Portal:Current events/2019 August 31
August 31, 2019 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- Around 40 people are killed by an American cruise missile strike targeting al-Qaeda-linked militants at a Huras al-Din base in Syria's rebel-held Idlib Governorate, where the Syrian government earlier began a unilateral ceasefire. (BBC News) (Reuters)
- 2018–19 Gaza border protests
- The Hamas-run Health Ministry of Gaza says a 25-year-old man died in hospital there today after being struck by an Israeli bullet during protests at the Gazan-Israeli border yesterday. It further says Israeli soldiers wounded 42 protesters. Israel says Palestinians threw grenades at the fence, damaging a vehicle and injuring a soldier. (Yahoo!)
- War in Afghanistan
- Taliban fighters storm Kunduz city, apparently killing three civilians and dozens of soldiers. A suicide bomber kills ten municipal police. (BBC News) (Tolo News)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Amazon rainforest wildfires
- Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo states that the fires have mostly been extinguished. (The Japan Times)
- 2019 Alta helicopter crash
- An Airbus AS350 helicopter crashes in northern Norway, killing all five Norwegian passengers and the Swedish pilot. (Standard)
- An explosion followed by a fire at a chemical factory in Dhule, India kills at least 12 and injures at least 58. (CNN)
Health and environment
- Eastern equine encephalitis
- The Maine health department confirms a horse in York County has tested positive for the rare, deadly, potentially transferable to humans, mosquito-borne viral disease Eastern equine encephalitis. Earlier this week, an infected 14-year-old Michigan girl was hospitalized in serious condition, and Ohio officials confirmed an Ashtabula County horse also tested positive. Neither of the horses were vaccinated against EEE. (Newsweek) (USA Today) (The Horse)
Law and crime
- India releases the final version of the National Register of Citizens for the state of Assam. Up to 1.9 million residents risk losing their citizenship if they are not on the list and can not prove their residency. The move is criticized for disproportionately affecting the local Bengali community. (BBC News)
- Brexit
- Thousands of people join protests across the United Kingdom against the suspension of the UK Parliament. (The Guardian)
- Amazon rainforest wildfires
- The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) raids an illegal wildcat miners' site in the state of Pará as the country resumes environmental policing of the rainforest. The suspects escape following a firefight. (New York Post
- Midland–Odessa shootings
- At least seven people are killed and 21 others wounded in a mass shooting in West Texas, between the cities of Midland and Odessa. The shooter is shot and killed in Odessa. Police continue to investigate for other possible suspects. (BBC News) (CNN) (Reuters) (MST)
- 2016 Interstate 10 tour bus crash
- A truck driver involved in the accident, which killed thirteen when two vehicles collided in California, pleads guilty to 42 crimes including vehicular manslaughter. The sleep-deprived driver fell asleep during a temporary halt to traffic; when traffic moved off again he remained stationary and the bus ran into the rear of his vehicle. (ABC News)
- 2019 Lyon stabbings
- An Afghan citizen stabs nine in Lyon, France, killing a 19-year-old. (CNN)
Sports
- 2019 Spa-Francorchamps FIA Formula 2 round
- Formula 2 racing driver Anthoine Hubert dies in a collision during a race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. (The Guardian)