Portal:Current events/2015 August 24
August 24, 2015 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Turkey–PKK conflict
- A roadside IED near the town of Şemdinli in Hakkari Province kills two Turkish Army soldiers and injures three others. (Reuters via LBC Group)
- PKK insurgents blow up a natural gas pipeline in Turkey's southeastern Kars Province near the Armenian border. (The Daily Sabah)
- 2015 Thalys train attack
- The President of France, François Hollande, presents the Légion d'honneur to four people, three of them Americans, Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler; and Briton Chris Norman, for foiling a suspected terrorist act last Friday. (BBC)
- A bomb explodes on a bus carrying Egyptian police killing one of them and injuring 29 others in the Nile delta. (AFP via NDTV)
- Clashes at a government protest in Kailali kill eight people in Nepal, including seven police officers. (BBC)
- Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- ISIL
- Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the Turkish Foreign Minister, says that Turkey and the U.S. will launch a "comprehensive" campaign to flush out ISIL from a zone in northern Syria near the border. In effect, this means creating a "security zone" by sending foreign soldiers into Syrian territory. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- 2015 Chinese stock market crash
- Stock markets around the world fall as a result of fears about China's economy with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by 1000 points at the opening of trading on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Index closes down 588.40 points, or 3.6 percent. (The New York Times), (The Guardian)
- The South African rand hits an all-time low against the US dollar as a result of worries regarding China's economy. (BBC)
- American utility Southern Company buys natural gas company AGL Resources for $12 billion. (The New York Times)
Disasters and accidents
- 2015 Washington state wildfires
- The Okanogan Complex fire grows to 256,500 acres (103,800 ha), surpassing the previous year's Carlton Complex fire as the largest in Washington state history. (KOMO-TV), (NBC)
- Floods kill 8 in Turkey's Artvin Province. (BBC)
- A sightseeing seaplane crashes on Quebec's North Shore killing all six people aboard. (The Toronto Sun)
International relations
- North and South Korea agree to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula after marathon talks. (CNN)
Law and crime
- South Africa convicts Czech fugitive Radovan Krejčíř of kidnapping, attempted murder, and drug dealing charges. (The Independent Online)
- La Linea corruption case
- Former Vice President of Guatemala Roxana Baldetti appears in court to face corruption charges as finance minister Dorval Carías resigns. (BBC), (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau Baciro Djá sacks the chiefs of Guinea-Bissau National Radio and Television, Muniro Conte and Paula Mielo, over political "bias". (AFP via Yahoo)
- The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls for new elections after a deadline to form a new government following an inconclusive election in June. (AP via Hawaii News Now)[permanent dead link]
Science and technology
- Jakobshavn Glacier sheds and creates an iceberg 12.4 square km in size. (BBC)
Sports
- 2015 World Championships in Athletics
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce narrowly defeats Dafne Schippers in the Women's 100 metres finals in Beijing. (BBC)
- Kenya moves into first place on the leaderboard with gold medals earned today by Vivian Cheruiyot (in 10,000 metres) and Ezekiel Kemboi (in 3000 metres steeplechase). (The Star), (The Star)
- In motorsport, IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies at the age of 37 one day after being struck in the head by debris from another vehicle's crash during Sunday's race at Pocono Raceway. (ESPN)