Timeline 2018 July - September
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2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Ohio Demetrius
Pitts (48) was arrested for plotting a Fourth of July terror attack
in Cleveland.
   (SFC, 7/3/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Seattle, Wa., a
law went into effect banning plastic straw and utensil in local bars
and restaurants in an effort to reduce marine plastic pollution.
   (SFC, 7/3/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Britain's Met
Office weather forecasting service issued its first thunderstorm
alert in the agency's 164-year history for parts of southwest
England and Wales as a long, dry heatwave persisted in much of
Britain.
   (AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Choreographer
Gillian Lynne (92), who worked closely for many years with composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber on some of his most famous works, died in
London. Lynne's many credits included the phenomenally successful
"Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera."
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Notorious French
criminal Redoine Faid (46), serving 25 years for murder, used a
helicopter to escape from a prison south of Paris, igniting a huge
manhunt.
   (AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Germany a
Vienna-based Iranian diplomat, identified later as Assadollah Assadi
(46), was arrested over a suspected plot to carry out a bomb attack
on an exiled Iranian opposition group. French police also detained a
man of Iranian origin in France.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)(AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Hong Kong's annual
pro-democracy protest saw one of the lowest turnouts in history, as
thousands braved sweltering heat to protest against Beijing's
tightening grip over the city on the 21st anniversary of its return
to Chinese rule. Police stopped about 20 pro-democracy protesters
from getting near a flag-raising ceremony marking the anniversary of
the city's handover from Britain to China.
   (Reuters, 7/1/18)(AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Police in India's
capital found 11 bodies at a home under mysterious circumstances,
including 10 that were blindfolded and hanging. The victims were all
from the same family and most had lived in the home in Burari
village in the northern part of New Delhi.
   (AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In India five men
were bludgeoned to death in a remote, mountainous village in
Maharashtra state. Villagers pounced on the men when one of them
tried to speak to a child at a weekly market.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In northern India
at least 48 people were killed when an overcrowded bus plunged off a
mountain road into a gorge in Uttarakhand state.
   (AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Iran called for
calm after protests in a southern city over water shortages turned
violent overnight with reports of police shooting at demonstrators
who attacked banks and public buildings. The semi-official Fars news
agency reported that 230 people have been poisoned by drinking
polluted water in the county's southwest.
   (AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Iraq one person
was killed in Kirkuk when a suicide car bomb went off near a storage
site housing ballot boxes from a May national election.
   (Reuters, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Japanese PM Shinzo
Abe called for an early conclusion of a regional trade pact that
ensures free and rules-based commerce in the face of an increasingly
protectionist US under President Donald Trump. At the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) meeting trade ministers
and officials from 16 Asian countries agreed to speed up
negotiations on outstanding issues and reach a basic agreement by
the end of the year.
   (AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In northern Mali a
car bomb attack on a military patrol killed four civilians and
wounded four French soldiers in Gao. An al Qaeda-linked Islamist
group in Mali soon claimed responsibility
   (Reuters, 7/1/18)(Reuters, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Mauritania hosted a
2-day AU summit in Nouakchott. It was attended by more than 40
African heads of state and government as well as French Pres.
Emmanuel Macron. Thirty African leaders began a closed-door meeting
to discuss ways to fight extremism and corruption at the 31st
African Union summit.
   (AFP, 7/1/18)(AP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Mexicans voted in a
potentially transformative election that could put in power a
firebrand vowing to end politics and business as usual in a country
weary of spiraling violence and scandal-plagued politicians.
Front-running candidate Andres Lopez Obrador (73) won a landslide
election victory, getting more than double the votes of his nearest
rival.
   (AP, 7/1/18)(Reuters, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Nigerian police
found the bodies of 41 men with their throats cut in Zamfara state,
a northern area that is notorious as a hideout for criminal gangs.
Police soon arrested four suspects after searching the bush area and
also found machetes and guns.
   (AFP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, North and South
Korea reopened a maritime communication channel, with vessels from
the two countries making radio contact for the first time in a
decade.
   (Reuters, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In South Sudan
rebels reportedly attacked Maban in Upper Nile state in the far
northeast near the border with Sudan violating the latest peace deal
aimed at ending a nearly five-year-old conflict. Government forces
responded. 18 civilians were reported killed and 44 wounded.
   (Reuters, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Syria fighting
reignited around Tafas, northwest of Deraa, along with heavy air
strikes.
   (Reuters, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Several dozen
Syrian refugees left Lebanon for neighboring Syria as part of
returns coordinated between both countries. Peace talks in the town
of Bosra al-Sham began again under the auspices of Jordan to help
broker a ceasefire that would ease plight of displaced civilians.
   (AFP, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, Turkey's military
said eight Kurdish militants have been killed in air strikes in
northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey this weekend.
   (Reuters, 7/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Turkey hundreds
LGBTI activists gathered for a Pride march in Istanbul despite a
local ban in effect since 2015.
   (SFC, 7/2/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 1, In Uganda a new tax
on social media took effect, angering many who see the revenue
measure as an attack on free speech.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In northern
California the County Fire spread to 60,000 acres in Yolo County.
The Pawnee Fire in Lake County covered 14,800 acres.
   (SFC, 7/3/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In San Francisco
Perlita Romero (62), a security guard at the Alice Griffith housing
development, was shot and killed while speaking to his wife and
daughter on FaceTime in the Philippines. Cardell Mason Coleman (24)
was arrested the following day after being identified by video
footage at the scene.
   (SSFC, 7/15/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, SpaceX's Dragon
capsule delivered nearly 6,000 pounds of supplies to the Int'l.
Space Station. The supplies included the round AI robot Cimon,
slightly bigger than a basketball, from the German Space Agency
intended to assist German astronaut Alexander Gerst with science
experiments.
   (SFC, 7/3/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, The EU opened
another rule-of-law procedure against Poland over what it sees as
flaws in the country's Supreme Court law, intensifying a standoff
that could threaten Poland's EU voting rights and funding. The move
comes a day before legislation takes effect that will force the
early retirement of 27 of 72 justices of the Supreme Court.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, The EU slammed the
Trump administration for considering tariffs on auto imports, saying
they could lead to global retaliation against some $300 billion in
US goods amid signs of a brewing trade war.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Police in western
India said that they have arrested 23 people who took part in the
weekend lynching of five men suspected of being members of a gang of
child kidnappers.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Indonesia's Mount
Agung volcano on the tourist island of Bali erupted this evening,
ejecting a 2,000-meter-high (6,560-foot-high) column of thick ash
and hurling lava down its slopes.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Amnesty
International said Indonesia's police and military are responsible
for at least 95 unlawful killings in the easternmost Papua region
since 2010, including targeted slayings of activists.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani arrived in Switzerland for talks expected to focus on
salvaging progress from the Iran nuclear deal after the Trump
administration's walkout.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Israeli troops
fired on four Palestinians who crossed the border from Gaza into
southern Israel and attempted to attack a military post, killing one
of them.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Libya's crucial oil
exports from its production heartland ground to a halt in a
financial showdown between the country's rival political
administrations.
   (AFP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Malawi's President
Peter Mutharika faced a growing corruption scandal ahead of next
year's election after a leaked report from the country's anti-graft
body accused him of fraud.
   (AFP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, A Malaysian task
force said more than 400 bank accounts have been frozen as part of a
probe into a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB. Riza
Aziz, the stepson of former prime minister Najib Razak, was summoned
for questioning.
   (Reuters, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Malaysian
authorities said they are investigating the marriage between an
11-year-old Thai girl and a 41-year-old Malaysian Muslim, including
elements of possible "sexual grooming" in the case.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Twenty-five people,
including a woman, were rescued after the boat, believed to be
carrying 44 illegal immigrants, sank early today off Malaysia's
southern coast. 18 people were missing after the boat carrying
migrants from Indonesia capsized, killing one woman.
   (Reuters, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador, the landslide winner of Mexico's presidential election,
said that he will aim to keep Mexico in the NAFTA trade pact and
seek a frank dialogue and friendly ties with the United States.
Obrador said he will put his presidency to a referendum in three
years, giving the public a chance to have its say on whether he
should continue his presidency half-way through his six-year term.
   (Reuters, 7/2/18)(Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Scott Donaldson
(48) of New Zealand man became the first person to kayak solo across
the daunting stretch of water that separates New Zealand from
Australia.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte said he would soon halt mining in the
Southeast Asian nation because of the environmental damage it has
caused, renewing his threat made nearly two years ago to shut down
the industry completely.
   (Reuters, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In the Philippines
Mayor Antonio Halili (72) of Tanauan city, known for parading drug
suspects in public but also alleged to have drug ties himself, was
shot and killed by a sniper in a brazen attack during a flag-raising
ceremony in front of hundreds of horrified employees and village
leaders in Batangas province.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Romania a
parliamentary committee approved a bill that would redefine official
misconduct, a move criticized by the country's anti-corruption
prosecutors. The draft law proposed lowering the maximum prison
sentence for official misconduct from seven years to five years.
   (AP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, In Scotland the
body of Alesha MacPhail (6), who was visiting relatives on the Isle
of Bute, was found in woodland near the town of Rothesay. Extra
officers were soon brought in from the mainland to hunt for the
killer.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Swiss-based
Glencore Corp. received a subpoena from the US Department of Justice
"to produce documents and other records with respect to compliance
with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and United States money
laundering statutes." Glencore was being probed by the United States
in a corruption investigation linked to its business in Nigeria,
Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
   (AFP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Thai navy SEALS and
two British volunteer divers helped find the "wild Boar" soccer team
on an elevated rock after struggling for hours through narrow
passages and murky waters. 12 boys and their 25-year-old coach went
missing on June 23, after they set out to explore the caves in a
forest park following a training session.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)(AFP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterres said he heard "unimaginable" accounts of
atrocities during a visit to Bangladesh's refugee camps and called
for Myanmar to be held responsible for "crimes" against the
Rohingya.
   (AFP, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, The UN refugee
spokesman said the number of people forced to flee their homes in
southwestern Syria as a result of the two week escalation in
fighting has climbed to 270,000 people.
   (Reuters, 7/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 2, Yemeni government
forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates bombarded
rebel positions outside Hodeida over the last 24 hours after pausing
their push into the strategic Red Sea port city. 11 civilians and 43
rebel fighters were reported killed over the last two days.
   (AFP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, It was reported
that Kentucky's Gov. Matt Bevin's administration is cutting dental
and vision coverage for nearly have a million state residents after
his Medicaid overhaul plan was rejected in court.
   (SFC, 7/3/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, A federal judge in
Massachusetts extended an order blocking the federal government for
three weeks from cutting off housing assistance to people who were
forced to leave their homes in Puerto Rico because of Hurricane
Maria.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Australia
Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson was sentenced to 12 months in
detention for covering up child sex abuse and ordered to serve at
least six months before being eligible for parole.
   (SFC, 7/3/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Tunisia Souad
Abederrahim (54) was elected by the Tunis municipal council to serve
as the city's first female mayor.
   (SFC, 7/4/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Belarus authorities
in Minsk thwarted the opposition's attempt to hold a rally and
detained several activists.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, The British
government said it will ban gay conversion therapy as part of a $5.9
miilion effort to make society more inclusive for LGBT people.
   (SFC, 7/4/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, British police
arrested a female health care worker on suspicion of murdering eight
babies and trying to kill six others at the Countess of Chester
Hospital in Chester, northwestern England. Nurse Lucy Letby was soon
released without charges. She was arrested again in 2019 and
released. In 2020 she was charged with several counts of murder.
   (AP, 7/3/18)(SFC, 11/13/20, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, A Chilean judge
sentenced eight retired military officers to 18 years in prison for
the 1973 kidnapping and murder of folk singer Victor Jara and a
government official at the start of the country's military
dictatorship. A ninth veteran was sentenced to five years for
cover-up.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Comoros President
Azali Assoumani and visiting Saudi interior minister Prince
Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef signed agreements worth $22 million to
help finance water and road infrastructure in the poor Indian Ocean
island nation.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Human Rights Watch
said at least 5,000 people have been killed in the Kasai region of
Congo DRC over the past two years and more than 1.4 million
displaced, while "only a few low-level criminal suspects have been
prosecuted".
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, A Danish appeals
court increased the prison sentence of Frederik Oliver Schmidt (25),
convicted of aggravated manslaughter for crashing his jet ski into a
boat on May 6, 2016, and killing American students Leah Bell (18) of
Madisonville, Louisiana, and Linsey Malia (21) of Easton,
Massachusetts.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, A judge in Ecuador
ordered former Pres. Rafael Correa jailed for failing to appear in
court as part of an investigation into the botched 2012 kidnapping
of an opposiiton lawmaker. The judge also approved a request to seek
Correa's extraditioon from Belgium.
   (SFC, 7/4/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, The European
Commission called on Belarus to develop an action plan "to ensure
timely implementation of all safety improvement measures in
accordance with their safety significance" for the nearly completed
Astravets nuclear power plant.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In France riots
erupted in the western city of Nantes after news spread that a
police officer had shot dead a 22-year-old man after stopping his
car. Police said the young man's car had been under surveillance as
part of a drug-trafficking investigation.
   (AFP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In France
Greenpeace crashed a Superman-shaped drone into a wall of the
spent-fuel pool building at EDF's Bugey nuclear plant to demonstrate
its vulnerability to outside attacks.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In France Wang Jian
(57), the co-chairman of HNA Group, a conglomerate that operates
China's fourth-largest airline and finance, logistics and other
businesses around the world, died in an accident while on a business
trip. Wang fell a dozen or so meters (yards) while taking photos on
a high wall in Bonnieux.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Germany
Wiesbaden prosecutors said that Ali Bashar (20), who's in custody
for the May slaying of Susanna Feldman, is believed to have raped a
11-year-old German girl in a refugee home in March in the western
city. Prosecutors said Bashar and a 14-year-old Afghan boy also
raped the 11-year-old together in May. The Afghan boy is accused of
also raping her another time and was arrested a day earlier.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Indonesia at
least 31 people were killed and a frantic rescue operation was
underway off the island of Sulawesi for passengers of a sinking
passenger ferry. The captain steered the 48.5-meter-long
(159-foot-long) vessel toward shore after it began sinking on a
voyage from the port of Bira to Selayar island. Three people
remained missing and believed drowned inside the vessel.
   (AP, 7/3/18)(AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Iraqi authorities
began recounting votes from May's disputed parliamentary election,
officials said, a step toward forming a new government after weeks
of delays.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, The Israeli
military said it had uncovered a plot by Hamas militants to spy on
soldiers by befriending them on social media and luring them into
downloading fake dating apllicatrions that gave Hamas access to
their smartphones.
   (SFC, 7/4/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Former Malaysian PM
Najib Razak was arrested in a stunning fall from grace following a
shock election loss in May amid allegations of massive corruption
and misappropriation at a state fund he founded.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Mali local
government administrators responsible for organizing July 29
presidential and legislative elections indefinitely extended a
strike until demands for better safety and pay are met. Election
organizers late today agreed to end a two-week strike over working
conditions, lifting a threat to a looming vote.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)(Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Pakistan
torrential monsoon rains lashed many cities and towns across the
country before dawn, flooding streets and killing six people in
Lahore.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Palestinian leaders
strongly condemned a new Israeli law that will freeze money
transfers to the Palestinian Authority to punish the PA's payments
to families of those jailed for attacks.
   (AFP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In the Philippines
Mayor Ferdinand Bote of northern General Tinio town was shot and
killed by an unidentified man riding a motorcycle. He was the 2nd
mayor killed in two days. The gunman escaped.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In the Philippines
government troops clashed with 30-40 militants and drove them away
from the small farming community of Mopac where they planned to
launch an attack on the town center of Datu Paglas about a half km
away.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Poland braced for
protests against judicial reforms that come into force at midnight
despite strong opposition at home and an ongoing row between Warsaw
and the EU. Malgorzata Gersdorf, the head of Poland's Supreme Court
insisted that under the Constitution of Poland her term as the
court's first president runs until 2020.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)(AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Romania's upper
house of parliament voted through a change to the criminal code that
could overturn a prison sentence given to the leader of the ruling
party. The vote came in the face of complaints and protests from
opposition politicians and anti-corruption activists who have
accused the government of allowing widespread graft.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Russian
investigators said historian Yury Dmitriyev (62) has been charged
with sexual assault and faces up to 20 years in prison, if
convicted. Dmitriyev was accused of sexually abusing his adopted
daughter between 2012 and 2016 and vehemently denied all the
charges. He spent decades locating and exhuming mass graves of
people killed under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's rule. Activists
said the case against him is an attempt by authorities to muzzle the
outspoken historian.
   (AFP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Serbia Ukrainian
President Petro Poroshenko met with President Aleksandar Vucic in a
bid to boost ties with the Balkan country, a key Russian ally in
Europe, as both states seek to join the European Union.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Swiss President
Alain Berset urged all sides not to endanger the nuclear agreement
between global powers and Iran, after meeting his Tehran
counterpart, Hassan Rouhani.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, Syrian rebel
negotiators began a new round of talks with Russian officers over a
peace deal in southern Syria that would hand over their weapons and
allow Russian military police to enter rebel-held towns.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said one of the Islamic
State's last pockets in the eastern Syrian province of Deir el-Zour
came under intense shelling from the US-led coalition. At least 12
militants are believed to have been killed in Hajin. The Observatory
also said at least 11 displaced Syrians fleeing the fighting in
southwestern Syria were killed when they stepped on a land mine. The
Islamic State group said the son of its top leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi has been killed fighting Syrian government forces. Their
statement did not specify when he was killed.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In Tunisia Souad
Abederrahim (54) was elected by the Tunis municipal council to serve
as the city's first female mayor.
   (SFC, 7/4/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In southern Turkey
a gunman killed the deputy head of the Trade and Industry Chamber
for the city of Osmaniye. The organization's president was wounded
in the attack.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, The United Arab
Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority ordered firms to
identify and freeze the accounts and assets of nine Iranian
individuals and entities the UAE has placed on its terrorism list.
   (Reuters, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 3, In southern Yemen
46 detainees walked free after months or years spent in detention in
one of several prisons controlled by the United Arab Emirates.
   (AP, 7/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In northern
California the County Fire spread to 86,000 acres in the Yolo-Napa
area and was 27% contained.
   (SFC, 7/4/18, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In southern
California Laquisha Jones beat Rodolfo Rodriguez (92 in the face
with a brick as he was talking a walk. In 2019 Jones (30) was
sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to elder
abuse.
   (SFC, 3/2/19, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In NYC Joey
Chestnut downed a record 74 wieners and buns at the Nathan's Famous
July Fourth hot dog eating contest to win the coveted Mustard Belt
for the 11th time. Miki Sudo held on to her title as the top women's
contender eating 37 franks and buns to win for a fifth consecutive
year.
   (SFC, 7/4/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Austrian Chancellor
Sebastian Kurz met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's and
discussed issues including salvaging the Iran nuclear deal after the
US decision to withdraw and reinstate sanctions on Tehran. Rouhani
first met with Pres. Alexander Van der Bellen and then Chancellor
Sebastian Kurz later in the day.
   (AP, 7/4/18)(AFP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Bangladesh
officials said thousands of extra police are being deployed to
Rohingya refugee camps in the south, after a series of mostly
unexplained killings that have sown fear among hundreds of thousands
of people who have fled from Myanmar.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Police in Brazil
searched the offices of Philips and executed arrest warrants for two
people linked to the Dutch electronics company as part of an
investigation into suspected fraud in the supply of medical
equipment to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics
and the Rio de Janeiro Health Department.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, British officials
met to discuss the case of two people whose possible poisoning in
Wiltshire is being investigated by counter-terrorism police. The
pair were found on June 30 with police saying they initially
suspected they had fallen ill after using "heroin or crack cocaine
from a contaminated batch of drugs".
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)(AFP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, British police said
they are investigating six claims of sexual assault or assault by
Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey, three more than previously
disclosed.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Colombia's
ombudsman said a human rights activist has been killed every three
days since January 2016 despite the peace accord signed with FARC
rebels.
   (AFP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Creditors of
Croatian retailer Agrokor, the biggest private company in the
Balkans, voted to approve a settlement deal that includes giving two
Russian banks a stake of over 46 percent.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In ex-Soviet
Georgia US couple Ryan and Laura Smith and their four-year-old son
were killed. Police on July 9 said that a man (20) had been arrested
in the central Georgian province of Dusheti, suspected of
premeditated murder.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, German authorities
deported 69 Afghans whose asylum requests were rejected back to
their home country.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Greek authorities
agreed to extradite to France Lasha Shushanashvili (57), the
Georgian suspected head of an international crime ring specializing
in robberies and burglaries.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Hong Kong's Court
of Final Appeal ruled that the same-sex partner of a British
expatriate is entitled to equal treatment under immigration law,
marking a significant step for gay rights in the Chinese territory.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, India's government
said it has asked WhatsApp to take "immediate action" to prevent the
social media platform from being misused to spread rumors and
irresponsible statements like those blamed for recent deadly mob
attacks in the country.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, India's Supreme
Court upheld the powers of Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of
Delhi, in a win for his Aam Aadmi Party, embroiled in a protracted
fight with PM Narendra Modi's government that has compounded the
capital city's problems.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In eastern India a
nun and another worker at a shelter for unwed mothers run by Mother
Teresa's charity were over the last 24 hours for allegedly selling a
baby.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Ivory Coast
President Alassane Ouattara dissolved the government, amid tensions
with his party's partner in the governing coalition. PM Amadou Gon
Coulibaly was re-appointed to form a new government.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In Malaysia former
PM Najib Razak was charged with abuse of power and criminal breach
of trust in an investigation over billions of dollars missing from
the 1MDB state fund.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, The rival Koreas
began two days of friendly basketball games in Pyongyang in their
latest goodwill gesture amid a diplomatic push to resolve the
nuclear standoff with North Korea.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, A New Zealand
watchdog office said that New Zealand's government spied for years
on its South Pacific neighbors and passed collected information to
the US and other allies. The Government Communications Security
Bureau (GCSB) collected bulk data from satellites from South Pacific
countries between 2009 and 2015.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In Nigeria French
President Emmanuel Macron called for Africa and Europe to reach a
"win-win" solution to migration during an address to 300 young
entrepreneurs on the second day of his visit to Lagos.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In Pakistan
suspected US drone strike killed militant commander Qari Abdullah
Dawar and his associate near their mountain hideout in the Tor
Tangai area of North Waziristan. The slain militants were from the
Gul Bahadur group, which has carried out attacks inside Afghanistan.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Palestinian
protests broke out at a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank
facing Israeli demolition in what rights groups have condemned as a
bid to expand Jewish settlement in Khan al-Ahmar.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In Poland a new law
lowering the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court judges to 65
from the previous 70 went into effect. First President Malgorzata
Gersdorf (65) arrived for work as usual at the court in Warsaw,
vowing to continue her constitutionally mandated term, which runs
through 2020.
   (AP, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In Russia a
resident (63) was killed and three other people were hospitalized
after a car mounted a pavement and hit pedestrians in the World Cup
host city of Sochi. Initial signs suggested the driver had fallen
asleep at the wheel.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In Somalia at least
17 people were killed in fighting between militants from the al
Shabaab group and clan militias in the country's central
semi-autonomous region of Galmudug.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, In South Sudan one
person was killed when unidentified gunmen attacked a convoy of
humanitarian trucks belonging to a contractor of UN children's
agency UNICEF north of Juba.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, The Swiss
government said it aims to allow pilot studies on ways to relax its
marijuana laws. Switzerland already permits low potency cannabis but
bans most marijuana for recreational use.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 4, Syrian rebel
negotiators and Russian officers failed to reach an agreement that
would end fighting in southern Syria by restoring state sovereignty
over remaining opposition held towns.
   (Reuters, 7/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Scott Pruitt, Pres.
Trump's administrator of the EPA, resigned after months of
allegations over legal and ethical violations. Deputy administrator
Andrew Wheeler will take over as acting adminstrator on July 9.
   (SFC, 7/6/18, p.A1)(SFC, 7/7/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In northern
California the Klamathon Fire broke out and within hours spread from
an initial 1,000 acres to 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares). The County
fire grew to 88,000 acres and was roughly 33% contained. On Aug. 23
authorities arrested John Colin Eagle Skoda (32) on suspicion of
starting the Klamathon fire.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)(SFC, 7/6/18, p.A12)(SFC,
8/24/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Colorado In
Colorado nine major wildfires have razed through more than 216,000
acres.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Jean-Louis Tauran
(75), a French cardinal and former Vatican foreign minister, died in
the US. He helped improve ties between the Roman Catholic Church and
the Muslim world.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Boeing and the
Brazilian jet maker Embraer said they will attempt to form a joint
venture that would push the US aerospace giant more aggressively
into the regional aircraft market.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Afghanistan
Taliban attacks on security posts in Ghazni city killed two national
police and wounded four others.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, A Brazilian Supreme
Court justice ordered the suspension of labor minister Helton Yomura
as part of a corruption investigation.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Britain marked the
70th anniversary of the National Health Service — a battered but
beloved institution facing an uncertain future.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, British officials
investigating a second poisoning case with the nerve agent Novichok
in southwest England said they suspect the victims were not directly
targeted but sickened as a result of the March attack on a former
Russian spy and his daughter.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Djibouti's
President Ismael Omar Guelleh launched the first phase of Africa's
biggest free-trade zone, seeking to capitalize on its strategic
position on one of the world's busiest trade routes.
   (AFP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, An Egyptian court
sentenced 14 people, including an adviser to an ousted Islamist
president, to life in prison for membership in the outlawed Muslim
Brotherhood. Out of the 14, eight were sentenced in absentia.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Ethiopia fired its
prisons chief and took three opposition groups off its "terrorist"
list, the latest steps in PM Abiy Ahmed's bold push to shake the
African giant from decades of security-obsessed rule.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, The European Union
extended sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine for
another six months.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, French film
director Claude Lanzmann (b.1925) died in Paris. His 9½ -hour
masterpiece "Shoah" (1985) bore unflinching witness to the
Holocaust.
   (SFC, 7/6/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, A Greek committee
granted asylum to a Turkish soldier who fled to Greece with seven
other officers after a failed coup attempt against Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan in 2016.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Yad Vashem,
Israel's renowned Holocaust memorial and research center in
Jerusalem, slammed an agreement between Israel and Poland over a
Polish law on the World War II genocide of Jews, saying it contains
"deceptions".
   (AFP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Japan ordered the
evacuation of thousands of residents from the outskirts of its
ancient capital of Kyoto after "historic" rains battered its western
region, killing a man, with yet more rain forecast.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Mahmoud Jibril, the
head of one of Libya's main political movements alleged widespread
fraud involving national identity cards, saying this could
jeopardize elections that may be held late this year.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Macedonia's
parliament ratified a historic deal with neighboring Greece for the
second time in two weeks, after the Macedonian president temporarily
blocked the agreement.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, A Macedonian court
convicted seven men of attempting to murder a lawmaker during a mob
invasion of parliament at the height of the country's political
crisis in April, 2017. Sentences ranging from 10 to 13½ years in
prison were imposed on the defendants.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Mexico a
horrific blast rocked the town of Tultepec, a place already
notorious for deadly fireworks accidents. 24 people were killed
including seven firefighters, police officers and civil defense
workers when they rushed to the scene of a first blast, only to be
felled by three subsequent explosions.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, It was reported
that Mozambique has emerged as one of the world's key heroin trading
hubs, with the drug now the country's second largest export as it is
smuggled from Afghanistan to Europe.
   (AFP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Judges at the
International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a second arrest warrant
for Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a Libyan National Army (LNA) commander
accused of executing dozens of prisoners.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, New Zealand's Court
of Appeal upheld earlier court rulings that found internet
entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and three of his former colleagues were
eligible to be handed over to US authorities.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Norway invited
companies to submit bids to use subsea reservoirs to store carbon
dioxide near the country's largest oil and gas field, Troll.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Pakistan's
anti-graft body arrested Fawad Hassan, a former top bureaucrat who
served as secretary to ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, over alleged links to a
housing scam.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Peru, in a joint
statement to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, led more than 50
countries in urging Venezuela to restore the rule of law and open
its doors to humanitarian assistance, as an economic crisis causes
shortages of medicine and growing malnutrition.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Federal authorities
in Puerto Rico said they have arrested a mayor and two former
government employees of the southwest town of Sabana Grande on
charges of public corruption.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Sierra Leone's
former vice-president Victor Bockarie Foh and former mines minister
Minkailu Mansaray were arrested on corruption charges, a day after a
report alleged "rampant" graft in the previous regime.
   (AFP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Spanish police and
Interpol said they have smashed an organized crime network
stretching from the Caucasus to Spain and France. The arrests were
made last week in Spain and France. 129 people, most of them
Armenian, were arrested on suspicion of crimes including possession
of weapons and stolen jewelry.
   (AP, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, Sudan's officials
news reported that South Sudan's warring sides have reached an
agreement on security arrangements amid talks on a peace deal to end
a five-year civil war.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, The Swiss Federal
Audit Office's (SFAO) review said the Swiss government must improve
its measures to tackle corruption by federal officials and
departments after steps taken were found to be inadequate.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In Syria President
Bashar al-Assad's Russian allies unleashed heavy air strikes and
government forces sought to advance on the ground in the southwest.
The bombardment targeted the southern parts of Deraa, a city long
split between rebels and the army, and the towns of Saida,
al-Nuaima, Um al-Mayadan and Taiba.
   (Reuters, 7/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, In southern
Thailand two boats carrying more than 130 tourists overturned in
rough seas off the island of Phuket. 93 of the passengers Chinese
tourists. The sinking of the double-decker tour boat Phoenix left 45
Chinese tourists dead and two missing.in Thailand's biggest
tourist-related disaster in years. Everyone from the smaller second
boat, the Serenata, was rescued. The last body from the Phoenix was
recovered on July 15 putting the final death toll at 47.
   (AP, 7/5/18)(AP, 7/6/18)(AP, 7/8/18)(AP,
7/10/18)(AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 5, A Ugandan soldier
was killed in clashes on Lake Edward straddling the border with
Democratic Republic of Congo. One Ugandan and two Congolese were
wounded.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, The United States
slapped a 25 percent tax on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports,
and China retaliated with taxes on an equal amount of US products,
including soybeans, pork and electric cars.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, On Scott Pruitt's
last working day the EPA moved to effectively grant a loophole that
will allow a major increase in the manufacturing of a diesel freight
truck that produces as much as 55 times the air pollution as trucks
that have modern emissions controls. Fitzgerald Glider Kits of
Crossville, Tenn., has donated tens of thousands to Rep. Diane
Black, R-Tenn., a candidate for state governor, who had asked Pruitt
to reverse an annual cap on glider manufacturers.
   (SSFC, 7/8/18, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In California the
Holiday Fire, one of more than three dozen in western US states,
broke out near the beach community of Goleta late today before
charring dried vegetation in the foothills south of the Los Padres
National Forest. The first death attributed to local fires was
announced, when the remains of an unidentified person were found in
a home burned to the ground by the Klamathon fire, which broke out a
day earlier near California's border with Oregon.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Colorado, a fire
crew of 1,444, aided by local rains and higher humidity, continued
to battle the Spring Creek fire north of the Arizona border, which
has consumed 105,704 acres and is 35 percent contained.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Kansas City,
Mo., Sharath Koppu (25), an engineering student from India, was
fatally shot during a robbery at a restaurant. Koppu had already
quit his part-time job at the restaurant and was working his last
shift when he was killed. On July 15 police fatally shot suspect
Marlin Mack (25) after he opened fire on officers with a
high-powered semi-automatic rifle outside a motel and later at a
home.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Afghanistan two
roadside mines, possibly meant for later use against security
forces, exploded in a residential area in Ghazni province, killing
three children.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Meeting in Vienna
top diplomats from Germany, Britain, France, Russia and China
reaffirmed their commitment to the 2015 deal with Iran, known as the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Brazil, the
five-time world champions, left the World Cup empty handed after
losing to Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals in Russia.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Cambodia 33
pregnant women hired to act as surrogate mothers were formally
charged with surrogacy and human trafficking offenses. A Chinese man
and four Cambodian women accused of managing the business were
charged last week with the same offenses.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Cameroon at
least 30 people were killed after a bus crashed on the road that
links the political capital, Yaounde, with the western regional
capital, Bafoussam.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Thousands of
Colombians gathered in cities across the country this evening to
demand an end to a wave of activist killings that threatens to
undermine a fragile peace process.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Germany's top court
ruling that files of unpublished documents about Volkswagen's
emission scandal seized from a US law firm may be reviewed. VW had
hired law firm Jones Day and advisory firm Deloitte to investigate
the issue and look at who was responsible shortly after the
dieselgate scandal broke in September 2015.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Greece Vassilis
Papageorgopoulos, a former mayor of Thessaloniki (1999-2010), was
convicted of money laundering related to the embezzlement of city
funds and sentenced to eight years in prison.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Haiti's capital
Port-au-Prince and its environs stood paralyzed with major routes
blocked by barricades, some made of burning tires, and some
protesters even calling for a revolution. Late today the bodyguard
of an opposition-party politician died in an altercation with
demonstrators in central Port-au-Prince as he attempted to force a
passage through a roadblock. His body was then burned in the road.
   (AFP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Police in eastern
India arrested a school principal, two teachers and three students
after a teenage girl blamed them and another 13 schoolmates for
repeatedly raping her for the last seven months.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Iranian state TV
broadcast a video in which Maedeh Hojabri, an 18-year-old gymnast
who posted dance videos on Instagram, acknowledged breaking moral
norms while insisting that was not her intention, and that she was
only trying to gain more followers. A local news website, said
Hojabri and three other individuals had been detained on similar
charges in recent weeks before being released on bail.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Japan executed
doomsday cult leader Shoko Asahara (b.1955) and six of his
followers. Their 1995 poison gas attack on rush-hour commuters in
Tokyo's subway killed 13 people and sickened more than 6,000.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Dr. Kimishige
Ishizaka (1925), an immunologist who identified the antibodies that
trigger allergic reactions, died in Japan. His work included the
book "History of Allergy" (2014).
   (SFC, 7/27/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Kenya's top
prosecutor said corrupt judges are hampering an anti-graft drive,
undermining President Uhuru Kenyatta's attempt to restore public
trust in the government, national security and the economy.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Macedonia's
president insisted that he will not sign off on a deal with Greece
to change his country's name, even after parliament ratified the
agreement for a second time.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Mexico's federal
attorney general's office said that accused drug lord Damaso Lopez
has been extradited from the border city of Ciudad Juarez to the US.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Nepal a truck
carrying construction workers fell off a mountain road, killing at
least 18 people and injuring 14 others.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, The Dutch
Intelligence service AIVD said two Iranian embassy staff have been
expelled. No further information was provided.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Nigeria's Supreme
Court dismissed all outstanding charges against Senate president
Bukola Saraki related to alleged false declarations of assets.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, A Pakistani
anti-graft tribunal announced a much-awaited ruling in a corruption
case against former PM Nawaz Sharif, sentencing him to 10 years in
prison and a fine of $10.6 million over purchases of luxury
apartments in London. Sharif was in London with his ailing wife.
   (AP, 7/6/18)(SFC, 7/7/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Palestinians and
their supporters marked a temporary victory in a Bedouin village in
the Israeli-occupied West Bank after an Israeli judge halted
demolition proceedings.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte said he would not seek a second term under
a new constitution, countering suspicions he might seek to overturn
the single-term limit which will not allow him to stay in office
beyond 2022. Duterte, who recently sparked outrage for calling God
stupid, courted new controversy in his largely Roman Catholic
country by saying he will resign if anybody can prove that God
exists.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)(AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Poland Japanese
Foreign Minister Taro Kono held talks with his Polish counterpart,
Jacek Czaputowicz, on global security and on intensifying
cooperation in trade, business, science and clean energy.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, South Syrian rebels
said they had agreed to lay down arms in a Russian-brokered deal
that appeared to surrender Deraa province to the government in
another major victory for President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian
government forces captured the Naseeb crossing on the Jordan border.
Rebels had seized control of the crossing in 2015.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Thailand Petty
Officer 1st Class Saman Gunan, a former member of the Thai navy's
elite SEAL unit, became the first casualty of the massive rescue
effort during an underwater swim in a partly flooded cave. He had
volunteered to help his old comrades in their risky mission to
evacuate a dozen boys and their soccer coach.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Turkey ordered the
detention of 331 soldiers in two operations targeting alleged
supporters of the US-based Islamic cleric who Ankara says
orchestrated an attempted coup two years ago.
   (Reuters, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, In Turkey a court
in Istanbul convicted six journalists of terror-related charges,
sentencing them to lengthy prison terms in a case that had
heightened concerns over freedoms of expression and media. The court
acquitted five other journalists of the now-defunct Zaman newspaper.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 6, Turkey's state-run
news agency said authorities have arrested brothers Ayman Barzan and
Hariam Barzan, both British citizens of Iraqi heritage, for
allegedly engaging in "terror propaganda" on behalf of outlawed
Kurdish rebels.
   (AP, 7/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, The Trump
administration said it is suspending a program that pays billions of
dollars to insurers to stabilize health insurance markets under the
Affordable Care Act.
   (SSFC, 7/8/18, p.A11)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Officials said US
and Afghan Special Forces are completing an operation to clear
Islamic State fighters from a remote district in Nangarhar, the
eastern province where they have their main stronghold in
Afghanistan.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In California the
Klamathon fire, which broke out two days earlier near the border
with Oregon, grew to 22,000 acres and was 20% contained.
   (SSFC, 7/8/18, p.A13)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In southern
Colorado firefighters contained about 45% of a 167-square-mile fire.
In the southwest an 85-square-mile fire north of Durango was 50%
contained.
   (SSFC, 7/8/18, p.A13)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Chicago
thousands of anti-violence demonstrators marched along an interstate
shitting down traffic to draw attention to the gun violence that has
claimed hundreds of lives in some of the city's poorest
neighborhoods.
   (SSFC, 7/8/18, p.A11)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, It was reported
that researchers from half a dozen states in West Africa have joined
together in a battle against what one expert calls a root crop
"Ebola" -- a viral disease that could wreck the region's staple food
and condemn millions to hunger. The Cassava brown streak disease
(CBSD), a virus that strikes cassava, was first discovered in
Tanzania eight decades ago. The root in some of the region's
countries is consumed by as many as 80 percent of the population.
   (AFP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Afghanistan a
district chief was killed in a roadside bomb blast in western Ghor
province. In eastern Ghazni province Taliban fighters ambushed a
police convoy, killing four police and wounding six others. Six
insurgents were also killed and seven others wounded in the gun
battle in Waghez district. The US-led coalition confirmed that a US
service member has been killed in an apparent insider attack.
   (AP, 7/7/18)(SSFC, 7/8/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, London Mayor Sadiq
Khan and a contingent of Royal Marines joined tens of thousands of
people celebrating Britain's LGBT community at a massive parade. The
event was the first pride march that had uniformed Marines as
official participants.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In eastern Congo
DRC ten people were burnt to death in ethnic attacks in South Kivu.
In North Kivu the Ugandan navy fired on Congolese fishermen
overnight and seven people were missing in Lake Edward.
   (AFP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Egyptian
prosecutors ordered the country's top media regulator to be summoned
for questioning over his decision to issue a gag order on corruption
allegations made against a children's cancer hospital.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, A Cairo court
sentenced Lebanese tourist Mona el-Mazboh (24), arrested last month,
to eight years in prison for posting a video on Facebook complaining
of sexual harassment and conditions in Egypt. An appeal was set for
July 29.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, France's CMA CGM,
one of the world's biggest cargo shippers, announced it was pulling
out of Iran for fear of becoming entangled in US sanctions. Pres.
Hassan Rouhani demanded that European countries to do more to offset
the US measures.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Germany
demonstrators marched in Berlin and several other cities in support
of the private aid ships that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean
Sea.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Haiti's President
Jovenel Moise called on protesters to "go home," saying the
about-face on prices had "corrected what had to be corrected." PM
Jack Guy Lafontant called for calm and patience from residents amid
deadly protests in several cities over an unpopular fuel price rise.
   (AFP, 7/7/18)(AFP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Indian police
charged five people, including the brother of a lawmaker from the
ruling party, in relation to the death of the father of a teenage
girl raped last year. The rape victim's father died in April while
in the custody of police in northern Uttar Pradesh state. Police
arrested Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a BJP member of the state legislature
of Uttar Pradesh, in April in connection with the rape of the
teenager.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Iran's oil minister
accused US President Donald Trump of insulting OPEC by ordering it
to increase production and reduce prices, adding that Iranian output
and exports had not changed as a result of US pressure.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Iran announced that
it has executed eight men convicted over the June 7, 2017, Islamic
State attack on parliament and the shrine of the Islamic Republic's
founding ayatollah. Over a dozen others remained on trial over the
attack.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Iraq two
Filipina women were kidnapped after their car broke down on a road
connecting Baghdad to oil city Kirkuk.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In southern Italy
Pope Francis led a summit of Christian leaders In Bari on how to
promote peace in the Middle East and said building walls, occupying
territories and religious fanaticism would not resolve conflict in
the region.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Japan's public
broadcaster NHK said 49 people have been killed and 48 are
unaccounted for in western and central Japan as torrential rain
pounded the area, with more than 1.6 million evacuated from their
homes.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Japan a
5.9-magnitude earthquake hit outside of Tokyo this evening, swaying
buildings in the capital, but no tsunami warning was issued.
   (AFP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Kashmir two
young men and a teenage girl were killed when government forces
fired at anti-India protesters who disrupted a military-led
operation against rebels.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In southeastern
Libya suspected Islamist militants killed two workers and kidnapped
two others at a water plant early today, the second attack targeting
water facilities in two days.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Mexico a female
US tourist (27) was killed by what appeared to be a stray bullet in
a shooting at a restaurant in Mexico City.
   (SFC, 7/10/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, North Korea said
that high-level talks with a US delegation led by Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo were "regrettable" and accused Washington of trying to
unilaterally pressure the country into abandoning its nukes.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Pakistan Serge
Dessureault, the Canadian leader of an international mountaineering
expedition, fell to his death on K2 mountain, often considered the
world's most difficult to climb.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In the Philippines
van-riding assailants gunned down the vice mayor of a small city
south of Manila, the third such brazen killing of a local official
in the past week. Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan of Trece Martires
city and his driver were riding in a pickup van when they were shot
and killed in front of a hospital in his city in Cavite province.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, A eastern Romanian
air force MiG-21 Lancer fighter jet crashed during an airshow
killing its pilot.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Russia was
eliminated in a penalty shootout after its quarterfinal match
against Croatia in Sochi was tied 1-1 after regulation and 2-2 after
extra time.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Thousands of South
Korean women gathered in Seoul to demand stronger government action
to fight the spread of intimate photos and video taken by hidden
cameras.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Spain a man who
was gored and three others who were trampled in the first running of
the bulls of this year's San Fermin festival.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, In Somalia
militants from Somalia's al Shabaab group set off two bombs in
central Mogadishu and stormed a government building. A least nine
people were killed in the attack on the interior ministry. Security
forces killed all three attackers after a two-hour gun battle inside
the ministry.
   (Reuters, 7/7/18)(AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Thousands of
displaced Syrians headed home after rebels and the government
reached a ceasefire deal in the south following more than two weeks
of deadly bombardment.
   (AFP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, The United Arab
Emirates extended compulsory military service for Emirati men from
12 to 16 months, amid a three-year involvement in Yemen's war.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 7, Yemeni officials
said fighting over the last two days between a Saudi-led coalition
and the Shiite rebels along the country's west coast has killed more
than 165 people from both sides.
   (AP, 7/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo, speaking in Hanoi, appealed for North Korea's
leadership to follow Vietnam's path in overcoming past hostilities
with the United States. Pompeo called on North Korean leader Kim
Jong Un to replicate Vietnam's "miracle" of economic growth by
improving ties with the US.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, American film star
Tab Hunter (b.1931) died in Santa Barbara. His films included
"Battle Cry" and "Damn Yankees!" (1958). His recording of "Young
Love" toped the Billboard pop chart in 1957.
   (SFC, 7/10/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Williamsburg,
Va., a helicopter crashed into a residence and ignited a fire. The
pilot was killed.
   (SFC, 7/9/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, British Brexit
minister David Davis resigned late today and launched a
no-holds-barred attack on PM May's Brexit plan, calling it
"dangerous" and one which would give "too much away, too easily" to
EU negotiators, who would simply ask for more.
   (Reuters, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, British police
announced the death of Dawn Sturgess (44) following an exposure to
the Novichok nerve agent a week earlier in Amesbury.
   (AFP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In England
embattled Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya (62) said he will comply fully
with court enforcement officers seeking to seize his British assets,
but there was not much for them to take as his family's lavish
residences were not in his name.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Canadian author
Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient," which won the British Man
Booker Prize in 1992, was named winner of the Golden Man Booker
winner, a special award to mark the Booker's 50th anniversary.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Eritrean President
Isaias Afkweri met with Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed for a summit in
Asmara for the first time in two decades as direct international
telephone connection was restored between the two countries.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, A French judicial
source said judges have decided to block 2 million euros of state
subsidies due to be handed out to Marine Le Pen's far-right party,
leading Le Pen to say her party was "threatened with death".
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Haiti fresh
looting broke out on the streets of Port-au-Prince, despite calls
for calm after two days of deadly protests over ultimately suspended
fuel price hikes.
   (AFP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Iraqi police opened
fire to disperse dozens of protesters near the southern oil hub of
Basra as they demonstrated against a shortage of jobs, electricity,
water and other basic services.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Italy's Interior
Minister Matteo Salvini said the new government wants to prevent
ships operating for "international missions" from bringing migrants
rescued off Libya to Italian ports.
   (AFP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In western Japan
the death toll from torrential rain and landslides rose to 81
people, with dozens still missing after more than 2,000, temporarily
stranded in the city of Kurashiki, were rescued.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Kashmir police
and soldiers fanned out across much of the Indian-controlled
territory to enforce a security lockdown as separatists challenging
Indian rule called for a shutdown and protests on the second
anniversary of the killing of a charismatic rebel leader.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Kuwait's highest
court ordered an opposition leader and two lawmakers imprisoned for
3 ½ years over the 2011 storming of parliament amid that year's Arab
Spring protests, in a case involving nearly 70 politicians,
activists and others.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Police in Pakistan
arrested Mohammad Safdar, the convicted son-in-law of former PM
Nawaz Sharif, after he resurfaced in the garrison city of Rawalpindi
leading a rally of supporters.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, South Sudan's the
presidency said former vice president Riek Machar will be reinstated
in his position as part of a peace deal to end a near five-year-old
war following talks held in Entebbe, Uganda.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Syria regime air
strikes in the south killed four civilians. A rebel official said
the evacuation of opposition fighters and their families to
rebel-held areas in northern Syria was temporarily put on hold. The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said tens of
thousands have returned to their homes in southern Syria since a
ceasefire deal between regime ally Russia and rebels to end more
than two weeks of deadly bombardment.
   (AFP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Thailand rescue
operations began for the 12 Thai schoolboys and their coach from a
flooded cave as divers launched a daring and dangerous mission to
free the children and their soccer coach who have been trapped
underground for more than two weeks.
   (Reuters, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In Tunisia at least
six members of the national guard were killed in an apparent attack
by an armed group near the Algerian border.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, Turkish authorities
ordered the dismissal of more than 18,500 state employees, including
police officers, soldiers and academics, ahead of the expected end
of a two-year state of emergency this month.
   (AP, 7/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 8, In western Turkey
24 people were killed when a multiple cars of a train derailed in
Tekirdag province.
   (SFC, 7/9/18, p.A2)(SFC, 7/10/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, US Pres. Donald
Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge, to
succeed retiring Supreme Court Judge Anthony Kennedy.
   (SFC, 7/10/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In California the
Klamathon fire at the northern Oregon border grew to 36,500 acres
and was 40% contained.
   (SFC, 7/10/18, p.C2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, San Francisco
police raided an ICE protest camp on Sansome St. early today and
arrested 39 people. Demonstratorts had pitched tents at the ICE
headquarters on July 2 to protest Prs. Trump's "zero-tolerance"
immigration policy..
   (SFC, 7/10/18, p.C3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Minnesota Karen
Christiansen (67) and her daughter Jena Christiansen (32) were
killed in suburban St. Paul when an 800-pound boulder fell from a
truck driven by Joseph Czeck (33), who was soon arrested on
suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.
   (SFC, 7/14/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Brazil's Attorney
General Grace Mendonca said corruption scandal-tainted construction
giant Odebrecht has agreed to pay a multi-million dollar settlement
to the Brazilian government for bribing public officials. The deal
gives Odebrecht 22 years to complete the 2.7 billion reis ($700
million) payment.
   (AFP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Lord Peter
Carington (99), a long-serving British politician and former NATO
secretary-general (1984-1987), died. He was the last survivor of PM
Winston Churchill's government.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, British PM Theresa
May's government imploded as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson
followed Brexit minister David Davis in resigning over her
masterplan for Britain's future outside the EU.
   (AFP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, A court in Chechnya
ruled to keep human rights activist Oyub Titiyev in custody despite
international criticism of his arrest. The head of Chechnya's branch
of Russian human rights group Memorial has been in jail since his
arrest in January on drug possession charges.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Eritrean and
Ethiopian leaders formally restored relations, ending 20 years of
enmity. Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed (42) and Eritrean President Isaias
Afwerki (72) also signed agreements in Asmara to open embassies in
their respective capitals, restore flight services and use port
facilities in Eritrea.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, An Egyptian court
ordered the release on bail of Adel Sabri, the editor of an
independent news website. He was accused of an array of charges,
including membership in the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Egypt's highest
anti-graft agency, the Administrative Control Authority, said that
Gamal Abdel-Azim, head of the country's customs authority, was
arrested while taking bribes from an unnamed businessman.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, German Chancellor
Angela Merkel and Chinese PM Li Keqiang stressed their commitment to
a multilateral trade system. German companies signed a raft of
agreements with Chinese partners at their meeting in Berlin.
   (AP, 7/9/18)(Reuters, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Iranians on social
media mocked clerical rulers after the hardline judiciary arrested a
teenage girl for posting on Instagram videos of herself dancing in
her room.
   (Reuters, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, An Iraqi military
spokesman said a US coalition airstrike has killed 20 Islamic State
militants outside the northern city of Mosul.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Israel closed its
only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip, except for humanitarian
equipment, over weeks of fires at farms caused by kites and balloons
carrying firebombs from the Palestinian enclave.
   (AFP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In southwestern
Japan rescuers dug up more bodies as they searched for dozens still
missing after heavy rains caused severe flooding. More than 100
people were now confirmed dead in the disaster.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, A court in Myanmar
charged jailed Reuters journalists reporters Wa Lone (32) and Kyaw
Soe Oo (28) with breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act,
which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, moving the
landmark press freedom case into its trial stage after six months of
preliminary hearings.
   (Reuters, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Pakistan opposition
leader Imran Khan, a former cricket star who hopes to become the
next prime minister, unveiled his party's manifesto: "Road to New
Pakistan," ahead of this month's July 25 parliamentary elections.
   (AP, 7/9/18)(SFC, 7/10/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Philippine Catholic
bishops called for fasting and prayers after President Rodrigo
Duterte called God "stupid" and questioned God's existence in
profane remarks that set the foul-mouthed leader on a collision
course with Asia's largest Catholic church.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Romania's chief
anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi was fired over
misconduct and incompetence accusations by her own government
ministry, raising concerns at home and abroad about the country's
commitment to fight corruption. Kovesi hit out at politicians who
are currently passing laws that critics say will make it harder to
punish graft.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In South Africa
Duduzane Zuma (34), the son of scandal-hit former South African
president Jacob Zuma, appeared in ankle shackles in a Johannesburg
court on corruption charges before being released on bail.
   (AFP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, Spain's National
Court convicted Ahmed Samsam (29), a Syrian-born Danish citizen, of
being a foreign fighter with the Islamic State group in Syria and
sentenced him to eight years in prison.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, The Syrian army and
allied troops laid siege to the rebel-held enclave in Deraa and were
poised to gain complete control of the city where the uprising
against President Bashar Assad's rule first erupted.
   (Reuters, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Thailand four
more boys were brought out of a flooded cave by divers bringing to
eight the number extracted in the ongoing high-stakes rescue
operation. Four boys and their coach remained inside the labyrinth
cave.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Thailand new
information showed there were 89 tourists, 87 of them Chinese, on
the boat that sank off island of Phuket on July 5, instead of the
previous figure of 93. Five people reported to have been missing
were reported alive.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 9, In Turkey Recep
Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in as the first president under a new
governing system that gives him sweeping executive powers. Under the
new system, Erdogan will run the executive branch and also lead his
party in parliament.
   (AP, 7/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, President Donald
Trump launched a weeklong Europe trip with harsh criticism for NATO
allies and predicted the "easiest" leg of his journey would be his
scheduled sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Pres. Donald Trump
pardoned ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, whose case sparked the
2016 armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon. The
Hammonds were convicted in 2012 of intentionally setting fires on
public lands.
   (SFC, 7/11/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The US State
Department said it had designated al-Ashtar Brigades, established in
Bahrain in 2013, as a foreign terrorist organization. It described
the organization as an Iran-backed terrorist group.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The Office of the
US Trade Representative proposed 10 percent tariffs on a list of
6,031 Chinese product lines. The office will accept public comments
and hold hearings on the plan Aug. 20-23 before reaching a decision
after Aug. 31.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Alabama Gov. Kay
Ivey said the state will no longer give jail food funds to sheriffs
personally after some profited large sums by skimping on jailhouse
meals. A 2008 state policy called for paying prisoner food service
allowances directly to sheriffs.
   (SFC, 7/12/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, California's third
District of Appeal ordered the state to restore $331 million to a
homeowner's fund that was designated for programs to assist
homeowners harmed by abusive bank foreclosures. In 2012 California
had received $410 million as part of a nationwide settlement with
major banks accused of the abusive foreclosures. Gov. Jerry Brown
then used $331 million to pay state agencies in housing and other
programs to cover their deficits.
   (SFC, 7/12/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In South Carolina
an 11-year-old Danish girl died one day after she was struck by a
vehicle while walking with her parents in Charleston. Jeffrey
William Wakefield (30) of Charleston, was charged with reckless
homicide and driving under the influence resulting in death.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In North Dakota a
tornado killed a seven-day-old baby and injured more than two dozen
people when it ripped through a trailer park in the southwest part
of Watford City.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Tesla said it has
reached an agreement with Chinese authorities to build a battery and
automobile factory in Shanghai, its first first plant outside the
US.
   (SFC, 7/11/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Afghanistan a
suicide bomber killed at least 12 people, including several
children, in an attack in the eastern city of Jalalabad claimed by
Islamic State militants.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, An Afghan man (23)
deported from Germany was found dead in a hotel room in Kabul after
committing suicide. He was forcibly returned to Kabul on July 4
along with 68 other failed Afghan asylum seekers.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Azerbaijan two
high-ranking police officers were stabbed to death while confronting
about 200 demonstrators gathered outside the local administration
headquarters in the western city of Ganja. One suspect was arrested
the next day. Azerbaijani media said the protest was over the arrest
of a man accused of attacking Ganja's mayor, Elmar Veliyev.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, British PM Theresa
May met with her shaken-up Cabinet as she tried to restore
government unity after the resignations of two top ministers over
Brexit.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, China allowed Liu
Xia, the wife of dissident intellectual Liu Xiaobo, to fly to Berlin
for medical treatment, ending an eight-year house arrest that drew
international criticism and made the soft-spoken, chain-smoking
57-year-old poet with a shaven head a tragic icon known around the
world.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, A Chinese court
convicted a Japanese citizen of spying in China. Takahiro Iwase was
sentenced to 12 years in prison with forced labor by the Hangzhou
Intermediate People's Court in Zhejiang. Iwase was arrested in May
2015 near a military facility in the Zhejiang province on suspicion
of spying.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, An official with
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe defended the
creation of a glossary that offers journalists on both sides of
ethnically divided Cyprus alternatives to words that are deemed
offensive or negative in their reporting of the island's
long-standing conflict.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Czech PM Andrej
Babis signed a power-sharing deal with the far-left Communist Party
in a move that will give the maverick party a role in governing for
the first time since the country's 1989 anti-communist Velvet
Revolution.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Ecuador's highest
court upheld a $9.5 billion judgement against Chevron for decades of
rainforest damage. California-based Chevron no longer operates in
the country.
   (SFC, 7/12/18, p.C4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said Bulgaria has opened a
new plasma melting plant that will treat and dispose of radioactive
waste at its Kozloduy nuclear power plant.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, French
firefighters found five people dead, including a toddler, after a
suspected domestic dispute in an apartment in the southwestern city
of Pau.
   (AFP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In France Airbus
unveiled its new A220 aircraft, a rebranded Bombardier C Series
plane that the company picked up in a deal last year.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Germany-based BMW
Group and the biggest Chinese SUV brand, Great Wall Motor, announced
a partnership to produce electric MINI vehicles in China as global
automakers ramp up development under pressure from Beijing.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Indian police
arrested seven people in Bihar state, including a school principal
and a teacher, on suspicion of raping and blackmailing a teenage
girl over several months. The girl (15) had told police she was
raped by students in a school lavatory in December 2017 and that the
abuse continued for seven months.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Japan's top
government spokesman says at least 155 people have been confirmed
dead from the recent heavy rains, floods and mudslides that had
struck western Japan. More than 50 people were still unaccounted
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir government forces fired at protesters,
killing a teenage boy and wounding at least 120 more who had been
trying to reach the site of a gunbattle in which soldiers killed two
rebels.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Ireland said it
will introduce safe access zones around premises where abortion
services will be provided and ensure cost is not a barrier to
terminations as part of new laws following a historic referendum
vote to repeal its strict abortion laws.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Israel's navy
seized a boat that had left from a Gaza port with wounded
Palestinians aboard in a bid to challenge the blockade of the
Hamas-run enclave.
   (AFP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In northern Mexico
a drone carrying two deactivated grenades landed on a property owned
by the security chief of Baja California state.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Northern
Ireland six shots were fired at police officers during a fourth
night of disturbances in Derry. Authorities accused dissident Irish
republican groups opposed to Northern Ireland's peace process of
fueling the latest violence.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In northern
Nigeria 26 people were killed over the last two days in violence
blamed on cattle thieves.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Norway's energy
regulator said Norwegians enjoyed the warmest May this year since
records began in 1900, but as rainfall has been unusually low, the
treat will cost them about 2 billion euros ($2.34 billion) in higher
power bills.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Romania two
grandparents and their two grandchildren were swept away by torrents
of water after their cart capsized in a flooded river in the village
of Magurele.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In the World Cup
semifinals in St. Petersburg French defender Samuel Umtiti's
second-half headed goal led France to a 1-0 victory over Belgium.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, A Russian cargo
ship delivered a fresh load of fuel, food, and other supplies for
the International Space Station, making it in record time. The
unmanned spacecraft docked at the station in automatic mode less
than four hours after the launch.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Saudi state media
said Saudi Arabia's air defense forces intercepted a missile
launched toward the kingdom's southwestern Jizan region by Yemen's
armed Houthi movement. The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said earlier
that a Badr 1 missile had targeted Jizan Economic City, where Saudi
Aramco is building a 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery that is
expected to become fully operational in 2019.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The Saudi-based
Organization of Islamic Cooperation began hosting a two-day
conference to encourage peace talks to end Afghanistan's nearly
17-year war.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, South Korea
suspended its summertime civil defense drills aimed at preparing
against a North Korean attack to keep alive a positive atmosphere
for nuclear diplomacy with the North.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In South Sudan
rebels reportedly ambushed and killed three government soldiers who
had gone to look for wild cassava.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Spain's Supreme
Court ordered former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and five
other separatists be suspended as regional lawmakers after
concluding a probe into their secession bid.
   (AFP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Syrian government
forces bombed villages and towns in the northwestern province of
Idlib after a surprise attack by insurgents that reportedly killed
two dozen soldiers.
   (AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, Taiwan braced for
Typhoon Maria, prompting school closures and the cancellations of
hundreds of flights amid warnings of landslides and floods on the
island.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Thailand
rescuers freed the last four of 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach
from the flooded Tham Luang Nang Non cave, ending a mission that
gripped the world for 18 days.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)(AP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The UN said at
least 16,000 people have been displaced from their homes by armed
conflict in the border region between Colombia and Venezuela.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The UN human
rights office said at least 232 civilians were killed and 120 women
and girls raped in "scorched earth" attacks by South Sudan
government troops and aligned forces in opposition-held villages
earlier this year.
   (Reuters, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, The UN said more
than 800 children as young as 11 years of age were recruited to
Yemen's devastating conflict in 2017 alone.
   (AFP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 10, In Yemen Martin
Griffiths, the UN envoy for Yemen, met with embattled President
Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in another round of talks aimed at brokering
a truce between the government and rebels.
   (AFP, 7/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, President Donald
Trump barreled into a NATO summit in Brussels with claims that a
pipeline deal has left Germany "totally controlled" and "captive to
Russia" as he lobbed fresh complaints about allies' "delinquent"
defense spending at the opening of what was expected to be a fraught
two-day meeting.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In San Francisco
London Breed was sworn in as the city's 45th mayor. She became the
first African American woman to lead the city.
   (SFC, 7/12/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, A Nevada judge put
the execution of two-time killer Scott Raymond Dozier on hold after
pharmaceutical company Alvogen urged the judge to block the use of
its sedative midazolam, saying the state had illegally secured the
product.
   (SFC, 7/12/18, p.A14)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Adult film star
Stormy Daniels (39), who is locked in a court battle with President
Donald Trump over their alleged affair, was arrested after allegedly
"fondling" patrons at a strip club in Columbus, Ohio -- a move her
lawyer calls a "politically motivated" setup. Daniels was released
on bond early the next day and charges were dropped the same
afternoon.
   (AFP, 7/12/18)(SFC, 7/13/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The boards of
Broadcom and CA Technologies approved Broadcom's bid of nearly $19
billion to acquire CA Tech.
   (SFC, 7/13/18, p.C5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In northern
Afghanistan a dilapidated dam in the scenic Panjshir Valley crumbled
under the weight of heavy summer rains, killing at least 10 people.
13 people were missing in the Khinj district and may been swept away
in the disaster.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The Cameroonian
government said it is investigating a video circulated online that
appears to show men in military uniform shooting dead two women and
two children for being suspected members of the Islamist group Boko
Haram. Analysis showed the killings happened in 2015. The government
prosecuted seven soldiers. In 2020 four of them were sentenced to
ten years in jail.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)(Econ., 9/26/20, p.47)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The Bank of Canada
hiked its benchmark interest rate to 1.5 percent, the first increase
since mid-January.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Canadian coffee
shop chain Tim Hortons announced it will open more than 1,500
branches in China over the next decade.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, China's government
vowed to take "firm and forceful measures" as the US threatened to
expand tariffs to thousands of Chinese imports like fish sticks,
apples and French doors.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, China sentenced
Qin Yongmin, a veteran pro-democracy campaigner, to 13 years in
prison on vaguely defined subversion charges.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Germany Iranian
diplomat Assadollah Assadi, suspected of involvement in a bomb plot
against an Iranian opposition rally in France, was charged with
activity as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit murder.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Germany Beate
Zschaepe (43), a member of a neo-Nazi gang, was jailed for life for
her part in the murders of 10 people during a seven-year campaign of
racially-motivated violence.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Greece said it
will expel two Russian diplomats suspected of meddling in the
politically sensitive issue of Macedonia. Russia said it would
respond in kind to the Greek move.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, in northeastern
India a mudslide triggered by monsoon rains demolished tin-roofed
homes on a hillside, killing at least eight children and one woman
while they were sleeping in Tamenglong village, Manipur state.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In southern India
a suspected carbon monoxide gas leak killed at least six workers at
a steel mill in Padipari, Andhra Pradesh state.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, It was reported
that dozens of water buffalo in Iraq's southeastern wetlands have
died because of low water levels in the marshes, threatening the
livelihoods of a community of marsh dwellers that has made the area
its home for millennia.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Israel's PM
Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow to for talks with Damascus's
biggest ally about a Syrian advance near the volatile frontier.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Israel shot down a
Syrian drone that penetrated its airspace. The drone had also
overflown Jordan and appeared to have been unarmed and designed for
surveillance.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Japan's PM Shinzo
Abe visited an evacuation center in the city of Kurashiki in Okayama
prefecture, where more than 40 of the 176 victims died.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Libya's military
strongman Khalifa Haftar, head of the self-styled Libyan National
Army, ordered the re-arrest of commander Mahmoud al-Werfalli, wanted
by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes, after
his escape from a military prison where he was detained.
   (AFP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Malaysian police
said fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, a suspect in the looting of
the state investment fund 1MDB, has fled Macau to an unknown
destination.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Myanmar's leader
Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's military commander opened a major
conference with representatives of ethnic minority groups to try to
move toward a lasting peace after seven decades of strained
relations and armed conflict.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, NATO members
committed to spending at least two percent of their national income
on defense by 2024, though the terms allow for stretching that in
some cases to 2030. US Pres. Donald Trump told leaders he wanted
them all to hit that target by January, prompting consternation.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, NATO leaders
agreed to invite Macedonia to begin accession talks to join the
Western alliance, extending its reach in the Balkans in defiance of
Russia following a landmark accord with Greece over the ex-Yugoslav
republic's name.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The Pakistani
Taliban claimed responsibility for an overnight suicide bombing at a
campaign rally killed secular politician Haroon Ahmed Bilour and 20
others.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In the southern
Philippines two motorcycle-borne gunmen killed Al Rashid Mohammad
Ali, the vice mayor of a Sapa-sapa, the fourth local official
assassinated in a week.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Over 400
Portuguese police, including the antiterrorism unit, detained
several dozen members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club in raids
on 80 homes and localities across the country.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Romania's Superior
Magistrates Council said that Laura Codruta Kovesi,
chief-anti-corruption prosecutor, has been appointed a prosecutor at
the anti-organized crime agency in the central city of Sibiu.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, In Saudi Arabia
more than 100 Muslim scholars from around the world meeting in Mecca
issued an urgent appeal for peace in Afghanistan as they ended a
two-day conference.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Slovakia's defense
ministry said it has agreed to a $1.9 billion deal to buy 14 US-made
F-16 fighter jets to replace its ageing Russian-made MiG-29s.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The Spanish
fishing vessel Dornera sank off Argentina leaving one person dead
and one missing. The Argentine Navy said 25 crew members have been
rescued.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The Geneva-based
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) called on Poland to
"restore the independence of the judiciary", adding another voice to
a row between Warsaw and the European Union.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, The Syrian
government widened its offensive to recover the southwest, extending
it to an enclave held by Islamic State-affiliated fighters as
Russian warplanes targeted the Yarmouk Basin. The Committee to
Protect Journalists issued a statement saying that at least 70
Syrian journalists are "trapped" in the country's southwest, where
government forces have been on the offensive for the past three
weeks.
   (Reuters, 7/11/18)(AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Syrian state media
reported that rebels in Daraa had agreed to surrender their heavy
and medium weapons.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Turkish police
detained controversial Islamic televangelist Adnan Oktar and were
seeking hundreds of people linked to him for alleged crimes
including forming a criminal gang, fraud, blackmail and sexual
abuse.
   (AP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Turkish
authorities detained 16 people in the mainly Kurdish southeast for
suspected links to terrorism. Three of the detained were French
nationals.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Uganda's PM
Ruhakana Rugunda said the government will review a tax on the use of
social media, after a protest against the controversial measure was
broken up by police firing live rounds and teargas into the air.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 11, Zimbabwe's main
opposition vowed to press on with demands for fair elections as
thousands took to the streets to petition the electoral commission
with a slew of grievances.
   (AFP, 7/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Donald Trump
claimed a personal victory at a NATO summit after telling European
allies to increase spending or lose Washington's support.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, The Trump
administration said all eligible small children separated from their
families as a result of its zero-tolerance immigration policy have
been reunited with their parents. Nearly half of the children under
5 remained separated from their families because of safety concerns,
the deportation of their parents and other issues.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, San Francisco and
San Mateo police arrest Orlando Vilchez Lazo (37), a suspected
serial rapist. Police had matched his DNA to four rapes in SF
assaults dating back to 2013 in which he posed as a driver for a
ride-hailing company.
   (SFC, 7/14/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In California the
Klamathon Fire was 75% contained at 36, 500 acres. The County Fire
covered 90,288 acres and was 95% contained.
   (SFC, 7/13/18, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Afghanistan the
Taliban struck in northern province of Kunduz, leaving 15 soldiers
dead there, with at least six Taliban fighters killed. In western
Farah province the Taliban killed four policemen.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Andorra, a
favorite destination for smokers looking to stock up on cheap
cigarettes, said that it would soon stop advertising the fact. The
government said it had signed up to the World Health Organization's
(WHO) anti-tobacco convention, which aims to encourage people to
quit smoking and combat contraband sales.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Western Australia
state Police Commissioner Chris Dawson made an historic apology to
indigenous people who are overrepresented in prisons and vowed to
improve race relations.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Britain's PM
Theresa May published her blueprint for relations with the European
Union after Brexit, hoping to keep close trade ties but dropping
that goal for Britain's financial services industry in what the
sector called "a real blow".
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, London mayor Sadiq
Khan said protests in London against the visit by President Donald
Trump must be "peaceful and good-spirited," after the US leader
landed in the British capital.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Cameroon a
convoy transporting Defence Minister Joseph Beti Assomo was ambushed
in the country's restive anglophone region, leaving several
attackers dead.
   (AFP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Chilean
authorities arrested Oscar Munoz Toledo (56), a priest, on
accusations of sexually abusing minors.
   (SFC, 7/14/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In southwestern
China a blast at an industrial park in Sichuan province's Yibin city
left 19 dead and injured 12 others. Authorities later detained
"several" suspects in wake of the explosion.
   (SFC, 7/13/18, p.A2)(AFP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Iran's state-run
news agency reported that police killed a man while trying to
disperse a protest over water scarcity. Protests have been held
across southern Iran in recent weeks over water scarcity.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Iraqi police fired
into the air to disperse protesters demanding jobs and better public
services at one of three demonstrations outside major oilfields in
the southern oil hub of Basra.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, The Irish
parliament passed a bill to force the Ireland Strategic Investment
Fund (ISIF) to divest from fossil fuel companies, in a move intended
to encourage other countries to withdraw public money invested in
oil, gas and coal.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Israel targeted
Syrian military positions a day after an unmanned drone entered its
airspace. Syrian state media said military positioons in Quneitra
province suffered material damage.
   (SFC, 7/13/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Italian PM
Giuseppe Conte said he had made no promises to increase Italy's
defense spending after US President Donald Trump said he had won
pledges from NATO allies to boost military expenditure.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Japanese
authorities raided the apartment of nurse Ayumi Kuboki (31), who's
in custody on suspicion of fatally poisoning at least two elderly
patients at a terminal care hospital. Local media have reported the
woman confessed to police she poisoned about 20 patients.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Kenyans voiced
outrage as it emerged that a group of lawmakers had gone to the
World Cup at the taxpayers' expense, even though the country had
failed to qualify for the tournament.
   (AFP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Myanmar police
arrested Ngar Min Swe, a prominent government critic, on suspicion
of violating sedition laws.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In Nicaragua four
police officers and a protester died in Morrito as clashes erupted
between opposition activists and government forces and their
paramilitary allies.
   (AFP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Pakistani police
detained scores of supporters of former PM Nawaz Sharif. His party,
the Pakistan Muslim League, claimed it was an attempt to prevent
them from staging a welcome-home rally upon the ousted leader's
return from London.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, The Russian
Foreign Ministry complained that Macedonia was being sucked into the
NATO military alliance by force.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, South Sudan's
parliament voted to extend President Salva Kiir's mandate until 2021
in a move likely to undermine peace talks as opposition groups have
said the change would be illegal. The extension also applies to vice
presidents, state lawmakers and governors. government troops
attacked rebel positions in Kajo Keji in the country's northwest in
fighting that killed five government soldiers and one rebel.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Sudan's President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir extended a unilateral ceasefire with rebels
fighting in three states to overthrow the government until December
31, 2018.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Syrian state TV
said the government has raised the national flag over Daraa, the
south Syrian city that was the cradle of the 2011 revolt against
President Bashar Assad's rule.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, In eastern Syria
an air strike, probably carried out by US-led international forces
or Iraq, struck an Islamic State-held area, killing 54 people
including 28 civilians as well as members of the jihadist group.
Most of the civilians killed were Iraqis.
   (Reuters, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Turkey's new
parliament elected as speaker former prime minister Binali Yildirim
(62), a loyalist of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose post was
abolished after elections last month.
   (AFP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, A Turkish court
sentenced 72 defendants to life in prison for their role in killing
34 people when rogue soldiers seized control of a suspension bridge
in Istanbul two years ago during an attempted coup. Another Turkish
court sentenced eight former managers of conglomerate Boydak
Holding, once among Turkey's biggest firms, to lengthy prison terms
for links to Fethullah Gulen.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Ukraine's
parliament approved an amendment to an anti-corruption court law in
an effort to secure more funding under a $17.5 billion
aid-for-reforms program from the International Monetary Fund.
   (Reuters, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, Vietnam's ruling
Communist Party disciplined Truong Minh Tuan, the Minister of
Information and Communications, for approving a mobile phone
operator's purchase of a stake in a private pay TV provider, a deal
that caused serious financial losses to the state. Tuan was given a
warning and removed as head of the ministry's party organization.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 12, A court in south
central Vietnam sentenced six people to up to two-and-a-half years
in prison after finding them guilty of throwing rocks, bricks and
gas bombs at police in protests against a proposed law on special
economic zones.
   (AP, 7/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, US President
Donald Trump played down his extraordinary attack on Britain's plans
for Brexit, praising PM Theresa May's leadership and insisting ties
between the two countries "have never been stronger".
   (AFP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, A US federal grand
jury indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers alleged to
have hacked into Democratic party and campaign accounts in 2016. The
charges were drawn up by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former
FBI director who is looking into Russian interference in the
November 2016 vote. The indictment identified "Kate S. Milton" as an
alias for military intelligence officer Ivan Yermakov, one of 12
Russian spies accused of breaking into the Democratic National
Committee and publishing its emails in an attempt to influence the
2016 election.
   (AFP, 7/14/18)(AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In northern
California the Ferguson Fire erupted in Mariposa County. Over the
next two days it burned through 4,310 acres and was just 2%
contained.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Nissan said it is
recalling nearly 105,000 small cars to replace Takata passenger air
bag inflators that can explode and hurl shrapnel at drivers and
passengers.
   (AP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Algeria deported
391 African migrants trying to reach Europe, sending them back over
the Sahara desert into neighboring Niger.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Azerbaijan police
located a second suspect in this week's fatal stabbing of two senior
police officials . He resisted arrest and was shot and killed.
   (AP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Tens of thousands
of protesters demonstrated in London against US President Donald
Trump, whose four-day visit to Britain has been marred by his
extraordinary attack on PM Theresa May's Brexit strategy.
   (AFP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, British police
said that scientists had confirmed the presence of the deadly nerve
agent Novichok in a small bottle found during searches of the house
of Charlie Rowley, but were still looking into how it got there.
   (SFC, 7/14/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Cameroon's
President Paul Biya (85) said he would run for re-election in
October, aiming to extend his 36-year rule and keep his place on the
roster of Africa's longest-serving leaders.
   (Reuters, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In China Alibaba
Pictures' special effects-heavy fantasy film "Asura" opened. The
film cost 750 million yuan ($113.5 million) to make and only took in
just over $7.3 million at the weekend. On July 15 the film's
official social media account posted a statement declaring that it
would be removed from theatres as of 10 pm that night. The estimated
loss of $106 million would make it the fifth-biggest flop in movie
history worldwide.
   (AFP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, France said the
United States rejected a request for waivers for its companies
operating in Iran that Paris sought after President Donald Trump
imposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
   (Reuters, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Germany deported a
Tunisian man who allegedly worked as a bodyguard for Osama bin
Laden, more than a decade after his asylum bid was first rejected.
He was identified by German authorities only as Sami A. and by Tunis
as Sami Idoudi, and had lived in Germany for more than two decades.
   (AP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Berlin police
provisionally confiscated 77 properties that were linked to a
suspected organized crime clan during a money-laundering
investigation. The raids were part of an investigation triggered by
a 2014 bank break-in in which at least 9.16 million euros ($10.66
million) was stolen and never recovered.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, A Greek court
agreed to extradite to France a Russian cybercrime suspect who also
is wanted on criminal charges in the United States and Russia.
Alexander Vinnik (38), a former bitcoin operator, was arrested in
Greece last year on a US-issued international warrant.
   (AP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Activists in Hong
Kong and Taiwan marked one year since the death in custody of Nobel
dissident Liu Xiaobo on Friday, in stark contrast to an enforced
silence in mainland China.
   (AFP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In southern India
eight policemen rushed to the village of Murki to try to control a
mob of more than 200 that attacked the five friends, wrongly
assuming they were child kidnappers. The mob armed with sticks and
stones lynched Mohammed Azam (32), a call center employee, and
wounded three men late today in Karnataka's Bidar district after
rumors spread over WhatsApp that the victims were members of a gang
of child kidnappers. All eight officers were injured. Nearly three
dozen people were soon arrested for participating in the attack.
   (AP, 7/15/18)(Reuters, 7/15/18)(AP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir three insurgents riding in a car fired at
a patrol of Indian paramilitary soldiers at a marketplace, killing
two in Achabal.
   (AP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Indonesia's deeply
conservative Muslim province of Aceh publicly caned 15 people found
guilty of violating Shariah law, despite pledging not to carry out
the punishment in public.
   (AP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In Iraq about 100
protesters demanding jobs and better services from leaders closed
access to Umm Qasr commodities port near the southern city of Basra.
   (Reuters, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, The Israel
military fired a Patriot missile at an unmanned aircraft that
approached the country's border from Syria for the second time this
week.
   (AP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Kenya's government
said eight critically endangered black rhinos died after being moved
to a new reserve in southern Kenya, doubling the number of deaths
from similar operations in the previous dozen years. Kenya's Tourism
and Wildlife Minister Najib Balala ordered the Kenya Wildlife
Service (KWS) to immediately suspend the ongoing translocation of
black rhinos.
   (AFP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In Nicaragua a
24-hour opposition-called strike began against the government of
President Daniel Ortega.
   (AFP, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, In southwestern
Pakistan a suicide bomber killed at least 128 people, including a
politician running for a provincial legislature in Baluchistan
province in the second election-related attack this week. Four
others died in a strike in the northwest amid growing tensions over
ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's return ahead of the July 25
vote. The death toll later spiked to 149.
   (AP, 7/13/18)(AP, 7/14/18)(Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Pakistan's former
PM Nawaz Sharif returned from London along with his daughter Maryam
to face a 10-year prison sentence on corruption charges. Maryam
Sharif faced seven years in jail.
   (AP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, South Africa
launched a set of limited edition bank notes and gold coins to mark
the 100th anniversary on July 18 of the birth of Nelson Mandela.
   (Reuters, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, All 193 UN member
nations except the United States, which pulled out last year,
approved the Global Compact For Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
On July 18 Hungary said it will quit the migration pact before its
final approval, calling the agreement a "threat to the world." By
early December right-wing European governments such as Austria,
Hungary and Poland had dropped out. The pact was to be adopted
mid-December in Marrakesh, Morocco.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)(Reuters, 12/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, The United Nations
Security Council imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan, nearly five
years after civil war erupted in the country.
   (Reuters, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 13, Zimbabwe state
media said top prosecutor Ray Goba has been suspended for failing to
prosecute high-profile corruption cases among other allegations.
   (Reuters, 7/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, It was reported
that US federal officers seized more than 4,000 marijuana plants
last week at a growing operation along the California-Nevada line in
Death Valley National Park thanks to a tip from hikers.
   (SFC, 7/14/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Chicago police
shot and killed Harith Augustus as he ran from officers who
questioned him about a bulge around his waistband. Augustus had a
gun in a holster and was shot multiple times, sparking a clash with
angry residents.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In western
Afghanistan at least 11 soldiers were killed overnight when their
checkpoint came under an attack by insurgents in the Bala Buluk
district of Farah province. Nine insurgents were killed and 13
others wounded.
   (AP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, China's state
media reported that heavy rain and thunderstorms are wreaking havoc
across the country, with floods along major rivers destroying
bridges, blocking roads and railways and forcing thousands of
residents to evacuate.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In China a mobile
exhibition of contaminated drinking water, created by "Nut Brother,"
an artist known for advocacy work on environmental and social
issues, was derailed by Beijing authorities, who told the artist the
vehicle was parked illegally.
   (AFP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Eritrean President
Isaias Afwerki pledged to resolve his country's dispute with
Ethiopia in a historic visit to Addis Ababa aimed at cementing peace
less than a week after the nations declared an end to two decades of
conflict.
   (AFP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, France celebrated
Bastille Day with a colorful military parade in Paris presided by
President Emmanuel Macron, and hoped the party would continue the
next day when the national soccer team meets Croatia in the World
Cup final in Russia.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Embattled Haiti PM
Jack Guy Lafontant resigned following deadly violence and looting
sparked by a now-abandoned plan to raise fuel prices, triggering a
fraught process to form a new government.
   (AFP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In India a woman
(35) was gang raped and burned alive in the northern city of
Sambhal. A police case was soon filed against five men involved.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Indonesian
anti-terrorism officers shot dead three suspected Islamic militants
in the central Java city of Yogyakarta. The men were believed to be
members of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a loose grouping of
hundreds of Islamic State sympathizers.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Indonesia a mob
illegally slaughtered 292 crocodiles at a breeding ground in West
Papua province in retaliation for the death of a local man.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Iraq placed its
security forces on high alert, in response to ongoing protests in
the country's southern provinces over poor government services and
corruption.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Israeli aircraft
struck militant targets in the Gaza Strip and Palestinians launched
dozens of mortar bombs and rockets from the enclave into Israel. Two
Palestinian teenagers were killed before a ceasefire went into
effect.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)(Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Kenyan authorities
said they had arrested Ben Chumo, a former chief executive officer
of the state-run distributor Kenya Power, on suspicion of economic
crimes and wanted to charge the current chief executive. Two other
company officers were also arrested.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Libya's National
Oil Corporation said unidentified assailants have abducted workers
at a facility belonging to an oil field, hampering daily production.
Two of four were soon released.
   (AP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In northern
Myanmar a landslide killed at least 15 people, with 45 others
injured after the latest disaster in the Hpakant jade mining region.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Nicaragua
government forces shot dead two young men at a protest site in a
church on the third day of nationwide demonstrations against Pres.
Daniel Ortega. Three months of unrest have left around 274 people
dead.
   (AFP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Nigeria's ruling
party won a governorship election in southwestern Ekiti state,
unseating the opposition and giving President Muhammadu Buhari a
boost ahead of national polls next year.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Norway recommitted
itself to lifting its defense spending to meet NATO targets during
talks with Trump's defense secretary.
   (Reuters, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Palestinian
president Mahmud Abbas was in Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, just
days after the Russian leader hosted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
   (AFP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In Scotland
thousands of people staged colorful, peaceful protests against
Donald Trump as the US president played golf at one of his luxury
retreats.
   (AP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Somali security
forces shot dead three extremists wearing soldiers' uniforms,
foiling an attempted al-Shabab attack on the presidential palace
that began with a car bomb exploding. Six people were dead in all
including a suicide car bomber.
   (AP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, In northern Spain
the final bull run of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona left six
people injured in the fastest dash this year.
   (AP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 14, Syrian state media
said rebels in the southern city of Daraa were surrendering their
heavy weapons to government forces, under a deal brokered by regime
ally Russia.
   (AFP, 7/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Massachusetts a
bystander and police Officer Michael Chesna (42) died from wounds
sustained when a suspect took the officer's gun and fired following
a vehicle crash and foot chase. Suspect Emanuel Lopes (20) was taken
into custody.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Kansas City,
Mo., police fatally shot a man suspected of shooting and wounding
three police officers.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In New Mexico a
collision involving a passenger bus and three other vehicles on I-25
killed three people. Authorities later reported that one of the
injured passengers was carrying a backpack filled with almost
$100,000.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.A4)(SFC, 7/23/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Afghanistan a
suicide bomber on foot struck outside the building of the Rural
Rehabilitation and Development Ministry in Kabul, killing seven
people and wounding 15 as staff were leaving the office in the
evening rush hour. The Taliban stormed a police checkpoint late
today in eastern Nangarhar province and killed seven policemen. Five
Taliban fighters were killed in the attack. A government airstrike
left 20 Taliban fighters dead in the Khogyani district of Nangarhar
province.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)(AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Cameroon arrested
four soldiers suspected of shooting dead two women and two children
in the country's far north where its army is battling jihadist group
Boko Haram. A video of the incident emerged last week and provoked
international outcry.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Congo DRC state
television reported that Pres. Kabila has appointed General John
Numbi to the role of inspector general of the Congolese Armed
Forces. Numbi has been placed under sanctions by the US, EU and
Switzerland for alleged killings of scores of civilians by forces
controlled by him over several years.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Egypt's parliament
backed a draft bill that grants foreigners citizenship if they
deposit the sum of at least 7 million Egyptian pounds, or about
$391,000, in a local bank, save it there for five years and reside
in the country during that period. The bill still faced another
parliament session and final approval by the president, Abdel-Fattah
el-Sissi, before it can become a law.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Human Rights Watch
accused Egyptian authorities of using state-of-emergency and
counterterrorism laws and to unjustly prosecute journalists,
activists and critics for their peaceful criticism.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Finland about
2,500 protesters demonstrated in support of human rights, democracy
and the environment in Helsinki, a day before US President Donald
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a summit in the
Finnish capital.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Germany said it
had agreed with Italy to take in 50 of the 450 migrants aboard two
EU border agency vessels, matching similar pledges by France and
Malta.
   (AFP, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Hungarian PM
Viktor Orban denounced EU sanctions imposed on Russia, during a
visit to Pres. Vladimir Putin in Moscow ahead of the Moscow World
Cup final.
   (AFP, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In eastern India
Maoist rebels ambushed a unit of government forces, leaving two
soldiers dead and another wounded in Chhattisgarh state.
   (AP, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Iraqis demanding
better public services and jobs took to the streets for the sixth
day in the southern oil-rich province of Basra, as authorities put
security forces on high alert and blocked the internet in the
country's Shiite heartland. Dozens of demonstrators were wounded.
The internet was off service across the country for a second
consecutive day and foreign airlines announced the suspension of
flights.
   (AP, 7/15/18)(AFP, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir at least seven people were killed and 22
others injured when a boulder rolled down from a mountain and fell
on local tourists bathing at a waterfall in the Jammu region.
   (AP, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Israel deported
Ebru Ozkan, a week after indicting her for smuggling money and goods
to the Palestinian Islamist militant group while visiting as a
tourist. On July 26 The Washington Post reported that Trump had
asked Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during a July 14 phone call to
let Ozkan go in what the White House envisaged as an indirect trade
for Pastor Andrew Brunson. Ankara said it had not agreed to any
Ozkan-Brunson swap.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Malaysia Manny
Pacquiao (39) of the Philippines won a seventh-round knockout of
Lucas Matthysse of Argentina to claim the World Boxing Association
welterweight title.
   (AP, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In northeastern
Mali gunmen shot dead 14 civilians in an attack on a village near
the border with Niger.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In north-central
Mexico gunmen burst into a funeral home in Zacatecas state killing
five people with 17 left wounded.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Nicaragua at
least ten people were shot dead as police and paramilitary groups
attacked roadblocks set up by anti-government demonstrators
demanding the resignation of Pres. Daniel Ortega.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Two Palestinians,
a man (35) and his son (13), were killed in a blast in a house west
of Gaza City.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Russia Croatia
lost France 4-2 to in the World cup final.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Syrian government
forces unleashed hundreds of missiles on a rebel-held area near the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Jets, believed to be Russian, bombed
an opposition held town in Quenitra province in the first such
aerial strike in a year. Rebel fighters began to leave the Deraa
al-Balad neighborhood which had been under rebel control for years.
   (AP, 7/15/18)(Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, In Syria suspected
Israeli missiles hit a military position late today in northern
Aleppo province where elite Iranian forces were stationed. Nine
pro-regime fighters were reported killed in the strikes, at least
six of them Syrian. State media denied any casualties.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, Turkey issued
presidential decrees reshaping key political, military and
bureaucratic institutions as part of the transformation to a
powerful executive presidency triggered by last month's election.
   (Reuters, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 15, A United Arab
Emirates court dismissed a criminal case against the head of
embattled Abraaj private equity group over bounced cheques for
millions of dollars.
   (AFP, 7/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Presidents Donald
Trump and Vladimir Putin held a historic summit vowing their
determination to forge a reset of troubled relations between the
world's greatest nuclear powers as they met in Helsinki, Finland.
Trump's news conference alongside Putin, where he discounted US
intelligence assessments that Russia meddled with the 2016 election,
drew fire from members of both political parties, who said he put
Russia above US interests.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)(Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, The Trump
administration said it's filing a challenge at the WTO against
China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico and Turkey for tariffs
they imposed against the US in retaliation to earlier US actions.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, US federal
prosecutors revealed that they have arrested Maria Butina (29), a
Russian citizen living in the US, and accused her of working as a
covert Russian agent.
   (SFC, 7/16/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In southern
Afghanistan the Taliban attacked a police checkpoint in the
Arghistan district of Kandahar province late today, killing nine
policemen and wounding seven. 25 Taliban fighters were killed and 15
wounded in the ensuing battle.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Bangladesh a
truck overturned in a refugee camp for Rohingya Muslims from
Myanmar, killing at least four refugees, three from the same family
in Cox's Bazar.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, The BBC reported
that the British government will accept four changes to its customs
legislation proposed by eurosceptics within PM Theresa May's party,
neutralizing a planned rebellion by lawmakers who reject her Brexit
plan.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Croatia rolled out
a red carpet and staged a euphoric heroes' welcome for the country's
national soccer team despite its loss a day earlier to France in the
World Cup final.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Egypt's parliament
passed a law that could make senior military officers immune from
future prosecution tied to violence which followed the 2013 ouster
of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Egypt's parliament
passed a bill targeting popular social media accounts that
authorities accuse of publishing "fake news," the latest move in a
five-year-old drive to suppress dissent and silence independent
sources of news. The law reinforced the state's control over the
internet, including social media accounts of organizations and
individuals with more than 5,000 followers.
   (AP, 7/18/18)(AFP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Equatorial Guinea
began a "national dialogue" put forward by its autocratic leader
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema in the absence of key opposition
figures as political prisoners remained behind bars.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Eritrea's
President Isaias Afwerki reopened his country's embassy in Ethiopia,
the latest in a series of dizzying peace moves after two decades of
war between the neighbors.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Finland
activists used today's summit between US President Donald Trump and
Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a 2nd day of high-profile
protests in Helsinki over a variety of grievances.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, France expelled
Djamel Beghal, an Algerian-born man twice convicted in France on
terror charges, to stand trial in his homeland. He has been a
high-profile figure for years in the underground world of terrorism.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, The French Embassy
said a decision to close the Business France office in Moscow was
made because "operating conditions have degraded considerably" in
recent months.
   (AP, 7/16/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In western Georgia
four miners were killed and six injured when the roof of a coal mine
collapsed in Tkibuli.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, India's government
said it has ordered inspections of all centers run by Mother
Teresa's charity following the arrest of a nun and a worker at one
of its shelters for unwed mothers for allegedly selling a baby.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Indonesia the
chief executive of electricity utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara
(PLN) denied wrongdoing after the country's Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) searched his house for evidence in a power station
graft probe.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Iraq protests
continued into their second week following days of clashes. Since
the daily protests began on July 8 in Basra eight people have been
killed, with demonstrators rallying to put social problems in the
spotlight.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, An Israeli
aircraft hit two Hamas posts in the Gaza Strip in response to
balloons carrying firebombs over the border fence to burn Israeli
farmland.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Kenya former US
President Barack Obama praised a rapprochement between President
Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga but said they must
do more to heal the rifts between Kenya's 40-odd ethnic groups.
Obama was there to open a school in his father's home village of
Kogelo.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Libyan security
forces said right migrants, mostly children, had suffocated to death
trapped in a refrigerator truck carrying around 100 people in a
vehicle just east of Zuwara near the Tunisian border.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In southern
Pakistan a trailer truck has hit a parked passenger bus carrying
wedding guests on a busy highway near the southern city of
Hyderabad, killing at least 15 people in the town of Matiarai, Sindh
province.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In central
Pakistan a gas cylinder exploded at a restaurant in the city of
Multan and killed at least three people.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, The Philippine
army said soldiers have arrested Nafisa Pundog, the wife of a top
leader of a pro-Islamic State militant group, and killed suspected
bomber Najib Pundog in separate raids in General Santos City. The
two individuals were not related.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Saudi Arabia said
it's banning a long list of popular video games after allegations
surfaced that two children killed themselves after being encouraged
to do so in an online game. A girl (13) and a boy (12) had
reportedly killed themselves after playing the so-called "Blue
Whale" social media game.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Sicily about
400 migrants aboard two border patrol ships disembarked at the
Pozzallo port after a half-dozen European countries promised to take
some of them in rather than leave Italy alone to process their
asylum claims.
   (AP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Somalia a girl
(10) bled to death in a hospital two days after her mother took her
to a traditional circumciser in central Galmudug state. The UN says
about 98 percent of women and girls in the Horn of Africa nation
undergo female genital mutilation.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, Syrian regime
forces backed by Russia made sweeping advances on against rebels
holding out in the country's vital southern zone. Russian shelling
killed 30 jihadists over the last 24 hours. An ambush by Al-Qaeda's
former affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) left 12 regime forces
dead.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, In Syria
award-winning Palestinian-Syrian photographer Niraz Saied (27) was
reported to have died after nearly three years in regime detention.
He had documented life in the Yarmuk refugee camp in southern
Damascus.
   (AFP, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 16, The political arm
of the Syrian Democratic Forces militia said it would work to set up
a unified administration to consolidate its authority in northern
and eastern Syria. The Kurdish-led SDF holds around a quarter of
Syria.
   (Reuters, 7/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, US House of
Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said he is willing to consider
additional sanctions on Russia, and reiterated his support for US
intelligence community findings that Russia interfered in the 2016
election.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Gary Beach, a Tony
Award-winning actor, died at his home in Palm Springs. He won the
2001 Tony for best featured actor in a musical for "The Producers".
   (SSFC, 7/22/18, p.C8)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In Hawaii Officer
Bronson Kaimana Kaliloa was fatally shot during a shootout following
a traffic stop near Hilo.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y97wgqru)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Former New York
state Senate leader Dean Skelos and his son were convicted of
extortion, wire fraud and bribery charges of pressuring business to
give the son no-show jobs or else risk losing political support.
   (SFC, 7/18/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In NYC nurse
Samantha Stewart was found dead in her Queens apartment. Danueal
Drayton was later arrested in Los Angeles following the rape of a
woman. He claimed to have killed at least five women in Connecticut
and New York. A New York judge had freed Drayton on July 5 in a
strangulation case not knowing he had a violent criminal history.
   (SFC, 8/4/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Astronomers
confirmed that the moon count for Jupiter has reached 79.
   (SFC, 7/18/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In northern
Afghanistan an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 20 people,
including a Taliban commander. In southern Helmand province, a
government commando unit freed 54 people from a Taliban-run jail.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, It was reported
that Britain's official Brexit campaign, Vote Leave, has been fined
and reported to the police for breaking spending rules in the 2016
EU membership referendum, boosting calls for a second vote.
   (AFP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Britain's United
Utilities said a temporary ban on using garden hoses or sprinklers
for watering gardens and washing cars will take effect on August 5
as dry weather affected millions of customers in the northwest.
   (SFC, 7/18/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Petr Krcal, the
Czech Republic's labor and social affairs minister, became the 2nd
member of the new government to resign because of plagiarism
allegations. Justice Minister Tatana Mala stepped down last week
amid similar allegations.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, The European Union
and Japan signed a landmark deal in Tokyo that will eliminate nearly
all tariffs on products they trade.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, The European Court
of Human Rights ordered Russia to pay 20,000 euros ($23,442) in
damages to relatives of murdered investigative journalist Anna
Politkovskaya, saying it had failed to carry out an effective
investigation into her killing.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Amazon workers in
Germany and Spain called for strikes over salary and working
conditions to coincide with the online retailer's global sales
event, Prime Day.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, India's highest
court asked the federal government to consider enacting a law to
deal with an increase in lynchings and mob violence fueled mostly by
rumors that the victims either belonged to members of child
kidnapping gangs or were beef eaters and cow slaughterers.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In India a
six-story building under construction collapsed onto an adjacent
building east of New Delhi, killing at least three people and
trapping several others under the debris.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Indonesian police
said they have killed 11 suspected petty criminals and shot dozens
more in a heavy-handed campaign to free the capital, Jakarta, of
street crime before next month's Asian Games.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, The International
Court of Justice said Iran has filed a suit against the United
States alleging that sanctions imposed by Washington in May violate
a 1955 bilateral treaty between the two countries.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Iraqi police
wielded batons and rubber hoses to disperse about 250 protesters
gathered at the main entrance to the Zubair oilfield near Basra as
unrest across southern cities over poor basic services gathered
pace.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Israel's
parliament passed a law that could see groups critical of government
policies toward the Palestinians banned from entering Israeli
schools and speaking with pupils.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Israel placed new
restrictions on its only cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip in
response to continued Hamas hostilities, even after it agreed to a
cease-fire ending 24 hours of intense fighting.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Japan and the US
extended their 30-year nuclear pact as Tokyo pledged to work to
reduce its plutonium stockpile to address Washington's concern.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Russian Orthodox
Patriarch Kirill led some 100,000 people in a nighttime procession
to mark 100 years since the Bolsheviks murdered tsar Nicholas II and
his family, amid a simmering conflict between the state and the
Church over their remains.
   (AFP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Russia's Defense
Ministry said it's ready to boost cooperation with the US military
in Syria, following talks between US President Donald Trump and
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Russia and
Tajikistan began joint military exercises near the Tajik-Afghan
border to prepare to ward off potential Taliban attacks.
   (AFP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Saudi Arabia
executed seven people convicted of criminal offenses, including five
men for the robbery and murder of a Pakistani warehouse guard in the
western city of Jiddah.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Slovak authorities
extradited an asylum seeker from the Russian Caucasus region of
Ingushetia to Russia, despite protests by rights watchdogs and a UN
Human Rights Committee ruling. Aslan Yandiev had been held in
custody in Slovakia since 2011 on a Russian warrant for involvement
in a series of bomb attacks in 2006 in Vladikavkaz. Yandiev has said
he had been tortured into confessing to terrorism-related crimes.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, In South Africa
former US Pres. Barack Obama gave a speech to mark the 100th
anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth and made clear the world is at
a crossroads between Mandela's vision of tolerance and current
"disturbed" times.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Spain's
Constitutional Court said it had blocked a motion approved by
Catalonia's parliament to resume steps to declare independence of
the wealthy northeastern region.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Proactiva Open
Arms, a Spanish rescue group, said it found one woman alive and
another dead, along with the body of a toddler, amid the drifting
remains of a destroyed migrant boat 80 nautical miles from the
Libyan coast. The group accused Libya's coast guard of abandoning
the three people in the Mediterranean Sea after intercepting 160
Europe-bound migrants a day earlier.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Syrian state tv
and rebels said the Syria army and its allies have taken control of
a strategic hill overlooking the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In
the south air strikes killed 14 civilians in Ain al-Tina village on
Quneitra's border with Daraa near the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights. It was not immediately clear whether the strikes were
carried out by the regime or its Russian ally.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)(AFP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, The UN human
rights office said police and authorities in Nicaragua have killed
and imprisoned people without due process and committed torture. It
called for an end to violence in which an estimated 280 people have
died since April.
   (Reuters, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 17, Yemeni officials
said heavy fighting over the last two weeks along the western coast
between pro-government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and
Shiite rebels has killed at least 30 civilians, including women and
children.
   (AP, 7/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, US President
Donald Trump insisted his summit with Vladimir Putin had been a
success, despite the uproar over his apparent acceptance of the
Russian leader's denial of election meddling and criticism of his
convoluted efforts to explain away his comments.
   (AFP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, It was reported
that the US FDA has announced a voluntary recall of valsartan, a
widely prescribed blood pressure medication made in China. The FDA
said it might be tainted by N-nitrosodimethylamine, considered a
probable human carcinogen.
   (SFC, 7/18/18, p.C3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In San Francisco,
Ca., Amer Sinan Alhaggagi (23), an Oakland resident accused of
plotting Islamic State bomb attacks in San Francisco and the East
Bay, pleaded guilty to several felony charges.
   (SFC, 7/19/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, California's
Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park, which began July 13, has
now burned through 17,319 acres in Mariposa County and was just 5%
contained.
   (SFC, 7/18/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Burton Richter
(b.1931), Nobel Prize winner in Physics (1976), died at Stanford
Hospital. He had designed that Stanford Positron Electron
Accelerating Ring (SPEAR) and cajoling the US Energy Dept. into
financing $6 million to build it.
   (SFC, 7/25/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Iowa college
student Mollie Tibbetts (20) disappeared while running in her
hometown of Brooklyn. On August 21 suspect Christhian Bahena Rivera
(24), a Mexican living in the US illegally, led investigators to her
body in a cornfield 12 miles southeast of Brooklyn.
   (SFC, 8/22/18, p.A6)(SFC, 8/23/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Pennsylvania's
highest court upheld Philadelphia's tax on soda and other sweetened
drinks.
   (SFC, 7/18/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Adrian Cronauer,
former US Air Force sergeant, died in Virginia. During his service
in Vietnam in 1965 and 1966 he opened his Armed Forces Radio show
with the phrase "Good Morning, Vietnam." He and Ben Moses coproduced
the 1987 film "Good Morning, Vietnam," starring Robin Williams.
   (SFC, 7/20/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Tesla and SpaceX
CEO Elon Musk apologized for calling a British diver involved in the
Thailand cave rescue a pedophile, saying he spoke in anger but was
wrong to do so. There was no immediate public reaction from diver
Vern Unsworth to Musk's latest tweets.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Afghan officials
said gunmen have abducted a team of 12 mine-clearing workers in
eastern Kunar province.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In northern
Afghanistan 14 civilians were killed in an explosion in Kunduz
province. The deaths resulted from a US airstrike on their home.
   (AP, 7/19/18)(SFC, 7/21/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Bosnia's
prosecutor's office said police have seized 665 kg (1,466 pounds) of
a potent form of cannabis known as skunk hidden inside a truck, and
arrested one person in one of the biggest drug hauls in the Balkan
country.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, British PM Theresa
May said her government had begun negotiations with the European
Union based on her hard-won Brexit plan, pressing on with a proposal
criticized by both wings of her Conservative Party.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, British rock star
Cliff Richard (77) was awarded $273,000 in damages after winning a
privacy lawsuit against the BBC fir its coverage of a 2014 police
raid over alleged sex offenses.
   (SFC, 7/18/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, At Britain's
Farnborough airshow European air giant Airbus unveiled a
solar-powered drone called Zephyr that will fly at a high altitude
and fulfil the same functions as a satellite.
   (AFP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Britons
Christopher Lythgoe (32) and Matthew Hankinson (24) were jailed
after they were found guilty at London's Old Bailey Court of being
members of National Action, a neo-Nazi organization that claimed a
race war was imminent.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Hundreds of
farmers from around Bulgaria rallied in the capital Sofia against
the government-ordered mass slaughter of livestock following the
first outbreak in the EU of the highly contagious Peste des Petits
Ruminants (PPR).
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Canadian PM Justin
Trudeau shuffled his cabinet ahead of a challenging 2019 election,
stressing the need to diversify trade away from the United States
while leaving key ministers in place.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Democratic
Republic of Congo's parliament passed a law expanding financial
privileges for former presidents, a move seen as an incentive for
President Joseph Kabila to step down following an election in
December.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Nineteen people
died when a boat carrying 150 migrants sank off the coast of
northern Cyprus and rescuers were searching for 25 other people. 103
migrants were rescued by boats and helicopters of the Turkish and
northern Cypriot coast guards.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Eritrea and
Ethiopia resumed commercial airline flights for the first time in
two decades. Two flights left Addis Ababa within minutes of each
other and an hour and a half later touched down in the Eritrean
capital Asmara.
   (AFP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, The EU hit Google
with its biggest ever fine, imposing a 4.34 billion euro ($5
billion) penalty on the US tech giant for illegally abusing the
dominance of its operating system for mobile devices.
   (AFP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Germany a
Vietnamese man admitted in court that he helped his country's secret
services to kidnap a former oil executive in broad daylight from a
Berlin street and smuggle him back to Vietnam last year, where
businessman Trinh Xuan Thanh has been jailed for life for
corruption.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Hungarian PM
Viktor Orban arrived for a controversial visit to Israel as he and
his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu find common cause in their
right-wing views.
   (AFP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Ali Akbar Salehi,
the head of Iran's atomic agency, said Iran has built a factory that
can produce rotors for up to 60 centrifuges a day, upping the stakes
in a confrontation with Washington over the Islamic Republic's
nuclear work.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Japan approved its
first national legislation banning smoking inside of public
facilities, but the watered-down measure excludes many restaurants
and bars and is seen as toothless.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, The Nigeria Police
Force said eight suspected members of Islamist militant group Boko
Haram have confessed to involvement in the 2014 abduction of some
270 girls from the town of Chibok.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Pakistani
authorities reversed this week's controversial order that former PM
Nawaz Sharif be tried on corruption charges in jail for security
reasons.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Romania's top
court ruled that a gay Romanian-American couple is entitled to the
same residency rights as other married couples in the European
Union.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Saudi Arabia
intercepted a missile fired from rebel-held territory in neighboring
Yemen, where a Riyadh-led coalition is fighting the insurgents.
   (AFP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In South Africa
former US president Barack Obama advised talented young Africans to
drive change at home rather than emigrating, and urged their
governments to do more to curb a brain drain.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In Sweden dozens
of forest wildfires raged across Sweden the country, prompting
Stockholm to ask for emergency EU help to fight the blazes, which
broke out during an extreme heatwave in the Nordic region.
   (AFP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Syrian government
forces unleashed an intense overnight bombing campaign, killing at
least a dozen people and wounding over 100 in the densely populated
town of Nawa.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, In northwestern
Syria more than 100 buses arrived to evacuate thousands of people
from two loyalist Syrian villages that are besieged by rebels, under
a deal in which the government is expected to release hundreds of
detainees.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Turkey's President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan filed complaints against the main opposition
party leader and 72 legislators accusing them of insults for posting
and sharing a cartoon on social media that depicts him as a variety
of different animals.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, Turkey's main
opposition leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, was fined for defaming
President Tayyip Erdogan and his family over claims about
international money transfers. The ruling, ordering a 359,000 lira
($75,000) payment to the president and his close circle, marked the
largest sum yet.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, A Turkish court
decided to keep Andrew Brunson, a Christian pastor from North
Carolina, in jail dashing hopes that he could be released during his
trial on terrorism and spying charges, a case that has deepened a
rift with NATO ally Washington.
   (Reuters, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 18, A Vatican-approved
journal launched its second major critique of American evangelicals,
dismissing "prosperity gospel" theology as a "pseudo" faith
dangerously tied up with the American Dream and President Donald
Trump's politics. "The Prosperity Gospel: Dangerous and Different"
was published in the current issue of the Jesuit journal La Civilta
Cattolica.
   (AP, 7/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, US President
Donald Trump said he wants a second meeting with Russia's Vladimir
Putin to start implementing ideas they discussed at the Helsinki
summit.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Florida Michael
Drejka (47), a white man, shot and killed Markeis McGlockton (28),
an unarmed black man, following an altercation at a Clearwater store
parking lot. On Aug. 13 Drejka was charged with manslaughter. On
August 23, 2019, a jury found Drejka guilty of manslaughter.
   (SFC, 8/14/18, p.A5)(SSFC, 8/25/19, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Unexpected
twisters hit central Iowa and flattened buildings in Marshalltown,
Pella and Bondurant. At least 17 people were injured.
   (SSFC, 7/22/18, p.A11)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Missouri a
"duck boat" sank in a storm on Table Rock Lake outside of Branson,
killing 17 people. The amphibious vehicle was filled with 31
passengers. On July 29 a $100 million suit was filed on behalf of
two of nine members of an Indiana family who died in the tragedy. On
July 30 a suit for $125,000 was filed on behalf of three daughters
of William and Michelle Bright of Higginsville, Mo.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)(SFC, 7/31/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Electric prices in
some US Western markets rose to their highest in more than four
years as power generators compete for dwindling natural gas supplies
to keep air conditioners humming as a heat wave bakes much of the
region.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Facebook said it
would begin removing misinformation that could lead people to being
physically harmed, largely in response to episodes Sri Lanka,
Myanmar and India, in which rumors spread on Facebook led to
real-world attacks on ethnic minorities.
   (SFC, 7/20/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The Abu Dhabi
National Oil Company said it has awarded contracts worth AED 5.88
billion ($1.6 billion) to China's largest state-owned oil company to
conduct what is says is the world's largest continuous 3D offshore
and onshore seismic survey.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Australia's PM
Malcolm Turnbull called on Pope Francis to fire Adelaide Archbishop
Philip Wilson (67), who is the most senior Roman Catholic cleric
ever convicted for covering up child sexual abuse.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Flight space over
Belgium was closed due to a problem with a flight data processing
system at Belgium air traffic controller Belgocontrol.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, British police
arrested Maarten Peter Pieterse (59) and Emile Adriaan Jeroen
Schoemaker (44) after a Netherlands-registered boat that they were
travelling on was intercepted by a Border Force cutter 120 miles
(193 km) off the far southwestern county of Cornwall. Officers
discovered an estimated two tons of cocaine, wrapped in plastic
bagging.
   (AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, At England's
Farnborough airshow US aviation giant Boeing announced 676 orders,
totaling $92 billion at list prices, while Airbus, its European
competitor, unveiled 431 orders worth $70 billion.
   (AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The Press
Association reported that British police have identified several
Russians who they believe were behind the March 4 nerve agent attack
on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Chad 18 people
were killed in an attack by suspected Boko Haram jihadists in the
Lake Chad region near the border with Niger.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The European
Commission stepped up a legal battle with Hungary over EU migration
rules and denounced as illegal its "Stop Soros" law that
criminalizes support for asylum seekers.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, President Emmanuel
Macron presented a distinctively modern face for Marianne, France's
traditional symbol of its revolutionary values. Macron chose the
Abidjan-based French-British street artist Yseult Digan, more widely
known as YZ (pronounced 'Eyes').
   (AFP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In western Germany
Ahmed Massoud (32) was arrested in Duesseldorf after a standoff with
police, who were alerted by the suspect's wife. The woman told
officers that she had received a video call from Massoud in which he
was seen holding their crying daughter (7) and threatening to hurt
the girl. By the time police entered the apartment, the girl was
dead.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Greek police boats
began searching along the Evros River on the Greek-Turkish border
for a Turkish woman and her three young children missing since the
boat they were using to cross the border capsized.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In central India
security forces killed eight Maoist insurgents, including four
women, in an exchange of gunfire early today in Chhattisgarh state.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, India's lower
house of parliament approved a bill that would allow authorities to
seize assets of fugitives accused of crimes involving sums over 1
billion rupees ($14 million). The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill
law will go to the upper house and the president in the coming days.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Indonesia a
girl (15) who was raped by her brother was sentenced to six months
in prison for having an abortion. The brother (18) received a
two-year prison sentence for having sex with a minor.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Israel's
parliament adopted a law defining the country as the nation state of
the Jewish people, provoking fears it could lead to blatant
discrimination against Arab citizens. The law also defined the
establishment of Jewish communities as being in the national
interest and downgraded Arabic from an official language to one with
special status.
   (AFP, 7/19/18)(AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, An Israeli
airstrike against a Gaza crew launching incendiary devices killed a
member of the militant group Hamas and wounded three others.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Kazakhstan
Denis Ten (25), a 2014 Olympic bronze medalist figure skater, was
stabbed to death. Ten was knifed during a struggle with two men he
had caught trying to steal the mirrors on his car in Almaty.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, A Kenyan court
sentenced Ruth Kamande, a 24-year-old jail beauty queen, to death
for murdering her boyfriend by stabbing him 25 times, drawing
criticism from rights groups who called the punishment "inhumane."
She had slashed her partner Farid Mohammed (24) to death in 2015 and
was convicted in May.
   (AFP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Macedonia's
parliament adopted a declaration supporting the country's bid to
join NATO, after the alliance formally invited it to join once it
fully implements a deal recently signed with neighboring Greece
changing its name to North Macedonia.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The independent
group Fortify Rights said the Myanmar military systematically
prepared for attacks on Rohingya Muslims, confiscating knives and
other sharp-edged tools, arming and training non-Muslim civilians
and forcing Rohingya families to remove protective fences around
their homes.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Nicaragua's
President Daniel Ortega prepared to celebrate the anniversary of the
leftwing revolution that first brought him to power in 1979, while
cracking down on popular unrest demanding his ouster.
   (AFP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Niger French
Defence Minister Florence Parly arrived for talks with her Nigerien
counterpart Kalla Moutari and President Mahamadou Issoufou about
boosting the G5 Sahel force's "operational dynamics".
   (AFP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The latest Global
Slavery Index showed one in 10 people in North Korea live in
slavery, with most forced to work for the state. The index listed
Eritrea, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Afghanistan,
Mauritania, South Sudan, Pakistan, Cambodia and Iran as the worst
offenders after North Korea.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Two Palestinian
families demolished the homes they had lived in for nearly two
decades, saying they would rather destroy them than face the
prospect of Israeli settlers moving in.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, The Philippine
immigration bureau ordered the deportation of Sister Patricia Anne
Fox, an Australian nun, who has angered the president by joining
anti-government rallies. Her lawyers called the move "persecution"
and said they would appeal.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Russian President
Vladimir Putin accused forces in the United States of trying to
undermine the success of his first summit with US President Donald
Trump, but said the two leaders had begun to improve U.S.-Russia
ties anyway.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Russian lawmakers
tentatively approved a hugely unpopular government plan to raise the
pension age to 65 for men and 63 for women. The plan has led to
protests and a record slump in Vladimir Putin's approval ratings.
   (AFP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Saudi state news
agency SPA reported that state-owned Saudi Arabian Military
Industries (SAMI) has signed an agreement with Spain's Navantia to
set up a joint venture in the kingdom to build five warships.
   (Reuters, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, A Spanish Supreme
Court judge dropped extradition requests for six politicians wanted
on rebellion charges for their roles in promoting independence for
Spain's Catalonia region, including former regional president Carles
Puigdemont.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In Sudan Egyptian
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi met with President Omar al-Bashir as
well as other Sudanese officials at the start of a two-day visit.
They vowed to set differences aside and bolster relations. They
agreed to mend ties, frayed by repeated failures to reach a deal
over an upstream Nile dam being built by Ethiopia, and the revival
of a longstanding dispute over a border territory held by Cairo and
claimed by Khartoum.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Syrian rebels
agreed to surrender a sensitive area bordering the Israeli-annexed
Golan Heights. The agreement followed another deal that saw
thousands of residents evacuated from two pro-regime towns in
northern Syria long besieged by hardline rebels. Over 7,00 people
were evacuated from the Foua and Kfarya villages.
   (AFP, 7/19/18)(SFC, 7/20/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, Turkish
authorities formally arrested Adnan Oktar, a controversial Islamic
televangelist and cult leader, on charges that include forming a
criminal gang, blackmail and sexual abuse of minors. At least 168 of
Oktar's followers were also formally arrested on the same charges.
   (AP, 7/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, In northern
Vietnam a flash flood swept through a small village in Lang Chanh
district, Thanh Hoa province, and carried away a dozen stilt houses.
Flooding triggered by a tropical storm has killed at least 20 people
and left over a dozen missing.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 19, A boat carrying
more than 160 African migrants capsized off Yemen's southern
province of Shabwa. Twenty-five Ethiopian migrants were reported
missing.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y9tt69an)(SFC, 7/21/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Pres. Donald Trump
for a second day criticized the Federal Reserve, breaking with a
long-standing tradition at the White House of avoiding any
influence, real or perceived, on the independence of the US central
bank.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, A top CIA expert
on Asia said China is waging a "quiet kind of cold war" against the
United States, using all its resources to try to replace America as
the leading power in the world.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, California's
Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park, which began July 13, has
now burned through 22,892 acres in Mariposa County and was just 7%
contained.
   (SFC, 7/21/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Kristin Wilczynski
(50) was fatally struck in Hamden, Connecticut. In 2019 her husband
filed a $35 million lawsuit filed against the federal government
saying that an off-duty police officer, who struck and killed his
wife with a vehicle, worked for the FBI at the time.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y6ze7qoq)(AP, 7/21/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Cardiologist Dr.
Mark Hausknecht (65) was fatally shot by a fellow bicyclist at the
Texas Medical Center in Houston. Joseph James Pappas (62) was later
accused of the killing. On August 3 Pappas fatally shot himself
during a confrontation with authorities. Pappas' mother had died in
April 1997 on the doctor's operating table.
   (SSFC, 7/22/18, p.A11)(SFC, 8/4/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Hawaii Justin
Waiki was killed during a shootout with police three days after
fatally shooting a police officer on the Big Island.
   (SFC, 7/21/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Utah
10-month-old Alex Hidalgo Jr. was stabbed multiple times and found
covered in blood in a garbage can. Alex Hidalgo (37) of Ogden was
arrested the next day and charged with aggravated murder and
obstruction of justice.
   (SFC, 7/23/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The Wall Street
Journal reported that Facebook has suspended Crimson Hexagon, a
Boston analytics firm, from its site and says it is investigating
whether the company's contracts with the US government and a Russian
non-profit violated policies.
   (AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Abu Dhabi
Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and
other Chinese officials held morning meetings with powerful crown
prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the crown prince of
Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktuom, and others at the
presidential palace as China and the UAE seek to deepen economic
ties.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Afghan officials
said battles between Taliban and Islamic State fighters in a remote
district of northern Jawzjan province have caused heavy casualties
and displaced thousands of people in recent days. Top NATO commander
in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, estimated this year that
Islamic State has around 1,500 fighters in Afghanistan, mainly in
the east and in a "pocket" in Jawzjan.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Human Rights Watch
urged the Brazilian government to establish buffer zones nationwide
when pesticides are sprayed and reduce the use of highly toxic
products. Some 4,000 pesticide poisoning case were reported in
Brazil last year.
   (SFC, 7/21/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, A report by the
consulting firm Oliver Wyman said quitting the EU could leave
British households up to 960 pounds ($1,260) worse off each year.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Bulgaria's
parliament voted to bar the government from signing bilateral
agreements with other European Union countries on readmitting
migrants who arrived in Europe via the Black Sea state.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Canada's
government said the nation's annual inflation rate rose to 2.5
percent in June, its highest level in more than six years, on the
back of higher fuel and food prices.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Chile's
archdiocese of the city of Rancagua said the Vatican has dismissed
Chilean deacon Luis Rubio over sexual abuse accusations, amid a
widespread abuse scandal gripping the country's Catholic Church.
   (AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, China's government
posted a cartoon video featuring a soybean on the website of China
Global Television Network (CGTN), the overseas news network of
state-owned China Central Television. It seemed to be designed to
undermine support for the trade dispute from US farmers, key
supporters of President Donald Trump, by highlighting the damage
tariffs could have on American soybean exports.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, It was reported
that Ethiopia has passed a law that grants amnesty to political
prisoners who have been released recently and reverses decades of
security-obsessed rule.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, French President
Emmanuel Macron fired Alexandre Benalla, the head of his personal
security detail, but faced criticism for failing to act sooner,
after video was released showing the man posing as a police officer
and beating a protester while off duty in May.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, France sent 50
tons of medical aid to government-controlled eastern Ghouta in Syria
after Russia agreed to facilitate its delivery, raising hopes for
future aid efforts.
   (Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Germany a man
armed with a knife attacked people on a bus in the northern city of
Luebeck, wounding at least 14 people, two seriously, before being
arrested by police.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, German astronaut
Alexander Gerst played a duet of Kraftwerk's 1978 song "Spacelab"
with the band to cheers from an audience in Stuttgart.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Germany-based
Bayer, the maker of a permanent contraceptive implant subject to
thousands of injury reports and repeated safety restrictions by
regulators, said that it will stop selling Essure in the US, the
only country where it remains available.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The Israeli army
struck 60 Hamas sites including weapon manufacturing sites, a drone
warehouse and a military operations room following the death of an
Israeli soldier shot near the border. Three Hamas militants were
killed as air raids sent fireballs exploding into the sky over Gaza.
A fourth Palestinian was shot dead in protests near the border.
   (AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Japan's PM Shinzo
Abe warned the US that higher tariff on auto imports would backfire
and harm not only America's jobs and economy but also devastate the
global economy.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Japan's parliament
approved a contentious law allowing up to three casino resorts to
open in this wealthy nation and possibly lure more foreign visitors.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Kazakhstan
Nuraly Kiyasov "confessed his guilt in the presence of an attorney"
while being questioned over the death a day earlier of figure skater
Denis Ten. Police sought a second man, named as Arman Kudaibergenov,
in the case.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Mexico 12
people were killed after a passenger van crashed on the outskirts of
Mexico City.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The Netherlands
and Turkey said they were resuming full diplomatic ties for the
first time since Dutch officials barred two Turkish ministers from
attending an election rally in 2017.
   (AFP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Pakistani security
forces killed Hidayat Ullah, the mastermind of the country's worst
ever suicide bombing, in an early morning shootout in the southwest
province of Balochistan. An official said Ullah was facilitator of
Hafeez Nawaz, who carried out the suicide bombing last week which
killed at least 149 people.
   (AFP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Peru hundreds
of villagers in the remote Sihuas province broke into offices of the
local prosecutor and court, destroying thousands of criminal case
files to protest corruption in the judicial system.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In the Philippines
radio commentator Joey Llana (38) was shot about a dozen times as he
was leaving for work in a new fatal attack in a country with an
alarming record of killings of journalists.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Russian President
Vladimir Putin said a plan to raise the retirement age would be
reviewed, signaling a retreat from a reform that is needed to
balance state finances but which has hurt his popularity.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, The official Saudi
Press Agency said the kingdom "rejects and disapproves" of Israel's
new legislation which it argued contradicts international law.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Singapore's
government said a major cyberattack on the government health
database stole the personal information of about 1.5 million people,
including PM Lee Hsien Loong.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Somalia's Islamist
militant group al Shabaab captured Af Urur, a small but strategic
town 100 km (60 miles) south of Bosaso city in the semi-autonomous
Puntland region. Puntland military forces had left the town a day
earlier.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, A South Korean
court sentenced former President Park Geun-hye to an additional
eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws. She
was already serving a 24-year prison term over a massive corruption
scandal that led to her removal from office last year.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Swedish PM Stefan
Lofven said his government is working "every minute" to get
necessary resources to the hundreds of firefighters and emergency
workers fighting some 50 blazes mostly in central and western Sweden
but also in the north, above the Arctic Circle.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Syrian rebels
began evacuating the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights,
leaving for the rebel-held north in a surrender deal that restores
President Bashar al-Assad's control of the frontier.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, Pope Francis
accepted the resignation of a senior Roman Catholic bishop in
Honduras, following allegations of financial and sexual impropriety
against the cleric.
   (Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, A Vietnamese court
convicted American William Nguyen of disturbing public order after
he took part in a rare protest in June and ordered him deported.
Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese descent, admitted to the violation and
showed remorse, which resulted in a lenient sentence.
   (AP, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 20, In Zimbabwe Samuel
Undenge, a former minister who served under ex president Robert
Mugabe, was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to four years
in jail, the first conviction of a Mugabe-era official since he
stepped down.
   (Reuters, 7/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, The Trump
administration released a set of documents once deemed top secret
relating to the wiretapping of Carter Page, a onetime adviser to
Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Visible portions indicated
that the FBI had told the intelligence court that Page had
established relationships with Russian government officials.
   (AP, 7/22/18)(SSFC, 7/22/18, p.A15)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, US officials said
the Trump administration has launched an offensive of speeches and
online communications meant to foment unrest and help pressure Iran
to end its nuclear program and its support of militant groups.
   (Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, US Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that Pres. Donald Trump was not trying
to put pressure on the Federal Reserve when he criticized its
decision to raise interest rates.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In Los Angeles
Gene Evin Atkins (28) shot his grandmother seven times and wounded
his girlfriend. He fled the scene and following a police chase ran
into a Trader Joe's supermarket. TJ's employee Melyda Corado (27)
was shot and killed by police fire. Atkins held hostages for hours
before surrendering to police.
   (SSFC, 7/22/18, p.A12)(SFC, 7/23/18, p.A5)(SFC,
7/25/18, p.D7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Florida police
Officer Adam Jobbers-Miller (29) was shot in the head by a fleeing
suspect following a reported assault and theft at a Fort Myers gas
station. Suspect Wisner Desmaret (29) was taken into custody after
being shot by another officer. Jobbers-Miller died of his wounds on
July 28.
   (SFC, 7/30/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In Worcester,
England, a 3-year-old boy suffered severe burns on his face and arm
during a suspected acid attack that investigators think was
deliberate. A man (39) was soon arrested on suspicion of conspiracy
to cause grievous bodily harm.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Chinese President
Xi Jinping arrived in Senegal for a two-day visit to sign bilateral
deals beginning a four-nation visit seeking deeper military and
economic ties. His stops will also include Rwanda, South Africa and
Mauritius.
   (AP, 7/21/18)(Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Egypt said a new
Israeli law giving Jews the exclusive right to self-determination in
the country undermined the chances for peace in the Middle East and
the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.
   (Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Egypt raised
natural gas prices for households and businesses by between 33.3 and
75 percent, the latest among tough austerity measures aimed at
rebuilding the country's economy battered by years of unrest since a
2011 uprising.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In western India
Rakbar Khan (28), a Muslim man, was beaten to death by a mob
overnight over allegations of smuggling cows in Rajasthan state.
Vigilantes in Alwar district attacked Khan as he transported two
cows. It took police more than 2 hours to take the victim to a
nearby hospital, where he later died, opting instead to take his
cows to a shelter first, some 17 km away. Police soon arrested three
people in connection with the incident and were looking for a few
more.
   (AP, 7/21/18)(Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In central India a
woman was found dead after being lynched on rumors that she was part
of a gang that kidnapped children. At least 14 people were arrested
in Madhya Pradesh state's Singrauli district following the killing.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Iranian media
reported that at least 10 Iranian border guards were killed in an
overnight attack by unidentified gunmen near the town of Marivan, a
Kurdish area near the Iraqi border.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In Italy Sergio
Marchionne (66) stepped down following 14 years heading auto giant
Fiat owing to serious health problems believed to be life
threatening. Jeep executive Mike Manley was chosen to replace him.
   (AP, 7/22/18)(SSFC, 7/22/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Macau authorities
took in 533 greyhounds abandoned following the closure today of
Asia's only legal dog-racing track.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Legal experts
commissioned by Save the Children Norway said Myanmar violated its
obligations to the UN child rights convention in its crackdown on
the Rohingya that led to an exodus of hundreds of thousands of
people from the minority community.
   (Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In northeastern
Nigeria military troops killed "scores" of Boko Haram fighters in
Yobe state. Jihadists had been intending to attack and loot the
market in the town of Babangida when they ambushed troops.
   (AFP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Police in Pakistan
said Mohammad Ahmed Mughal, an independent candidate for parliament
from Faisalabad, has shot himself to death after his sons disagreed
with his politics.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Gaza's militant
Hamas rulers said they had accepted a cease-fire ending a massive
Israeli onslaught on militant positions after a soldier was shot
dead, once again pulling the sides back from the brink of a
full-fledged war.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In the Philippines
riot police used shields and a water hose to disperse more than 100
left-wing activists in front of the US Embassy in Manila.
   (SSFC, 7/22/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, In South Africa
gunmen opened fire late today on a minibus carrying members of a
taxi drivers' association, killing 11 people and critically wounding
four others in KwaZulu-Natal province.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Spain's
conservatives elected Pablo Casado as their new leader, marking a
swing to the right for the party that governed the country from 2011
until June.
   (Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Syria's government
continued targeting the Yarmouk Basin, the lower tip of the
southwestern region where an Islamic State-affiliated group still
holds territory. A new group of rebels and their families began
evacuating from the southwest where the government has gained new
ground in its ongoing offensive.
   (AP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Humanitarian aid
sent by France and Russia arrived in Syria as the two countries'
leaders discussed a joint mission to distribute much-needed relief
supplies in a ravaged former rebel enclave.
   (AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, The United Arab
Emirates said it agreed to set up a "comprehensive strategic
partnership" with China as President Xi Jinping wrapped up a
three-day visit to the Gulf country.
   (AFP, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 21, Vietnam's rescue
committee said Tropical Storm Son Tinh has killed 20 people, left 16
missing and injured 14. The tropical storm made landfall in northern
coastal areas on July 19.
   (Reuters, 7/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, California's
Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park, which began July 13, has
now burned through 32484 acres in Mariposa County and was just 6%
contained.
   (SFC, 7/23/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Oakland, Ca.,
Nia Wilson (18) died after being stabbed on BART's MacArthur station
platform. Transient John Lee Cowell (27) had stabbed Wilson and her
sister, who was hospitalized, and escaped the scene. Cowell was
arrested the next day. BART officials later acknowledged that this
was the third possible homicide on the transit system in the last
five days. On March 10, 2020, a jurt found Cowell guilty of
first-degree murder. On March 16 a judge declared Cowell was sane
when he stabbed Wilson. On July 17, 2020 Cowell was sentenced to
life in prison.
   (SFC, 7/24/18, p.A1)(SFC, 3/11/20, p.A7)(SFC,
3/17/20, p.B1)(SFC, 7/18/20, p.B1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Nevada John
Kelley O'Connor (48) walked into his Mormon church in Fallon and
opened fire killing one man and wounding another. O'Connor was
charged with murder and battery.
   (SFC, 7/24/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Washington
state a Kent police officer was hit and killed by a police vehicle
while attempting to deploy spike strips to stop a fleeing driver.
The suspect also crashed and was taken into custody.
   (SFC, 7/23/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Afghanistan 14
people, including both civilians and military forces, were killed in
a suicide attack near Kabul's airport shortly after Vice President
Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum landed on his return from abroad. Gunmen
opened fire on worshippers inside a mosque in eastern Nangarhar
province, killing four people.
   (AP, 7/22/18)(AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, A new poll said PM
Theresa May's plans to leave the EU are overwhelmingly opposed by
the British public. More than a third of voters would support a new
right-wing political party committed to quitting the bloc, according
to a new poll.
   (Reuters, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Canada Faisal
Hussain (29) opened fire late today on a street in Toronto's
Greektown filled with people in restaurants, killing two people and
injuring 12 others. The suspected shooter (29) was soon found dead,
but it was not clear if he killed himself or was killed by police.
   (Reuters, 7/23/18)(SFC, 7/24/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Chinese censors
deleted articles and postings about the vaccine industry as an
online outcry over the country's latest vaccine scandal intensified.
Regulators said last week that they had halted production of a
rabies vaccine at Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology in the
northeast after finding fabricated records and other problems during
an inspection.
   (AFP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Typhoon Ampil hit
Chinese financial hub Shanghai around midday, bringing heavy
rainfall and disrupting transport and shipping. More than 600
flights from the city's two airports were canceled and high-speed
rail services also impacted.
   (Reuters, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Comoros
vice-president Moustoidrane Abdou escaped an assassination attempt
early today when his vehicle was fired on days before a
controversial referendum on constitutional reform.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Germany
thousands of people protested in the southern city of Munich against
what they say is the "politics of fear" that is pushing public
debate in the country to the right.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, German soccer star
Mesut Ozil announced his decision to quit the national team due to
the "racism and disrespect" he faced over his Turkish roots. This
triggered a bad-tempered public debate about the country's relations
with its largest immigrant community.
   (Reuters, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, India said people
whose names are missing from a list of citizens to be issued by
Assam state this month will not be detained, amid concerns that
Muslims will be targeted under the guise of detecting illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh.
   (Reuters, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Human rights
groups called for an independent investigation, after Indonesian
police shot dead 11 men earlier this month as part of a security
clampdown ahead of the Asian Games.
   (Reuters, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Iranian Pres.
Hassan Rouhani told US Pres. Trump that hostile policies toward
Tehran could lead to "the mother of all wars." Trump soon responded
saying Iran risked dire consequences "the like of which few
throughout history have suffered before" if the Islamic Republic
made more threats against the United States.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Fresh protests hit
southern Iraq as medical sources put at 11 the number of
demonstrators killed in two weeks of unrest sparked by ire over
corruption and lack of public services.
   (AFP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Human Rights Watch
called on Iraq's government to declare the number of detention
facilities it maintains and not to hold suspects without informing
their families.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Israelis
demonstrated and held a one-day strike to protest a law denying
surrogacy to gay couples, with some blocking a major highway in Tel
Aviv.
   (AFP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Japan Chiyo
Miyako (b.1901), the world's oldest woman, died.
   (SFC, 7/28/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Kashmir three
rebels were killed in a gunbattle with Indian troops early today in
southern Khudwani village.
   (AP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Malta's PM Joseph
Muscat said his country will take in 19 migrants rescued after their
boat capsized in the Mediterranean overnight.
   (AFP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, In Pakistan
Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate from the party of Pakistan prime
ministerial hopeful and former cricket star Imran Khan, was killed
in a suicide attack that wounded four others in the northwestern
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
   (Reuters, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Syrian and Russia
jets stepped up their bombing of an Islamic State bastion along the
Jordan-Israel border in southwestern Syria, as the militants pushed
into areas abandoned by other rebel groups.
   (Reuters, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, Some 422 members
of Syria's "White Helmet" civil defense group and their families
fled advancing government forces and slipped over the border into
Jordan overnight with the help of Israeli soldiers and Western
powers.
   (Reuters, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 22, About 2,400
swimmers took part in the Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim,
organized by the Turkish Olympic Committee, for the 30th race since
the tradition began in 1989.
   (AFP, 7/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, The White House
blamed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for inciting a war of words
with President Donald Trump, who warned that verbal threats could
escalate into military conflict with the US.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In New Mexico
flood waters rushed through the streets in Santa Fe late today,
destroying homes and businesses and trapping motorists in vehicles
as more than 3 inches (8 cm) of rain fell.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, French police
cleared 455 Sudanese and Eritrean migrants from a park in the
western city of Nantes where they had been camping for more than a
month.
   (AFP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Oksana Shachko
(31), one of the founders of the Femen feminist protest movement,
was found dead in her Paris apartment with a suicide note next to
her body. She was one of four feminist activists who founded Femen
in Ukraine in 2008.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Greece a
swift-moving forest fire burned through a mountainous area west of
Athens, prompting residents to flee as smoke from the blaze turned
the sky over the Greek capital a hazy orange. Hundreds of people
were trapped in the eastern resort of Mati as flames whipped around
them. The death toll reached 91 as another victim died on August
6. In December death toll from the fire rose to 100 as another
victim died of severe burns.
   (AP, 7/23/18)(Reuters, 7/24/18)(AP,
7/25/18)(Reuters, 7/28/18)(AP, 8/6/18)(AP, 12/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Greece a
Pakistani man (29) was stabbed to death. He was with three
compatriots heading illegally toward Greece's northern border with
Macedonia. On August 3 police announced the arrest of eight migrants
on suspicion of the murder. The eight, six Afghans and two
Pakistanis, allegedly robbed the four near the border.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Iraq three
teenage gunmen stormed the governor's headquarters in Erbil, the
capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, opening fire and killing one employee
before being shot dead by Kurdish security forces. The assailants'
motives were unclear.
   (AFP, 7/23/18)(Reuters, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Israel launched
its newest air defense system on the Syrian frontier, where
Damascus's Russian-backed forces have been routing rebels. Israeli
air defenses fired at rockets that approached its territory from
neighboring Syria, where regime troops were advancing on opposition
forces close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
   (Reuters, 7/23/18)(AFP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Italy's foreign
minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said Rome will allow migrants rescued
by a European Union naval operation to land over the coming weeks
while EU nations figure out how to divide up new arrivals.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Japan recorded its
highest temperature ever as a deadly heat wave continued to grip a
wide swath of the country and nearby South and North Korea. Over the
last two weeks more than 40 people have died in Japan and about 10
in South Korea.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In southern Laos
hundreds of people went missing and several were feared dead after
the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam under construction in Attapeu
province collapsed, causing flash flooding that swept away homes. A
least 27 people were killed when part of a newly built South
Korean-built hydroelectric dam gave way. 131 people were listed as
missing.
   (AP, 7/24/18)(AFP, 7/25/18)(AP, 7/25/18)(AP,
7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Lebanon's army
killed eight people and arrested 41 others in a raid in Brital to
arrest Ali Zeid Ismael, a well-known drug dealer. Ismael was among
those killed.
   (AP, 7/23/18)(Reuters, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, It was reported
that homicides in Mexico have risen 16 percent in the first half of
2018, as the country again breaks its records for violence.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Myanmar
small-scale miners who flouted repeated warnings in their search for
jade at a defunct mining site were buried by muddy earth that slid
off a cliff. 27 people were buried in a landslide.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In northern
Nigeria seven people were killed in a suicide attack on a mosque in
Konduga town.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, The chief justice
of Pakistan's Supreme Court appointed judge Tahira Safdar as the
first woman chief justice to Baluchistan province's highest court.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In the Philippines
former leader Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (71) was elected speaker of
the lower house of Congress, following a dramatic move by lawmakers
to replace a loyalist of President Rodrigo Duterte with one of his
most influential allies.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Rwanda's Pres.
Paul Kagame signed bilateral agreements with the visiting Chinese
president, Xi Jinping, the first Chinese president to visit Rwanda.
Kagame praised China's treatment of Africa "as an equal," calling it
"a revolutionary posture in world affairs" and "more precious than
money".
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Somali military
officer said troops have repulsed an extremist assault on a military
base in Sanguni. 10 attackers were reported killed. A spokesman for
al-Shabab claimed that its fighters managed to enter the base and
killed 27 soldiers.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Diamond producer
De Beers said it was relocating 200 elephants from its private
reserve in South Africa to neighboring Mozambique, part of wider
efforts to restore wildlife populations ravaged by conflict there.
   (Reuters, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In South Korea the
body of Roh Hoe-chan (61), a prominent liberal lawmaker of the small
opposition Justice Party, was found dead near a Seoul apartment
building. He had been embroiled in a corruption scandal and left a
suicide note of apology.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Sri Lanka's Pres.
Maithripala Sirisena said the government will still end its 42-year
moratorium on capital punishment despite requests by the European
Union and other diplomatic missions not to do so.
   (AP, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, In Syria Russian
air strikes late today killed four civilians in the pocket held by
the Islamic State group in the southern province of Daraa.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, Tunisia's Red
Crescent said a Tunisian boat carrying around 40 African migrants
has been stranded off the country's coast without aid for more than
a week after authorities refused to let them disembark there.
   (Reuters, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, The UN Int'l Court
of Justice (ICJ) ordered the United Arab Emirates to immediately
allow Qatari families affected by a dispute between the countries to
reunite, imposing the measure before it hears the full case filed by
Qatar at a later date.
   (Reuters, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 23, A court in Vietnam
jailed 10 people for terms ranging from two to 3-1/2 years after
they were arrested in last month's nationwide June 10 protests
against new economic zones.
   (Reuters, 7/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, US President
Donald Trump's family business unveiled plans to invest 150 million
pounds ($196 million) in the second phase of development at its
controversial golf course in northeastern Scotland.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, The feud between
Pres. Donald Trump and his onetime lawyer Michael Cohen escalated
when Cohen released an audio recording of their 2016 pre-election
conversation about a Playboy model's silence.
   (SFC, 7/27/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, The US Bureau of
Land Management, which oversees about 388,000 square miles (1
million square km) of public land, announced that it would no longer
use mandatory off-site compensatory mitigation on most federal land.
The directive threatened to undermine a hard-won compromise aimed at
saving the greater sage grouse, a beleaguered bird scattered across
their western region.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, The Ninth US
Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled 2-1 that Americans
have a constitutional right to carry guns. The case from Hawaii was
expected to go to the Supreme Court.
   (SFC, 7/25/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, The California
State Lottery announced that the winning ticket of the $522 million
Mega Millions drawing was bought at Ernie's Liquor in San Jose.
   (SFC, 7/26/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Heavy rains
pummeled parts of the US Southwest and mid-Atlantic, swelling floods
that have forced evacuations, disrupted air travel and cut power.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, California
officials approved $2.7 billion of voter-approved bond money for new
water storage projects.
   (SFC, 7/25/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In New Orleans two
off-duty rookie police officers beat a Latino man whom they
allegedly called a "fake American." Officers Spencer Sutton (24) and
John Galman (26) were soon fired but maintained their innocence.
   (SSFC, 7/29/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, The New York Post
reported that Ivanka Trump's clothing company is shutting down and
that all of tis employees are being laid off.
   (SFC, 7/25/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Pablo
Villavicencio, an Ecuadorean immigrant who was held for deportation
after delivering pizza to a Brooklyn Army installation, walked out
of a New Jersey immigration detention center house hours after a
judge ordered his immediate release.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, British PM Theresa
May said she would now lead negotiations with the European Union,
shifting the focus of the Brexit department toward preparing for
Britain's departure from the bloc.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, British police
said they have arrested a fifth man in the July 21 suspected acid
attack on a three-year-old boy.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Congo DRC
officially declared the end of an outbreak of Ebola, bringing the
curtain down on a 10-week re-emergence of the disease which claimed
33 lives. This was the country's ninth outbreak of Ebola since 1976.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Egypt inaugurated
several power generation projects, including three power plants
built by the German conglomerate Siemens in a ceremony attended by
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, government ministers and officials.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, The European
Commission offered to shoulder the cost of taking in migrants from
boats in the Mediterranean, seeking to entice more governments to
shoulder the burden after Italy's new government closed the
country's ports to rescue vessels.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Some Tour de
France riders needed eye treatment for tear gas when police
intervened to disperse farmers protesting against funding cuts.
Stage 16 resumed after a 15-minute delay.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Germany's domestic
intelligence agency said the number of Germans who reject the
legitimacy of the government has increased sharply over the past 18
months. the Reichsbuerger movement increased to about 16,500 people
last year from about 10,000 in 2016. By July of this year officials
estimated the movement had grown further to about 18,000 people.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, German authorities
arrested Yasmin H., the wife of a Tunisian man detained last month,
over a plot to use the toxin ricin to carry out an attack, alleging
that she was an accomplice. Her husband, Sief Allah H., was arrested
on June 12.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Greek authorities
said wildfires raging through seaside resorts near Athens torched
homes, cars and forests, killing at least 74 people.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Hungary's PM
Viktor Orban offered to help small Montenegro guard its borders
against migrants, insisting that the Balkans should remain closed
for people trying to reach Western Europe.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Indian PM Narendra
Modi stopped in Rwanda, where he signed a number of bilateral
agreements and visited a model farm to which he donated 200 cows.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Indian PM Narendra
Modi arrived in Uganda for the second stop in his tour of Africa
ahead of this week's summit of the BRICS emerging economies.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Indian police
admitted they made a mistake in handling a deadly vigilante attack
on a man suspected of cow smuggling by tending to his cows before
taking him to hospital on July 21.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Iran said it will
react with equal countermeasures if Washington tries to block its
oil exports, while the Islamic Republic's armed forces chief said US
threats would draw an "unimaginable and regrettable" reaction.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Israel's PM
Benjamin Netanyahu said Turkey was becoming a "dark dictatorship" as
he hit back at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's harsh
criticism of a "racist" new Israeli law.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Israel shot down a
Syrian fighter jet with surface-to-air missiles after the plane
infiltrated airspace it controls.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Israel partially
reopened its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip after a
two-week closure prompted by border tensions and incendiary kites
sparked fears of a severe fuel shortage in the blockaded Palestinian
enclave.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Japanese
government officials said an "unprecedented" heatwave has killed at
least 80 people in Japan over the last two weeks.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Kashmir a
paramilitary soldier was killed and two others wounded in an attack
by rebels fighting Indian rule.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In eastern Libya
militants with links to the extremist Islamic State group killed two
policemen at a checkpoint in el-Agheila. At least four people were
reported missing after the attack.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In central Mali
the Ambodedjo Airport near Sevare was hit by shells overnight, the
latest unrest just days before the country votes for a president.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Mexico Ruben
Pat Cauich, the director of a new site based in Playa del Carmen,
was shot to death. He was the 2nd journalist of the news site killed
in less than a month.
   (SFC, 7/25/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Mexico the
remains of endangered sea turtles began turning up at a wildlife
sanctuary on the Pacific coast of Chiapas state. By August 13 some
113 turtles were found dead at the Playas de Puerto Arista
Sanctuary.
   (SFC, 8/20/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In New Zealand 28
students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,
Florida, planted 17 trees to commemorate each of the students and
staff members who were killed last February 14 at their school.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Fifteen Nigerian
senators quit the ruling All Progressives Congress party, making it
a minority in parliament's upper house and indicating worsening
rifts in President Muhammadu Buhari's political camp months ahead of
an election.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, The North
Korea-focused 38 North website said commercial satellite images from
July 20 to 22 indicate the North began dismantling key facilities at
the Sohae satellite launch site.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In the Philippines
Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front,
said six of the largest guerrilla camps in the south were being
converted into "productive civilian communities" to help the
insurgents return to normal life. He also said that 30,000 to 40,000
armed fighters would be "decommissioned" if an autonomy deal that is
expected to be signed into law by the president this week is fully
enforced.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Russian agencies
reported that scientist Viktor Kudryavtsev (74) has been arrested in
a probe into allegations that staff at from the Central Research
Institute of Machine Building near Moscow, a top space research
center, have been passing information on the country's weapons
program to the West.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Syrian and Russian
aircraft pummeled a jihadist holdout in southern Syria bordering
Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after deadly strikes
overnight.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Taiwan accused
China of dragging sport into politics after a multi-million-dollar
international youth event due to be held on the island next year was
suspended.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Turkey's President
Tayyip Erdogan said an Israeli law declaring that only Jews have the
right of self-determination legitimizes oppression and shows that
Israel is a fascist and racist country where the spirit of Adolf
Hitler has re-emerged.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, Turkey's currency
tumbled amid growing questions over the central bank's ability to
set policy without interference from the increasingly powerful
office of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The central bank decided
to not raise rates, defying broad expectations in the markets for an
increase of at least one percentage point to its one-week repo rate,
from 17.75 percent.
   (AP, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 24, In Turkey a
four-storey residential building in central Istanbul, built in 1994,
collapsed into a cloud of dust in front of watching media, after
several hours perching on a ledge following heavy rains that
destroyed its foundation.
   (AFP, 7/24/18)
 2018      Jul 24, The UAE
hosted the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea, lauding their "bold and
historic" rapprochement as enhancing prospects for peace and
prosperity.
   (Reuters, 7/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, US President
Donald Trump hosted European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker as
efforts to resolve a festering trade dispute between the two key
economies seemingly deadlocked. Trump and European leaders pulled
back from the brink of a trade war over autos and agreed to open
talks to tear down trade barriers between the United States and the
European Union.
   (AFP, 7/25/18)(AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, American companies
were put on notice by the Trump administration that they could face
steep fines, or even criminal charges, if their business involves
North Korean workers anywhere in their supply chain.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Arizona state
Trooper Tyler Edenhofer was killed while responding to a reports of
a person throwing rocks at vehicles on I-10 in a Phoenix suburb. The
arrested suspect used the the trooper's gun during a fight and
wounded another trooper.
   (SFC, 7/27/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In California the
Carr Fire in Shasta County claimed the lives of two firefighters, a
contract bulldozer and Redding fire inspector Jeremy Stoke.
   (SFC, 7/28/18, p.A8)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Georgia lawmaker
Jason Spencer said he will resign following racial slurs yelled out
on the July 22 cable TV show of provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen.
   (SFC, 7/26/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Milwaukee police
Officer Michael Michalski (52) was killed during an exchange of
gunfire as police searched for a man suspected of drug dealing. The
lone suspect was arrested after he rna out of bullets and
surrendered.
   (SFC, 7/27/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Power prices in
some US Western markets rose to all-time highs for a second day in a
row as consumers kept their air conditioners cranked up to escape a
brutal heat wave blanketing much of the region. Power prices soared
to their highest on record at Palo Verde in Arizona and SP-15 in
Southern California.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, General Motors,
facing rising commodity costs in a trade showdown with Europe and
elsewhere, cut its outlook for the year. The rest of the auto sector
was dragged down as well.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, A study published
in the journal Science said a huge lake of salty water appears to be
buried deep in Mars, raising the possibility of finding life on the
red planet.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Rescuers pulled
people from inundated cars on flooded streets near Baltimore as
heavy rain soaked the US mid-Atlantic coast for a fifth day.
Authorities closed highways and roads in parts of Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Virginia because of flooding.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In southeastern
Bangladesh heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and flooding,
killing five children and forcing a thousand people to relocate,
including in the Rohingya refugee camps.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Britain launched a
toolkit offering advice to companies employing EU citizens who wish
to remain in the UK following Brexit.
   (AFP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, China applauded
international airlines for bending to its demand that they stop
referring to Taiwan as an independent country on their websites
after the issue generated friction between Beijing and Washington.
Many airlines now simply list Taiwan's capital, Taipei, as a
destination while omitting Taiwan.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, China's official
Xinhua news agency said police have caught 82 suspects in a
crackdown on an online pyramid scheme involving 10.2 billion yuan
($1.51 billion) and more than 220,000 investors.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, The European Court
of Justice (ECJ) said mutagenesis-based gene-editing methods such as
CRISPR/Cas9, which can rearrange targeted bits of DNA, fall under
rules that now apply to genetic modification via strands of DNA from
a different species.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Europe launched
four more Galileo satellites from French Guiana, taking the number
in orbit to 26 and moving a step closer to having its own navigation
system, just as the program has become the latest flashpoint in
Brexit negotiations. The satellites will be part of the EU's
alternative to the US Global Positioning System.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, A German court
sentenced Long N.H. (47), a Czech-Vietnamese national, to nearly
four years in jail for taking part in a brazen Cold War-style
kidnapping ordered by Hanoi of an oil executive from a Berlin park.
   (AFP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Kashmir
government forces killed two rebels in a gunbattle, triggering
protests and clashes by residents against Indian rule.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Japan a
grueling heat wave drove temperatures to records in some areas hit
by flooding and landslides, hampering clean-up and recovery efforts.
Vegetable prices spiked as much as 65 percent.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Mali armed
protesters from the Arab community fired shots into the air, burned
tires and torched vehicles in Timbuktu, bringing the desert city to
a standstill days before an election seen as a test of stability
across the country.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In central Mali
clashes erupted between traditional Donzo hunters and Fulani herders
near the town of Djenne. A number of civilians were killed in the
ethnic violence, one of a long series of attacks before a
hotly-disputed presidential election this weekend.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In western Mexico
assailants shot to death six people at a funeral in Uruapan,
Michoacan state.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, New Zealand's
parliament passed legislation granting paid leave to domestic
violence victims, with supporters calling it a groundbreaking
measure to help those trying to escape abusive relationships.
   (AFP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Pakistan held
general elections. A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people near a
polling center in Quetta. The knife-edge general election pitted
cricket hero Imran Khan (65) against the PML-N, the
   party of jailed ex-PM Nawaz Sharif. Khan's
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party first place finish put him on
the brink of becoming the country's next prime minister.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)(AP, 7/25/18)(Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Paraguay's
agriculture minister and three other people died in the crash of a
small plane. The dead included Agriculture Minister Luis Gneiting,
Vice Minister Vicente Ramirez and the pilot and co-pilot.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Dr. Richard
Jarecki (b.1931), the scourge of European casinos in the 1960s and
early 1970s, died at his home in Manila. He had develped a system to
beat roulette wheels based on minute mechanical defects and
reportedly accumulated more than $1.2 million before manufacturing
techniques improved the wheels.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Romanian
authorities said two people have drowned after heavy rain in the
country's northeast. Thousands of emergency workers have been
mobilized to help flood-rescue efforts.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Russia said it has
sent working groups to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to help coordinate
the return of refugees to Syria.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Russia Elena
Yampolskaya, an ultra-conservative journalist and MP who once said
only God or Stalin could save Russia, was appointed head of the
country's parliamentary culture committee.
   (AFP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In South Africa
leaders of the BRICS emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa) began an annual three-day summit, with
attention focused on the threat of a US-led global trade war. The
meeting opened with a business forum.
   (AFP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, South Sudan's
Pres. Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar initialed an
agreement in Khartoum to once again share power. The initialed
agreement will be signed on August 5.
   (SFC, 7/26/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In Switzerland
Sergio Marchionne (66) died after unexpected complications from
surgery in Zurich. The charismatic and demanding CEO had engineered
two long-shot corporate turnarounds to save carmakers Fiat and
Chrysler from near-certain failure.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, In southern Syria
more than 250 people were killed in coordinated attacks by Islamic
State fighters in Sweida and surrounding villages. The violence also
left 30 IS fighters dead, including the suicide attackers. IS
jihadists also abducted 36 Druze women and children from one
village. Four women soon managed to escape while another two died.
Russia-backed regime forces pressed their heavy bombardment of the
IS-held pocket in Daraa.
   (AFP, 7/25/18)(AP, 7/26/18)(AP, 7/26/18)(AFP,
7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Turkey's interior
ministry revoked the cancellation of 155,350 passports following the
end of two-year-old state of emergency.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, A Turkish court
ruled that American pastor Andrew Brunson be transferred from jail
to house arrest, after nearly two years in detention on terrorism
charges in a case which has strained ties between Ankara and
Washington.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Speaking in Uganda
Indian PM Narendra Modi pledged to "intensify and deepen" his
country's engagement with Africa, saying his government will do more
to support governments across the continent.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, The UN Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said it
would reduce jobs in Gaza and the West Bank at the end of this month
following US budget cuts. UNRWA employees demonstrated in protest of
the sweeping pay cuts and dismissals.
   (Reuters, 7/25/18)(SFC, 7/26/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, UN special envoy
for Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in Sanaa to meet with rebel
leaders amid efforts to restart peace talks after a two-year hiatus.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 25, Yemen's Houthis
attacked a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea, causing slight damage.
The Houthis' Al Masirah TV said earlier on Twitter that it had
targeted a warship named the Dammam off the western coast of Yemen.
   (AP, 7/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Pres. Donald Trump
said the US will hit Turkey with large sanctions over detained
American Pastor Andrew Brunson.
   (SFC, 7/27/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, The Trump
administration said 1,820 children separated at the US-Mexico border
have been reunited with parents and sponsors but hundreds remain
apart. More than 2,500 children were separated from their parents at
the border amid a zero tolerance policy that criminally prosecuted
anyone caught crossing illegally.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, The US
Environmental Protection Agency's acting chief said the government
will withdraw a decision to lift strict sales limits on
remanufactured heavy duty vehicles known as "glider trucks".
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, A US government
report said China, Iran and Russia, along with their proxy hackers,
are hard at work trying to steal trade secrets and proprietary
information from the US. The report identified a Chinese
cyberespionage group called APT10 and an Iranian hacker group called
"Rocket Kitten".
   (SFC, 7/27/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, A pre-sale
announcement of a memoir by former Trump aide Omarosa Manigault
Newman promised a “jaw dropping” takedown and a tell-all about the
“corruption and controversy” of the Trump administration to be
published the next month, attracting news media attention.
   (NY Times, 11/18/20)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, California Gov.
Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Shasta and Riverside
Counties. Late today the fire entered the northwest side of Redding,
a city of 90,000. On July 23 a mechanical failure of a vehicle
sparked the Carr Fire in Shasta County. At least one person was
killed in the rapidly moving wildfire. The Ferguson Fire near
Yosemite Park now covered 44,223 acres and was about 27% contained.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)(SFC, 7/27/18, p.A7)(SFC,
7/28/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Bill Loud, the
father of a California family captured on the 1973 PBS series: "An
American Family," died Los Angeles.
   (SSFC, 7/29/18, p.C9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Washington, DC,
Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed oversaw the reunification of feuding wings
of the Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the world's oldest Christian
churches. The 2 Synods were reunited into one Holy Synod after 27
years.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Nashville, Tenn.,
police Officer Andrew Delke (25) shot and killed Daniel Hambrick
(25), a black man who was running away from him. In September Delke
was charged with homicide.
   (SFC, 9/29/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Bosnia mayors
and councilors from border towns staged a rare protest in Sarajevo,
demanding the government do more to help them handle thousands of
migrants camped out near their towns and cities.
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, The British
government said doctors will be legally be able to prescribe
medicinal cannabis following a review, but insisted it was not a
first step towards legalizing recreational use.
   (AFP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Britain's Royal
Air Force led tributes to Mary Ellis, an aviation pioneer and World
War II-era pilot who has died at 101. As a member of the Air
Transport Auxiliary, Ellis flew over 1,000 Spitfires and bombers,
bringing the aircraft from factories to airfields and afterward
managed Sandown airport on the Isle of Wight.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Authorities in
Canada's easternmost province said they had reached a tentative
agreement with Norwegian oil giant Equinor to develop a major oil
field discovered off Newfoundland in the North Atlantic.
   (AFP, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, China's
state-controlled People's Daily posted a Ted Talks video about
sexual assault on its Weibo account. Accusations of sexual assault
spread across China's social media this week as the #MeToo movement
took aim at prominent activists, intellectuals and a television
personality.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In China an
explosion outside the US embassy in Beijing, described by the
embassy as a bomb, wounded the lone assailant. Police described the
weapon merely as a "firework device." A suspect from China's Inner
Mongolia region, identified only by the surname Jiang, injured his
hand and was taken to a hospital.
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Ethiopia's police
said Semegnew Bekele, the construction manager of a controversial
dam being built on the Nile River in Ethiopia, has been shot dead in
Addis Ababa. The massive Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is now more
than 63 percent complete.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Foreign Minister
Enzo Moavero Milanese said Italian defense spending will come in at
just 1.15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year and will
fall further in 2019, undercutting US efforts to boost military
budgets.
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Police in Rome
cleared nearly 400 people, including dozens of children, from a
shanty camp inhabited for years by members of the minority Roma
community, despite a European Union court ruling halting demolition.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Ivory Coast pod
counters and farmers said heavy rain in the cocoa-growing regions
has damaged flowers and small pods on trees, raising concern for the
development of the upcoming main crop.
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Japan the last
six members of a Japanese doomsday cult who remained on death row
were executed for a series of crimes in the 1990s including a sarin
gas attack on Tokyo subways that killed 13 people.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Kenyan wildlife
authorities said a tenth critically endangered black rhino has died
after being moved from the capital to a new wildlife park and the
sole survivor has been attacked by lions in what some
conservationists have called a national disaster.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Morocco more
than 600 African migrants reached the Spanish territory of Ceuta
after storming a double border fence and attacking police with
caustic quicklime and excrements. Moroccan police stopped around 100
of them, while 602 managed to climb over into Spain.
   (AFP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In southeast
Myanmar floodwaters forced thousands from their homes, as
authorities and volunteers scrambled to provide food and aid to the
victims.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Pakistan's former
cricket star Imran Khan declared victory in parliamentary elections
marred by violence and allegations of fraud. He pledged to fight
corruption and build a nation that bowed to no one.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Teenage
Palestinian attacker Mohammed Tareq Dar Youssef (17) snuck into the
Israeli Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank by climbing a
wall. He stabbed three people seemingly at random before being shot
dead.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)(SFC, 7/28/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte said he has signed a law which grants
expanded autonomy for the mainly Catholic nation's Muslim south, a
key step to ending one of Asia's longest and deadliest conflicts.
The bill creates a new region to be called Bangsamoro.
   (AFP, 7/26/18)(AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In the Philippines
the six winners of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Awards, regarded as
Asia's version of the Nobel Prize, were announced. The recipients
included a Cambodian genocide survivor (Youk Chhang) who helped
document the Khmer Rouge atrocities, an Indian psychiatrist (Bharat
Vatwani ) who led the rescue of thousands of mentally ill street
paupers to treat and reunite them with their families, a Filipino
(Howard Dee ) who led peace talks with communist insurgents, a
polio-stricken Vietnamese (Vo Thi Hoang Yen) who fought
discrimination against the disabled, an East Timorese (Maria de
Lourdes Martins Cruz) who built care centers for the poor amid civil
strife and an Indian (Sonam Wangchuk) who tutored village students
to help them pass exams.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Ombudsman Conchita
Carpio-Morales (77), the Philippines' top anti-corruption prosecutor
and one of the few remaining critics of President Rodrigo Duterte in
government, retired and was replaced by a loyalist of the leader.
   (AFP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Authorities in
Poland banned swimming at over 50 beaches along its Baltic coast,
after hot weather led to the toxic growth of bacteria in the
unusually warm sea.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Saudi Arabia said
it was suspending oil shipments through a strategic Red Sea lane
after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis attacked two tankers in the
waterway, underscoring the risk of an escalation in tensions in the
region.
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In South Africa
the leaders of the BRICS bloc of emerging economies, meeting in the
wake of tariff threats by US President Donald Trump, signed a
declaration supporting an open and inclusive multilateral trading
system under World Trade Organization rules at their summit. Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa agreed at the three-day
meeting to fight unilateralism and protectionism.
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, In Spain tourists
arriving in Barcelona faced long lines and jam-packed buses and
subways as the city's taxis went on strike for a second day.
   (AP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Syrian government
forces raised the country's two-star flag on the frontier with the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, four years since they were last
deployed there.
   (AFP, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, A Uganda court
upheld a constitutional amendment scrapping presidential age limits.
Opposition leaders warned that President Yoweri Museveni (73) is
heading for a "life presidency".
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Venezuelan
opposition lawmaker and oncologist Jose Manuel Olivares, who led
protests over the crumbling health sector, said he has fled the
crisis-stricken country after his family received threats that they
would be persecuted unless he quit politics.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 26, Yemen's
Iranian-aligned Houthi movement said it had attacked Abu Dhabi
airport in the United Arab Emirates with a drone, though it was not
immediately clear if there was any damage or casualties.
   (Reuters, 7/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, President Donald
Trump thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for "fulfilling a
promise" to return the remains of US soldiers missing from the
Korean War, as a US military plane made a rare trip into North Korea
to retrieve 55 cases said to contain remains. Close to 7,700 US
soldiers remain unaccounted for from the 1950-53 Korean War, and
about 5,300 of those were lost in North Korea.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â July 27, The White House
asked the Justice Department to investigate Omarosa Manigault
Newman, a former Trump aide, one day after her publisher said that
she had written a negative tell-all memoir.
   (NY Times, 11/18/20)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In California the
Ferguson Fire near Yosemite Valley was 29% contained after burning
46, 675 acres. The Ranch Fire broke out in Mendocino County. The
River Fire broke out in Lake County. By July 30 the Mendocino
Complex fire covered 68,487 acres and surged to within a mile of
Lakeport before it was beaten back.
   (SFC, 7/28/18, p.A8)(SFC, 7/30/18, p.A8)(SFC,
7/31/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Massachusetts
abolished from its books an unenforced abortion ban with roots
dating to 1845.
   (SFC, 7/28/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jun 27, In Texas inmate
Danny Paul Bible (66) was executed for a 1979 rape and murder in
Houston. He had been accused of at least four killings and nine
rapes.
   (SFC, 6/28/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, A Texas doctor was
convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in her 70s. Nigeria-born
Dr. Donald Ozumba (45) had six other sex assault cases pending and
could face a life sentence.
   (SFC, 7/28/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In Texas Richard
Starry (60) fatally shot four relatives late today before killing
himself in suburban Corpus Christi.
   (SSFC, 7/29/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, CBS stock fell 6%
after a New Yorker story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct
by CEO Les Moonves.
   (SFC, 7/28/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, An Armenian court
ordered former President Robert Kocharyan (1998-2008) detained on
charges of usurping power.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Australian
researchers said thousands of aborigines are estimated to have been
murdered in 500 massacres across Australia from European settlement
in 1788 until the mid-20th century.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Bulgaria's top
court ruled that a European treaty to combat violence against women
violates the constitution, likely eliminating any chance the treaty
can be ratified.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Chinese Premier Li
Keqiang ended a 3-day visit to Tibet. He said the region is an
inseparable part of China's "sacred" territory, and religious
figures should promote national unity and ethnic harmony.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Equatorial
Guinea's lawmakers were banned from foreign travel unless authorized
by Vice President Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the president's son. In
June, the country's civil servants were hit with a similar ban.
   (AFP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, European
firefighters battled forest blazes and authorities banned barbecues,
warning citizens of near-record temperatures as a heatwave scorched
much of the EU region.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, A major fire in
the Paris suburbs paralyzed traffic in and out of the city's
Montparnasse train station, just as thousands of French travelers
head off on their holidays this weekend.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, The German
government said it took a minority stake in electricity transmission
firm 50Hertz for "national security" reasons, thwarting Chinese
investors from buying into the strategic company. 50Hertz is one of
four transmission system operators in Germany and ensures that 18
million people are supplied with electricity.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Greek PM Alexis
Tsipras said he took full political responsibility for a devastating
wildfire which has killed at least 87 people and led to opposition
accusations over the government's failure to protect lives.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Hungary's
right-wing PM Viktor Orban welcomed the idea of Steve Bannon's new
anti-European Union group, The Movement, saying it was time that
someone from the United States came to Europe to spread conservative
thinking instead of liberal values.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, The International
Fund for Animal Welfare said the controversial hunt for minke whales
in Iceland has come to end after declining profits led to the local
industry closing.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Iraq's top Shi'ite
cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for a government to be
formed as soon as possible to tackle corruption and poor basic
services. Sistani told the incumbent caretaker administration of PM
Haider al-Abadi to respond to protesters' fears.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Israel's Defence
Minister Avigdor Lieberman said 400 new homes will be built in the
Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian last
evening stabbed three Israelis, one fatally.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Israeli police
closed the gates to Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound
after masked youths discharged fireworks in the direction of Israeli
police following midday prayers.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)(Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, An official of
Macau's Yat Yuen, the company that ran the only dog-racing track in
the world's largest gambling hub until last week, joined hands with
animal rights group Anima to announce plans for a center to rehouse
more than 500 greyhounds.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Mauritius PM
Pravind Jugnauth said Roubina Jadoo-Jaunbocus, the minister for
gender equality, has stepped down, after an inquiry on the Indian
Ocean island linked politicians, police, lawyers and prison guards
to drug traffickers.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In Mexico at least
five people were killed and three others wounded in a late night
shootout between police and criminals near the resort town of
Cancun.
   (AFP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, In Mongolia
Turkish teacher Veysel Akcay (50) was allegedly kidnapped in
Ulaanbaatar and taken to the city's airport. He was released after
authorities temporarily grounded an airplane. Akcay, who has lived
in Mongolia for 24 years, is associated with the network of US-based
Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, which Turkish authorities hold
responsible for a failed 2016 coup in Turkey.
   (AFP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, North Korean
soldiers, sailors and civilians gathered at a heroes' cemetery to
commemorate their brothers in arms on the anniversary of the end of
the Korean War. At the same time on the other side of the country,
remains believed to be those of American servicemen killed in the
war were being loaded onto a US aircraft for transportation to the
South, in the first stage of their final journey home.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Thorvald
Stoltenberg (87), Norway's highly popular ex-foreign minister, died.
Stoltenberg was foreign minister 1987-1989, and again from 1990 to
1993. He also served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and
the UN Special Representative to the Former Yugoslavia.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Palestinians Majdi
al-Satari (11) and Ghazi Abu Mustafa (43) were killed by Israeli
gunfire at a border protest.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, A Saudi-led
coalition launched heavy air strikes on Yemen's main port city of
Hodeidah, in an apparent resumption of military operations on the
Red Sea city after the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement attacked two
Saudi oil tankers.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, Spain's PM Pedro
Sanchez lost a key vote over his budget plans as political allies
who brought him to power last month decided to abstain, showing how
fragile his minority socialist administration is.
   (Reuters, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 27, A court in Granada
sentenced Spanish mother Juana Rivas to five years in jail after
hiding with her sons, now 12 and 4, to avoid handing them over to
their father, whom she accused of abuse.
   (AFP, 7/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In California some
3,400 firefighters on the ground and in helicopters and airplanes
battled the 48,300-acre (19,500 hectares) Carr Fire as it ripped
through Redding. The fire was just three percent contained. Nine
people were reported missing. The death toll rose to five with the
discovery of human remains on the outskirts of Redding believed to
be those of a missing elderly woman and her two great-grandchildren.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)(Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In New Orleans two
armed individuals opened fire at a strip mall killing three people
and wounding seven others. The shooting appeared to be gang-related.
   (SFC, 7/30/18, p.A5)(SFC, 7/31/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In southwestern
Michigan afire swept through the Cosmo Extended Stay Motel in Sodus
early today killing five children and their mother.
   (SSFC, 7/29/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In eastern
Afghanistan gunmen stormed a midwife training center in the city of
Jalalabad, fighting security forces for several hours and killing
three staff. One of the attackers died early in the operation after
detonating a suicide bomb but a second held out for several hours
before being killed.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Australia's
conservative government failed to win any of five by-elections,
defeats widely seen as an indication PM Malcolm Turnbull faces an
uphill battle to be re-elected in a national poll due by May 2019.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Bulgaria tens
of thousands of supporters of the opposition Socialist Party (BSP)
rallied to protest poverty and corruption and demand an early
election.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, China's anti-graft
watchdog said Zhang Yongguang, a corruption suspect who was on the
country's list of 100 most wanted overseas fugitives, has returned
to China from the United States after giving himself up. The Central
Commission for Discipline Inspection said Zhang is the 54th person
on the list to have returned to China since the operation was
launched in 2015.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, An Egyptian court
sentenced 75 people to death, including top figures of the outlawed
Muslim Brotherhood group, for their involvement in a 2013 sit-in.
The sentences were subject to appeal.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Greek PM Alexis
Tsipras faced mounting criticism after wildfires that killed at
least 88 people plunged Greece into grief just as it was healing
from years of painful bailouts.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Indian officials
said at least 58 people have been killed in the past two days as
monsoon rains in the north triggered house collapses and flooded
wide swaths of land.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In western India
33 people were feared dead after a bus fell into a deep gorge in
Maharashtra state.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, An Iraqi a
judicial official said five election officials will be put on trial
in connection with fraud and vote buying, during the country's May
legislative elections.
   (AFP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Israeli forces
arrested two Italians and a Palestinian for drawing a giant mural of
Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi, seen as a symbol of resistance, on
the separation wall in the occupied West Bank. On July 25 a man
drawing the mural had identified himself as Italian street artist
Jorit Agoch.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Heavy rain fell on
parts of Japan and airlines canceled flights as approaching Typhoon
Jongdari threatened to dump more rain on a region devastated by
floods and landslides earlier this month.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, The Kurdish-led
Syrian Democratic Council said it has agreed to work with the Syrian
government on ending seven years of violence in the country and
setting up a roadmap for Syria's future. The SDC is the political
wing of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls
wide swathes of northeast Syria.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Lebanese
environmentalists sank 10 old tanks and armored vehicles to the
bottom of the Mediterranean Sea in a novel attempt to attract divers
and create new habitats for marine life.
   (AFP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Thousands of
Nicaraguans marched through Managua in a show of support for the
country's bishops whom President Daniel Ortega has accused of aiding
an attempted "coup" against him. Simultaneous marches of supporters
and opponents of Ortega's government passed through the streets of
Managua without incident.
   (AFP, 7/28/18)(AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Norwegian
authorities said a polar bear has attacked and injured a man leading
tourists off a cruise ship on the most northern island of Svalbard.
The man was taken by helicopter to Spitsbergen island and the bear
was shot dead.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Palestinian teen
Moumin al-Hams (17) died of wounds sustained by Israeli gunfire at a
border protest as thousands attended the funeral of an 11-year-old
killed in that demonstration.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Russia tens of
thousands took part in rallies across the country organized by
Communists to protest against highly controversial plans to hike the
pension age.
   (AFP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Serbia
Dragoslav Ognjanovic (56), a leading lawyer who defended former
strongman Slobodan Milosevic on charges of war crimes, was shot dead
in Belgrade. His 26-year-old son was wounded in the arm.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Somalia's
President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed arrived in Eritrea for a 3-day
visit, amid another diplomatic thaw in the restless Horn of Africa
region.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In Spain taxi
drivers in Madrid went on strike in solidarity with Barcelona
cabbies protesting against "unfair competition" from Uber and
Cabify.
   (AP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Hundreds of Syrian
refugees returned to their country from Lebanon in a bus convoy
arranged by both governments, advancing an effort by Beirut to
accelerate returns to areas where fighting has ended.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, In northern
Thailand landslides, triggered by days of heavy downpours, killed
seven people and left one missing.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Uganda said it had
sentenced 35 people from neighboring Democratic Republic of the
Congo for up to three years for illegal fishing on Lake Albert.
   (AFP, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Ukraine's
President Petro Poroshenko joined thousands on the streets of Kiev
on an anniversary marking the start of the conversion of Ukrainians
to Christianity, amid a push to remove what he says is a lever of
Kremlin influence in Ukrainian affairs.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 28, Pope Francis
accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick (88), the
former archbishop of Washington, D.C., who has been at the center of
a widening sexual abuse scandal.
   (Reuters, 7/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In California the
Carr Fire in Shasta County now consumed 95,368 acres and was just 17
percent contained. The Ranch Fire grew to 16,300 acres and the River
Fire to 14,200 acres. Both were just 5 percent contained. The death
toll in the state fires rose to eight.
   (SFC, 7/30/18, p.A8)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Bangladesh
protests began in Dhaka after two college students were struck and
killed by a pair of buses. Protests by young people demanding safer
streets followed for the next five days.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Bulgaria
Chinese dancer Sinuo Chang and Canadian ballerina Yuan Zhe Zi Xuan,
also known as Jessica Xuan, won the top prizes at the Varna
International Ballet Competition, the oldest ballet competition in
world.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Cambodia held
elections. The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said that it
had won a general election that rights groups said was neither free
nor fair due to voter intimidation and the absence of any
significant challenger to PM Hun Sen. The National Election
Commission said voter turnout was 80.49 percent.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Police in the
northeastern Chinese city of Changchun said they had asked
prosecutors to approve the arrest of 18 people at Changsheng
Bio-technology Co Ltd, a vaccine maker at the center of a safety
scandal.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, It was reported
that China has donated four 12-meter-long boats and 30
rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers to the Philippines,
continuing the closer relations between the two countries under
President Rodrigo Duterte.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Egypt a train
came off the rails on the Cairo-Aswan line, injuring a number of
passengers and delaying trips. Hours later Sayed Salem, the head of
Egypt's railway authority, was removed from office.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Egypt Bishop
Epiphanius (68), the abbot of Saint Macarius monastery in Wadi
el-Natrun, was found dead with head injuries.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Greek fire
services said three more people were confirmed killed by the
wildfires that have devastated seaside resorts near Athens, bringing
the death toll in the disaster to 91.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Indonesia a
magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the tourist island of Lombok. At
least 14 people were killed, scores inured and thousands of homes
damaged. More than 120 aftershocks were recorded.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Iran's currency
hit a record low of 100,000 rials to the dollar amid a deepening
economic crisis and the imminent return of full US sanctions.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, It was reported
that Iran's top security body has approved the release of opposition
figures Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, under house arrest
for seven years for leading mass protests in 2009.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Iraqi PM Haider
al-Abadi suspended his electricity minister amid continuing protests
over poor public services especially power cuts and rampant
corruption.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Israel's navy
intercepted a Norwegian-flagged activist boat trying to break its
more than decade-long blockade of the Gaza Strip. The
Norwegian-flagged Karstein ship had 22 people on board. The captain
of the boat later accused Israeli authorities of violating the law
by boarding the vessel in international waters and using violent
force against its crew who were arrested.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)(AFP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Israel released
Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi (17) from prison after serving
eight months for slapping two Israeli soldiers.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Israeli Arab labor
lawmaker Zuhair Bahloul said he can no longer serve in a country
that officially marginalizes the 20 percent Arab minority he
represents.
   (AP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Tropical Storm
Jongdari made landfall early today in central Japan after dumping
heavy rain on Tokyo and other parts of eastern Japan the previous
day.
   (AP, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Japan Tiphaine
Veron (36), a French teaching assistant, was last seen leaving her
lodgings in Nikko.
   (AFP, 10/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Malians voted to
decide whether or not to give President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita a
second term, amid widespread ethnic and jihadist violence that has
dramatically worsened since he came to power five years ago. Attacks
by gunmen or other violence disrupted around a fifth of the polling
stations, with about three percent unable to function at all.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)(Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, A Myanmar official
said rising floodwaters have killed at least 10 people and forced
more than 54,000 from their homes across swathes of the country.
   (AFP, 7/29/18)(Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Russia
thousands protested in central Moscow against a proposed increase to
the retirement age and the crowd chanted slogans critical of
President Vladimir Putin whose approval ratings have been dented by
the bill.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Pro-Syrian
government forces advanced in an Islamic State pocket in southwest
Syria, despite a threat to hostages the jihadists seized last week.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported air strikes against
Islamic State positions east of Sweida, the city the jihadists
attacked last week.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Tajikistan a
hit-and-run driver killed four foreign cyclists from the United
States, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Security forces pursuing
suspects in the attack killed four, including one as he was
resisting arrest, and detained a fifth man. Islamic State jihadists
soon claimed responsibility.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)(AFP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, Turkey's coast
guard rescued nine people overnight, but six people including three
babies died when an inflatable boat carrying 16 people capsized off
the coast of western Turkey.
   (Reuters, 7/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 29, In Yemen Saudi-led
coalition airstrikes killed at least 18 people in the port province
of Hodeida.
   (SFC, 7/30/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, US Pres. Donald
Trump offered talks with Tehran without preconditions.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The US suspended
duty-free benefits for apparel from Rwanda due to tariffs imposed by
the East African country on used clothing and footwear imports it
blames for harming the local textile industry.
   (AFP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, A senior US
official said that US spy satellites had detected renewed activity
at the North Korean factory that produced the country's first
intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United
States.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The US military
confirmed that US forces started deploying armed drones in the west
African country of Niger earlier this year to attack Islamist
militants.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Ron Dellums
(b.1935), former US Congressman (1971-1998) from California and
mayor of Oakland, Ca., (2007-2011), died in Washington, DC.
   (SFC, 7/31/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, A suicide bomber
in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar killed at least four
people, including prominent local militia commander Hayat Khan,
considered a leading opponent of Islamic State fighters in the
region.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, London's Supreme
Court ruled that doctors and families of patients in a permanent
vegetative state will no longer need legal permission to end their
treatment.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The ruling
Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said it had won all 125 parliamentary
seats up for grabs in a general election. The opposition and an
analyst said more than half-a-million spoilt ballots in the general
election represent a protest against the vote that critics have
called a sham. As many as 594,843 votes, or 8.4 percent, of the 7.64
million votes cast, were invalid and spoiled.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Comoros held a
referendum to extend presidential term limits and end a system of
rotating power among the archipelago's three main islands, moves the
opposition calls a power grab by President Azali Assoumani. An
electoral official said voters overwhelmingly backed the
controversial constitutional reforms. The referendum was boycotted
by the opposition.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)(AFP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Multimillionaire
and political heavyweight Moise Katumbi (53) said he had sought
permission to return to DR Congo this week to contest presidential
elections in one of Africa's most volatile countries. The former
governor of the mineral-rich province has been living in
self-imposed exile in Belgium since May 2016 after falling out with
President Joseph Kabila.
   (AFP, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The presidents of
Eritrea and Somalia said they plan to establish diplomatic
relations, the latest sign of thawing relations across the Horn of
Africa following Eritrea's rapprochement with Ethiopia.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In France Geraint
Thomas was labelled the "Perfect Poster Boy" after the British Team
Sky rider deposed teammate and four-time champion Chris Froome to
win the Tour de France.
   (AFP, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In India more than
4 million people were excluded from a draft list of citizens
released by a census official for the northeastern border state of
Assam, in a long-running campaign against immigrants. Thousands of
Bengali-speaking Muslims worried about being sent to detention
centers or deported.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In eastern India
heavy rains flooded a hospital critical care unit in Bihar state, as
annual monsoon rains destroyed homes in several parts of the country
and forced others to flee to higher ground. More than 1,500 people
have died so far this year across the country due to storms, floods
and landslides.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Israel expelled
Italian artists Jorit Agoch and Salvatore De Louise for their
painting of a mural depicting formerly imprisoned Palestinian
teenager Ahed Tamini.
   (SFC, 7/31/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Japan said it
would spend some $4.2 billion over the next 30 years on installing
and operating US radar systems to protect itself against North
Korean missile threats.
   (AFP, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Japanese
researchers announced the first human trial using a kind of stem
cell to treat Parkinson's disease, building on earlier animal
trials.
   (AFP, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In Kenya poachers
killed a 12-year-old black rhino in Lake Nakuru national park days
after the authorities announced that ten of the critically
endangered animals had died in a bungled relocation.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Myanmar officials
said monsoon floods have killed at least 11 people and forced more
than 100,000 to flee their homes, as rescue workers ferried stranded
residents to safety by boat.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Philippine police
vowed to revamp and intensify a fight against crime and drugs, a
week after President Rodrigo Duterte promised no letup in a bloody
crackdown that has alarmed the international community.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Russia's Pres.
Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree creating a new
directorate inside the Russian army to promote patriotism. In the
Soviet Union, a similar directorate worked to ensure that the army
stayed loyal to the then ruling Communist party.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Lawyers in Serbia
started a week-long strike to protest the fatal shooting of their
colleague Dragoslav Ognjanovic (57) who helped defend late Serbian
strongman Slobodan Milosevic and represented leading underworld
figures.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, A South African
court ruled that former Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe did not
have diplomatic immunity when she allegedly beat a young woman with
an electrical cord.
   (AFP, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Workers at South
Africa's high-speed Gautrain went on strike over pay affecting
services to the country's main airport, the capital Pretoria and
commercial hub Johannesburg that caters for business commuters.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Spanish taxi
drivers blocked major city streets including Barcelona's Gran Via
and Madrid's Castellana in a protest to pressure the government to
curb licenses to online ride-hailing services such as Uber.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, The Vatican
accepted the resignation of Australian Archbishop Philip Wilson
(67), the most senior cleric found guilty of concealing child sex
abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. The archbishop of Adelaide was
convicted in May of failing to disclose to police abuse by a priest,
Father James Fletcher, after being told about it in 1976.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In Vietnam a Hanoi
court sentenced property developer Phan Van Anh Vu to nine years in
prison for deliberate disclosure of state secrets following a
one-day trial. The court also jailed two former police officials,
Phan Huu Tuan and Nguyen Huu Bach, for seven and six years
respectively for the same charge as Vu.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, In central Vietnam
13 people were killed and four injured when a minibus carrying
guests on the way to a wedding collided head-on with a large
container truck. Three people, including the groom, died on the way
to the hospital.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 30, Zimbabwe held its
first election since former president Robert Mugabe was ousted in a
de facto coup. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time ally of
Mugabe, faced opposition leader Nelson Chamisa in the vote.
   (Reuters, 7/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, The United States
froze the assets of three Pakistanis it has linked to
Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group blamed for the deadly 2008
attacks in India's financial capital, Mumbai. The US Treasury
targeted Hameed ul Hassan and Abdul Jabbar, who it said were
responsible for funneling money to Lashkar-e-Taiba and paying
salaries to its members. The State Department added Abdul Rehman
al-Dakhil to its list of "specially designated global terrorists,"
saying he was a senior commander of the group.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, A US federal judge
in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order to stop the release
of blueprints to make 3D-printed plastic guns. US-based Defense
Distributed, founded by Cody Wilson (b.1988), planned to release
blueprints on August 1, which anyone with a specialized 3-D printer
could download online. In 2015 and 2017 Wired named Wilson one of
the five most dangerous people on the Internet.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody_Wilson)(SFC,
8/1/18, p.D6)(SFC, 8/2/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In northern
California the Carr fire, now the seventh most destructive in state
history, consumed 110,000 acres (45,000 hectares) of mountainous
terrain near the city of Redding and was 27 percent contained. It is
the biggest of 17 wildfires that raged across the state.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In eastern
Afghanistan at least 15 people were killed in Jalalabad when gunmen
stormed a government building, trapping dozens inside after a
suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance gate. Unknown
attackers seized 22 people from vehicles on a highway linking Kabul
and Gardez, in the eastern province of Paktia. In the western
province of Farah, 11 people were killed when their bus hit a
roadside bomb.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Australia Agim
Kruezi (25), an extremist who planned a suicide attack with Molotov
cocktails after he was prevented from flying to Syria to fight, was
sentenced by an judge to 17 years and four months in prison, with a
non-parole period of 13 years.
   (AP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Belgium a
former soldier (65) walked to the middle of an empty soccer pitch in
Verviers and blew himself up with a grenade in what authorities said
was an act of despair.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Central African
Republic and Russian officials said three Russian journalists were
killed in an ambush outside Sibut, CAR. Russian media said they were
reporting on a private Russian security firm.
   (SFC, 8/1/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, China's finance
ministry said it will scrap vehicle and vessel taxes on new energy
vehicles and ships powered by natural gas, as part of its efforts to
encourage cleaner energy consumption.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Egyptian rights
attorney said a military court has sentenced poet Galal el-Beheiri
to three years in prison for "disseminating false news" and
insulting the country's security forces.
   (SFC, 8/1/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, The EU expanded
its sanctions against Moscow to include companies that helped build
a bridge from mainland Russia to Kremlin-annexed Crimea, which it
says violates Ukraine's sovereignty.
   (AFP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Germany Ralf
Spies (52) was cleared of 12 counts of attempted murder with a
"racist" motive and with causing an explosion in the attack at a
commuter rail station in the western city of Duesseldorf on July 27,
2000.
   (AFP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, German farmers
intensified calls for around 1 billion euros ($1.17 billion) in
special aid after crop damage from a drought and heatwave, but
Berlin said it would wait for an August harvest report before making
a decision.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Greece port
police said the bodies of two people thought to have fled into the
sea to escape the wildfires that ravaged coastal towns near Athens
last week have been recovered. Confirmation that the pair were
victims of the fire would bring the disaster's death toll to at
least 93.
   (AFP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Senior Iranian
officials rejected US President Donald Trump's offer of talks
without preconditions as worthless and "a humiliation" after he
acted to reimpose sanctions on Tehran following his withdrawal from
a landmark nuclear deal. Interior minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli
said: "The United States is not trustworthy. How can we trust this
country when it withdraws unilaterally from the nuclear deal?"
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, An Israeli court
jailed Israeli Arab poet Dareen Tatour (36) for five months after
convicting her of incitement to terrorism for a poem and remarks she
posted on social media during a wave of Palestinian street attacks.
She had published her poem "Resist, My People, Resist" in October
2015 as a soundtrack to footage of masked Palestinian youths
throwing stones and firebombs at Israeli soldiers.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Japan pledged to
reduce its controversial stocks of plutonium, the world's biggest
inventory of the highly toxic material held by a state without
nuclear weapons, following pressure from the United States, China
and other countries.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, A third party in
Mali's presidential election claimed that its candidate had made it
through to a run-off vote, further complicating a poll beset by
violence that has stopped thousands from casting their ballots.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In northern Mexico
an Embraer E-190 plane operated by Aeromexico crashed in Durango
state. All 99 passengers and four crew members made it off the
plane, but the pilot was severely injured. One person died of
injuries.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, North and South
Korea held military talks to build trust.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, It was reported
that the Philippines has lifted a two-year moratorium on approving
mining exploration permits, in a move that the government and
industry hope will help determine the potential of some prospects in
the world's No. 2 nickel ore exporter.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In the southern
Philippines a bomb exploded in a van on Basilan Island, killing 11
people at a military checkpoint in Colonia village in an attack
officials blamed on militants with ties to Islamic State. The attack
targeted a big public gathering but failed after the vehicle stalled
and instead killed the suspect and 10 others.
   (AP, 7/31/18)(SFC, 8/1/18, p.A3)(AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In South Africa
fifteen units were down at nine power stations, taking over 6,000
megawatts or 13 percent of Eskom's output off the national grid. The
state-owned utility has been hit by labor unrest over wage talks as
it tries to reverse a decade of financial decline by cutting costs.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Sweden thieves
made off with two crowns and an orb worth about 65 million Swedish
crowns ($7.1 million) from a hilltop cathedral in Strangnas, 60
miles west of Stockholm, before fleeing via on Lake Malaren near the
capital city. In 2019 Police said they had recovered what they
believed to be King Karl IX's funeral jewels in an area around
Stockholm.
   (AP, 8/1/18)(Reuters, 2/5/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, In Syria dozens of
Islamic State group fighters were cornered in a pocket of Daraa
after losing all other territory there to a Russian-backed regime
assault. Iranian-backed Hezbollah group's al-Manar TV said the
Syrian army and its allies have taken full control of the Yarmouk
Basin in southwestern Syria after routing Islamic State (IS)
militants.
   (AFP, 7/31/18)(Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Thailand's PM
Prayuth Chan-ocha said Britain has been asked to extradite former
prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, overthrown in a coup in 2014 and
sentenced in absentia to jail for negligence.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, The Turkish
central bank sharply hiked its inflation forecast for 2018 to well
over 13 percent, putting new pressure on the embattled lira and
raising fears over the extent of price pressure in the economy.
   (AFP, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, A Vietnamese
military court sentenced the first military official to go on trial
in the communist-ruled country's ongoing crackdown against
corruption to 12 years in jail. Former colonel Dinh Ngoc He, known
by his nickname "Little Baldy", was convicted of "abusing power in
performance of official duties" and "using fake documents".
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul 31, Yemen's Houthi
group said it is ready to unilaterally halt attacks in the Red Sea
to support peace efforts, days after Saudi Arabia suspended oil
exports through a strategic Red Sea channel following an attack on
crude tankers last week.
   (Reuters, 7/31/18)
 2018      Jul 31, Zimbabwe's
opposition MDC party claimed victory in the country's historic
elections, setting the scene for a showdown with the ruling ZANU-PF
that has held power since independence in 1980. The opposition
alleged that results were not posted outside one-fifth of polling
stations as required by law.
   (AFP, 7/31/18)(SFC, 8/1/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, The US federal
government approved $177 million in disaster supplemental funding to
protect the south end of the San Francisco Bay.
   (SFC, 8/11/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, The US federal Bureau
of land management began rounding up wild horses in Nevada and Utah
as drought threatened their livelihood. Volunteers in Arizona and
Colorado were said to be hauling food and water to dried up grazing
grounds. The region was home to some 67,000 wild horses.
   (SFC, 7/24/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, San Francisco began
rolling out a program, dubbed the One System, for logging
information regarding homeless individuals. The entire system was
expected to be running by early 2019.
   (SFC, 9/1/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, In Michigan a search
was conducted at the Rev. Jonathan Wehrle's luxury home in
Williamston. Police discovered $63,000 hidden above ceiling tiles in
his Michigan home. Wehrle has been charged with six counts of
embezzling $100,000 or more from St. Martha Church in Okemos.
Auditors say more than $5 million is missing.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, In Australia
Priscilla Brooten (46), a keen computer gamer from California, was
last seen in the Brisbane suburb of Bracken Ridge, but was not
reported missing until December.
   (Reuters, 6/8/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, The EU announced it
had frozen a 100 million euro aid package to Moldova after a
disputed mayoral election race in the capital Chisinau which critics
say undermined the country's democratic credentials.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, In Germany a woman
(36) was stabbed to death on a street in Duesseldorf. Ali S. had
stalked the woman and stabbed her 27 times. He was later arrested in
Spain. In 2019 he was sentenced to life in prison.
   (AP, 4/4/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, In Japan Mio Sugita,
a lawmaker belonging to PM Shinzo Abe's ruling party, said in a
right-wing magazine that the government shouldn't use tax money for
LGBT rights because same-sex couples don't produce children and have
"no productivity." The comment triggered outrage from sexual
minorities as well as others, including the elderly and disabled.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, The head of a
Pakistani company convicted of bilking customers worldwide out of
$140 million in online sales of bogus university degrees was
sentenced by a court in Islamabad to 20 years in prison. Shoaib
Shaikh, chief of software firm Axact, escaped but was arrested in
late September.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, In Russia Mikhail
Khachaturyan (57) was maced, hit with a hammer and stabbed 36 times
by his three teenage daughters at home in Moscow's northern
outskirts. Investigators hit the girls with the toughest murder
charges on the books and they faced up to 20 years in prison. It was
later reported that the prominent local businessman and churchgoer
had insulted, humiliated, threatened and subjected his daughters to
physical and sexual violence.
   (The Telegraph, 7/5/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, In northern Tunisia
sanitary engineer Mohamed Oussama Houij (27) set out to walk a
300-km (185-mile) stretch of coastline and clean up 30 beaches along
the way. Nearly 150 km and 14 beaches later, Houij was astounded by
the sheer volume of waste he's found along the shore. "We're talking
tons of rubbish... The more you clean, the more you find. It never
ends".
   (AFP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Jul, Vietnamese-American
Michael Nguyen was detained while travelling with two activists on a
visit to Vietnam. They were later charged with "attempting to
overthrow the state".
   (AFP, 6/10/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, President Donald
Trump called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to put an end to
special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, a day after Trump's
former campaign chairman went on trial.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, The US White House
announced that it will impose sanctions on two Turkish officials
over the case of detained American pastor Andrew Craig Brunson.
   (SFC, 8/2/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, The US Trump
administration cleared the way for insurers to sell short-term
health plans, but the new policies don't have to cover existing
medical conditions and they offer limited benefits.
   (SFC, 8/2/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, The Ninth US
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that Pres. Donald Trump acted
unconstitutionally in an executive order he issued in January 2017,
declaring that local governments that refused to provide information
or access to federal immigration agents would be ineligible for
federal grants.
   (SFC, 8/2/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, San Francisco's
newly-elected Mayor London Breed signed a record $11 billion city
budget and ushered in a 3 percent pay bump for all city workers.
This gave almost 800 city exectuves more income than California's
governor.
   (http://tinyurl.com/yat7tst7)(SSFC, 8/5/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Mary Carlisle
(b.1914), American film star, died in Los Angeles. Her films
included "College Humor" (1933), "Should Ladies Behave" (1933),
"Double or Nothing" (1937), "Doctor Rhythm" (1938) and "Dead Men
Walk" (1943).
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Carlisle)(SSFC, 8/5/18, p.C3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Kansas City,
Mo., Xindong Hao, a Christian missionary from China who was visiting
with his wife and four children, was shot to death after he crossed
paths with Curtail Hudson (18), who was shooting at people while
high on drugs. Two other people were wounded before Hudson was
arrested.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Wells Fargo agreed
to pay a $2.1 billion fine to settle allegations it misrepresented
the types of mortgages it sold to investors during the housing
bubble that ultimately led to the 2008 financial crisis.
   (SFC, 8/2/18, p.C3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In northern
Afghanistan more than 150 Islamic State fighters surrendered to
government forces in the face of an onslaught by the Taliban in
Jawzjan province.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Brazil Caucher
Birkar, a Cambridge University professor of Iranian Kurdish origin,
was named one of four winners of the prestigious Fields medal, often
known as the Nobel prize for mathematics at a ceremony in Rio de
Janeiro. The other winners included: Germany's Peter Scholze (30),
who teaches at the University of Bonn and is one of the world's most
influential thinkers in arithmetic algebraic geometry; Alessio
Figalli (34), an Italian mathematician at ETH Zurich who jokes that
the one equation still baffling him is how to spend more time with
his professor wife; Akshay Venkatesh (36), an Indian-born,
Australian-raised prodigy who began his undergraduate degree in
mathematics and physics at the University of Western Australia when
he was just 13.
   (AFP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, British judges
granted far-right activist Tommy Robinson conditional bail while he
appeals a finding of contempt of court for live-streaming outside a
criminal trial in violation of reporting restrictions.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, It was reported
that England's Freemasons are to admit women to their secretive
society, but only if they were previously male masons.
   (Reuters, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Canadian model and
artist Zombie Boy, aka Rick Genest (b.1985), was found dead of an
apparent suicide at his home in Montreal. He used his head-to-toe
tattoos to earn international notice, from the catwalks of Paris to
a video for pop superstar Lady Gaga.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Genest)(AFP,
8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, China's government
warned it will retaliate if Washington imposes new trade penalties,
following a report the Trump administration will propose increasing
the tariff rate on an additional $200 billion of Chinese imports.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In China officially
recognized faith groups promoted the flying of national flags at
religious events amid a push by the ruling Communist Party to extend
its ideological control over religious life.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In China Prof. Sun
Wenguang was speaking to the Voice of America network when he said
half a dozen officers barged into his apartment in the eastern city
of Jinan. He was heard exclaiming that "I have my freedom of speech"
just before the line went dead. Sources later said he was being held
in a military-run hotel in Jinan.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Former DR Congo
warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba returned home to huge crowds and police
firing teargas, reflecting the country's high-voltage political
mood.
   (AFP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Congo's health
ministry said at least four new cases of Ebola have emerged in the
country's east, just a week after an outbreak in the northwest was
declared over.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Cyprus' government
said it is asking the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) to help defend two Turkish Cypriot journalists
investigated in Turkey over an article deemed "insulting" to that
country.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Denmark's ban on
the Islamic full-face veil in public spaces came into force, with
anyone wearing a garment that hides the face in public risking a
fine.
   (AFP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, French lawmakers
voted to outlaw sexual harassment on the streets, leaving
cat-callers and aggressively lecherous individuals facing potential
on-the-spot fines of up to 750 euros as part of tougher legislation
to fight sexual violence.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, German lawmakers
approved the payment of a final bailout loan instalment to Greece
worth 15 billion euros ($17.6 billion). Greece's third successive
international bailout ends in late August.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Georgia's president
denounced Russia for illegally occupying part of the country as it
began two weeks of military exercises with the United States and
several other NATO members.
   (Reuters, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Severe storms
forced a French-American long-distance swimmer to suspend his
attempt to become the first person to swim across the Pacific Ocean.
Ben Lecomte (51) and the yacht accompanying him returned to a port
in Yokohama, Japan, to wait out the weather.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Hungary new
management close to PM Viktor Orban took over a prominent news
television channel, cementing his ruling Fidesz party's dominance of
the media as it solidifies its hold on power.
   (Reuters, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Indonesia's
Renewable Energy Director General Rida Mulyana said the use of
biodiesel blended fuels will be compulsory for all vehicles and
heavy machinery from Sept. 1, amid efforts to reduce the current
account deficit.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, The Israeli
military carried out an air strike on the Golan late today, killing
seven insurgents it believed were from the Khaled Bin Walid Army and
en route to attack an Israeli target.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, The Jordanian army
killed several Islamic State militants over the last 24 hours who
approached its border as they fled a Syrian offensive that drove
them out of their enclave in the southwest of the war-torn country.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, A Kazakh court
freed a Chinese citizen who gave testimony on a secretive network of
Chinese "re-education camps" during her explosive immigration trial.
Sayragul Sauytbay (41), an ethnic Kazakh Chinese national, had told
the court how she had been forced to work in a camp system in
China's Xinjiang region where hundreds of thousands of people are
allegedly held.
   (AFP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Kosovo President
Hashim Thaci rejected the idea of dividing the country along ethnic
lines to resolve a dispute over its independence from Serbia. Thaci
said there would be no "division but a correction of borders," with
the possible inclusion of the Presevo Valley with Kosovo.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Myanmar's National
Natural Disaster Management Committee reported that flooding has
killed 12 people and forced more than 132,000 others to take shelter
at nearly 300 temporary camps.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In northern Nigeria
Sokoto governor Aminu Tambuwal dumped President Muhammadu Buhari's
All Progressives Congress for the opposition, in the latest
defection to hit the ruling party.
   (AFP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Human Rights Watch
said Saudi Arabia has arrested two more women's rights activists.
HRW said authorities arrested Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah in
the past two days. Badawi's former husband is already in prison,
serving a 15-year sentence for human rights activism, and her
brother Raif Badawi, a prominent blogger, is serving a 10-year
sentence for expressing controversial opinions online.
   (Reuters, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Serbian police said
two migrants were shot dead on a road near the village of Dobrinci,
around 45 km (28 miles) northwest of the capital Belgrade.
   (Reuters, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Singapore top
diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
gathered for a 4-day meeting.
   (AP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, Tajikistan pledged
to create a "tourist police" force to protect visitors after four
tourists were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State
group.
   (AFP, 8/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 1, In Zimbabwe people
fled military and other security forces firing live ammunition to
break up opposition protests in Harare over election results. A
search warrant was issued opposition presidential candidate Nelson
Chamisa and others, when soldiers in Harare fired live rounds to
disperse opposition protesters, some of whom were rioting. Six
people were killed after soldiers moved into Harare, firing live
rounds and beating protesters.
   (AP, 8/1/18)(AP, 8/2/18)(AP, 11/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The Trump
administration proposed weakening Obama-era federal fuel efficiency
standards and moved to revoke California's authority to set its own
strict tailpipe emissions rules, setting up what will likely be a
protracted legal battle between the federal government and US
states. Some 19 states, including California, and Washington D.C.
announced they intend to sue the administration to halt the
rollback.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The Trump
administration rescinded an Obama-era ban on the use of pesticides
linked to declining bee populations and the cultivation of
genetically modified crops in dozens of national wildlife refuges
where farming is permitted.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The US military
carried out an airstrike in Somalia that killed four members of the
al-Shabab extremist group.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Alabama a
toddler with blood-stained clothes led police to a home where an
adult male and female were found dead.
   (SFC, 8/4/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Afghanistan
three foreign workers were abducted and killed in Kabul. A Taliban
attack in northern Afghanistan left three policemen dead. In
northern Faryab province seven members of the Afghan National Army
were killed in a late night attack.
   (AP, 8/2/18)(SFC, 8/4/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The Bank of England
raised its main interest rate from 0.50 percent to 0.75 percent, the
highest level since March 2009 as it weighed conflicting signs about
the economy and growing concerns about Brexit. This was its second
raise since the 2008 financial crisis.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, China's foreign
minister said that US threats to hike tariffs run against the trend
toward globalization and will hurt US businesses and consumers.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, China's top
diplomat said that an initial draft of a proposed pact with
Southeast Asia aimed at preventing fighting in the disputed South
China Sea was a "breakthrough," and that talks can accelerate
without outside interference.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, China's religious
affairs administration said it would investigate claims a
high-ranking Buddhist monk sexually harassed nuns and coerced them
into sex. Xuecheng, the abbot of the well-known Longquan Temple on
the outskirts of Beijing, has denied the allegations.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, It was reported
that X-Men actress Fan Bingbing (36) has disappeared from social
media amid rumors she has been barred from leaving China during a
tax evasion investigation.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Comoros Pres. Azali
Assoumani said figures from the Independent National Electoral
Commission (CENI), showed that 92.74 percent of voters picked "Yes"
to change the constitution, while 7.26 percent chose "No" in the
July 30 referendum. The yes vote allows Assoumani to run for two
more five year-terms starting with an early election next year,
rather than being required to step down when his present term ends
in 2021. Opposition parties and civil society organizations grouped
under the Peace in the Comoros umbrella group disputed the figures.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Egypt's Coptic
Orthodox Church said it will not be taking in new monks in
monasteries nationwide for a year after the unresolved death of
Bishop Epiphanius, the abbot of St. Macarius Monastery in the desert
northwest of Cairo. Epiphanius was found dead in the monastery
earlier this week.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The European
Commission said it would speed up payments to farmers hit by extreme
drought and allow them to use fallow land that normally would not be
used for production to feed their livestock. Searing heat has
devastated wheat fields across northern Europe while a combination
of dry conditions and extreme rain in the Black Sea have hit output
estimates, with prices soaring on fears of further crop damage.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In France three
mountain climbers plunged to their death in the Domes de Miage of
the French Alps.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The Greek chapter
of Medecins Sans Frontieres said more than 10,000 migrants and
refugees arrived in Greece from Turkey through the northern Evros
river crossing in the first half of 2018.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Guinea-Bissau PM
Aristide Gomes said public-sector workers have secured a pay
increase. The strike, launched on July 24, ended after the
government agreed to increase minimum monthly pay from 19,200 CFA
francs ($33.91, 29.28 euros) to 50,000 francs from September.
   (AFP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, One of Iceland's
top whaling companies said it has stopped hunting minke whales this
year, in response to a new government regulation that enlarged the
protected area for baleen whales.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Iran scattered
protests broke out in several cities over the dramatic drop of the
country's currency and other economic problems ahead of the
imposition of renewed American sanctions.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Iraq jihadists
attacked a high voltage power line between Kirkuk and Diyala for the
eighth time in two months. The attack plunged Kirkuk, Salaheddin and
Nineveh provinces into darkness.
   (AFP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Israel again halted
shipments of fuel and natural gas to Gaza in response to incendiary
balloons that have targeted southern Israel. senior Hamas officials
said Egypt is trying to broker a broad cease-fire deal between
Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers that is to pave the way for Gaza's
reconstruction and an eventual prisoner swap.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Ultra-Orthodox Jews
in Israel, who say they should receive a blanket exemption from
military conscription, staged a sit-down protest at a major
Jerusalem junction, prompting scuffles with police.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Israel thousands
of people attended Jerusalem's annual Gay Pride parade under heavy
police guard.
   (AFP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Mexico an open
pit mine in a locality known as Dengantzha in the Francisco I.
Madero township partially collapsed over a road within the mine.
Four of those killed were riding in a vehicle on that road. A 5th
victim was a shepherd.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Pakistan's top
court barred Talal Chaudhry, the former deputy interior minister,
from holding office for the next five years for insulting judges in
a speech last March, in which he assailed the top court for
dismissing PM Nawaz Sharif from office.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Russia said it will
deploy its military police on the Golan Heights frontier between
Syria and Israel, after weeks of mounting volatility in the area.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Swedish police shot
dead a 20-year-old autistic man with Down Syndrome holding a toy gun
in central Stockholm. Three police officers shot the man who,
according to his family, had a three-year-old's intellectual
capabilities and difficulties communicating.
   (AFP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Sweden said it will
buy the Patriot air defense missile system from US arms manufacturer
Raytheon, as it looks to boost its defenses amid growing tensions
with Russia.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Syria the
Islamic State killed a 19-year-old male student who was one of more
than 30 hostages kidnapped on July 25 in Sweida.
   (AFP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, Turkey's Treasury
and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said US sanctions imposed on
Turkey over the trial of an American pastor accused of backing
terrorism are unacceptable and will have limited impact on the
Turkish economy.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said that more than
160 people have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine since the
beginning of the year.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, UN peacekeepers
returned to patrol the frontier between Syria and the Israeli
occupied Golan Heights. The peacekeeping mission had been halted in
2014 over security concerns amid the violence in Syria's civil war.
   (SFC, 8/3/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, The Vatican changed
its universal catechism, a summary of Church teaching, to reflect
Pope Francis' total opposition to capital punishment. The Roman
Catholic Church formally changed its teaching to declare the death
penalty inadmissible whatever the circumstance, a move likely to be
criticized in countries where capital punishment is legal.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, International aid
group Save the Children said about 3,000 Yemeni children are fleeing
every day from the port city of Hodeida as fighting between a
Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's Shiite rebels continues to rage
along the country's west coast.
   (AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 2, In Zimbabwe
opposition leader Nelson Chamisa claimed victory in the disputed
presidential election as an anxious nation awaited an official
announcement of the result three days after voting. A lawyer said
police are investigating Chamisa and others for allegedly inciting
violence. Police sealed off the headquarters of the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and 27 party employees carrying
out voter tabulation were locked inside.
   (Reuters, 8/2/18)(AP, 8/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, The United States
imposed sanctions on Moscow-based Agrosoyuz Commercial Bank, which
it said had facilitated a transaction with Han Jang Su, a person
blacklisted by Washington for involvement with North Korea's nuclear
weapons program. The Treasury also added Ri Jong Won, the
Moscow-based deputy representative of Foreign Trade Bank, North
Korea's primary foreign exchange bank.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, US federal Judge
John Bates upheld his previous order to revive the Obama-era DACA
program shielding young immigrants from deportation. He gave the
government 20 days to appeal.
   (SFC, 8/4/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, The Ninth US
Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a California requirement that new
models of semi-automatic handguns stamp identifying information on
bullet casings.
   (SFC, 8/4/18, p.C3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Los Angeles
Keith Walton (47), the leader of a robbery ring that stole some $6
million worth of watches from area jewelry stores, was sentenced to
55 years in federal prison.
   (SSFC, 8/5/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In northern
California thousands more mountain residents were evacuated from the
path of the state's biggest wildfire as fatigued firefighters
battled gusting winds driving one of the state's worst fire seasons
in a decade. The Mendocino Complex Fire grew to 157,450 acres
(63,700 hectares). The Carr Fire was now 39-percent contained. It
has destroyed 1,567 homes and other structures and blackened 133,924
acres (54,197 hectares), making it the sixth most destructive
California wildfire on record.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Florida two
former police officers pleaded guilty to framing a black teenager
(16) in 2013 for burglaries he did not commit. They admitted to
being part of a scheme to frame the teenager so that the police
chief could claim a perfect rate of solving burglaries in Biscayne
Park. In October they were sentenced by a federal judge to one year
in federal prison.
   (http://tinyurl.com/yasjdqj8)(SFC, 10/18/18,
p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, A new study
published in Nature said tegu lizards from South America, that can
grow up to four feet long (1.2 meters), have established a home in
the Florida wild after being brought to the United States as pets,
and that the reptiles could begin a voracious march across the US
South.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In South Dakota the
annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally got under way for a ten day run.
   (SSFC, 8/5/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Virginia one of
Paul Manafort's tax preparers admitted that she helped disguise
$900,000 in foreign income as a loan to reduce the former Trump
campaign manager's tax burden.
   (SFC, 8/4/18, p.A8)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In eastern
Afghanistan two suicide bombers disguised in women's clothing
attacked a Shi’ite mosque, killing 29 people and wounding 81 in
Gardez, Paktia province. In the south Taliban militants stormed a
military base in Uruzgan province. Dozens of bodies of Afghan
soldiers were later found in the military base in Chinartu district.
27 Afghan soldiers were reported killed and five wounded.
   (AP, 8/3/18)(SFC, 8/4/18, p.A2)(Reuters, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, It was reported
that Albanian has called for bids to build the Adriatic country's
first solar power station, telling investors it would favor whoever
committed to ramping up capacity and selling power more cheaply to
its distributor.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, China announced a
$60 billion list of US goods including coffee, honey and industrial
chemicals for retaliation if Washington goes ahead with its latest
tariff threat.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Chinese and
Southeast Asian naval forces ended their first computer-simulated
drills so they can jointly respond to emergencies and build trust
amid the long-seething disputes in the South China Sea. The two-day
exercises involved more than 40 sailors from China and the 10-member
Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, China said it is
carrying out national inspections on foam industries to crack down
on illegal production of ozone depleting substances (ODS) widely
used in refrigerators and air conditioners.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Chinese authorities
began razing the Beijing studio of artist Ai Weiwei. The studio in
the northeast suburbs has been Ai's primary work space since 2006,
although his has mostly been based in Europe in recent years.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Congo DRC barred
opposition leader Moise Katumbi (53) from returning home to file a
bid to run in the volatile country's presidential elections. The
public prosecutor's office said Katumbi had been charged with
"harming the state's domestic and external security" and would be
immediately arrested if he returned.
   (AFP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Crimea employees
said US firm Best Western Hotels & Resorts, the last Western
hotel chain still in Crimea, has pulled out because of sanctions
imposed after Russia annexed the region from Ukraine.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Danish police were
called to a shopping center in Horsholm, a city of some 46,000
inhabitants to confront a woman (28) wearing a niqab garment
covering her face. The woman was slapped with a fine of 1,000 Danish
kroner ($156) and requested to either remove the veil or leave the
premises. She opted to leave.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Egyptian media
reported that human remains were found on a beach in Marsa Alam. A
Czech tourist was killed by a shark while swimming in the Red Sea.
   (AFP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Police in Greece
raided an office in the greater Atherns area and arrested four
Bulgarian women after a criminal ring allegedly arranged to sell
officers a 4-day old infant. Nine people were arrested on suspicion
of running the criminal ring that sold newborn babies to childless
couples.
   (SFC, 8/7/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Former Guatemalan
president Alvaro Colom, arrested in February over corruption
allegations, left preventative detention after his $133,000 bond was
paid.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, An Indonesian
fishing boat capsized in bad weather off the island of Java, leaving
13 people missing.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In Italy an
artificial beach along the Tiber was officially was inaugurated. But
thunderstorms and uncompleted details kept Romans waiting until Aug.
3 for a full day of sunbathing and beach volleyball near Marconi
Bridge. The Tiber River was too polluted for swimming and rats are
often seen in the water.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Japan's government
urged a medical university to promptly disclose the results of an
investigation into its admissions process after reports alleged it
had altered the test scores of female applicants for years to deny
them entry and ensure fewer women became doctors.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Latvia's government
voted to fund the disposal of pig carcasses after a pork producer
decided to exterminate all of its livestock when the animals
contracted African swine fever. 15,570 pigs were to be killed via
lethal gassing.
   (AFP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Netherlands-based
Heineken, the world's second-largest brewer, said it has struck a
deal to expand in China, the world's biggest beer market.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In northern
Pakistan eight girls' and four boys' schools, were attacked by bombs
and set on fire overnight in Gilgit, where Taliban-linked militants
opposed to girls' education are active.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Palestinian Ahmed
Yaghi (25) was killed by a sniper east of Gaza City. According to
the Israeli army, some 8,000 Gazans had gathered at different spots
along the frontier, attempting to sabotage the Israeli border fence.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, In southern
Portugal blaze broke out near the town of Monchique, in rolling
hills that extend back from popular beaches in the country's Algarve
region. Some 400 firefighters and five water-dropping aircraft
battled the wildfire. Eight places in the center, south and east of
the country have broken their local temperature records amid a
heatwave.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Puerto Rico police
said Pedro Marrero Diaz (33) was shot a dozen times as he lay in bed
at the Hima hospital in the northern city of Caguas. Diaz was being
treated for stomach pains. The shooter escaped the scene.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Russia denied a
report by the Wall Street Journal that said Moscow was allowing
thousands of fresh North Korean laborers into the country and
granting them new work permits in potential violation of UN
sanctions. Russia said fresh documents had been issued to laborers
already based in Russia who were working on old contracts.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Spain's PM Pedro
Sanchez announced that a new central operational command for migrant
management will coordinate Spain's response to the thousands of
migrants arriving each month.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Tunisian
authorities said they had arrested two suspects in connection with a
biological bomb plot thwarted on June 12 by police in Germany.
   (AFP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, A Turkish court
jailed nine defendants for life for twin bombings in the capital
Ankara in 2015 that killed more than 100 people.
   (AP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Official Turkish
statistics showed that local inflation rose again last month to
nearly 16 percent, increasing pressure on the central bank to hike
interest rates.
   (AFP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, UN experts said in
a new report that North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and
missile programs and is violating UN sanctions including by "a
massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum
products".
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, The World Health
Organization said Yemen may be on the brink of a new cholera
epidemic, with a heightened death rate due to widespread
malnutrition. The UN hoped for a ceasefire in the north to allow for
vaccinations.
   (Reuters, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 3, Zimbabwe's
opposition leader Nelson Chamisa lashed the results of the country's
landmark presidential elections as "fraudulent" and "illegitimate"
but signaled he would take the path of law to contest the outcome.
   (AFP, 8/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo pledged to provide nearly $300 million in new
security funding for Southeast Asia. Pompeo unveiled the figure on
the sidelines of a meeting in Singapore of foreign ministers from
the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
   (Reuters, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Alaska a small
sight-seeing plane crashed on Thunder Mountain in Denali National
Park. 4 people were killed and a fifth was missing.
   (SFC, 8/7/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In northern
California a ninth person died in a wildfire, as a couple of other
fast-growing wildfires in the state expanded by more than 25 percent
overnight and continued to spread. The Carr fire, about 162 miles
(261 km) north of Sacramento, claimed the life of a power company
lineman. The Mendocino Complex burned in Mendocino, Lake and Colusa
counties and covered 229,000 acres (92,600 hectares) and was
considered 32 percent contained.
   (AP, 8/5/18)(SFC, 8/6/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Bryce Carlson (37)
arrived at St. Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, off England's
southwestern tip, late today, 38 days, six hours and 49 minutes
after setting out from St. John's, Newfoundland, setting a record
for a west-to-east crossing. The high school science teacher from
Cincinnati, Ohio, rowed solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The previous
record was 53 days, eight hours and 26 minutes.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Texas the
estranged wife of Jean Pierre Ndossoka found their two children
fatally stabbed at a Houston home. The next day police found
Ndossoka (61) with a self-inflicted guinshot wound in his car. He
was expected to survive.
   (SFC, 8/6/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Bangladesh police
fired tear gas and used batons in Dhaka to disperse hundreds of
protesting students angry over the traffic deaths of two fellow
students, leaving many people injured.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Brazil the
Workers' Party named jailed former Pres. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
as its nominee for the country's top job.
   (SSFC, 8/5/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, It was reported
that China plans to add a range of cancer drugs to medicines
eligible for reimbursement from the government. Xinhua news agency
added that negotiations on pricing with manufacturers should be
finished by the end of September.
   (Reuters, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Ethiopian soldiers
traded fire with members of local government security forces in the
country's eastern Somali region after central authorities sought to
arrest regional officials.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In France a
spokesman said EDF has halted four nuclear reactors at three power
plants because of the current heatwave affecting Europe.
   (Reuters, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Germany Sahra
Wagenknecht one of the country's most prominent left-wing
politicians, launched a website for the "Aufstehen" ("Stand Up")
movement, with a full official launch to follow next month.
Wagenknecht is a divisive figure even within her own party, in part
for taking a skeptical position on migration.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Indonesian police
arrested Australian Brandon Johnson (43) and his Indonesian
girlfriend at a rented room in the tourist hotspot of Kuta on Bali
Island. Police reportedly found 11.6 grams of cocaine packed into 13
plastic bags. Johnson faced between five and 20 years in prison if
found guilty.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Iran sporadic
protests took place in cities for a fourth day, with demonstrators
attacking a Shi'ite seminary west of Tehran, as Iranians brace for a
return of US sanctions.
   (Reuters, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Iraq's government
said areas under cultivation have halved this summer compared to
last year due to a drought that has led to a ban on water intensive
crops.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Israel tens of
thousands of the Druze minority along with their Jewish supporters
rallied in Tel Aviv against a new law that critics say sidelines
non-Jewish citizens.
   (SSFC, 8/5/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, The Israeli navy
said it has intercepted a Swedish-flagged activist boat bent on
breaching its blockade of Gaza, the second in less than a week. The
vessel, named Freedom for Gaza and carrying 12 people, was taken to
the Israeli port of Ashdod.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Kashmir a young
man was killed and two other people wounded when India's army fired
at a funeral of a rebel in the suburbs of southern Shopian town.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Top Asian diplomats
pressed North Korea to turn a pledge to completely dismantle its
nuclear arsenal into reality amid concerns that it's proceeding with
its programs.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Palestinian teen
Muadh al-Suri (15) died of his wounds a day after he was shot by
Israeli troops during clashes on the Gaza border.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In southern
Portugal more than 740 firefighters battled a forest fire as
temperatures climbed to near record highs in the Iberian Peninsula
amid a Europe-wide heatwave that has brought drought and wildfires
from Greece to Sweden. Lisbon broke a 37-year-old record to notch
its hottest temperature ever as an unrelenting heat wave baked
Portugal and neighboring Spain. Heat records were set in 26 places
around Portugal. The capital reached 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 F)
this afternoon, surpassing the city's previous record of 43 C (109.4
F) set in 1981.
   (Reuters, 8/4/18)(AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Russia's Defence
Ministry confirmed that it had proposed cooperating with the United
States on Syrian refugees and de-mining in a letter sent to the top
US general in July.
   (Reuters, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Russian police
arrested 30 LGBT activists in Saint Petersburg during a coordinated
demonstration defending the rights of sexual minorities.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, A Russian
helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff in Siberia, killing all 18
people aboard, mostly oil workers.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Saudi Arabia said
that it was resuming oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandab Strait,
ending a 10-day suspension triggered by rebel attacks off the coast
of Yemen.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In South Korea tens
of thousands of women staged a mass rally in Seoul to protest
against spycam porn, urging tougher punishments for peeping Toms as
anger over the growing scourge boils over.
   (AFP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Switzerland
several people died after a small plane crashed in a forest this
morning, causing a forest fire that completely destroyed the plane
in the Rengg mountain pass of Nidwalden canton.
   (Reuters, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Switzerland a
small vintage trimotor Junker JU-52 aircraft crashed ion the west
side of the Piz Segnas mountain, Grissons canton. Three Austrians
and 17 Swiss were aboard aircraft when it crashed. The 1930s-era
military aircraft was used by tourist flight operator JU-Air.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)(Reuters, 11/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Syria Aziz
Esber, a research director at a military agency linked to the
country's chemical weapons program, was assassinated late today.
Israel was suspected of carrying out the car bomb attack.
   (AP, 8/5/18)(Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, Turkey's Pres.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the assets of two US officials will be
frozen in retaliation for US sanctions against Turkey's justice and
interior ministers over the detention of American pastor Andrew
Craig Brunson.
   (AP, 8/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 4, In Venezuela a
drone blast hit during a military event where President Nicolas
Maduro was speaking. Seven soldiers were wounded by explosive-laden
drones during a military parade in Caracas A little known group
called the "National Movement of Soldiers in T-shirts" soon claimed
responsibility.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)(AFP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, The White House
announced that US President Donald Trump has declared that a major
disaster exists in California. The state's Carr Fire in Shasta
County now covered 160,049 acres. The Ferguson Fire grew to nearly
90,000 acres and was 38 percent contained.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)(SFC, 8/6/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In southern
California a twin-engine Cessna flying in from Concord, Ca., crashed
in Orange County killing all 5 people on board.
   (SFC, 8/6/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Charlotte Rae
(b.1926 as Charlotte Rae Lubotsky)), American TV and film star, died
at her home in Los Angeles. She became a semi-regular on the "Car
54" sitcom in 1961 and played housemother Mrs. Garret to a brood of
teenage girls in the TV series "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978) and "The
Facts of Life" (1979-1986).
   (SFC, 8/9/18, p.D6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Chicago at least
11 people were killed this weekend and about 70 others wounded in a
spike of gun violence that police attributed mostly to gangs.
   (SFC, 8/7/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In eastern
Afghanistan a Taliban suicide bomber killed three NATO forces on a
foot patrol in an attack that also wounded a US soldier and two
Afghan troops in Parwan province. The three killed were Czech
service members.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Australia announced
a A$190 million ($140.56 million) aid package for drought-afflicted
farmers as much of east coast suffers the worst dry spell in living
memory.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Bangladesh
thousands of angry young people again took to the streets of Dhaka
to demand safer streets, facing police firing tear gas and
pro-government activists who attacked some with sticks and clubs.
Pro-government activists, members of a political youth league,
attacked at least five journalists. Shahidul Alam, a well-known
photographer and activist, was arrested by plain-clothed police
after giving a television interview in which he said PM Sheikh
Hasina had no credibility and was using "brute force" to cling to
power.
   (AP, 8/5/18)(AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, British children's
entertainer Barry Chuckle (73), half of sibling duo the Chuckle
Brothers, died. The brothers became icons to British children with
their TV show "ChuckleVision," which ran on the BBC between 1987 and
2009.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In western Cameroon
five police were killed in fresh violence, where English-speaking
separatists have declared an independent state.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Egypt's army said
troops and security forces have killed at least 52 suspected
militants in recent days.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Indonesia a
magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the tourist island of Lombok,
killing more over people. More than 230 were seriously injured and
thousands of buildings were destroyed. Different death tolls later
ranged from 226 to 381.
   (Reuters, 8/6/18)(AP, 8/7/18)(AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, An Indonesian
police official said a luxury yacht allegedly bought with funds
stolen from a Malaysian state investment company is being returned
to Malaysia after a months long legal battle. Malaysian financier
Jho Low, who the US Justice Department alleges was a key figure in
the theft and international laundering of $4.5 billion from 1MDB,
protested the handover of the yacht.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Iranian news agency
IRNA reported that IranAir has taken delivery of five more ATR
turboprop aircraft, shortly before Washington imposes new sanctions
on Iran after exiting a nuclear pact between Tehran and major world
powers.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Iranian news agency
IRNA reported that Saudi Arabia has agreed to admit an Iranian
diplomat to head an office representing Iranian interests in the
kingdom.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, It was reported
that Iraq's election commission ignored an anti-corruption body's
warnings about the credibility of electronic vote-counting machines
used in May's parliamentary election. The election was the first in
which an electronic vote-counting system has been used in Iraq.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, An Israeli drone
attacked a Palestinian militant base in the northern Gaza Strip,
moderately injuring two people. Aircraft fired at two targets in the
strip's northern area, describing them as sites for arson balloons.
   (AFP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Malaysian political
leader Anwar Ibrahim won the presidency of the People's Justice
Party (PKR), becoming next in line to take over as prime minister
when current premier Mahathir Mohamad steps down.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Malaysia a gang
of thieves stole about 50 kg of narcotics, ketamine and heroin, from
a customs storage facility. Police soon arrested two customs
officers and three other suspects following the heist.
   (Reuters, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Pakistani police
said gunmen killed one police officer and wounded another during an
overnight search operation for suspects linked to the torching of
nearly a dozen schools in Gilgit-Baltistan. One suspect was killed
in the gunbattle and another 17 have been arrested in the ongoing
operation.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Palestinians
denounced reported US attempts to undercut a UN agency that serves
several million Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In the Philippines
hundreds of mothers simultaneously nursed their babies in public,
some of them two at a time, in a government-backed mass
breastfeeding event aimed at combating child deaths.
   (AFP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Portugal a
forest fire raged for a third day in the south, battled by 800
firefighters and 12 aircraft as flames consumed more than 1,000
hectares of forest.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Somalia a
suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle killing
four people near the gate of a military base in Afgoye town, 30 km
(18 miles) northwest of Mogadishu.
   (AP, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In South Africa
Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said she has quit, ending a bitter
dispute within South Africa's main opposition party that has tainted
its image ahead of elections next year. She has been a mayor of Cape
Town since 2011. Her resignation is effective as of October 31.
   (Reuters, 8/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, South Sudan's Pres.
Salva Kiir and rebel opposition leader Rick Machar signed a peace
deal in Khartoum, Sudan, to share power in a transitional
government.
   (SFC, 8/6/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, Syria's government
agreed to set up a committee to coordinate repatriating millions of
its nationals who fled the country's seven-year conflict.
   (AFP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 5, In Venezuela
investigators hunted for assailants behind a failed attempt to
assassinate President Nicolas Maduro with explosives-laden drones.
They raided hotels and seized vehicles while grilling six suspects
for details of the plot.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, The US ordered the
restoration of sanctions against Iran reviving economic penalties
that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear accord.
   (SFC, 8/7/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, A shooting on the
San Francisco Bay Bridge left Texas-based music promoter Darryl "Lil
Pooh" Stinette (31) dead. The killer remianed at large.
   (SFC, 8/8/18, p.D5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In northern
California the Mendocino Complex fire was 30% contained as it
consuemd more than 283,000 acres north of Clear Lake.
   (SFC, 8/7/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In New Mexico
authorities found the remains of a young boy after raiding a
commpound on the outskirts of Amalia. On August 3 police arrested
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and four other adults after finding 11 hungry
children living in filthy conditions. Wahhaj was suspected of having
abducted his son from Georgia. Prosecutors later said Wahhaj was
training yoiungsters to commit school shootings.
   (SFC, 8/8/18, p.A5)(SFC, 8/9/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Paul Laxalt (96),
former Nevada governor (1967-1971) and US Senator (1974-1987), died
in Virginia.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Laxalt)(SFC,
8/7/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In Virginia
government witness Rick Gates testified that he embezzled hundreds
of thousands of dollars from Paul Manafort, the former campaign
manager for Pres. Donald Trump, and that he and Manafort had
committed crimes together.
   (SFC, 8/7/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In eastern
Afghanistan the Taliban attacked a police checkpoint in Ghazni
province late today, killing four police and wounding five.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Bangladesh police
in Dhaka fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of
demonstrating students. A prominent human rights group demanded the
release of activist Shahidul Alam, arrested a day earlier for
criticizing the government during more than a week of protests.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Brazil's Workers'
Party announced that former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad will
become its presidential candidate if jailed ex-President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva, who leads in national polls, is barred from running
in the October election.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Britain's
Asia-focused bank HSBC revealed a $765-million US fine over the
lender's actions in the run-up to the subprime crisis, as it also
logged rising first-half profits.
   (AFP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In China hundreds
of police patrolled the streets of Beijing's financial district as
authorities thwarted a planned protest against money lost in risky
peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms and a lack of government help.
   (AFP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In Ethiopia Abdi
Mohammed Omer, a former administrator of the Somali Region, was
forced to resign. He was arrested weeks later after violence broke
out in the provincial capital Jijiga.
   (Reuters, 10/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, A eurozone rescue
fund said it has paid its final 15 billion-euro ($17.3 billion)
bailout loan to Greece, after objections by Germany delayed the
payment a few weeks.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In Hong Kong the
Foreign Correspondents Club said it will defy the Chinese government
and follow through with a planned speech by pro-independence
activist Andy Chan of the Hong Kong National Party.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In northern India
police rescued 24 girls and shut down a care home that had been
operating illegally in Uttar Pradesh state, after a youngster living
there fled and complained to officers about sexual exploitation.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Iran's Central Bank
lifted a ban on exchange offices, allowing them to resume work in a
move aimed at bringing in badly needed hard currencies. A first set
of US sanctions, that had been eased by the Obama administration
under the terms of the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, were set to
take effect the next day.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, An Iraqi court
sentenced Lahcen Ammar Gueboudj, a French man, and Nadia Rainer
Hermann (22), a German woman, to life in prison on for belonging to
Islamic State, forging ahead with the trial of hundreds of people
captured after the militant group's defeat last year. Gueboudj said
he had signed papers he had not understood were a confession during
the investigation.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Italian lawmakers
approved 10 new patrol boats and two larger ships for the Libyan
coast guard, as part of measures by the populist government to
control migration.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In northwestern
Italy a huge landslide swept away several cars along a well-traveled
road, killing a couple trapped inside one, in a scenic valley near
the town of Courmayeur.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In northern Italy
two trucks collided on a motorway near Bologna airport, sending a
huge ball of fire and billows of black smoke soaring into the sky.
At least one person was killed and around 55 were injured.
   (Reuters, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Malaysian PM
Mahathir Mohamad thanked Indonesia's government and President Joko
Widodo for returning the $250 million yacht, Equanimity, which was
seized by Indonesia off Bali in February in cooperation with the US
FBI.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Nepalese officials
issued warnings of the risk of more landslides and flash floods due
to torrential rain after a landslide over the weekend killed a woman
and at least seven children.
   (Reuters, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In New Caledonia a
worker died in an accident at the Doniambo nickel smelter in the
capital of Noumea. The South Pacific country is one of the world's
largest sources of nickel, and mining and metals processing plays a
major role in its economy.
   (Reuters, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, In Pakistan Imran
Khan's party officially nominated the cricket star-turned-politician
to be the next prime minister. To assume office, Khan will face a
vote in parliament in which he will have to defeat a rival candidate
fielded by the opposition.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Pakistani
authorities launched a week-long anti-polio campaign touted as a
'final push' against the crippling disease.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Romanian
authorities reported more than 500 separate outbreaks of African
swine fever in pigs, mainly in the Danube Delta and near the
Hungarian border. 48,000 pigs had been culled since June after they
came down with the disease.
   (AP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Saudi Arabia
suspended scholarships to Canada and said it will relocate students
already there, after the kingdom abruptly cut ties with Ottawa over
criticism of its jailing of rights activists. More than 8,000
students from Saudi Arabia were reportedly enrolled in programs in
Canada and were accompanied by more than 6,400 dependents.
   (AFP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Singapore's
immigration authority said it has started scanning travelers' eyes
at some of its border checkpoints, in a trial of expensive
technology that could one day replace fingerprint verification.
   (Reuters, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, Switzerland said it
will cut import tariffs on livestock feed and offer interest-free
loans to help farmers deal with a drought, amid a heat wave that is
killing off fish in the Rhine.
   (Reuters, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 6, The Turkish lira
hit new record lows against the dollar and euro as strains caused by
a diplomatic spat with the United States compounded concerns over
domestic economic policy.
   (AFP, 8/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, US President Donald
Trump warned the world against doing business with Iran as he hailed
the "most biting sanctions ever imposed", triggering a mix of anger,
fear and defiance in Tehran.
   (AFP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, The Trump
administration announced that it will go ahead with imposing 24
percent tariffs on an additional $16 billion in Chinese imports.
   (SFC, 8/8/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, The California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said the
Mendocino Complex grew to span 290,692 acres (117,639 hectares) by
this morning, with barely a third of it contained since two
wildfires merged at the southern tip of the Mendocino National
Forest. The Carr Fire, which has torched 167,000 acres in the scenic
Shasta-Trinity region north of Sacramento, was now 47 percent
contained. The Ferguson Fire was 43 percent contained.
   (Reuters, 8/7/18)(SFC, 8/8/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Florida SpaceX
used its newest style booster for a second time at Cape Canaveral to
put a communications satellite into orbit for Indonesia.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Arvonne Fraser
(92), a leading voice on women's issues in Minnesota, nationally and
abroad, died in Hudson, Wis.
   (SSFC, 8/12/18, p.C10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, A pharmaceutical
company filed a lawsuit to prevent Nebraska from using lethal
injection drugs next week in what would be the state's first
execution in more than two decades. The federal lawsuit could delay
the Aug. 14 execution of Carey Dean Moore, who was sentenced to
death for killing two Omaha cab drivers in 1979. Germany-based
Fresenius Kabi opposes the use of its drugs in executions.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Afghanistan a
string of Taliban attacks killed 12 people overnight, including four
women who died in the crossfire during a shootout between insurgents
and soldiers. An errant NATO airstrike in Azrah, Logar province,
killed nine Afghan police. Around 30 Taliban fighters were reported
killed in the battle.
   (AP, 8/7/18)(SFC, 8/8/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, An Algerian court
convicted human rights activist Salim Yezza to a one-year suspended
prison sentence and fined him 100,000 dinars (about $115.00) for
inciting violence more than four years after his statements in
support of a minority. Yezza, who lives in France, was arrested July
16 at the airport in Biskra as he tried to return home after
attending his father's funeral.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, New York-based
Human Rights Watch said accused the Bangladesh government of using
abusive measures in handling student-led protests calling for safer
roads.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In China six people
were imprisoned for up to four years for their part in a scheme to
cheat on the national graduate school exam.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Ethiopia's
government signed an agreement to end hostilities with the Oromo
Liberation Front, which it had previously declared a terrorist
movement. The government signed a reconciliation agreement to end
hostilities with the OLF's exiled leader Dawud Ibsa, who lives in
exile in Asmara, Eritrea.
   (Reuters, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, The European Union
reiterated its "firm support to the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders"
and lamented the Russian military presence in Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. Russia's PM Dmitry Medvedev said an attempt by NATO to
incorporate the former Soviet republic of Georgia could trigger a
new, "horrible" conflict.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In southwestern
Germany a mother (48) and her partner were convicted and jailed for
repeatedly raping the woman's young son, now 10, and selling him to
pedophiles on the internet, abusing him for more than two years.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Greece's PM Alexis
Tsipras said the demolition of 3,200 buildings will start
immediately in the Attica region, which includes the capital Athens,
in response to the death of dozens of people who were unable to
escape a maze of poorly planned streets in the country's worst
wildfire disaster.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In India Muthuvel
Karunanidhi (94), a highly popular scriptwriter-turned-politician in
the southern state of Tamil Nadu, died after a prolonged illness. He
became the state's chief minister in 1969 and held that position
five times for a total of 19 years.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Iranians awoke to
renewed US sanctions that had been lifted by Tehran's nuclear deal
with world powers. The newly imposed American sanctions targeted US
dollar financial transactions, Iran's automotive sector, and the
purchase of commercial planes and metals, including gold.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, An Israeli strike
killed two militants of the Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas movement after
shots were fired at soldiers. The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades
confirmed in a statement that the dead men were its fighters, naming
them as Ahmed Murjan and Abdel-Hafez al-Silawi.
   (AFP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Italy's Senate
approved a decree curbing temporary job contracts and penalizing
firms that move production abroad, passing the first major
legislation by the new government.
   (Reuters, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Mexico Elba
Esther Gordillo, the flamboyant former leader of the powerful
teachers' union, was released from custody after a court determined
there weren't sufficient grounds to proceed in a years-long
money-laundering case.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Authorities in Peru
said at least nine people have died from food poisoning following a
funeral ceremony. Another 20 people were hospitalized with stomach
pains and vomiting after a wake the previous day in the Ayacucho
region.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Philippine
President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to kill corrupt police,
including those accused of involvement in illegal drugs and other
crimes, in an expletives-laden encounter on live TV.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, It was reported
that Romanian and German archaeologists have discovered a
prehistoric fortress dating back as far as 3,400 years in western
Romania. Last week they completed a dig uncovering 55 hectares (135
acres) of the 80-hectare (198-acre) site, built between 1,400 BC and
1,200 BC, located near the town of Santana.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, In Russia Maria
Alekhina, an activist from the Pussy Riot punk collective, led a
protest outside the headquarters of the state penitentiary agency in
response to torture and slave labor in Russian prisons.
   (SFC, 8/8/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, The lawyer for
Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, hunger striking in a Russian jail
for nearly three months, said that the prisoner has lost 30 kg from
his original weight of 100 kg, his heart rate has slowed and he has
very low levels of red blood cells. The 42-year-old was serving a
20-year sentence in the far north of Russia after being convicted
three years ago of arson attacks in his native Crimea following its
annexation by Moscow. According to Kiev's estimates, Russia is
currently holding around 70 Ukrainian political prisoners.
   (AFP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Saudi Arabia began
selling Canadian assets in an escalating row after Ottawa criticized
the arrest of a female activist.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Authorities in
Spain said the death toll from a particularly virulent heatwave rose
to nine in just one week, as the country suffered sky-high
temperatures.
   (AFP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, Swiss army
helicopters began airlifting water to thousands of thirsty cows who
are suffering in a drought and heatwave that has hit much of Europe.
   (Reuters, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he has chosen former Chilean
President Michelle Bachelet to be the world body's new human rights
chief.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 7, A Zimbabwe court
freed on bail 27 opposition supporters arrested last week on
accusations of fomenting violence in the aftermath of President
Emmerson Mnangagwa's election victory over Nelson Chamisa.
   (Reuters, 8/7/18)
 2018      Aug 7, Joint
statement by the heads of mission of EU states in Zimbabwe along
with the US, Canada and Switzerland condemned the "violence,
attacks, and acts of intimidation targeted at opposition leaders and
supporters," saying such violations have no place in a democratic
society. New York-based Human Rights Watch said Zimbabwean security
forces and unidentified gunmen have beaten and harassed dozens of
people in a crackdown on the political opposition following a
disputed election.
   (AP, 8/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, The US announced it
would impose new sanctions on Russia for illegally using a chemical
weapon in an attempt to kill former spy Sergei Skripal and his
daughter in Britain earlier this year.
   (SFC, 8/9/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, US customs
officials arrested an American woman (81) and seized 92 pounds of
heroin found in the rocker panel of a car driven by the woman at the
Tecate border crossing in San Diego County.
   (SFC, 8/11/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, A large US federal
law enforcement operation targeted businesses in Minnesota and
Nebraska that knowingly hired and mistreated illegal immigrants. 17
business owners and managers were indicted for fraud, wire fraud and
money laundering.
   (SFC, 8/9/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, New York state
Republican Rep. Christopher Collins (68) was arrested on charges of
insider trading. He allegedly used information acquired as a board
member of Inate Immunotherapeutics Ltd. to sell shares before a
public announcement of a failed clinical trial.
   (SFC, 8/9/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Robert Danzig (85),
a former chief of the Hearst Newspapers, died in a Cape Cod
hospital. He became publisher of Albany's Times Union and two other
Hearst papers in 1969. He served as president of the Hearst
Newspapers for two decades.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, It was reported
that Wells Fargo filed a disclosure last week revealing that bank
errors caused more than 600 people in foreclosure to be incorrectly
denied mortgage modification to make loans more affordable and that
some 400 of that group ultimately lost their homes.
   (SFC, 8/8/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, A Bangladesh court
acquitted a British man detained without charge for two years on
suspicion of involvement in the July 1, 2016, attack on a cafe in
Dhaka that killed 22 people. Hasnat Karim was in the cafe at the
time of the attack for his daughter's 13th birthday party.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, A spokesman said
Congo's President Joseph Kabila will not stand in the election
scheduled for December, finally agreeing to obey a two-term limit
but picking a hard-core loyalist under European Union sanctions to
stand instead.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, CongoDRC began
Ebola vaccinations in the country's latest outbreak of the deadly
virus that has already claimed at least nine lives in North Kivu
province.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Costa Rica's
supreme court voted to make same-sex marriage legal and gave the
country's legislature 18 months to change the law or it would
automatically become legal.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Germany said it has
reached an agreement with Spain for that country to take back
previously registered migrants who show up at the German border, a
first step toward implementing a deal to defuse a domestic political
dispute over migration.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In India a stampede
among thousands of mourners at the funeral of a powerful southern
Indian politician killed two people and injured 47.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Iran’s Minister of
Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, Ali Rabiei, was sacked by
parliament, the latest shuffle in top economic posts as the Islamic
Republic struggles to stabilize its economy.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Italian police said
gangsters dropped 25-kilo (55-pound) weights on the limbs of drug
addicts, alcoholics and other indigents in an insurance fraud racket
that faked car accidents to obtain hundreds of thousands of euros in
claim payments. Police said 11 persons, including a nurse suspected
of procuring anesthetics, were arrested in the crackdown on two
Palermo-based criminal organizations.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In southern Italy
hundreds of crop pickers and labor union activists marched from a
shanty town to protest what they say is the exploitation of migrant
farmworkers. 16 farmworkers were killed on Aug 4 and Aug 6 while
riding in vans that collided with trucks.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Ivory Coast's
former first lady Simone Gbagbo was released from detention after
being granted an amnesty for her part in a short civil war in 2011.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Japan rain
lashed Tokyo and dozens of flights were canceled as Typhoon Shanshan
headed toward the capital.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, In Japan Okinawa
Gov. Takeshi Onaga (67) died of pancreatic cancer. He had led an
anti-US military base movement on the southern Japanese island.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Kenya's national
wildlife service said authorities have arrested a suspected poacher
linked to the killing of a 12-year-old black rhino last month in
Lake Nakuru national park.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Kenyan runner
Nicholas Bett (28), who won the 2015 world championship title in the
400-meter hurdles, was killed in an early-morning car crash in the
country's famed high-altitude training region.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Malaysia's former
PM Najib Razak (65) pleaded not guilty to money laundering charges
slapped on him, as the country's new government looked for answers
to how billions of dollars went missing from a state fund 1MDB
during his term.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Malaysia's minister
of Islamic affairs said he had ordered the removal of portraits of
two lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists from a
public photography exhibition, as they promoted LGBT activities.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Workers seized
partial control of the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees in Hamas-run Gaza, accusing their union of "mutiny" over
job cuts.
   (AFP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Philippine leader
Rodrigo Duterte said there would be no new casinos set up during his
presidency, a day after abruptly shelving Landing International's
$1.5 billion integrated casino project in Manila.
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Saudi Arabia said
there is no room for mediation in the kingdom's deepening diplomatic
dispute with Canada, and that Ottawa knew what it needed to do to
"fix its big mistake".
   (Reuters, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Oil giant Saudi
Aramco said it will buy out the other 50-percent stake in a joint
chemical venture in the Netherlands in a deal valued at 1.5 billion
euros, or $1.7 billion.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Saudi Arabia said
it executed and crucified a man from Myanmar convicted of killing a
woman and carrying out other crimes. In Saudi crucifixions the
condemned is usually beheaded and the body then put on display.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, South Korea-based
Samsung Electronics said it plans to spend a whopping $22 billion
over the next three years on artificial intelligence, auto
components and other future businesses as the company maps out its
strategy under the restored leadership of Vice Chairman Lee
Jae-yong.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, A Sri Lankan court
sentenced hard-line Buddhist monk Galagoda Atte Gnanasara to six
years in prison for contempt of court. Gnanasara was found guilty of
interrupting a court hearing in 2016 for military personnel accused
of involvement in the disappearance of journalist Prageeth
Ekneligoda. In June, the monk was sentenced in a separate case to
six months in prison for harassing and intimidating the journalist's
wife.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Thailand granted
citizenship to three young soccer players who were trapped with
other team members for almost three weeks in a cave in northern
Thailand along with their 25-year-old coach. All four had been
stateless, and their lack of citizenship deprived them of some basic
benefits and rights, including the ability to travel outside of
Chiang Rai, the northern province where they live.
   (AP, 8/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 8, Venezuela's Supreme
Court ordered the arrest of opposition leader Julio Borges and
called for the prosecution of opposition lawmaker Juan Requesens
(29), who police detained a day earlier, in connection with the
recent alleged assassination attempt against Pres. Maduro.
   (SFC, 8/9/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, US VP Mike Pence
announced ambitious plans to create the US Space Force as a sixth,
separate military war-fighting service by 2020.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, A US federal
appeals court ordered the Trump administration to ban the widely
used farm pesticide chlorpyrifos within 60 days, citing
long-standing evidence that its presence on food can harm children.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, California's
Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for an area In
southern California where more than 21,000 people were evacuated in
and around Lake Elsinore. Flames and billowing smoke rose into the
sky at the edge of the city of 60,000 as the blaze, dubbed the Holy
Fire, burned nearby in the Santa Ana Mountains. The Orange County
District Attorney Office said Forrest Clark (51) was charged with
setting the fire. In Northern California, a mechanic helping to
fight the Carr Fire, burning around Redding, was killed in a traffic
collision. The 181,000-acre Carr Fire was 51 percent contained. The
Mendocino Complex Fire has now burned 307,000 acres in three
counties north of San Francisco.
   (Reuters, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Tennessee executed
its first inmate since 2009. Billy Ray Irick (59) was executed by
lethal injection for the 1985 rape and murder of a girl (7) in
Knoxville.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Texas federal
prosecutors said Dwayne Caraway, the Pro Tem mayor of Dallas, had
accepted more than $450,000 in kickbacks and bribes. Caraway pleaded
guilty to two federal charges and has resigned from the Dallas City
Council.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Argentina's Senate
rejected a bill to legalize elective abortion, a defeat for a
grassroots movement that came closer than ever to achieving the
decriminalization of the procedure in the homeland of Pope Francis.
Lawmakers debated for more than 15 hours and voted 38-31 against the
measure that would have legalized abortion in the first 14 weeks of
pregnancy.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, An Australian
minister said five former dual nationals have been stripped of their
citizenship due to their involvement with the Islamic State group
overseas. A total of six people have now lost their Australian
citizenship since the law was changed in 2015 to enable dual
nationals to lose their citizenship rights for actions contrary to
their allegiance to Australia.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Belarus'
Investigative Committee confirmed the detention of six journalists,
including Deutsche Welle's Paulyuk Bykowski. DW lodged a protest.
Authorities said the journalists are charged with getting
unsanctioned access to state news agency BelTA, and failing to pay
for its information.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, A British inquiry
concluded that sexual abuse at two leading Roman Catholic schools in
Britain was considerably higher than is reflected by conviction
figures, with monks hiding allegations to protect the church's
reputation.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Former El Salvador
Pres. Tony Saca (53) pleaded guilty to embezzling hundreds of
millions of dollars in public funds during his 2004-2009 government.
Under the plea agreement prosecutors asked for a 10-year sentence.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, The Council of
Europe's anti-corruption group said Macedonia's performance on
preventing corruption is "clearly disappointing" and called on
authorities to take action.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Greece the death
toll from the July 23 fire at the seaside resort of Mati rose to 93,
after a 78-year-old woman in intensive care died of her injuries.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Indian authorities
arrested Neeraj Singhal, a former managing director of Bhushan Steel
Ltd, over an alleged fraud, after a probe found billions of rupees
had been siphoned off by the firm's founders from funds borrowed
from state-run banks.
   (Reuters, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In India torrential
monsoon rains killed at least 26 people in flooding, landslides and
house collapses in the southern state of Kerala in the last 24 hours
with more than 15,500 people taking shelter in state-run relief
camps.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, The Indonesian
island of Lombok was shaken by a third big earthquake in little more
than a week as the official death toll from the most powerful of the
quakes topped 300.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Iraq's anti-graft
Commission of Integrity said it had succeeded in "recovering and
preventing the waste" of public funds to the value of $322 million
in the first six months of the year. PM Haider al-Abadi has sacked a
number of electricity ministry officials, his office said, in the
latest attempt to quell public anger at chronic power cuts.
   (AFP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In southern Israel
a long-range rocket fired from Gaza struck an uninhabited area
outside Beersheba, hours after a Palestinian official said an end to
a surge in cross-border fighting could be near. The military said
more than 180 rockets and mortar bombs were fired from Gaza
overnight. Seven people were wounded. The Israeli military said its
aircraft struck more than 150 facilities belonging to Hamas. Israeli
warplanes struck dozens of targets in the Gaza Strip and three
people were reported killed there.
   (Reuters, 8/9/18)(AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Italian police said
they found 20 tons of hash worth as much as 200 million euros ($232
million) in the fuel tanks of a Panama-flagged ship that was stopped
in international waters and escorted to Sicily. Italian finance
police seized the vessel in international waters on July 31 and
escorted it to Palermo. There the fuel tanks were drained and the
hash was discovered wrapped in sealed brown bags.
   (Reuters, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Typhoon Shanshan
brought rain and strong winds to Japan's northeast coast, but no
major damage was reported as the storm did not make landfall.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Mali the third
and fourth-place finishers in the first round of presidential
elections declined to endorse opposition leader Soumaila Cisse in
the August 12 run-off, dealing a blow to his hopes of defeating
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.
   (Reuters, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Mexican authorities
said 20 bodies have been found in two clandestine graves in Jalisco
state. One of the dead was identified as the leader of the local
cell of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
   (SFC, 8/10/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Myanmar said a
request by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to seek
jurisdiction over suspected deportations of Rohingya Muslims from
Myanmar to Bangladesh was "meritless and should be dismissed".
   (Reuters, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In southern Nigeria
armed robbers killed at least 10 people, including a policeman, when
they raided a police station and two banks in Igarra, Edo state.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Nigeria 13
people burnt to death when a bus burst into flames after a head-on
collision with a digger near the oil hub of Port Harcourt.
   (AFP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, It was reported
that Puerto Rico is now estimating that Hurricane Maria killed more
than 1,400 people, far more than the official death toll of 64, in a
report to Congress seeking billions to help the island recover from
the devastating storm. The government said were 1,427 more deaths
from September to December 2017 than the average for the same time
period over the previous four years.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Russia condemned a
new round of US sanctions as illegal after news of the measures sent
the ruble tumbling to two-year lows and sparked a wider asset
sell-off over fears that Moscow was locked in a spiral of
never-ending curbs by the West.
   (Reuters, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, The Russian punk
collective Pussy Riot said its member Maria Alekhina has departed
for Britain for a performance at the Edinburgh Fringe festival,
despite being banned from leaving the country.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Swedish home
furnishings giant IKEA opened its first store in India in the
southern city of Hyderabad.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Syrian regime
forces shelled rebel and jihadist positions in the northwestern
province of Idlib and dropped leaflets warning of an impending
assault.
   (AFP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Thailand former
Buddhist monk Wirapol Sukphol, infamous for a jet-set lifestyle, was
sentenced to more than 100 years in prison in connection with funds
he fraudulently raised from followers.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In Yemen Saudi-led
coalition air strikes killed dozens of people, including at least 40
children traveling on a bus as it drove through a market of Dahyan,
Saada province. Health officials later said 54 people killed
including 44 children.
   (Reuters, 8/9/18)(Reuters, 8/13/18)(SFC, 8/17/18,
p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, Senior Zimbabwean
opposition figure Tendai Biti was in police custody after Zambia
rejected his asylum bid and deported him, as fears grew about a
government crackdown following Zimbabwe's disputed election.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, US President
Donald Trump said he had authorized higher tariffs on imports from
Turkey, imposing a 20 percent duty on aluminum and 50 percent one on
steel. The Turkish currency quickly plunged further against the
dollar.
   (Reuters, 8/10/18)(AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, A California jury
ordered the US agrochemicals giant, which was taken over by
Germany's Bayer in June, to pay $289 million in compensation to
groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson (46), who was diagnosed with cancer
after he repeatedly used Monsanto's weed killer, Roundup. In October
Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos cut the award to $78.5 million.
Johnson soon agreed to the reduction in an effort to achieve a final
resolution. In 2020 a state appeals court reduced damages from $78.5
million to $21.5 million saying state law does not allow damages for
reduced life expectancy.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)(SFC, 10/23/18, p.A9)(SFC, 11/1/18,
p.A11)(SFC, 7/21/20, p.B1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In California Sean
Matthew Walker (36) struck and killed a CHP officer and another man
at a traffic stop on I-80 in Fairfield. Walker was on his cell phone
and distracted at the time of the accident and was arrested on
August 16.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y74686pj)(SFC, 8/16/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Washington
state a young mechanic (29), described as suicidal, stole an empty
twin-engine turboprop Q400 belonging to Horizon Air from
Seattle-Tacoma Airport, took it on an hour-long flight that included
a hair-raising loop as F-15 fighter jets gave chase, then crashed on
Ketron Island, killing himself.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, It was reported
that Minnesota-based Calyxt Inc, an eight-year-old firm co-founded
by a genetics professor, has altered the genes of a soybean plant to
produce healthier oil using the cutting-edge editing technique
rather than conventional genetic modification. Relatively unknown
firms including Calyxt, Cibus, and Benson Hill Biosystems are
already advancing their own gene-edited projects in a race against
Big Ag for dominance of the potentially transformational technology.
   (Reuters, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, The Taliban
launched a multi-pronged attack in attempts to overrun a provincial
capital, hiding inside people's homes before slipping into city
streets overnight. At least 14 Afghan policemen were killed and 20
wounded in the assault on Ghazni. Afghan forces launched a clearing
operation, searching for Taliban fighters following a major assault
on, after US air strikes targeted insurgents trying to overrun the
city.
   (AP, 8/10/18)(AFP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Ryanair pilots in
several European countries staged a strike over work conditions that
prompted the budget carrier to cancel 400 flights. Walkouts called
by German and Belgian unions accounted for many of the cancelations,
with strikes also called in Sweden and Ireland.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Brazil's security
minister Raul Jungmann said politicians and public servants have
been linked to the murder of high-profile Brazilian lawmaker and
black rights activist Marielle Franco.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Britain an
explosion at the Chemring Countermeasures factory, a military
hardware factory near Salisbury, Wiltshire, left one person dead and
another seriously injured.
   (Reuters, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In London Muslim
convert Lewis Ludlow (26) pleaded guilty to plotting an Islamic
State group-inspired van attack on crowds in London's busy Oxford
Street shopping district. Lewis was arrested on April 18 and has
admitted to preparing terrorist acts and funding terrorism.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Canada four
people, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting in
the eastern city of Fredericton, New Brunswick. One person was taken
into custody. Police the next day charged Matthew Vincent Raymond
(48) with four counts of first degree murder.
   (Reuters, 8/10/18)(Reuters, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In in northwestern
China thousands of Muslims gathered at a mosque in the town of
Weizhou to protest its planned demolition in a rare, public pushback
to the government's efforts to rewrite how religions are practiced
in the country.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Colombia's
state-run oil company Ecopetrol SA halted pumping on its Cano
Limon-Covenas pipeline because of a bomb attack late today. The
pipeline has been attacked nearly 60 times this year by the National
Liberation Army (ELN), the country's remaining active guerrilla
group.
   (Reuters, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In northeastern
CongoDRC suspected rebels killed seven civilians in a late night
attack in the Beni territory. The attack attributed to Ugandan
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.
   (AP, 8/11/18)(AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Reporters Without
Borders said it had restored its website in Egypt, exactly one year
after it was blocked by the authorities. RWB said it was unblocking
its site through a website "mirroring" technique, which involves
copying content and switching servers.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, German police
detained former cyclist and Tour de France champion (1997) Jan
Ullrich (44) for attacking and injuring a prostitute in a Frankfurt
luxury hotel.
   (Reuters, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 9, In India torrential
monsoon rains killed at least 26 people in flooding, landslides and
house collapses in the southern state of Kerala in the last 48 hours
with more than 15,500 people taking shelter in state-run relief
camps.
   (AP, 8/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Indonesian
officials said the death toll from the huge 6.9 magnitude earthquake
on Lombok island on August 5 has climbed to more than 320, even as
relief efforts picked up pace.
   (Reuters, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Iran's elite
Revolutionary Guard reportedly killed 10 militants late today in a
Kurdish region near the border with Iraq.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Iraq's electoral
commission said nationalist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr's alliance
won the May parliamentary election according to a manual recount,
paving the way for a government to be formed nearly three months
after the vote. Sadr's joint list with communists will retain all 54
seats it won to become the biggest bloc in Iraq's 329-seat
parliament.
   (AFP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Japan launched an
unprecedented probe into gender discrimination at all the nation's
medical universities after a Tokyo medical school admitted to
altering the entrance test results of female applicants to exclude
them.
   (AFP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Japan a search
and rescue helicopter crashed into the central mountains of Gunma
prefecture. All nine people aboard were killed.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In Jordan a bomb
went off late today in an area where a police vehicle usually stops
during an ongoing music festival in the town of Fuheis. One
policeman was killed.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Malian authorities
arrested three jihadists who said they were preparing to carry out
an attack during the vote in Bamako.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Two Palestinians
were killed and 307 wounded during protests on the Gaza border. The
wounded included two journalists and five medics.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, The International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said a
heat wave in North Korea has led to rice, maize and other crops
withering in the fields, "with potentially catastrophic effects".
   (Reuters, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, In northern
Pakistan gunmen killed three police in late night attack. One of the
gunmen was killed in the ensuing shootout.
   (AP, 8/11/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Romanians who live
abroad flocked to an anti-government protest in Bucharest. More than
450 people were hurt and around 30 arrested during the huge
anti-corruption protest that urged the left-wing government to
resign and called for an early election. On August 20 a man (62),
who sustained injuries during the protest, died in a hospital where
he was being treated for internal bleeding.
   (AP, 8/10/18)(AFP, 8/11/18)(AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Russia's PM Dmitry
Medvedev sternly warned the United States against ramping up
sanctions, saying that Moscow will retaliate with economic,
political and unspecified "other" means.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, The Saudi-led
coalition announced a probe into an air strike on a bus that killed
at least 29 children a day earlier in northern Yemen. The armed
Houthi group said at least 40 children were killed in the strike.
   (AFP, 8/10/18)(Reuters, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, South Korea said a
total of 35,000 tons of North Korean coal and pig iron worth $5.8
million illegally entered its ports last year, in possible
violations of UN sanctions.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Turkey's President
Tayyip Erdogan told his citizens to exchange gold and dollars into
lira. The currency dove more than 18 percent on the day and more
than 40 percent this year to a new record low after Trump took steps
to punish Turkey in a wide-ranging dispute.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, The UN gave
unanimous approval for former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet as
the next UN human rights chief.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, A UN
anti-discrimination committee raised concerns over China's treatment
of the Uighur Muslim minority, citing reports of mass detentions as
it considered Beijing's record over recent years.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Zimbabwe's main
opposition party filed a legal challenge to the July 30 results of
the country's first election without Robert Mugabe on the ballot.
   (AP, 8/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, The CEO of the
California Building Industry Association said tariffs on imported
lumber and other construction materials could increase the cost of
building a typical home by $20,000.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Hawaii Gov. David
Ige won the Democratic primary in his bid for a second term in
office, defeating US Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, US Rep. Chris
Collins ended his re-election bid, days after his indictment on
insider trading charges, a move that raised questions about how the
Republican Party might replace him with another nominee in one of
New York's most conservative districts.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Afghan forces were
still battling the Taliban in parts of Ghazni, a day after the
insurgents launched a multi-pronged assault on the city. At least 25
security forces were reported killed and wounded since the assault
began the previous day.
   (AP, 8/11/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Albanian police
caught a man who killed eight of his relatives, following a 12-hour
hunt during which the fugitive challenged PM Edi Rama on Facebook to
find him. Ridvan Zykaj (24) confessed to shooting cousins and other
family members with a Kalashnikov gun after they had accused him of
being a thief.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, British author
V.S. Naipaul (85), a famously outspoken Nobel laureate (2001) who
wrote on the traumas of post-colonial change, died in London. His
more than 30 books included "A House for Mr Biswas" (1961), which
looked at the almost impossible task for Indian immigrants in the
Caribbean of trying to integrate into society while keeping hold of
their roots.
   (AFP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Burkina Faso
five gendarmes and one civilian were killed between the rural
communes of Boungou and Ougarou in the nation's far east when their
vehicle hit an explosive device late today while gendarmes were
escorting mining workers to their extraction site.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, A newspaper of
China's ruling Communist Party said that no religion is above the
law in China, urging officials to stay firm while dealing with a
rare protest over the planned demolition of a massive mosque in the
northwest.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Egyptian security
officials said a man wearing an explosives belt attempted to attack
a Coptic Christian church north of Cairo but failed to enter before
blowing himself up in Mostorod district, Qaliubiya province.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Egyptian
prosecutors said a detained and recently defrocked monk, identified
as Isaiah, has confessed to collaborating with others to kill Bishop
Epiphanius, abbot of St. Macarius Monastery. The bishop was found
dead on July 29. A day later authorities detained another monk as
part of their investigation into the murder.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In France Bui Tin
(b.1927), a Vietnamese former colonel and revolutionary war hero,
died. He became disillusioned with the communist regime and defected
in 1990, becoming one of its most vocal and influential critics.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Greek health
officials said the death toll from the July 23 fire at the seaside
resort of Mati has risen to 94 after a woman (57) in intensive care
died of her injuries.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In southern India
more than half of the 14 districts in Kerala state were put on high
alert, as the death toll from one of the worst floods in the state
reached 34.
   (Reuters, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Indonesia's
National Disaster Mitigation Agency said that 387 people died in the
August 5 earthquake on Lombok, jumping from the 321 it reported a
day earlier. Scientists said the powerful earthquake lifted the
island it struck by as much as 25 centimeters (10 inches).
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In eastern
Indonesia a light commercial aircraft with nine people on board was
reported missing near Oksibil airport in a mountainous region of
Papua province. A 12-year-old boy was the only survivor.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Indonesia a
12-year-old boy was the only survivor from the crash of a light
commercial plane that left eight other passengers dead near Oksibil
airport in a mountainous region of Papua province.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Iran's Guardian
Council, a top constitutional body, approved measures passed by
parliament to bring the country more into line with global
money-laundering norms, as Tehran tries to attract investments
despite the reimposition of US sanctions.
   (Reuters, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, The Israeli army
carried out four drone attacks, targeting Palestinians who were
flying balloons carrying incendiary devices across the border into
Israel.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Israel
thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv against a new law
declaring Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people, legislation
that has angered the country's Arab minority and drawn criticism
abroad.
   (Reuters, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Japan tens of
thousands of protesters gathered in Okinawa vowing to stop the
planned relocation of a US military base on the southern island.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Japan's government
said that it is looking into reports that a Japanese citizen was
detained this month in North Korea. The man (39) was supposed to
return to Japan on August 13 but was reportedly arrested in Nampo
city.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Jordanian forces
laid siege to a building in a residential part of Salt late today in
search of those responsible for a bomb attack on a police van a day
earlier. Four security personnel were killed during the operation
after the suspected militants sought sanctuary in a multi-story
building. The bodies of three suspected militants were pulled the
next day from the wreckage of a building.
   (Reuters, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, It was reported
that Kenyan authorities have arrested the head of the agency that
manages public land and the boss of the state railway on suspicion
of corruption over land allocation for the new $3-billion flagship
Nairobi-Mombasa railway. 18 officials, businesspeople and companies
were named in a statement listing arrests that was posted on the
prosecutor's office's Twitter feed.
   (Reuters, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Kenya a Chinese
tourist died after he was attacked by a hippo as he was taking
pictures on the shores of Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Nicaragua a
supporter of Pres. Daniel Ortega was shot to death in the northern
city of Matagalpa as anti-government protesters marched past the
city hall. The victim was identified as Lenin Mendiola, the son of a
longtime leader of the ruling Sandinista Front. Managua was the
scene of rival marches for and against Ortega and his wife Rosario
Murillo.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Pakistan a
suicide bomber in a parked car blew himself up and wounded three
Chinese engineers and three paramilitary near a bus carrying the
engineers from Baluchistan to Karachi.
   (AP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, A Palestinian (40)
hit by Israeli fire on the Gaza border died of his wounds, taking
the death toll from protests the previous day to three.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In western Poland
the final of this year's edition of Mr Gay Europe took place in
Poznan. Enrique Doleschy (30) of Germany beat six other finalists to
win the title.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, Spanish police
warned of a massive blackmail campaign to expose web users' supposed
visits to porn sites unless they pay up, a technique police called
'sextorsion'.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Tunisia
thousands of people demonstrated in front of parliament against any
changes to inheritance rules.
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 10, Uzbek and Taliban
officials ended four-days of talks in Uzbekistan that included
meetings with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov as well as
the country's special representative to Afghanistan Ismatilla
Irgashev.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 11, In Vietnam around
200 drug users escaped from a rehab center in the southern province
of Tien Giang, the latest breakout attempt from the country's
controversial treatment facilities. About half the escapees were
soon captured.
   (AFP, 8/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, The United States
urged Britain to ditch its support for a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran
and instead join forces with Washington to counter the global threat
it says Tehran poses.
   (Reuters, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Washington, DC,
a white supremacist rally outside the White House fizzled out after
only a handful of neo-Nazis showed up and were massively outnumbered
by hundreds of counter-protesters.
   (AFP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, San Francisco's
new $2 billion Transbay Transit Center officially opened.
   (SSFC, 8/12/18, p.A13)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In San Francisco
the 3-day Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival ended in Golden Gate
park with more than 200,000 people attending.
   (SFC, 8/13/18, p.E1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, NASA blasted off
its first-ever spaceship to explore the Sun, the $1.5 billion Parker
Solar Probe, on a strategic mission to protect the Earth by
unveiling the mysteries of dangerous solar storms. The car-sized
probe was launched aboard a massive Delta IV-Heavy rocket early
today at Cape Canaveral.
   (AFP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Afghan security
forces battled the Taliban for the third straight day after the
insurgents' massive attack into the key city of Ghazni.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan agreed in principle how to
divide up the potentially huge oil and gas resources of the Caspian
Sea.
   (Reuters, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Ecuador at
least 12 people were killed and another 30 injured when a bus
carrying fans of the Ecuadorean soccer team Barcelona SC overturned
on a highway after a game.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, The head of
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, and other leaders of the banned group
were sentenced to life in prison, on charges of incitement to murder
and violence during protests five years ago. This was the latest of
several life sentences for Mohammed Badie, who has also been
sentenced to death in separate trials since his 2013 arrest.
   (Reuters, 8/12/18)(AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Egyptian state
news reported that security forces have killed 12 suspected
militants in raids on their hideouts in north Sinai.
   (Reuters, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, It was reported
that a French theme park has trained six rooks to pick up cigarette
butts and other rubbish dropped by visitors in return for food.
   (Reuters, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In southeastern
France a small glider plane crashed despite "excellent" weather,
killing two Austrians onboard on the mountainous Roche Rousse sector
of Orcieres in the Hautes-Alpes region.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Iran's judiciary
said that 67 people have been arrested in recent weeks as part of a
corruption crackdown approved by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei.
   (AFP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Malaysian media
said two women have been charged under Islamic laws forbidding
lesbian sex at the Shariah High Court in Terengganu, a conservative
state ruled by the Islamist opposition party Pan-Malaysian Islamist
Party (PAS). They were sentenced to six strokes by caning for having
sex and fined 3,300 ringgit ($806).
   (Reuters, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Malians voted in a
second round presidential election between incumbent Ibrahim
Boubacar Keita and opposition leader Soumaila Cissewill.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Nigeria
hundreds of soldiers protested in the airport of Maiduguri, the
capital of restive northeast Borno state, for several hours,
shooting into the air and disrupting flights. They were furious
about a planned redeployment to a battlefront in the remote Lake
Chad region after fighting Boko Haram jihadists for years without
relief.
   (AFP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, Pakistani police
detained eight Chinese nationals who tried to enter a power plant
with weapons in the eastern Punjab province. The eight men were
stopped at a checkpoint outside the Qadirabad power plant in Sahiwal
after a pump-action gun, a handgun, a rifle and ammunition were
found in their vehicle.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In northwestern
Pakistan a collision between a bus and a truck left five members of
the security forces dead and 12 injured in the Dara Zinda area.
   (AP, 8/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Pakistan a coal
mine caved in late today after a methane gas explosion. At least 8
workers were killed in the village of Sanjdi, Baluchistan province.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In northern Syria
an explosion brought down two five-story apartment buildings and
killed at least 69 people, including 17 children, in the village of
Sarmada. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
an arms depot in the basement of a building had detonated.
   (AP, 8/12/18)(AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 12, In Tajikistan a
helicopter carrying climbers crash-landed in the Central Asian
nation's Pamir Mountains, killing five of the 18 people on board.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, US President
Donald Trump signed a $716-billion defense policy act that
authorizes military spending and waters down controls on US
government contracts with China's ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies
Co Ltd.
   (AP, 8/14/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, US Pres. Donald
Trump lashed out at his former adviser Omarosa Manigault Newman, who
is promoting a tell-all book of her White House experience. Newman
said: "There's a lot of very corrupt things happening in the White
House, and I am going to blow the whistle on a lot of them".
   (SFC, 8/14/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, A US lawyer for
Peter Strzok, a senior FBI counterintelligence agent, said Strzok
has been fired for violating bureau policies. Strzok had disparaged
Pres. Trump in inflammatory text messages and helped oversee the
Hillary Clinton and Russia investigations.
   (SFC, 8/14/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In California the
body count in the Golden State Killer's alleged reign of terror
increased to 13 when prosecutors in Tulare County filed charges
linking suspect Joseph James De Angelo (72) to the 1975 murder of
college teacher Claude Snelling (45) in Visalia. De Angelo has also
been accused of being the East Area Rapist and Original Night
Stalker.
   (SFC, 8/14/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In northern
California Ricardo Gardcia Lopez (39), on probation for domestic
violence and failing to register as a sex offender, shot and killed
three of his children before killing himself early today in
Clearlake, Lake County.
   (SFC, 8/14/18, p.C3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In northern
California a firefighter from Utah was killed while battling the
Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex. The 300,970-acre Ranch
Fire was 59 percent contained. The associated River Fire was fully
contained at 48,920 acres.
   (SFC, 8/14/18, p.C4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Utah Duane Youd
flew a small plane into his own house hours after being arrested and
released on bail for assaulting his wife. Youd died in the crash,
but his wife and child survived.
   (SFC, 8/14/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, The West Virginia
House of Delegates impeached all four justices of the state Supreme
Court on charges of extravagant spending and other misconduct.
Democrats have described the whole process as a partisan power grab.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y9alekkd)(SFC, 8/15/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Tesla chief
executive Elon Musk said he was in talks with Saudi Arabia's
sovereign wealth fund and other investors to take the electric
automaker private.
   (AFP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Afghanistan's
defense minister said four days of ferocious fighting between Afghan
forces and the Taliban over Ghazni has claimed the lives of about
100 Afghan policemen and soldiers and at least 20 civilians. A
suicide attacker detonated explosives near the office of the
election commission in Kabul where dozens of protesters had
gathered. At least one police official was killed and one officer
was wounded.
   (AP, 8/13/18)(Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Armenia an
appeals court in Yerevan released former Pres. Robert Kocharian on
the grounds of constitutional immunity for actions as president.
Kocharian was jailed July 27 on charges of violating constitutional
order for sending police and soldiers to break up a demonstration in
Yerevan in March 2008. Eight demonstrators and two police died in
the clash.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, A court in
Azerbaijan freed human rights activist Ilgar Mammadov after he had
served five years of a seven-year jail sentence. The European Court
of Human Rights has described his sentence "an unjustified
restriction of freedom".
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Influential
British publisher John Calder (b.1927) died in Edinburgh. He
championed avant-garde authors, battled censorship and published
such European writers as Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy and Emile Zola,
as well as newer authors, notably Samuel Beckett, and edgy Americans
including Henry Miller and William S. Burroughs.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, China insisted
there is no "arbitrary detention" and there are no "re-education
centers" in its western Xinjiang region, rejecting concerns raised
by a UN human rights committee that more than 1 million ethnic
Uighurs may be being held in camps.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Egypt's interior
ministry said security forces have killed six suspected militants in
a raid on a house on the outskirts of Cairo.
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Indonesian
authorities said the holiday island of Lombok suffered damage
running into more than 5 trillion rupiah ($342 million) from last
week's 6.9 earthquake as the death toll climbed to more than 430.
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Indonesian
prosecutors demanded an 18-month prison term for a woman who was
charged with blasphemy after she complained about the volume of a
mosque's loudspeakers. The ethnic Chinese defendant, Meiliana (44),
was arrested on May 18, about two years after her case triggered a
riot in Tanjung Balai.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Iran unveiled a
next generation short-range ballistic missile and vowed to further
boost its capabilities.
   (AFP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Malaysia's PM
Mahathir Mohamad said he is looking to cancel multibillion-dollar
Chinese-backed infrastructure projects signed by the previous
scandal-tainted government as the country digs itself out of debt.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Norway's rightwing
Fisheries Minister Per Sandberg (58) quit after breaching security
protocol when he went on holiday to Iran in July with an
Iranian-born former beauty queen (28), in a major media scandal.
   (AFP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, A presidential
spokesman said Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has fired 20
people, including colonels and a general, over accusations of fraud
and graft in purchases of military medical supplies.
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Poland used its
powers as a European Union member to ban human rights Ukrainian
activist Lyudmyla Kozlovska (32) from all 26 countries in Europe's
Schengen area. Kozlovska was stopped at the Brussels Zaventem
airport after arriving from Kiev, held overnight and put on an early
flight back to Kiev the next morning. Belgian authorities acted
after Poland entered her in the Schengen Information System, a
database aimed at ensuring security in Europe's passport-free
Schengen Area.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Workers at South
Africa's high-speed train service that mainly caters for business
commuters ended a two-week strike over pay after reaching a 12-month
agreement with their employer.
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Sudan's Red
Crescent Society said at least 23 people have been killed in heavy
flooding since July 23. More than 8,900 families have been left
homeless.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, In Taiwan a fire
at a hospital early today killed nine people and injured 15. An
investigation was launched into the cause of the blaze.
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Tunisia's
President Beji Caid Essebsi proposed giving women equal inheritance
rights despite protests from thousands of people objecting to any
challenge to Islamic law.
   (Reuters, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Turkey's central
bank took action to free up cash for banks as the country grapples
with a currency crisis sparked by concerns over President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan's economic policies and a trade and diplomatic
dispute with the United States.
   (AP, 8/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Ugandan police
arrested three opposition lawmakers and scores of others after
stones were thrown at the convoy of President Yoweri Museveni, who
has ruled the country since 1986.
   (Reuters, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 13, Venezuela's
President Nicolas Maduro announced that from now on dirt-cheap fuel
will be available only to people with a special government aid card
that the opposition has denounced as a tool for controlling people.
   (AFP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Nebraska carried
out its first execution since 1997. Carey Dean Moore (60 was
executed with a drug combination that included the powerful opioid
fentanyl for killing two cab drivers in Omaha in 1979.
   (SFC, 8/15/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Pennsylvania
officials released a grand jury report that identified more than 300
"predator priests" who molested children in six dioceses since the
1940s.
   (SFC, 8/15/18, p.A6)(SFC, 8/16/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In northern
Afghanistan the Taliban overran the Camp Chinaya base in Faryab
province, killing 17 soldiers. The Taliban said 57 Afghan soldiers
had surrendered and 17 others were captured in battle. Afghan forces
battled the insurgents for the fifth straight day in the eastern
provincial capital of Ghazni. The assault in Ghazni has killed about
100 Afghan security forces and 20 civilians. A Taliban attack on
checkpoint in northern Baghlan province killed 30 soldiers.
   (AP, 8/14/18)(SFC, 8/15/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Australia
Newcastle Magistrate Robert Stone ordered former Adelaide Archbishop
Philip Wilson, most senior Roman Catholic cleric convicted of
covering up child sex abuse, to be detained at his sister's house
for at least 6 months before he is eligible for parole.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, The Bosnian Serb
legislature revoked support for a 2004 report that acknowledged the
1995 massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslim men and boys in
Srebrenica.
   (AP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In London a car
plowed into pedestrians and cyclists near the Houses of Parliament
during the morning rush hour, injuring three people in what police
suspect is the latest in a string of attacks in the British capital
that used vehicles as weapons. The driver, soon identified as Salih
Khater (29), a British citizen of Sudanese origin, was arrested on
suspicion of terrorism offenses. In 2019 he was sentenced to
life in prison.
   (AP, 8/14/18)(Reuters, 8/15/18)(Reuters,
10/14/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Chilean
authorities raided the headquarters of the Catholic Church's
Episcopal Conference as part of a widespread investigation into
clerical sex abuse in the South American country.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Chile's Supreme
Court sentenced 24 former police agents to prison from four to 13
years for the disappearance of Jorge Arturo Grez, who was detained
and tortured in 1974 before vanishing.
   (SFC, 8/15/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In southern Chile
a fire swept through a nursing home, killing 10 elderly women at the
Santa Marta nursing home.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, China blasted a US
military spending bill that calls for development of plans to help
self-ruled Taiwan improve its defenses and warned of possible damage
to cooperation in other areas.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In China the
deputy governor of Jilin province and the mayor of Changchun were
fired as the ruling Communist Party tried to defuse public outrage
over revelations of misconduct by major vaccine producer Changsheng
Life Sciences.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, CongoDRC's health
ministry said its latest Ebola outbreak has spread from North Kivu
province into neighboring Ituri province.
   (SFC, 8/15/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Ecuador a bus
carrying travelers from Colombia and Venezuela crashed early today
near Quito, killing 24 people and injuring 18 others.
   (AFP, 8/14/18)(SFC, 8/15/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Egypt's Interior
Ministry said police have arrested 13 alleged Muslim Brotherhood
members accused of inciting protests on the fifth anniversary of the
violent dispersal of two mass sit-ins.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Ethiopia in an
open letter published today asked dissident marathoner and Olympics
silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa to come home, promising a "hero's
welcome". Lilesa has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since
2016 when he raised his arms in a gesture against government
repression while crossing the finish line in second place at the Rio
Olympics.
   (AFP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Malta said it
agreed to let the Aquarius humanitarian ship dock in one of its
ports. The European Commission said France, Spain, Germany, Portugal
and Luxembourg have agreed to take some of the 141 migrants on the
humanitarian ship.
   (Reuters, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, A Hong Kong
pro-independence activist decried Beijing's rule over the city as
modern-day colonialism in a speech to a foreign journalists'
association that defied the Chinese government's demand that the
event be canceled.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, The Indian rupee
fell to an all-time low against the US dollar amid worries that
Turkey's growing financial crisis could spread to other
developing-world economies.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, An explosion
struck the MT Desh Vaibhav in the Gulf of Oman while it was en route
to Fujairah on the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates. The
explosion on the Shipping Corporation of India crude oil tanker
caused "two casualties" and injured one sailor.
   (AP, 8/15/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Indonesia deployed
100,000 police and soldiers to provide security for the Asian Games,
the biggest event ever held in its terror attack prone capital
Jakarta. Some 11,000 athletes and 5,000 officials from 45 Asian
countries were expected for the August 18 to September 2 Games.
   (AP, 8/14/18)(AFP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Iraq at least
three people were killed in an explosion at a market in Baghdad,
including a woman and child.
   (AFP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Italy at least
39 people were killed by the collapse of the Morandi Bridge in the
port city of Genoa. Authorities later lowered the confirmed death
toll to 38 from 39. On August 18 the death toll rose unofficially to
42 with the discovery of four more bodies. The death toll was later
put at 43.
   (Reuters, 8/14/18)(AP, 8/15/18)(AP, 8/16/18)(AP,
8/18/18)(SFC, 8/3/20, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Malian
presidential spokesman Bocary Treta told reporters that Pres.
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has won a second-round election runoff
"comfortably", according to a provisional vote count by his own
camp.
   (Reuters, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Nigerian reporter
Samuel Ogundipe was arrested for refusing to reveal the source of a
letter, which identified who was blamed for a blockade on parliament
last week by members of the Department of State Security. His
article cited a confidential letter from the chief of police. On
August 17 he was released on bail.
   (Reuters, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Eduard Uspensky
(80), legendary Soviet children's writer and creator of the USSR's
most popular cartoon characters, died in his home in the Moscow
suburbs. He was most famous for his iconic cartoon characters Gena
the Crocodile, a friendly crocodile who works at a zoo and plays the
accordion, and Cheburashka, a strange brown-haired creature with
large ears.
   (AFP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, People in South
Korea and Taiwan unveiled monuments and staged protests to mark
Japan's wartime use of "comfort women", a euphemism for girls and
women forced to work in Japan's wartime brothels.
   (Reuters, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, In Sweden masked
youths set ablaze about 80 cars overnight, chiefly in the second
largest city, Goteborg, and nearby Trollhattan, an industrial city.
Fires were also reported on a smaller scale in Malmo, Sweden's third
largest city. No motive was yet known. One man suspected of the
arson was arrested as he tried to enter Turkey. Two others, aged 16
and 21 and living in Frolunda, a suburb of Goteborg where of some
the fires took place, were arrested on suspicion of arson.
   (AP, 8/14/18)(AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Turkey's Pres.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would boycott US electronic
goods like the iPhone in retaliation for punitive sanctions from
Washington, as the Turkish lira finally clawed back some ground
after going into a tailspin over the tensions.
   (AFP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Turkish police
arrested Ilhami A. (46), a German citizen, while he was visiting his
mother in her home town Saribasak in a largely Kurdish region of
eastern Turkey. Public broadcaster ARD later said the man had been
accused of "terrorist propaganda" after criticizing the Turkish
government on social media. There were currently seven other German
citizens arrested in Turkey on political grounds.
   (Reuters, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, Ugandan musician
and opposition lawmaker Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi
Wine, was arrested after an incident in which security officers shot
his driver dead. Kyagulanyi was arrested in the northwestern town of
Arua where he was campaigning for opposition candidate Kassiano
Wadri, who was also arrested.
   (AFP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 14, UNHCR spokesman
William Spindler said Libya's Misrata militia ran 370 families,
originally from the western city of Tawergha, out of their homes in
the Triq al-Matar camp last week. The militia forced 1,900 displaced
people out of their refugee camp in the capital, Tripoli.
   (AP, 8/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, The United States
imposed sanctions on a Russian port service agency and Chinese firms
for aiding North Korean ships and selling alcohol and tobacco to
Pyongyang in breach of US sanctions.
   (Reuters, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Pres. Donald Trump
revoked the security clearance of John Brennan, the former CIA
director under pres. Obama, citing what he called Brennan's "erratic
behavior".
   (SFC, 8/16/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In New Haven,
Conn., a number of people began experiencing synthetic marijuana
overdoses. John Parker (53), of New Haven, was arrested as one of
the people dealing K2 on the New Haven Green.
   (http://tinyurl.com/ya4k9xu2)(SSFC, 8/19/18,
p.A8)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Afghanistan a
suicide bomber targeted students preparing for university exams in a
Shiite neighborhood of Kabul, killing at least 48 people and
wounding 67 in an attack blamed on the Islamic State group.
Authorities the next day revised down the death toll to 34 from 48.
   (AP, 8/15/18)(AP, 8/16/18)(Reuters, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Australian senator
Fraser Anning was condemned for his speech in Parliament advocating
reviving a white-only immigration policy and using the term "final
solution" in calling for a vote on which migrants to admit into the
country.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, British Dr. Peter
Fisher (67), who worked as a physician to Queen Elizabeth, was
killed after colliding with a truck as he cycled through central
London.
   (Reuters, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, An announcement by
Cambodia's National Election Committee showed that the Cambodian
People's Party had swept the July 29 polls winning all 125 seats in
the National Assembly, ensuring that Hun Sen, who has held power for
33 years, will receive another five-year term.
   (AP, 8/15/18)(SFC, 8/16/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Constellation
Brands, the maker of Robert Mondavi wine and Svedka vodka, announced
that it had invested $4 billion in Canopy Growth, a publicly traded
Canadian cannabis producer.
   (SFC, 8/17/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, The Buddhist
Association of China said its president Xuecheng had passed his
duties to a deputy following reports of sexual misconduct.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Denmark's
Environmental Protection Agency said it had approved the outline for
a steel fence along the German border, which will be up to 1.5
meters (5 feet) tall, to keep out wild boars, in the hope of
preventing the spread of African swine fever, which can jeopardize
the country's valuable pork industry. Pigs outnumber people in
Denmark, with 215 pigs to every 100 residents.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, It was reported
that Egyptian authorities are demolishing a historical 19th century
neighborhood in Cairo to make way for high-end housing and business
development a stone's throw from the Nile, angering residents who
say they have not been properly compensated. The Maspero
neighborhood was named for French Egyptologist Gaston Maspero who
helped found the Egyptian Museum.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Germany's Cabinet
approved a third gender option for official records that will allow
people to be registered as "diverse," complying with a ruling from
the country's highest court.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, German authorities
deported 46 Afghans whose asylum requests were rejected to their
homeland. German authorities have sent 349 people back to
Afghanistan since December 2016.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Greece hailed a
"day of joy" as two Greek soldiers held in a Turkish prison for more
than five months on espionage charges were released in a surprise
move by Ankara.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Guyana said it
will set up a temporary settlement for hundreds of people who have
fled the economic collapse in neighboring Venezuela. An estimated
500 Venezuelans have crossed into Guyana in recent months.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, PM Narendra Modi
said that India will send a manned flight into space by 2022. The
announcement was made as part of India's independence day
celebrations.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Indian officials
said torrential monsoon rains have disrupted air and train services
in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where flooding, landslides
and bridge collapses have killed at least 67 people in the past
week.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Lawyers for Iran's
award-winning human rights advocate Nasrin Sotoudeh (55) said that
her five-year sentence on spying charges was unlawful as she was
never charged or given the chance to appear in court.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Israel allowed
commercial goods back into the Gaza Strip, in a sign of an easing of
tensions as neighboring Egypt pursued a long-term ceasefire between
Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian enclave's dominant armed faction.
   (Reuters, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, A Libyan court
sentenced 45 people to death by firing squad over killings during
the 2011 uprising that evolved into civil war. Another 54 suspects
in the case were sentenced to five years in prison while 22 people
were acquitted.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Mexico's the
attorney general said a 30 million peso ($1.56 million) reward is
being offered for information leading to the arrest of drug lord
Nemesio Oseguera, whose cartel is blamed for driving heroin
shipments to the United States.
   (Reuters, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, New Zealand banned
most foreigners from buying homes as it tried to tackle runaway
housing prices.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Pakistan's
parliament elected Asad Qaiser, an ally of Imran Khan, as its
speaker, paving the way for the former cricket star to become the
next prime minister.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Shipping industry
sources said that some Russian shipowners not subject to sanctions
have now stopped shipping to Ukraine for fear of losing their cargo.
The Mekhanik Pogodin oil tanker, under the Russian flag, has
detained in the port of Kherson since August 10, and prevented from
offloading because its owner is on a list of sanctions imposed by
Kiev.
   (Reuters, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Sudan at least
22 children drowned on their way to school when their boat capsized
in swollen waters of the Nile river in Bouhayra, Nile State, 750 km
north of Khartoum.
   (AFP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Turkish officials
said Qatar has pledged $15 billion of direct investments for Turkey
as it struggles with a currency crisis.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, Turkey doubled
tariffs on some US imports including alcohol, cars and tobacco in
retaliation for US moves, but the lira rallied further after the
central bank's liquidity moves had the effect of supporting the
currency.
   (Reuters, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, A Turkish court
ordered the release from prison of Taner Kilic, the local honorary
chair of Amnesty International.
   (Reuters, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 15, In Yemen heavy
fighting between pro-government forces and Shiite rebels in the
north and around the Red Sea port of Hodeida has killed at least 18
civilians over the last 24 hours.
   (AP, 8/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, US newspapers big
and small hit back at President Donald Trump's relentless attacks on
the news media, with a coordinated campaign of editorials
highlighting the importance of a free press.
   (AFP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, The Pentagon late
today said that a show of US military prowess, originally scheduled
for November 10 in Washington, was being pushed back to a possible
date in 2019, after it emerged costs could soar as high as $92
million.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Arkansas a
group called the Satanic Temple temporarily placed a a bronze statue
of a goat-headed, winged creature called Baphomet at the state
capitol during a rally calling for the removal of a Ten Commandments
monument mounted on Capitol grounds in 2017.
   (SFC, 8/18/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Colorado
Christopher Watts (33) was arrested on suspicion of killing his
pregnant wife and two daughters. The body of Shannan Watts (34) had
been found on property owned by Anadarko Petroleum, Where Mr. Watts
used to work. The bodies of the two girls, ages 3 and 4, were still
missing. Watts told police his wife had strangled the girls after
being told he wanted to separate. Police later learned Watts was
having an affair with a co-worker. On Nov. 19 Watts was sentenced to
life in prison.
   (SFC, 8/17/18, p.A5)(SFC, 8/20/18, p.A5)(SFC,
11/20/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, The journal
Science reported that the complex wheat genome, five times longer
than the human genome, has been sequenced.
   (SSFC, 8/19/18, p.A20)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Aretha Franklin
(76), the music legend, icon and Grammy-winning singer celebrated as
the "Queen of Soul," died at her home in Detroit. She influenced
generations of female singers with unforgettable hits including
"Respect" (1967), "Natural Woman" (1968) and "I Say a Little Prayer"
(1968).
   (AFP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Afghanistan two
gunmen besieged a compound belonging to the Afghan intelligence
service in a northwestern Kabul neighborhood early today, opening
fire as Afghan security forces moved in to cut them off. The
standoff lasted for nearly six hours before police killed the gunmen
and secured the area.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Australia Paul
Bradshaw (74), a man with terminal cancer, said he could die happy
after reaching a 1 million Australian dollar ($727,000) landmark
settlement against the Catholic Irish Christian Brothers for sexual
abuse he suffered more than 50 years ago at the hands of Brothers
Lawrence Murphy, Bruno Doyle and Christopher Angus, who are all
dead.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Austria
authorities in Vienna decided to ban passengers from eating in the
capital's subway trains. But they don't plan to punish offenders, at
least to start with. The blanket ban will be introduced Sept. 1 on
the U6 line and extended to the other four lines on January 15.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Bahrain's
government rejected the findings of the UN Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention, saying that offences by Nabeel Rajab did not
relate to his political views and that his trials had been
independent and transparent. Rajab was sentenced to five years in
prison in February for criticizing Saudi Arabia's air strikes in
Yemen and writing tweets accusing Bahrain's prison authorities of
torture. He was already serving a two-year term over a news
interview in which he said Bahrain tortured political prisoners.
   (Reuters, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Chile,
Argentina and Peru false bomb threats caused up to 11 commercial
flights to take emergency measures. Chilean authorities soon
arrested Franco Sepulveda Robles (29) for making false bomb threats
in anger over an airline not returning his suitcase.
   (SSFC, 8/19/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Air France-KLM was
tipped to name its first non-French chief executive, with Ben Smith,
chief operating officer at Air Canada, set to be unveiled. Nine out
of 10 Air France unions opposed the selection.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Former Indian PM
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (93) died after a prolonged illness. The Hindu
nationalist had set off a nuclear arms race with rival Pakistan but
later reached across the border to begin a groundbreaking peace
process.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Iraq's air force
carried out two airstrikes targeting Islamic State group inside
Syria, killing at least 28 IS militants.
   (AP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Malaysia's new
government repealed a widely criticized law prohibiting "fake news,"
in a move hailed as a landmark moment for human rights by a group of
Southeast Asian lawmakers.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, The Malian
government said President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won a landslide
victory in a run-off against opposition rival Soumaila Cisse, giving
him a second term to try to turn back a surge in ethnic and Islamist
militant violence.
   (Reuters, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Mexican marines
seized a record 50 tons of crystal meth from a drug lab in the state
of Sinaloa.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, In Myanmar the
Independent Commission of Enquiry held its first formal meeting in
the capital, Naypyitaw, a day after holding talks with the country's
leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Pakistan's foreign
ministry confirmed the suspension of a US military training program
for Pakistani soldiers.
   (AP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Qatari broadcaster
BeIN said it has "irrefutable evidence" that a pirate channel
illegally showing hundreds of live European football matches is
being carried on the Saudi-based satellite provider Arabsat.
   (AFP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Peter Morgan, a
Scottish man with far-right views, was sentenced in Edinburgh to 12
years in prison for attempting to build a bomb that prosecutors say
could have caused carnage.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, A Thailand
environment ministry official said imports of 432 types of scrap
electronics will be banned within six months. Southeast Asia nations
fear they are the new dumping ground for the world's trash after
China banned the entry of several types of waste as part of a
campaign against "foreign garbage".
   (Reuters, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Turkish officials
said four soldiers have been killed in violence in the southeast
where troops are battling Kurdish rebels, three of them as a result
of a friendly fire in Adiyaman province.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Three Ugandan
lawmakers, critics of President Yoweri Museveni, were charged with
treason for their suspected role in the August 13 stoning of his
convoy. Lawmaker, pop singer and government critic Kyagulanyi
Ssentamu, whose stage name is Bobi Wine, was charged with unlawful
possession of firearms and ammunition in a military court for his
alleged role in the stone throwing.
   (Reuters, 8/16/18)(AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Uganda police
arrested Jimmy L. Taylor, an American man who in video footage is
seen attacking a hotel worker with punches and racial insults. CCTV
footage of the incident was posted on social media, angering some
Ugandans who demanded his arrest.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, Ukraine's
Prosecutor General's office said had it demanded a 15-year prison
sentence for ousted ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, accused by Kiev
of "betraying his nation" to Russia.
   (AFP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, It was reported
that Venezuela's opposition-run supreme court in exile in Colombia
has sentenced President Nicolas Maduro to 18 years in prison over
the infamous Odebrecht corruption scandal, a move dismissed by the
regime.
   (AFP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 16, A court in central
Vietnam sentenced activist Le Dinh Luong (53) to 20 years in prison
and five years of house arrest after finding him guilty of
attempting to overthrow the Communist government.
   (AP, 8/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, US President
Donald Trump said he would attend a November celebration in Paris
marking the end of World War I, hours after the Pentagon announced
it was postponing the much-maligned military parade that Trump had
ordered.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, The US government
hit four Myanmar military commanders and two military units with
punitive sanctions, accusing them of "serious human rights abuses"
and "ethnic cleansing" in violently expelling minority Rohingya from
their homes.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, The United States
said it had secured $300 million from coalition partners to help
stabilize parts of Syria retaken from Islamic State, after President
Donald Trump demanded that allies help carry the costs of the war.
   (Reuters, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, US prosecutors
working for special counsel Robert Mueller recommended that George
Papadopoulos, who served as a foreign policy adviser to President
Donald Trump's campaign during the 2016 presidential race, spend at
least some time incarcerated and pay a nearly $10,000 fine. His
recommended sentence under federal guidelines is zero to six months.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, A US federal judge
approved a plan to reunite hundreds more families who were separated
by border officials after they entered the US from Mexico.
   (AP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Arizona the
sales and marketing director of Backpage.com pleaded guilty to
conspiring to facilitate prostitution, acknowledging that he
participated in a scheme to give free ads to prostitutes in a bid to
draw them away from competitors and win over their future business.
Dan Hyer was the second Backpage.com employee to plead guilty in
cases in which the site has been accused of ignoring warnings to
stop running prostitution ads.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, California Gov.
Jerry Brown announced the pardon of three former prisoners facing
the threat of deportation to Cambodia, including one who became a
youth pastor after serving six years in the 1990s for murdering a
rival gang member. The three were among 36 pardons granted by Brown
within the past week.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In the SF Bay Area
Berkeley poet Tom Clark (77) was struck while walking in Berkeley by
a hatchback sedan and died hours later at Highland Hospital in
Oakland.
   (SFC, 8/20/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, A Google employee
confirmed that more than a thousand Google employees have signed a
letter protesting the company's secretive plan to build a search
engine, nicknamed Dragonfly, that would comply with Chinese
censorship.
   (AP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani congratulated his armed forces in Ghazni for their
victory over Taliban insurgents in the strategically important city
after clashes that killed at least 150 soldiers and 95 civilians.
   (Reuters, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Belize
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen thanked the government for backing
Taiwan's claim to independence from China for 29 years. Belize is
one of 18 countries that still recognize Taiwan.
   (Reuters, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Chilean miners at
the world's biggest copper mine, Escondida, signed an agreement with
Anglo-Australian owners BHP to avoid a strike announced two weeks
ago when unions rejected as insufficient a proposed salary hike.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, The German
government said Greece has agreed to take back migrants who apply
for asylum there and later turn up at Germany's border with Austria.
   (AP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Indian authorities
said the death toll from floods that have triggered landslides and
sent torrents sweeping through villages in Kerala state trebled to
324. Rescuers moved quickly to take those marooned by floods to
1,500 state-run camps.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Indonesia
veiled children dressed head-to-toe in black carrying wooden guns in
a street parade in the East Java city of Probolinggo. A video of the
event sparked an outcry in the world's most populous Muslim-majority
nation. A kindergarten principal, who organized the Independence Day
parade, was soon dismissed and reduced to an ordinary staff member
in the education office.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Amnesty
International said Indonesian police fatally shot dozens of petty
criminals in a deliberate campaign of "unnecessary and excessive"
force ahead of the Asian Games.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Israeli fire
killed two Palestinians and injured another 60 at a protest along
the Gaza border.
   (SFC, 8/18/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Japanese media
said several government ministries may have been inflating for
decades the number of disabled people they employ in order to meet
quotas, even as the government imposes levies on private companies
that fail to meet theirs.
   (Reuters, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Pakistani
lawmakers elected former cricket legend Imran Khan (65) prime
minister. He pledged to bring to justice "all those who have robbed
this country" through corruption.
   (Reuters, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Pakistan a
transgender woman, who went by the name Nazo, was shot dead and
dismembered in the suburbs of Peshawar. Police arrested two men who
were taking the body parts to dispose of them.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Military forces of
Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region said they have retaken a
strategic town from Islamic militant group al Shabaab.
   (Reuters, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Saudi Arabia
pledged $100 million to reconstruct areas of northeastern Syria
formerly held by the Islamic State group, in a move sharply
criticized by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Serbian
authorities ordered the closure of a controversial "patriotic youth
camp," run by Serbian and Russian veterans, where teens were
handling fake weapons and dressing in army uniforms as part of
military-style training on Zlatibor mountain.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, Slovenian MPs
approved center-left candidate Marjan Sarec, a former comedian, for
the post of prime minister, putting an end to weeks of political
uncertainty after inconclusive elections in June.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)(AP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In eastern Syria
the Islamic State group attacked barracks late today housing
American and French troops. US-backed forces repelled the raid which
continued into dawn the next day. Seven jihadists were killed in the
attack.
   (AFP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, In Uganda the wife
and lawyer of Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, said
that security forces framed and beat the popstar-turned-politician.
He faced a military trial for weapons possession as protests at his
arrest continued.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 17, The UN Human
Rights Committee ruled that Brazil's imprisoned leftist leader Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva cannot be disqualified from upcoming
presidential elections because his legal appeals are ongoing.
   (AFP, 8/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In San Francisco
Lance Silva (39) was arrested in connection with the case of
Brian Egg (65), who had disappeared in July. A day before Silva's
arrest a headless corpse was found at Egg's home at 228 Clara St.
DNA testing later identified the body of Brian Egg, found in a
slurry of water and household chemicals on Clara St. Egg's hand had
also been removed and were missing.
   (SFC, 8/28/18, p.A1)(SFC, 9/28/18, p.D4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Afghanistan
Taliban leader Maulvi Haibatullah said there will be no peace in
Afghanistan as long as the foreign "occupation" continues,
reiterating the group's position that the 17-year war can only be
brought to an end through direct talks with the United States.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Hundreds of people
gathered in Buenos Aires to oppose the influence of religion on
Argentine politics and encourage people to quit the Roman Catholic
Church in the wake of a Senate vote not to legalize some abortions.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Belarus press
reported that Pres. Alexander Lukashenko (63) has dismissed the
country's prime minister and other top ministers. Lukashenko named
Sergei Rumas, the head of the country's Development Bank, as new
prime minister. He also named four new deputy prime ministers, as
well as new ministers of the economy, communications and industry,
among other posts.
   (Reuters, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Brazil's "queer
museum," forced to close last year after conservatives attacked it
for allegedly promoting pedophilia, blasphemy and bestiality,
reopened in the shadow of Rio de Janeiro's iconic Christ the
Redeemer statue. A crowdfunding campaign raised more than a million
reais ($275,000) allowing it to reopen for a month, with free
admission, at the School for Visual Arts in Rio de Janeiro's Parque
Lage.
   (AFP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In northern Brazil
a local merchant was robbed and severely beaten in an incident
blamed on Venezuelan suspects, in Pacaraima, where an estimated
1,000 immigrants are living on the street. Dozens of locals then
attacked the two main immigrant makeshift camps and burned their
belongings, leading Venezuelans to cross the border back into their
home country. Brazilian federal police, in charge of immigration,
estimated that about 500 Venezuelans cross over to Brazil every day.
   (AFP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, British
investigators found a "sophisticated" illegal gun factory in Sussex,
southern England, and made three arrests as part of an inquiry into
the criminal production of firearms.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, China said it has
sacked six senior officials at its food and drug regulator after a
safety scandal at vaccine maker Changsheng Biotechnology Co Ltd
revealed failings at the government body including inadequate
supervision.
   (Reuters, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In China
Malaysia's PM Mahathir Mohamad courted Chinese e-commerce investment
in his country at the start of his first trip to China since his
stunning electoral victory three months ago.
   (AP, 8/18/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, CongoDRC's
government said deadly Ebola outbreak has now claimed 49 lives since
the start of the month. A day earlier the World Health Organization
said it expects more cases.
   (AFP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Cyprus extradited
Seif Eddin Mustafa, an Egyptian man who hijacked a domestic EgyptAir
flight in March, 2016, and ordered it to land in Cyprus. He was
transferred to Egyptian custody and flown to Egypt after giving up a
drawn-out legal fight.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In India thousands
of stranded people were waiting for rescue and officials pleaded for
more help as relentless monsoon floods battered the southern state
of Kerala, where more than 190 have died in a little over a week.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, In Indonesia the
18th Asian Games officially opened in Jakarta.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Iran said it would
resist the pressures of US sanctions by relying on its natural and
human resources, as Washington pushes allies to cut economic ties
with Tehran.
   (Reuters, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Iranian police
detained human rights lawyer Ghasem Sholeh-Saadi (64) after he
appeared outside parliament in an "illegal gathering." A day earlier
and on his Instagram account, Sholeh-Saadi posted that he will stage
a sit-in protest in front of parliament to demand free elections.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Namibian President
Hage Geingob (77), who is hosting a summit of southern African
leaders, strongly rejected criticism of Africa by the West saying
there was undue pressure on the continent. The two-day Southern
African Development Community (SADC) summit ends today.
   (AFP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Pakistan's cricket
star-turned-politician Imran Khan was sworn in as prime minister
despite protests by opposition parties, which accuse the security
services of intervening on his behalf in last month's elections.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Qatar accused
Saudi Arabia of barring its citizens from this year's haj, something
Riyadh denies, saying a diplomatic dispute is not stopping Qataris
from making the pilgrimage to Mecca. Saudi Arabia has said Qatari
pilgrims can arrive on any airline other than Qatar Airways.
   (Reuters, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Kofi Annan (80) of
Ghana, a former UN Secretary-General (1997-2006) and Nobel peace
laureate (2001), died in Switzerland. He was the first black African
to assume the world's top diplomatic post.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Defense experts
said Taiwan is responding to China's arms buildup by developing
missiles and interceptors of its own that could reduce Beijing's
military advantage over the self-ruled island.
   (AP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Tanzania's ruling
party (CCM) said Tanzania is an "independent" country and will not
be "intimidated", after the US expressed concern about the conduct
of 70 recent by-elections.
   (AFP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 18, Uncertainty
reigned in Venezuela after President Nicolas Maduro unveiled a major
economic reform plan aimed at halting the spiraling hyperinflation
that has thrown the oil-rich, cash-poor South American country into
chaos.
   (AFP, 8/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In California the
Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County was declared 100% contained. The
fire had consumed nearly 100,000 acres and shrouded the Yosemite
Valley in smoke for much of the summer.
   (SFC, 8/20/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani announced a ceasefire with Taliban insurgents from
August 20 to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, despite heavy
fighting seen over recent days in the central city of Ghazni.
   (Reuters, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, China's official
Xinhua news agency reported that police have busted a 7.8 billion
yuan ($1.1 billion) online gambling ring and arrested 56 suspects.
Fifty suspects in the online gambling case were arrested in
Shanghai, Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong, while another six returned
to China from the Philippines and handed themselves in.
   (Reuters, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, China's Ministry
of Public Security said 26 suspects have been arrested and 646
cultural relics have been retrieved that were stolen from the from
the Dulan tombs, an ancient burial site in northwestern Qinghai
province.
   (Reuters, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, A deep, undersea
earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 struck Fiji and small
tsunami waves have been observed but no damage reported.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Indian officials
said some 800,000 people have been displaced and over 350 have died
in the worst flooding in a century in southern Kerala state.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Indonesia a
strong earthquake jolted the tourist island of Lombok, causing
landslides and damaging buildings. At least 12 people were killed as
the island strived to recover from a temblor earlier this month that
killed hundreds of people.
   (AP, 8/19/18)(AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Iranian journalist
Mir Mohammad-Hossein Mir-Esmaili was sentenced to 10 years in prison
for "insulting" an imam from the ninth century on Twitter. He
planned to appeal.
   (AFP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Iraq a member
of the US-led military coalition fighting Islamic State militants
was killed and several injured when their helicopter crashed on a
counter-terrorism mission.
   (Reuters, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Israel closed its
only crossing for people with the Gaza Strip except for humanitarian
cases after weekend border clashes.
   (AFP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Israel's Supreme
Court doubled the sentence of Ben Deri, a former border policeman,
convicted in the death of Nadim Nuwara (17) a stone-throwing
Palestinian teenager in 2014. Deri's imprisonment was extended from
nine months to 18 months.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Italy the
search operation for those missing after the Morandi bridge
collapsed in the port city of Genoa ended overnight after the last
three bodies were found, bringing the official death toll to 43.
   (Reuters, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In New Zealand
Lauren "Kimi" Worrell (28) died while preparing to descend a
challenging 120-meter (400-foot) rock face at Castle Rock, near the
town of Whitianga on North Island. She had just finished a master's
degree at the University of Auckland.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, The Palestinians
said Israel has withheld delivery of post shipments to the
Palestinian territories through its national postal service since
2010. In recent days the Palestinian postal staff in Jericho has
been sorting through tons of undelivered mail in a room packed with
letters, boxes and even a wheelchair. The one-time release of the
ten and a half tons of mail was a "gesture".
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, Russia's top
investigative agency said it has detained a deputy head of the
nation's top space corporation on fraud charges. The Investigative
Committee said Alexei Beloborodov, a deputy director general of the
state-controlled RKK Energiya company, has been detained along with
his two associates.
   (AP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In Saudi Arabia
more than two million Muslims from around the globe started the hajj
pilgrimage.
   (AFP, 8/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 19, In South Sudan the
UN World Food Program dropped food supplies in Nyal, an
opposition-held town in the war-ravaged region. The WFP said it
expected 30,000 people will have come by the time it has delivered
the final drop on August 21. The UN has been dropping food supplies
in Nyal every three months since 2014.
   (Reuters, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Arizona a
homemade airplane crashed in Phoenix killing the pilot Theodore Rich
(54) and passenger Elaine Carpenter (49).
   (SFC, 8/21/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20,
Massachusetts-based BishopAccountability.org, an int'l research
group, launched a database of Irish clergy convicted or credibly
accused of sexually abusing children in hopes of pressing Pope
Francis to disclose the names of all the priests and brothers deemed
guilty by the church.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In North Carolina
a Confederate statue nicknamed "Silent Sam" was yanked down at the
Univ. of North Carolina. Protesters said it symbolized racism and
white supremacist views. On Aug. 25 seven people were arrested
at a rally calling for the statue, dating back to 1913, to be
returned. In 2019 a judge ruled that students cannot interfere in a
settlement that gave a Confederate heritage group money to preserve
the monument.
   (SSFC, 8/26/18, p.A10)(SFC, 12/23/19, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In South Carolina
Cassandra Cline (45) was attacked and killed by an 8-foot alligator
while walking her dog at Sea Pines Resort.
   (SFC, 8/21/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Microsoft Corp
charged that hackers linked to Russia's government sought to launch
cyber attacks on the US Senate and conservative American think
tanks, warning that Moscow is broadening attacks ahead of November's
congressional elections. Russian authorities quickly denied the
allegations.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Afghan forces
rescued nearly 150 people, including women and children, hours after
the Taliban ambushed a convoy of buses and abducted them. The
militants escaped with 21 captives following the battle in Kunduz
province.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Brazil at least
14 people were killed in Rio de Janeiro during operations by
soldiers and police against drug gangs in impoverished favelas and a
suburb.
   (AFP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Brazil the
government of the northern state of Roraima asked the country's
supreme court to halt the entry of Venezuelan immigrants, as the
border state struggles to cope with a flow that has already sparked
violent confrontations.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Cambodia's King
Norodom Sihamoni pardoned Tep Vanny, a prominent leader of the land
rights movement, along with three activists who were sent to prison
with her.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Chechnya armed
assailants injured several policemen in attacks in three locations
in the Russian republic, as the Islamic State group claimed
responsibility. Five assailants, ages 11-16, were killed and several
police officers wounded.
   (AP, 8/20/18)(SFC, 8/21/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, China said it will
continue to provide aid to Tonga and other countries in the Pacific
to help them achieve sustainable development, amid a mounting debt
problem in the region.
   (Reuters, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In China
Malaysia's PM Mahathir Mohamad said that he hoped China would
sympathize with his country's fiscal problems as he met with the
country's leaders after suspending multibillion-dollar construction
projects financed by Chinese loans.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, A Comoros court
formally charged former president Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi with
corruption and embezzling public funds in connection with a scheme
to sell his country's passports.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, The EU welcomed
the end to Greece's 8-year bailout program and said it hopes it is
the beginning of a new era for the debt-laden eurozone member state.
One in five Greeks remained unemployed, with few receiving state
benefits.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, France told its
diplomats and foreign ministry officials, in an internal memo, to
postpone indefinitely all non-essential travel to Iran, citing a
foiled bomb plot and a hardening of Tehran's attitude towards
France.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In southern India
floodwaters receded in Kerala state, leaving rescuers the grim task
of retrieving bodies as the death toll from the worst monsoon rains
in a century rose above 400.
   (AFP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Israel announced a
change in its gun regulations to enable hundreds of thousands more
civilians to apply for licenses, a move authorities said will
increase security but others argued will stoke violence.
   (AFP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Israeli troops
apparently shot and killed Hani al-Majdalawi as he opened fire at
soldiers and threw a bomb while trying infiltrate Israel from Gaza.
Al-Majdalawi had worked as a nurse for the aid group Doctors Without
Borders.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Italy sudden
heavy rain created a wall of water downstream from a gorge that
swept away tourists in the southern region of Calabria, killing at
least 10 people.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Four Japanese
basketball players apologized for bringing "disgrace" to their
nation after they were kicked out of the Asian Games for paying
prostitutes for sex.
   (AFP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Mali's
constitutional court confirmed the re-election of President Ibrahim
Boubacar Keita to a second five-year term.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Dutch cyber
security expert Arjen Kamphuis (47), a WikiLeaks associate, was last
seen in Bodo, Norway. On Sept. 12 a fisherman found some of
Kamphuis's personal belongings floating in the waters about 50 km
(30 miles) east of Bodo.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, The Pakistani
government said it will bar jailed former leader Nawaz Sharif from
traveling abroad, in one of the first decisions taken by new PM
Imran Khan's cabinet.
   (Reuters, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In northwestern
Pakistan dozens of transgender people in Peshawar held a protest
demanding more protection after a transgender woman was shot dead
and dismembered last week. 478 attacks transgender people have been
reported this year.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, About 200 South
Koreans and their family members crossed the border for three days
of meetings with their North Korean relatives.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Spain a police
officer shot dead a man armed with a knife as he tried to attack a
police station in the northern region of Catalonia, in what
authorities are treating as a "terrorist attack".
   (AFP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, In Turkey shots
were fired at the US Embassy in Ankara early today. Two people were
detained and confessed to the shooting.
   (SFC, 8/21/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Ugandan police
fired tear gas to disperse a demonstration in Kampala as protests
against the beating of detained lawmakers continued for a second
day.
   (Reuters, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, The UN's World
Health Organization said the number of measles cases in Europe
jumped to more than 41,000 during the first six months of 2018 and
at least 37 people have died. Half, or some 23,000 cases, occurred
in Ukraine.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, The UN nuclear
watchdog said it did not find any indication that North Korea had
stopped its nuclear activities, adding to doubts about the country's
willingness to abandon its arsenal.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Pope Francis,
facing sexual abuse crises in several countries, wrote an
unprecedented letter to all Catholics, asking each one of them to
help root out "this culture of death" and vowing there would be no
more cover ups.
   (Reuters, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 20, Venezuela began to
launch dramatic reforms announced by President Nicolas Maduro to
rescue a downward-spiraling economy, including a new currency and a
more-than-3,000 percent hike in the minimum wage.
   (AP, 8/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, The US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released plans to replace
former Pres. Barack Obama's regulations governing greenhouse gas
emissions from power plants with a looser system that gives states
more leeway in controlling emissions.
   (SFC, 8/22/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Prosecutors in six
California counties filed 13 new charges in the high-profile Golden
State Killer case and announced that they will jointly prosecute
Joseph James DeAngelo (72) in Sacramento. In 2020 DeAngelo agreed to
plead guilty to dozens of crimes in return for being spared the
death penalty.
   (SFC, 8/22/18, p.D1)(SFC, 6/16/20, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Hawaiian Airlines
announced that nonstop service between Honolulu and Beijing will end
in October, citing low demand. The service, launched in 2014, flew
three days a week between the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport
and the Beijing Capital International Airport.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, A Virginia court
found Paul Manafort, the longtime political operative who for months
led Donald Trump's successful presidential campaign, guilty of eight
financial crimes in the first trial victory of the special counsel
investigation into the president's associates. The jury deadlocked
on ten other charges.
   (AP, 8/22/18)(SFC, 11/27/18, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In New York, Pres.
Donald Trump's longtime fixer, the attorney Michael Cohen, admitted
to charges that included making illegal campaign contributions. In
addition to two counts of violating campaign finance laws, Cohen
pleaded guilty to five counts of tax fraud and one of bank fraud
during the hearing.
   (AFP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, It was reported
that Orchard Supply Hardware, a unit of Lowe's, will permanently
shut its stores nationwide by the end of this year. Lowe's had
acquired the OSH chain in 2013.
   (SFC, 8/22/18, p.C6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Afghanistan
rockets were fired toward the presidential palace in Kabul as Pres.
Ashraf Ghani was delivering his holiday message for the Muslim
celebrations of Eid al-Adha. An Islamic State affiliate soon claimed
responsibility. Afghan forces killed four out of nine insurgents who
launched the mortar attacks The Taliban released more than 160
civilian passengers a day after they were kidnapped from three buses
in northern Afghanistan but kept at least 20 soldiers and policemen
as captives.
   (AP, 8/21/18)(Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Australian PM
Malcolm Turnbull called on his government to unite behind him after
he survived an internal leadership challenge.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Bahrain's interior
ministry said that it would stop issuing new visas to Qatari
nationals, escalating measures against Qatar more than a year into a
diplomatic row.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, The British
government apologized to 18 long-term UK residents from the
Caribbean who were deported or detained because they could not
produce documents to prove their right to live in the country.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Cambodian
journalists Uon Chhin and Yeang Sothearin, charged with espionage
for filing news reports to a US-funded radio station, were freed on
bail in a move seen by a rights group as a government bid to improve
its image weeks after a disputed election.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In China Malaysian
PM Mahathir Mohamad told reporters on the final day of a visit to
Beijing told reporters that multibillion-dollar China-financed
projects in Malaysia have been canceled because they aren't needed
and will saddle the country with an unsustainable amount of debt.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, CongoDRC said it
has approved four more experimental treatments against the deadly
Ebola virus as the health ministry raced to contain an outbreak in
its violence-torn east. The total number of deaths rose to 59 and
confirmed cases to 75 since last month.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, The leader behind
an insurgency in the Republic of Congo accepted the principle of
laying down arms in his first public appearance since he agreed to a
ceasefire last December. Frederic Bintsamou, also known as Pastor
Ntumi, headed the powerful militia called the Ninjas which launched
a revolt in April 2016 in the southern region of Pool, prompting
more than 138,000 people to flee their homes.
   (AFP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Czechs and Slovaks
marked 50 years since Soviet tanks crushed the "Prague Spring"
democratic reform drive, while protesters used the anniversary to
rail against the current Czech government's ties to the Communist
Party.
   (AFP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Egypt John
Cooper (69) and his wife Susan Cooper (63) who worked for the Thomas
Cook holiday company in Britain, died within hours of each other
while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel at the popular
Red Sea resort of Hurghada. It later emerged that 13 other customers
had food poisoning among guests at the hotel and Cook evacuated 301
of its guests.
   (Reuters, 8/24/18)(AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, El Salvador's
president, Salvador Sanchez Ceren, announced in a nationally
televised speech that his government had broken off diplomatic
relations with Taiwan and instead established ties with China.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Ethiopian Airlines
said it is teaming up with four African airlines and has inked a
deal to set up a fifth, as it continues its expansion on the
continent.
   (AFP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Germany, citing
its "moral duty", took in Jakiw Palij, a 95-year-old former guard at
the Trawniki Nazi labor camp where more than 6,000 people were
killed in 1943, after he was stripped of his US citizenship.
   (AFP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Greek PM Alexis
Tsipras said the country had good reason to expect better days ahead
after formally exiting its last financial bailout, putting an
epilogue to a dramatic nine-year debt crisis.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, An Indonesian
court sentenced Meiliana (44), an ethnic Chinese woman, to 18 months
in prison for blasphemy. She had complained about noisy mosque
loudspeakers. Mobs burned and ransacked at least 14 Buddhist temples
throughout Tanjung Balai, a port town on Sumatra, in a July 2016
riot following reports of Meiliana's complaint.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Iran unveiled its
first domestic fighter jet, with President Hassan Rouhani insisting
that Tehran's military strength was only designed to deter enemies
and create "lasting peace".
   (AFP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Israel's military
said it would launch a criminal investigation into two incidents in
which its troops shot dead Palestinian teenagers taking part in
protests along the Gaza border. The inquiry into the deaths of Abed
Nabi (18) on March 30, and Othman Helles (15) on July 13 was the
first announced by the military into its use of lethal force in the
border demonstrations that began five months ago.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Myanmar leader
Aung San Suu Kyi defended her government's actions in Rakhine state,
where about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled from a brutal
counterinsurgency campaign to neighboring Bangladesh. She said
terrorism, not social discrimination or inequality, triggered the
crisis.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Pakistan's newly
installed PM Imran Khan offered to start a dialogue with archrival
India to resolve conflicts between the two nuclear armed nations,
including the long-standing dispute over the Kashmir region.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Romanian hunting
officials shot dead a brown bear after it rampaged through an empty
high school and scared residents in Miercurea Ciuc. There are
believed to be more than 6,000 brown bears in Romania.
   (AP, 8/21/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Moscow and the
Central African Republic signed a military cooperation agreement,
less than a month after three Russian journalists were killed in the
strife-torn CAR while probing alleged Russian mercenaries.
   (AFP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, In Saudi Arabia
Muslims celebrated Eid al-Adha as over 2 million pilgrims carry out
the final rites of the hajj.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Serbia's air force
took the delivery of two Russian MiG-29 fighter jets, part of an
arms purchase that could heighten tensions in the Balkans and
increase Moscow's influence in the region.
   (AP, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Taiwan vowed to
fight China's "increasingly out of control" behavior after Taipei
lost another ally to Beijing when El Salvador became the third
country to switch allegiances to China this year.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 21, Venezuela's
streets were quieter than normal but many businesses remained open
despite an opposition call for a national strike to protest economic
measures announced by socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
   (Reuters, 8/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, The US State Dept.
said it has rejected an invitation to join Russia-led talks on
Afghanistan because they are unlikely to help bring peace. Russia
said the Taliban will be joining the Sept. 4 talks in Moscow along
with representatives of several neighboring countries.
   (SFC, 8/23/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Bulgaria's
government approved an action plan that envisages the country
entering the "waiting room" for euro membership and also joining the
European Union's banking union by the end of June next year.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Cambodia's Supreme
Court denied a bail request for Kem Sokha, the leader of the
now-dissolved main opposition party who has been detained for nearly
a year without trial on a treason charge.
   (AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Thirty Cambodians
who had been living in the United States arrived in Cambodia after
being deported under a 2002 bilateral agreement and US law that
allows the repatriation of immigrants who have been convicted of
felonies and have not become American citizens.
   (AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Croatia some
4,500 workers at the country's largest shipbuilding group Uljanik
went on strike and called for management to step down in protest
over late payment.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, The German
government said it will compensate thousands of farmers whose
harvests have suffered as a result of this year's extreme drought,
which many experts have linked to climate change.
   (AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, A man (26) in
Germany died after a AA battery-charging device exploded, firing an
object into the man's chest.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Athens-based Lotus
Shipping said a tanker vessel has gone missing off the coast of
Gabon in West Africa, an area notorious for piracy, and no word has
been heard from its crew for a week. The Georgian government said 17
of its citizens were on board the Pantelena serving as crew.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In India a fire in
the financial hub of Mumbai killed four people and injured 16, as
the blaze spread quickly through a tall, residential building.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it will continue increasing
the country's defensive capabilities, and will not surrender to
pressure over its missile program.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Islamic State
group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on Muslims to wage "jihad"
in a purported recording released late today.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, An Israeli
watchdog group said the government has advanced plans to build over
1,000 new homes in West Bank settlements.
   (AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Morocco 116
African migrants managed to force their way into the Spanish enclave
of Ceuta when some 300 hundred tried to storm the highly fortified
border. More than 3,800 migrants have crossed the Moroccan border
into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla so far this year.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)(AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, A Pakistani
official said at least two anglers drowned and five others were
missing after their boat sank in rough waters in the Arabian Sea off
the coast of southwestern Baluchistan province.
   (AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, Singapore's
government said the author of the book that inspired the hit film
"Crazy Rich Asians" failed to register for national service as
required. According to his bio, writer Kevin Kwan was born in
Singapore and left when he was 11, living in the US since then.
   (AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, The head of Hayat
Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syria's leading jihadist alliance, warned
opposition factions in Idlib against taking part in any talks with
the regime towards a government takeover of the province.
   (AFP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Ukraine intense
fighting killed four troops and injured seven in the east of the
rebel-held Luhansk region. The defense ministry said the fighting
erupted when the rebels began to shell government troops with
mortars The rebels accused government troops of attacking them
first.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, A court in
Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City sentenced James Nguyen and Angle Phan,
both Americans of Vietnamese descent, to 14 years in jail after
finding them guilty of attempting to overthrow the government. Ten
local members of the California-based Provisional Central Government
of Vietnam were convicted on the same charges in the two-day trial
and sentenced to between five and 11 years in prison.
   (AP, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 22, In Zimbabwe crowds
gathered around screens outside the top court to watch a legal
showdown challenging Pres. Emmerson Mnangagwa's July 30 election
victory.
   (Reuters, 8/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, It was reported
that US immigration authorities had coerced dozens of parents
separated from their children at the border to sign documents they
did not understand. A complaint was filed with the Department of
Homeland Security by the American Immigration Lawyers Association
and the American Immigration Council.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, A US federal judge
sentenced former US intelligence contractor Reality Winner (26) to
more than five years in prison after she admitted leaking to a media
outlet a top secret report on Russian interference in US elections.
   (Reuters, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, The San Francisco
Superior Court announced that it has started waiving administrative
fees going back to early August.
   (SFC, 8/23/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Mississippi inmate
Nicole Rathmann (33) died after suffering a “massive” stroke and
bleeding on the brain. She had been attacked two days earlier by
another inmate as she lay on her bunk at the Central Mississippi
Correctional Facility. A lawsuit later claimed guards did not
intervene while she was being beaten with a sock filled with bars of
soap.
   (The Independent, 1/25/20)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, American composer
George Walker (96) died in Montclair, NJ. He was the first black
composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for music (1996).
   (SFC, 8/29/18, p.D5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Afghanistan the
Taliban raided three villages on the outskirts of Ghazni late today,
destroying some newly built checkpoints and cutting off power to
some parts of the city.
   (Reuters, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In southern Bosnia
two freight trains collided head-on early today, killing two people
and seriously injuring one more in the town of Jablanica.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Britain published
25 so-called technical notices advising companies and people how to
prepare for any disruption that might arise from a disorderly Brexit
where there is no deal with the European Union. The government
called for drug makers to build an additional six weeks of medicines
stockpiles to cope with potential supply disruption in the event of
a no-deal Brexit - a target the industry said would be challenging.
   (Reuters, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, British Airways
said it is suspending flights between London and Tehran because they
are not commercially viable.
   (Reuters, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Chechnya's leader
Ramzan Kadyrov pledged to ban human rights activists from the
Russian region, after being repeatedly accused of overseeing
systematic rights abuses.
   (Reuters, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, The European
Commission unveiled a first tranche of 18 million euros ($21
million) to help bolster Iran's flagging economy — 8 million for the
private sector, 8 million to cope with environmental problems and 2
million for drug abuse.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, The European Court
of Human Rights (ECHR) said Hungary must provide food to asylum
seekers held in detention camps on its border with Serbia whose
applications have been rejected by Budapest but who are appealing
the decision.
   (Reuters, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Europol, the
European law enforcement agency, said police in Mallorca have seized
around 1,100 turtles and 750 eggs, including specimens of 14 of the
50 most endangered species in the world. Europol also said Spanish
police have shut down what they believe to be Europe's biggest
illegal turtle farm, selling endangered species worth 10,000 euros
($11,500) each.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In France a man
(36) stabbed his mother and sister to death and seriously injured
another person in a town near Paris before being shot dead by
police. The man had serious mental health problems and had been on a
terror watch list since 2016.
   (AFP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Germany a
wildfire southwest of Berlin forced the evacuation of residents in
three villages.
   (SFC, 8/25/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In India the
ruling party in Kerala state, run by the Communist Party of India
(Marxist), protested the central government's refusal to accept $100
million in relief offered by foreign governments.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Iran
British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe left the
Evin prison for a three-day furlough, a breakthrough in the case
that her family hopes will lead to permanent freedom.
Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday with her toddler
daughter in April 2016.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Lithuania for a Baltic summit saying
he hoped to deepen ties with eastern EU nations as Brussels blasted
Israel's plans for fresh settlements in the West Bank.
   (AFP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In western Libya
militants suspected of links to the extremist Islamic State group
killed at least four people, including security forces, at a
checkpoint outside the town of Zliten.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, In Pakistan a
roadside bomb killed one soldier and wounded another three in the
northwest near Dand Kalay in North Waziristan.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Russian Security
Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said he and his US counterpart
John Bolton have broadly agreed to re-open communication lines
between their respective foreign and defense ministries.
   (Reuters, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, The Russian
Central Bank said it will halt foreign currency purchases, a move
that helped the ruble to recover from its lowest level against the
dollar since 2016.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Mount Etna in
Sicily roared back into spectacular volcanic action, sending up
plumes of ash and spewing lava.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Tunisia’s coast
guard recovered the bodies of five migrants whose boat sank as they
tried to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa.
   (Reuters, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, Kyagulanyi
Ssentamu (36), also known as Bobi Wine, a Ugandan pop
star-turned-lawmaker who opposes the longtime president, was charged
with treason in a civilian court, minutes after a military court
dropped weapons charges.
   (AP, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 23, The United Nations
refugee and migration agencies called on Latin American countries to
ease entry for Venezuelan nationals fleeing economic hardship and a
deepening political crisis.
   (Reuters, 8/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, US President
Donald Trump abruptly canceled his top diplomat's planned trip to
North Korea, publicly acknowledging for the first time that his
effort to get Pyongyang to denuclearize had stalled since his summit
with the North's leader.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, US President
Donald Trump's administration cut more than $200 million in aid for
the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
   (AFP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In San Francisco
major technology firms including Facebook, Google and Twitter met as
part of an effort to coordinate the battle against misinformation
campaigns by foreign agents. Microsoft, Snapchat and other tech
firms were expected to participate in the gathering called by
Facebook cybersecurity head Nathaniel Gleicher.
   (AFP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In southern
California a tanker truck crashed and burned on a highway near Los
Angeles Int'l. Airport, killing two people and causing a massive
traffic jam.
   (SFC, 8/25/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Torrential rains
pummeled Hawaii as Hurricane Lane swirled toward the island state,
triggering landslides, "catastrophic" flooding and prompting stark
warnings from authorities.
   (AFP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Robin Leach
(b.1941), British-born TV host of "Lifestyles of the Rich and
Famous" (1984-1995), died in Las Vegas.
   (http://tinyurl.com/ybb2tmo8)(SSFC, 8/26/18,
p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Former Afghan
banker Sher Khan Fernod, found guilty of embezzling millions of
dollars and co-conspiracy in a theft of almost $1 billion from a
private bank that led to a fiscal crisis in 2010, died in prison in
Kabul.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Australia
disgruntled government lawmakers forced PM Malcolm Turnbull from
office, arguing that most had lost faith in his leadership. New PM
Scott Morrison promised a stable government. The push to oust
Turnbull, led by fellow lawmaker Peter Dutton over four chaotic
days, was inspired by a feud between hard-right conservatives and
moderates.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Former Afghan
banker Sher Khan Fernod, found guilty of embezzling millions of
dollars and co-conspiracy in a theft of almost $1 billion from a
private bank that led to a fiscal crisis in 2010, died in prison in
Kabul.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Influential
British dancer, choreographer and mime artist Lindsay Kemp (b.1938)
died at his home in Livorno, Tuscany. He was known for tutoring
singers David Bowie and Kate Bush during his career.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In China a
ride-sharing passenger (20) in the eastern city of Wenzhou was raped
and killed by a driver for Didi Chuxing, China's largest
ride-hailing firm. Police found and arrested the suspect, a
27-year-old driver called Zhong, early the next day.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, CongoDRC's
election commission ruled out the candidacy of Jean-Pierre Bemba on
the basis that he had been "convicted by the International Criminal
Court" in March 2018 for bribing witnesses. He was handed a
year-long prison term and a 300,000 euro fine. But the Hague court
had overturned Bemba's conviction for war crimes.
   (AFP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In central Finland
a bus plunged about 10 meters (33 feet) from a bridge onto railway
tracks in Kuopio, killing four people and injuring more than 20.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Israel's Benjamin
Netanyahu asked Baltic state leaders for help in convincing the EU
to step up pressure on Iran and slammed a Brussels aid package for
Teheran at a news conference in Vilnius with his Estonian, Latvian
and Lithuanian counterparts.
   (AFP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Many of the 150
migrants stranded aboard a coast guard ship for a ninth day began a
hunger strike out of frustration that Italy won't let them disembark
in Sicily unless fellow European Union nations first pledge to take
them.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Mexico seven
people were killed in an armed confrontation between gunmen and army
troops in El Naranjo, Guerrero state.
   (AP, 8/24/18)(SSFC, 8/26/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Mexican
authorities captured gulf cartel leader Hector Adrian Lucio
Benavides in Monterrey, Nuevo Leone state.
   (SSFC, 8/26/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Nepal one
person was killed and dozens injured when police opened fire on
protesters demanding action over the rape and murder of a
13-year-old girl. Schoolgirl Nirmala Panta went missing in late July
and her body was found the following day in a sugar-cane field.
   (AFP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Dutch PM Mark
Rutte distanced his government from a Prophet Muhammad cartoon
contest being organized later this year by anti-Islam lawmaker Geert
Wilders.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Papua New
Guinea a volcano erupted early today, forcing 2,000 villagers to
flee from lava flows on Manam Island.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, A 7.0-magnitude
earthquake struck eastern Peru, close to its borders with Brazil and
Bolivia.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Human Rights Watch
said the Saudi-led coalition fighting Shiite rebels in Yemen failed
to redress civilian victims and conduct credible investigations into
alleged war crimes committed there.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, In Serbia a
poisonous gas leak killed two men at the National Library in
Belgrade. Carbon dioxide leaked as the two victims, both maintenance
workers, were testing the building's firefighting capabilities.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, A South Korean
high court extended the 24-year prison sentence of former President
Park Geun-hye for corruption in office. The Seoul High Court handed
out a 25-year prison sentence after concluding Park took more money
in bribes than initially believed.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, More than 300
South Koreans traveled to the North's Diamond Mountain resort for
three days of meetings with their long-lost relatives in a second
round of temporary reunions of family members separated for decades
by the Korean War.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Spain's Socialist
government passed a decree allowing the exhumation of the remains of
Francisco Franco from his vast mausoleum, a decision that divides
Spaniards and has opened old wounds.
   (AFP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Tajikistan freed
prominent human rights lawyer Shukhrat Kudratov as Western
governments and rights groups stepped up pressure on the
authoritarian Central Asian country. He had spent nearly four years
behind bars on embezzlement charges.
   (AFP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Ukraine marked 27
years of independence with its biggest ever military parade in
central Kiev, as war continued against Russian-backed separatists in
the country's east.
   (AFP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, The UN migration
agency said the exodus of migrants from Venezuela is building
towards a "crisis moment" comparable to events involving refugees in
the Mediterranean.
   (Reuters, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 24, Zimbabwe's
constitutional court unanimously upheld Pres. Emmerson Mnangagwa's
narrow victory in last month's historic election after the
opposition alleged vote-rigging, saying "sufficient and credible
evidence" had not been produced.
   (AP, 8/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Arizona Sen. John
McCain (81), a legend in American politics, died at his home in
Sedona.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Democratic party
officials meeting in Chicago agreed to sharply reduce the influence
of top political insiders known as superdelegates.
   (SSFC, 8/26/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In southern
Indiana four teenagers were killed late today and four others
injured when a vehicle struck them as they pushed a stalled SUV to a
birthday party in Cortland.
   (SFC, 8/28/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Torrential rain
continued to pound Hawaii from Tropical Storm Lane, as officials
warned that a foot or more of precipitation was still possible.
   (AFP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In eastern
Afghanistan a suicide attacker killed at least three people by
detonating explosives near the office of the election commission in
Jalalabad, where dozens of protesters had gathered in support of a
parliamentary candidate who electoral officials had disqualified
over his suspected links with illegal armed groups.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, The head of
Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abu Sayeed Orakzai (aka Abu Saad
Erhabi), was killed late today in a strike on the group's hideouts
in Nangarhar province. Nine other members of the militant group were
also killed in a joint ground and air operation by Afghan and
foreign forces during raids on two Islamic State hideouts.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)(AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, British
coastguards searched for two missing fishermen in the North Sea
after three others from their capsized boat were rescued by a
passing cruise ship.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In Bulgaria a
tourist bus flipped over on a highway about 50 km (30 miles) north
of Sofia, killing at least 16 people and leaving 18 injured.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Cambodia's King
Norodom Sihamoni granted Um Sam An amnesty from his jail term. He
was sentenced in October 2016 to 2 1/2 years in prison for making
comments on the politically sensitive topic and implying that Prime
Minister Hun Sen's government failed to counter land encroachment by
Vietnam.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, China lashed out
at President Donald Trump for accusing Beijing of not being
supportive in efforts to denuclearize North Korea, while South Korea
called the US decision to call off a trip to the North by Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo "unfortunate".
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In northeastern
China at least 19 people were killed in a fire at the four-story
Beilong Hot Spring Hotel in Harbin's Sun Island recreation area.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, CongoDRC
authorities said an outbreak of Ebola has killed 67 people this
month, as they rolled out a battery of new drugs to tackle the virus
amid concerns it has spread to a rebel-encircled area. Congo's
health ministry said two of the first 10 people to receive an
experimental treatment for the Ebola virus in the latest outbreak
have recovered.
   (AFP, 8/25/18)(AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Egyptian security
forces foiled an attack on a checkpoint west of the city of
al-Arish, and killed four militants while other fled. The privately
owned al-Masri al-Youm newspaper reported that four policemen had
died. The Islamic State's Amaq news agency reported the next day
that 15 soldiers were killed or wounded in what it described as an
infiltration operation.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In Germany
searchers found the body of a Canadian man who went missing in the
Bavarian Alps on August 2. The remains were found by a fellow
Canadian, a police climber and friend of the man's family who had
joined the search.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Iran said it has
resumed talks with Russia to build a new nuclear power plant capable
of generating up to 3,000 megawatts of electricity.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In northeastern
Iran ten people were killed and five wounded after a boiler exploded
in a residential area of the city of Mashhad.
   (Reuters, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Irish PM Leo
Varadkar addressed the pope as Francis began the first papal visit
to Ireland in nearly four decades. A small group of protesters
demonstrated against the pope's visit outside Dublin Castle. Pope
Francis said he shares the outrage over the failures of church
authorities to punish the "repugnant crimes" of priests who raped
and molested children.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Italy allowed 16
of the 150 migrants stranded on board a coastguard ship at a Sicily
port to disembark, as government officials face questioning over the
refusal to let all passengers off.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Peru closed its
borders to Venezuelan migrants without a passport, as thousands
holding only identification cards reached the border in a last
minute crush, some beating the deadline with special assistance from
Ecuador.
   (AFP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Russian opposition
leader Alexei Navalny (42) was detained in Moscow.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In South Africa
two lion cubs, a male and female, were born by means of artificial
insemination -- the first such pair anywhere in the world.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Turkish
authorities banned a protest vigil marking the forced disappearances
of hundreds of people in the country's southeast decades ago. The
Saturday Mothers activist group was set to hold its 700th meeting in
Istanbul. The group has gathered since 1995 to demand justice for
those who disappeared during the ongoing conflict between Turkish
security forces and Kurdish insurgents.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, In Yemen officials
and tribal leaders said senior al-Qaida leader Ghalib al-Zaidi was
killed a week ago in the central province of Marib while fighting
alongside the government forces battling Shiite rebels.
   (AP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 25, Zimbabwe's main
opposition leader Nelson Chamisa refused to accept a Constitutional
Court ruling that upheld Emmerson Mnangagwa's win in presidential
elections last month.
   (AFP, 8/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Florida David
Katz (24) opened fire at a video game tournament in a Jacksonville
mall killing two people and then fatally shooting himself. Nine
other people were wounded by the gunfire.
   (SFC, 8/27/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In southwest
Chicago a fire early today killed eight people including six
children in the Little Village area.
   (SFC, 8/27/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, American
playwright Neil Simon (b.1927) died at New York Presbyterian
Hospital. He is the only playwright to have four plays running on
Broadway simultaneously: "Barefoot in the Park," "The Odd Couple,"
"Sweet Charity" and "The Star-Spangle Girl" all played in the
1966-67 season.
   (SFC, 8/27/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani rejected the resignations of the intelligence chief and
the interior and defence ministers, as the government faces fierce
criticism over an increasingly deadly insurgency.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Austria said it
will no longer allow asylum seekers to take up apprenticeship
opportunities while their claims are being assessed, a policy
reversal by the country's anti-immigration government criticized by
the opposition.
   (AFP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Bosnia BNTV
reporter Vladimir Kovacevic was hospitalized following a beating
attack late today by two masked assailants outside his home in Banja
Luka as he was returning home from reporting on an anti-government
rally.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, China's transport
ministry slammed Didi Chuxing's safety lapses as the ride-hailing
giant said it would suspend its Hitch service after the rape and
murder of a passenger, the second such killing this year.
   (AFP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Colombians voted
on seven anti-corruption measures in a referendum, including a
reduction in lawmakers' salaries and term limits for public posts,
as graft scandals continue to spark outrage. Colombians failed to
approve the rules that hardened punishment for corrupt officials.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)(AFP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In France Moroccan
singer Saad Lamjarred (33) was arrested on suspicion of committing a
rape in the town of Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera. Lamjarred
was previously arrested in October 2016 for having assaulted a
French woman in a luxury hotel on the Champs-Elysee avenue.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, The European
Society of Cardiology, meeting in Munich, discussed new research
indicating that aspirin fails to avert first strokes or heart
attacks in people at moderate risk. Research also indicated that
aspiring did not help prevent cancer as had been hoped.
   (SFC, 8/28/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, A German man was
stabbed after a street festival early today in Chemnitz, Saxony
state. Police soon arrested a Syrian (22) and an Iraqi (21) on
suspicion of manslaughter. Prosecutors later said the killing was
preceded by a verbal confrontation that escalated.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, German journalist
Mesale Tolu, who was on trial in Turkey on terror-related charges,
returned to Germany after a Turkish court ruled that she could leave
the country.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Indonesia detained
Jakub Fabian Skrzypski of Poland as a suspect in a conspiracy to
smuggle arms to separatists in Papua. He was later charged along
with three Papuans under the law governing treason, which carries a
maximum sentence of life in jail.
   (Reuters, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Indonesia a
crew comprising South Koreans and North Koreans won the 500-meter
dragon boat final at the Asian Games co-host city of Palembang. This
was the first gold medal by a combined Koreas team at a major
multi-sport event.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Iran's defense
minister said his country will continue its support of the Syrian
government to ensure improved security in the region.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Iran's parliament
sacked Masoud Karbasian, the minister of economic affairs and
finance, amid a sharp fall in the rial currency and a deterioration
in the economic situation.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, A strong
6.0-magnitude earthquake struck western Iran's Kermanshah province
early today, killing two people and injuring more than 250. There
were three apparent aftershocks until sunrise, all at least
magnitude 4.
   (AFP, 8/26/18)(AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, An Iranian F-5
fighter jet crashed in southern Iran killing its pilot. Iran bought
its F-5 fighters from the United States before the 1979 Islamic
revolution and still has 48 in service, according to the latest
estimates by Jane's IHS Markit.
   (AFP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Ireland Pope
Francis asked for forgiveness for the "scandal and betrayal" felt by
victims of sexual exploitation by Catholic clergy as he toured he
country where years of abuse scandals have shattered the Church's
former dominant role in society.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Ireland
hundreds of protesters marched through the town of Tuam, reciting
the names of the 796 babies and young children who died while
residents of the former church-run Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home
in Tuam, County Galway. Most were buried in the 1950s.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, North Korea's
state-controlled newspaper accused the United States of
"double-dealing" and "hatching a criminal plot" against Pyongyang,
after Washington abruptly canceled a visit by Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Spanish police
arrested Joseph Brech (55) in a mountainous area near the town of
Castelltercol some 50 km (30 miles) from Barcelona for the brutal
1998 rape and killing of Dutch boy Nicky Verstappen (11). The boy
vanished two decades ago on August 9 at a summer camp in southern
Limburg province.
   (AFP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Nearly 140
migrants who had been stranded on a boat at a port in Sicily were
allowed to disembark after Ireland and Albania agreed to take some
of them in. The migrants, mainly Eritreans and Somalis, were rescued
in the Mediterranean on Aug. 15 but waited 10 days while Italy's
anti-immigrant government refused to let them disembark, until
Ireland, Albania and the Vatican agreed to accept them.
   (AFP, 8/26/18)(Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, In Tajikistan
10-12 men armed with a hand-held grenade launcher and automatic
rifles opened fire on three forest rangers, killing two of them and
injuring one as they crossed the Panj River separating the country
from Afghanistan. An air attack followed the clash in the Durqad
district of Takhar province. Eight Taliban were killed and six
wounded in the air strike.
   (AP, 8/27/18)(Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan vowed to bring peace and safety to Iraq and areas in
Syria not under Turkish control and said terrorist organizations in
those areas would be eliminated.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Yemen's Houthi
group said it fired two Zelzal-1 missiles in the direction of Saudi
Arabian provinces alongside the joint border.
   (Reuters, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 26, Zimbabwe
inaugurated President Emmerson Mnangagwa (75) for the second time in
nine months. He faced the mammoth task of rebuilding a worsening
economy and uniting a nation divided by a vote that many hoped would
deliver change.
   (AP, 8/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, The Trump
administration reached a preliminary deal with Mexico to replace the
North American Free Trade Agreement. Canada still had significant
issues with some of pres. Trump's demands
   (AP, 8/28/18)(SFC, 8/28/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, The United States
told the World Trade Organization it would block the reappointment
of one of the WTO's four remaining appeals judges next month,
leaving the bare minimum of three on what is effectively the supreme
court of trade.
   (Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Seth Frotman, the
US government's top officials overseeing the $1.5 trillion student
loan market, resigned in protest citing the White House's open
hostility toward protecting the nation's millions of student loan
borrowers.
   (SFC, 8/28/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Rain fell across
Montana and slowed the spread of a fire burning near the US-Canada
border. The 3-square mile fire in the northern part of Glacier
National Park was suppressed but not extinguished.
   (SFC, 8/28/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, A US federal judge
in Seattle blocked the Trump administration from allowing a Texas
company to post online plans for making untraceable 3D guns. Company
owner Cody Wilson began selling his blueprint plans online the
following day.
   (SFC, 8/28/18, p.A10)(SFC, 8/29/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Facebook banned
Myanmar's powerful military chief and 19 other individuals and
organizations from its site to prevent the spread of hate and
misinformation.
   (AFP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Afghanistan
three Afghan army soldiers were killed and five others wounded after
their convoy was ambushed by Taliban insurgents in northern Faryab
province. Two military pilots were shot and killed by unknown gunmen
in Kabul.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Nissan's first
electric sedan designed for China began production at the start of a
wave of dozens of planned lower-cost electrics being created by
global automakers for their biggest market.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Croatia
hundreds of workers from two major shipyards protested in Zagreb
over unpaid wages and working conditions.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Egyptian police
forces killed five suspected Islamic militants in a shootout 390 km
(244 miles) south of Cairo. The fighting broke out when police
raided a suspected militant hideout in the Akhmim district of Sohag
province.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Ethiopian air
traffic controllers began a strike after disputes over pay and calls
for more employment benefits. Their average monthly salary was
around $540.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In France a man
was detained on suspicion of assaulting a 22-year-old student who
released a shocking video of an attack last month outside a Paris
cafe which went viral online. Surveillance footage of the incident
shows a man hurling an ashtray from a table outside the cafe at
Marie Laguerre, allegedly after she told him to "shut up" following
lewd comments. In October Firas M. (25) was sentenced to six months
in jail and fined $2,300.
   (AFP, 8/28/18)(SFC, 10/6/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Germany at
least 20 people were injured as pyrotechnics and other objects were
hurled by both far-right demonstrators as well as anti-fascist
counter-protesters in the eastern city of Chemnitz. This 2nd day of
protests followed the fatal stabbing of a German man (35) allegedly
by a Syrian and an Iraqi.
   (AFP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Indonesia a
15-year-old girl jailed for six months for terminating her pregnancy
after being raped by her brother was cleared by a higher court. The
girl's mother was still being investigated over whether she had
helped her daughter to have the abortion.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Iran's
Revolutionary Guards top General Alireza Tangsiri said Iran has full
control of the Gulf and the US Navy does not belong there.
   (Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Iranian lawyers
asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order the United
States to lift sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against
Tehran, but Washington described the suit as meritless. Iran claimed
the US policy is "plainly in violation of the 1955 Treaty of Amity."
   (Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Iran's Tasnim news
agency reported that Iran and Syria have signed a deal for military
cooperation in a meeting between the defense ministers of the two
countries in Damascus.
   (Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Israel reopened
its only crossing for people with the Gaza Strip, a week after
shutting it over violence along the border with the Palestinian
enclave.
   (AFP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In central Japan
four elderly patients at the Y&M Fujikake Daiichi Hospital died
over the last 48 hours after the air conditioning failed in their
rooms.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Libya at least
five people were killed and nearly 30 wounded in fighting between
militias in Tripoli.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, Pakistan's senate
passed a resolution condemning an anti-Islam cartoon contest planned
by a far-right Dutch lawmaker, in one of the first actions taken by
the assembly since last month's elections.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In the Philippines
Roman Catholic Rev. Amado Picardal, who was one of the earliest
critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly crackdown
on drugs, said he has gone into hiding due to signs of being
targeted by motorcycle-riding hitmen.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, A Russian court
sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 30 days in jail after
convicting him of breaking public protest laws, a move that will
prevent him from leading a planned anti-government rally against
pension reform next month.
   (Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In South Korea a
special counsel said Kim Kyoung-soo, a close political ally of Pres.
Moon Jae-in had conspired with a team of online bloggers to
illegally influence public opinion before Moon's election last year.
   (SFC, 8/28/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, In Switzerland a
weeklong gathering opened in Geneva to discuss ways to define and
deal with "killer robots," futuristic weapons systems that could
conduct war without human intervention.
   (AP, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, A Ugandan High
Court granted bail to 33 people, including popular songwriter Robert
Kyagulanyi, who have been charged with treason over their alleged
role in the stoning of President Yoweri Museveni’s convoy this
month.
   (Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 27, UN investigators
said Myanmar's military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of
Muslim Rohingya with "genocidal intent" and the commander-in-chief
and five generals should be prosecuted for the gravest crimes under
international law.
   (Reuters, 8/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, The US Navy seized
arms from a skiff and a dhow in the Gulf of Aden near war-torn Yemen
and netted over 2,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles. The origin and
intended destination of the skiff was not yet been determined.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, California's Gov.
Jerry Brown signed a law to let people leave jail before trial
without having to post bail, largely leaving pretrial release
decisions up to local judges.
   (SFC, 8/29/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, US federal
immigration agents raided Load Trail Trailers in Sumner, Texas, and
arrested 160 workers following a tip that the company was hiring
illegal workers.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y9t5wpmh)(SFC, 8/30/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, C40 Cities, a
global network dedicated to fighting climate change, said 23 global
cities and regions representing 150 million people pledged to
significantly cut the pollution-causing garbage they generate by
2030.
   (AFP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, More than a dozen
human rights groups sent a letter to Google urging the company not
to offer censored internet search in China, amid reports it is
planning to again provide the service in the giant market.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Judges in Austria
said a lower court's authorization for police to raid the offices of
the country's domestic intelligence agency on Feb. 28 was illegal.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Bosnia's
journalists held protests for a second day to express solidarity
with a reporter from an independent Bosnian Serb television station
who was badly beaten by unknown assailants.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, It was reported
that Brazil's Cerrado, a vast tropical savanna, has seen about half
of its native forests and grasslands converted to farms, pastures
and urban areas over the past 50 years. Farmers continued to plow
under vast stretches of the biome, propelled largely by Chinese
demand for Brazilian meat and grain.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Burkina Faso
seven soldiers were killed by a blast after they were sent to the
town of Pama as reinforcements when a police station there came
under attack.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Fourteen Cambodian
opposition activists were freed from long prison terms, their
pardons coming as the latest in a series of releases engineered by
PM Hun Sen after his party's election sweep last month. Those freed
were serving prison terms for the July 15, 2014, protest in Phnom
Penh.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Danish police said
a 43-year-old man has been charged with illegally smuggling 1.3 tons
(1.4 short tons) of amphetamine and about 13.8 tons (15.2 short
tons) of hashish into Denmark, in one of the country's biggest
cases. Police said the man smuggled the drugs between February 2015
and June 2017.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, An Egyptian court
sentenced six people to death for their roles in a 2016 militant
attack on a security checkpoint north of Cairo that killed a
policeman.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, French Environment
Minister Nicolas Hulot resigned in frustration over sluggish
progress on climate goals and nuclear energy policy, dealing a major
blow to President Emmanuel Macron's already tarnished green
credentials.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Fishermen from
rival French and British fleets banged their boats in ill-tempered
skirmishes over access to the scallop-rich waters off France's
northern coast. French law prevents French boats from fishing for
scallops during the summer months before Oct. 1, to help preserve
the stocks. But British ships can still fish for the prized
delicacies in international waters off the French coast.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Greek police said
authorities have arrested two aid workers and are investigating a
total of 30 from the same organization on the island of Lesbos on
suspicion they smuggled migrants into Greece, spied and laundered
money.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Hong Kong
university Prof. Cheung Kie-chung (53) was arrested after his wife's
decomposing body was found inside a suitcase in his campus office.
Cheung had reported that his 52-year-old wife walked out after an
argument on August 17.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Hungarian PM
Viktor Orban and Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini
launched an anti-migration manifesto, namechecking French Pres.
Emmanuel Macron as their adversary. Macron has blasted Italy and
Hungary for maintaining an uncompromising stance on migrants while
readily accepting EU development funding.
   (AFP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In India police
raided the homes of at least half a dozen activists, writers and
lawyers across the country, known for supporting resistance
movements and marginalized groups, or for speaking out against the
government.
   (SFC, 8/31/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Indonesian police
said they have arrested more than a dozen people suspected of
starting forest fires that have killed four people in the past month
in West Kalimantan.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Iran's parliament
declared its dissatisfaction with President Hassan Rouhani, voting
to reject his answers after grilling him over the deteriorating
economy.
   (AFP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Iran's
intelligence minister boasted on state television about his
country's successful recruitment of a former Cabinet-level official
from a "hostile" country, signaling Tehran's first acknowledgment of
compromising an arrested Israeli official.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, The Israeli
military forces demolished the home of a Palestinian who killed an
Israeli in a West Bank settlement last month. The attacker, Muhammad
Tarek Ibrahim Dar Yusuf, was shot and killed at the scene of last
month's attack.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Tomoyuki Sugimoto
arrived back in Japan after being released by North Korea. Sugimoto,
who was arrested in early August, had been in North Korean custody
during an investigation into an unspecified crime.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Kenya’s deputy
chief justice Philomena Mwilu was arrested on suspicion of
corruption, failure to pay tax, and improper dealings with a local
bank now in receivership.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Nigeria eight
people were killed in the Barakin Ladi district of Plateau state in
a long-running resource conflict between farmers and herders.
   (AFP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Protesters
demanded Northern Ireland's feuding political parties get back to
governing, as the region matched a world record for the longest
peacetime period without a government. Belgium spent 589 days
without an elected government between 2010 and 2011.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, The Norwegian
Refugee Council (NRC) said the number of Somalis left homeless has
surged this year as thousands who had already fled war, drought and
floods were forcibly evicted from mostly makeshift homes. Its report
said one of the main factors driving people out of their homes was
property developers requisitioning land, often without warning,
during a building boom in Mogadishu.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Relatives of
several people slain in the Philippine president's anti-drug
campaign asked the International Criminal Court to prosecute him for
alleged crimes against humanity, in the second such request for a
ruling on thousands of deaths that have occurred during the
crackdown.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In the southern
Philippines a bomber killed two people and wounded 35 at a town
festival in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat province. The bomber fled on a
motorcycle.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Poland's
government unveiled details of a voluntary pension program intended
to encourage many Poles to start saving and to protect low-earners
from post-retirement poverty.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, South Africa's
ruling African National Congress (ANC) said an expropriation bill
passed by parliament in 2016 enabling the state to make compulsory
purchases of land to redress racial disparities in land ownership
has been withdrawn.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In South Africa
British PM Theresa May Tuesday launched her three-nation African
tour by pledging to make Britain the biggest investor in Africa from
the developed world. May confirmed that Britain intends to carry
over the EU's current partnership with six southern African
countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and
Mozambique.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, South Sudan rebel
chief Riek Machar refused to sign a final peace deal with the
government, in a setback for a regional drive to end nearly five
years of brutal civil war. Officials said the rebel groups had
differences over the functioning of a proposed transitional
government, how many states the country should be divided into and
on the writing of a new constitution.
   (AFP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Ten of the more
than 600 migrants who forced their way into the Spanish territory of
Ceuta last July 26 by violently storming a heavily fortified border
fence with Morocco were arrested. Spain's Guardia Civil said they
are accused of belonging to a criminal organization, assaulting a
police officer and causing damage.
   (AFP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, A Swiss court
sentenced Pascal Collard to an 18-month suspended prison term for
corruption related to Congolese oil contracts. The former Gunvor
employee said he paid bribes to the president of the Republic of
Congo via a presidential aide and Belgian firm Semlex to win the
contracts. Collard said managers at Gunvor knew about the payments
and approved them to win the deals between 2009 and 2011.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Thousands of
Syrians began returning to Daraya for the first time since
government forces clawed back the Damascus suburb from rebels two
years ago.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Thailand's
military junta announced it will ease some restrictions on political
parties to let them conduct basic functions and prepare for
elections set for early next year, but campaigning will still be
forbidden.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In Thailand more
than 160 asylum seekers from hill tribe ethnic minorities in Vietnam
and Cambodia were rounded up in a northern suburb of Bangkok and
charged with immigration law violations.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Uganda's army said
soldiers involved in the beating of Ugandan lawmakers and civilians
over their alleged role in the Aug. 13 stoning of President Yoweri
Museveni’s convoy have been arrested.
   (Reuters, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, Three experts
working for the UN's top human rights body said the governments of
Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia may have been
responsible for war crimes including rape, torture, disappearances
and "deprivation of the right to life" during 3½ years of battling
Yemeni rebels.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, A court in
Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City sentenced a South African man to death
after finding him guilty of trafficking nearly 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds)
of cocaine. Coetzee Tyron Lee was convicted in a half-day trial. Lee
told investigators that he was hired by a Nigerian man to transport
the drug for $3,500, which would be paid after his arrival.
   (AP, 8/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 28, In southern Yemen
a suspected al-Qaida attack on a checkpoint in Abyan province killed
five soldiers and wounded four others.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, The US military
said US forces conducted an air strike in coordination with
Somalia's army that killed three al Shabaab fighters.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, The US Int'l.
Trade Commission nullified tariffs put into place for imported
newsprint by finding that American producers were not harmed by
imports from Canadian paper mills.
   (SFC, 8/30/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, It was reported
that Maryland-based Emergent Solutions has agreed to pay $735
million in cash and stock to Ireland-based Adapt Pharma.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Marie Severin
(b.1929), longtime artist for Marvel Comics, died in Amityville, NY.
In 2012 Dewey Cassell Aaron Sultan authored "Marie Severin: The
Mirthful Mistress of Comics."
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Severin)(SFC, 9/5/18, p.D5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Choreographer Paul
Taylor (b.1930), a towering figure in American modern dance, died in
NYC.
   (SFC, 8/31/18, p.E1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Stan Brock
(b.1936), former British cowboy and cohost of the long-running "Wild
Kingdom" TV show, died in Rockford, Tenn., at the offices of the
Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic service, which he had founded in
1985. His books included "Jungle Cowboys" (1969).
   (SFC, 9/7/18, p.D5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Afghanistan a
van hit a roadside mine in northeaster Kunar province, killing three
people and wounding 16 others.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Britain's Theresa
May landed in Nigeria's capital on the second leg of her maiden
Africa tour aimed at drumming up post-Brexit trade deals outside the
EU. Britain said it would open new embassies in Chad and Niger to
boost its diplomatic presence in Africa's troubled Sahel region.
   (AFP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, British endurance
athlete Lewis Pugh (48) completed his 330-mile (530-km) swim along
the length of the English Channel from Land's End to Dover — the
first swimmer to do so.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, It was reported
that cocoa firms operating in Cameroon have moved staff out of the
Anglophone region of the country and farmers are abandoning their
crops in the area, as violence between separatists and security
forces intensifies.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, China denied an
accusation from Pres. Donald Trump that it had hacked the emails of
Hilary Clinton during the 2016 US elections.
   (SFC, 8/30/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Shanghai police
said that they were investigating a possible data breach at Huazhu
Group after state media said nearly 500 million pieces of
customer-related information from the hotel operator had emerged in
an online post.
   (Reuters, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Turkish Cypriot
media reported that smugglers attempted to use a drone to fly
illegal drugs over the frontier separating Turkish Cypriot northern
Cyprus with the rest of the island, one of the most heavily guarded
areas in Europe.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Egypt said its
security forces have killed at least 20 suspected militants in
recent days in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula and along its
porous border with Libya.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Germany announced
a new agency to fund cutting-edge research on cyber security and to
end its reliance on digital technologies from the United States,
China and other countries.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Germany a
golden statue of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that was
installed at an art festival whose motto is "Bad news" was taken
down after authorities in the city of Wiesbaden said it was becoming
a security issue.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, India's Supreme
Court ordered police to put five prominent rights campaigners
suspected of links to Maoist guerrillas under house arrest as
outrage grew over their detention a day earlier.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Indian police
arrested Bangladeshi monk Bhante Sangh Priya on suspicion of
sexually abusing children at the Bodh Gaya Buddhist shelter and
meditation center in Bihar state.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In western Iraq a
suicide bomber killed at least seven people in an attack on the
outskirts of Al-Qaim. IS said in a statement that it carried out the
attack, which it claimed had left 50 people dead or wounded.
   (AFP, 8/29/18)(SFC, 8/30/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Kashmir rebels
fighting against Indian rule ambushed a group of police officials
and killed four of them. Separately, two Kashmiri rebels were killed
in a gunfight with government forces, triggering clashes in which at
least 40 people were injured.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, The corruption
trial of Kenya's deputy chief justice Philomena Mwilu, the country's
second-highest judge, was suspended amid a barrage of legal
petitions at various courts.
   (AFP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Kenya's military
said five soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb blew up the
vehicle they were travelling in southeastern Lamu County.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Mexico off-duty
cameraman Javier Rodriguez Valladares of the Canal 10 TV station in
Cancun was shot to death this evening along with another man. He was
the third journalist killed in Quintana Roo state this year.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In central Myanmar
more than 50,000 people evacuated their homes after part of a dam
failed, inundating communities and damaging a bridge on a major
highway.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, A Namibian
delegation in Berlin took possession of the remains of 27 countrymen
whose bones were taken by German colonial forces more than a century
ago for pseudo-scientific racial experiments.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Nigeria's central
bank ordered South African telecoms giant MTN to refund $8.13
billion (6.96 billion euros) that it allegedly illegally repatriated
and fined four banks involved in the transfer.
   (AFP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Pakistan
thousands of Islamists launched a march toward the capital to
protest a far-right Dutch lawmaker's plans to hold a Prophet
Muhammad cartoon contest later this year. The Tehreek-i-Labaik
Islamist party called for the expulsion of the Dutch ambassador as
it launched the protest.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)(AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Tens of thousands
of Palestinian children returned to United Nations-run schools after
the summer holidays, though major US cuts have thrown their funding
into jeopardy beyond next month.
   (AFP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In the southern
Philippines a bomb concealed in a bag went off near a night market
in Isulan, leaving three people dead and 35 wounded.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, Russia's Pres.
Vladimir Putin proposed measures to soften a pension reform deeply
unpopular among Russians, in an apparent attempt to stem a major
fall in his approval ratings.
   (AFP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In Slovenia five
moderate parties signed an agreement to form a center-left
government, sidelining a right-wing group that won most votes during
an inconclusive election in June.
   (AP, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, In South Africa
one person was shot dead and foreign-owned shops were looted as
violence erupted in the township of Soweto.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 29, The UN reported
that Nicaragua's government turned a blind eye while armed mobs
rounded up protesters, some of whom were later raped with rifles and
tortured in detention. Managua rejected the report as biased.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Pres. Donald Trump
informed Congress that he is cancelling pay raises due in January
for most civilian federal employees, citing budget constraints.
   (SFC, 8/31/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, The US State
Department said it had decided to extend by a year its ban on US
citizens' travel to North Korea, citing continued concerns about the
threat of arrest and long-term detention of US nationals there.
   (Reuters, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A US federal judge
temporarily blocked the opening of grizzly bear hunting two days
before Idaho and Wyoming prepared to open the first grizzly bear
hunting season in the lower 48 states since 1974.
   (SFC, 8/31/18, p.A9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In New Mexico at
least seven people were killed and others seriously injured in a
head-on crash involving a Greyhound passenger bus and a semi-truck
along I-40.
   (SFC, 8/31/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Afghanistan's
Islamic State affiliate detonated a roadside bomb in eastern
Nangarhar province killing five border police and wounding four
others.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Argentina's
Central Bank announced it has raised its benchmark interest rate
from 45 to 60 percent in a bid to arrest a slide in the value of its
currency.
   (AFP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A court in Bosnia
sentenced Jovan Tintor, a former high-ranking Bosnian Serb official,
to eleven years in prison for war crimes during the 1992-95 war,
including imprisonment, torture and murder of non-Serb civilians.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, British PM Theresa
May became the first UK leader to visit Kenya in 30 years, bringing
security and development funding to East Africa's commercial hub.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Canada and the
United States opened their third day of negotiations aimed at
getting the pact done by the end of the week.
   (AFP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, China said that US
lawmakers were wasting taxpayer money by urging President Donald
Trump's administration to impose sanctions on Chinese officials
allegedly tied to the mass internment of ethnic minority Muslims in
camps in the far west.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Egypt's President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appointed a string of new governors to key
regions, the latest shake-up since winning re-election in March. The
majority of the new appointees were drawn from the senior army and
police ranks. Manal Mikhail in Damietta province, became the first
Christian woman ever appointed to such a position in the majority
Sunni Muslim country.
   (AFP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, An Ethiopian
military helicopter crashed in the Oromia region and killed all 18
people on board, including two children.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, German Chancellor
Angela Merkel arrived in Ghana during a three-nation West Africa
visit aimed at boosting investment in a region that is a major
source of migrants heading toward Europe. Merkel first stopped in
Senegal, another of Africa's fastest-growing economies, and will
continue on to Nigeria.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, India's main
opposition Congress party lashed out at PM Narendra Modi after
central bank data showed that his shock 2016 move to ban high-value
notes failed to meet his key objective of flushing out money hidden
from the tax man.
   (Reuters, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A district in
Indonesia's deeply conservative Aceh province banned unmarried
couples from sitting at the same table in restaurants, cafes or
coffee shops. The regulation also prohibits restaurants and coffee
shops from hiring lesbians, gays, or bisexual or transgender people
as waiters or waitresses.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Iran's Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pardoned or reduced the sentences for
615 prisoners, according to Mizan, the news site of the Iranian
judiciary.
   (Reuters, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A lawsuit, filed
in a Tel Aviv court, carried a claim from five Mexican journalists
and activists who allege they were spied on using software made by
Israel-based NSO Group. A second suit, filed in Cyprus, added Qatari
newspaper editor Abdullah Al-Athbah to the list of plaintiffs.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Japanese
electronics giant Panasonic became the latest company to announce
plans to move its European headquarters out of Britain ahead of
Brexit.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, International
Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council member David
Okeyo of Kenya was banned from track and field for life for his role
in diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars of sponsorship money
from Nike for his and others' personal use.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Libya at least
27 people have been killed and 100 wounded in several days of
fighting between rival militias near Tripoli. UN and aid sources
said hundreds of migrants in Libya have been relocated from
government-run detention centers in Tripoli after getting trapped by
clashes between rival groups.
   (AFP, 8/30/18)(Reuters, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A Malaysian
amnesty program for illegal immigrants that began in 2016 ended
today and the Philippine government advised Filipinos, especially
those without immigration permits, to expect a crackdown as early as
tomorrow.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Mexican
authorities rescued 39 Cuban migrants who had been held for ransom
by four Cuban men in the resort city of Cancun.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A human rights
group said Myanmar has deliberately obstructed aid deliveries to
civilians in war-torn Kachin and northern Shan states, actions that
may amount to war crimes.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Nepal a two-day
summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical
and Economic Cooperation began in Kathmandu. Leaders of seven South
and Southeast Asian nations (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand) met to discuss regional trade,
economic cooperation, security and peace.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Far-right Dutch
politician Geert Wilders said he had canceled a Prophet Muhammad
cartoon contest following death threats and concerns other people
could be put at risk.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, The government of
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega ended a United Nations human
rights team visit a day after the body published a report blaming it
for the violent repression of opposition protests.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Nigeria an
attack by suspected members of Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA),
on a base in Zari village in the north of Borno State, killed up to
30 soldiers. The known death toll of Nigerian troops soon rose to
48, but state media quoted an official army spokesman as saying such
reports were wrong.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)(Reuters, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, In Pakistan
thousands of hard-line Islamists angered over a far-right Dutch
lawmaker's plans to hold a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest marched
toward the capital after police briefly stopped them because of
security reasons.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, A Senegalese court
upheld a five-year jail term against leading politician Khalifa Sall
(62), the mayor of Dakar, in a ruling that bars him from running in
presidential elections due next February. He sentenced in March on
charges of fraudulent use of public funds.
   (AFP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, South Sudan said
it will resume oil production in northern Unity State for the first
time since the fields were destroyed in late 2013.
   (SFC, 8/31/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Syria's foreign
minister said government forces will "go all the way" in the
rebel-held northern region of Idlib and that Damascus's main targets
were al-Nusra militants.
   (Reuters, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 30, Ugandan lawmaker
Francis Zaake, who has been hospitalized with undisclosed injuries,
was blocked from traveling abroad for treatment because he had no
clearance from police. Zaake was allegedly tortured while in
detention.
   (AP, 8/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, The US announced
that it will no longer support the 68-year-old United Nations Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Contributions were
cut from $360 million to $60 million this year and down to zero in
2019.
   (AP, 8/31/18)(SFC, 6/4/19, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Samuel Patten, an
American who is the business partner of a Russian national accused
by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller of having ties to Russian
intelligence, pleaded guilty to unregistered lobbying for a
pro-Kremlin political party in Ukraine. Patten (47) also agreed to
cooperate with Mueller's probe.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, The White House
notified Congress of its "intent to sign a trade agreement with
Mexico -- and Canada, if it is willing -- 90 days from now." Talks
with Canada were hung up on the mechanisms used to resolve disputes
among partners, and on Ottawa's strictly controlled dairy sector.
   (AFP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Verity Health
System of California Inc, a non-profit operator of six California
hospitals managed by billionaire former surgeon Patrick
Soon-Shiong’s NantWorks LLC, filed for bankruptcy to help resolve a
cash crunch while it seeks a buyer. Soon-Shiong, who has founded and
sold multiple biotech companies and earlier this year invested in
the Los Angeles Times and other California newspapers, acquired
Verity’s management company, Integrity Healthcare, in 2017 with the
goal of helping to revitalize the hospital chain. The Verity
hospitals included St. Francis Medical Center and St. Vincent
Medical Center in southern California, O’Connor Hospital, St. Louise
Regional Hospital, Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton
Medical Center Coastside in northern California.
   (http://tinyurl.com/ydybdj99)(SSFC, 2/9/20,
p.A11)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Coca-Cola said it
will buy the British Costa brand from Whitbread for 3.9 billion
pounds ($5.1 billion) in cash. Costa is Britain's biggest coffee
company.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Former Australian
PM Malcolm Turnbull resigned from Parliament, triggering a
by-election that could bring down the unpopular conservative
government.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, The Catholic
church in Australia said it would oppose laws forcing priests to
report child abuse when they learn about it in the confessional,
setting the stage for a showdown between the country's biggest
religion and the government. Two of Australia's eight states and
territories have introduced laws making it a crime for priests to
withhold information about abuse heard in the confessional.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, NATO established a
new cyber operations center at its military hub in Mons, Belgium to
deter computer hackers. The United States, Britain, Estonia and
other allies soon offered their cyber capabilities.
   (Reuters, 10/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, A supporter of the
Islamic State group who plotted to kill British PM Theresa May
received a prison sentence of at least 30 years from a judge who
called him "a very dangerous individual." Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman
was convicted last month in London of planning to bomb the entry
gates to the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing Street.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Cambodia
Australian filmmaker James Ricketson, arrested after flying a drone
to photograph an opposition party rally last year, was convicted of
spying and sentenced to six years in prison.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Chile's chief
prosecutor's office said the number of cases of priestly sexual
abuse of minors it was investigating had soared to 119 as more
victims came forward.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Colombian
authorities said that two former rebel leaders of the FARC
(Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) have abandoned their camps,
raising fears they could abandon a fragile peace process that ended
five decades of internal conflict.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Colombian
prosecutors said that they have traced payments made by a local
Chiquita affiliate to a paramilitary group that operated in
Colombia's volatile Uraba region from 1996 to 2004. Some of the
money was allegedly used to buy hundreds of machine guns. 13
Chiquita Brands International employees were charged with aiding a
right-wing death squad that murdered hundreds of people.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Guatemalan
President Jimmy Morales announced that he is shutting down a
crusading UN-sponsored anti-graft commission that pressed a number
of high-profile corruption probes, including one pending against the
president himself over purported illicit campaign financing.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Indonesia
Australia's new PM Morrison met President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in
his first trip overseas since becoming leader. He said they would
sign an agreement by the end of the year that aims to boost trade
and investment.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Iran's foreign
ministry dismissed a French call for more negotiations with Tehran
over the international nuclear accord and said some of France's
partners are "bullying and excessive," a seeming reference to the
United States.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Iran's elite
Revolutionary Guards clashed with militants in the southeast of the
country, killing four and wounding three.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Israeli security
forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at rock-throwing
Palestinians protesting against land seizures for Jewish settlements
in the occupied West Bank.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Mexico's Navy said
it has seized over 2.2 metric tons of cocaine from a boat in the
Pacific and detained eight crew members, including a Canadian man
and three Colombians.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Myanmar's armed
forces released 75 children and young people from military service.
Myanmar has now discharged 924 underage recruits since signing up to
a joint action plan on child soldiers with UN agencies in June 2012.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Nepal an
agreement to study the feasibility of a rail line linking India and
Nepal was signed by officials during a meeting between Nepal's PM
K.P. Sharma Oli and Indian premier Narendra Modi on the sidelines of
a regional summit of seven South and East Asian countries.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In the Netherlands
two visiting American citizens were wounded in a knife attack at
Amsterdam's busy main railway station. Police shot and wounded a
19-year-old Afghan man immediately after the attack and questioned
him as a suspect.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, New Zealand
authorities said that convicted secrets leaker Chelsea Manning can
enter the country for a speaking tour, a day after tour organizers
said she couldn't enter Australia.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Nigeria German
Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Nigerian President Muhammadu
Buhari wrapping up a three-day Africa visit with a meeting that
focused on migration.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Northern
Ireland two journalists who worked on a documentary about a mass
killing were arrested in Belfast on suspicion of stealing
confidential documents. Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey had worked
on the 2017 documentary "No Stone Unturned," about a 1994 massacre
in the village of Loughinisland.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, A Pakistani court
convicted and sentenced two men to death over the 2013 murder of
politician Zahra Shahid (60) from PM Imran Khan's ruling
Tehrik-e-Insaf party in the southern city of Karachi.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Thousands of
Pakistan's hard-line Islamists dispersed peacefully after ending
their protest march near Islamabad following the cancellation of a
Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest sponsored by an anti-Muslim Dutch
lawmaker.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In the Philippines
six people were honored as this year's winners of the Ramon
Magsaysay Awards, known as Asia's version of the Nobel Prize.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Russia three
people were killed in a blast at the Sverdlov plant, one of the
country's largest makers of explosives and ammunition, in the city
of Dzerzhinsk.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Syrian opposition
fighters blew up bridges linking areas they control to
government-held territories in northwestern Syria in anticipation of
a military offensive against their last stronghold in the country.
   (AP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Tunisia's PM
Youssef Chahed sacked the energy minister, Khaled Kaddour, and four
other senior figures linked to that ministry over corruption
accusations.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Turkey designated
the insurgent group Tahrir al-Sham as a terrorist organization,
according to a presidential decision published today, as Damascus
prepared for a military assault in northwest Syria where the group
holds sway.
   (Reuters, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will buy some of Russia's
highly-sophisticated air defence systems "in the shortest time" -- a
purchase that has alarmed Ankara's NATO partners.
   (AFP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, Turkey raised tax
on foreign currency deposits in a bid to prop up the tumbling lira,
in a presidential decision published in the official gazette.
   (AFP, 8/31/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Uganda protests
erupted in Kampala after police blocked Robert Kyagulanyi, a popular
musician known by his stage name Bobi Wine, from leaving for the
United States for treatment after alleged torture while in
detention. The government accused hospital workers of refusing to
help police take his statement. Kyagulanyi left for the United
States late today to seek medical treatment.
   (AP, 8/31/18)(AFP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug 31, In Ukraine
Alexander Zakharchenko (42), the chief of the self-proclaimed
Donetsk People's Republic, was killed in a bombing at a Donetsk cafe
in broad daylight, becoming the four-year conflict's most prominent
victim from the Moscow-backed side. His bodyguard also died and 12
more people were injured.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, In Virginia Beverly
Page Bourgeois (59) was struck by a car while doing yard work.
Osmaira E. Mendez-Urdaneta (48), who is from El Salvador, was later
charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Bourgeois.
Mendez-Urdaneta missed an October court date and a prsecutor said
she may have fled the country.
   (AP, 11/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Chile's water
regulator imposed a rare ban on new permits to extract water from an
aquifer that is a critical water supply for BHP´s Escondida, the
world´s largest copper mine. Small pockets of water trapped beneath
the salt flats of the Salar de Atacama feeds the world's biggest
copper mine and holds in suspension more than one-third of the
world's current supply of lithium.
   (Reuters, 8/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, In Colombia three
victims associations delivered 2,000 documented cases of sexual
abuse during five decades of civil war to the Special Peace Tribunal
(JEP).
   (Reuters, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Vladimir Lyubishin
Jr. and Sr. were flown to Moscow and jailed pending investigation
and trial. They had been in a Hungarian jail, charged in an
elaborate plot to ship weapons to Mexican drug cartels and cocaine
to the US.
   (AP, 12/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, In Morocco a dozen
suspects, aged 17 to 28, were remanded in custody on charges
including human trafficking of a minor, rape and torture. Teenager
Khadija (17) said members of a "dangerous gang" in her town had
abducted and held her prisoner for two months, raping and torturing
her.
   (AFP, 10/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Chechen refugee,
Azamat Bayduev, was deported from Poland. A day later, Bayduev was
arrested and hasn't been heard from since.
   (AP, 1/7/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Aug, Spanish authorities
reportedly uncovered a plot by anti-Brexit campaigners to
assassinate leading Brexiteer and now favorite to be Britain's next
prime minister, Boris Johnson. A 2019 study found that this story
and others like it were created by a network of social media
accounts operating from Russia which have attempted to seed false
narratives across 30 different online platforms.
   (Reuters, 6/22/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, The Pentagon said
it is seeking to reallocate $300 million in assistance to Pakistan
due to Islamabad's lack of "decisive actions" in support of regional
American strategy.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Arizona Oralia
Nunez (24) and renter Omar Gonzalez were found dead at Nunez's home
in Phoenix. Nunez was seven months pregnant. Police sought her
estranged husband, Dimas Coronado (47), who fled with their two
boys.
   (SFC, 9/3/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Two boats collided
head-on on the Colorado River in a region of Moabi Regional Park
marking the border between the Arizona and California. At least 4
people were missing.
   (SFC, 9/3/18, p.A6)(SFC, 9/4/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Indiana four
people were killed in a crash on I-90 involving wrong-way driver
Tiara Davis (25) of Indiana.
   (SSFC, 9/2/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Michigan the
body of Brica Flores-Rivera (42) was found in Buel Township, 85
miles (135 km) north of Detroit. Leobardo Torres-Castillo and his
sister, Francisca Vargas-Castillo, were later charged with murder.
The three Mexicans worked at a dairy farm and did not have
permission to be in the country.
   (AP, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Minnesota the
founder and chief executive of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc,
Richard Liu (45), was released after being arrested on a charge of
criminal sexual conduct. The charge against Liu was made the
previous evening just before midnight local time.
   (Reuters, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Randy Weston
(b.1926), award-winning jazz pianist, died at his home in New York
City.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Weston)(SFC,
9/5/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Texas O'Shea
Terry (24), a black man, was shot and killed during a traffic stop.
In 2019 police Officer Bau Tran was fired and charged with negligent
homicide in the case.
   (SFC, 5/20/19, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Brazilian justices
voted 6-1 barring former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from
the October presidential election. Da Silva's left-leaning Workers'
Party issued a statement vowing to appeal, but there appeared to be
scant chance it would succeed.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, A Chinese state
news agency said torrential rains in southern China killed at least
two people and forced 127,000 to evacuate.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, A bus crash in
Ecuador's Andes mountains left 11 people dead, bringing the
country's death toll from such accidents to 46 in the past three
weeks.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Egypt's official
gazette said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ratified a law
granting authorities the right to monitor social media users in the
country as part of tightening internet controls.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Germany 18
people were injured as the anti-migrant far-right and
counter-protesters held opposing rallies in the city of Chemnitz,
which was hit by xenophobic demonstrations last week. Police brought
an early close Saturday to the anti-migrant march that far-right
activists hoped would launch a nationwide movement to challenge the
political establishment.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)(AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Germany Hesse
state police arrested a 17-year-old on suspicion of preparing a
serious act of violence. The suspect was reportedly planning to
attack a gay nightclub in Frankfurt and a Catholic church in the
city.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, President Joko
"Jokowi" Widodo said Indonesia will bid to host the 2032 Olympics
following the success of the Asian Games held there over the past
two weeks.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Mauritania, a
frontline state in the fight against Islamic extremism, voted on in
legislative, regional and local elections that will test head of
state Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's record seven months before a
presidential vote.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Mexico's Federal
Electoral Tribunal revoked a $10 million fine imposed on the
political party of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for
the allegedly fraudulent use of a trust fund raised for victims of
the September 19, 2017 earthquake that devastated central Mexico,
killing 360 people.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Several thousand
Moldovans gathered in the capital Chisinau to call for reunification
with Romania. Moldova united with Romania in 1918 and was annexed to
the Soviet Union in 1940. It gained independence in 1991.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Dutch former
defence minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (45) was appointed as
the United Nation's envoy to Iraq, to head a mission which plays an
essential role in the country's political and economic spheres.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In Russia a
supervisor at Sochi airport died during an emergency response early
today after a landing plane careered off the end of the runway into
a riverbed and caught fire. 18 people were injured in the accident.
   (AP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, A car bomb killed
at least one person in a region of north Syria controlled by
Turkey-backed Syrian rebel groups.
   (Reuters, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, In southeastern
Syria an air strike near a US base killed at least eight
pro-government fighters near Al-Tanf base. Four Syrians, one Iranian
national and three other non-Syrian fighters were killed in the
strike.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, The United Nations
human rights mission left Nicaragua after being ordered out by a
government it criticized over its heavy-handed response to
anti-regime protests.
   (AFP, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Pope Francis called
for people to work together to stop the world's oceans filling up
with plastic waste.
   (Reuters, 9/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Sen. John McCain
was laid to rest at the US Naval Academy after a five-day procession
that served as a final call to arms for a nation he warned could
lose its civility and sense of shared purpose.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Afghanistan US
Army Gen. Austin Scott Miller assumed command of the 41-nation NATO
mission in a handover ceremony in Kabul.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, An Afghan official
said a foreign pilot and two Afghan soldiers were killed when a
helicopter contracted by NATO crashed inside an army base near the
northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Brazil's National
Museum in Rio de Janeiro caught fire and at least part of its
collection of 20 million items was destroyed.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In central China
police detained 46 people who were part of a protest against a
government plan to address overcrowded classrooms that escalated
into violence in the city of Leiyang, Hunan province.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, China's agriculture
ministry said more than 38,000 hogs have been culled as of Sept. 1
due to African swine fever outbreaks.
   (Reuters, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Egypt's Antiquities
Ministry said a Neolithic site has been discovered in Tell
el-Samara, about 140 km (87 miles) north of Cairo. Chief
archaeologist Frederic Gio said his team found silos containing
animal bones and food, indicating human habitation as early as 5,000
BC.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In India there were
nearly 200 confirmed cases of what is locally called rat fever in
Kerala state following the worst flooding in a century. The
waterborne disease leptospirosis is transmitted via the urine of
infected animals, with symptoms including muscle pain and fever.
   (Reuters, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Indonesia the
Asian Games closed in a ceremony emphasizing the country's diversity
and the ties linking the 11,000 athletes who competed for 45
nations. The 2-week-long games ended with Indonesia fourth on the
medal table behind China (289), Japan (205) and South Korea (177).
   (AP, 9/2/18)(AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Iraqi police used
tear gas to disperse around 150 protesters at the main entrance to
the giant Nahr Bin Omar oilfield, amid growing unrest in southern
cities over poor public services and corruption. Oil exports from
Basra account for more than 95 percent of Iraq's state revenues.
   (Reuters, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Libya some 400
prisoners escaped from the Ain Zara prison in Tripoli, as fighting
between rival militias that has killed dozens of people forced the
UN-backed government to declare a state of emergency in and around
the capital.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In central Nigeria
gunmen shot dead 11 people in an attack suspected to be part of
ongoing communal violence in Lopandet Dwei Du village, Plateau
state.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Philippines's Pres.
Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Israel for a four-day visit, the first
presidential visit since the countries established diplomatic
relations in 1957.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In the southern
Philippines suspected Muslim militants detonated a second bomb in
less than a week, killing at least one and wounding 15 in Isulan
town, Sultan Kudarat province.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Thousands of people
across Russia protested against a deeply unpopular pension reform
despite President Vladimir Putin's announcement of several
concessions this week.
   (AFP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, A Russian
state-owned television channel began a new weekly current affairs
program devoted to President Vladimir Putin. The first episode of
"Moscow. Kremlin. Putin." aired this evening, stressing the Russian
president's work to address various crises and stay in touch with
ordinary Russians.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Somalia at least
six people were killed, including two children, after a suicide
bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle outside a district
headquarters in Mogadishu.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Syria at least
two military personnel were killed and 11 wounded in overnight
explosions caused by suspected Israeli strikes on a military airport
on the edge of Damascus. State media later quoted an unnamed Syrian
military official as saying the explosions were caused by an
electrical malfunction in a munition depot nearby.
   (AP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, It was reported
that Swiss company Climeworks AG has received a $31 million
investment to suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in an
expensive process that uses high tech filters and fans.
   (SSFC, 9/2/18, p.B14)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, Tens of thousands
of mourners gathered in Ukraine's rebel stronghold of Donetsk to pay
their final respects to separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko,
while an aide to the Russian president praised him as a "brother"
and a "hero".
   (AFP, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, In Yemen hundreds
of demonstrators protesting against the deteriorating economic
situation and weakening currency blocked major roads and burned
tires in the southern city of Aden, with shops and government
offices closing. The Yemeni rial has lost more than half its value
against the US dollar since the start of a civil war in 2015.
   (Reuters, 9/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 2, A boat carrying at
least 150 African migrants capsized off Yemen's southern Shabwa
province, killing at least 30 people including five women and
children.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Afghanistan
Jalaluddin Haqqani (71), founder of the much-feared Haqqani network
and a former US ally turned fierce enemy, died. Haqqani's network
has been led by his son Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also deputy head
of the Taliban.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In eastern
Afghanistan the Taliban attacked a district police headquarters late
today in Paktia province, killing four police and wounding six. More
than 20 insurgents were reported killed in the battle. An American
service member was killed in an apparent insider attack.
   (AP, 9/4/18)(Reuters, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 1, Two boats collided
head-on on the Colorado River in a region of Moabi Regional Park
marking the border between the Arizona and California. At least 4
people were missing.
   (SFC, 9/3/18, p.A6)(SFC, 9/4/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Argentina's Pres.
Mauricio Macri announced new taxes on exports and the elimination of
several ministries in a bid to halt economic turmoil.
   (SFC, 9/4/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Scientists in
Australia warned that a superbug resistant to all known antibiotics
that can cause "severe" infections or even death is spreading
undetected through hospital wards across the world. The bacteria,
known as Staphylococcus epidermidis, is related to the better-known
and more deadly MRSA.
   (AFP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Chinese President
Xi Jinping pledged $60 billion in financing for projects in Africa
in the form of assistance, investment and loans, as China furthers
efforts to link the continent's economic prospects to its own.
   (AP, 9/3/18)   Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, China's agriculture
ministry said new case of African swine fever has been confirmed in
Wuxi in eastern Jiangsu province.
   (Reuters, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, The ruler of Dubai
announced the names of two astronauts from the United Arab Emirates
who will be heading to the International Space Station next year, a
first for the Gulf nation.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Estonian officials
arrested former military officer Deniss Metsavas (b.1980) and his
father Pjotr Volin (b.1953) on suspicion of treason and spying for
Russia.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Germany a
migrant was convicted of murdering his 15-year-old German
ex-girlfriend in Kandel in December 2017 and was sentenced to 8.5
years in prison.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Greek ships
remained docked at the country's ports as seamen started a strike to
demand the restoration of wages and labor rights, following the
expiry of Greece's third bailout program last month. The strike has
left tens of thousands of travelers stranded on the country's
popular island destinations.
   (Reuters, 9/3/18)(AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Iran called for
militants to be "cleaned out" of Syria's Idlib province, as it
prepared for talks with Syria and Russia about confronting the last
major enclave held by rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.
   (Reuters, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, The Iranian rial
hit another all-time low against the US dollar in spite of central
bank efforts to stem the decline.
   (AFP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Lebanon UN
schools for Palestinian refugees started the new school year on
time, despite the US decision to cancel funding to the international
body's Palestinian relief agency.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Malaysia two
Muslim women convicted under Islamic laws of attempting to have sex
were caned in a rare public whipping that was slammed by lawmakers
and rights activists as a form of torture. The women, aged 22 and
32, were seated on stools facing the judges and given six strokes
from a light rattan cane on their backs by female prison officers.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Mauritius tried to
persuade judges at the World Court to find that it was illegally
stripped by Britain of another Indian Ocean archipelago, the Chagos
Islands, now home to a major US air base. Britain apologized for the
"shameful way" it evicted residents of the disputed Chagos islands
but insisted Mauritius was wrong to bring the increasingly bitter
dispute to the UN's top court.
   (AP, 9/3/18)(AFP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Mexico's outgoing
Pres. Enrique Pena Nieto gave his last state of the union address
and blamed state and local police for the surge in violent crime.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Myanmar
journalists Wa Lone (32) and Kyaw Soe Oo (28) were found guilty of
breaching the Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in
prison.
   (Reuters, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In northern Niger
some 347 people from 13 countries, including Mali, Guinea and
Senegal, were found in Assamaka after arriving on foot overnight. A
further 92 were rescued the next day.
   (AFP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In Nigeria eleven
people were shot dead in the Lopandet Dwei Du area of Plateau state
in a long-running resource conflict between farmers and herders.
   (AFP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Rwandans voted in
parliamentary elections that are expected to shore up the power of
President Paul Kagame's ruling party a year after he was re-elected
with 98 percent of the vote.
   (AFP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Spain's PM Pedro
Sanchez proposed holding a referendum in Catalonia on greater
autonomy for the wealthy region but ruled out allowing a vote on
independence as demanded by Catalan leaders.
   (AFP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, In South Africa
workers from the mainly-white Solidarity union staged a go-slow
protest at the petrochemicals firm Sasol over a share scheme offered
exclusively to black staff, and said they would begin a full strike
on September 6.
   (AP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Turkey reported its
highest inflation rate in 15 years fuelled by a spectacular drop in
the Turkish lira, as analysts predicted that worse is probably to
come.
   (AFP, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 3, Zimbabwe's wildlife
authority said it is donating 10 white rhinos to Democratic Republic
of Congo to re-establish a population driven to extinction by
poachers a decade ago.
   (Reuters, 9/3/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo said he will name Zalmay Khalilzad to be special
adviser for Afghanistan.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, The EPA office of
the Inspector General concluded that the Environmental Protection
Agency had no proper justification for spending more than $3.5
million on round-the-clock security for former head Scott Pruitt.
   (SFC, 9/5/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, The Ninth US
Circuit court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that cities cannot
make it a crime to sleep on a public street or sidewalk when no
homeless shelters are available.
   (SFC, 9/5/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, A US federal judge
in San Francisco signed off on a $480 million class-action
shareholder lawsuit over Wells Fargo's unauthorized accounts
scandal.
   (SFC, 9/7/18, p.C3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, An early copy of
Bob Woodward's new book "Fear: Trump in the White House," set off a
firestorm in the White House with descriptions of current and former
aides calling Pres. Trump an "idiot" and a "liar".Â
   (SFC, 9/5/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Texas the body
of Melissa Ramirez (29), a mother of two, was found dead with a shot
to the head in rural Webb County. Border Patrol agent Juan David
Ortiz (35) later admitted to having shot her a day earlier.
   (SFC, 9/17/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Seattle police
found the bodies of two Univ. of Washington female law students from
Thailand in an apartment. Medical examiners later ruled murder and
suicide. Kornkamon Leenawarat (25) died from multiple stab wounds.
Thithi-on Chotechuangsab (32) died of a single stab wound.
   (SFC, 9/8/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Nike announced that
former San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be the
face of its 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign. His kneel down
protest against police brutality has split America roughly down the
middle.
   (SFC, 9/5/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In northwestern
Afghanistan insurgents attacked a security checkpoint in Badghis
province. Two police officers were killed and four others were
wounded in the attack near Qala-i-Now. 11 attackers were reported
killed and 16 wounded in the battle. NATO said that a US service
member died in a non-combat related incident in eastern Afghanistan.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Elephants Without
Borders said ninety elephant carcasses have been discovered in
Botswana with their tusks hacked off, in what is believed to be one
of Africa's worst mass poaching sprees.
   (AFP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Former DR Congo
warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba denounced a long-delayed December
presidential election as a "parody" after he was banned from
contesting and accused President Joseph Kabila of trying to hand
pick a successor by eliminating serious rivals. Bemba was one of six
presidential hopefuls who was excluded by the election commission
from the December 23 vote.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Danish police say
prosecutors have given them permission to issue a nationwide ban on
the Loyal to Familia (LTF) criminal gang, even before a court case
aimed at dissolving it.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Egyptian Abdullah
Ayman Abdel-Sameea (24) was arrested outside the US Embassy in Cairo
after chemicals in his backpack caught fire, in what authorities
said was a botched attack.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Germany lawmaker
Sahra Wagenknecht, whose Left Party grew out of the former East
Germany's communist party, and two members of the Greens and the
Social Democrats said more than 100,000 people have pledged online
to support a new movement called "Aufstehen" (Stand Up) with the aim
of reviving the fortunes of the country's ailing left by attracting
like-minded people across party lines.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Greek ferry crews
have ended a strike that left tens of thousands of travelers and
islanders stranded for more than a day after ferry operators offered
them a 2-percent pay increase after an eight-year freeze because of
Greece's debt crisis.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In India a highway
overpass collapsed in the crowded city of Kolkata, and some injured
people were being treated at a nearby hospital.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, President Hassan
Rouhani announced that Iran is to move its main oil export terminal
from the Gulf to the Oman Sea, sparing its tankers from using the
strategic Strait of Hormuz.
   (AFP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Iranian authorities
arrested the husband of detained human rights lawyer Nasrin
Sotoudeh, who has campaigned for her release.
   (Reuters, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Iraq hundreds of
protesters clashed with security forces in the southern oil hub
Basra for a second day, after a protester died from injuries
sustained during demonstrations.
   (Reuters, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Israeli jets struck
at targets inside Syria killing at least one person. Syria's SANA
state news reported strikes on the Wadi Ayoun area in western Hama
province and on the town of Baniyas in Tartous province.
   (SFC, 9/5/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Israel
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte praised his country's close
security ties with Israel as dozens protested Israeli arms sales to
his government. At a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Duterte
said he considers Israel a key strategic partner and weapons
supplier.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Italy's Transport
Minister Danilo Toninelli said the government will draw up new rules
for the concession of the nation's motorways, obliging the company
running the toll highways to reinvest most of their profits in
renovating the network. Toninelli reiterated that the cabinet was
determined to revoke concessions held by Autostrade per l'Italia to
operate toll highways after a bridge it managed collapsed last month
in Genoa.
   (Reuters, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Typhoon Jebi
slammed into western Japan, causing heavy rain to flood the region's
main international airport and strong winds to blow a tanker into a
bridge, disrupting land and air travel and leaving thousands
stranded. The storm left at least 11 people dead.
   (AP, 9/4/18)(AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Libyan authorities
said the death toll from more than a week of fighting between armed
groups in Tripoli has climbed to at least 50 people, including
civilians. The United Nations brokered a truce after a week of
violence between local fighters.
   (AP, 9/4/18)(Reuters, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Libya hundreds
of migrants fled a detention center in Tripoli as fighting raged
nearby. An aid official working at an international organization
said as many as 1,800 might have left the facility located near
airport road.
   (Reuters, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Mali's President
Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (73) was been sworn in to a new five-year
term in the presence of former rebels and several other
personalities although the opposition continues to dispute his
election win.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Nauru hosted the
Pacific Islands Forum, which is being attended this week by leaders
from 18 member nations and delegations from other countries
including the US and China.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Dutch prosecutors
said bank ING has paid 775 million euros ($897 million) to settle a
huge money laundering case in the Netherlands.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Pakistani lawmakers
elected Arif Alvi, a nominee from PM Imran Khan's party, to the
ceremonial office of president.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, It was reported
that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the arrest of
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, his fiercest critic in Congress after
revoking the senator's amnesty for involvement in unsuccessful
military uprisings years ago. Trillanes condemned the move as
arresting officers waited outside the Senate in a looming standoff.
   (AP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, A new Amnesty
Int'l. report accused authorities in South Sudan of torturing people
to death and letting many others languish behind bars since
the civil war began in late 2013.
   (SFC, 9/5/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, The Spanish Defence
Ministry said Spain has halted the sale of a shipment of bombs to
Saudi Arabia amid concerns about their use in the conflict in Yemen.
Spain said it has cancelled a 2015 deal to sell 400 laser-guided
bombs to Saudi Arabia.
   (AP, 9/4/18)(AFP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In Syria Russia
resumed its air strikes against insurgents in Idlib after 22 days,
following weeks of aerial bombardment and shelling against rebels by
pro-Syrian government forces in an apparent prelude to a full-scale
offensive. The next day the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war
monitor said the Russian strikes killed 13 civilians, including
children, but no fighters.
   (Reuters, 9/4/18)(Reuters, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, Turkey told the
United States that Kurdish militants must completely abandon Syria,
as violence in the rebel-held northern Syrian enclave of Idlib
escalated.
   (Reuters, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 4, In the Ukraine
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (32) held talks with President
Petro Poroshenko and afterward said "I speak not only as Chancellor
but also as President of the EU Council, we need a clear reaction to
the Russian aggression" in eastern Ukraine.
   (AFP, 9/4/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, The United States
told the UN's top court it had "a duty" not to take a position on a
bitter dispute over the British-ruled Chagos islands, home to a
strategic joint US military base. London split off the remote
islands from Mauritius in 1965.
   (AFP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Government data
released today showed that the US trade deficit surged in July on
record imports that created burgeoning gaps with trading partners in
the crosshairs of President Donald Trump's aggressive policies. With
US goods facing retaliatory tariffs in many countries, exports
dropped sharply that month.
   (AFP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Connecticut-based
Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, announced that it is making a
$3.4 million grant to Pittsburgh-based Harm Reduction Therapeutics
to help develop a low-cost naloxone nasal spray, an overdose
antidote.
   (SFC, 9/6/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Tropical Depression
Gordon weakened as it swirled over central Mississippi. The storm
was blamed for the death of a Florida baby.
   (SFC, 9/6/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, A plane was
quarantined at New York's Kennedy Airport when about 10 passengers
became ill aboard a flight from Dubai. The double-decker Emirates
aircraft held 520 passengers.
   (AP, 9/5/18)(SFC, 9/6/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In Afghanistan twin
bombings in Kabul killed 21 people. Taliban insurgents overran a
security outpost in the northern Badghis province and then ambushed
reinforcements, killing a total of 10 soldiers.
   (AP, 9/5/18)(Reuters, 9/5/18)(AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Bosnian police used
pepper spray to disperse hundreds of veterans of the 1990s Bosnian
war protesting in Sarajevo to demand a law be adopted granting them
more benefits.
   (Reuters, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Britain charged two
Russians in absentia with the attempted murder of a former Russian
spy and his daughter, and said the suspects were military
intelligence officers almost certainly acting on orders from high up
in the Russian state. British authorities identified the suspects as
Russian nationals traveling on genuine passports under the aliases
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.
   (Reuters, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In Colombia one
engineer of Canadian miner Continental Gold died and another was
wounded after they were shot at while traveling near the company's
Buritica mine.
   (Reuters, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Congo health
officials said that a case of Ebola has been discovered in Butembo,
a city of 1.4 million people in the country's northeast. Since
August 1 the current Ebola outbreak has seen 93 confirmed cases
which have caused 54 deaths.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Eritrea's state
television said reported on plans to improve its transport
connections with Ethiopia by upgrading a road that stretches from
its port in Assab to a town across the border with its neighbor. The
road has not been used for two decades since a two-year war broke
out between the two countries in 1998.
   (Reuters, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Ethiopian, Eritrean
and Somalia leaders met in Eritrea's capital Asmara, furthering the
diplomatic thaw in the strategic Horn of Africa region.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In India thousands
of farmers and laborers paralyzed central New Delhi in a protest
against what they called the anti-people policies of PM Narendra
Modi's government, as opposition parties step up pressure ahead of
key elections.
   (Reuters, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In India police
searched for 22 people who were missing after a motorized boat
capsized in the flooded Brahmaputra River in the remote northeast.
Three bodies were recovered and 11 people were rescued.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Iran's rial fell to
a record low as worried residents of Tehran lined up outside
beleaguered moneychangers, part of a staggering 140-percent drop in
the currency's value since America pulled out of the nuclear deal
only four months ago.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Israel's top court
cleared the way for the demolition of a Bedouin village in the
occupied West Bank whose fate has drawn international concern and
Palestinian protests.
   (Reuters, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Students at
Mexico's largest university went on strike to protest a campus
attack against protesters earlier this week. Thugs had beat up
protesters from a university-affiliated high school who were
demonstrating on September 3 against fees and for free speech.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Freddie Oversteegen
(b.1925), Dutch communist resistance member, died in Driehuis. She,
her sister, and friend Hannie Schaft had worked to sabotage the Nazi
military presence in the Netherlands during WWII. They used dynamite
to disable bridges and railroad tracks. Additionally, they aided
Jewish children by smuggling them out of the country or helping them
escape concentration camps. They also lured soldiers to the
woods under the pretense of a romantic overture and then killed
them.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Oversteegen)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, It was reported
that Nigeria's two main political parties have asked election
hopefuls to pay huge fees for the chance to stand at next year's
general election, in a move criticized as favoring the rich and
well-connected. According to newspaper adverts the All Progressives
Congress (APC) wants 45 million naira ($125,500, 108,000 euros) per
presidential primary candidate.
   (AFP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Norway's $1
trillion sovereign wealth fund said it wants companies in which it
invests to follow stricter guidelines on global sustainability and
strengthen efforts to combat plastic pollution of the oceans.
   (Reuters, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Paraguay reversed
its May decision to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to the
contested city of Jerusalem and said it will move it back to Tel
Aviv. This prompted Israel to shutter its embassy in Paraguay and
warn that ties between the countries would be "strained".
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In the Philippines
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV told reporters after staying overnight in
the Senate that his lawyers would file a petition to the Supreme
Court to challenge the legality of Duterte's proclamation voiding
his amnesty.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, The Russian Defense
Ministry said that four jets struck targets linked to an
al-Qaida-linked group, including a weapons depot and a launch pad
for drones that Russia says have targeted its military bases in
Syria.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Russian athletes
Tatyana Lebedeva and Maria Abakumova were stripped of three world
track championship medals because of doping. Abakumova had her
javelin results from August 2008-August 2012 erased, stripping her
of her world championship bronze from 2009 and gold from 2011.
Lebedeva had her results from August 2008-August 2010 erased,
including a silver medal from the 2009 worlds.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In Saudi Arabia 26
civilians were wounded by shrapnel when the Saudi military shot down
a missile fired across the border by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The
rebel-run Al-Masirah TV said the missile targeted a Saudi military
camp, hitting it "accurately."
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, In Sri Lanka tens
of thousands of opposition supporters marched in Colombo to demand
the government step down, accusing it of corruption and selling
national assets to foreign nations.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, The Syrian military
shelled the last stronghold of active rebellion against President
Bashar al-Assad. A war monitor said insurgents blew up another
bridge in anticipation of a government offensive.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, A Ugandan music
festival was reinstated following a public outcry after the
country's ethics minister banned the Nyege Nyege music festival a
day earlier as an orgy of homosexuality, nudity and drugs akin to
"devil worship".
   (AFP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, UN investigators
warned that crimes against humanity and other serious rights
violations were continuing unabated in Burundi, blaming in part
President Pierre Nkurunziza's repeated calls to hatred and violence.
   (AFP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Yemen's Huthi
rebels said they were stranded in the capital Sanaa on the eve of
United Nations-sponsored peace talks in Geneva with their government
rivals.
   (AFP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 5, Yemeni security
forces in western Hadramawt province dispersed hundreds of
protesters rallying against the government and a Saudi-led coalition
over the deteriorating economy in the war-torn country, wounding at
least seven of them.
   (AP, 9/5/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, A US officials said
the US Justice Department is poised to charge North Korean hackers
over the 2017 global WannaCry ransomware attack and the 2014 cyber
attack on Sony Corp.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, President Donald
Trump's administration warned the Maldives of possible sanctions if
it doesn't reverse democratic backsliding and ensure free
presidential elections on Sept. 23.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, California's
insurance commissioner reported that the insured losses from the
Carr and Mendocino fires have reached $845 million.
   (SFC, 9/7/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In the SF Bay Area
the owners of six residential care homes were arrested. Four members
of the Gamos family were charged with human trafficking and grand
theft. The family had exploited hundreds of Filipino immigrants over
nearly a decade at the Rainbow Bright care centers in South San
Francisco, Daly City and Pacifica.
   (SFC, 9/8/18, p.C1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, American film star
Burt Reynolds (b.1936) died at a hospital in Jupiter, Florida. His
over 100 films included "Deliverance" (1972), "The Man Who
Loved Cat Dancing" (1973), "The Longest Yard" (1974), "Smokey and
the Bandit" (1977), "The Cannonball Run" (1981) and "Boogie
Nights" (1997).
   (SFC, 9/7/18, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Thad Mumford
(b.1951), EmmyAward-winning African-American writer and producer for
"M.A.S.H." and other hit television shows, died in Silver Spring,
Md.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, American
billionaire Richard DeVos (b.1926), co-founder of the direct-selling
giant Amway, died at his home in Ada, Michigan. He was the owner of
the NBA team Orlando Magic and father-in-law of US Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos.
  Â
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_DeVos)(SFC, 9/7/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Ohio Omar
Enrique Santa Perez (29) killed three people and wounded two others
at the 30-story Fifth Third Center in Cincinnati before he was shot
dead by police. No motive was yet known.
   (SFC, 9/7/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Rhode Island signed
a reciprocal driver's license agreement with Taiwan.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Dallas police
Officer Amber Guyger (30) shot and killed neighbor Botham Jean (26)
after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. Guyger was
arrested on Sept. 9 on a manslaughter charge. On Nov 30 a grand jury
indicted Guyger for murder. In December a federal judge ruled that
the city of Dallas was not liable for the shooting.
   (AP, 9/7/18)(SFC, 9/10/18, p.A10)(SFC, 12/1/18,
p.A7)(SFC, 12/30/19, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Entrepreneur Elon
Musk sipped whiskey and puffed a little weed while musing at length
about artificial intelligence, colonizing space, and the need to
give love a chance during a podcast with comedian Joe Rogan that
lasted more than two hours. Musk's endeavors included electric
carmaker Tesla; private space exploration enterprise SpaceX;
tunnel-drilling Boring Company, and a Neuralink operation working on
augmenting human brains with artificial intelligence.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Afghanistan's
ambassador to Beijing said China will train Afghan troops on Chinese
soil, describing the military cooperation as an effort to fight al
Qaeda and Islamic State militants bent on attacking China from its
western neighbor. Ambassador Janan Mosazai said Afghanistan has also
requested that China provide Afghan security forces with combat
helicopters.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Afghanistan a
local police official in the northern Takhar province turned his
weapon on his colleagues early today, killing all eight. The gunman
escaped.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, A Brazilian Supreme
Court judge rejected an appeal by jailed former president Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva to overturn his ban on running in next month's
elections.
   (AFP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Brazil
Congressman Jair Bolsonaro (63), the far-right front-runner, was in
serious condition after he was stabbed at a rally in the
southeastern city of Juiz de Fora, just a month before the vote,
raising fears of increased violence in the wide-open race. The
suspect, identified by authorities as Adelio Bispo de Oliveira (40),
was arrested within seconds.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)(AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, China reported four
new cases of African swine fever, bringing the number of outbreaks
to 13 since the virus was discovered in the country just over a
month ago.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Ethiopia reopened
its embassy in the Eritrean capital, the latest step in restoring
ties after the two nations ended decades of conflict.
   (AFP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, India and the
United States signed an accord on secure military communications
that both sides hailed as a breakthrough. The Communications
Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) had been stalled for
years because of India's concerns that it would open up its
communications network to the US military.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, India's top court
scrapped Section 377, a colonial-era ban on gay sex, in a landmark
judgment that sparked celebrations across India and elsewhere in
South Asia, where activists hope to push for similar reform.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Iraq's main seaport
closed down following violent clashes between protestors and
security forces in the southern city of Basra in which one
demonstrator died and 25 more were injured the previous night.
Hundreds of protesters late today set fire to a government building
in Basra as well as the offices of Shiite militias. At least three
people were shot dead in confrontations with security forces.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)(AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Israeli Brig. Gen.
Eran Ofir, the commander in charge of Israel's border wall projects,
said around seven miles of an 80-mile (130-km) barrier on the
Lebanese border has been built. The $450 million project is slated
for completion in two years.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, An Italian judicial
source said prosecutors have placed under investigation the top
executives of Autostrade, the firm operating a bridge that collapsed
last month killing 43 people.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In northern Japan a
magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the island of Hokkaido triggered
dozens of landslides that crushed houses under torrents of dirt,
rocks and timber, prompting frantic efforts to unearth any
survivors. The death toll soon rose to 18. In one small town
two dozen people remained unaccounted for after an entire
mountainside collapsed on their homes.
   (AP, 9/6/18)(AFP, 9/6/18)(AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Speaking in Jordan
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte offered to send troops to
Jordan to help combat Islamist militants, after agreeing to deepen
military cooperation with the Middle Eastern nation to fight
extremism.
   (Reuters, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Mexican
investigators said they have found 166 skulls in clandestine burial
pits in Veracruz state. The bodies were buried at least two years
ago.
   (SFC, 9/7/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, The Hague-based
International Criminal Court said it had jurisdiction to probe the
forced exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar as a possible crime
against humanity.
   (AFP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Northern Ireland
minister Karen Bradley said the British government is to cut the pay
of members of Northern Ireland's parliament in its latest attempt to
break a political deadlock that has left the region with no
government for almost 20 months.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Seoul officials
said North Korea's Kim Jong Un has given his first time line for
denuclearization, aiming for the end of US President Donald Trump's
first term, prompting thanks from Trump who said they would "get it
done together".
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, The International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said severe
flooding in North Korea has killed at least 76 people with nearly
the same number missing and thousands left homeless by the
destruction.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In the Philippines
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who has taken refuge in the Senate to
avoid an arrest order by President Rodrigo Duterte, asked the
Supreme Court to declare the order illegal and called on the
military to defy it.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Polish prosecutors
said they have indicted a former employee of the EU member's economy
ministry with spying for Russia's GRU intelligence agency, the
latest case in a string of espionage allegations in the region.
   (AFP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Romania's justice
minister nominated a little-known regional official, Adina Florea,
for the post of national anti-corruption prosecutor, following the
controversial removal of Laura Codruta Kovesi from the post in July.
To become official, Florea's appointment will have to be approved by
President Klaus Iohannis.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Russia's head of
the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said Vietnam
has placed orders for Russian weapons and military services worth
more than $1 billion.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Saudi Arabia
American trainer Paul Reddy was killed and a Saudi trainee injured
in a helicopter crash at Khashm Al-An Airport in Riyadh.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Slovenian police
arrested two people for paramilitary activity after video footage
and photos surfaced on social media of a group of armed, masked men
led by Andrej Sisko, a right-wing former presidential candidate.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, South African
President Cyril Ramaphosa ramped up an anti-corruption drive,
authorizing an investigation of alleged wrongdoing in the national
water department's dealings with German software firm SAP.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, A South Sudan
military court found 10 soldiers guilty for their role in an attack
on a Juba hotel in which five foreign aid workers were gang-raped,
and a journalist was killed in July 2016.
   (AFP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Sri Lanka's
newly-established Office of Missing Persons said President
Maithripala Sirisena should act to end the practice of keeping
accused officers in service and allowing them to be promoted through
the ranks.
   (AFP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Geneva,
Switzerland, scheduled peace talks between Yemen's government and
Huthi rebels hung in the balance as both sides traded ultimatums and
a UN envoy scrambled to mediate. The rebel delegation, still in
Sanaa, insisted the UN must meet a list of conditions before it will
travel to Switzerland, prompting government representatives already
in Geneva to give the Huthis a 24-hour deadline or it "will leave".
   (AFP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, In Syria the
political wing of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announced
the start of a unified administration for its territory, a move that
would consolidate its authority in northern and eastern Syria. The
SDF wants the seven-year war to end with a federal system that
secures minority rights, including for Kurds.
   (Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, Rescue workers in
Syria's northwestern Idlib province said they were forced to halt
operations in a rebel-held town after Russian air strikes damaged
their center there. Warplanes, believed to be Russian, struck the
southern countryside of Idlib and a village in nearby Hama province.
   (AFP, 9/6/18)(Reuters, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 6, It was reported
that police in Thailand have arrested 12 people who shared a
Facebook post about a British tourist's allegation that police had
refused to accept her rape complaint on the island of Koh Tao in
June.
   (AP, 9/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, US District Judge
Randolph Moss sentenced George Papadopoulos, a former advisor to US
President Donald Trump, to 14 days in prison for lying to the FBI.
   (AFP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, The US Army Europe
said it's expanding its troop presence by adding 1,500 solders to
its forces in Germany.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Rapper Mac Miller
(26) was found dead at his Los Angeles home. An autopsey later
showed his death was due to an accidental overdose of drugs and
alcohol.
   (SFC, 11/6/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Cameroon
hundreds of women gathered in Bamenda city for an angry protest in
against abuses committed in months of fighting between the
government and Anglophone separatists.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Colombia ELN
guerrillas abducted a girl (15) from her home in Orupa, in the
jungle region of Choco.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Prosecutors in
Comoros issued an international arrest warrant for Jaffar Ahmed Said
Hassani, a former vice president, who opposed a series of
constitutional reforms enabling President Azali Assoumani to extend
his term in office.
   (AFP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In the Czech Rep.
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind called on Czech defense firms to
come to India to create joint venture companies after meeting his
Czech counterpart Milos Zeman in Prague.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, An Egyptian colonel
was killed in central Sinai after explosives inside an empty vehicle
he was inspecting detonated.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Eritrea and
Djibouti agreed to normalize relations after a decade of diplomatic
stalemate.
   (SFC, 9/8/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In France jewels,
worth an estimated 800,000 euros ($930,000), were stolen from a
Saudi princess at the five-star Ritz Hotel on Place Vendome.
   (AFP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Speaking in Germany
Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in Berlin his
country would invest some 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in
Germany, as he battled a policy of isolation by neighboring states.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)  Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Greece workers
at a camp for migrants on the island of Lesbos said they will go on
strike to protest overcrowding, as the government conceded
conditions were "near impossible." More than 8,300 people occupy the
Moria camp, which has room for only 3,100.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, The Hungarian
government granted ownership of a new Holocaust museum, called the
House of Fates, to the Unified Hungarian Jewish Congregation (EMIH),
one of the three registered Jewish groups in Hungary. PM Viktor
Orban's right-wing government planned to open the museum next year
to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the deportation of Hungarian
Jews to death camps in German-occupied Poland. The new museum has
divided Hungary's Jewish community and triggered international
concerns that it will downplay the wartime role of Hungarians in the
persecution and deportation of Jews.
   (Reuters, 10/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Meeting in Tehran
the presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia failed to agree on a
ceasefire that would forestall a Syrian government offensive in
rebel-held Idlib province. They agreed in a final statement that
there could be no military solution to the conflict and it could
only end through a negotiated political process. But as Syrian
government and Russian warplanes mounted air strikes in Idlib, Putin
and Rouhani pushed back against Erdogan's call for a truce.
   (Reuters, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Iran a 5.6
magnitude earthquake shook the southeast, killing at least one
person and damaging houses in several villages.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Iraq's parliament
called an emergency session after a curfew was imposed in the
southern city of Basra following a fresh outbreak of deadly protests
over poor public services and as shells were fired into Baghdad's
fortified Green Zone. Iraqi security forces launched a search
operation to determine the source of three mortar shells that landed
inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)(AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Iraq protesters
broke into the Iranian consulate in Basra, shouting condemnation of
what many perceive as Iran's sway over Iraq's political affairs, and
set it alight. Three protesters died and 48 more were wounded.
   (Reuters, 9/8/18)(SFC, 9/8/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Starbucks opened
its first Italian café in Milan.
   (SSFC, 9/9/18, p.D2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, It was reported
that two companies in the Lesotho's tiny capital Maseru are now
using one of the world's first commercial 5G networks on the
long-awaited 3.5 GHz spectrum.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, The Maldives hit
out at the United States after the US warned of possible sanctions
against key officials of the island nation if upcoming elections are
not free and fair.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Myanmar's
government rejected an International Criminal Court ruling that it
has jurisdiction to investigate allegations that its security forces
violated international law by driving hundreds of thousands of
Rohingya Muslims from their homes.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Nicaragua many
shops, banks and gas stations were closed in a 24-hour strike called
by the opposition in protest at "political prisoners" and the rule
of President Daniel Ortega's government.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In northern Nigeria
Boko Haram extremists overran Gudumbali, a key crossroads and
military outpost. In June the government encouraged displaced people
to return to the town in Borno state.
   (AP, 9/8/18)(Reuters, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, North Korea and
South Korea asked the United Nations to circulate the "Panmunjom
Declaration on Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean
Peninsula" as an official UN document.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, It was reported
that Pakistan's new government has canceled the appointment of Atif
Mian (43), a renowned Princeton economist to its Economic Advisory
Council, after a strong backlash by the emergent ultra-right
Tehreek-e-Labbaik party against the choice of a member of the Ahmadi
religious minority.
   (Reuters, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Hundreds of
Palestinians took part in protests along the border, burning tires
and hurling objects at troops on the Israeli side. A teenager (17)
was killed and 45 others were wounded. Ahmad Abu Tuyur (16) was
wounded from a single gunshot in the southern Rafah region and died
the next day.
   (AP, 9/8/18)(SFC, 9/8/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, It was reported
that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has decided not to seek
the arrest of opposition Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who has taken
refuge in the Senate, without a court warrant after the defiant
lawmaker asked the Supreme Court to declare Duterte's order illegal.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, In Sri Lanka a leak
occurred late today in a pipeline carrying oil from tankers to a
storage facility on land, releasing about 25 tons of furnace oil.
The leak occurred off Uswetakeiyawa, a town about 14 km (9 miles)
north of Colombo.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Hundreds of Syrians
took to the streets in the country's last major rebel bastion of
Idlib, calling on neighboring Turkey to help prevent a regime
assault on their region. Air strikes targeted positions belonging to
rebel groups in the northern Hama and southern Idlib provinces.
Russian air strikes killed five people in Idlib.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)(Reuters, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Speaking in
Thailand on the sidelines of a six-day climate conference Amjad
Abdulla, the head negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States
(AOSIS), warned that island nations like Fiji and the Maldives are
almost at the "point of no return" because of rising sea levels.
   (AFP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Turkey's foreign
ministry said the country and the Netherlands have taken a further
step in normalizing relations by re-appointing ambassadors to each
other's capitals.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, A court in Istanbul
has convicted a former co-chairman of Turkey's main pro-Kurdish
political party of "engaging in terror propaganda." The court
sentenced Selahattin Demirtas to more than four years in prison
after finding him guilty.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Turkish filmmaker
Ali Avci was convicted of membership of a terrorist group for a
feature film that portrayed President Tayyip Erdogan having a gun
pointed at his head as his family lay dead all around him.
   (Reuters, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, The Istanbul-based
Ecumenical Patriarchate said it is sending two bishops to Ukraine
"within the framework of the preparations for the granting of
autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine." The patriarchate's
leader is considered the "first among equals" of Eastern Orthodox
clerics.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, The United
Nations-mediated peace talks on Yemen stalled pending the arrival of
the Shiite rebels to Geneva, who said they didn't attend because
they were not guaranteed safe return after the discussions.
   (AP, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 7, Zimbabwe's
President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed former banker Mthuli Ncube as
finance minister and kept Winston Chitando in charge of mining,
placing two technocrats at the helm of plans to rescue the country's
battered economy.
   (Reuters, 9/7/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, It was reported
that the United States has recalled its envoys to the Dominican
Republic, El Salvador and Panama after decisions by those nations to
cut ties with Taiwan in favor of diplomatic relations with China.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Engineers set to
sea from San Francisco to deploy a trash collection device to corral
plastic litter floating between California and Hawaii in an attempt
to clean up the world's largest garbage patch in the heart of the
Pacific Ocean. The system was created by The Ocean Cleanup, an
organization founded by Dutch innovator Boyan Slat (24).
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In New York City
Japan's Naomi Osaka (20) defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 in the
women's final at the US Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Afghanistan the
Taliban attacked a district headquarters west of Kabul late today,
killing 10 police officers, including a district chief, and setting
off a gunbattle. Dozens of insurgents were killed in retaliatory
airstrikes by the air force. In a separate attack, militants
targeted a checkpoint in the western Herat province, killing nine
security forces and wounding six others. In northern Baghlan
province, Taliban fighters attacked security check points, killing 5
army soldiers.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Afghanistan at
least 16 people, including women and children, were killed in a
traffic accident in southern Kandahar province when a passenger bus
collided into a tanker truck in Zhari district.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Angola Jose
Eduardo dos Santos (76) stepped down as leader of the ruling MPLA
party. At a party congress, delegates moved to elect President Joao
Lourenco as the new chief of the MPLA, which has led oil-rich Angola
since independence from Portugal in 1975.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, An Egyptian court
sentenced 75 people to death, including top leaders of the outlawed
Muslim Brotherhood, for their involvement in a 2013 sit-in protest
by Islamists that was broken up by security forces in an operation
that left hundreds dead. The court also sentenced to life in prison
the head of the Brotherhood, Mohammed Badie, and 46 others.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In France more than
18,000 people marched in Paris as part of an international
mobilization to show popular support for urgent measures to combat
climate change in advance of a Sept.12-Sept. 14 summit in San
Francisco.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Greece US
Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross opened a trade fair in Thessaloniki. An
estimated 6,000 people attended a rally near the international trade
fair in opposition to an agreement with neighboring Macedonia to end
a long dispute over the latter's name. Eight people were arrested.
   (AP, 9/9/18)(SSFC, 9/9/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Indonesia 21
people were killed when a tourist bus plunged into a ravine on the
main island of Java.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Iran's
Revolutionary Guards launched deadly missile strikes against Kurdish
rebels in northern Iraq. Fifteen people were killed in the rare
cross-border attack on the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran.
   (AFP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Iranian media
reported that authorities have hanged three Kurdish prisoners after
years in prison.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Iraq's Basra
airport was targeted by rocket fire after another night of protests
against the political elite. Iraqi officials imposed a curfew on
Basra starting at 4pm local time (1300 GMT).
   (Reuters, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Japan the
Hokkaido government said that 30 people are dead or presumed dead
and nine remain missing from the Sept. 6 earthquake. All but three
of the victims are in the town of Atsuma, where landslides crushed
and buried houses at the foot of steep forested hills.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, It was reported
that Nauru has effectively kept journalists away by charging $5,750
to apply for media visas.
   (SFC, 9/8/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In Nepal a
helicopter flying in bad weather crashed in mountainous terrain,
killing five of the seven people on board and left one person
missing.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Palestinian Ahmad
Abu Tuyur (16) died of wounds sustained from a single gunshot the
previous day along the Israeli border in the southern Rafah region.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In the southern
Philippines an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude struck the east coast of
the island of Mindanao.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, The Russian
Orthodox Church denounced a decision by Orthodox Christianity's
leading body to send two envoys to Ukraine as a step toward
declaring ecclesiastical independence for the church there.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, South Korea's
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said a South
Korean man (61) has been diagnosed with the potentially deadly
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) after a business trip to
Kuwait. The infectious disease swept South Korea in 2015 leading to
38 fatalities.
   (Reuters, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Sweden's PM Stefan
Lofven denounced the Sweden Democrats, an increasingly popular
far-right party, as racist and a threat to the nation's European
values as political candidates made their final pre-election pitches
to voters.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Syrian government
and Russian warplanes targeted the southern edge of Idlib province.
Rescue workers said at least four civilians were killed, including
two children and a woman, most of them in Abdeen, a village west
Khan of Sheikhoun, Idlib province.
   (AP, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, In northeastern
Syria clashes erupted between US-backed Kurdish fighters and Syrian
troops in the center of the city of Qamishli. Kurdish forces said
seven of its fighters and 11 Syrian military were killed in the
clashes.
   (Reuters, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 8, Yemen peace talks
collapsed after three days of waiting for the Houthi movement
delegation, but the UN envoy vowed to press ahead with diplomacy.
   (Reuters, 9/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Michigan three
young men were shot to death in a White Castle on Detroit's west
side.
   (SFC, 9/10/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In North Carolina
police in Greenville, responding to a reported fight in an alleyway,
shot dead a gunman who was firing into a crowd of people early
today.
   (SFC, 9/10/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Leslie Moonves,
longtime chief executive of CBS Corp., stepped down following new
sexual harassment allegations against him.
   (SFC, 9/10/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Afghanistan at
least seven people were killed and 25 wounded when a suicide bomber
on a motorcycle detonated explosives near a procession in Kabul
commemorating the death of former anti-Soviet mujahideen commander
Ahmad Shah Massoud. Another suicide attacker was shot dead earlier
today by police in Kabul before he could detonate his explosives.
Taliban insurgents captured the Mangalha army base in northern
Baghlan province killing at least 22 and as many as 40 security
force members.
   (Reuters, 9/9/18)(AP, 9/9/18)(SFC, 9/10/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Australian police
found up to five dead people including a woman and children in a
suburb of the western city of Perth. In 2019 Robert Harvey (25)
pleaded guilty to murdering his three children, wife and
mother-in-law in Perth.
   (Reuters, 9/9/18)(AP, 4/24/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Bangladesh's PM
Sheikh Hasina urged the global community, including the Islamic
Development Bank (IDB), to increase pressure on Myanmar to ensure
the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who
have fled a military crackdown.
   (Reuters, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Cameroon armed
Anglophone separatists burned buses and blocked traffic into and out
of the capital of the English-speaking northwest region.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Egypt two
security officers were killed and four others injured when an
armored vehicle exploded late today in the border town of Sheikh
Zuweid.
   (Reuters, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Germany a
22-year-old German man died overnight in the eastern town of Koethen
and two Afghans were detained on suspicion of killing him.
   (Reuters, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, German pop singer
Daniel Kueblboeck (33) went missing at sea after going overboard
from the cruise ship AIDAluna off the coast of Canada.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In India five men
asphyxiated by toxic fumes while cleaning a septic tank at a housing
complex in New Delhi. Four men were declared dead on arrival at a
nearby hospital, and the fifth man died at the hospital the next
day.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Japan's agriculture
ministry said it had confirmed the country's first outbreak of swine
fever in 26 years and suspended exports of pork and wild boar meat.
The fever, a different kind from the African swine fever that has
broken out in China, was found in a farm in central Japan's Gifu
city.
   (Reuters, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Japanese
authorities said the death toll has hit 39 from the September 6
earthquake that struck the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Kosovo Albanians
blocked roads and burned tires on a planned route by Serbia's
President Aleksandar Vucic in the former Serbian province, further
fueling tensions between the two Balkan foes.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, North Korea rolled
out some of its latest tanks and marched its best-trained
goose-stepping units in a major military parade to mark its 70th
anniversary. North Korea brought back one of its most iconic art
forms — mass games performed by tens of thousands of people working
in precise unison — to mark its 70th anniversary.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Thousands of
Russians turned out to protest deeply unpopular pension reforms as
the country voted in local elections. Police arrested 1,018 people
who were taking part in nationwide demonstrations called by jailed
opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The ruling United Russia party
suffered a major blow in several regions as Russians voted to elect
governors and local lawmakers in a nationwide day of polls. Sergei
Sobyanin, mayor of Moscow since 2010, won a predictable victory with
70.02 percent of the vote. Turnout stood at 30.8 percent.
   (AFP, 9/9/18)(AFP, 9/10/18)(SFC, 9/11/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In central South
Sudan 20 people were killed when a small plane crashed into a lake
in Yirol. An Anglican bishop and four foreigners among the dead.
Three people survived.
   (AFP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Spain a few
thousand people marched in Barcelona in favor of national unity and
against the separatist movement in northeastern Catalonia.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Sudan's Pres. Omar
al-Bashir dissolved the cash-strapped administration and slashed the
number of ministries by a third to tackle a deepening economic
crisis. Bashir named a new prime minister, Motazz Moussa, and asked
him to form a tighter government of 21 ministers instead of 31 as
part of efforts to cut costs.
   (Reuters, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Swedes voted in an
election dominated by fears over asylum seekers and welfare, with
the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats vying to become the biggest
party in a country long seen as a bastion of liberal values. The
far-right made gains in legislative elections whose result makes it
tough to form a functioning government. The final tally later showed
PM Stefan Lofven's Social Democrats getting 28.3 percent, the
center-right Moderate Party 19.8 percent and the Sweden Democrats
17.5 percent.
   (Reuters, 9/9/18)(AFP, 9/10/18)(AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Syrian government
forces bombed the village of Hobeit in Idlib province, killing an
infant girl and wounding several other civilians. Russian and Syrian
government airstrikes struck the towns of Latamneh and Kafr Zeita in
neighboring Hama province.
   (AP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Thailand a
six-day international meeting in Bangkok fell short of its aim of
completing fruitful preparations to help an agreement be reached in
December on guidelines for implementing the 2015 Paris climate
change agreement. A top UN official said good progress was made on
drafting a 'rule book' for the implementation of the 2015 Paris
accord before a summit in Poland this December.
   (AP, 9/9/18)(Reuters, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, Vietnam refused
entry to the Secretary General of the International Federation for
Human Rights, Debbie Stothard, to attend the World Economic Forum on
ASEAN to be held in the country on Sept. 11-13.
   (Reuters, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 9, In Yemen clashes
and air strikes have left 84 people dead around the Red Sea port
city of Hodeida since the collapse of UN-brokered peace talks a day
earlier.
   (AFP, 9/9/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, US national
security adviser John Bolton said Washington would not cooperate
with The Hague-based International Criminal Court investigating war
crimes allegations in Afghanistan and threatened it with sanctions,
saying it put US sovereignty and national security at risk.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, The United States
imposed sanctions on Nikola Spiric, a Serb deputy in Bosnia's
national parliament, over what it said was his involvement in
"significant" corruption, just weeks before the country holds
parliamentary and presidential elections.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Pennsylvania's
state prisons resumed normal visits 12 days after officials imposed
restrictions while they addressed a spate of illnesses linked to
synthetic drugs.
   (SFC, 9/11/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In northern
Afghanistan security forces clashed with Taliban fighters in four
locations, with at least 57 police officers and soldiers killed and
the city of Sar-e Pul threatened by insurgents. In Jawzjan province
at least eight members of the security forces were killed in Kham Ab
district and 13 wounded. In Samangan province, at least 14 police
and civilians were killed in fighting in Dara-e Suf-e Payin
district. In Kunduz province 15 police were killed and 10 others
wounded in attacks on security checkpoints in Dasht-e Archi district
overnight.
   (Reuters, 9/10/18)(SFC, 9/11/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Afghanistan
three US strikes hit Sar-e Pul, Baghlan province, as American
advisers were on the ground supporting Afghan troops. At least 30
Taliban fighters were killed in the joint operation.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, A Cambodia court
granted Kem Sokha (65), the leader of a now dissolved opposition
party, bail due to health reasons. The court's release order was so
restrictive that it amounted to a form of house arrest.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, China announced a
reorganization of the National Health Commission that creates a new
single department called the Division of Population Monitoring and
Family Development responsible for "establishing and perfecting a
specialized system for supporting families," a further sign the
government may be planning to scrap long-standing limits on the
number of children its citizens can have.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, China rolled out
new rules on religious activity on the internet amid an ongoing
crackdown on churches, mosques and other institutions by the
officially atheist Communist Party.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Djibouti escalated
a dispute with the Dubai-based global port operator DP World by
nationalizing the majority shares in the Doraleh Container Terminal.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Egypt's state news
reported that security forces have killed 11 suspected militants in
an exchange of fire in the North Sinai town of al-Arish.
   (Reuters, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In France a man
wielding a knife and an iron bar injured seven people, including
three tourists, in Paris, in an attack that bystanders tried to stop
by throwing petanque balls at the assailant.
   (AFP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Italian
authorities unveiled the "epochal" discovery of hundreds of
Roman-era gold coins that were found last week during excavations to
build a new apartment building in the northern city of Como. Some
300 coins were believed to date from 474 B.C.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Libya suicide
bombers suspected of being from the Islamic State group stormed the
headquarters of the National Oil Company and killed at least two
people.
   (AFP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Campaigning
officially began in Macedonia for a Sept. 30 referendum on changing
the country's name, a move which would allow the Balkan country to
qualify for NATO membership and also pave its way toward the
European Union.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Nigeria at
least 18 people were killed and more than 40 others were burned in a
gas explosion at a gas station in Lafia.
   (SFC, 9/11/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Tens of thousands
of North Korean students rallied in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square
this evening in the final major event of the country's 70th
anniversary.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Pakistan's army
chief confirmed death sentences for 13 "hardcore terrorists" after
military courts found them guilty of carrying out attacks that
killed 202 people including 151 civilians.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Palestinian
official Saeb Erekat said US has notified the Palestinians it's
closing their mission in Washington.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Poland Europe's
largest human rights conference, organized by the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), opened in Warsaw.
Turkey's government was the only country not attending because it
was not allowed to prevent the participation of non-governmental
organizations.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, A Romanian court
ruled that a hacker known as Guccifer should be extradited to the US
to serve a 4½-year prison sentence. Marcel Lazar Lehel (46) will be
extradited after completing a seven-year sentence in Romania.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Somalia at
least six people were killed after a suicide bomber detonated an
explosives-laden vehicle at the gate of a district headquarters in
Mogadishu.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, South Africa's
Cape Town, battling its worst drought in 100 years, announced that
it would ease severe water rationing after significant rains in the
region.
   (AFP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Interpol said
police in Sudan have rescued 94 victims of human trafficking,
including 85 minors, from open-air gold mines near Khartoum and the
city's international airport among other places. Interpol
coordinated the operation late last month and said 14 people, 12 of
them women, have been arrested.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Swedish
prosecutors said they will charge a medical doctor who is suspected
of sexual violence, misconduct and child rape in a case involving 52
minors and 18 adults. The crimes, which also include sexual
misconduct and child pornography, took place between 2015 and 2017.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Geneva new UN
human rights chief Michelle Bachelet criticized the Italian
government for refusing entry to migrant rescue ships in the
Mediterranean operated by private charities. Hours later Interior
Minister Matteo Salvini, who heads Italy's anti-immigrant League
party, threatened to cut Italian funding for the UN.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, The Balzan
Foundation announced that Swiss-based Terre des Hommes will receive
1 million Swiss francs ($1 million) for a project in the African
nation of Mali to save infants during childbirth and help their
mothers.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, In Syria Islamic
State jihadists killed 12 Syrian regime fighters in an ambush
southern province of Sweida as the group faced separate assaults on
its last desert strongholds. Eight jihadists were also reported
killed. 21 pro-government gunmen were killed late today in clashes
with the Islamic State group in the Safaa region of Sweida province.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)(AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Police in Thailand
shut down a forum organized by foreign journalists to discuss
whether senior military officers in Myanmar should face justice for
alleged human rights abuses committed by their forces against
Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic minorities.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, A wildlife
monitoring group says research it has conducted since 2016 has found
a sharp increase in the number of people belonging to Facebook
groups in Thailand where endangered animals are bought and sold.
   (AP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, A United Nations
official said more than 30,000 people have fled their homes in
northwest Syria since Syrian government and allied forces resumed
air and ground bombardments there last week.
   (Reuters, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Vietnam refused to
let a campaigner from Amnesty International attend the World
Economic Forum (WEF) set to be held in the southeast Asian nation
this week, the second such refusal in as many days.
   (Reuters, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 10, Zimbabwe's newly
sworn-in finance minister said he planned to reintroduce the
Zimbabwe dollar and accelerate plans to repay the country's debt, in
a bid to revive the battered economy. Zimbabwe abandoned its
currency after it spiraled out of control between 2008 and 2009
during the rule of Robert Mugabe.
   (AFP, 9/10/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Massachusetts
Bogdan Viorel Rusu (38) of Romania pleaded guilty to conspiracy to
commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft in an
ATM skimming scheme that resulted in the theft of nearly $900,000
from bank customers in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
   (AP, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, South Carolina
Governor Henry McMaster ordered as many as one million coastal
residents to leave their homes ahead of the projected arrival of
Hurricane Florence on September 13. The governor of neighboring
North Carolina ordered an evacuation of the Outer Banks.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Afghanistan a
suicide bomber killed at least 32 people and wounded more than 120
others at a demonstration on the highway between the eastern city of
Jalalabad and the main border crossing into neighboring Pakistan.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Brazil's Worker's
Party said former Sao Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad will replace
jailed former Pres. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as its candidate for
October's general election.
   (SFC, 9/12/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Brazilian
prosecutors said police have arrested Beto Richa, former governor of
Paraná, as part of an investigation into wrongdoing involving a
government program aimed at bolstering policing in rural areas of
the state.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Fenella Fielding
(b.1927), a British actress who was the glamorous, velvet-voiced
star of two "Carry On" comedies, died in England following a stroke.
   (AP, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Dubai's global
port operator DP World said it will pursue all "legal means" to
defend its claim to a Djibouti terminal after the African nation
nationalized the facility.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The leaders of
Ethiopia and Eritrea re-opened crossing points on their shared
border for the first time in 20 years, cementing a stunning
reconciliation and giving Addis Ababa a direct route to its former
foe's Red Sea ports.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The European Union
condemned death sentences passed on 75 people in Egypt, saying there
were "serious doubts" over whether the defendants had been given a
fair trial.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The European
Commission backed a European Parliament report condemning Hungary
for abusing human rights and for the mistreatment of Roma
communities, Hungary's PM Viktor Orban rejected European Parliament
efforts to impose sanctions on Budapest over accusations of
corruption, rights abuses and authoritarianism, saying he had the
right to ban migrants from the country.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In southern India
a bus carrying pilgrims from a Hindu temple in the hills of
Telangana state plunged off a road, killing at least 55 people
including four children.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The Hague-based
International Criminal Court said its work would continue
"undeterred" after Washington threatened to prosecute its officials
if Americans are charged with war crimes committed in Afghanistan.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Kulsoom Nawaz
(68), the wife of former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif's and one of
Pakistan's most well-regarded politicians, died after months of
lying in critical condition at a London hospital.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The Palestinians
announced a fresh push against Israel at the International Criminal
Court, a day after the United States said it was closing their
Washington mission partly over the campaign.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Russia's largest
war games in recent history kicked off in the Far East. The Vostok
2018 exercises, the largest military drills since the end of the
Cold War, will involve about 36,000 tanks and 300,000 troops at sea
and on the ground.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Russia Viktor
Zolotov (64), President Vladimir Putin's former bodyguard and chief
of the National Guard, challenged opposition leader Alexei Navalny
to a duel. Last month Navalny published an investigation alleging
that at least $29 million had been stolen in procurement contracts
for the National Guard.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, South Africa's
President Cyril Ramaphosa said there was no reason to believe that
any country would impose sanctions on South Africa over the
government's plans to redistribute land to address racial
disparities in ownership.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, South African
official statistics showed that the murder rate rose again last
year, with over 20,000 killed across the country -- about 57 a day
-- as police admitted they were struggling to keep control.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Spain Catalan
separatist took to the streets of Barcelona in the first of a series
of mass mobilizations demanding independence and the release of
several high-profile secessionists from jail.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The Syrian
Democratic Forces, a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, advanced
inside Hajin, east of the Euphrates River near the Iraqi border.
Over the last 24 hours 27 jihadists and 10 SDF fighters were killed
in the fighting for the Hajin pocket.
   (AFP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, In Geneva the UN
envoy for Syria hosted key diplomats from Iran, Russia and Turkey to
discuss work toward rewriting the country's constitution, amid
concerns about a possibly devastating military offensive on
rebel-held Idlib province.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, The legal aid
group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said Thailand's military
government has arrested alleged sympathizers of a tiny political
movement advocating the abolishment of the constitutional monarchy,
seizing as evidence T-shirts bearing the group's logo of a red and
white flag. At least five people have been detained in the past week
and four charged with sedition.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Hanoi Vice Mayor
Nguyen Van Suu said in a message published on the city's website
that slaughtering and consuming dog and cat meat are disturbing to
foreigners and "negatively impact the image of a civilized and
modern capital." Officials say there are 493,000 dogs and cats in
Hanoi, of which more than 10 percent are raised for commercial
purposes.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Speaking in
Vietnam Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said that his
country and Vietnam have agreed to cooperate more in fighting
illegal fishing and hope to boost two-way trade.
   (AP, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 11, Zimbabwe declared
a cholera outbreak in the capital Harare after 20 people died from
the disease and more than 2,000 were infected by drinking
contaminated water.
   (Reuters, 9/11/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Pres. Donald Trump
signed an executive order authorizing sanctions against foreigners
who meddle in US elections.
   (SFC, 9/13/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The US Treasury
Department said it has targeted Ibrahim Jathran, the leader of a
Libyan militia with sanctions for directing attacks on oil
facilities in the country.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, US lawmakers Sen.
Marco Rubio and Rep. Chris Smith urged the extension of tougher
American export restrictions to prevent sales of equipment that
could be used in China's massive security clampdown targeting the
Xinjiang region's native Muslim population.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The US Food and
Drug Administration launched its largest coordinated enforcement
action in the agency’s history, aimed at the marketing and selling
of e-cigarettes to teenagers in an effort to protect teens from
becoming addicted to nicotine. The FDA said e-cigarette makers have
60 days to tell federal regulators how they plan to reduce sales to
teens.
   (CSM, 9/13/18)(SFC, 9/13/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, A federal court in
Washington, DC, ruled against Education Sec. Betsy DeVos over her
2017 decision to suspend rules meant to protect students from abuse
by for-profit colleges.
   (SFC, 9/14/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The FBI arrested
Puerto Rico Sen. Abel Nazario, who has been indicted by a federal
grand jury on corruption charges. The case is related to funds
Nazario received when he was mayor of the southwest town of Yauco.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Bakersfield,
Ca., Xavier Casarez (54) shot and killed five people, including his
wife, and then killed himself as he was confronted by a sheriff's
deputy.
   (SFC, 9/13/18, p.A11)(SFC, 9/15/18, p.A8)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The San Francisco
Board of Appeals voted unanimously for the removal of the "Early
Days" statue in the Civic Center. The statue depicting a vaquero and
a missionary standing over a fallen American Indian was one of five
that make up 800-ton Pioneer Monument shrine.
   (SFC, 9/13/18, p.A11)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In southern
California Dr. Grant Robicheaux (38) of Newport Beach Cerissa Riley
of Brea were arrested after being charged with rape by use of drugs,
oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substances, and other
crimes. The two later denied allegations that they had preyed on two
intoxicated women and then drugged and raped them. In 2020
prosecutors dropped multiple rape charges against Grant Robicheaux
and Riley, after finding key video evidence never actually existed.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.A4)(AP, 2/5/20)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Michigan Tanaya
Lewis (17) fatallystabbed classmate Danyna Gibson (16) at Detroit's
Warren Fitzgerald High School in an alleged dispute over a boy.
   (SFC, 12/22/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Brazil
countries on both sides of the whaling divide voted to renew quotas
for limited whale hunts for indigenous communities in Alaska,
Russia, Greenland and the Caribbean -- taking into account their
cultural and subsistence needs.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In central China
an SUV crashed into a crowd at a public square, killing at least 3
people and injuring more than 40 others in the town of Mishui, Hunan
province. The suspect jumped out of the SUV and attacked victims
with a dagger and shovel. He was soon identified as Yang Zanyun (54)
and had served several prison sentences for convictions including
arson and assault. The death toll soon rose to 11 with another 44
people hospitalized
   (AP, 9/12/18)(AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, DR Congo's navy
accused Ugandan troops of killing four Congolese fishermen, whose
bound and bullet-riddled bodies surfaced a day earlier on Lake
Edward, which is shared by the two neighboring countries.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Egypt's chief
prosecutor said tests showed that E.coli bacteria were behind the
August 21 deaths of two British tourists in a hotel in the Red Sea
resort of Hurghada.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, An Egyptian court
suspended a ruling that allowed the return to work of policemen with
beards which are usually reserved for pious Muslims.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In El Salvador
former Pres. Tony Saca (53) was sentenced to 10 years in prison for
corruption after pleading guilty to diverting more than $300 million
in state funds. His former private secretary, Elmer Charlaix, was
also sentenced to ten years.
   (SFC, 9/13/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Ethiopia an
agreement, brokered by regional bloc the Intergovernmental Authority
on Development (IGAD), was signed late today by South Sudan's
President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar in Addis Ababa.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The European
Parliament voted 448-197 to sanction Hungary for flouting EU rules
on democracy, civil rights and corruption in an unprecedented step
that left PM Viktor Orban isolated from powerful allies.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, France-based
Algerian singer Rachid Taha (59) died overnight after suffering a
heart attack at his home in the Paris suburbs.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Germany's Catholic
Church said it was "dismayed and ashamed" by decades of child sex
abuse by priests, after a report was leaked showing that thousands
of minors were assaulted. The report said 3,677 people were abused
by clergy between 1946 and 2014.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)(SFC, 9/13/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In northern India
three men reportedly drugged, kidnapped and raped a teenage girl
while she was on her way to a test-preparation course. The girl was
able to name the suspects.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Iran's
semi-official ISNA news agency reported that a court has sentenced
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close ally of former hard-line president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to six-and-a-half years in prison for plotting
and conspiring to commit crimes against national security and for
propaganda against the Islamic Republic system and for insulting
officials.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Iraq jihadists
attacked a restaurant north of the Iraqi capital with a car bomb,
killing five people and wounding more than 30 near Tikrit city.
   (AFP, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Irish budget
carrier Ryanair was defiant as dozens of flights were disrupted in a
walkout by German pilots and cabin crew, the latest flare-up in a
bitter Europe-wide battle for better pay and conditions.
   (AFP, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Libya closed the
only functioning airport in the capital Tripoli after rockets were
fired in its direction, only five days after flights had resumed
following a previous shutdown forced by fighting among rival armed
groups.
   (Reuters, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, President Vladimir
Putin said Russia had found the two men accused by British
prosecutors of trying to murder ex- Russian spy Sergei Skripal and
his daughter Yulia in Britain, but that there was nothing criminal
about them.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Russian news media
reported that Pyotr Verzilov, a member of the Pussy Riot punk
protest group, was been hospitalized in grave condition for what
could be a possible poisoning.
   (SFC, 9/13/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Spain's El
Periodico newspaper said Spain will go ahead with the sale of 400
laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, a contract it had decided to
halt last week because of the Saudis' role in the war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia had reportedly threatened to cancel a 1.8 billion euro
contract with Spain to buy warships if the bomb sale did not take
place.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Rebel sources in
Syria said Turkey has stepped up arms supplies to help them stave
off an expected offensive by the Syrian army and its Russian and
Iran-backed allies in the northwest near the Turkish frontier.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Thailand enacted
laws that set in motion a countdown leading to new elections by next
May.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, A Turkish security
official said Turkish intelligence has seized Yusuf Nazik (34) in
Latakia, Syria. He has reportedly confessed to coordinating the May
11, 2013, bombing that killed 53 people in the southern border town
of Reyhanli.
   (AP, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, A court in central
Vietnam sentenced activist Nguyen Trung Truc (44) to 12 years in
prison after finding him guilty of associating with the Brotherhood
for Democracy, an outlawed dissident group.
   (AP, 9/12/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, The World Health
Organization's cancer research arm estimated there will be about 18
million new cases of cancer globally this year and more than 9
million cancer deaths.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, In Yemen a
Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on the outskirts of the
port city of Hodeidah as heavy fighting resumed days after
UN-sponsored talks between the warring parties collapsed.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 12, Zimbabwe banned
public gatherings in the capital Harare following a cholera outbreak
which has claimed at least 21 lives and left hundreds of people ill
over the past week.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, President Donald
Trump rejected the official conclusion that nearly 3,000 people died
in Puerto Rico from last year's Hurricane Maria, arguing without
evidence that the number was wrong and calling it a plot by
Democrats to make him "look as bad as possible." The mayor of Puerto
Rico's capital said Trump is "delusional, paranoid, and unhinged
from any sense of reality."
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, The United States
imposed sanctions on two North Korean-controlled information
technology companies based in China and Russia. The sanctions are
intended to stop the flow of illicit revenue to North Korea from
overseas IT workers hiding behind front companies and aliases.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Paul Manafort, the
former chairman of US Pres. Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, reached a
tentative plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller.
   (SFC, 9/14/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, California's Gov.
Jerry Brown signed an array of bills to confront climate change
including efforts to put more electric vehicles on the road.
   (SFC, 9/14/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Massachusetts a
series of gas explosions ignited fires in at least 39 homes in the
towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover north of Boston. One
teengaer was killed and 25 people were injured. more than 100
buildings were damaged or destroyed. In 2019 a series of class
action lawsuits against NiSource and its Columbia Gas of
Massachusetts were settled for $143 million.
   (SFC, 9/14/18, p.A12)(AP, 7/29/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Montana US
district Judge Dana Christensen delayed for two more weeks the first
grizzly bear hunts in the lower 48 states in almost three decades.
   (SFC, 9/14/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Texas Claudine
Anne Luera (42) was found shot and left in a road. The mother of
five died later in the day at a hospital in Webb County. Her killing
was later attributed to Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz.
   (SFC, 9/17/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Afghanistan
Taliban attacks killed at least 10 soldiers and two policemen as
Taliban fighters tried to overrun the army base in Pusht Road
district of Farah province. Three policemen and 22 Taliban were
killed in another Taliban attack on a police security post in Bala
Buluk district of Farah province. A car bomb exploded in Lashkar
Gah, the capital of Helmand province, wounding two civilians.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Brazil the
International Whaling Commission (IWC) voted to back a proposal
which would safeguard whales in perpetuity, after a bitter debate.
The biennial meeting of the 89-nation body passed the host country's
"Florianopolis Declaration" which sees whaling as no longer being a
necessary economic activity.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Two journalists
were detained by Bulgarian police after they found burning and
shredded documents while working on a story about suspected fraud
involving European Union funds.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Chadian army
helicopters med bombing runs over a gold mining town along the
Libyan border, where government forces have clashed with a fledgling
rebel movement. Two civilians died the next day from their wounds.
The rebel movement, the Military Command Council for the Salvation
of the Republic (CCMSR), founded in 2016, has fought Chadian forces
several times near the Libyan border since last month.
   (Reuters, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Colombian drug
kingpin Victor Hugo Cuellar-Silva was extradited from Colombia to
the US to face federal trafficking charges. Prosecutors said he was
a high-ranking member of the drug ring headed by Mexican fugitive
Angel Humberto Chavez-Gastelum, one of the most-wanted drug
traffickers in the world.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Egyptian
authorities deported Mona el-Mazbouh (24), a Lebanese woman who was
jailed for insulting Egyptians in a video she posted online, days
after she was sentenced to a suspended one-year sentence.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Europe's top
rights court ruled that Britain's program of mass surveillance,
revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden as part of his sensational
leaks on US spying, violated its citizens' basic rights.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, The European
Central Bank pushed forward with its plan to gradually phase out its
monetary stimulus, saying it is confident in the region's growth.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, French President
Emmanuel Macron formally recognized the responsibility of the French
state in the death of a dissident mathematician in Algeria in 1957,
admitting for the first time the French military's "system" that
included torture during Algeria's independence war.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, German activists,
living in treehouses to protect the ancient Hambach Forest from
being razed for a nearby coal mine, vowed to resist as police began
evicting them, in a major escalation of the long-running
environmental battle.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Volkswagen
announced it would end production of its iconic "Beetle" cars in
2019 after adding a pair of final editions of the bug-shaped
vehicles.
   (AFP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Hungary said a
European Parliament vote to launch an action that could ultimately
strip Budapest of its EU voting rights was "invalid" and vowed to
mount a legal challenge.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In India a group
of Indian Catholic nuns staged a rare street protest in the southern
state of Kerala demanding justice after an alleged sexual assault of
a nun by a bishop. The protest, now in its sixth day in Kochi,
Kerala's financial hub, gathered momentum as the locals, activists,
writers and politicians came out in support.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Indian health
authorities rushed medical supplies to northern towns and villages
where at least 50 people have died from fever over the past two
weeks in the Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh state.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, An Indonesian
court sentenced Islamic militant Wawan Kurniawan (43) to 11 years in
prison after finding him guilty of conducting training in
preparation for a terrorist attack. Wawan was the local leader of
Jemaah Anshorut Daulah, an Indonesian militant network affiliated
with the Islamic State group.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Archaeologists
reported finding what they believe is the world's oldest site for
alcohol production in the Raqefet cave south of Haifa in today's
northern Israel. The location also served as a burial site for the
Natufian people. Their beer-like beverage may have been served in
ceremonies some 13,000 years ago.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, In Malaysia
Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, top lawyer for former PM Najib Razak, was
charged with receiving 9.5 million ringgit ($2.3 million) in
ill-gotten wealth from his client, who is himself accused of money
laundering and corruption.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Philippine
authorities began evacuating thousands of people from the path of
Typhoon Mangkhut, the most powerful typhoon this year.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Spanish lawmakers
voted to remove the remains of dictator Francisco Franco from a
mausoleum where tens of thousands of victims of the 1936-39 civil
war that brought him to power are also laid to rest. The bill passed
with 176 votes in favor, but there were 165 abstentions and two
against.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said it had recorded the deaths of
364,792 people, nearly a third of them civilians, since protests
erupted in March 2011 against President Bashar al-Assad.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Thailand police
seized 917 kg (2,020 pounds) of marijuana and arrested six people.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Turkey's central
bank raised its key interest rate sharply, from 17.75 percent to 24
percent, to contain inflation and stem the currency crisis that has
been destabilizing the country this summer.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Turkey sent in
military reinforcements to beef up its positions inside Syria's last
rebel bastion Idlib.
   (AP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, The UN Security
Council extended its political mission in Libya for a year but did
not endorse a December 10 date for elections that was agreed during
a Paris meeting four months ago.
   (AFP, 9/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 13, Yemeni forces
backed by a Saudi-led coalition seized the main road linking the
port city of Hodeidah to the capital Sanaa, blocking a supply route
for the Houthi group that controls both cities. At least 10
civilians were killed and 19 wounded in the latest bout of fighting.
16 rebels died in a coalition air strike in the far south of port
city of Hodeida. Three pro-government fighters were killed when a
military vehicle was hit by a shell to the east of Hodeida city.
   (Reuters, 9/13/18)(AP, 9/13/18)(AFP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Paul Manafort,
Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, reached an extraordinary
plea agreement with special counsel Robert Mueller's office that
requires him to assist the Russia investigation and converts him
into a potentially vital government cooperator.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo accused Russia of actively working to undermine
international sanctions on North Korea and said the enforcement of
the steps was essential to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear
weapons.
   (Reuters, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, The US government
imposed sanctions on a Thailand-based company it says provides
services to an Iranian airline that Washington accuses of supporting
terrorist activities directed by Iran's government.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Tina Talbot of
Waterford, Michigan, fatally shot her husband, Milosz Szczepanowicz,
after he had beaten her for days and threatened to kill her and her
son. She pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2019 and was sentenced to
20 months to 15 years. In 2020 she was released from prison after
serving 20 months.
   (https://tinyurl.com/y54s26xb)(SFC, 11/18/20,
p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Hurricane Florence
made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane but was
soon downgraded to a tropical storm, even as it continued to wreak
havoc along the East Coast, downing trees and power lines and
forcing 20,000 people to flee to shelters. The storm eventually left
39 people dead. Damages in the state were later put at nearly $17
billion.
   (AP, 9/15/18)(SFC, 10/3/18, p.A7)(SFC, 11/2/18,
p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Texas police
disrupted the robbery of patrons in a bar in Fort Worth. Undercover
police officer Garret Hull (40) was shot in the head and one of the
robbers was killed in an exchange of fire. Hull died the next day.
Two suspects were arrested.
   (SFC, 9/15/18, p.A5)(SSFC, 9/16/18, p.A12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Wyoming hunting
guide Mark Uptain (37) and client Corey Chubon were attacked by a
bear. Chubom escaped with injuries. Uptain's body was found the next
day.
   (SFC, 9/17/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In western
Afghanistan at least five army personnel, all crew members of a
military helicopter, were killed late today when their aircraft
crashed and caught fire in Farah province.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Austria six men
were hospitalized with serious injuries after setting alight the
mattresses and bedding of the deportation cell in which they were
being held.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, China made no
mention of new funds for Venezuela's struggling government after
President Nicolas Maduro visited his key foreign financier in hopes
of securing new loans. Maduro was on a four-day trip to China to
discuss economic agreements.
   (Reuters, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In China a driver
(23) for the ZTO Express delivery service was arrested for attempted
rape in the eastern city of Wenzhou.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Costa Rica a
labor strike that went into its fifth day with no apparent end in
sight. The government was struggling with a deficit estimated at 7.1
percent of GDP this year, which has pushed up the public debt load
and increased its need for revenue.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Prosecutors in El
Salvador filed an extradition petition for former Pres. Mauricio
Funes and three family members on corruption charges for the alleged
embezlement of $351 million in public funds. Funes and his family
have been living in Nicaragua since 2016.
   (SSFC, 9/16/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, The European
Commission said the EU will scrap the twice-yearly seasonal clock
change across the bloc from October 2019, leaving member states to
decide by April whether they will stick permanently to summer or
winter time.
   (Reuters, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, PM Edouard
Philippe said France plans to boost cycling with better bike lanes,
financial incentives for bicycle commuters and measures against bike
theft.
   (Reuters, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In France about 15
Kurdish activists burned the Iranian flag in front of Iran's embassy
in Paris and broke some windows with stones. Some of the attackers
were arrested.
   (Reuters, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Greece's supreme
court approved a Russian extradition request for Alexander Vinnik
(38), a bitcoin fraud suspect. The Greek supreme court also has
accepted an extradition request from the United States, where Vinnik
is accused of allegedly laundering billions of dollars with bitcoin.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, An Indian court
ruled there is enough evidence to send former UN climate chief
Rajendra Pachauri to trial on sexual harassment charges in a case
filed by a former female colleague in New Delhi. Police registered
the case against Pachauri after the 29-year-old female colleague
accused him three years ago of sexual harassment and criminal
intimidation.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Muslim militants
freed three Indonesian men they kidnapped at sea early last year off
Malaysia then brought them to their jungle hideouts in the southern
Philippines.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Iranian media said
that the reformist "Sedayeh Eslahat" newspaper was ordered shut down
on charges of insulting the Shiite religion for publishing an
article on female-to-male gender reassignment surgery. Prosecutor
Mohammad Jafar Montazeri also ordered the editor be punished.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Israel American
law professor Frank Romano (66), who reportedly also has French
citizenship, was detained in the embattled village of Khan al-Ahmar,
along with two Palestinian activists, for allegedly trying to block
Israeli troops in a West Bank village slated for demolition.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Japan's determined
bid to return to commercial whale hunting was blocked by
anti-whaling nations in a tense vote at the International Whaling
Commission meeting in Brazil.
   (AFP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In the
Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir a bus fell off a road into a
deep gorge, killing 16 people and injuring 16 others.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Mexico City
gunmen dressed as mariachi musicians killed five people and wounded
eight in Garibaldi Plaza, an iconic square where the bands serenade
tourists.
   (Reuters, 9/15/18)(AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In the northern
Mexico state of Sonora six severed human heads were found in a
plastic cooler on a roadside near Ciudad Obregon.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In the Netherlands
four people who say Tibetan Buddhist teachers abused them physically
or psychologically presented the Dalai Lama with written accounts
from 12 alleged victims and appealed to him to address the problem.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Nigerian finance
minister Kemi Adeosun (51), accused of forging a document to avoid
compulsory national service, said she was quitting to protect
government integrity.
   (AFP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, North and South
Korea opened their first liaison office near their tense border to
facilitate better communication and exchanges ahead of their
leaders' summit in Pyongyang next week. On June 16, 2020, North
Korea blew up the facility.
   (AP, 9/14/18)(Econ., 6/20/20, p.31)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In southwestern
Pakistan a roadside bomb exploded near a security convoy, killing
three security personnel near the town of Pashi, Baluchistan
province.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Palestinian Shadi
Abdel Aal (11) was fatally wounded during demonstrations east of
Jabalia in northern Gaza, becoming one of the youngest Palestinians
to be killed in months of unrest along the frontier. Two other
Palestinians were killed during the weekly protest by Israeli live
fire.
   (AFP, 9/15/18)(Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Typhoon Mangkhut
made landfall on the northeastern tip of Luzon island in the
Philippines with top-of-the-scale Category 5 winds of 165 mph.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Russia's Central
Bank hiked its key interest rate for the first time in nearly four
years, moving to shore up the ruble amid increasing risks of US
sanctions. It raised the rate to 7.5 percent from 7.25 percent.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, The Russian
Orthodox Church announced a rebuff to Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I, the leader of the worldwide Orthodox community,
saying it would not participate in events headed by the
Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate due to a dispute over control
of the church in Ukraine.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In South Sudan
clashes erupted in Central Equatoria state when government troops
stormed bases in Lainya and Kajo Keji counties. Eight government
troops were killed in the battle in Lainya county. Another attack
took place in Mangalatore, near the site of the first attack, where
four government soldiers were killed. This came two days after the
warring sides signed what the government called a "final final"
peace agreement to end the civil war.
   (AP, 9/14/18)(Reuters, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Swiss authorities
said that the Netherlands arrested and expelled two suspected
Russian spies earlier this year who allegedly tried to hack a Swiss
laboratory that conducts tests for the UN-backed chemical weapons
watchdog.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Syria residents
In cities and towns across the last opposition-held province of
Idlib, poured into the streets to demonstrate against President
Bashar Assad's government in defiance of an expected offensive to
retake the territory.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Syria Islamic
State gunmen took advantage of a sandstorm and killed 20 SDF
fighters in the country's east.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Thailand a
special order issued by the prime minister became law following its
publication in the Royal Gazette. It allows political parties to
gather funds to operate and, with the ruling junta's permission,
recruit party members and choose new leaders.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan reproached the central bank for sharply raising
interest rates, saying the country would "see the results" of the
bank's independence.
   (AP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Turkish security
forces fired tear gas at construction workers at Istanbul's new
airport who were protesting dangerous working conditions at the site
as it prepares to open for business next month.
   (AFP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Uzbekistan's first
electronic music festival ever, an event, called Stihia or Element
in Russian, was staged at Muynak, an area of desert caused by one of
the world's largest man-made environmental catastrophes, the
shrinking of the Aral Sea.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, In Yemen sporadic
fighting took place in various areas around Hodeida. Two Saudi
pilots died when their helicopter crashed due to a technical fault
in Mahra province.
   (AFP, 9/14/18)(Reuters, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 14, Zimbabwe's
opposition MDC party called off plans to hold a mock inauguration to
name its leader Nelson Chamisa as the country's president after
public gatherings were banned due to a cholera outbreak.
   (AFP, 9/14/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, US authorities
warned residents displaced by a killer hurricane against returning
home, as storm Florence dumped "epic amounts of rainfall" across the
eastern United States, resulting in life-threatening flooding. Five
deaths were officially confirmed in North Carolina.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Officials in
Arizona said Christopher Matthew Clements (36) has been indicted in
the kidnappings and killings of two girls who went missing in 2012
and 2014. Mercedes Celis (6) was last seen in her bedroom in Tucson
on April 20, 2012. The body of Mirabel Gonzalez (13) was discovered
in Tucson in June, 2014..
   (SSFC, 9/16/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, NASA launched a
satellite, designed to measure changes in Earth's ice sheets, into
orbit from southern California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.
   (SSFC, 9/16/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, California Gov.
Jerry Brown announced a sister-state relationship with the German
state of Baden-Württemberg that furthers strengthens climate and
economic ties between the two entities.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Massachusetts
Arthur Medici (26), boogie-boarding off Newcomb Hollow Beach at Cape
Cod, was attacked by a shark and died soon after at a hospital.
   (SSFC, 9/16/18, p.A14)(SFC, 9/17/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Jean Briggs
Watters (92), World War II British codebreaker, died in Nebraska.
She was among about 10,000 people, mostly women, who participated in
the Allied effort to crack German communication codes throughout the
war and was buried on Sept. 24 with British military honors.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Texas US Border
Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz was arrested in Laredo for the murder
of four women, believed to have worked as prostitutes. Erika Pena
managed to escape from him on Sept. 14 and notified authorities. Two
other victims were killed after Pena ran off. In December Ortiz was
charged with capital murder.
   (SSFC, 9/16/18, p.A14)(SFC, 9/17/18, p.A5)(SFC,
12/6/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, The Australian
state of Queensland offered a A$100,000 ($71,500) reward for
information leading to the arrest of those responsible for
sabotaging strawberries with sewing needles.
   (Reuters, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Australia a man
(23) and a woman (21) died after collapsing at the Defqon.1 music
festival in Sydney. A dozen more were hospitalized and hundreds
others sought medical assistance after suspected drug overdoses.
   (Reuters, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Burundi
hundreds of people took part in government organized protests in
Bujumbura against a UN report that blamed President Pierre
Nkurunziza for fuelling hatred and violence.
   (AFP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Egyptian police
detained the sons of former president Hosni Mubarak along with three
others in connection with insider trading charges for which the five
are on trial.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Ethiopia's exiled
leadership of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which had previously
been declared a terrorist movement by the government, returned home,
marking another step in political reforms driven by the new prime
minister.
   (Reuters, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Ethiopia shops
were looted and people attacked by mobs of Oromo youth who stormed
through streets targeting businesses and homes of ethnic minorities.
At least 23 people were killed in violence targeting minorities in
the ethnic Oromo heartland near Addis Ababa.
   (Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In France four men
allegedly raped a woman (19) outside a nightclub in Toulouse. Images
of the apparent attack soon circulated on social media. The alleged
victim later told police that she had been attacked in the
nightclub's car park and that she believed she had been drugged.
   (Reuters, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Iraqi lawmakers
elected Mohammed al-Halbousi (37), an Iran-backed Sunni Arab, as
speaker of parliament, the first step in forming a new government
four months after national elections.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In
Indian-controlled Kashmir a young man was killed and more than a
dozen other people were injured when government forces fired at
anti-India protesters after soldiers killed five rebels in fighting.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Israeli missiles
late today targeted Syria's Damascus international airport.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In northwestern
Pakistan the roof of a mud and brick house collapsed amid heavy rain
killing four members of a family and injuring another.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Palestinian Saheeb
Abu Kashef (16) died late today after being shot on August 3 east of
Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In the northern
Philippines Typhoon Mangkhut slammed ashore before dawn and left at
least 12 people dead, mostly in landslides and houses that got
pummeled by the storm's fierce winds and rain.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In eastern Romania
US basketball players Darrell Bowie (24) and Joseph McClain (25)
were stabbed late today in a club and Bowie was in a serious
condition.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Pyotr Verzilov,
publisher of a Russian online news outlet and affiliated with the
anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot, arrived in Berlin from Moscow
late today on a medical transport plane. The anti-Kremlin activist
lost his sight, hearing and his ability to walk in a suspected
poisoning last week.
   (Reuters, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Rwanda
prominent opposition leader Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza walked free
after the government approved the early release of more than 2,100
prisoners with little explanation. She quickly urged Pres. Kagame to
release all other political prisoners.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Pope Francis
appealed to Mafiosi to renounce their quests for power and money as
he visited Sicily to honor a priest slain by mob henchmen for trying
to protect youths from the evil clutches of organized crime.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Sudan's new
21-member cabinet was sworn in, with PM Moutaz Mousa Abdallah also
assuming the finance portfolio in a bid to revive the country's
ailing economy.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, The Kurdish-led
Syrian Democratic Force entered the eastern village of Bagouz held
by the Islamic State group where intense clashes were ongoing.
   (AP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Thailand police
arrested three people and charged them with possession of 2,060
grams (73 ounces) of crystal methamphetamine bought from a gang of
Africans in Thailand.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Turkish unions
said hundreds of workers on the construction site of Istanbul's
third airport, one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's mega
development projects, have been arrested for protesting at the
number of work-related deaths and poor conditions.
   (AFP, 9/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, Turkey freed 160
workers late today out of almost 600 who were arrested following a
protest over work-related deaths and poor conditions at the
construction site for Istanbul's third airport.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 15, In Yemen a court
in Sanaa, controlled by the Houthi rebels, charged 24 Baha'is and
put them on trial for apostasy and espionage, which carry the death
penalty.
   (AP, 10/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Christine Blasey
Ford (51), a San Francisco Bay Area clinical psychology professor,
came forward with explosive allegations that Supreme Court nominee
Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were
teenagers more than three decades ago.
   (SFC, 9/17/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Marc Benioff,
chairman and co-CEO of San Francisco-based Salesforce.com, and his
wife Lynne, said they will buy Time magazine for $90 million from
owner Meredith Corp.
   (SFC, 9/17/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Flooding from
Hurricane Florence spread across the Carolinas as the death toll
climbed to 17.
   (SFC, 9/17/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Kansas Deputy
Robert Kunze (41) was fatally shot after a fight erupted during the
arrest of supected vehicle thief Robert Greeson (29) in a rural area
near Wichita. Greeson was pronounced dead at the scene.
   (SFC, 9/18/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, London mayor Sadiq
Khan called for another referendum on Britain's EU membership,
saying the prime minister's handling of Brexit negotiations had
become "mired in confusion and deadlock" and was leading the country
down a damaging path.
   (Reuters, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In China "Kinky
Boots", whose music and lyrics were written by pop veteran Cyndi
Lauper, wrapped up its two-month -- a long run for a country where
censors often frown upon gay entertainment.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In southern China
Typhoon Mangkhut barreled into Guangdong province, killing two
people after lashing the Philippines with strong winds and heavy
rain that left at least 64 dead and dozens more feared buried in a
landslide.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Egypt's
Antiquities Ministry said a sphinx made of sandstone has been found
in the Temple of Kom Ombo in Aswan during work to protect the site
from groundwater. The ministry said the statue probably dates back
to the Ptolemaic time, 320BC-30BC.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Eritrean President
Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed signed a "peace agreement
"during a summit in Saudi Arabia.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Ethiopia
overnight ethnic-based attacks in the outskirts of Addis Ababa
killed several people and caused hundreds to flee their homes.
Police said 70 suspects were arrested.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In western Germany
some four thousand people protested against the expansion of a coal
strip mine that would entail the chopping down of the ancient
Hambach forest.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In northern
Germany a Polish man (20) received a fatal stab wound after an
altercation with an unknown man who then fled the scene in
Neumuenster.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Greek police
reported that the number of migrants detained for entering Greece
illegally has risen sharply so far this year.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In India four
police officers were suspended, three days after a mob beat a Muslim
business-school graduate to death near Imphal. A video showed armed
policemen standing around the man as he lay on his side in a field.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, At least 100
Myanmar youth activists and journalists called for the release of
two jailed Reuters journalists, warning that the seven-year prison
terms handed to the pair this month threaten the public's right to
information.
   (Reuters, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, A weekend report
by respected Dutch daily NRC linked 20 of 39 bishops and cardinals
to (sexual) abuse. The paper reported that four bishops committed
abuse and a further 16 senior clergymen transferred priests who had
been accused of abuse to new locations.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Palestinian Khalil
Jabarin (17) fatally stabbed Ari Fuld (45), an American-born Jewish
settler, in the occupied West Bank then was himself shot and seized
by armed civilians. Camera footage showed Fuld firing a weapon at
his attacker before collapsing. He later died of his wounds. On July
21, 2020, Jabarin (19) was sentenced to life in prison.
   (Reuters, 9/16/18)(AP, 7/21/20)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Russia up to
thousand protestors demonstrated in Saint Petersburg against a plan
to raise the state pension age which has sparked public anger.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Syria held its
first municipal elections since 2011, amid tensions with the
country's self-administered Kurdish region, which refused to allow
polls.
   (AP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In northern
Thailand a landslide at a refugee camp left one person dead and
seven missing at the Mae La Oon refugee camp, which houses about
9,000 people, mostly members of the Karen ethnic minority from
Myanmar.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Thai police
discovered 10 million methamphetamine pills and 37 kg (81 pounds) of
heroin hidden under sacks of chicken manure.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, In Yemen Saudi-led
coalition fighting alongside the Yemeni government against Shiite
Huthi rebels carried out an air raid on a radio station tower in the
port city of Hodeida killing at least three people. At least 32
insurgents were reported killed and 14 others wounded in clashes and
air strikes over the last 24 hours.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 16, Zimbabwe state
media said the death toll in the cholera outbreak in Harare has
risen to 28.
   (AFP, 9/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, President Donald
Trump declassified a trove of documents related to the early days of
the FBI's Russia investigation, including a portion of a secret
surveillance warrant application and former FBI Director James
Comey's text messages.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, US officials
slapped the tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports, but skipped
consumer electronics like smartwatches and Bluetooth devices, in a
reprieve for firms like Apple and fitness tracker maker Fitbit.
   (AFP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, US Ambassador to
the United Nations Nikki Haley accused Russia of "cheating" on UN
sanctions on North Korea and said Washington has "evidence of
consistent and wide-ranging Russian violations."
   (Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In central Iowa
Collin Daniel Richards (22), a homeless man, attacked and killed
Celia Barquin Arozamena, an Iowa State student and top amateur
golfer from Spain. She had been playing a round near her university
campus. Richards left her body in a pond on the course and was soon
arrested.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Afghanistan the
Taliban launched multiple attacks on Afghan checkpoints as well as
police and military bases in different parts of the country, killing
at least 27 members of the security forces.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Angolan President
Joao Lourenco welcomed Portuguese PM Antonio Costa to Luanda for the
first visit by a leader of the former colonial power in seven years.
Costa arrival kicked off a two-day trip designed to improve ties
between Luanda and its former colonial master.
   (AFP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Public fears about
sewing needles concealed inside strawberries on supermarket shelves
spread across Australia and New Zealand. Needles were reported found
in strawberries in all six Australian states.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The Bosnian
parliament approved long-delayed changes to a criminal code aimed at
bolstering the rule of law and the fight against crime and
corruption, which is expected to speed up the country's progress
toward EU membership.
   (Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In Ethiopia
demonstrators flooded Addis Ababa, blocking roads and shutting
businesses in an explosion of anger following the killing of 23
people on the city's outskirts over the weekend. State affiliated
Fana Broadcasting said Ethiopian police have detained 200 people in
connection with the violence.
   (AFP, 9/17/18)(Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In northern
CongoDRC at least 27 were killed after a passenger boat capsized
overnight along the Mongala River.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The International
Criminal Court sentenced Congolese politician Jean-Pierre Bemba to a
300,000 euro fine and a 12 month sentence for witness tampering, but
his sentence was reduced to zero due to time already served.
   (Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The European
Central Bank unveiled new versions of the 100- and 200-euro
banknotes with updated anti-counterfeiting features and a slimmer
size that should make them easier to fit into wallets and purses.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, German Chancellor
Angela Merkel visited Algeria to promote bilateral ties and discuss
migration and the situation in neighboring Libya.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Israel targeted a
facility of the Syrian Armed Forces from which systems to
manufacture accurate and lethal weapons were about to be transferred
on behalf of Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
   (Reuters, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The Israeli
military attacked a group late today suspected of tampering with the
border fence. Two people were found dead near the site of an Israeli
missile strike at the Gaza border.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Japanese
billionaire Yusaku Maezawa (42) said that he plans to blast off on
the inaugural private commercial trip around the moon and will
invite six to eight creative people on the weeklong journey via the
SpaceX Big Falcon Rocket scheduled for 2023. Maezawa is the founder
of Japan's largest retail website.
   (SFC, 9/18/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Libyan authorities
closed Tripoli's only functioning airport, diverting traffic to
another one at the nearby militia-controlled city of Misrata after
the UN-backed Tripoli government handed control of the facility from
one militia to another, prompting the Transport Ministry to order
its closure on security concerns.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, The International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that one of its
employees, midwife Saifura Khorsa, had been killed in Nigeria after
more than six months in captivity by Boko Haram.
   (AFP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, In North Korea an
international trade fair opened in Pyongyang and included more than
320 companies, with many Chinese entrepreneurs taking part.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Pakistan's PM
Imran Khan pledged to grant citizenship to Pakistan-born children of
Afghan and Bengali refugees who have been living in the country for
decades. UN reports say Pakistan has the largest refugee population
in the world, mostly from Afghanistan.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Pakistan's new
government began auctioning off about 100 government-owned vehicles
as part of new PM Imran Khan's highly publicized cost-cutting drive.
   (Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Typhoon Mangkhut
was confirmed to have killed 66 people in the Philippines and four
in China, where it weakened to a tropical storm as it churned
inland. In the Philippines 40 to 50 miners and their families were
believed killed inside a chapel in Benguet province.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Romania began
hosting a two-day Three Seas Initiative Business Forum, aiming to
boost connectivity in Eastern Europe and improve ties between the
region and the US and EU. Romanian PM Viorica Dancila met a top
Chinese official, saying Romania wanted to export more to China and
attract more investment from there.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Russian President
Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met
in Sochi to try to come to an agreement over the Syrian rebel
stronghold of Idlib. Russia and Turkey announced they would create a
"de-militarized zone" ringing Syria's Idlib province.
   (AFP, 9/17/18)(AFP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, A Russian Il-20
reconnaissance aircraft, with 15 Russians on board, was shot down by
Syrian anti-aircraft systems. Russia accused Israel of indirectly
causing the incident, saying Israeli jets nearby had put the Russian
plane in the path of danger.
   (Reuters, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Hundreds of
Russian Communist Party supporters took to the central square of
Vladivostok to protest against what they said was the brazen rigging
of a regional election in favor of a politician backed by President
Vladimir Putin.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Saudi Arabia's
sovereign wealth fund said it has secured its first ever
international loan, boosting the kingdom's diversification drive
after its flotation of state oil giant Aramco stalled.
   (AFP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Church officials
in northern Spain said the Vatican has suspended priest Jose Manuel
Ramos for 10 years over allegations that he abused schoolchildren.
An internal investigation concluded that Ramos had sexually abused
minors between 1981 and 1984.
   (AP, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, It was reported
that Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has defended his decision to
accept a luxury plane from Qatar at a time of economic hardship,
saying it was a gift, not a purchase, and that it had been donated
to the Turkish state, not to him personally.
   (Reuters, 9/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 17, Turkish activists
and the opposition expressed outrage after a court jailed 24 workers
ahead of a trial over their actions in protests against labor
conditions at Istanbul's giant new airport.
   (AFP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The US-China trade
war escalated further, with China announcing retaliatory tax
increases on $60 billion worth of US imports, including coffee,
honey and industrial chemicals.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The internet
watchdog Citizen Lab said it has used an internet survey technique
to identify suspected spyware infections linked to the Israeli
company NSO Group in 45 countries, including the United States,
Britain, France, India and Turkey.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The Wall Street
Journal said that the Xinhua News Agency and CGTN, the international
arm of state broadcaster CCTV, had been told in recent weeks to
register as foreign agents amid growing scrutiny of efforts by
overseas media organizations to influence US.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, The UC San Diego's
Center for Medicinal Cannabis announced that the US Drug Enforcement
Administration has approved the importation of marijuana extracts
from Canada for a clinical trial in treating tremors.
   (SFC, 9/19/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Delaware signed a
final 50-year agreement with a private Emirati port operator to
privatize the Port of Wilmington. The state will receive yearly
concession payments of around $10 million.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Lawrence
Martin-Bittman (b.1931), former Czechoslovakian Cold War spy, died
at his home in Rockport, Mass. He had defected to West Germany in
1968 and sought asylum in the US, where he changed his name to
Lawrence Michael Martin and later added Bittman to his surname. His
books included "The Deception Game" (1972), and "The KGB and Soviet
Disinformation: An Insider's View" (1985).
   (SSFC, 9/23/18, p.C9)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, It was reported
that millions of animals trapped inside of North Carolina’s factory
farm operations died from drowning during Hurricane Florence.
   (http://tinyurl.com/y8ekdjej)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Philadelphia
announced an agreement to overhaul its civil forfeiture laws
limiting what law enforcement officers can seize and what proceeds
from the confiscated property can fund.
   (SFC, 9/19/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In South Carolina
two women being transported to a mental health facility drowned
after deputies drove their van into flooded waters in Marion County
near Little Pee Dee River. On Dec. 4, 2019, officers Stephen Flood
and Joshua Bishop were charged with reckless homicide and
involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Wendy Newton (45) and
Nicolette Green (43).
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.A6)(SFC, 1/5/19, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Cybersecurity firm
FireEye said an Iranian government-aligned group of hackers launched
a major campaign targeting Mideast energy firms and others ahead of
US sanctions on Iran.
   (SFC, 9/19/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, It was reported
that Burkina Faso authorities have jailed more than 30 adults after
they carried out botched female genital mutilation on nearly 60
infants and girls who have been hospitalized. Burkina Faso had
outlawed the procedure in the early 1990s.
   (SFC, 9/19/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, French President
Emmanuel Macron unveiled plans to make France's health care system,
considered one of the best in the world, more efficient and
sustainable for the next 50 years.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In Germany
Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of the BfV intelligence agency, was
ousted from his post but then made deputy minister — with a hefty
pay rise. He had been criticized for appearing to downplay
anti-migrant violence and for his contacts with a far-right party.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Bollywood actress
and former porn star Sunny Leone (37) appeared in New Delhi for the
unveiling of her wax likeness at the city's Madame Tussauds museum.
She made a name for herself in the porn industry before breaking
into Bollywood in 2012, starring in the sequel to the hit movie
"Jism" (Hindi for body).
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Italian
prosecutors said the far-right League can repay some 45 million
euros ($53 million) it owes the state over the next 75 years, saving
the governing party from possible bankruptcy.
   (Reuters, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Liberia's
Information Minister Eugene Nagbe said several shipments of freshly
printed Liberian dollars ordered from abroad by the central bank
have been unaccounted for since they passed through the country's
main ports in November 2017 and August this year. The government
sought US help in investigating the whereabouts of the cash,
equivalent to nearly five percent of Liberia's GDP.
   (Reuters, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Lithuanian
authorities said Walmart has agreed to remove shirts with Soviet
emblems from its online shop after three Baltic countries complained
about the clothing.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, A Dutch firm
started building the country's first recycling plant to turn plastic
from used nappies into household items like garden furniture or
flower pots.
   (AFP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Niger said an
Italian priest was kidnapped overnight in a region where a number of
extremist groups are active. Rev. Pierluigi Maccalli, a member of
the Society of African Missions religious order, had promoted
initiatives to encourage an end to the cultural practice of female
genital mutilation.
   (AP, 9/18/18)(Reuters, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, It was reported
that rainy season flooding across Nigeria has killed more than 100
people.
   (SFC, 9/18/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, In North Korea
South Korean President Moon Jae-in began his third summit with North
Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A 52-member "special" civilian entourage
accompanied Moon Jae-in to promote civil exchanges and engagement
with younger Koreans.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Pakistan's new PM
Imran Khan arrived in Saudi Arabia as part of his first official
overseas trip.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, President Vladimir
Putin, standing next to Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, said that the
Russian state atomic energy firm Rosatom would start the
construction of two new reactors at the Paks power nuclear plant in
Hungary soon. Orban told reporters that they had agreed on gas
supplies for 2020.
   (Reuters, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, South Africa's
largest trade union federation elected a woman president, a first
for the 33-year-old labor movement that helped lead the fight
against apartheid. Zingiswa Losi (42) was nominated unopposed at an
annual meeting of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
(Cosatu).
   (AFP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, UN-backed
investigators who examined a bloody crackdown by Myanmar security
forces that caused hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee
to neighboring Bangladesh issued a searing critique of the United
Nations' own response to the human rights crisis. The members of a
fact-finding mission on Myanmar fleshed out preliminary findings and
recommendations released in a shorter version three weeks ago.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Pope Francis
decreed that ordinary Catholics should be consulted about issues
facing the Catholic Church and that bishops gathering for periodic
meetings can make binding decisions on church teaching.
   (AP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Impoverished
Venezuelans reacted with fury after videos of President Nicolas
Maduro gorging on succulent pieces of meat in a restaurant owned by
a celebrity Turkish chef went viral. Maduro had a stopover in
Istanbul where he was invited to dine with Turkish authorities.
   (AFP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 18, Zimbabwe's new
Pres. Emmerson Mnangagwa ruled out an early return of the Zimbabwean
dollar, toning down remarks by his finance minister that backed
reintroducing the currency.
   (AFP, 9/18/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, FIFA's ethics
committee has imposed life bans on three officials for bribery and
corruption after they pleaded guilty in the US Department of
Justice's investigation of international soccer.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, The World Bank
said that 10 percent of the world's population lived on less than
$1.90 a day in 2015 — the last year for which numbers were available
— down from 11.2 percent in 2013.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, David Wong Louie
(63), American writer, died at his home in Venice, Los Angeles
County. His books included the novel "The Barbarians Are Coming"
(2000). His stories explored identity, alienation and acceptance.
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.D7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Rhode Island
senior military representatives from over 100 countries gathered for
the 23rd Int'l. Seapower Symposium at the US Naval College in
Newport for a three day meeting on cooperation and shared
challenges.
   (SFC, 9/22/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Utah Wanda
Barzee (72), the woman who helped kidnap Elizabeth Smart (14) in
2002 and stood by as the girl was sexually assaulted by her then
husband Brian David Mitchell, was released after serving 15 years in
prison.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Wisconsin a
heavily armed man opened fire on co-workers at the WTS Paradigm
software company. He wounded three people before being fatally shot
by police in Middletown.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Bangladesh's
parliament passed the Digital Security Act, combining the
colonial-era Official Secrets Act with tough new provisions such as
allowing police to arrest individuals without a warrant.
   (Reuters, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Burkina Faso
banned night-time use of motorcycles in an eastern region plagued by
hit-and-run raids by jihadist rebels.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, China unveiled a
slew of changes under mounting pressure from US President Donald
Trump over technology. Beijing promised to cut tariffs, open its
auto industry and buy American exports. But none of that was what
Trump wanted: An end to development policies Washington says are
based on theft of know-how and might erode US industrial leadership.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Chinese police
said they had arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with the
theft of client information from Shanghai-based hotel operator
Huazhu Group.
   (Reuters, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Cyprus and Egypt
signed an agreement paving the way for the Mediterranean’s first
subsea pipeline to carry Cypriot natural gas to the Arab country for
re-export to Europe.
   (AFP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, The chief
executive of Denmark's largest bank, Thomas Borgen, resigned after
an internal report into allegations of massive money laundering via
an Estonian subsidiary showed that "the vast majority" of
transactions were deemed to be "suspicious."
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Amnesty
International accused Egypt's government of mounting a crackdown on
freedom of expression that had turned the country into an "open-air
prison" for critics. The rights group said authorities had arrested
at least 111 people since December for criticizing Pres. Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi and Egypt's human rights situation.
   (Reuters, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, EU Council
President Donald Tusk issued a stark warning to Britain that its
Brexit position must be "reworked", as PM Theresa May prepared to
address European leaders at a key summit.
   (AFP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, A French court of
appeals upheld a Sept. 2017 ruling that two directors of French
celebrity magazine Closer should be fined a maximum 45,000 euros
($52,500) for breaching the privacy of Kate Middleton, when
publishing topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge sunbathing
back in 2012.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, India's government
approved an ordinance to implement a top court ruling striking down
the Muslim practice that allows men to instantly divorce.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Police in
Indian-controlled Kashmir fired tear gas and used batons to break up
religious processions marking the Muslim month of Muharram.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Indonesia's
president signed a three-year moratorium on all new palm oil
plantation development, in a move hailed by environmentalists.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Ireland a woman
died after a caravan she was sleeping in was blown off a cliff in
Galway County as the British Isles were battered by a heavy storm.
The storm, dubbed Ali, also left around 55,000 homes and businesses
without power, mainly in the southwest of Ireland. An engineer
working for the Northern Ireland Water utility was killed in an
incident involving a tree.
   (AP, 9/19/18)(Reuters, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Human Rights Watch
said Kyrgyzstan has convicted hundreds of people for extremism by
using an excessively broad definition of the crime, and it urged the
largely Muslim Central Asian nation to review such cases. The
Bishkek government said that such cases would be reviewed after
legal reforms next year.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Malaysia's former
PM Najib Razak was arrested and will face further charges of abuse
of power over the multimillion-dollar looting of a state investment
fund.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Malaysian
officials said police are investigating a case of alcohol poisoning
that killed at least 21 people, with dozens more hospitalized, most
of them citizens of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal.
   (Reuters, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, The leaders of
North and South Korea announced a wide range of agreements which
they said were a major step toward peace on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea agreed to permanently dismantle a launch pad and an
engine-testing facility at its northwestern rocket-firing center in
the presence of international experts.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Pakistan's former
prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son in-law, were
released from a prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi after a
court suspended their prison sentences while they appeal.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Palestinian
protests escalated after the failure of Egyptian-led efforts to
broker a deal between the Islamic militant group Hamas and Israel to
ease the Gaza blockade. Thousands of employees of the UN agency for
Palestinian refugees protested in Gaza against forced redundancies
as a result of US funding cuts.
   (AP, 9/19/18)(AFP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Russia's election
commission recommended re-running a key regional poll, an
unprecedented move triggered by claims of vote-rigging in favor of a
candidate backed by Vladimir Putin.
   (AFP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In southern
Somalia an overnight air strike reportedly hit an al-Shabab training
school and nearby hospital in Sakow. Several senior officials in the
extremist group were reported killed or wounded.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Spain a man
(63) who owned an "arsenal of weapons" was arrested in the
northeastern city of Terrassa in Catalonia for threatening to kill
PM Pedro Sanchez. The man wanted to kill Sanchez because he was
furious at the prime minister's move to exhume late dictator
Francisco Franco from his high-profile resting place near Madrid.
The story was only made public on Nov. 8.
   (AFP, 11/8/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In eSwatini
(formerly Swaziland) riot police and water canon trucks dispersed
several hundred trade union protesters over low wages in the second
city of Manzini.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Syrian opposition
activists said thousands of people who were recently displaced by
violence in northwest Syria have returned home following a
Russia-Turkey deal that averted a government offensive on the last
major rebel stronghold.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In southern
Thailand suspected insurgents killed one person and wounded four
others in a roadside ambush in Yala province. Police suspected the
assault was carried out by Muslim separatists.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Turkey's Court of
Appeals changed the conviction charge for Serkan Golge, a Turkish-US
citizen and former NASA scientist arrested on terrorism, charges, to
aiding, rather than being a member of, a terror organization, and
reduced his 7-1/2-year prison sentence to five years. Golge denied
both charges and planned to appeal.
   (Reuters, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, In Ukraine the
legislature in the Lviv region voted to "impose a moratorium on the
public broadcast and use of Russian-language content" until Russia
withdraws all of its troops from Ukraine.
   (AP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, The UN said more
than 500 people have died from cholera in the Lake Chad region since
the start of the year, representing the worst outbreak to hit the
area in four years. The Lake Chad region straddles parts of Nigeria,
Cameroon, Chad and Niger, which are also grappling with a jihadist
insurgency.
   (AFP, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, A new UN report
indicated that Colombian coca cultivation increased 17 percent in
2017.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 19, Zambian President
Edgar Lungu fired a cabinet minister in charge of social welfare
funds after Britain and Finland froze aid over suspicions that $4
million of funding may have been misused. Olipa Phiri was made
Community Development and Social Welfare Minister, replacing Emerine
Kabanshi.
   (Reuters, 9/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, The United States
blacklisted 33 Russian nationals and three entities in a new round
of sanctions for the Russian interference in the 2016 election. One
of the companies is an aircraft-making factory in Russia's Far East.
The US also imposed sanctions on a Chinese military agency over the
purchase of Russian weapons.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, The US National
Book Foundation announced that Isabel Allende will be given a medal
for "distinguished contribution to American letters." The Peruvian
native is the first Spanish-language author and first since Saul
Bellow (in 1990) born outside the US to receive the prize.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Arizona eight
people, including four illegal immigrants wee killed in a head-on
collision near Florence.
   (SFC, 9/21/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, California's Gov.
Jerry Brown signed a bill that as of January 1 bans dine-in
restaurants from handing out plastic straws unless a customer asks
for one.
   (SFC, 9/21/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In the SF Bay Area
Roy Charles Waller (58) of Benicia was taken into custody in
Berkeley after being linked to DNA evidence from crimes by his
family lineage. Waller was suspected of being the NorCal Rapist, a
serial predator accused of sexually assaulting women over a span of
15 years beginning in 1991. On Jan. 7, 2019, Waller was charged with
28 new crimes.
   (SFC, 9/22/18, p.A1)(SFC, 1/8/19, p.C4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Maryland
Snochia Mosely (26) used a handgun to kill three workers at a
drugstore warehouse in Aberdeen and then killed herself. Several
others were wounded. Mosely had been diagnosed with mental illness
in 2016.
   (SFC, 9/21/18, p.A7)(SFC, 9/22/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Nebraska about
500 Myanmar refugees were relocated from an apartment complex in
Omaha after units were deemed unlivable.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Texas woman
Yanette Rodriguez Acosta (35) was sentenced to 88 months in federal
prison for her role in what investigators called a "virtual
kidnapping" extortion scam with ties to Mexico. Prosecutors say
there were no kidnappings.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, It was reported
that Bank of America has paid $30 million to settle charges that it
attempted to manipulate global interest rates and knowingly filed
false reports over six years from 2007-2012.
   (SFC, 9/20/18, p.C5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Nissan recalled
more than 215,000 cars and SUVs in the US due to a fire risk and
advised people to park the vehicles outdoors in rare cases.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Botswana rejected
claims of a surge of elephant poaching made by a leading
conservation charity and put on display carcasses of animals
allegedly slaughtered for ivory -- some with tusks still intact.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, British foreign
minister Jeremy Hunt called for justice on the Rohingya crisis after
his visit to Myanmar's Rakhine state, telling embattled leader Aung
San Suu Kyi the world "won't let it rest".
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Toronto marketing
company AHLOT said it has received more than 500 applications for
six part-time positions for cannabis enthusiasts" to test strains of
pot and report back on their characteristics. Recreational-use pot
becomes legal in Canada on October 17.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, China's state
television said the government will strengthen the coordination of
supervision over "systematically important" financial institutions,
citing a central government meeting at which President Xi Jinping
presided. The meeting also decided that China would reform and
improve vaccine production and management, after recent vaccine
scandals.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Colombia three
geologists of Canadian miner Continental Gold were killed in the
northern Antioquia province in an armed attack attributed to
dissident members of the former FARC rebel group. More than 1,200
former FARC fighters did not lay down their arms and instead founded
new groups dedicated largely to drug trafficking and illegal mining.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, A Congolese woman
(32), who refused an Ebola vaccination and then disappeared, died of
the virus near the heavily traveled border with Uganda, which is
preparing to begin vaccinations as needed.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, An Egyptian court
ordered the release from detention of former president Hosni
Mubarak's two sons who are on trial on insider trading charges.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, EU leaders meeting
in Austria called for more intense talks with Egypt and other North
African countries to take further steps against illegal migration to
Europe, particularly by fighting those who smuggle and traffic them.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In France dozens
of farmers and lawmakers stormed out of a meeting with the new
environment minister after he confirmed that two more bears would
soon be released into the Pyrenees mountains. Some 40 brown bears
currently roam the range between France and Spain after France began
importing them from Slovenia in 1996 after the native population had
been hunted to near-extinction.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In Germany a man
(23) killed his baby son by throwing the infant from the 7th floor
of a high-rise building before jumping to his death in Berlin.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Iran hit back at a
US offer of negotiations, saying Washington had violated the terms
of the last big deal they agreed, the 2015 nuclear accord.
   (Reuters, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Japanese PM Shinzo
Abe was re-elected as head of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party in
a landslide, paving the way for up to three more years as the
nation's leader and a push toward a constitutional revision.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Malaysian
prosecutors charged former PM Najib Razak with 21 counts of money
laundering and four counts of abuse of power over hundreds of
millions of dollars received in his personal bank account. The
charges bring the total number against Najib to 32 as investigators
ramp up a probe into how billions went missing from scandal-plagued
1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state fund.
   (Reuters, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Malta's PM Joseph
Muscat signaled unexpected support from EU leaders for a second
referendum on Brexit in Britain, boosting a growing campaign for a
new poll despite the British government's trenchant opposition.
   (AFP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In northern
Mozambique 12 villagers were killed and 14 injured in an attack late
today by suspected jihadists in the village of Paqueue. Separately a
military convoy came under attack near the Tanzanian border north of
Paqueue, killing a senior army officer.
   (AFP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In the Netherlands
a train slammed into an electric cargo bike in the southern town of
Oss, killing four young children and leaving two other people
critically injured.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, A Pakistani
official said PM Imran Khan has written to his Indian counterpart
Narendra Modi, seeking to resolve outstanding disputes between the
two nuclear-armed nations, including the issue of the divided region
of Kashmir.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, In the central
Philippines a landslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 21
people on the fringes of Naga City, Cebu province. Security forces
and rescue workers raced to uncover dozens more feared trapped. The
tally of missing stood at about 50.
   (Reuters, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Russian election
officials in the Far East cancelled the results of the Sept. 16
gubernatorial election following reports of blatant vote rigging and
said they will hold a new vote.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, The World
Anti-Doping Agency WADA) reinstated Russia despite a wave of
protests, ending the nearly three-year suspension of the country's
drug-testing program because of a state-sponsored doping scheme.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, South Korean
President Moon Jae-in returned home from a whirlwind three-day
summit with Kim Jong Un. Moon said the North Korean leader wants the
US secretary of state to visit Pyongyang soon for nuclear talks, and
also hopes for a quick follow-up to his June summit with President
Donald Trump.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, A Sudanese
military jet crashed near the city of Omdurman, killing the two
pilots on board.
   (AFP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Taiwan said it is
looking for Cody Wilson, the owner of a Texas company that sells
blueprints to make untraceable 3-D printed guns, wanted on an arrest
warrant tied to an accusation that he had sex with an underage girl
and paid her $500 afterward.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, in Tanzania the
ferry MV Nyerere, carrying more than 300 people, capsized just a few
meters from the dock on Ukerewe, Lake Victoria's biggest island. At
least 136 bodies were retrieved after the ferry sank.
   (Reuters, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Turkey's Treasury
and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak presented the government's
economic plan, which estimates 2.3 percent growth in 2019 and 3.5
percent in 2020. The previous forecast was 5.5 percent for both
years.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, Uganda's pop star
politician Bobi Wine, aka Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, vowed to continue his
fight for more freedom in the country "or we shall die trying,"
shortly after security forces took him into custody on his arrival
from the United States after treatment for alleged torture.
   (AP, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 20, The Vatican
accepted a request from a bishop in India to be temporarily relieved
of his pastoral duties as police questioned him for a second day. A
nun from the southern state of Kerala has accused Bishop Franco
Mulakkal, who heads the Diocese of Jalandhar, of raping her
repeatedly over a period of two years.
   (Reuters, 9/20/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Pres. Donald Trump
reversed himself and said he was no longer demanding that documents
related to the Russia investigation be immediately declassified and
released to the public.
   (SFC, 9/22/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Residents in
communities of North Carolina and South Carolina were still being
forced to flee to higher ground eight days after Hurricane Florence
hit with nearly 3 feet of rain. The death toll reached at least 42
people.
   (SFC, 9/22/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Fabrizio Stabile
(29) of New Jersey died of a rare "brain-eating amoeba" after
visiting the BSR Cable Park and Surf Resort in Waco, Texas. In 2019
his mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking more than $1
million.
   (SFC, 4/18/19, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Texas authorities
in Freeport found 540 packages of cocaine in 45 boxes of bananas
donated to a state prison.
   (SFC, 9/24/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Cody Wilson (30)
officially resigned from his Texas company that sells blueprints for
making untraceable 3-D printed guns.
   (SFC, 9/26/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Afghanistan at
least eight children were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in
northern Faryab province.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, British fashion
model George Koh (24) was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison
for murdering Harry Uzoka (25) a more successful rival during a
fight over a love interest.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Cambodia granted a
royal pardon to Australian filmmaker James Ricketson, who was
sentenced last month to six years in prison on spying charges in a
trial widely criticized as unfair.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Canada began
hosting a two-day summit bringing together more than half of the
world's top female foreign ministers in Montreal.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Canada a
tornado sparked chaos near the capital Ottawa, injuring dozens as
homes were damaged, cars flipped over, and over 130,000 people left
without power.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, China said it was
"outraged" over US economic sanctions against a Chinese military
agency and its director over the purchase of Russian fighter jets
and surface-to-air missile equipment, and demanded the US cancel the
measure.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, It was reported
that Chinese authorities are placing the children of Uighurs and
other ethnic minorities into dozens of state-run orphanages across
the far western Xinjiang region, as around 1 million adults in their
families are sent to internment camps.
   (Reuters, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, China placed Nur
Bekri, one of the country's most senior ethnic Uighur officials,
head of the energy administration and a former governor of the
restive region of Xinjiang, under investigation for suspected graft.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi inaugurated his country's embassy in the Dominican
Republic almost five months after the two nations established
diplomatic relations.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, An appeals court
in Denmark said Wenceslas Twagirayezu (49) can be extradited to his
native Rwanda where he is suspected of committing crimes against
humanity in 1994.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, The International
Criminal Court at The Hague decided not to open a formal probe into
claims of violence in Gabon after a disputed 2016 presidential poll
in the country ruled by the same family for nearly 50 years.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, India called off a
planned meeting between its foreign minister and her Pakistani
counterpart on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in
New York this month following the killing of an Indian border guard
in Kashmir and Pakistan's glorification of insurgents fighting
Indian rule in the Himalayan territory.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, A Japanese
spacecraft released two small rovers on an asteroid in a mission
that could provide clues to the origin of the solar system. The two
Minerva-II-1 rovers were lowered from the unmanned spacecraft
Hayabusa2 to the asteroid Ryugu.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Kashmir nearly
two dozen anti-India rebels stormed the homes in two southern
villages, took away three off-duty officers and a fourth person who
had resigned from the police days earlier. The three were shot dead
and the former officer was released unharmed. Indian government
forces killed five suspected militants, ending a two-day gunbattle
in the northwestern Bandipora area.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Libya the
latest bout of fighting between rival militias in the capital
Tripoli left 10 people dead and 18 people missing. The fighting
further strained a cease-fire that has been in force since September
4.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Malawi several
hundred anti-graft activists took to the streets to protest against
alleged corruption in the government of President Peter Mutharika.
   (AFP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Mexico gunmen
killed a journalist who had received threats after reporting on
corruption in the southern state of Chiapas, in what was at least
the ninth murder of a reporter in the country this year.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Mexican
authorities released photos of victims from a mass grave in Veracruz
state where 174 human skulls have been found in recent weeks. It was
confirmed that children were among the victims.
   (SFC, 9/24/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, The Norwegian
Police detained a Russian citizen on suspicion of illegal
intelligence activities. The man had attended a seminar this week on
digitalization in the Norwegian Parliament.
   (Reuters, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Women's rights
groups in Portugal reacted angrily to a court's suspended sentence
for two men found guilty of sexually assaulting an incapacitated
woman who had passed out drunk at a night club in 2016.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, In Somalia US
forces acting in self defense called in an airstrike on al Shabaab
militants in the southern province of Lower Juba, killing an
estimated 18 Islamist extremists. Somali government troops
accompanying the US unit killed two other fighters of the al
Qaeda-linked group with small arms fire during the clash.
   (Reuters, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, A top Turkish
official said Turkey will soon conduct joint patrols with US forces
in the strategic northern Syrian town of Manbij, once a stronghold
of the Islamic State group.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, The Vatican said
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of two more Chilean
bishops, in his latest move to confront a widening worldwide sexual
abuse scandal.
   (Reuters, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, Vietnamese
President Tran Dai Quang (61)(, the country's No. 2 after the ruling
Communist Party's leader, died after a serious illness.
   (AP, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 21, The World Health
Organization (WHO) said more than 3 million people died in 2016 due
to drinking too much alcohol, meaning one in 20 deaths worldwide was
linked to harmful drinking.
   (Reuters, 9/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In eastern
Afghanistan women and children were among 9 members of a family
reportedly killed after an "aerial ordnance" hit the home of a
teacher in the Tagab district of Kapisa province. Afghan ground
troops involved in a gunbattle had been forced to call in US air
support. US Forces assessment showed 9 militants killed.
   (AFP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Hundreds of
marchers demanded better protection for British wildlife at the
People's Walk for Wildlife in Hyde Park.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, A Chinese navy
hospital ship docked near Venezuela's capital as the OPEC nation's
deepening economic crisis garners the attention of the US and other
world powers. The stop by the People's Liberation Army Navy's ship
is the latest in an 11-nation "Mission Harmony" tour.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In eastern
CongoDRC at least 14 civilians and four soldiers were killed in a
six-hour attack by rebels on the town of Beni. Local officials
warned the unrest could hamper efforts to quash an Ebola epidemic in
the area.
   (Reuters, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Egypt's highest
appeals court rejected a motion by former president Hosni Mubarak
and his two sons to overturn their conviction on corruption charges.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Germany the
185th Oktoberfest got under way in Munich.
   (SSFC, 9/23/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Hong Kong opened a
new high-speed rail link to inland China that will vastly decrease
travel times but also raises concerns about Beijing's creeping
influence over the semi-autonomous Chinese region.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Iran gunmen
shot dead at least 29 people including women and children in an
attack on a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. Three
attackers were killed at the scene, and a fourth died later of his
injuries. The Ahvaz National Resistance, an umbrella organization of
all armed movements, claimed responsibility. Five attackers were
killed in the attack on a military parade in southwest Iran that
killed 25 people.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)(Reuters, 9/22/18)(Reuters,
9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Iran nine men
convicted of raping a woman were hanged. The woman had withdrawn her
complaint but that authorities carried out the punishment anyway.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, A boat with 39
Syrian refugees aboard sank off the coast of Lebanon as it sailed
illegally for Cyprus and most were rescued by the Lebanese army but
a five-year-old boy drowned.
   (Reuters, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Lithuania's Pres.
Dalia Grybauskaite welcomed Pope Francis and expressed gratitude for
paying tribute to Holocaust victims in the Baltic nation. Francis
said at the start of a four-day trip to the Baltics that Lithuania
should see its painful past under Soviet and Nazi domination as an
impetus to promote tolerance in Europe.
   (AP, 9/22/18)(Reuters, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Police in the
Maldives raided the main campaign office of the opposition
presidential candidate on the eve of an election viewed as a
referendum on whether democracy will survive in the country.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In southwestern
Nigeria voters in the state of Osun went to the polls to elect a new
governor amid growing concerns about free and fair voting, six
months ahead of a presidential election.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Pirates off
Nigeria's coast attacked the MV Glarus early today as it sailed from
Lagos to Port Harcourt with a load of wheat. The next day
Geneva-based Massoel Shipping said 12 of the ships 19 crew members
had been kidnapped.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Pakistani PM Imran
Khan labeled India arrogant for cancelling what would have been the
countries' first high-level talks in years.
   (Reuters, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Thousands rallied
across Russia to protest the government's plan to raise the
eligibility age for retirement pensions by five years. Communist
Party chief Gennady Zyuganov called for rolling back the proposed
changes, arguing that the government should redistribute resources
to avoid raising the pension age.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, South Africa's
largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) launched its
campaign ahead of highly contested elections due next year.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, In Tanzania a
survivor was found inside a capsized ferry two days after the
disaster on Lake Victoria, while coffins arrived for at least 209
victims and counting.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, Severe floods
struck northeastern Tunisia, killing at least four people and
damaging homes, bridges, roads and fields.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, The United Nations
said a cholera outbreak in north-eastern Nigeria has claimed nearly
100 lives over the past two weeks.
   (AFP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, The Vatican signed
a landmark agreement giving it a long-desired say in the appointment
of bishops in China, though critics labeled the deal a sellout to
the Communist government. The provisional agreement was signed in
Beijing by deputy foreign ministers from both sides.
   (AP, 9/22/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Texas Cody
Wilson (30) was booked into Harris County Jail in Houston early
today and was being held on $150,000 bond after being arrested in
Taiwan on Sept. 21, where police say he flew after learning he was
being investigated for allegedly having sex with an underage girl.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 22, US cable giant
Comcast outbid Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox in a blind auction
for the European TV operator Sky that all but settled a titanic
battle between the two media empires. Comcast offered to pay £30.4
billion ($39.7 billion, 33.8 billion euros). Fox's highest offer was
worth £27.6 billion.
   (AFP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Armenia an
election was held to replace Taron Margaryan, an influential member
of the former ruling Republican Party, who resigned as mayor of
Yerevan in July. The My Step Alliance, which includes PM Nikol
Pashinyan's Civil Contract Party, won 81.05 percent of the vote.
That means its candidate Hayk Marutyan, a comedian who plays a
harried father and shop owner on a sitcom on Armenian television,
will become the mayor.
   (Reuters, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Australia a
Fisheries Queensland spokesman said four large sharks have been
killed after a woman and a 12-year-old girl were attacked in
separate incidents just a day apart last week at the Whitsunday
Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.
   (AFP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, British opposition
leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would back a second Brexit referendum
if his Labour Party votes to pursue the move, heaping pressure on PM
Theresa May whose plans for a divorce deal with the EU have hit an
impasse.
   (Reuters, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Burkina Faso
three miners -- a Burkinabe national, an Indian and a South African
-- were seized by armed men between Djibo and a local gold mine.
Hours later, three police officers deployed to help search for the
trio were killed in a clash with armed men at Tongomael, about 30 km
(20 miles) away.
   (AFP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, An Egyptian court
sentenced 64 people to varying prison terms and one man to death
over violence in 2013 when the military overthrew the elected
Islamist president. The ruling can still be appealed.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Sports car maker
Porsche said it would become the first German auto giant to abandon
the diesel engine, reacting to parent company Volkswagen's emissions
cheating scandal and urban driving bans.
   (AFP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Hong Kong
Charles K. Kao (84), who shared a 2009 Nobel Prize in physics for
pioneering work in optical fiber technology, died. Kao was a
researcher at ITT Corp. when in 1966 he and a colleague published a
paper that showed pure glass fibers could be used for communication.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, India's PM
Narendra Modi launched the world's biggest health insurance scheme,
dubbed "Modicare," promising free coverage for half a billion of
India's poorest citizens ahead of national elections next year.
   (AFP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In India at least
40 Maoist rebels were involved in the fatal shooting of lawmaker
Kidari Sarveshwara Rao, an Andhra Pradesh state assembly member from
the ruling Telugu Desam party, while he visited with constituents of
a tribal area about 700 km (435 miles) northeast of Hyderabad. His
supporters attacked two police stations in anger over the killing,
setting fire to one and vandalizing the other.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Lithuania Pope
Francis paid homage to Holocaust victims who perished in the Vilnius
ghetto, 75 years to the day after the Nazis liquidated it, and
warned 100,000 Lithuanians gathered for mass against "pernicious
attitudes" leading to genocide.
   (AFP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, The Maldives held
its third multiparty presidential election. Strongman President
Yameen Abdul Gayoom lost the election to his challenger, longtime
lawmaker Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (56).
   (AP, 9/23/18)(AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Nigeria the
governorship election in southwest Osun state ended in a stalemate
when the nation's electoral body failed to declare a clear winner. A
run off between Gboyega Oyetola from President Muhammadu Buhari's
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ademola Adeleke of the
main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is expected to be
held on October 27.
   (AFP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Pakistan gunmen
attacked the base camp of a pro-government militia early today,
killing four of its members in the Dasht-e-Goran area of
Baluchistan.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Panama's maritime
authority said it has begun procedures to remove the registration of
Aquarius 2 after Italy complained the boat's captain failed to
follow orders to return rescued migrants to Libya. Humanitarian
groups described Panama's move as shameful.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Swiss voters
decisively rejected more help for farmers in two referendums today,
heeding the government's warnings that the measures would send food
prices rocketing and hurt the economy.
   (Reuters, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, Swiss voters in
St. Gallen approved by a two-thirds majority a ban on facial
coverings such as the burqa, becoming the second Swiss canton to do
so.
   (Reuters, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, It was reported
that two insurgent groups in Syria have rejected a deal reached this
month between Russia and Turkey to establish a demilitarized zone in
Idlib region.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 23, In Tanzania
burials started of the 224 people who died when a ferry capsized on
Lake Victoria. No one is sure how many people were on the
overcrowded ferry, which officials said had a capacity of 101.
   (AP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Donald Trump
arrived at the UN for a meeting on the global drug trade, ahead of a
sit-down with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who comes bearing
a personal message to Trump from Kim after their inter-Korean talks
last week. Some 129 countries at the UN signed on to a US-drafted
pledge to fight the global drug problem.
   (AP, 9/24/18)(Reuters, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The US State
Department approved the sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16
fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The US and China
officially put new tariffs on each other's goods. China also
reportedly pulled out of a meeting to discuss trade. Oil prices
jumped after OPEC decided not to produce more oil.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Montana a US
judge in Billings restored protections to grizzly bears in the
Northern Rocky Mountains and blocked the first hunts in the lower 48
states planned in almost three decades.
   (SFC, 9/25/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The New York-based
Open Society Foundations (OSF) said in a statement that it had
submitted a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in
Strasbourg, calling on it to "defend Hungarian democracy" and urge a
repeal of Hungary's controversial "Stop Soros" laws adopted last
June.
   (AFP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Texas the
Dallas police chief dismissed Officer Amber Guyger, who was charged
with manslaughter in the Sept. 6 shooting of Botham Jean (26).
   (SFC, 9/25/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, A federal judge in
Texas sentenced John Portillo (59), the national vice-president of
the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Prganization, to two consecutive life
terms and another 20 years for directing a violent
racketeering and drug trafficking enterprise.
   (SFC, 9/26/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Two Saudi Arabian
sisters, Tala Farea (16) and Rotana Farea (22), were last seen in
Virginia, where they lived. Police later said they appeared to have
traveled to NYC. On Oct. 24 their bound bodies washed up on NYC's
waterfront.
   (SFC, 11/1/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Brexit advocates
unveiled a new economic plan for Britain's departure from the
European Union as official figures emerged showing the country's
increasingly deteriorating trade in goods relationship with the
bloc.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, ELN Marxist rebels
in Colombia said they will not suspend their insurgency until
President Ivan Duque names a new team of peace negotiators to
restart Cuban-hosted talks.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In CongoDRC the
death toll from a weekend attack in the restive east rose to 21,
with the violence prompting aid groups to suspend their Ebola work
in the area.
   (AFP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Costa Rica
American businessman William Sean Creighton Kopko was
kidnapped. On Jan 12, 2019, police in Costa Rica and Spain said they
have arrested 12 people alleged to have been involved in the
kidnapping. The victim was still missing.
   (AP, 1/12/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The EU referred
Poland to its top court for an alleged breach of the independence of
its supreme court, the latest showdown between Brussels and populist
member state governments.
   (AFP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Authorities in
Hong Kong took an unprecedented step to quash separatist voices by
banning the Hong Kong National Party, led by Andy Chan (27).
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, India's army said
five suspected militants and a soldier have been killed in two days
of fighting near the highly militarized de facto frontier that
divides the disputed region of Kashmir.
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Italy tightened
criteria for migrants receiving humanitarian protection as its
populist government deepened its crackdown on those seeking asylum.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Kenyan police
charged Migori province Gov. Okoth Obado with the murder of a
university student who claimed he had impregnated her in an
extramarital affair. Sharon Otieno was kidnapped along with
journalist Barack Oduor last month when they were due to meet with
the governor. Otieno's body was later found in a forest.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Kenya's military
said it's killed 10 rebels from the al-Shabab extremist group in an
ambush in the south where several soldiers have died from roadside
bombs.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Pope Francis
traveled to Latvia and praised Latvians for persevering through the
horrors of Soviet and Nazi occupation, persecution and exile.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Moldova's
Constitutional Court temporarily stripped the country's pro-Moscow
President Igor Dodon of his duties for refusing to endorse new
ministers in a political standoff.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Myanmar's army
chief warned against foreign interference as world leaders gather at
the UN to find ways to hold the country's powerful generals
accountable for atrocities against Rohingya Muslims last year.
   (Reuters, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, In Norway a man
(51) was convicted of terror offenses for providing online
instructions on how to carry out attacks and sentenced to 2 ½ years
in prison. The man had denied calling for acts of terror, adding
that he had wanted to infiltrate IS to destroy it from the inside.
   (AP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Staff at the
United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees went on strike in the
Gaza Strip to protest against job losses and US funding cuts.
   (AFP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Russia announced
it will supply an S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Syria in
two weeks against strong Israeli objections, a week after Moscow
blamed Israel for indirectly causing the downing of a Russian
military plane in Syria.
   (Reuters, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, Swedish
authorities said they had temporarily halted the deportation of
Muslim minority Uighurs to China due to concerns over the situation
there.
   (AFP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, The UN World Food
Program took its campaign to fight world hunger to a global cinema
audience with an innovative, interactive advertisement.
   (AFP, 9/24/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 24, A court in
southern Vietnam sentenced activist Doan Khanh Vinh Quang (42) to 27
months in prison for Facebook posts that judges said insulted the
ruling Communist Party and government and called for anti-government
protests.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The United States
imposed new sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's wife
and key members of his government, including the vice president and
defense minister, accusing them of plundering the country's wealth
and helping Maduro maintain his grip on power.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The
Washington-based World Bank said it has approved $80 million in
grants to Somalia to fund public finance reforms, marking the first
disbursement to the government of the conflict-ridden country in 30
years.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In San Francisco
the discovery of a cracked steel beam forced the abrupt closure of
the new $2.2 billion Transbay Transit Center.
   (SFC, 9/26/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Sydney Goldstein
Goldstein, founder of the onstage City Arts and Lectures series in
the SF Bay Area, died in Los Angeles. She founded the program in
1980 and ran it for 37 years.
   (SFC, 9/26/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, New York-based
Human Rights Watch accused Yemen's Shiite rebels, known as Houthis,
of committing abuses including hostage taking, torture and enforced
disappearances of people they hold in detention.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, It was reported
that NY-based Michael Kors is buying the Italian fashion house
Gianni Versace in a deal worth more than $2 billion.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The president of
Argentina's central bank, Luis Caputo, abruptly resigned after just
a few months in the position, amid a volatile economic crisis as a
24-hour general strike paralyzed the country.
   (AFP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Bahrain charged
169 people with being part of a militant group they referred to as
the "Bahraini Hezbollah," the latest mass prosecution in the kingdom
amid a years long crackdown on all dissent.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, British boxing
authorities fined WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders
100,000 pounds ($131,000) after video footage showed him appearing
to offer drugs to a woman.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, British PM Theresa
May lobbied for the release of detained British-Iranian aid worker
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe during a meeting on Tuesday with Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani at the United Nations General Assembly in
New York.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, A beluga whale was
spotted in the River Thames estuary outside London, far from its
natural Arctic habitat.
   (AFP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, China warned that
the US move to sell to Taiwan spare parts for F-16 fighter planes
and other military aircraft jeopardized Sino-US cooperation.
Taiwan's Presidential Office thanked the United States for its
support.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Interpol chief
Meng Hongwei was reported missing after traveling from France to his
native China. His wife was soon placed under police protection after
receiving threats.
   (Reuters, 10/6/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In CongoDRC four
pro-democracy Filimbi activists were sentenced to 12 months behind
bars for insulting the president. Seven activists from a
pro-democracy movement called Congolese Stand Up! remained in secret
detention.
   (AFP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Pope Francis
arrived in Estonia and wound up a trip to the Baltic states. He said
that nations should not measure their strength by their military
capability to prevail over others. Estonia has only about 4,500
Catholics, or about 0.4 percent of the population of 1.3 million.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, A news report said
European Commission inspectors have found widespread irregularities
in EU-financed projects in Hungary raising the risk that the EU
could withhold development funds worth $1.8 billion.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, A German court
said it could not enforce a Chilean prison sentence for Hartmut Hopp
(74), a German former member of a Nazi pedophile sect, for
complicity in child sex abuse because the evidence the Chilean court
had provided against him fell short of that required under German
judicial standards. Dr. Hopp was the right-hand man of convicted
pedophile Paul Schaefer, a former Wehrmacht soldier and lay preacher
who in 1961 founded the "Colonia Dignidad" commune that
indoctrinated residents and kept them as virtual slaves.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The head of the
Catholic Church in Germany apologized "for all the failure and
pain", after a report spanning a 70-year period ending in 2014,
found indications of sexual abuse by 1,670 clerics, with more than
3,700 possible victims.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In India the
relatives of thousands of workers who died cleaning sewers protested
in New Delhi, aiming to stop the practice of workers entering
underground conduits to unclog drains and remove waste with their
bare hands.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In Indonesia
Greenpeace activists scaled storage tanks at a palm oil refinery
along with a popular rock band which played pro-environment songs,
protesting against a commodity found in everything from soap to
biscuits. The protest ended after 12 hours.
   (AFP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In Iraq gunmen
killed activist Soad al-Ali in Basra. He had organized protests
demanding better services and jobs and decried the growing influence
of Iran-backed Shiite militias in the area.
   (SFC, 10/4/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Israel opened a
high-speed rail link between Tel Aviv's international airport and
Jerusalem, part of a $2 billion project that has drawn Palestinian
complaints over its route through small parts of the occupied West
Bank.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Lebanon's
parliament ratified the 2014 international Arms Trade Treaty,
angering Hezbollah legislators, some of whom walked out in protest.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In northern Mali
at least 15 Tuaregs were killed when armed men from a rival ethnic
group attacked their village.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Morocco's navy
opened fire on a speedboat carrying more than two dozen migrants. A
migrant (22) studying law died before reaching a hospital. Three
others were wounded. Two Spanish captains were arrested.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Medical charity
Doctors Without Borders warned over unprecedented levels of child
mortality in southern Niger during the past month, with 10 children
dying per day. Most of the deaths were linked to surging cases of
malaria or malnutrition.
   (AFP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, It was reported
that Pakistani businessmen, whose wives and children are trapped in
China's restive Xinjiang, are traveling to Beijing to lobby their
embassy, in hopes that the south Asian nation's new government will
pressure its ally for their release.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, In the Philippines
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, President Rodrigo Duterte's fiercest
critic in Congress was arrested, after the president revoked his
2011 amnesty for a failed coup attempt and revived rebellion charges
against him in an unprecedented legal move the senator called a blow
to democracy. Trillanes posted bail.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Portugal said that
it would take in 10 of 58 migrants from the Aquarius rescue ship, as
European countries battled to defuse a fresh row over asylum seekers
picked up in the Mediterranean. France and Spain also agreed to take
in migrants from the Aquarius.
   (AFP, 9/25/18)(Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Portugal's
attorney general's office said authorities have detained military
police investigators and members of the country's paramilitary
National Republican Guard in connection with last year's theft of
weapons from the national armory.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Saudi Arabia's
King Salman inaugurated a 6.7 billion euro ($7.87 billion),
high-speed, 450-km (280-mile) Haramain Railway linking Mecca and
Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam.
   (Reuters, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, A new study said
South Sudan's civil war has caused the deaths of at least 382,900
people, far higher than previous estimates and more than the
conflict in Syria. The statistical research was carried out by the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and was published
after being commissioned by the US Institute for Peace in
partnership with the US State Department.
   (AFP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Sweden's
center-right opposition and the far right ousted PM Stefan Lofven in
a vote of no-confidence, as the left and right blocs wrangle over
who can form a new government after neither won a majority in
September 9 elections.
   (AFP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Sweden's public
broadcaster said it regretted that a satirical show it aired about
China offended some — but stressed that it would not apologize to
Beijing for the sketch.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Police in northern
Thailand said they have discovered the buried bodies of a missing
British expatriate and his Thai wife, and have arrested the woman's
brother for allegedly ordering their murder. The dead couple, who
had been together for 30 years, had been dead for about a week.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, Thai police handed
over around 100 kg (220 pounds) of seized marijuana for medical
research, as officials seek to produce pot-based medication.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, A Thai court
convicted nine young Muslim men from southern Thailand of planning
to set off a car bomb in the capital, in a case in which many of the
defendants said they were tortured into making false confessions.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The United Nations
and individual donors rushed food to a desperate corner of northern
Yemen where starving villagers were found to be living off leaves.
   (AP, 9/25/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 25, The UN said Afghan
and US air strikes have killed 149 civilians in the first six months
of this year.
   (SFC, 9/27/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, The Wall Street
Journal, citing US military officials, reported that the US will
pull four Patriot missile systems from Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain
next month.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, The US Federal
Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a
range between 2 and 2.5 percent. This was the third raise this year.
   (SFC, 9/27/18, p.C6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, It was reported
that San Francisco's lawyer fees to the Jones Day law firm, related
to the tilting Millenium Tower, had reached $15.7 million. The
structure was completed in 2008 at a cost of $350 million.
   (SFC, 8/1/16, p.A1)(SFC, 9/26/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, San Francisco
officials reported a 2nd cracked, steel beam in the new Transbay
Transit Center.
   (SFC, 9/27/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In southern
California Ramon Escobar (47) of El Salvador, deported from the US
six times, was charged with the three counts of murder and five
counts of attempted murder for recent attacks involving homeless
men. In December Escobar confessed to killing his aunt and uncle in
Texas before fleeing to California.Â
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.A12)(SFC, 12/24/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Comedian Bill
Cosby (81) began serving his three to ten year sentence for sexual
assault at he SCI Phoenix state prison in Collegeville, Pa.
   (SFC, 9/27/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Texas executed
drug dealer Troy Clark (51) for drowning his former roommate
Christina Muse of Tyler in his bathtub in May 1998.
   (SFC, 9/27/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Afghanistan an
air strike killed a woman and two teenage girls in Kunduz province.
   (SFC, 9/27/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Albania police
said Vincent "Dominic" De Caro and Arber Isaku, both 29-year-old New
York residents, have been arrested while trying to flee Albania at
the Morine border crossing. They were allegedly trying to produce
and sell synthetic drugs through the internet.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, An investigative
group in Britain named Bellingcat said one of the two suspects in
the March poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK is
in fact Col. Anatoliy Chepiga with the Russian military intelligence
agency GRU, who in 2014 was awarded Russia's highest medal.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In northern
Burkina Faso eight soldiers were killed by a blast in Soum province.
   (AFP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In northwestern
Cameroon separatist militants raided a prison and freed about 100
inmates, as the rebels vowed to block next month's presidential
election in English-speaking regions.
   (Reuters, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, The Leaders of
Chechnya and Ingushetia signed an agreement to swap what they
described as small plots of agricultural land. About 100 people
rallied in the capital of Ingushetia against the decision.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, China announced
more tariff cuts on construction machinery and other goods but no
action on US complaints about its technology policy that are fueling
an escalating trade battle.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, The Czech
Republic's central bank raised its key interest rate for the third
time since June, by a quarter point to 1.50 percent.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Denmark two
people were arrested in Copenhagen and charged with attempting to
supply Islamic State with drones, which the organization has used to
carry out attacks.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Egypt Coptic
monk Zeinoun al-Maqari died a day before he was scheduled to testify
for the prosecution in the trial of two monks — one of whom has been
defrocked — charged with the killing of the abbot. An autopsy showed
clear signs of poisoning. He had until recently belonged to a
monastery northwest of Cairo where Bishop Epiphanius was killed.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, India's top court
upheld the government's policy of issuing a 12-digit identification
number to every citizen, but said it can't be made mandatory for
services such as bank accounts, cellphone connections and school
admissions.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, A critically
endangered Sumatran tiger pregnant with two cubs was found dead in
the Indonesian province of Riau after being caught in a pig trap.
The tigers are estimated to have dwindled to about 400.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Libya's
internationally recognized government announced a new ceasefire deal
to end a month of fighting between rival militias south of Tripoli
that has left more than 100 dead.
   (AFP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Norway's
Borgarting Court of Appeals said there was evidence that Mikhail
Bochkaryov of Russia had collected information from computer and
wireless networks at the parliament last week, upholding a decision
by a lower court that he can be held for two weeks.
   (Reuters, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Two Pakistani men
went to their embassy in Beijing to lobby for help in reuniting with
their wives, who they say are ethnic Uighurs blocked from leaving
China.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, Amnesty
International reported that a contractor involved in building
infrastructure around the marquee stadium for Qatar's hosting of the
2022 World Cup did not pay its workers, leaving them stranded
thousands of miles from home.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Romania Ion
Ficior (90), an ex-prison chief serving a 20-year sentence there for
crimes against humanity, died He was incarcerated in 2017 for the
deaths of 103 political inmates while in charge of a communist-era
labor camp.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, The Russian
parliament's lower house passed a controversial pension reform bill,
after President Vladimir Putin announced concessions to try to
dampen widespread public anger over plans to raise the state
retirement age. The bill, which still has to go through the
formality of a third reading and a senate hearing, would see Russian
men retire at 65 instead of 60.
   (AFP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, A court in
Thailand gave a second life sentence to Xaysana Keophimpha, a drug
kingpin from Laos, whose social connections to various celebrities
were exposed by his arrest.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, A court in Vietnam
jailed 15 people for terms ranging from two to 4-1/2 years after
they were arrested during mass protests in June against plans for
special economic zones.
   (AP, 9/26/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 26, In Zimbabwe an
elephant trampled a German tourist (49) while she was trying to take
photos of it in Mana Pools National Park.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Speaking before
members of the US Senate Judiciary Committee University Prof.
Christine Blasey Ford (51) said she believed she was going to be
raped or accidentally killed during an alleged assault 36 years ago
by Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump's embattled nominee for the Supreme
Court. Kavanaugh (53) furiously refuted the testimony of Ford.
   (AFP, 9/27/18)(AFP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, The magazine of
the Jesuit religious order in the United States publicly withdrew
its endorsement of Judge Brett Kavanaugh as Supreme Court justice
following testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee by the
Jesuit-educated Kavanaugh and the woman accusing him of sexually
assaulting her decades ago.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, The US Justice
Department announced that US and Brazilian authorities have fined
Brazil's state oil giant Petrobras more than $853 million for
covering up a massive bribery scheme involving Brazilian politicians
and political parties. Brazil will receive 80 percent and the other
20 percent will be divided between the US Dept. of Justice and the
SEC.
   (AP, 9/27/18)(SFC, 9/28/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, US Interior Sec.
Ryan Zinke said 76 people have been arrested over the last few weeks
on drug charges in a sweep of traffickers on reservation land in
western North Carolina of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, California
Attorney General Xavier Becerra said police have busted a group of
17 people responsible for a series of Apple store robberies in 19
state counties.
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Marty Balin
(b.1942), co-founder of the San Francisco-based Jefferson Airplane
rock group (1965), died in Florida.
   (SFC, 9/29/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, It was reported
that the Atlanta-based CDC has estimated that 80,000 Americans died
of flu last winter.
   (SFC, 9/27/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, North Carolina
police said search crews have found the body of Maddox Ritch (6).
The autistic boy had disappeared Sept. 22 after running after a
jogger.
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, US Maj. Gen.
Sidney Shachnow (b.1934) died in Pinehurst, NC. He had escaped a
Nazi labor camp in Lithuania as a boy and rose through the ranks of
the US Army. His 2004 autobiography, "Hope and Honor," was written
with Jan Robbins.
   (SFC, 10/15/18, p.C12)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In Tennessee
Philip Trenary (64), president of the Greater Memphis chamber of
Commerce, was shot and killed near Beale St. Three people, ages 22,
18 and 16, were later charged in the shooting.
   (SFC, 10/1/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Texas executed
Daniel Acker (46) for fatally running over his girlfriend, Marquetta
George, in 2000.
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, The chairman of
the Australian Broadcasting Corp. resigned over allegations that he
pressured the independent national broadcaster to fire two political
journalists because the ruling conservative government disliked
them.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Burundi's
government suspended the operations of non-governmental
organizations for three months, saying that "many of them do not
respect the law."
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Beijing urged the
United States to stop slandering China after President Donald Trump
accused the Asian giant of trying to interfere in upcoming American
congressional elections.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Mustafa el-Nagar
(38), a former Egyptian lawmaker, went missing. His wife later said
he may have been detained by security forces.
   (AP, 10/17/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, The European Union
said it has approved 100 million euros ($116 million) in its
first-ever budget support to Somalia's government in the latest sign
of confidence in a country long shattered by conflict.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In France Pascal
Filoe, a city hall official in the southern city of Rodez, was
stabbed to death in a daylight attack. A suspect was arrested. Local
media reported that he acted out of vengeance days after his
unregistered attack dog was confiscated.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, German steel
company and industrial equipment maker Thyssenkrupp said it plans to
split into two separate entities that will be run as independent,
listed companies.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, India's Chief
Justice Dipak Misra and the rest of the five-member court struck
down a 158-year-old law that treated adultery in certain cases as a
criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison. The court
called the law unconstitutional and noted that a "husband is not the
master of woman." The law did not allow wives to prosecute
adulterous husbands.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Anti-India
protests and clashes erupted in several places in disputed Kashmir
after Indian troops killed a young shepherd who was tending his
sheep. An Indian soldier and three rebels were killed in two
separate gunbattles.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In Iraq Tara Fares
(22), a former beauty queen, was shot and killed at the wheel of her
Porsche on a busy Baghdad street. The fashion model and social media
star had expressed outspoken opinions on personal freedom.
  Â
(https://primalinformation.com/tara-fares-wiki/)(SFC, 10/4/18, p.A3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu described to the UN General Assembly what he said
was a secret atomic warehouse in Tehran and accused Europe of
appeasing Iran as he sought to rally support for US sanctions
against the Islamic Republic.
   (Reuters, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Israel's defense
minister said the country's Quneitra border crossing with Syria is
reopening for UN personnel and will resume operating as before the
civil war erupted next door.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Mexican
prosecutors said that Javier Duarte, the former governor of the Gulf
coast state of Veracruz, has pleaded guilty to charges of organized
crime and money laundering. Duarte got a nine-year sentence and had
41 properties seized as part of the plea deal.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Mexican officials
said two detectives have been shot to death in Puebla state while
trying to detain a suspect in the 2012 slaying of a youth soccer
coach in New York City. Orlando Orea is accused of slashing Michael
Jones (25) to death in Manhattan's Union Square. Jones worked in the
New York Red Bulls system.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In central Mexico
a mob of about 100 people in the town of Metepec, Hidalgo state,
doused a detective with gasoline and burned him to death. Three
other men were beaten. The mob was reportedly roused by rumors that
the men were planning to abduct children.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In the Netherlands
anti-terror units found a large quantity of bomb-making materials
including fertilizer likely to be used in a car bomb following the
arrest of seven terror suspects in the cities of Arnhem and Weert.
   (AFP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, The UN said the
cholera outbreak in Niger has killed 67 people since July out of
thousands of recorded cases.
   (AFP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Nigerian
authorities said the death toll from large-scale flooding in recent
weeks has jumped to nearly 200 people.
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Palestinian
militant group Islamic Jihad selected a new leader for the first
time in more than 20 years. Syria-based Ziad al-Nakhala (b.1953)
will take over as the movement's secretary general from Ramadan
Shalah, who has been suffering from serious health issues for
months.
   (AFP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In the Philippines
Pres. Duterte said in a speech to government executives that he had
told the military they could remove him if they were unsatisfied
with his rule, and asked what "sins" he had committed. "Did I steal
even a peso?" he said. "My only sin is the extrajudicial killings."
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Polish Catholic
Bishop Romuald Kaminski apologized to those who were sexually abused
by priests in his Warsaw diocese and vowed to take steps to win back
their trust.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Romania's
education minister resigned over a political dispute involving the
teaching of the Romanian language in schools serving the country's
ethnic Hungarian minority. Valentin Popa said he disagreed with a
demand by the party representing the interests of Romania's 1.3
million Hungarians to allow Hungarian-speaking teachers to keep
teaching Romanian.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, In Rwanda a new
law took effect making the drawing of cartoons or producing writing
that "humiliates" a government official a criminal offense.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, The Swiss-based
World Trade Organization lowered its global trade growth forecasts,
citing increased trade tensions between large economies and
heightened uncertainty.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, A court in
Thailand convicted a local businessman of fraud for selling fake
bomb detectors to the Thai government, five years after a court in
the United Kingdom sentenced the British head of the company that
supplied them to seven years in prison in a scandal that was
worldwide in scale.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Germany for a controversial
three-day state visit that both sides hope will help rebuild
relations that have been battered in recent years.
   (AFP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 27, The UN's top human
rights body agreed to set up a team to collect evidence of alleged
crimes committed in Myanmar since 2011 that could one day be used to
prosecute violators in court.
   (AP, 9/27/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, US Pres. Donald
Trump signed an $854 billion spending bill to keep the federal
government open through December 7.
   (SFC, 9/29/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, US President
Donald Trump ordered a new FBI investigation into sexual assault
allegations against his Supreme Court pick, as the Senate delayed a
vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to make way for the probe.
   (AFP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The Trump
administration pressed ahead with plans to create an "Arab NATO"
that would unite US partners in the Middle East in an anti-Iran
alliance, but Qatar said the crisis among Gulf countries must be
solved first.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The United States
announced it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city
of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following
increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including
rocket fire.
   (Reuters, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, A US diplomat said
the United States, Japan and Australia are cooperating on a domestic
internet cable proposal for Papua New Guinea as an alternative to an
offer by Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant that the
United States regards as a cybersecurity threat.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In San Francisco
FDA inspectors raided the Juul Labs headquarters and seized
documents related to sales and marketing practices, among other
things. The e-cigarette manufacturer said it is cooperating with
investigators.
   (SFC, 10/3/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In South Carolina
a Marine F-35B crashed with the pilot ejecting safely near Grays
Hill community. The jet costs about $100 million.
   (SSFC, 9/30/18, p.A10)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Facebook said it
has discovered a security breach that allowed attackers to to steal
data they could then use to take over people's accounts. The breach
reportedly affected nearly 50 million FB users.
   (SFC, 9/29/18, p.D1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Two Afghan police
officers were gunned down by a fellow policeman in southern Kandahar
province late today, the latest in so-called "insider" attacks in
the war-battered country. Three other policemen were wounded in the
attack.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The Belgian
defense ministry said it will sue Google for not complying with its
requests to blur satellite images of sensitive military sites.
   (Reuters, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In southeastern
Brazil a teenager (15) entered a school and fired on students,
leaving two injured in the city of Medianeira, Parana state.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Jenny McDonagh
(39), a finance worker with Kensington and Chelsea local authority,
was jailed for five and a half years for stealing more than 67,600
euros ($78,000) intended for the survivors of London's 2017 deadly
Grenfell tower disaster.
   (AFP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In CongoDRC the
latest Ebola outbreak had 124 confirmed cases, including 71 deaths.
The World Health Organization said risk of the deadly virus
spreading from Congo is now "very high" after two confirmed cases
were discovered near the Uganda border.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Ethiopia
violence erupted after four local officials were killed during a
visit to the Oromiya region. Ethnic Oromos living in
Benishangul-Gumuz were attacked by members of other groups, and many
fled into Oromiya.
   (Reuters, 10/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The European Union
issued a stern warning to Italy's populist leaders following their
defiant pledge for increased spending and a sizeable budget deficit
that risks putting Rome on a collision course with Brussels.
   (AFP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The European Union
said it's offering an extra 40 million euros ($46 million) to the UN
Palestinian refugee agency to help educate children and provide
health care in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
vowed to rebuild strained relations after a two-year crisis despite
remaining differences on civil rights and other issues. President
Tayyip Erdogan called on Berlin to extradite what he said were the
hundreds of supporters of the cleric Fethullah Gulen residing in
Germany.
   (AFP, 9/28/18)(Reuters, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Germany's
financial capital of Frankfurt unveiled its new "Old City" — 35
buildings reproduced in part an area that was destroyed during World
War II bombings. The 7-hectare (17-acre) site was previously
occupied by a 1970s concrete building that housed part of the
Frankfurt city administration and was demolished in 2010.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, India's Supreme
Court lifted a temple's ban on women of menstruating age, holding
that equality is supreme irrespective of age and gender. The
historic Sabarimala temple had barred women age 10 to 50 from
entering the temple, one of the largest Hindu pilgrimage centers in
the world.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Indonesia a
magnitude 7.5 earthquake rocked the island of Sulawesi, triggering a
3-meter (10-foot) -tall tsunami that an official said swept away
houses in at least two cities. At least 384 people were killed in
the hard-hit city of Palu alone. The death toll soon jumped to more
than 1,200.
   (AP, 9/28/18)(Reuters, 9/28/18)(AP, 9/29/18)(AP,
10/2/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Iranian media said
11 people have died after drinking tainted homemade alcohol in the
southern port city of Bandar Abbas. A man and his wife who made the
liquor and their main dealer have been arrested.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Dublin-based
Ryanair canceled scores of European flights, but downplayed the
impact of the strike. Unions hoped the strike would be the biggest
in the airline's history. A key complaint of workers based in
countries other than Ireland is the fact that Ryanair has been
employing them under Irish legislation.
   (AFP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Lebanon newspaper
Al-Anwar said its publisher was suspending its print version, as it
became the latest victim of the country's media crisis. The
publisher's eight other publications -- including popular cultural
weekly Al-Shabaka -- would also cease to be printed.
   (AFP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Micronesia a
flotilla of small boats reportedly rescued all 47 passengers and
crew from an Air Niugini flight that crashed into the sea short of
the runway at the Chuuk Island Airport at Weno. The body of one man,
later said to be missing, was recovered on October 1.
   (AP, 9/28/18)(AP, 9/29/18)(AP, 10/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Pakistan's army
chief confirmed death sentences for 11 Taliban fighters, "hardcore
terrorists" convicted by military courts for attacks in recent years
that killed 69 people, including 20 soldiers.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Thousands of
Palestinians rallied near the border fence, with hundreds breaching
it in one area. Amateur videos showed protesters kissing the ground
on the Israeli side amid sound of repeated gunshots. Nasser Musabeh
(11) was among seven protesters reportedly killed by Israeli troops.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The Philippine
military said its joint defense and security activities with US
forces, including annual combat exercises, will increase next year
in a show of the treaty allies' continuing robust relations.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Romania's top
court ruled that gay couples should have the same family rights as
heterosexuals, a judgment that comes before a national referendum
seeking to ban same-sex marriage.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, Slovakia's police
say they have charged three suspects with murder in the slayings of
investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova on Feb.
21.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In South Sudan at
least 10 people died and dozens others injured after a hand grenade
exploded late today in a night club in the western town of Yambio.
   (Reuters, 10/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Thailand
General Apirat Kongsompong (58) took command as the new chief of the
army. The royalist general will oversee a return to barracks to make
way for a civilian government after nearly five years of military
rule.
   (Reuters, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The United Nations
Human Rights Council voted to extend an international probe of
alleged war crimes committed in Yemen despite strong opposition from
Saudi Arabia and several of its allies.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, The Vatican said
Pope Francis has defrocked Rev. Fernando Karadima (88), the Chilean
priest at the center of the global sex abuse scandal rocking his
papacy, invoking his "supreme" authority to stiffen a sentence
originally handed down by a Vatican court in 2011.
   (AP, 9/28/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 28, In Vietnam
authorities at Hanoi's airport found 805 kg of pangolin scales as
well as 193 kg of ivory and ivory-derived products in two dozen
boxes.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, It was reported
that the Trump administration has completed its plan to roll back
major offshore-drilling safety regulations that were put into place
after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster. The revisions
will take effect Dec. 27.
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, It was reported
that the US Dept. of Education has suspended this year's $4 million
installment to Chicago's Magnet Schools Assistance Program following
allegations that the district failed to protect students from sexual
violence.
   (SFC, 9/28/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Mississippi two
police officers were shot and killed early today as they responded
to a call about shots being fired at a home in Brookhaven. Suspect
Marquis Flowers (25) was wounded and taken into custody. On Nov 12,
2019, Marquis Flowers (26) made his first appearance in state court
since being indicted on capital murder charges. A body camera showed
Flowers shooting and killing the officers.
   (SSFC, 9/30/18, p.A11)(AP, 11/12/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, North Dakota's
Bismarck Tribune reported that 67 male students at the National
Power Academy in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, have enrolled in a three-year
energy training program run by BSC, after months of negotiations.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Pennsylvania a
car exploded in Allentown leaving three men dead. Police called it a
criminal incident. Jacob Schmoyer (26) was killed along with his son
(2) and friend David Hillman (66). Police later said Schmoyer had
sent letters indicating he used an explosive to kill himself, his
son and friend.
   (SFC, 10/1/18, p.A4)(SFC, 10/5/18, p.A6)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, It was announced
that Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have agreed to pay a total of $40
million and make a series of concessions to settle an SEC lawsuit
alleging Musk had duped investors with misleading statements about a
proposed buyout of the company. Musk will remain as CEO but must
relinquish his role as chairman for at least three years.
   (SSFC, 9/30/18, p.A13)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Brazil tens of
thousands of women took to the streets, protesting what they see as
the misogynist ways of one of Brazil's most divisive presidential
candidates in years: right-wing Congressman Jair Bolsonaro.
   (Reuters, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Bulgarian customs
officials said they have seized 712 kg (1,566 pounds) of heroin
found in two Iranian trucks entering Bulgaria from Turkey.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Cameroon's
president said Boko Haram has been defeated in the country, the
first such announcement since he declared war on the extremist group
four years ago. Pres. Paul Biya warned Far North residents to remain
vigilant despite recent progress including the re-opening last month
of 40 schools along the border.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Chad's security
and army sources said six people, including two soldiers, died in an
overnight Boko Haram attacks near Lake Chad. Chadian troops
reportedly killed 17 assailants in a counter-offensive.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, An Egyptian court
handed down a suspended two-year sentence against Amal Fathy, a
female activist convicted of insulting employees at a bank and using
abusive language to criticize state institutions. Fathy won't walk
free, however, as she is still held on other charges, including
membership in an outlawed group and misuse of social media networks
to spread material that could hurt security and public interest.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Germany Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened one of Europe's largest
mosques in Cologne as he wrapped up a controversial 3-day visit,
with police deploying in force to manage rival rallies.
   (AFP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In India Vivek
Tiwari, a sales manager for Apple, was shot dead early today by a
police constable in the Gomti Nagar neighborhood in Uttar Pradesh
state. State police soon arrested two constables over the shooting.
   (Reuters, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Kosovo
thousands of people marched in Pristina against a possible territory
swap with former war foe Serbia. The Serbian government put its
troops on alert after special police were deployed to Kosovo's
Serb-dominated north.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Mali at least
25 Tuareg civilians were killed over the last 24 hours in
Amalaoulaou on the restive frontier with Niger.
   (AFP, 10/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Nigeria's women's
affairs minister submitted her resignation in a letter to the
president, becoming the second cabinet member to step down this
month and adding that she would leave the ruling party. The minister
said she was resigning and leaving the leader's ruling All
Progressives Congress (APC) party because she had been barred from
running for governor of eastern Taraba state.
   (Reuters, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, A Pakistani court
found a former judge and his accomplice guilty of killing the young
son of another former judge and sentenced them to death. Sikandar
Lashari and Irfan Bengali had been charged with murdering
19-year-old Aqib Shahani, the son of former judge Khalid Shahani, on
Feb. 19, 2014, in the city of Hyderabad.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
\2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Spain director
Isaki Lacuesta's film "Between Two Waters" won the top prize at the
San Sebastian International Film Festival, the biggest film festival
for Spanish-language films.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Spain six
people were arrested in Barcelona as protesters for and against
independence scuffled with police, two days before the first
anniversary of a vote on secession that polarized the Spanish
region.
   (Reuters, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, Syria's foreign
minister, speaking at the UN, demanded the immediate withdrawal of
all foreign troops from Syria who are there in the country
"illegally." He cited US, French and Turkish troops who are in Syria
without invitation from the Syrian government.
   (AP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Syria the Raqqa
Internal Security Forces, set up by the Kurdish-led SDF, killed two
members of an Islamic State sleeper cell and detained five others.
   (Reuters, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Thailand 4
ministers from the military government launched a new political
party, amid speculation they will back PM Prayuth Chan-ocha to
remain in power beyond a general election promised by May. The
Palang Pracharat party will be led by Industry Minister Uttama
Savanayana, who vowed to help Thailand overcome its political
divide.
   (Reuters, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 29, In Ukraine three
people were injured in an explosion in the rebel stronghold Donetsk,
including a candidate for the post of the self-proclaimed republic's
leader. The explosion happened near the local communist party's
offices as the last participants of a party congress were leaving
the building.
   (AFP, 9/29/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, An investigation
by the NY Times found that Pres. Donald Trump participated in
dubious tax schemes during the 1990s in cluding ionstances of
outright fraud. Trump and his siblings had set up a sham corporation
to disguise millions of dollars in gifts from their parents.
   (SFC, 10/3/18, p.A8)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Tennis superstar
Serena Williams caused an internet sensation by posing topless for a
video while singing "I Touch Myself" to raise awareness for breast
cancer. The song was co-written by Divinyls Australian vocalist
Chrissy Amphlett who died of breast cancer five years ago aged 53.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, California's Gov.
Jerry Brown signed a bill to restore Obama-era regulations barring
the telecommunications industry from favoring certain websites. The
US Dept. of Justice sued California minutes after net neutrality
rules became law, saying states do not regulate interstate commerce.
   (SFC, 10/1/18, p.A1)(SFC, 10/2/18, p.A1)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In Florida a
police dog nmed Fang was fatally shot in Jacksonville while chasing
an armed carjacking suspect. The suspect was apprehended by another
K-9 at the scene.
   (SFC, 10/1/18, p.A4)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Afghan security
forces killed three bodyguards of a parliamentary candidate during a
raid on a house near his residence in the eastern Kunar province.
Two suspects were arrested during the raid.
   (AP, 10/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Britain announced
that it is banning the use of combustible materials on the outside
of high-rise buildings in response to the Grenfell Tower fire that
killed 71 people.
   (Reuters, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Britain's defense
secretary said the government is preparing a "defense Arctic
strategy" that would deploy 800 army and marine commandos to Norway
in 2019 and establish a new military base there amid concerns about
increasing Russian aggression.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Canada agreed late
today to a revamped North American free trade deal with the United
States and Mexico after weeks of bitter, high-pressure negotiations
that brushed up against a midnight deadline.
   (AP, 10/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Greek authorities
reported three missing people on Evia island after a rare and
powerful Mediterranean storm dumped heavy rain on the region.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Indonesia's
disaster agency said the death toll from the Sept. 28 7.5 earthquake
and tsunami more than doubled to 832, and nearly all of those were
from the hard-hit city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Iran's official
IRNA news agency said the country's special courts have sentenced
three to death over financial crimes and corruption.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Iran's state
emergency services said at least 27 people have died and more than
300 poisoned after drinking bootleg alcohol.
   (Reuters, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Israel released
Salah Hamouri (33),a French-Palestinian lawyer held without charge
for the past 13 months over unspecified allegations. More than 5,500
Palestinians were currently held in Israeli jails, including
approximately 450 in administrative detention.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, In Japan Denny
Tamaki, who campaigned criticizing the American military presence on
the southwestern island of Okinawa, won the election for governor,
defeating a ruling party-backed candidate pushing the status quo.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Typhoon Trami
ripped through Japan, forcing cancellations of flights and trains,
including in the Tokyo area as authorities warned of strong winds
and torrential rain.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Kurds voted in a
parliamentary election in their semi-autonomous region in northern
Iraq. On October 21 authorities said the Iraqi Kurdish party behind
last year's ill-fated independence referendum won the most seats in
parliamentary elections held in the autonomous Kurdish region. The
Kurdistan Democratic Party won 45 seats, 12 short of an outright
majority in the 111-seat body.
   (Reuters, 9/30/18)(AP, 10/21/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Macedonians voted
on whether to accept a landmark deal ending a decades-long dispute
with neighboring Greece by changing their country's name to North
Macedonia. A 36.9 percent turnout failed to hit the 50 percent
turnout required for the referendum result to be valid.
   (AP, 9/30/18)(AP, 10/1/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, The Maltese
authorities finally took 58 migrants from the Aquarius to Valletta
after they had waited for days in rough seas on the rescue ship that
can no longer go to port after its flag was pulled. The UN refugee
agency UNHCR said that it had not yet been decided where which of
the migrants.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, A Niger a
parliamentary source said a tax on international calls will be
reintroduced in 2019 and accused telecom companies of failing to
honor commitments to improve services.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said more than 18,000 people, nearly
half of them civilians, have been killed in Russian air strikes on
Syria since Moscow began its game-changing intervention three years
ago.
   (AFP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Failaq al-Sham,
one of the main Turkey-backed factions in northern Syria, said it
would not pull back its fighters from front-line positions in the
contested northwestern province of Idlib, where Russia and Turkey
agreed to set up a demilitarized zone this month to avert an all-out
offensive by Syrian government forces.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep 30, Turkey reported
that a boat carrying migrants has capsized off its northern Aegean
coast, killing at least five people.
   (AP, 9/30/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, US federal appeals
court judges ruled that Missouri can enforce a requirement that
doctors must have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals before
they can perform abortions.
   (SFC, 10/4/18, p.A7)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, China's trade surplus
with the United States widened to a record $34.1 billion this month
as exports to the American market rose by 13 percent over a year
earlier despite a worsening tariff war.
   (AP, 10/13/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, In France divers and
a specially equipped boat with lifting gear began fishing out
hundreds of the old loops of rubber about 500 meters (1,600 feet)
from an exclusive coastline between the towns of Cannes and Antibes.
A 1980s experiment saw 25,000 car tires dumped into the
crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean to create a sanctuary for
sea life off the French coast. The experiment was found to be
polluting.
   (AFP, 9/23/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, Qatar approved
legislation to scrap the "kafala", or sponsorship, system which
required that foreign workers obtain permission from their employers
to leave the country. In October it went into force for all but five
percent of a company's workforce.
   (AFP, 4/26/19)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Sep, Two sisters (18 and
20) from Saudi Arabia fled the conservative kingdom and arrived in
Hong Kong from Sri Lanka. They did so to escape beatings at the
hands of their brothers and father.
   (Reuters, 2/23/19)
Go to October
2018
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