Portal:Current events/2013 August 19

August 19, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Sinai insurgency:
- At least 24 Egyptian policemen are killed in an attack near Rafah in the Sinai Peninsula. (BBC) (Reuters)

Business and economy

An agrarian strike is planned for today in Colombia to demand labor rights. (Voice of Russia)

Disasters and accidents

A train accident in India kills at least 37 pilgrims and injures over a dozen. (The Times of India) (BBC) (Reuters)
Torrential rain and floods in north-east China, together with Typhoon Utor-triggered floods in southern China, jointly result in at least 91 people dead and 111 missing. (BBC)
The 500th eruption this year of Mount Sakurajima in Southern Japan covers the major city of Kagoshima in a cloud of ash. (BBC)
A B-1B Lancer with the United States Air Force's 28th Bomb Wing crashes near Broadus, Montana during a routine training mission. (USAF)

International relations

Russia and Japan begin discussing the main starting points and modality of the upcoming talks on a peace treaty. (ITAR-TASS)
The British warship HMS Westminster arrives in Gibraltar amid tensions with Spain. (Reuters)

Law and crime

South African track star Oscar Pistorius is officially charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, at his home earlier this year, with the trial due to start on March 13. (Voice of America)
The first same-sex marriages take place in New Zealand, following the passage of the Marriage Equality Bill in April. (BBC)

Politics and election

Attorney general Mohammad Ishaq Aloko is fired by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, over an unsanctioned meeting with Taliban peace negotiators in the United Arab Emirates. (Reuters via Yahoo!)