Friday,  August 11th, 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 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) 

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) 

Russia launches the Luna 25 lunar lander, which will touchdown near the moon’s south pole. The mission will investigate the composition of the moon’s polar soil as well as the plasma and dust contained in the lunar exosphere. The (CNN) 

Russia temporarily closes its airspace above Moscow due to the detection of aerial drones. A drone was later shot down. (NOS) 

The International Energy Agency increases its 2023 forecast for global oil demand to a potential all-time annual high of 102.2 million barrels per day. (AFP via TRT World) 

The Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland is closed for at least six days after a freight train derails in the tunnel. (NOS) 

Nearly 14,000 residents of the city of Lublin, Poland, are ordered to evacuate, after an unexploded bomb was found yesterday at the site of a pre-World War II factory. (TVP World) 

Thursday, August 10th, 2023 

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) 

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

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) 

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) 

The End