Collapse of Thomas Cook
British travel company Thomas Cook enters compulsory liquidation, leaving 150,000 British holidaymakers stranded abroad and endangering 22,000 jobs worldwide. In response, the UK government and the Civil Aviation Authority launches Operation Matterhorn, the largest repatriation in the UK's peacetime history. (BBC) (Gov.uk)
Tunisian tourism minister René Trabelsi says Thomas Cook owes Tunisian hotels €60 million for stays in July and August, with 4,500 customers still in the country. Tourism is a major component of the national economy. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
2019 Southeast Asian haze
Raging wildfires in Indonesia cause the sky to turn red over much of Sumatra. The phenomenon is a result of Rayleigh scattering. (BBC)
Boeing 737 MAX groundings
Boeing announces each relative of victims of two air disasters will be paid US$144,500 by the aircraft manufacturer, and will not have to waive their right to litigate to receive the money. (Reuters)
Health and medicine
Doctors Without Borders alleges the World Health Organisation is rationing vaccines for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo despite adequate resources. (France 24)
International relations
Iran says a UK-flagged ship seized several months ago is free to depart. MV Stena Impero, an oil tanker, was captured in response to the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar over allegations it was carrying fuel to Syria. (The Independent)
Law and crime
After "seriously considering feedback from different parties who feel objections on some substantial content", Indonesian President Joko Widodo postpones the vote on a new criminal code, intended to replace the century-old Dutch colonial-era penal code. The proposed code would criminalise extramarital sex, insults to the president and "obscene acts". (CNN)
The Spanish Civil Guard arrests nine members of the Committees for the Defence of the Catalan Republic for planning violent acts and creating homemade explosives. (La Vanguardia)
A group of alleged ISIL sympathisers go on trial in France, including two women accused of an attempted car bombing at Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2016. Defendants also include a man being tried in absentia whom the United States claims to have killed via drone strike in 2017; the court ruled no evidence had been provided to confirm his death. (France 24)
In Port-au-Prince, an Associated Press photojournalist and a security guard are wounded when Senator Jean Marie Ralph Féthière (PHTK) opens fire, reportedly trying to pass through a demonstration outside the Haitian Parliament. The Senate tries to convene and appoint Fritz-William Michel as Prime Minister. (The Guardian)
Sports
The World Anti-Doping Agency launches a probe into "inconsistencies" with laboratory results from Russia, promising "the most stringent sanctions" if violations are found. Russia was previously banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics following a similar probe. (France 24)
September 22, 2019 (Sunday)
edithistorywatch
Arts and culture
71st Primetime Emmy Awards
Fleabag wins Outstanding Comedy Series and Game of Thrones wins Outstanding Drama Series at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards. (CNBC)
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)
Search and rescue aircraft locate wreckage near Ilaga, Indonesia. It is thought to be a missing Twin Otter cargo plane carrying rice and four people, but this remains to be confirmed. (The Aviation Herald)
A classroom collapses in Dagoretti, Kenya, killing at least seven children. (The Standard)
Health and environment
World Car-Free Day
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)
Climate change mitigation
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)
Effects of global warming
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)
Law and crime
Crisis in Venezuela
Argentina accuses 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
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)
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok launches an investigation into the deaths of dozens of protestors during a July crackdown orchestrated under the regime of now-ousted President Omar al-Bashir. (France 24)
Politics and elections
The Joint List recommends Benny Gantz as the next Prime Minister of Israel. This is the first time an Arab-led political party recommends a candidate for prime minister since they recommended Yitzhak Rabin in 1992. (Axios)
September 21, 2019 (Saturday)
edithistorywatch
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)
edithistorywatch
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)
edithistorywatch
Armed conflicts and attacks
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
According to Afghan officials, a US drone strike kills more than 30 pine nut farm workers in Nangarhar Province. The US 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 US 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 16, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack
Iran labels the accusations of being behind the Saudi oil facilities attacks as "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)
International 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
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 the People's Republic of China, this prompts Taiwan to cut ties with the Solomon Islands per the One-China policy. (Hong Kong Free Press) (Reuters)
September 15, 2019 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack, 2019 Persian Gulf crisis, Saudi Arabia–United States relations
During a phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly tells Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the "U.S. supports Saudi Arabia in its efforts to fight terrorism" and that the U.S. will cooperate in the aftermath of the oil facilities attacks. (Al Arabiya English)
After accusations by U.S. and Saudi officials, Iran denies involvement in the attack and says it's "ready for war" against both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia after the Kingdom blamed Iran for backing the Houthis. (Reuters)
An anonymous senior Iraqi intelligence officer says the drones that attacked Saudi Arabia were launched from Popular Mobilization Forces bases in southern Iraq. The drones on that flight path reportedly would have crossed Kuwait's airspace to carry out the strikes. Kuwait's government says it is investigating the sighting of a drone, reportedly flying low and hovering over Kuwait City on the day of the attacks. (Middle East Eye)
An unnamed United States official says evidence suggests the drones approached Saudi Arabia from the northwest from Iraq or Iran, contrary to the Houthi militants' claim that the drones were launched from Yemeni territory. Three experts cited by CNN say the official's evidence is not conclusive. (Reuters) (CNN)
Donald Trump says the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" after the attacks on its ally Saudi Arabia, but is awaiting confirmation from Riyadh on who launched the strikes before taking action. (CNBC)
Syrian Civil War
2019 al-Rai bombing
A car bomb in the Syrian town of al-Rai, close to the Turkish border, kills at least ten people after it explodes near a hospital. (Reuters)
Business and economy
Following the drone attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities, the price of benchmark Brent Crude oil futures contracts surges as high as 19.5% at market opening, the biggest increase in percentage terms since the 1990 oil price shock in response to Ba'athist Iraq invading Kuwait. (Yahoo! Finance)
Donald Trump authorizes the use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to "keep the markets well-supplied", following severe disruption to crude oil output in Saudi Arabia. (The Hill)
Opioid epidemic in the United States
U.S. company Purdue Pharma files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Agreeing to contribute more than US$3 billion from the sale of a daughter company, the owners propose to settle thousands of lawsuits related to the risk of addiction to their narcotic painkiller Oxycontin. (The Guardian)
Disasters and accidents
A sightseeing boat capsizes on the Godavari River in India's East Godavari district, killing at least 12 people and leaving 35 others missing, all Indian nationals. (The Independent)
A Transpacifico airplane crashes shortly after departing an airport in Popayan, Colombia for a domestic flight. Seven of the nine occupants are killed. The remaining two on board are injured, as is a child on the ground. (al-Jazeera)
International relations
Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israel–Turkey relations
The Cabinet of Israel legalizes the outpost settlement of Mevo’ot Yericho, in the occupied West Bank. (The Jewish Press)
Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed annexation of the West Bank, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu says Israel is turning into "a racist, apartheid regime." (Reuters)
Politics and elections
2019 Hong Kong protests
Despite an official ban, thousands of people march from Causeway Bay to the center of town. Police use tear gas to disperse the protestors. (CNN)
2019 Tunisian presidential election
Tunisians cast their vote in the first round of presidential elections. (Reuters)
Sports
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Final
In basketball, Spain defeats Argentina 95–75 to win their second World Cup title. (news.com.au)