Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- Flooding and landslides in South Korea leave at least 40 people dead and 9 others missing.
- In the United States, actors in the SAG-AFTRA trade union (president Fran Drescher pictured) go on strike, joining writers in the Writers Guild of America strike.
- Flooding and landslides in northern India leave at least 100 people dead.
- Czech-French writer Milan Kundera dies at the age of 94.
Business and economy
- Philippine president Bongbong Marcos signs into law the Maharlika Investment Fund, the country's sovereign wealth fund, amid warnings and opposition from various sectors. (Bloomberg)
- Spain's competition commission fines American technology companies Amazon and Apple €194 million (US$218 million) for allegedly agreeing to restrict competition by having Apple products sold directly through Amazon's platforms and limiting third-party retailers' opportunities. (AP)
Disasters and accidents
- Eight people are killed and 20 more are missing during landslides caused by heavy rains in Quetame, Colombia. (Al Jazeera)
Health and environment
- 2023 European heat waves
- The European Union's emergency response coordination centre issues red alerts due to extreme heat for Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, most of Italy, and areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Spain. (Reuters)
- Over 200 People are reported to have contracted an as yet unidentified disease in the Qena Governorate of Egypt. symptoms reported include a high fever and pain in the patients bones. The Egyptian health ministry has stated that they have deployed a team of epidemiologists to monitor the situation and identify the cause of the outbreak. (BNN)
Law and crime
- Philippine drug war
- The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court rejects the appeal of the Philippine government against the resumption of the investigation of war of drugs under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. (CNN)
Sports
- 2026 Commonwealth Games
- The Australian state of Victoria withdraws as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to the increasing cost projections relative to initial estimations. (AFP via Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2023 Crimean Bridge explosion
- A couple are killed and their daughter is injured during explosions at the Crimean Bridge. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
- Black Sea Grain Initiative
- 2023 Crimean Bridge explosion
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 Pacific typhoon season
- Monsoon rains aggravated by Tropical Storm Talim have affected the northern Philippines, killing a person during a landslide in Rizal. Nine crew members of a fishing vessel who went missing off Camarines Norte are rescued off Camarines Sur. (The Philippine Star) (Abante Tonite)
- 2023 Greece wildfires
- Two wildfires near the Greek seaside towns of Lagonisi, East Attica, and Loutraki, Corinthia, cause significant property damage and prompt the evacuation of thousands. The Athens urban area and most of southern Greece are on the second highest level of wildfire alert. (AP via ABC News)
- Thirteen people are killed and five others are injured when a building collapses in Cairo, Egypt. (Al-Ahram)
- Five people are killed and seven others are injured when a Cessna 208 aircraft crashes into a hangar at an aerodrome in the village of Chrcynno, Poland. (AFP via NDTV)
Health and environment
- The World Health Organization reports that the avian influenza is responsible for killing dozens of cats across 13 regions of Poland, marking the first instance of the virus affecting a large number of felines over an extensive area. (Global News)
International relations
- Political status of Western Sahara, Israel–Morocco relations
- Israel recognizes Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. (The Jerusalem Post)
Law and crime
- A Kenyan magistrate court acquits former British-based evangelist Gilbert Deya, who claimed to aid infertile couples conceive through prayer, due to insufficient prosecution evidence connecting Deya to the trafficking of five children between 1999 and 2004. (AFP via The Manila Times)
Politics and elections
- Singaporean Parliament Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin and backbencher Cheng Li Hui resign from the Parliament of Singapore and the ruling People's Action Party after admitting to having an extramarital affair. (CNA)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Anglophone Crisis
- Ten people are killed and two others are injured as gunmen open fire at a busy junction in Bamenda, Northwest Region, Cameroon. (Reuters)
- Transnistrian communist and opposition leader Oleg Khorzhan is assassinated during a stabbing attack in his office. (Newsweek)
Business and economy
- Corporate responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian President Vladimir Putin authorizes a temporary state takeover of French agribusiness Danone and Carlsberg-owned brewer Baltika's shares, as part of a wider response to many private companies, including these two, reducing their business operations in Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. (South China Morning Post)
Disasters and accidents
- List of earthquakes in 2023
- A 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Alaska, United States, causing a tsunami warning to be issued for the region. (ABC News)
- More than 50 pilot whales die in a mass beaching incident on a beach in North Tolsta, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, United Kingdom, while 12 others are euthanised following failed attempts to refloat them due to adverse conditions. (WION)
- Six people are killed and three others are injured in a car crash in Tacoma, Washington, United States. (Associated Press)
- At least four people are killed and seven others are hospitalized when a water bus carrying 20 passengers capsizes in the Buriganga River near Dhaka, Bangladesh. A rescue operation is ongoing. (Hindustan Times)
- Four people are killed and 13 more injured during a building collapse in Beheira Governorate, Egypt. (Al-Ahram)
- The Office of Civil Defense in the Philippines reports that search and rescue operations are ongoing for nine passengers of a fishing vessel who went missing off Mercedes, Camarines Norte, earlier this week. (Manila Bulletin)
Health and environment
- 2023 Asia heat wave
- Japan issues heat stroke warnings in 20 of its prefectures due to near-record high temperatures, reaching nearly 40 °C (104 °F) in some areas, with the country's meteorological agency indicating the possibility of surpassing the highest ever recorded temperature of 41.1 °C (106.0 °F). (The Hindu)
- At an Alzheimer's Association conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, experts in Alzheimer's disease propose a new seven-point diagnostic scale that incorporates advancements in testing for key Alzheimer's-related proteins and aims to facilitate more personalized treatment strategies. (Reuters)
International relations
- Accession of the United Kingdom to CPTPP
- Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch formally signs the accession protocol for the United Kingdom to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Nikkei Asia)
Law and crime
- Iranian protests against compulsory hijab
- Iranian Morality Police resume patrols to enforce hijab compliance. (Al Jazeera English)
- A large protest occurs in the city of Rasht in response to the Morality Police's unsuccessful attempt to arrest three unveiled women. The crowd pushes the police back before security forces intervene with tear gas. (Iran International)
- Andre Longmore, the suspected gunman in a mass shooting in Hampton, Georgia, United States, is shot and killed by police, ending a manhunt for him. (NBC News)
Sports
- 2023 ATP Tour
- 2023 Wimbledon Championships
- In tennis, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain defeats Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final to win the men's singles title at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first non-Big Four player to win the tournament since 2002. (USA Today)
- 2023 Wimbledon Championships
- 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
- In association football, Mexico win their ninth CONCACAF Gold Cup title after defeating Panama 1–0 in the final at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, United States, with Santiago Giménez scoring the winner in the 88th minute. Panama's Adalberto Carrasquilla is awarded the tournament's Golden Ball. (Associated Press)
Disasters and accidents
- 2023 South Korea floods
- Thirty-seven people are killed, several others are missing, and many are injured in South Korea when torrential rains cause landslides and the overflow of a dam in North Chungcheong, prompting the evacuation of over 4,700 people nationwide. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo calls for the deployment of the military to conduct search and rescue operations. (AP)
- A wildfire prompts the evacuation of over 2,000 residents on La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, decimating around 4,500 hectares and destroying about a dozen homes. (AP)
- A fire breaks out and destroys the Royal Albion Hotel, a 196-year-old Grade II* listed building, in Brighton and Hove, England, United Kingdom. (Sky News) (iNews)
Health and environment
- 2023 European heat waves
- The Italian health ministry issues an "extreme" health risk warning for 16 cities, including Florence and Rome, as the European Space Agency reports that potential record-breaking temperatures of up to 48 °C (118 °F) could be reached. (CNN)
International relations
- North Korea–Russia relations
- Russia announces that it will investigate whether the North Korean Hwasong-18 missile landed in the country's exclusive economic zone. (Reuters via NBC News)
- South Korea–Ukraine relations
- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol makes an unannounced visit to Kyiv and meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announcing that South Korea will pledge US$150 million in additional aid to Ukraine. (AP via The Guardian)
Law and crime
- Four people are killed in a mass shooting in Hampton, Georgia, United States. (Metro) (The New York Times)
Sports
- 2023 WTA Tour
- 2023 Wimbledon Championships
- In tennis, Markéta Vondroušová of the Czech Republic defeats Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the women's singles title at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first unseeded player in history to win the Wimbledon title. (AFP via ABS-CBN News)
- 2023 Wimbledon Championships
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Jihadist insurgency in Niger
- Five people are killed and 19 more injured during an ambush by gunmen at a convoy in the Tillabéri Region, Niger. Two attackers are killed in the ensuing shootout. (VOA)
Arts and culture
- 2023 Hollywood labor disputes
- 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
- Universal announces that the upcoming red carpet premiere for the Oppenheimer film has been cancelled amidst the SAG-AFTRA strikes. The film is still expected to be screened. (Screen International)
- 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
Business and economy
- Foxconn, a tech giant headquartered in Taiwan, announces that it has made a deal with Karnataka, a state in India, to buy 300 acres of land for a new iPhone factory. (Economic Times)
International relations
- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis
- Azerbaijan's State Border Service reopens the Lachin corridor to allow the Red Cross to conduct medical evacuations from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia amid protests over the corridor's closure on July 11 and humanitarian concerns. (AFP via France 24)
- Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis
Law and crime
- Gilgo Beach serial killings
- A suspect in the Long Island serial murders is arrested in Massapequa Park, New York, United States. (The Independent)
- Protests against Quran desecration in Sweden
- Police authorize a protest involving the burning of the Bible and the Torah outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm following a series of anti-Islam demonstrations involving Quran desecration across the country. Israeli officials have urged the Swedish government to prevent the act. (AP)
Politics and elections
- 2023 Cambodian general election
- Two members of the opposition Candlelight Party are arrested for allegedly encouraging voters to spoil ballots ahead of the election. (AFP via The Guardian)
Science and technology
- Japanese space program
- An Epsilon S solid-propellant rocket upper stage, an upgraded version of JAXA's Epsilon launch vehicle, explodes about a minute after ignition during a test in Akita Prefecture. (AFP via CNA)
- The Indian Space Research Organization launches Chandrayaan-3 on a mission to the Moon. The mission will deploy the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to study the Moon's surface for two weeks. The mission is similar to the failed Chandrayaan-2 mission, which crashed shortly before landing in 2019. (Space.com)
Sports
- 2023 Pacific Four Series
- In women's rugby union, New Zealand win their second consecutive Pacific Four Series title after defeating the United States 39–17 at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (BBC Sport)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- A Russian drone attack on Kyiv injures at least two civilians and damages infrastructure. (BBC News)
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Sudan conflict
- Battle of Geneina
- The United Nations reports the discovery of a mass grave in the area of Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan, believed to contain at least 87 individuals, including women and children, reportedly killed by the Rapid Support Forces and an affiliated Arab militia. (AP)
- Battle of Geneina
- Somali Civil War
- Four people are killed in Jubaland, Somalia, after al-Shabaab is confirmed to have captured a military base in the area which had been handed to Somalia by the Kenyan military on June 29. (Xinhua)
Arts and culture
- 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, 2023 Writers Guild of America strike
- The members of SAG-AFTRA announce that they will join the writers on a strike following failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. (CNBC)
Disasters and accidents
- After heavy rainfall in Delhi, India, the Yamuna reaches record-high water levels, resulting in flood warnings and evacuations. (Bloomberg via Al-Arabiya) (NDTV)
Health and environment
- Birth control in the United States
- The Food and Drug Administration approves the first over-the-counter contraceptive pill, the Perrigo-manufactured Opill, broadening access to birth control across the country. (AFP via France 24)
International relations
- Marshall Islands–United States relations
- Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll, Pacific Proving Grounds
- The foreign ministry of the Marshall Islands calls for more United States compensation over nuclear weapons testing, including on Bikini Atoll, in an effort to improve bilateral relations. (Reuters)
- Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll, Pacific Proving Grounds
- Colombia–Nicaragua relations, Territorial disputes of Nicaragua
- The International Court of Justice dismisses Nicaragua's bid to extend its maritime territory beyond 200 nautical miles, upholding the allocation of seven Caribbean islands to Colombia in a 2012 ruling. (AFP via RFI)
Law and crime
- Jacob Zuma corruption charges
- The Constitutional Court of South Africa dismisses former president Jacob Zuma's appeal to legalize his medical parole and ruling he must complete his 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court. (AFP via The Moscow Times)
Politics and elections
- Aftermath of the 2023 Guatemalan general election
- The Guatemalan Public Ministry seizes information related to the Movimiento Semilla party at the offices of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal in Guatemala City. The tribunal announces that it will legally appeal the resolution that ordered the suspension of the party's registration, claiming that the resolution is unconstitutional. (Prensa Libre) (Prensa Libre 2)
- The Semilla party files an appeal before the Constitutional Court. The Court accepts the appeal, allowing the party to participate in the second round of the election on August 20. However, according to the criteria of jurists, the legal recourse granted is ambiguous. (Prensa Libre)
Sports
- 2024 Summer Olympics, Non-government reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The International Olympic Committee says that athletes from Russia and Belarus will not receive invitations to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France, and will only be able to compete as neutral athletes. (The Hill)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian forces strike a residential area in Zaporizhzhia, injuring 18 civilians, including six children. (Reuters)
- An 81-year-old man is killed and his wife is injured due to Russian shelling in Kherson. (The Guardian)
- Attacks on civilians in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Lebanese conflict
- Three Hezbollah members are injured by Israeli strikes near the Blue Line with the Israel Defense Forces accusing Hezbollah of attempting to destroy the border barrier. (AFP via France 24)
- Insurgency in Balochistan
- Nine soldiers, five Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan gunmen, and a civilian passerby are killed in a shootout at a security checkpoint in Zhob, Balochistan, Pakistan. Five other soldiers are injured. (AP)
Arts and culture
- Censorship in the Philippines
- The Philippines' film review board requests that American film distributor Warner Bros. Pictures censor a scene in the upcoming film Barbie that includes a map displaying the internationally contested nine-dash line in the South China Sea before releasing the film in the country. (BBC News)
- In a study published in PLOS One, researchers identify subtle modifications to ancient Egyptian funerary artworks, such as the repositioning of Ramesses II's sceptre and changes in the pigmentation used for skin color, using portable imaging and chemical analysis techniques. These findings suggest a higher degree of creativity among ancient Egyptian artists than was previously recognized. (AFP via The Manila Times)
Business and economy
- 2022–2023 Pakistani economic crisis
- The International Monetary Fund approves a US$3 billion bailout deal for Pakistan to avert its potential debt defaults and regain economic stability. (AP)
- 2022–2023 food crises
- India's food ministry reports a 341% surge in tomato prices from ₹24.68 (US$0.30) to ₹108.92 ($1.33) per kilogram, attributed to extreme weather and the tomato mosaic virus affecting major tomato-producing states. Farmers have reported incidents of tomato theft in response to the report. (CNBC)
- Tourism in Indonesia
- Bali announces the imposition of a IDR 150,000 (US$10) tourist tax for foreign visitors from 2024, aiming to preserve the island's culture and environment. (AFP via Arab News)
Disasters and accidents
- Tornadoes of 2023
- A series of tornadoes strike Chicago, Illinois, United States, prompting complete ground stops at O'Hare and Midway International Airports. (WFLD-TV)
- Three people are killed and 14 others are injured when a Greyhound passenger bus crashes into three parked trucks at a rest area off Interstate 70 in Madison County, Illinois, U.S. (AP via The Guardian)
International relations
- Iran–Russia relations
- Iran summons the Russian ambassador over a joint statement issued by Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council over three islands disputed by the United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)
- Japan–North Korea relations, North Korea–United States relations
- North Korea fires a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile into waters near Japan. This comes a day after North Korea threatened the United States, claiming that an American spy plane entered the country's exclusive economic zone multiple times on Monday. (AP) (CNN)
- Myanmar–Thailand relations, Myanmar civil war
- Thai deputy prime minister and foreign minister Don Pramudwinai announces that he visited jailed Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week, becoming the first known foreign representative to meet with the deposed state counsellor since the 2021 coup d'état. (AFP via CNA)
- 2023 Vilnius summit
- At the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, G7 officials announce that they have unveiled a international framework for Ukraine’s long-term security in a effort to boost their defense against Russia and deter them from any future aggression. The measures will include bilateral talks, military hardware, training, intelligence-sharing, and other plans to rebuild the country’s economy. (Politico EU) (Reuters)
- Serbia–United States relations
- The United States imposes sanctions on Aleksandar Vulin, a top Serbian official considered "Moscow's man". (Yahoo! News)
- UNESCO accepts the U.S. as a member after it withdrew from the organization in 2018. (Euronews)
Law and crime
- Singaporean prime minister Lee Hsien Loong places Transport Minister S. Iswaran on an immediate leave of absence amid an ongoing corruption investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau into Iswaran and other individuals. (Reuters)
- Six people are killed during protests in Nairobi, Kenya, against tax increases imposed by President William Ruto's government, in which the police have employed tear gas and heightened security measures. (AFP via France 24)
Politics and elections
- Aftermath of the 2023 Guatemalan general election
- At the request of the Guatemalan Public Ministry, a judge orders the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to suspend the legal personality of candidate Bernardo Arévalo's Movimiento Semilla party, which went on to the second round of elections on 20 August. The legal measure would leave Arévalo out of the election. (The Guardian)
- After several days of delay, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal makes the electoral results official and calls for the second round of elections between Sandra Torres and Bernardo Arévalo. (AP via ABC News)
- Aftermath of the 2023 Thai general election
- Thailand's election commission petitions the Constitutional Court to suspend leading prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat, alleging his violation of campaign laws due to prior share ownership in a media company, iTV. (AFP via Le Monde)
- LGBT rights in Indonesia
- An ASEAN LGBT event scheduled in Indonesia is relocated to an undisclosed location due to received security threats and anti-LGBT rhetoric from various groups. (Reuters)