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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

Climate change protesters in Sydney, Australia

Climate strikes take place in 150 countries (protesters in Sydney pictured) as part of the Fridays for Future protests.
The FIBA Basketball World Cup concludes, with Spain defeating Argentina in the final.
In Gaelic football, the All-Ireland Championship concludes, with Dublin defeating Kerry in the final.
Drone attacks on two major oil facilities force Saudi Arabia to cut more than half of its oil production.

September 22, 2019 (Sunday)

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Arts and culture

Cities around the world celebrate World Car-Free Day. (UrduPoint)
- Brussels reports up to 70% lower levels of nitrogen dioxide and black carbon in the atmosphere, compared to other Sundays. (Belga via Het Laatste Nieuws)
- Over 12 miles (19 km) of roads are closed for traffic in central London. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze says the €54 billion climate plan approved by the German cabinet on Friday enables her country to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance. Germany expects to transition away from coal by 2038. (Deutsche Welle)

Disasters and accidents

At least 22 people are killed and 15 others injured after a bus rams into a hill en route from Skardu to Rawalpindi, Pakistan, following a brake failure. (Sky News)
Two minibuses collide head-on near Limpopo, South Africa. All eleven on board the vehicles die. (ENCA)

Law and crime

Crisis in Venezuela
- Argentina accuses the regime of Venezuela of committing "crimes against humanity", "torture and murder" after receiving reports from Venezuelan refugees in the country. The Argentine Government will file a formal accusation against Venezuela before the International Court of Justice. (Clarín)
Brexit
- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says the UK Government will abide by the upcoming Supreme Court's ruling on the lawfulness of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's prorogation of Parliament. When asked if the Government would prorogue Parliament again if it wins, he answers that he's "keen not to take levers off the table that weaken the position of the UK in Brussels". (BBC)

Politics and elections

The Arab Joint List recommends Benny Gantz as the next Prime Minister of Israel. (Axios)

Science and technology

The World Meteorological Organization publishes a report stating that 2015–2019 was the hottest five-year period since measurements began. The increase in the global carbon dioxide level, the rise of the sea level and the melting of ice caps is accelerating. (PA via breakingnews.ie)

September 21, 2019 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
- 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack
  - Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir says the international community must take a firm stand on Tehran and that if confirmed Iran is behind the attacks against the oil facilities, Saudi Arabia will "take the necessary steps" to "respond appropriately". (Reuters)
2019 Karbala bombing
- ISIL claims responsibility for yesterday's bombing in Iraq, in which 12 were killed. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

Search and rescue operations begin for a baby who is missing after a migrant boat carrying fourteen people sinks near Turkey. (The Daily Sabah)
Authorities in Texas report a fifth death from Tropical Storm Imelda. (Los Angeles Times)
Venezuelan migrant crisis
- As the number of refugees from the crisis in Venezuela is projected to surpass the 6 million figure in 2020, matching that of the Syrian Civil War now, Brookings Institution calculates that aid for Venezuelan emigration is yet only 1.5% that for Syrian emigrants after five years of crisis. (Bloomberg)

Health and environment

Climate change protesters glue themselves to a road near the Port of Dover in England, blocking it. Police arrest ten people, believed to be members of Extinction Rebellion. Further scheduled protests take place in a dedicated area set up by police. (BBC)

International relations

2019 Persian Gulf crisis
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards leader, Hossein Salami, warns that "any country that attacks the Islamic Republic will have their mainland turned into the main battlefield". He further added that "any attack will not stop until the full destruction of the aggressor". (Al Arabiya English)

Law and crime

Terrorism in Turkey
- Turkish authorities declare a forest wildfire near Istanbul to be the result of terrorism. They say a suspect is in custody. (The Daily Sabah)
Lancaster, South Carolina shooting
- A mass shooting in Lancaster, South Carolina, leaves 2 men dead and 9 other people injured. (USA Today)

Politics and elections

Brexit
- Thousands of protestors march in Edinburgh, Scotland, against the upcoming departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union. The crowd is addressed by Members of the UK Parliament, and Members of the Scottish Parliament. Amongst the attendees is MSP Joanna Cherry QC, who is taking legal action against UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's recent prorogation of the UK Parliament. Cherry's action succeeded at Scotland's Court of Session, and is currently being reviewed by the UK Supreme Court. (BBC)

September 20, 2019 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- Nigeria bans international humanitarian organization Action Against Hunger for allegedly providing food and medicine for Boko Haram militants in the north-east of the country. Action Against Hunger denies the Nigerian military's accusations. (BBC) (Africanews)
2019 Karbala bombing
- A bomb explodes onboard a minibus at a security checkpoint near Karbala, Iraq, killing 12 civilians. (SFGate)

Arts and culture

Under pressure from owner Hasbro, the next Brussels edition of the Monopoly board game censors Manneken Pis, the 17th-century bronze statue of a naked boy urinating, with swimming trunks. (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

China–United States trade war
- The Trump administration lifts tariffs on 437 goods, amid talks. Chinese officials cancel a planned farm visit to return to China earlier. (Reuters)
Nicotine marketing
- American retailer Walmart announces it will stop selling electronic cigarettes, which have recently caused at least eight deaths and 530 cases of a new extreme form of respiratory disease. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

A bus carrying Chinese tourists overturns near Bryce Canyon national park in Utah, United States. At least four passengers are killed and another five wounded. The National Transportation Safety Board launches an investigation. (The Guardian) (NTSB)

International relations

Foreign relations of Taiwan
- Taiwan severs diplomatic relations with Kiribati, according to Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Only the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu mantain formal relations with Taiwan in the Pacific. (RNZ)
U.S. President Donald Trump demands that European allies, in particular Germany and France, take back captured ISIL fighters, or else, he says, "we're going to let them go at your border". Trump also made the same threat in August. (AFP via MSN News)
United States sanctions against Iran, 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack
- The United States unveils the "highest sanctions ever imposed on a country", targeting Iran's Central Bank and its National Development Fund. (Politico)
- The head of the Iranian Central Bank says the "re-boycotting" of the already-blacklisted institution shows the U.S.' failure to find new ways to pressure Iran. (Reuters)

Law and crime

A woman who previously accused late United States financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager says she was "trafficked" to Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom and was abused by him at a house in London. She calls him "an abuser" and "a participant". Prince Andrew denies the allegations. (BBC)

Politics and elections

September 2019 climate strikes
- Millions of young people take to the streets and numerous businesses worldwide go on strike days before the UN Climate Summit, demanding that further action be taken to confront climate change. (Reuters) (NBC News)
2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- The Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio announces he is ending his presidential campaign, saying "I feel like I have contributed all I can to this primary election, and it's clearly not my time". (BBC)
2019 Egyptian protests
- Thousands of protestors march across Egypt, including at Tahrir Square, demanding the resignation of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. (Al-Jazeera)

Science and technology

Twitter suspensions
- Twitter suspends a network of 4,258 accounts using fake names being operated from the United Arab Emirates that were spreading fake news and propaganda, mostly about Qatar and the war in Yemen. Twitter also suspends the account of Saud al-Qahtani for violating the company's "platform manipulation" policies. (Al Jazeera)

September 19, 2019 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- According to Afghan officials, a U.S. drone strike kills more than 30 pine nut farm workers in Nangarhar Province. The U.S. military say they targeted ISIL terrorists. (Reuters)
- 2019 Qalat bombing
  - According to Afghan officials, a Taliban truck bomb outside a hospital in Qalat, Zabul Province, kills 39 people. The Taliban say they targeted a National Directorate of Security building nearby. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

A German magazine reports that the chief financial officer of automobile manufacturer BMW, Nicolas Peter, plans to cut between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs at that company, mostly at the Munich headquarters, before 2022. (Reuters)
UK-based travel agent Thomas Cook is reported to be attempting to sell assets as it seeks to prevent its collapse. The group employs 20,000 people and, were it to collapse, approximately 150,000 British customers currently abroad could require repatriation assistance from the Civil Aviation Authority in the largest peacetime operation of its kind. (Sky News)
Over the last three days, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York adds more than US$200 billion liquidity to the money market, countering a spike in the repo rate on Tuesday. (Business Day)

Disasters and accidents

An F-16 fighter jet of the Belgian Air Component strikes a house before crashing into a field near Pluvigner, north-west France. Both pilots eject and escape with minor injuries, but one gets his parachute entangled in high-voltage power lines, requiring two hours to rescue. (BBC)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- France and Italy call for a new system to redistribute immigrants to the European Union amid an ongoing increase in the numbers arriving, complaining of unfair demands being placed upon nations where immigrants make landfall. (BBC)
Austrian MPs vote to demand a government veto on a proposed trade deal between the European Union and South American trade group Mercosur. The deal is the result of 20 years of negotiations. France and Ireland have previously threatened to also veto the deal unless Mercosur member Brazil increases efforts to fight ongoing Amazon rainforest wildfires. (BBC)
The United States Department of State withholds US$160 million in direct aid to Afghanistan, citing "Afghan Government corruption and financial mismanagement." (The Hill)
Citing "influence operations against the United States," the U.S. expels two Cuban diplomats at the United Nations. Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla dismisses the accusations as "vulgar slander." (CNN)

Law and crime

Fukushima nuclear disaster
- The only prosecution concerning the 2011 nuclear catastrophe ends with the acquittal of three former Tepco executives. The decision means nobody has been held criminally responsible for the meltdown. Greenpeace says the verdict is not very surprising, since the case was "hugely political". (Al Jazeera)
Interpol reports that in six weeks it has detected more than a dozen people wanted for terrorism offences crossing the Mediterranean Sea using tourist routes. The joint operation involved Algeria, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia. (BBC)
Brexit
- The UK Supreme Court finishes hearing arguments on the lawfulness of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's prorogation of Parliament. The court states it expects to rule next week. It is jointly considering appeals against two rulings. One, made by the High Court in London under English law, ruled prorogation was an entirely political decision over which courts had no jurisdiction. The other, made by the Court of Session in Edinburgh under Scots law, ruled Johnson acted unlawfully and the prorogation was a nullity that must be reversed. (BBC)
Hwaseong serial murders
- Police in South Korea link convicted murderer Lee Chun-jae to the serial rapes and murders, which occurred between 1986 and 1991 and left ten dead. The investigations inspired the movie Memories of Murder and saw 21,000 people investigated. Lee, who is serving life for the 1994 rape and murder of his sister in law, cannot be prosecuted despite a DNA link to three victims because the statute of limitations has expired. (BBC)

Science and technology

Havana syndrome
- A study ordered by the Canadian government finds that exposure to anti-mosquito fumigation, which contains cholinesterase-inhibiting neurotoxins, coincides with brain damage causing the same symptoms as those associated with the syndrome. (Reuters)

September 18, 2019 (Wednesday)

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Business and economy

2019 Japan–South Korea trade dispute
- South Korea officially removes Japan from its "whitelist" of countries with fast-track trade status. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 27 people, a majority of them children, are killed in a fire caused by an electrical problem at a boarding school in a suburb near the Liberian capital of Monrovia. (BBC)
A Twin Otter cargo plane carrying rice and four people goes missing shortly after its departure from Timika, Indonesia. (The Loadstar)

International relations

2019 Persian Gulf crisis
- Saudi Arabia joins the International Maritime Security Construct. (Arab News)
Solomon Islands–United States relations
- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence cancels a meeting with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in response to the country's move to cut ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China. (RNZ)

Law and crime

2019 Samoa assassination plot
- Prosecutiors in the case of the latest attempt to kill Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi announce that Eletise Leafa Vitale, convicted of the assassination of one of Malielegoai's Cabinet members in another failed attempt at killing him in 1999, will testify in the trial against the conspirators of this year's plot. (RNZ)
Crisis in Venezuela
- The NGO Human Rights Watch publishes details of what it deems to be arbitrary executions and arrests in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government alleges that most of those listed in the report were armed criminals, but admits to have placed several hundred security agents under investigation for abuses of power and extrajudicial actions. (Human Rights Watch)

Politics and elections

Cabinet of Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump appoints attorney and former U.S. State Department hostage negotiator Robert O'Brien as his new National Security Advisor. (The New York Times)

September 17, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- 17 September 2019 Afghanistan bombings
  - Suicide bombings in Afghanistan kill 48 people including civilians and soldiers. The first is in Charikar at a rally for Ashraf Ghani, the President of Afghanistan. The second is in Kabul near the U.S. embassy. (The New York Times) (BBC)
Islamic terrorism in Europe
- An Italian soldier in Milan was stabbed in the neck and in the back with a pair of scissors by a man. He was arrested after the stabbing, which was described as a terrorist attack linked to Islamic extremism. The soldier survived the attack. (TGCOM24)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Atlantic hurricane season
- Tropical Storm Imelda makes landfall in Texas, threatening severe flash flooding throughout Eastern Texas and the Houston area. (The Washington Post)
Italian champion speedboat designer and racer Fabio Buzzi and two other racers are killed when their boat, attempting to set a new Monte Carlo-to-Venice record in the Assonautica Italiana race, crashes into a sunken, flood-barrier dam near the finish line. A fourth racer is in hospital with serious injuries. (BBC) (Il Globo)

International relations

Foreign relations of Taiwan, Foreign relations of China, Foreign relations of the Solomon Islands
- Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen regrets and strongly condemns the move by the Solomon Islands to cut ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China. (RNZ)
2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack
- An anonymous U.S. official says the United States is certain that the attack was launched from Iranian territory and that it involved cruise missiles. (The Daily Star)

Politics and elections

Donald Trump impeachment hearings
- Amid a gag order from the White House, impeachment hearings begin at the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. (The Independent)
Brexit, 2019 British prorogation controversy
- The UK Supreme Court begins considering the lawfulness of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's prorogation of Parliament. It is jointly considering two appeals. One is against a ruling by the High Court under English law that the issue is solely a matter for the Prime Minister and one the courts do not have jurisdiction over. The other is against a ruling by the Court of Session under Scots law declaring the suspension unlawful and a nullity, and requiring Johnson to recall Parliament. (BBC)
April 2019 Spanish general election, Politics of Spain
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, after failing to achieve support from the Unidas Podemos alliance, announces the calling for a snap election on 10 November, which would be the fourth general election in 4 years. (Reuters), (BBC)
September 2019 Israeli legislative election
- Israeli voters head to the polls after the last election failed to form a government. Exit polls show the incumbent right-wing Likud barely losing to the centrist Blue and White alliance. (Reuters)
- The Arab-dominated Joint List is projected to win between 13 and 15 seats, its highest showing ever. Yisrael Beiteinu, lead by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, is expected to play kingmaker. (Reuters)
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The Venezuelan secret service releases National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano. The Nicolás Maduro government says his release comes after a partial compromise with members of Juan Guaidó's opposition government to live peacefully; Guaidó says the Maduro government has been forced to release him under international human rights pressure. (BBC)

Science and technology

Christchurch mosque shootings
- Following the attack, which was livestreamed on Facebook, the social network teams up with the Metropolitan Police of London. Facebook is providing bodycams to the force's firearms officers to help train its artificial intelligence systems, enabling it to automatically detect and remove live first-person footage of violent incidents. The company says it previously had insufficient footage for its software to suitably match fresh footage with, and has been criticised for its role in the shooting. Instagram say they will also participate. (The Guardian)

September 16, 2019 (Monday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack, Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict, Iran–United States relations
- Iran says the accusations about the Saudi Arabian oil facilities attacks are unacceptable and baseless. (Al Arabiya English)
- Iraq says the United States has told them that the information the U.S. has "confirms the Iraqi government's statement that its territory was not used to carry out this attack". (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia says Iranian weapons were used in the attacks. (Swissinfo)

Business and economy

Economy of China
- Figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China show that industrial production growth in August was at a 17-year low. (SCMP)

Law and crime

Grenfell Tower fire
- Officers with the Metropolitan Police interview members of the London Fire Brigade under caution in connection with the disaster. The fire brigade is being treated as a corporation suspected of breaching health and safety legislation. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

One firefighter is killed and six others are injured after a propane gas leak leads to a large explosion at a non-profit organization in Farmington, Maine. (CNN) (WGME)

International relations

2019 Persian Gulf crisis, Iran–United Arab Emirates relations
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran says it has seized a vessel in the Persian Gulf which it claims was smuggling diesel fuel to the United Arab Emirates. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Political status of Taiwan, Foreign relations of China, Foreign relations of the Solomon Islands
- The Cabinet of the Solomon Islands votes to shift diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China. Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu says that, since the Solomon Islands decided to establish diplomatic relations with China, this prompts Taiwan to cut ties with the Solomon Islands". (Hong Kong Free Press) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Brexit
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson abruptly pulls out of a press conference in Luxembourg to avoid an anti-Brexit protest organised and attended by British citizens living in Luxembourg. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel attends the press conference, where, during a short speech followed by questions from journalists, he contradicts Johnson's prior public statements and exposes that the UK government has not submited any concrete proposals for amendments to the UK's Withdrawal Agreement from the European Union, or delivered any alternative to the "Irish backstop" which Johnson wishes to replace. Bettel warns that Johnson "holds the future of all UK citizens in his hands" and that he shouldn't "hold the future hostage for party political gain". (BBC)
- At the Liberal Democrats conference, party leader Jo Swinson reaffirms that if elected any future Liberal Democrat led government, would halt Brexit by revoking Article 50, adding that in the case of a hung parliament she would not enter a coalition with either the Conservatives or Labour. (BBC)