liquid trickery

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 DzyarzhynskBelarus, 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)

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 WintzenheimAlsaceFrance(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) 

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) 

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 AndalusiaCastilla–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) 

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

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 NawabshahSindhPakistan(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 TownSouth 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) 

08.06.2023 sunday [complete]

India’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully enters the Moon’s orbit ahead of the country’s second attempted Moon landing between August 23 and 24. (AFP via France 24) 

At least 30 people are killed and 100 injured after 10 carriages of the Hazara Express derails near Sahara railway station in Nawabshah, Pakistan. (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) 

The Philippine Coast Guard accuses the China Coast Guard of firing water cannons at its vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands where Filipino military personnel are stationed. (AFP via Malay Mail) 

The National Election Committee declares a landslide victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen‘s Cambodian People’s Party, which won 120 of the 125 seats in the parliament. The royalist FUNCINPEC party secured the remaining five seats. (AP) 

Floods and landslides occurs in southern Austria, with water being pumped out of a dam in the Viktring district of Klagenfurt, Carinthia, after concerns are raised over its stability. (Atlas News) 

 

NASCAR announces that it has indefinitely suspended driver Noah Gragson after Gragson liked a meme ridiculing the murder of George Floyd. (NBC News) 

Ukraine says that it damaged the Russian Sig tanker in a naval drone attack in the Black Sea near the Crimean Bridge. (BBC News)

Peace talks begin in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The talks will last for two days and are being attended by officials from around 40 countries, including those from countries in the Global South but excluding those from Russia. (Reuters)

At least three people are killed in floods and landslides in northeastern and central Slovenia and southern Austria. Concerns are raised over the stability of a dam in the Viktring district of Klagenfurt, Carinthia, Austria, with water being pumped out of the dam. (DW)

 A court in Lahore, Pakistan, sentences former prime minister Imran Khan to three years in prison on corruption-related charges. (Al Jazeera) 

Civil unrest and rioting occur in New York City, United States, after Twitch streamer and YouTuber Kai Cenat announces a gift card and PlayStation 5 video game console giveaway in Union Square, Manhattan. (CBS News) 

A court in Melekhovo, Vladimir Oblast, Russia, sentences opposition politician Alexei Navalny to nineteen years in prison for six crimes, including “inciting and financing extremist activity” and “creating an extremist organization”. (Reuters) 

The Russian Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship is damaged by a Ukrainian naval drone attack at the naval base at the Port of Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai. (BBC News) 

Cyprus approves the use of human COVID-19 medication molnupiravir to combat a local feline virus mutation causing feline infectious peritonitis resulting in numerous cat deaths locally. The government assures that there is no risk of depleting medication stocks for potential COVID-19 surges in the human population. (AP) 

The Ethiopian government declares a state of emergency in response to heavy clashes between the ENDF and Fano militia in Amhara Region. (Al Jazeera) 

The Sudanese state of El Gedaref closes its border with Ethiopia in response to the clashes. (Sudan Tribune) 

Authorities in the Sudanese state of North Kordofan announce a state-wide curfew. (Dabanga Sudan) 

Eight people are killed and four others are injured when a freight train collides with a pickup truck at a railway crossing in Mueang Chachoengsao district, Thailand. (Al Jazeera) 

08.03.2023 thursday

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, extends their voluntary oil production cut of one million barrels per day for another month, maintaining daily production at approximately nine million barrels. (AFP via RFI) 

Research shows that fossil bones of the Perucetus colossus whale discovered in Peru could indicate that it was the heaviest animal to have ever existed. (BBC News) 

A train collides with a bus near El Marqués, Querétaro, Mexico, killing at least seven people and injuring seventeen others. (AP) 

Eight civilians are injured in Russian strikes on the St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Kherson. (AP)

Clashes in Sirba, West Darfur, Sudan, cause at least 460 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries, with the Rapid Support Forces seizing the city. (Dabanga Sudan) 

Colombia and the National Liberation Army begin a six-month ceasefire aimed at creating peace between both sides. (AP) 

Ethiopian soldiers clash with ethnic Amhara Fano militiamen in several areas across the Amhara Region, with Fano seizing several airports and major cities. (AP) 

South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia announce that they have recalled over 113,000 vehicles in the United States due to the risk of fire. (Reuters) 

In Mexico, at least 18 people are killed and 23 others are injured when a bus traveling from Mexico City to Tijuana, Baja California, falls into a ravine in Tepic, Nayarit. The driver is arrested for suspected overspeeding. (AFP via Le Monde) 

Nine days after catching fire off the coast of the Netherlands, the car carrier MV Fremantle Highway is successfully towed to the port of Eemshaven. (AD) 

The Kyrgyzstan Emergency Situations Ministry declares an emergency in the Tüp District due to flooding. (AKIPress) 

The European Union extends sanctions against Belarus over their support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (RFE/RL) 

Senegal pledges to contribute troops if the Economic Community of West African States decides to intervene militarily in Niger in response to the recent coup d’état. (AFP via The Guardian) 

Russia adds Norway to its list of “unfriendly countries” after Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats earlier this year. (Reuters) 

Cristiano Zanin is sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil. (AP) 

Brazilian footballer Dani Alves is indicted in Spain on sexual assault charges. (Reuters) 

The perpetrator of the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, is sentenced to death. (Reuters) 

A Russian drone strike in Izmail, Odesa Oblast, damages administrative buildings and grain storage facilities. (Bloomberg) 

The death toll from the flooding in Beijing, China, which is the city’s worst flooding in more than 140 years, increases to 21. (CP24) 

Twenty people are killed, five others are missing, and nine others are rescued after a boat carrying charcoal and food capsizes in the Ugandan waters of Lake Victoria. (Al Jazeera) 

Two people are killed and two others are injured by an explosion at a house in Buena, New Jersey, United States. (NBC News via Yahoo!) 

At least 10 people are killed in a police raid on a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, days after 19 people in Bahia and 14 people in São Paulo State were killed in other raids. (BBC News) 

A man is charged after crashing a stolen Hyundai Tucson car that injured 10 pedestrians during a police chase near the Grand Central Terminal in New York City, U.S. (New York Daily News) 

The Moldovan Interior Ministry reports that a man has been arrested by Chișinău police after ramming his vehicle near the Russian Embassy in the country. (Meduza) 

Tunisian president Kais Saied appoints Ahmed Hachani as prime minister after dismissing Najla Bouden, the first female prime minister in the Arab world, from the role. (Reuters via Devdiscourse) 

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra announces a return to Thailand after 15 years of exile in the United Arab Emirates. (DW) 

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announce their separation. (Reuters) 

Jamaica become the first Caribbean team to qualify for the knockout stage of a FIFA Women’s World Cup after drawing 0–0 with Brazil in their final group stage match to finish second in their group. (Forbes) 

A Cessna 152 aircraft crashes in Luna, Apayao, Philippines, during a training flight from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, to Tuguegarao, Cagayan, killing an Indian student pilot and his flight instructor. (AFP via Gulf News) 

Tunisian President Kais Saied appoints Ahmed Hachani as prime minister after dismissing Najla Bouden, the first female prime minister in the Arab world, from the role. (Reuters via Devdiscourse) 

One person is killed and 56 others are injured after a tour bus rolls over in Grand Canyon West, Arizona, United States. (Reuters) 

The Senate of the Philippines adopts a resolution condemning China’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea and urges the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a resolution regarding China’s harassment of Philippine vessels before the United Nations General Assembly. (GMA News) 

Burundi and Russia sign a memorandum of cooperation on sharing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes at the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (World Nuclear News) 

One civilian is killed and five others are injured in a Russian attack on a medical facility in Kherson. (The Kyiv Independent via Yahoo! News) 

Russia says that it destroyed three drones near Moscow. One drone damaged the 21st floor of the IQ-quarter mixed-use complex, which hosts offices for the Ministry of Economic Development. The Vnukovo International Airport remains closed. (The Guardian)

Protests begin in Kadugli, South Kordofan, Sudan, against the ongoing clashes in the city, with protesters also denouncing the war and the country’s violations against women. (Dabanga Sudan) 

A Palestinian man is shot and killed by Israeli security forces after opening fire on Israelis in the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in the occupied West Bank. (Al Jazeera) 

A deputy imam is killed and another is injured when Hindus storm a mosque in Gurgaon, Haryana, India, as a spillover of yesterday’s intercommunal violence in the neighboring Nuh district. (Al Jazeera) 

The Soviet state emblem emblazoned on the Motherland Monument statue in Kyiv is removed and will be replaced with the tryzub. (AFP via The Manila Times) 

Major credit rating agency Fitch downgrades the United States’ bond credit rating from AAA to AA+, citing an “erosion of governance” manifested in the country’s debt ceiling impasses. (Financial Times) 

11 people are killed and 13 others are reported missing during floods in Beijing, China. More than 50,000 people have been evacuated from the city. (BBC News) 

Twenty workers are killed and three others are injured when a large crane collapses at a highway construction site in Thane, Maharashtra, India. (Al Jazeera) 

The Iranian government declares a two-day nationwide holiday due to extreme heat, closing all schools, banks, and government offices. (Sky News) 

France and Italy begin the evacuation of their citizens and other European nationals from Niger. (Al Jazeera) 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is indicted by DOJ Counsel Jack Smith on four criminal counts for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election. (Politico)

Two members of the Michigan Republican Party are charged by prosecutors for attempting to tamper with voting machines in Michigan during the 2020 election. (AP) 

Two people are killed and five others are injured when an assailant robs passengers and throws a Molotov cocktail on a bus in Dakar, Senegal. (AFP via UrduPoint) 

Fugitive Filipino Congressman and alleged mastermind of the Pamplona massacre Arnolfo Teves Jr. and twelve others are designated as terrorists by the Anti-Terrorism Council. (GMA News) 

Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is pardoned on five of her convictions, thereby reducing her prison sentence from 33 to 27 years. (AFP via France 24) 

The Public Prosecutor of Costa Rica launches an influence peddling investigation into President Rodrigo Chaves Robles and several other government officials. (AFP via New Vision) 

Royal Mail initiates the first regular postal delivery by drones in the United Kingdom, delivering mail by Skyports drones on the Scottish island of Orkney. (AFP via Manila Bulletin) 

A 20-meter-long inflatable attraction in the amusement park “Wonderland Waterpark” in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, France, blows away, killing a 35-year-old man and severely injuring his daughter. (NOS) 

At least six civilians are killed and 75 others are injured in a Russian ballistic missile strike on an apartment complex and a university building in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. (The Washington Post) 

Russian forces strike residential areas in Kherson, killing at least four civilians and injuring 17 others. (CNN International) 

The Islamic State-KP claims responsibility for yesterday’s suicide bombing at a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) rally in Khar, Bajaur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, which killed 54 people and injured around 200 others. (Al Jazeera) 

Twelve FARC dissidents and a soldier are killed during a shootout in a mountainous region in Cauca Department. (Reuters) 

Seven Clan del Golfo members are killed and four arrested after soldiers stormed on of their camps in Chocó Department. (El Comercio) 

Clashes between rival groups in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon District, Lebanon, continue for the second day, with six more people being killed, bringing the death toll to eleven. (BBC News) 

UNESCO recommends the inclusion of Venice, Italy, a World Heritage Site, on its List of World Heritage in Danger due to overtourism and flooding. (CNN) 

Niger’s military junta accuses France of wanting to intervene by force to reinstate ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, a day after ECOWAS gave an ultimatum for Bazoum’s reinstatement. The French foreign ministry denies the accusation. (Reuters) 

The governments of Burkina Faso and Mali issue a joint statement saying that any military intervention in Niger to overthrow the new military junta will be considered a “declaration of war” against both countries. (AFP via Barron’s) 

The United Kingdom imposes sanctions on the judges and officials involved in the prosecution of activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who lost the appeal of his 25-year sentence for treason. (Reuters) 

The Ministry of Justice charges detained opposition leader and Ziguinchor mayor Ousmane Sonko with fomenting insurrection, undermining state security, and criminal association with a terrorist body. (AFP via France 24) 

Two people are killed in Ziguinchor during protests in response to Sonko’s arrest and indictment. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

Acting President Myint Swe announces the National Defence and Security Council‘s extension of the country’s state of emergency by six months, likely delaying the general election that was previously pledged to be held by August, saying that the country’s situation has “not returned to normalcy yet”. (AFP via The Manila Times) 

The Tokyo District Court sentences Kyota Hattori to 23 years in prison for attempted murder and arson on a train in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, in October 2021. (AP) 

Four people are shot dead on board the Jaipur Superfast Express (12956) by a Railway Protection Force constable on escorting duty in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. (TNN via Times of India) 

Zambia wins its first FIFA Women’s World Cup match after defeating Costa Rica 3–1 in a dead rubber match. (Reuters)