Thursday, August 22nd, 2024 

The last body, that of Hannah Lynch is recovered from the shipwreck of the Bayesian, with the possibility of manslaughter charges being pressed (The Guardian) 

With regards to the rapid growth of the artificial intelligence market, Bloomberg alleges that technology companies are “concealing their actual carbon footprints” by invoking outdated emissions accounting rules. (Bloomberg) 

The government of Botswana presents to the public a 2,492-carat raw diamond, discovered by the Lucara diamond and mining company from the Karowe diamond mine, and said to be the second largest in the world. (AP) (The Guardian) 

The Taliban bans women from singing, reciting poetry, or reading aloud in public and mandates that women must wear a veil in public under new laws approved by the Supreme Leader as part of efforts to combat “vice” and promote “virtue”. (Al Arabiya) 

The Taliban prohibits Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, from entering the country, accusing him of spreading propaganda. (DW) 

Burundi reports 171 new mpox cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 572 cases. (Barrons) 

Sri Lanka reports its first two cases of mpox, but does not specify the clade the cases are from. (Dhauru) 

Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City lock out roughly 10,000 unionized railroad workers in Canada, leading to an “unprecedented” railway stoppage impacting many North American supply chains which is estimated to cost the Canadian economy C$341 million per day. (Reuters)  

In response to the railway stoppage, Canadian labour minister Steven MacKinnon refers the two disputes to binding arbitration. (CBC News) 

The International Atomic Energy Agency announces an investigation of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant following accusations from Russia that a Ukrainian drone targeted the power plant. (Reuters) 

A ferry carrying 30 fuel tanks sinks in the port of Kavkaz, in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, following a Ukrainian attack. (Reuters) 

Belarus and China agree to greatly strengthen mutual trade, financial, energy, and security cooperation, which includes enhancing industrial supply chains and collaboration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. (Reuters) 

Inmates at a prison in Surovikino, Volgograd Oblast, Russia seize control of the facility and take hostages, with multiple prison staff members injured. (The Moscow Times) 

An Israeli drone strike kills three Palestinians in Tulkarm in the West Bank, during a raid where IDF soldiers set fire to civilian homes and used bulldozers to destroy residential areas. (Al Jazeera) 

Eleven Palestinians are killed and six others are injured in an Israeli strike on a residential building in Beit Lahiya in the Gaza Strip. (DW) 

Thirteen farmers are killed in Shiroro, Niger State, Nigeria, with authorities blaming Boko Haram for the attack. (Barrons) 

At least eleven police officers are killed in an ambush on a convoy by armed attackers near Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. (Sky News) 

Nearly 1,500 firefighters are dispatched to contain intense wildfires that are causing dense hazardous smoke to fully “engulf” Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil, with the total number of wildfires in Brazil reaching 59,000 since the start of the year. (The Guardian) 

Nine people are killed when a Cessna 208 Caravan crashes into a mangrove forest in Chachoengsao shortly after taking off from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.  (The Nation Thailand) 

Thousands of people gather outside the House of Representatives in Jakarta, Indonesia, as well as in other major cities across the country, to protest attempted changes to local elections law that would benefit the ruling coalition, in defiance of two recent Constitutional Court decisions. (BBC News) 

Police fire tear gas and water cannons at protesters attempting to storm the House of Representatives, prompting the Parliament to delay and eventually cancel the vote on the proposed changes. (AP) 

The Supreme Court of Venezuela certifies the results of the 2024 presidential election, denying claims that opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia won the election. (AP) 

Wednesday, August 21st, 2024 

Four bodies are recovered from the superyacht Bayesian that sank two days ago, bringing the death toll to five. The search for the last missing person is ongoing. (Reuters) 

At least seventeen workers are killed and 41 others are injured, many from severe chemical burns, in an explosion at a pharmaceutical facility in Anakapalli, Andhra Pradesh, India. (Indian Express) (NDTV) 

The United States Department of Labor issues a significant estimate correction stating that the U.S. economy added 818,000 fewer jobs between April 2023 and March 2024 than what was initially reported in July, the largest estimate revision since 2009.  (CNBC) 

Several suspected cases of mpox clade 1b are reported in Somerset, England, United Kingdom. (Devon Live) 

Honduras reports five suspected cases of the new mpox clade. (Prensa Libre) 

Thailand reports its first case of mpox in a 66-year-old European man who worked in an African country affected by the ongoing epidemic. (The New York Times) 

The Ukrainian military reports that it used United States-made weapons to destroy several pontoon bridges constructed by Russia following its destruction of at least three bridges over the Seym river in Kursk Oblast. (Reuters) 

Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin states that Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on the Russian capital, and claims that all drones were taken down without casualties or damage based on preliminary information. (Reuters) 

The Russian Ministry of Defense states it has fully captured the village of Zhelanne in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency) 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledges advancements made by Russian Armed Forces on the Pokrovsk front, and announces the strengthening of regional Ukrainian positions in order to resist further advancements. (Reuters) 

The Ukrainian parliament approves the Rome Statute treaty established by the International Criminal Court, thereby allowing the country to become a state party once the government ratifies with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. (Ukrinform) 

A Hungarian law restricting or removing state support and accommodations for Ukrainian refugees not from regions directly affected by the Russian invasion comes into effect. (BBC News) 

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger write to the United Nations Security Council to denounce Ukrainian support for rebel groups in the Sahel region of West Africa. (Reuters) 

Khalil al-Muqdah, a commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, is killed in an Israeli airstrike in Sidon, Lebanon. (Al Jazeera) 

Nine people, including five security officers and four civilians are killed and dozens are injured in an Al-Shabaab suicide car bomb attack on a security checkpoint on the Mogadishu–Afgoye highway in Somalia. (Daily Post Nigeria) 

Canada’s two largest freight railroads Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Canadian National Railway announce a complete shutdown of services due to a contract dispute, shutting out its Teamsters-represented union workers. (Reuters) (AP) 

Twenty-eight people are killed and 23 others are injured when a bus carrying Shia Pakistani pilgrims to the Arba’in pilgrimage in Iraq crashes and overturns in Yazd province, Iran. (Reuters) 

Three staff members are killed in a mass shooting at a school in Sanski Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The perpetrator, who also worked at the school, is seriously injured after shooting himself. (AP) 

Four people, including three children, are killed in a house fire in Bradford, England, United Kingdom. Police say that the fire was started deliberately and that a suspect has been arrested under suspicion of murder. (BBC News) 

The United States drafts a punitive sanctions list of sixty Venezuelan government officials from the country’s National Electoral Council, Supreme Court, and counterintelligence police agency for alleged electoral fraud. (Reuters) 

The Ivory Coast reports 21 new cases of mpox as well as the country’s first death from mpox. (La Presse) 

Malawi declares mpox a public health emergency, following growing concerns and a reported probable case of mpox in the country. (MBC Malawi) 

A Liberia-flagged ship on the Paraná River near Rosario, Argentina, is quarantined after suspected cases of mpox are detected on the ship. The Argentine Health Ministry subsequently activates an emergency protocol against mpox. (Reuters)

Tainan City health officials in Taiwan reports three cases of mpox since the start of the year. (TVBS Taiwan) 

The Philippine Department of Health reports its first case of mpox this year in a patient with no international travel history. (GMA Network) 

Pakistan reports a case of mpox in Kashmir, bringing the total number of cases in the country to four. In response to the rapid increase of cases in the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announces that the country will begin screening people at entry points. (Hindustan Times) (Firstpost) 

Tuesday,  August 20th, 2024 

The Taliban‘s virtue ministry dismisses 281 members of the security force for failing to grow a beard and announces that they also destroyed 21,328 musical instruments in the past year and prevented thousands of computer operators from selling “immoral and unethical” films in markets. (Al Arabiya) 

Suspected serial killer Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, accused of murdering 42 women, escapes from police custody in Nairobi, Kenya. (Al Jazeera) 

Russia claims that its forces have taken control of the settlement of New York in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Russian military sources claim that Ukrainian forces have destroyed or damaged all three bridges over the Seym river in western Russia, potentially trapping Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian border, and advancing Ukrainian forces. (AP) 

Ukraine says that Russian forces are launching heavy attacks on the Toretsk and Pokrovsk fronts. (Reuters) 

Ternopil residents are urged to remain indoors after Russian drone strikes an industrial facility, causing a large fire and an increased concentration of chlorine in the air. (Reuters)

The Israel Defense Forces recover the bodies of six hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas in the initial October 7, 2023 attack, including Alex Dancyg, from the Khan Younis area in Gaza. (Reuters) 

At least twelve Palestinians, including two children, are killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school used to shelter displaced people in Gaza City. (Middle East Eye) 

The Israeli Air Force launches airstrikes on the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. (Haaretz) 

Four people are killed and two others are injured by Israeli strikes in Daraya, Mount Lebanon Governorate, Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. In response, Hezbollah launches 55 drone strikes on 3 IDF positions in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. (Arab News) 

At least 20 bodies are recovered from the Lukenie River in Mai-Ndombe Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, following the capsizing of a boat carrying around 300 passengers over the weekend. At least 46 people are rescued and about 250 others remain missing. (AP) 

Azerbaijan formally applies to join the BRICS economic bloc following a meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Baku, Azerbaijan. Aliyev also approves US$120 million to expand Russian–Azerbaijani cargo trade. (AP) 

Following the ordered closure of the Islamic Centre Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany, Iran orders the closure of two branches of a German language school in Tehran for “breaching Iranian law, committing various illegal actions and extensive financial violations.” In response, Germany summons the Iranian ambassador. (DW) 

The United States Treasury Department imposes sanctions on musician and former Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly for allegedly using his influence to facilitate drug trafficking in the country as well as into the United States. (Al Jazeera) 

A North Korean staff sergeant defects to South Korea after crossing the Korean Demilitarized Zone into Goseong County, Gangwon, and is taken into South Korean custody. (Reuters) 

Several pro-Palestinian demonstrators are arrested after protestors clashed with police near the Israeli consulate in Chicago, Illinois, United States, on the second night of the Democratic National Convention. (AP) 

Ukrainian lawmakers pass a bill to ban the activities of all Russia-associated religious groups across Ukraine, including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, following arrests of dozens of the church’s clerics on treason charges for alleged involvement in Russian espionage and the transfer of a cleric to Russia in a prisoner swap. (Reuters)

BMW recalls more than 720,000 vehicles due to an electrical issue with the vehicle’s water pump that could potentially cause a vehicle fire. (AP) 

Monday,  August 19th, 2024 

A rare blue supermoon appears in the sky. (Axios) 

One person is killed and fifteen others are rescued when the United Kingdom-flagged superyacht Bayesian sinks near Palermo, Italy, due to a waterspout. Six others remain missing, including British entrepreneur Mike Lynch. (AP) 

Russian president Vladimir Putin signs a decree making it easier for foreign nationals who support “traditional values” and “oppose neoliberalism” to seek asylum in Russia. (Anadolu Agency) 

Former US Representative George Santos pleads guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, which will carry a sentence of at least two years. (Reuters) 

Ukrainian officials order the immediate evacuation of the remaining 53,000 citizens in Pokrovsk due to the advancement of the Russian Armed Forces. (Al Jazeera) 

Russia captures the city of Zalizne and the Vyimka railway station in Donetsk Oblast. (Reuters) 

Belarus announces that it has further increased its Belarus–Ukraine border presence against Ukraine significantly, adding aircraft and air defense forces following its accusations of Ukraine’s military sending 120,000 troops to its border and conducting “aggressive policies”. Ukraine denies Lukashenko’s claims, stating its forces have not observed unusual movements of Belarusian troops on the border. (Reuters) 

An Israeli soldier is killed and several others are injured in Hezbollah rocket launches at IDF positions in Ya’ara and Biyadh Blida, with Burkan missiles and drone strikes in Western Galilee being intercepted by the Iron Dome. Hezbollah claims that it attacked and repelled Israeli soldiers attempting to infiltrate southern Lebanon through the Hadab Aita forest and had inflicted casualties. (Al Jazeera) 

Two Hezbollah militants are killed in Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. (Al Jazeera) 

Eight civilians are injured in an Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons facility in the eastern Beqaa Valley of Lebanon. (Reuters) 

Three soldiers and five Pakistani Taliban gunmen are killed during a shootout in Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (AP) 

One person is killed and eight injured during a mass shooting against a vehicle carrying migrants in Tubutama, Sonora, Mexico. (AP) 

A rocket engine for Rocket Factory Augsburg‘s launch vehicle RFA One explodes during a test launch at the SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, United Kingdom. (BBC News) 

President of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Tô Lâm arrives in China for a three-day state visit, his first overseas visit since becoming president and general secretary. (CNA) 

Kiribati islanders vote in the second round of elections for 44 members of the House of Assembly. (Radio New Zealand) 

The End