael. The strike is the first known Israeli attack inside Iraq sinceOperation Opera in 1981.(Voice of America)
• Al-Qaeda accuses "treacherous Pakistani forces" of detaining the wife and two other relatives of the group's leaderAyman al Zawahiri for over a year.(Al Arabiya)

• 2019 Brazil wildfires
  • Finland, current chair of theEuropean Union, asks the bloc to contemplate a ban on beef fromBrazil in response to the ongoing disaster.(Reuters)

• China–United States trade war
  • China retaliates on the United States' latest tariff decisions by imposing tariffs of up to 25% on some American goods.(CNBC)
  • U.S. PresidentDonald Trump states on Twitter that he has "hereby ordered" that U.S. companies find an alternative for manufacturing in China and relocate "HOME."(Barron's)(The Guardian)
  • President Trump announces an increase in the tariffs set to take effect on September 1, October 1 and December 15, from 10% and 25% to 15% and 30%, respectively. TheOffice of the United States Trade Representative says it will "begin the process of increasing the tariff rate to 30% effective October 1 following a notice and comment period".(CNN)

• 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
  • U.S. Representative forMassachusettsSeth Moulton announces his suspension of his 2020 presidential campaign.(NBC News)
• Uruguayan PresidentTabaré Vázquez is diagnosed with amalignant tumor.(Los Andes)
• Sri Lanka ends itsstate of emergency, four months after theEaster bombings.(Al Jazeera)

• Spanish Olympic medallistBlanca Fernández Ochoa is reported missing.(BBC News)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Papuan conflict
  • Crowds gather inPort Moresby,Papua New Guinea, to show solidarity and to campaign for the freedom ofWest Papua, which is under Indonesian control. Meanwhile, churches push the government of Papua New Guinea to take a firm stand on the situation.(Radio New Zealand)
• Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian Civil War
  • TheIsrael Defense Forces say theirAir Force strikes multipleIranianIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets inAqraba near theSyrian capitalDamascus.Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu claims an Iranian attack on Israel using armed drones to be imminent. Syria says it repels the attack and shoots down most of the attackers' rockets.(The Jerusalem Post)(SANA)

• 2019 Brazil wildfires
  • Brazil readies itsmilitary to fight wildfires in theAmazon rainforest, but does not deploy troops.(CNBC)(CBC)

• 2019 Nauruan parliamentary election
  • Voters inNauru go to the polls to elect new members ofparliament.PresidentBaron Waqa loses his parliamentary seat so he is not able to be re-elected in the office he has been holding since 2013.(ABC News)(ABC News)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Israeli–Lebanese conflict
  • 2019 Beirut drone crash
    • Hezbollah says twoIsraelidrones went down in the Moawwad neighborhood ofDahieh (SouthBeirut),Lebanon, and they did not shoot them. A smallreconnaissance drone fell on the roof of the Hezbollah media building, then another drone exploded nearby, causing damage to the building. Residents report a loud blast. TheIsraeli Army says it does not comment on "foreign reports". TheLebanese Army confirms the drones as Israeli.(AP News)(Al Jazeera)(Reuters)
• Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian Civil War
  • Iran denies attacks in southernSyria by Israel hit their installations. TheSyrian Observatory for Human Rights, anopposition-aligned medium, claims the missiles killed one Iranian and two people from Hezbollah.(Times of Israel)
• 2019 Israeli airstrikes in Iraq
  • Alleged Israeli airstrikes hit a Iran backedPopular Mobilization Forces convoy nearAl-Qa'im,Iraq.(Al Jazeera)
• 2019 Hong Kong protests
  • In an escalation of the ongoing protests, a police officer fires a gun whilst clearing protesters; this is the first time a gun has been fired by a police officer in Hong Kong since 1967.(The Guardian)

• A helicopter and anultralight airplane plane collide near the town ofInca, on the island ofMallorca,Spain, killing seven people including two children, according to regional government officials.(Sky News)
• Lightning strikes on at least twoAlaska Airlines planes force them to make emergency landings inSoutheast Alaska. Lightning also knocked out electrical service to the state capital,Juneau.(Kfsk)

• Three people are killed and four others injured in amass shooting at a house party inHobbs, New Mexico, U.S.(CNN)

• Rohingya crisis
  • AtKutupalong, the world's largestrefugee camp, inCox's Bazar,Bangladesh, 200,000 people gather peacefully to remember the day, in 2017, when aviolent crackdown byMyanmarese security forces compelled 740,000Rohingya to flee over the border.(France24)
• 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries
  • Conservative radio host and formerIllinoiscongressmanJoe Walsh announceshis run for president, becoming only the second Republican to challenge incumbentPresidentDonald Trump.(CNN)
• 2019 Abkhazian presidential election
  • Partially recognizedRepublic of Abkhazia holds the first round of the presidential election. Incumbent PresidentRaul Khajimba and oppositor Alkhas Kvitsinia heads to second round on 8th September.(Eurasianet)

• edit
• history
• watch

• 2019 Qousaya attack,Israel–Lebanon relations
  • Lebanese media claims Israeli aircraft targeted aPFLP-GC military site in Qousaya town, making it the second attack inLebanon since the2006 war after thealleged attack in Beirut yesterday.
  • Lebanese PresidentMichel Aoun accuses Israel of a "declaration of war", and asserts the right of the country to defend itself from aggression in response to Israeli strikes in theBeqaa Valley.(Al Arabiya)

• TheFederal Cartel Office in Germany announced that it will appeal a decision by a regional court that suspended its restrictions onFacebook's activities. The appeal will bring the dispute, over underlying privacy issues, to the attention of the country's highest court.(Reuters)
• Opioid epidemic in the United States
  • AnOklahoma district court findsJohnson & Johnson liable for exacerbating opioid addiction in the state, and fines themUS$572 million. The company announces it will appeal.(Reuters)

• 45th G7 summit
  • Group of Seven leaders hold their yearly meeting inBiarritz,France.(CNN)

• Politics of Indonesia
  • Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo announcesNorth Penajam Paser andKutai Kartanegara regencies as location of thefuture capital of Indonesia. He saysgovernment will prepare a bill to submit in theHouse of Representatives as soon as possible.(The Jakarta Post)(The Washington Post)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Syrian Civil War,Kurdish–Turkish conflict
  • YPG units withdraw fromTell Abyad andRas al-Ayn as the first stage of theNorthern Syria Buffer Zone agreement enters into effect.(Reuters)(Kurdistan 24)

• Tropical Storm Dorian
  • Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to grow stronger as it reachesPuerto Rico, theNational Hurricane Center says.(Sun-Sentinel)
• 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires
  • The Brazilian government throughPresidentJair Messias Bolsonaro is open to accepting financial aid from organizations and foreign countries to help fight fires in the Amazon rainforest on the condition that the funds must be under the country's control.(Gulf News)
• AnAir ChinaAirbus A330 preparing to takeoff asFlight 183 catches fire during boarding atBeijing International Airport. Passengers and crew successfully evacuate, but the aircraft is severely damaged.(Simple Flying)
• ASpanishC-101 military jet crashes into the sea nearLa Manga, killing its pilot.(The Independent)

• Abortion in Missouri
  • A U.S. federal judge blocks aMissouri law banning abortions eight weeks after conception from going into effect.(The Daily Beast)
• Illegal immigration to the United States
  • TheDonald Trump administration is in the process of shifting at least $155 million from theFederal Emergency Management Agency to theDepartment of Homeland Security, in order to fund the return of some migrants toMexico. The move comes asTropical Storm Dorian nears hurricane status as it approachesPuerto Rico.(CNN)
• Boeing 737 MAX groundings
  • Russian aircraft leasing firm Avia Capital Services, which has ordered 35Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, suesBoeing in anIllinois court in the first legal action taken by a 737 MAX customer in the wake of the groundings. Avia seek damages and a cancellation of the order, claiming Boeing were fraudulent, breached their contract with Avia, and negligently introduced design flaws to the aircraft and made negligent representations to theFederal Aviation Authority seeking the plane's certification. With nearly 400 jets grounded worldwide since March, lawyers representing Avia say they are discussing the possibility of joining the litigation with other companies.(CityNews Vancouver)
• 2013 Via Rail Canada terrorism plot
  • An appeals court inOntario,Canada overturns the terror convictions of Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier, citing an error by the trial judge regarding jury selection. A new trial is expected to take place.(BBC News)

• 2019 Nauruan parliamentary election
  • Lionel Aingimea is sworn in as thePresident of Nauru, replacingBaron Waqa.(Radio New Zealand)
• Poland announces a planned national budget with zero deficit for the first time in 30 years.(Yahoo! Finance)

• The uncrewedSoyuz MS-14 spacecraft successfully docks with theInternational Space Station on its second attempt, with theZvezda module. The docking follows the failure of the automated systems aboard thePoisk module with which the spacecraft was originally intended to dock on 24 August. MS-14 carries supplies for the ISS, along with ahumanoid robot namedFedor.(SpaceNews)(Space.com)
• SpaceX executes a successful test of itsStarhopper vehicle atBoca Chica. The vehicle was raised 150 metres (490 feet) into the air by itsmethane-fueledRaptor engine. The engine is planned for use on SpaceX'sStarship vehicle – a crewed spacecraft capable ofinterplanetary flight.(Forbes)(Los Angeles Times)

• 2019–20 in English football
  • Englishassociation football clubBury F.C., who were inEFL League One, are expelled from theEnglish Football League (EFL) after a takeover bid to save the club collapses. Fellow EFL League One club and local rivalsBolton Wanderers F.C. are given an extra 14 days to avoid being expelled due to financial difficulty. EFL executive chairDebbie Jevans calls the expulsion of Bury F.C. "one of the darkest days in the league's recent history".(BBC News)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Hamas says that on Tuesday night, threePalestinian police officers were killed and several wounded in two separatesuicide attacks onpolice checkpoints.ISIL's affiliate inGaza, theSheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, are the suspected perpetrators.(BBC News)
• Border Police announce they have detained an unnamed man who tried to bring apipe bomb into Samaria Military Court inSalim, Nablus, on theWest Bank.(The Times of Israel)

• Three people are killed amidst heavy rains in southwesternJapan. Authorities ask almost one million people to evacuate, warning "unprecedented" levels of rainfall could cause the flooding of rivers, trigger landslides, and submerge houses.(BBC News)
• 2018 Pretoria Convair 340 crash
  • The Civil Aviation Authority ofSouth Africa concludes its investigation with a final report indicating the accident was caused by poor maintenance and errors by unqualified pilots.(The Aviation Herald)
• 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires
  • Brazilian PresidentJair Bolsonaro announces allAmazon-region nations exceptVenezuela will meet to discuss a coordinated response to the disaster. He also reiterates rejection ofG7 money to assist the efforts unlessFrench PresidentEmmanuel Macron issues him an apology, but after meeting withChilean PresidentSebastián Piñera accepts an offer of four firefighting aircraft fromChile.(BBC News)
  • Finland, current chair of theEuropean Union, writes to the body'sHigh Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,Federica Mogherini, urging the use of the EU's "full toolkit" including foreign and trade policy to counter the use of deliberate fires as a means ofdeforestation in Brazil.(Bloomberg)
• Hurricane Dorian
  • FloridaGovernorRon DeSantis declares astate of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to make landfall in the state within days.(WOFL)(The New York Times)

• New Zealand bans tourists from swimming withbottlenose dolphins, saying dwindling numbers are linked to excessive interaction with tourists, as the animals choose socialising with people over necessary biological functions. Authorities say the species risks "being loved into extinction".(The Independent)

• Foreign relations of Tonga
  • Through a spokesman, Lopeti Senituli, for the government, Tonga blames theWorld Bank over the situation of their schools inTongatapu, which are still in tents 17 months afterCyclone Gita.(Radio New Zealand)

• Mexican Drug War
  • Coatzacoalcos nightclub fire
    • 28 people are killed in a bar fire inCoatzacoalcos,Veracruz,Mexico, that police believe was caused by an attack bydrug cartels. Mexican media reports thatMolotov cocktails were thrown inside.(BBC News)
• Crime in South Africa
  • Pretoria, the administrative capital ofSouth Africa, experiences widespreadlooting and violent attacks byrioters focused on foreigners. Police are currently outnumbered and many businesses have been set on fire. The riots follow the death of ataxi driver reportedly shot byNigeriandrug dealers after they realized he had seen them complete a drug deal and had also seen their supplier. Bus services are suspended and authorities say the capital is currently unsafe.(Radio 702)(ZimEye)
• LGBTQ rights in the United States
  • Forty-eight members of theUS Congress from theRepublican Party – eight from theSenate and 40 from theHouse of Representatives – file a jointamicus brief with theSupreme Court arguing that theCivil Rights Act does not protectLGBTQ people from discrimination. They argue the law "does not prohibit discrimination because of an individual's actions, behaviours, or inclinations".(The Independent)

• Politics of the United Kingdom,Brexit
  • UK Prime MinisterBoris Johnson asksQueen Elizabeth II tosuspend Parliament until October 14. Following precedent, theconstitutional monarch approves the request.(CNN)(CBC)
• 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
  • New YorkSenatorKirsten Gillibrand drops out of the presidential race.(The New York Times)
• Politics of Italy
  • TheFive Star Movement andDemocratic Party agree to form a newcoalition. The move comes weeks afterDeputy Prime Minister andNorthern League secretaryMatteo Salvini unsuccessfully pushed for ano-confidence vote againstPrime MinisterGiuseppe Conte. Therefore, Conte remains Prime Minister.(BBC News)

• Archaeologists inHuanchaco,Peru, unearth 227 sets of human remains aged between five and fourteen, and believed to be sacrificed over 500 years prior. The discovery is the largest known child sacrifice in history.(BBC News)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Papua conflict
  • Tensions escalate betweenIndonesia and Pacific Island nations as the situation in the province ofWest Papua worsens after anIndonesian soldier and a West Papuan are killed in clashes.Vanuatuan Foreign MinisterRalph Regenvanu said "something must be done", amid calls to invite United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsMichelle Bachelet to investigate murders and torture in the area.(Radio New Zealand)
• Hamas says it has captured anISIL cell responsible for Tuesday's suicide bombings that killed three policemen. Hamas says ten are in custody.(The Times of Israel)

• 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires
  • Brazil bansland clearance fires for 60 days in response to the ongoing disaster.(BBC News)
• At least seven spectators have died after a flash flood swept across the pitch at a local match in the village of Tizert,Morocco.(Sky News)
• The number of people killed in the collapse of an apartment building yesterday in westernUkraine rose to eight, including one child.(Reuters)
• USSFitzgerald and MVACX Crystal collision
  • TheJapan Transport Safety Board concludes its investigation into a fatal collision betweenUSSFitzgerald andFilipino container shipACX Crystal. The board's final report concludes distraction and incomplete radar information aboard theUS Navy vessel caused the accident.(The Japan Times)
• The volcano on theItalian island ofStromboli erupts, an event described as "high intensity" by theNational Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.(The Independent)
• 2019 Atlantic hurricane season
  • GeorgiaGovernorBrian Kemp declares astate of emergency for several counties in anticipation ofHurricane Dorian, which is expected to make landfall in the upcoming days.(WJXT)

• Ethiopia plants 350 million trees in 12 hours, breaking the previous world record held byIndia since 2016 of 50 million trees planted in the same time.(United Nations Environment Programme)(Office of the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia)

• China–United States trade war,China–United States relations
  • China announces that it will not immediately retaliate on the latest U.S. import tariffs, but is instead "lodging solemn representations".(Bloomberg)
• The U.S. officially reestablishesSpace Command.(ABC)
• Status of Jerusalem,Status of East Jerusalem
  • Israel announces that, on 16 August,Nauru officially recognizedJerusalem as thecapital of Israel.(Jewish News Syndicate)
  • TheForeign Affairs Minister of the Palestinian National Authority announces that it will file a complaint to theUnited Nations afterHonduras' recognition of the disputed city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.Palestinians seeEast Jerusalem as the capital of the futureState of Palestine.(AFP viaThe Daily Star)

• Capital punishment in Thailand
  • TheSupreme Court of Thailand upholds death sentences against two migrant workers convicted of murdering twoUK tourists andraping one. Rights groups say that the men are scapegoats and tortured into false confessions by police under pressure to solve the crimes, which attracted international attention.(The Guardian)
• 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests
  • Hong Kong police ban a planned Saturday march by theCivil Human Rights Front, saying there is "a high chance that certain violent protesters will hijack this event". The CHRF plans to appeal.(Bloomberg)
• TheOffice of Inspector General of theFederal Bureau of Investigation releases its final report in which former directorJames Comey is criticised for his leaking of documents regardingU.S. PresidentDonald Trump. However, it does not recommend he be prosecuted.(BBC News)
• Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal
  • SixPakistani men are found guilty of abusing and raping teenage girls between 1998 and 2002 inRotherham,England. TheNational Crime Agency believes as many as 1,510 teenagers were sexually exploited in the town during the same period.(BBC News)
• Identitarian movement
  • AFrench court jails several members ofGeneration Identity and fines the organisation over an anti-immigration operation in theAlps. They were found guilty of "exercising activities in conditions that could create confusion with a public function". The case was that the operation could be mistaken for a government action.(The Independent)

• Politics of Italy
  • President of ItalySergio Mattarella tasks demissionaryPrime MinisterGiuseppe Conte with the formation of a newcabinet, acoalition ofFive Star Movement andDemocratic Party. The premier-designate reserves the right to accept the mandate, pending further talks with both parties.(ANSA)
• Politics of Ukraine
  • Oleksiy Honcharuk becomes the newPrime Minister of Ukraine.(Al Jazeera)
• Politics of the United Kingdom,Brexit
  • TheCourt of Session inEdinburgh begins hearing arguments in a case challengingUK Prime MinisterBoris Johnson's decision to suspend theUK Parliament. The challenge, seeking an interdict, theScottish equivalent to aninjunction, to prevent the move, is being brought byMembers of theScottish Parliament. The judge announces he will consider his position overnight and give his judgement tomorrow at 10:00 local time.(BBC News)
  • Ruth Davidson steps down as leader of theScottish Conservatives. She has been a critic of Johnson, himself aConservative, especially his approach to Brexit.(BBC News)

• AnIranian Space AgencySimorghcarrier rocket explodes on the launch pad atImam Khomeini Spaceport in southeasternIran. This is Iran's third failed attempt to reach orbit this year following launches in January and February.(NPR)

• edit
• history
• watch

• Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen,Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
  • TheYemeni Ministry of Defense says 300 people were killed and wounded inUnited Arab Emirates air raids in southernYemen over the two previous days. TheUAE Foreign Ministry has said the "preemptive operation" targeted "terrorist militias".(Al Jazeera)
• Israel–Lebanon conflict
  • Israeli Defense Forces name three seniorIranian officers and point out that the leader of theQuds Force is in Lebanon "with his family". Amid the campaign for the 17 Septemberlegislative election, Israel says Iran is moving to convertHezbollah's arsenal of what Israel says is more than 100,000 rockets into precision-guided missiles.(CNN)

• Pope Francis sends a video message to the people ofMozambique before his visit to the African country next week. He stresses reconciliation after years of conflict. The Pontiff says that “although I will be unable to travel beyond the capital, my heart reaches out and embraces you all, with a special place for those who live in difficulty.”(Holy See Press Office)

• Brexit
  • ACourt of Session judge refuses to grant an interdict, theScottish equivalent to an injunction, preventing the upcoming suspension of theUK Parliament. The judge rules there is "no cogent need" for such an emergency measure as the suspension is not scheduled until September 9. However, a full hearing on the lawfulness of the suspension is brought forward to Tuesday. The case against the UK government is being brought byMembers of theScottish Parliament.(BBC News)
  • FormerPrime Minister SirJohn Major announces he will join a case brought by anti-Brexit campaignerGina Miller seekingjudicial review of Parliament's suspension in theHigh Court underEnglish law. The case challenges the lawfulness of current UK Prime MinisterBoris Johnson's advice toQueen Elizabeth II in asking her to suspend the UK Parliament. The case is due for a preliminary hearing next Thursday with a full hearing the following day if the High Court approves one.(BBC News)
  • TheHigh Court inBelfast hears a claim underNorthern Irish law brought byRaymond McCord, a campaigner forTroubles victims, challenging the constitutionality of suspending the UK Parliament. SirDeclan Morgan, TheLord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, adjourns proceedings until next week.(BBC News)
  • A cross-party group of over fifty members of the suspended Parliament pledge to carry on meeting in the absence of Parliament.(The Guardian)
• Hong Kong protests
  • ProminentHong Kongpro-democracy activistsJoshua Wong andAgnes Chow are arrested, charged and released on bail.(BBC News)
• September 11 attacks
  • Amilitary judge sets 11 January 2021 as the starting date for the selection of amilitary jury in thetrial of five suspects, among which isKhalid Sheikh Mohammed, held inGuantanamo Bay.(The Guardian)
• List of mass shootings in the United States in 2019
  • At least 10 teenagers (age 15 to 18) are injured in a mass shooting at a high school football game atLadd–Peebles Stadium inMobile, Alabama.(CNN)

• Politics of the United States
  • Madeleine Westerhout is forced to resign as Director ofOval Office Operations at theWhite House after leaking private information about theTrump family and White House operations to reporters at a private dinner. Westerhout had allegedly bragged about her personal access toU.S. PresidentDonald Trump.(BBC News)
  • White House aides admit that President Trump made up a phone call from China last weekend.(The Independent)

• edit
• history
• watch

Armed conflicts and attacks

• American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
  • Around 40 people are killed by an Americancruise missile strike targetingal-Qaeda-linked militants at aHuras al-Din base in Syria's rebel-heldIdlib Governorate, where the Syrian government earlier began a unilateral ceasefire.(BBC News)(Reuters)
• 2018–19 Gaza border protests
  • TheHamas-run Health Ministry ofGaza says a 25-year-old man died in hospital there today after being struck by anIsraeli bullet during protests at the Gazan-Israeli border yesterday. It further says Israeli soldiers wounded 42 protesters. Israel saysPalestinians threw grenades at the fence, damaging a vehicle and injuring a soldier.(Yahoo!)
• War in Afghanistan
  • Taliban fighters stormKunduz city, apparently killing three civilians and dozens of soldiers. A suicide bomber kills ten municipal police.(BBC News)(Tolo News)

Disasters and accidents

• 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires
  • Brazil'sForeign MinisterErnesto Araújo states that the fires have mostly been extinguished.(The Japan Times)
• 2019 Alta helicopter crash
  • AnAirbus AS350 helicopter crashes in northernNorway, killing all five Norwegian passengers and theSwedish pilot.(Standard)
• An explosion followed by a fire at a chemical factory inDhule,India kills at least 12 and injures at least 58.(CNN)

Health and environment

• Eastern equine encephalitis
  • TheMaine health department confirms a horse inYork County has tested positive for the rare, deadly,potentially transferable to humans, mosquito-borne viral diseaseEastern equine encephalitis. Earlier this week, an infected 14-year-oldMichigan girl was hospitalized in serious condition, andOhio officials confirmed anAshtabula County horse also tested positive. Neither of the horses werevaccinated against EEE.(Newsweek)(USA Today)(The Horse)

Law and crime

• India releases the final version of theNational Register of Citizens for the state ofAssam. Up to 1.9 million residents risk losing theircitizenship if they are not on the list and can not prove their residency. The move is criticized for disproportionately affecting the localBengali community.(BBC News)
• Brexit
  • Thousands of people join protests across theUnited Kingdom against the suspension of theUK Parliament.(The Guardian)
• Amazon rainforest wildfires
  • TheBrazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) raids an illegal wildcat miners' site in the state ofPará as the country resumes environmental policing of therainforest. The suspects escape following afirefight.(New York Post
• Midland–Odessa shootings
  • At least seven people are killed and 21 others wounded in a mass shooting inWest Texas, between the cities ofMidland andOdessa. The shooter is shot and killed in Odessa. Police continue to investigate for other possible suspects.(BBC News)(CNN)(Reuters)(MST)
• 2016 Interstate 10 tour bus crash
  • A truck driver involved in the accident, which killed thirteen when two vehicles collided inCalifornia, pleads guilty to 42 crimes includingvehicular manslaughter. The sleep-deprived driver fell asleep during a temporary halt to traffic; when traffic moved off again he remained stationary and the bus ran into the rear of his vehicle.(ABC News)
• 2019 Lyon stabbings
  • AnAfghan citizen stabs nine inLyon, France, killing a 19-year-old.(CNN)

Sports

• 2019 Spa-Francorchamps FIA Formula 2 round
  • Formula 2 racing driverAnthoine Hubert dies in a collision during a race at theCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps inBelgium.(The Guardian)