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Worldwide current events
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Eliud Kipchoge

A ferry capsizes on Lake Victoria, killing at least 136.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge (pictured) runs the Berlin Marathon in world record time.
NASA's ICESat-2 satellite is launched, the last mission to use the Delta II rocket.
Typhoon Mangkhut impacts the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, resulting in more than 90 fatalities.
Hurricane Florence impacts the East Coast of the United States, causing at least 30 deaths.

September 22, 2018 (Saturday)

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September 21, 2018 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present), Battle of Tripoli (2018)
- The death toll from weeks of fighting between armed groups in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, has climbed to at least 96 people, including civilians, authorities said Friday. The clashes started on August 26. 444 people have also been injured and 16 people have gone missing in these clashes. (The Washington Post)
Islamist insurgency in Mozambique
- Twelve villagers are killed and 14 are wounded in an attack by Ansar al-Sunna on a village in northern Mozambique. (News24)

Health and environment

The government of Nigeria announces that 61 people have died and 50 others have been hospitalized from a cholera outbreak in Yobe. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

A woman goes on a stabbing rampage in Queens, New York City, injuring five, including three infants. All are in stable condition. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Politics of Vietnam
- Vietnamese President Trần Đại Quang dies at the age of 61 following an extended illness. Vice President Đặng Thị Ngọc Thịnh succeeds as the acting President. (BBC)
Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping
- The director of the National Energy Administration of China, Nur Bekri, is placed under investigation for graft. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Trans Mountain Pipeline
- Canada Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi orders the National Energy Board to conduct a new review of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project. (Edmonton Sun) (Reuters Canada)

September 20, 2018 (Thursday)

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Arts and culture

Mercury Prize
- The band Wolf Alice wins the 2018 Hyundai Mercury Prize for its album Visions of a Life. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Storm Bronagh
- Bronagh, the second named storm of the 2018–19 European windstorm season, begins moving across Ireland and the United Kingdom. (ITV)
- Heavy rainfall from Bronagh results in severe flash floods across northern England. Sheffield is the worst affected city, with dozens of vehicles becoming stranded in rising floodwaters during the evening rush hour. (BBC)
- High winds from Bronagh arrive later in the day, gusting up to 97 kilometres per hour (60 mph) in parts of Wales. (BBC)
MV Nyerere sinking
- At least 136 people are dead and more than 100 others are missing after a ferry capsizes in Lake Victoria, Tanzania. (BBC)
At least 25 people are killed and dozens are missing after a landslide unleashed by monsoon rains strikes Cebu, Philippines. (Philippine Star)
Eight people are killed in a head-on crash near Florence, Arizona, United States, after a car strikes an SUV. (ABC15)
Four children from a day-care centre are killed in a collision involving a train and an electric cargo bike in Oss, Netherlands. Another child and a woman are injured. (BBC)
A gas leak at the state archive in the city of Arezzo, Italy, kills two employees and injures one other. (Ansa)
More than 30 passengers receive treatment after pilots forget to turn on a switch regulating cabin pressure on Jet Airways flight 9W 697 from Mumbai to Jaipur. (BBC)
2018 California wildfires
- The United States Forest Service says that the Mendocino Complex Fire, largest wildfire on record in California, has been contained. (Mercury News)

International relations

Brexit negotiations
- At a European Union leaders' meeting in Salzburg, European Council President Donald Tusk says that he will push for an additional gathering in mid-November, allowing the United Kingdom's proposals to be "reworked and further negotiated". (AFP via Dawn)
September 2018 inter-Korean summit, North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in states that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un wants to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump for a second time. (NPR)
Doping in Russia
- The World Anti-Doping Agency votes to reinstate its affiliation with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, which had previously been suspended in November 2015. (USA Today)
Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
- The United States State Department imposes sanctions on the Equipment Development Department, an agency within the military of China, for purchasing weapons from Russia. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Aberdeen, Maryland shooting
- Three people are killed and three others are injured in a shooting at a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland, USA. The suspected shooter then shoots and kills herself. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Politics of Japan, Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election, 2018
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe is elected for a third term as President of the Liberal Democratic Party. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Science and technology

Climate of Mars, Atmosphere of Mars
- The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter reveals dust devils in the Mars region Ariadnes Colles. New measurements indicate astronauts traveling to Mars would experience 60% of their recommended career exposure to radioactivity in a single return journey. (Cosmos Magazine) (IFLScience)

Sports

2018 NFL season
- The Cleveland Browns win their first game in nearly two years after 635 days without a win. (The Guardian), (The New York Times)

September 19, 2018 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Oromo-Somali clashes
- The death toll from the recent spike in ethnic violence in Ethiopia rises to 58. Thousands are still protesting against the killings in the capital Addis Ababa. (Yahoo News)

Disasters and accidents

Hurricane Florence
- The death toll rises to 37 after two mental health patients died when the police van in which they were being transported got caught in floodwaters. (BBC)
Storm Ali
- Two people are killed by Storm Ali as it brings winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) in Ireland. (BBC)

Law and crime

Panama Papers case
- Islamabad High Court suspends the NAB accountability court sentences and orders the release of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar Awan. However, the convictions remain standing. (Al-Jazeera)
1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal
- Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, is arrested in connection with the allegation that RM2.6 billion (US$681 million when first reported three years ago) went into his personal bank accounts. New charges are, once approved, due to be filed tomorrow. (The Wall Street Journal)
An arrest warrant is issued in Texas for 3D-printed gun rights activist and Defense Distributed owner Cody Wilson in connection with the sexual assault of a child. Wilson was last known to be in Taiwan. (ABC News) (Gizmodo)
Gun violence in the United States
- An employee at a software firm in Middleton, Wisconsin, opens fire on his coworkers before being fatally wounded by police. (CNN)
- Four people are wounded in a shooting at a Pennsylvania courthouse before police fatally shoot the gunman. (CNN)
- Gunman upset from divorce shoots his parents dead in a retirement home after shooting and wounding his ex-wife. The suspect later was found dead in his van after a brief shootout with police. This shooting was also in Pennsylvania. (USA TODAY)
Three people are injured after a car rammed into pedestrians near a mosque in northwest London. The Metropolitan Police are treating the incident as a hate crime. (Al Jazeera)

Science and technology

Discoveries of exoplanets, 2018 in spaceflight
- NASA discovers its first exoplanet via the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite space telescope. Pi Mensae c, a small Earth-like exoplanet, is located nearly 60 light-years away from Earth. (Gizmodo)
Discoveries of exoplanets, Stars and planetary systems in fiction
- Astronomers discover an exoplanet located in the 40 Eridani star system mentioned in the Star Trek series where the planet Vulcan is located. (Forbes) (Syfy)

September 18, 2018 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syria missile strikes (September 2018)
- News emerges that the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft with fourteen people on board, missing since Monday over the Mediterranean Sea, was shot down. Russia accuses Israel of not giving enough warning before launching its attacks, causing Syria to shoot the plane down. (BBC) (ABC News)

Business and economy

2018 China–United States trade war
- China adds US$60 billion of US products to its import tariff list in retaliation to the United States' recent tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese imported goods. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2018 Pacific typhoon season
- The death toll of the Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines rises to 81. 59 others are still missing. (Philippine Star)
2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Hurricane Florence
- The death toll rises to 35. Also, about 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs were killed in flooding from Hurricane Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market. (CBS News) (Washington Examiner)
2016–18 Yemen cholera outbreak
- Nine people, including seven children, die from cholera in Yemen, amid an outbreak of the disease in the country. (Sputnik News)
A total of 21 people, mostly foreign workers, are confirmed dead due to the drinking of tainted alcohol in Malaysia. (France24)
21 people are killed and 25 others are injured in a collision between a passenger bus and a trailer carrying flammable materials in Isfahan, Iran (Xinhua)
A bus crash in southern Ecuador, leave 12 dead and 27 injured. (El Universal)
The sixth floor of the Hotel Ritz in Madrid, Spain, collapses resulting in the death of one person while 12 others are injured. (BBC)

International relations

September 2018 inter-Korean summit, North Korea–South Korea relations
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un greets South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang for their third summit meeting in 2018, as both countries look to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula. (CNN)
- North Korea says it will dismantle its Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center if the U.S. takes reciprocal measures. North and South Korea say they will seek a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. (NBC News)

Law and crime

Cannabis in South Africa
- South Africa legalizes the recreational use of cannabis. (BBC)

Politics and elections

2018 Chemnitz protests
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel removes Hans-Georg Maaßen from the position of President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution after his remarks downplaying anti-migrant violence. (AP)

September 17, 2018 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War, Syria missile strikes (September 2018)
- Russia and Turkey announce a demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib Governorate and rule out any military operations. (The Independent)
- Several missiles are launched from the sea at the coastal city of Latakia, some of which are destroyed by air defence systems. It is not immediately clear who was behind the attack. (Reuters)
- A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-20 reconnaissance plane with 14 servicemen on board disappears from radar over the Mediterranean Sea during the missile attack on Syria's Latakia Governorate. A U.S. official claims the Syrian Army inadvertently shot it down while attempting to intercept missiles, while Russia detected a missile launch from a French FREMM multipurpose frigate. (CNN) (Reuters) (BBC)
War in Afghanistan
- The Taliban launches multiple attacks on security checkpoints in Afghanistan, killing at least 27 members of the security forces. Twenty-two Taliban members are also killed and 16 others are injured. (news.com.au)
Ethnic violence in Ethiopia over the weekend results in 23 deaths. Thousands protest against the killings in the capital Addis Ababa. (Reuters) (The Punch)

Arts and culture

70th Primetime Emmy Awards
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel wins Outstanding Comedy series and Game of Thrones wins Outstanding Drama series. (USA Today)

Business and economy

2018 China–United States trade war
- The United States announces a 10% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to start on September 24, increasing to 25% by the end of the year, and threatens tariffs on an additional $267 billion worth of imports if China retaliates. (Reuters)
Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags
- The Jamaican Cabinet announces a total ban on the importation, manufacture, distribution and use of single-use plastic bags, effective January 1, 2019. (Jamaica Observer)

Disasters and accidents

Hurricane Florence
- The death toll rises to at least 32, as flooding continues to inundate North Carolina. (BBC)
2018 Pacific typhoon season, Typhoon Mangkhut
- In the Philippines, Typhoon Mangkhut triggers a landslide in Itogon, Benguet, with more than 40 bodies found. (NBC News) (The New York Times)
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte repeats his call to shut all mines in the country following deadly landslides, hours after Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu orders all mining to be stopped in the Cordillera region. (Reuters)
Over 100 people are killed in floods after Nigeria's two major rivers burst their banks. (BBC)
At least 11 people were killed and several others injured in a road crash involving a bus travelling from Zambia to South Africa. (Daily Nation)
Seven people are killed and many others are in critical condition after suspected drug overdoses at a music festival in Hanoi, Vietnam. (VnExpress International)
Five people are killed in a stampede at a football match in Luanda, Angola. (Bleacher Report)

Law and crime

Disappearance of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño
- Former Philippine Army general and politician Jovito Palparan is convicted for the kidnapping and disappearance of students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño. He and two other associates are sentenced to life imprisonment. (Rappler)

Politics and elections

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, along with Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart, Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel, and State Attorney Luis Donado say that they will not abide by the Constitutional Court's resolution in which ordered President Morales and his cabinet to allow Iván Velásquez Gómez, the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, to enter Guatemala. (The New York Times)

Science and technology

Exploration of Jupiter
- JunoCam captures an image of Jupiter's "brown barge", a cyclone-like shape that has weather patterns in Jupiter's atmosphere. (UPI)
SpaceX lunar tourism mission
- SpaceX announces that Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa will be the first commercial passenger to orbit the Moon on their BFR rocket in 2023. (Sky News)
The world's first commercial hydrogen-powered passenger train enters service in Lower Saxony, Germany. The Alstom developed train uses a hydrogen fuel cell which emits no carbon dioxide. (NHK)

September 16, 2018 (Sunday)

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Health and environment

The Sunspot Solar Observatory in New Mexico is set to reopen on Monday after being closed due to "an on-going law enforcement investigation of criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak" in which "a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents". (CNET)
A man and a woman are taken ill after a medical incident in Salisbury, United Kingdom. Police seal off a restaurant as a precautionary measure. According to The Guardian, tensions are high due to recent Novichok poisonings. According to the BBC, "there's no suggestion that this is connected". According to Sky News, at least one of the individuals who fell ill is a Russian. (The Guardian) (BBC) (Sky News)
Two people die and 700 others seek medical attention, including three people in critical condition at the Defqon.1 Festival in Sydney, Australia, for drug-related issues. Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian says that the event is dangerous and will never take place again, effectively banning the music festival. (BBC)

Law and crime

Forty-one inmates escape from Hpa-an Township's main prison in Kayin State, Myanmar, after hijacking a garbage truck and driving it through the prison gates. Eleven of the escapees are apprehended by police, but 30 remain at large. (The Myanmar Times)

Politics and elections

Politics of Syria
- Local elections are held in government-held areas of Syria for the first time since 2011. (TASS)
Government of Jimmy Morales
- The Constitutional Court of Guatemala annuls the decision of President Jimmy Morales to prevent the entrance to Guatemala to the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala Iván Velásquez Gómez. In the resolution, President Morales is forced to exhaust the dialogue with the United Nations. (ABC News)

Science and technology

British space programme
- The first of a series of British satellites, known as NovaSAR, is launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. The Surrey Satellite Technology satellite is designed to monitor suspicious shipping activity. (BBC)

Sports