Sunday, August 20th, 2023 

Roscosmos spacecraft Luna 25 crashes into the moon after moving into an unpredictable orbit during the transition to a pre-landing orbit. (Reuters) 

Eleven people are killed after a vehicle carrying workers hits a roadside bomb in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera) 

Hurricane Hilary weakens to Category 1, with warnings and evacuation orders issued as the hurricane is expected to make landfall in Baja California and California, US. (ABC News) 

Hilary makes landfall as a tropical storm in San Quintín, Baja California. Flooding is reported in the Mexican city of Tijuana and California area of Palm Springs. (KCBS-TV)

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake strikes Ojai, Ventura County, California, causing minor damage. (LA Times) 

Greek authorities evacuate five villages near the northeastern border with Turkey, where a wildfire that has already destroyed several homes approached. (AP) 

Indian police stop a meeting of activists, academics and politicians discussing global issues ahead of a summit of the G20 that will be hosted in New Delhi. (AP) 

A special election is held to elect the president and the National Assembly to complete the current four-year terms. Presidential candidates Luisa González and Daniel Noboa will face off in a second round vote on 15 October. (CNN) 

Bernardo Arévalo defeats former first lady Sandra Torres by 59% to 36% in the presidential election run-off vote. (CNN) 

Spain defeats England 1–0 in the final match of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, winning their first FIFA Women’s World Cup title. (The Guardian) 

A special election is held to elect the President of Ecuador and the National Assembly to complete the current four-year terms. (CNN) 

Guatemalans head to the polls for a run-off vote between Bernardo Arévalo and former first lady Sandra Torres. (Reuters) 

Saturday, August 19th, 2023 

At least seven people are killed and 129 others are injured in a Russian ballistic missile strike on a theater in Chernihiv hosting a meeting of military and engineers at an exhibition on the use of consumer drones in the conflict. (BBC News) (CNN) 

Two Israelis from Ashdod are killed in an attack while visiting a carwash in Huwara in the occupied West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces launches a manhunt for the assailant and closes off roads in the area. (Times of Israel) 

A man dies after being swept by a current in Baja California Sur while attempting to cross a stream in his vehicle to evacuate the area. (La Prensa Latina Media) 

35,000 people are ordered to evacuate in British Columbia due to wildfires, with another 30,000 people under evacuation alerts. (CBC News) 

Nine members of the Indian Army are killed and another is seriously injured after their vehicle falls into a gorge near Leh, Ladakh, India. (Mirror Now via The Economic Times) 

The Greek Coast Guard rescues 60 migrants in inflatable dinghies who were attempting to cross from Turkey to the eastern Aegean Sea islands in two separate incidents. (AP) 

A Japan government panel investigating harassment cases in the military and the defense ministry finds widespread cover-ups and reluctance among supervisors to address these cases. (AP) 

Oupeye, Belgium, bans gatherings of more than four people following riots. The riots spread to the neighboring commune of Herstal. A school and various homes were damaged and garbage can fires were reported. (7Sur7) (Le Soir) 

Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF wins the Leagues Cup, 10–9, in a penalty shoot-out, making it their first title since joining the league in 2020. (The Guardian) 

Friday,  August 18th, 2023 

Chinese property developer Evergrande Group files for chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in the United States as it works on a multi-billion dollar deal with creditors to restructure its debts. (BBC News) 

The U.S. approves the transfer of F-16 Fighting Falcons to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands after training for Ukrainian Air Force pilots is completed. (Reuters) 

Israel receives permission from the United States to sell its Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany, according to the Israeli Defence Ministry. (FAZ) 

The World Health Organization says that 30 million Afghan people require urgent medical aid, emphasising the importance of increased investment in healthcare services in Afghanistan. (Al Arabiya) 

The World Health Organization opens its first summit on traditional medicine in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. (AFP via The Japan Times) 

Russia says that Ukraine launched a drone attack on Moscow, striking a building in the International Business Center. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin says that air defences shot down a drone with debris falling over the Expocentre. (BBC News) 

In the United States, Herman Andaya resigns as Maui‘s top emergency official amidst reproval for not activating the emergency sirens during the wildfires. (NBC News) 

The death toll from the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, United States, rises to 114. (Forbes) 

Premier of British Columbia David Eby declares a province-wide state of emergency in response to the ongoing wildfires. (CBC News) 

The city of Kelowna, British Columbia, declares a state of emergency and evacuations, as wildfires engulf parts of the city and surrounding area. Lake Okanagan Resort and several residential buildings are destroyed. (CTV News Vancouver) 

The city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, begins a complete evacuation amid the spread of nearby wildfires. (CBC News) 

The community of Medical Lake, Washington, U.S., is evacuated due to the Gray Fire near Spokane in eastern Washington. (AP) 

The National Hurricane Center issues the first ever tropical storm watch for the West Coast of the United States in Southern California as Hurricane Hilary approaches from Mexico. (AP) 

The UN Human Rights Office reports that at least 2,439 people have been killed by gang violence in Haiti this year. (AFP via France 24) 

Former Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz is charged with making false statements to a parliamentary inquiry into alleged corruption in his first government. (AP) 

The Moscow City Court dissolves the Sakharov Center, a human rights organization, for holding unauthorized conferences and exhibitions. (AFP via Barron’s) 

In Oupeye, Belgium, a man on a quad bike is shot dead by police after running over a policeman and refusing to stop at a police control. Anti-police riots break out in the village and eleven people are arrested. (Le Soir) 

Gabon’s main opposition parties field former education minister Albert Ondo Ossa [fr] as their presidential candidate in the upcoming election, challenging the incumbent president Ali Bongo Ondimba who seeks a third term. (AFP via TRT Afrika) 

Swedish police detain a woman who sprayed an anti-Islam activist with a fire extinguisher as he staged a Quran-burning protest outside the Iranian Embassy in Stockholm. (AP) 

In the Yellow bankruptcy proceeding, the court names financing lenders. Hedge funds Citadel and MFN Partners will together provide $142.5 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing, which will give Yellow’s estate the funds necessary to liquidate assets. (Reuters) 

More than 4,500 people in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, evacuate due to a wildfire burning over 2,600 hectares of the Teide National Park. (Reuters via CNA) 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visits Saudi Arabia for the first time since the restoration of diplomatic relations. (AFP via France 24) 

The Swedish Security Service raises the country’s terror alert level from “elevated” to “high”, citing increased threats in response to the series of Quran burnings in the country. (AFP via The Times of India) 

The former and current heads of Slovakia’s spy agency and five other police and intelligence officers are being investigated for abuse of power and criminal conspiracy in two separate cases. (AP) 

Lucy Letby is convicted of seven counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder following the deaths of multiple babies in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital in Chester, England. Letby is acquitted on two other counts of attempted murder. (BBC News) 

A Canadian woman is sentenced to nearly 22 years in prison in Washington for mailing a threatening letter containing ricin to then-President Donald Trump at the White House. (AP) 

The End

Thursday, August 17th, 2023 

A state of emergency is declared in Canada’s Northwest Territories as wildfires spread closer to the territorial capital Yellowknife. The hamlet of Enterprise, South Slave Region, is almost completely destroyed due to the fires. (Reuters) 

The city of Yellowknife begins total evacuation amid increasing threat by nearby wildfires. (CBC News) 

Tropical Storm Hilary strengthens into a hurricane off the coast of Mexico, and could become the first tropical storm to make landfall in California since 1939. (The Guardian) 

A Beechcraft 390 departing from Langkawi for Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport crashes into the Guthrie Highway in Elmina, Selangor, Malaysia, killing all eight people on board and two people on the ground. (BBC) 

The Swedish Security Service raises the country’s terror alert level from “elevated” to “high”, citing increased threats in response to the series of Quran burnings in the country. (AFP via The Times of India) 

Opposition parties in Vanuatu boycott the parliament after the failed attempt to oust prime minister Ishmael Kalsakau. (Reuters) 
 

 

The House of Representatives of the Philippines unanimously votes for expulsion of Negros Oriental district representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. due to his continued absence. (ABS-CBN News) 

Roscosmos spacecraft Luna 25 enters into a lunar orbit around the Moon as it prepares to make a soft landing on the lunar south pole in the coming days. (Reuters) 

The current European champions England advance to the FIFA Women’s World Cup final for the first time after defeating co-host Australia 3–1 in the semi-final. They will play against fellow first-time finalists Spain. (CNN) 

Wednesday, August 16th, 2023 

Morgan Wallen is at Fenway tonight. This is from four days ago in Ohio.

More than 1,000 bodies are discovered in 30 mass graves within the RSF-occupied city of Geneina in West Darfur, Sudan, by civil leaders. (Radio Dabanga) 

The number of people who have fled Sudan since April reaches 1 million while nearly 3.5 million have been displaced. (Reuters) 

The death toll from fighting in Tripoli between the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force increases to 55 people, with 146 more injured. The fight ended yesterday after the release of a commander. (Al Jazeera) 

Seventeen soldiers are killed and 20 more injured during an ambush against a military vehicle in Koutougou [ceb], Niger. (Al Jazeera) 

Russia’s Federal Security Service says that it has eliminated four Ukrainian fighters that was part of a sabotage group from infiltrating the border near the Starodubsky District in the Bryansk Oblast. (AFP via Al Arabiya) 

Ukraine recaptures the village of Urozhaine from Russian forces. (CNN) 

A Muslim mob storms a Christian area in Jaranwala, Punjab, Pakistan, burning a church, damaging two others and demolishing the house of a man after accusing him of desecrating the pages of a Quran. (AP) 

The Netherland’s statistics office reports the country has entered a recession after the economy declined by 0.3% in the second quarter with exports and household spending falling despite rising interest rates intended to lower inflation. (AP) 

The Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte becomes the first cargo ship to depart from the Port of Odesa, Ukraine’s largest seaport, using new Black Sea shipping lanes, despite Russia’s prior threats against vessels following its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. (AFP via Manila Bulletin) 

The Lahaina Bypass reopens to traffic in west Maui, Hawaii after closing for a week due to the wildfires. (KHON-TV) 

The death toll from the August 14 landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant, Kachin, Myanmar, rises to 31, with eight people still missing. (AFP via Bangkok Post) 

The death toll from the August 14 explosion in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic rises to 13 after two more bodies are found. (AP) 

The Korean Central News Agency confirms United States Army soldier Travis King has been detained for illegal entry, claiming alleged racism within the U.S. Army and seeking refugee status in the country. (Reuters) 

The Constitutional Court of Thailand dismisses the petitions on election winner Pita Limjaroenrat‘s renomination as prime minister, allowing a new round of leadership election in the National Assembly to take place as early as August 18. (AFP via The Manila Times) 

Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau survives a no-confidence vote, with the opposition falling one vote short to oust him. (Reuters) 

The current European champions England advance to the FIFA Women’s World Cup final for the first time after defeating co-host Australia 3–1 in the semi-final. They will play against fellow first-time finalists Spain. (CNN) 

Tuesday,  August 15th, 2023 

Poland displays its weapons and defense systems at a military parade in Warsaw involving 2,000 troops, 200 vehicles and 100 aircraft. (AP) 

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announces a referendum on the acceptance of “thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa” as part of a European Union relocation plan. (AP) 

Brazil is affected by a nationwide blackout, with all of the states connected to the national energy system impacted. The state of Roraima is unaffected as it has its own energy system. The cause of the outage is still unknown. (The Brazilian Report) 

The Chinese national statistics office announces that retail sales increased by 2.5% year on year in July, while industrial production increased by 3.7% and unemployment increased to 5.3%. However, further releases of statistics on age-specific data will be suspended. (AFP via CNA) 

The National Bureau of Statistics of China announces that retail sales increased by 2.5 percent year on year in July, while industrial production increased by 3.7 percent and unemployment increased to 5.3%. The central bank lowers the medium-term lending facility rate, the interest rate on one-year loans to financial institutions, to 2.5%. (CNA) 

The Chinese central bank lowers the medium-term lending facility rate, which is the interest rate on one-year loans to financial institutions, to 2.5%. (Reuters) 

In the United States, Maui County officials including Governor Josh Green say that that the death toll of the wildfires have reached 106.  (Maui Now) 

Typhoon Lan makes landfall in western Japan. (The New York Times) 

Child welfare advocates file a federal lawsuit to require the Biden administration to block imports of products with cocoa harvested by children in West Africa, alleging that the Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security ignored evidence of the existence of these imports. (AP) 

Former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin is acquitted by the high court of four corruption charges of obtaining bribes for his political party. (AP) 

Spain advances to the FIFA Women’s World Cup final for the first time after defeating Sweden 2–1 in the semi-final. (The New York Times) 

The End Wednesday 

France announces that supermarket prices increased 13.1% yoy in July according to the national statistics bureau. (INSEE) 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and eighteen associates including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark are indicted in Georgia by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as part of an investigation into their alleged involvement in attempting to overturn the election results in the state. (AP) 

A shootout along with shelling begins south of Nyala at El Wahda Hospital causing 3 deaths and 30 wounded. (All África) 

Clashes begin again in Nyala, with at-least 43 people confirmed dead along with dozens injured. (All África) 

Israeli security forces shoot two Palestinians in a raid in Jericho, West Bank. (AP News) 

Russia launches a large-scale air strike on Lviv and northwestern Volyn Oblast, killing at least three civilians and wounding more than a dozen others. (Reuters) 

Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz says Russian soldiers and security services stopped a Ukrainian sabotage group from infiltrating the border near the village of Kurkovichi. (AFP via Al Arabiya News) 

At least 65 people are killed and 20 others are missing after flooding and landslides in northern India. (France 24) 

Pedro Briones, a local leader of Citizen Revolution Movement, is assassinated by gunmen in the northern province of Esmeraldas. (AP) 

Child welfare advocates file a federal lawsuit to require the Biden administration to block imports of products with cocoa harvested by

Monday,  August 14th, 2023 

Fighting breaks out in Tripoli between the 444 brigade and the Special Deterrence Force after the head of the 444 brigade was allegedly detained by the Special Deterrence Force at an airport in Tripoli. (AP News) 

Russian forces strike Odesa with missiles and drones, injuring three people and damaging civilian infrastructure. (CNN International) 

A report to the UN Security Council finds that the Islamic State still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, posing a serious threat to the region despite the imposition of economic sanctions. (AP News) 

At least three people are killed and seven others are injured in an explosion at a hotel in Khost, Afghanistan. (AP) 

Shares in Hawaiian Electric Industries drop 30% after the company was sued for refusing to shut down power lines. Lawsuits are also filed against three other power companies that oversee the state. (CNBC) (Radar Online) 

The wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, United States, are ranked as the fifth deadliest wildfire in American history. (ABC News) 

Five people are killed and seven others missing after a boat carrying 35 migrants from Sfax, Tunisia, sinks in the Mediterranean Sea. (AFP via RFI) 

A secondary school in Kratié, Cambodia, once a supply depot during the country’s civil war, temporarily closes after over 2,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance are found. (AP) 

At least 25 miners are killed and 14 more missing after a landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant, Myanmar. (The Economic Times) 

At least 35 people are killed and 115 others are injured in an explosion at a gas station in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia. (AP) 

Eleven people are killed and nine others are injured in a collision between a truck and a minibus near Lanjik, Armenia. (RFE/RL) 

Ten people are killed, eleven missing and 30 others are injured in a explosion at a market in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. (AP News) 

Health Minister Ayesha Verrall announces New Zealand will end COVID-19 restrictions including mask mandates and 7-day quarantines. (Reuters) 

Kenya launches an inquiry into British Army Training Unit Kenya, amid allegations of murder, sexual abuse, and damage to land near the base. (The Guardian) 

French prosecutors announce that police are investigating bomb threats at the Eiffel Tower that resulted in two evacuations on Saturday. (AFP via The Manila Times) 

The Philadelphia District Attorney and FBI announce charges against a 17-year-old Philadelphia resident for allegedly plotting terrorism on behalf of an Al-Qaeda-linked group. (CBS News) 

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announces a referendum on the acceptance of “thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa” as part of a European Union relocation plan. (AP) 

Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš announces his resignation and says his government will step down this week citing a breakdown in relations within his multi-party government. (Reuters) 

Sunday, August 13th, 2023 

The Miss Universe and Miss Indonesia contests cut ties after six Miss Indonesia contestants allege sexual misconduct at the beauty pageant. (The Guardian) 

Hawaii Governor Josh Green says that the banyan tree in Lahaina was damaged by the wildfires, but has survived. (The Messenger) 

In the United States, Maui County officials announce that more than 93 people have died in the wildfires in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, making it the deadliest American wildfire since 1918, surpassing the death toll of the 2018 Camp Fire in California. (Washington Examiner) (People.com) 

A Ethiopian Air Force airstrike kills 26 people in Finote Selam, Amhara Region, amid ongoing clashes between Fano militiamen and government forces. (BBC News) 

Russian forces strike Kherson Oblast, killing seven people, including an infant, and injuring 20 others. (Reuters) 

Balochistan Liberation Army gunmen ambush a convoy transporting Chinese engineers to the Gwadar Port in Balochistan, Pakistan. Two separatists are killed in the subsequent shootout. (AFP via VOA) 

One person is killed and seven others are injured in an attack at the Shah Cheragh mosque in Shiraz, Iran. (Reuters) 

Four people are killed and four others are injured in separate accidents involving lightning strikes in the Yemeni governorates of Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, and Raymah. (Xinhua) 

Three people are killed and eighteen others are injured in a fire at an apartment complex in Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes, France. (NOS) 

Argentines head to the polls to vote in the primaries before the October general election. (WION) 

Partido Libertario candidate Javier Milei wins the primaries, with around a third of the votes. (Financial Times) 

The End

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