Thursday, August 10th, 2023 

The American film Barbie becomes the first film by a solo female director (Greta Gerwig) to surpass $1 billion in the worldwide box office. (AFP via France 24) 

Kuwait bans the American film Barbie over homosexual content, with the Lebanese Minister of Culture proposing a similar ban. (The Hollywood Reporter) 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opens an investigation into a fatal vehicle crash in Virginia, U.S., involving a Model Y vehicle from Tesla. (Reuters) 

Poland sends 10 thousand troops to guard its border with Belarus. (Polish Press Agency) 

At least 23 soldiers are killed and ten more injured during an ambush by Islamic State gunmen against a military vehicle in Deir ez-Zor, Syria. (Al Jazeera) 

The American Academy of Television Arts & Sciences postpones the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards until January 2024, due to the ongoing strikes of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. (AFP via France 24) 

The death toll from the wildfires increases to 53, all in the town of Lahaina in western Maui, Hawaii, United States. (Al Jazeera) 

The death toll

Maui County officials report that the wildfire is 80% contained. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser) 

President Joe Biden approves a national disaster emergency declaration for Hawaii. (Politico) 

Alaska, United States, reports its worst air quality in recorded history after extreme amounts of smoke enter the state. (Yahoo! News) 

After several days of heavy rains in Norway, the town of Hamar floods the speed skating rink at the Vikingskipet arena in order to relieve the flooding in other parts of the town. (NOS) 

A mass grave is discovered near the city of Dzyarzhynsk, Belarus, believed to contain either the remains of a church cemetery, the inhabitants of the city’s Jewish ghetto, or Calvinists. (Nasha Niva) 

A mass grave is discovered near the city of Dzyarzhyn

The United States announces an agreement with Iran to repatriate five American citizens in exchange for access to $6 billion in blocked funds. (CBS News) 

Philippine President Bongbong Marcos suspends 22 land reclamation projects in Manila Bay due to environmental concerns and the involvement of Chinese state-owned enterprises. (AP) 

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso declares a state of emergency following the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito. (El Mundo) 

Malaysia bans the use of Swatch products containing LGBTQ elements, with users of these products facing up to three years in prison. (AP via NBC News) 

After heavy rain for days in Norway, the local government of Hamar floods the speed skating venue Vikingskipet to relieve the rest of the city. (NOS)

Wednesday, August 9th, 2023 

Parts of western and upcountry Maui island in Hawaii, United States, are evacuated as wildfires fueled by Hurricane Dora causes power outages and disruption to emergency services in western Maui and other parts of Hawaii including Oahu and the Big Island, with at least six people being killed. (AP) 

A large part of the historic Lahaina town, including the Waiola Church and the Lahaina Hongwanji Mission Temple, is destroyed by the wildfires. (NBC News) (Maui News) 

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un appoints Vice Marshal Ri Yong-gil to replace General Park Su-il as the chief of the General Staff Department of the Korean People’s Army, and calls for enhancing war preparations, including increased weapons production and more drills. (AFP via Arab News) 

One person is killed and more than 50 others are injured in an explosion at the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant in Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, Russia. (BBC News) 

At least two people are killed and seven others are injured in a Russian missile strike on a residential area in Zaporizhzhia. (Reuters) 

Forty-one people are killed when a boat carrying 45 migrants from Sfax, Tunisia, capsizes and sinks in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. (BBC News) 

After several days of heavy rain in Norway, a dam collapses into the Glomma river in Braskereidfoss. Locals are evacuated. (NRK) 

At least 27 people are found dead in the western desert of Libya near the border with Tunisia. (AP) 

Eleven people are killed in a fire at a guesthouse accommodating disabled people in Wintzenheim, Alsace, France. (AFP via Le Monde) 

Canadian officials announce new sanctions against Belarus amid the three-year anniversary of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. (Global News) 

Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio is assassinated by gunmen at a campaign rally in Quito. (BBC News) 

Tuesday,  August 8th, 2023 

The World Bank halts new lending to Uganda in response to the Anti-Homosexuality Act bill, approved months ago. (Reuters) 

Clashes occur in the Abrof neighborhood of Omdurman, Khartoum, Sudan, between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Dabanga Sudan) 

Western Australia repeals a five-week-old law aimed at protecting Aboriginal sacred sites in the state, citing complexities in implementing the law. (AFP via Manila Bulletin) 

The South Korean government evacuates over 36,000 participants of the 25th World Scout Jamboree from their campsite at Saemangeum, North Jeolla, ahead of Khanun’s expected landfall. (AFP via The Australian) 

In Portugal, 7,000 hectares of forest have burned down and 1,400 people have been evacuated. (NOS) 

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that July 2023 was the hottest July on record, while this year is the third-warmest year to date. (Reuters) 

A cyberattack on the Electoral Commission of the United Kingdom during 2021–2022 is revealed. (The Register) 

Geraldo Martins is appointed as the prime minister of Guinea-Bissau. (AFP via New Vision) 

Prime Minister of Vanuatu Ishmael Kalsakau reshuffles the cabinet and appoints two new ministers ahead of a no-confidence vote. (RNZ) 

In association football, the USL Championship club Sacramento Republic FC signs 13-year-old Da’vian Kimbrough, making him the youngest player in American sports history. (San Francisco Chronicle) 

Monday,  August 7th, 2023 

Tou Thao, a former Minneapolis police officer, is sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for his role in the murder of George Floyd. He is the fourth person in the case to be convicted in a state court. (AP) 

The Security Service of Ukraine says that it has arrested a Ukrainian citizen for allegedly assisting Russian intelligence, including his suspected role in a plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (The Washington Post) 

A 29-year-old man is stabbed to death in Nea Filadelfeia and eight people were injured amidst clashes between fans of AEK Athens F.C. and GNK Dinamo Zagreb in Athens, ahead of the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round between the clubs. (The Guardian) 

Two firefighting helicopters collide in midair in Cabazon, California, United States, killing three firefighters. (AP) 

In Sweden, roads are flooded and a train carrying 120 passengers derails in Hudiksvall Municipality, while waves of up to eight meters (26 feet) are reported in Denmark, and several people being evacuated in Norway. In Lithuania and Latvia, two people are killed by falling trees, leaving 40,000 customers without electricity in Kurzeme and Zemgale. (AP) 

At least seven people are killed and 88 others are injured in a Russian Iskander double tap strike on residential buildings in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast. (Reuters)

Russian forces strike private houses in Kruglyakivka, Kharkiv Oblast, with guided aerial bombs, killing at least two civilians and injuring at least five others. (CNN International) 

The death toll from the ongoing floods in Austria and Slovenia increases to six. (NOS) 

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency places Andalusia, Castilla–La Mancha, and Extremadura on orange alert as the country faces its third heat wave of the summer. (AFP via The Guardian) 

At least 17 Rohingya refugees are killed after a boat capsized in the Bay of Bengal. (Al Jazeera) 

A drunk wedding guest drives into a wedding in Chrouy Neang Nguon, Cambodia, injuring at least 13 Dutch nationals. (Dutch News) 

Ten people are injured in an explosion at a grain silo near Derince, Kocaeli Province, Turkey. (Reuters) 

Hun Manet is appointed as the prime minister of Cambodia by King Norodom Sihamoni, replacing his father, Hun Sen, who had served as prime minister since 1985. (AFP via France 24) 

Belarusian–Polish sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya is cleared to represent Poland at the World Championships after being removed from the Tokyo Olympics by the Belarus Olympic Committee. (AP) 

A minibus plunges into a ravine near Demnate, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco, killing 24 people. (BBC News) 

Sunday, August 6th, 2023 

The Rapid Support Forces claim the state of Central Darfur, Sudan, after capturing the capital of Zalingei from the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Radio Dabanga) 

An Armed Forces of Ukraine missile damages a bridge connecting the Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast and Crimea over the Chonhar Strait. (Reuters) 

Israeli soldiers open fire against a vehicle in Jenin in the occupied

At least 34 people are killed and at least 100 others are injured when ten carriages of a Hazara Express train derail near the Sarhari railway station in Nawabshah, Sindh, Pakistan. (AFP via VOA) 

The ongoing forest fires in Spain and Portugal have burned about 6,200 hectares. (NOS) 

Welsh singer and convicted sex offender Ian Watkins is stabbed and seriously injured in the Wakefield Prison. (BBC News) 

The Supreme Court of the Maldives bars former president Abdulla Yameen from running for office while he serves an 11-year prison sentence. (Reuters) 

Iraq blocks the Telegram app over concerns about its leakage of official state data and personal information. (Reuters) 

Australia wins a record 12th Netball World Cup title after defeating England 61–45 in the gold medal match in Cape Town, South Africa. (The Guardian) 

The United States, two-time defending champions, are eliminated from the tournament after losing to Sweden in a penalty shoot-out in the round of 16, marking their earliest exit from the FIFA Women’s World Cup. (AFP via Manila Bulletin) 

The End