News Watch
Germany terror attacks
On Oct. 7, a man intentionally drove a semi-trailer truck into a line of cars stopped at an intersection in Limburg, Germany, injuring seven people. The incident is being described by German police as an act of terrorism.
Protests in Lebanon
Protests in Lebanon that began in mid-October against a proposed tax on messages sent on the WhatsApp phone app turned into larger antigovernment protests after that tax plan was scrapped.
Typhoon strikes Japan
Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on Oct. 12 with sustained winds of up to 140 miles per hour. At least 40 people were killed, with more still missing at press time.
Turkey invades Syria
The Turkish military pushed into northwestern Syria on Oct. 9, attacking towns and military positions held by Kurdish fighters. As of press time, in clashes between the two groups, at least 259 Kurdish fighters, 196 Turkey-backed Syrian rebels and seven Turkish soldiers had been killed, along with 120 civilians.
Afghanistan mosque bombing
A bomb was detonated in a mosque in eastern Afghanistan on Oct. 18. Immediately after the blast, the roof caved in, causing further casualties. The incident killed at least 62 people and injured 36. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Current advisories
The US Department of State posts up-to-date travel advisories on every country and many territories, ranking each 1 (Exercise normal precautions), 2 (Exercise increased caution), 3 (Reconsider travel) or 4 (Do not travel).
Protests in Chile
Protests over rising costs in Chile began on Oct. 6 and were ongoing at press time. Violence broke out between protesters and police, resulting in the arrests of more than 6,000 people. At least 20 people were reported to have been killed, many in fires set during looting.
Pakistan train fire
In Pakistan, at least 74 people were killed on Oct. 31 when a fire broke out on a passenger train traveling from Karachi, in the south, to Rawalpindi, in the far north. An additional 40 people were injured.
Catalonia protests
Ongoing pro-independence protests began in the provinces of Catalonia, Spain, on Oct. 14 after Spain’s Supreme Court ordered the imprisonment of independence leaders on the charge of sedition. The size of the protests forced a number of trains and airlines to cancel some services to the area.
Philippines earthquakes
An earthquake measuring 6.4 in magnitude occurred in the central part of the island of Mindanao, southern Philippines, on Oct. 16, killing two people and injuring many others.
Deadly Iraq protests
In Iraq, at least 74 people were killed and at least 3,500 were wounded in violent antigovernment protests on Oct. 26 and 27. Before that weekend, protesters had enacted a 2-week break in order to allow the government to respond to their demands for reform.
Earthquakes in Turkey
On Aug. 8, an earthquake of 5.7 magnitude occurred near the town of Bozkurt in southwestern Turkey’s Denizli province. At least 23 people were treated for injuries after the quake. Thousands of homes and businesses were damaged throughout the region.
Protests in Moscow
At least 20,000 people protested in Moscow on Sept. 29, demanding that the more than 1,000 people arrested during protests in July be released. The July protests were over upcoming city elections — which were held peacefully on Sept.
Bahamas hit by hurricane
Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas on Sept. 1 with sustained winds of over 100 miles per hour and gusts up to 185. Due to atmospheric conditions, the hurricane remained over the Bahamas for more than 48 hours.
Deadly riots in Indonesia
At least 23 people were killed in the city of Wamena in the Indonesian province of West Papua on Sept. 23 when protesters, most of whom were students, set fire to several buildings. The students began protesting after hearing reports that a teacher had made racist comments against ethnic Papuans.
Current advisories
The US Department of State posts up-to-date travel advisories on every country and many territories, ranking each 1 (Exercise normal precautions), 2 (Exercise increased caution), 3 (Reconsider travel) or 4 (Do not travel).
Pakistan earthquake
An earthquake measuring 5.8 in magnitude occurred in eastern Pakistan on Sept. 24, killing at least 37 people and injuring more than 500.
Egypt protests
Large anticorruption protests were held over four days in major cities in Egypt starting on Sept. 23, leading to the detention of more than 1,900 people. These were the largest protests since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power in 2013.
Terrorist bombings in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan on Sept. 17, 26 people at an election rally in the town of Charikar were killed by a suicide bomber from the Islamist militant group the Taliban, and 22 more were killed in a main square in Kabul by another suicide bomber. More than 90 people were injured in the two attacks.
Measles epidemics
The Democratic Republic of the Congo set out to vaccinate more than 800,000 children in September in order to curtail what the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling this year’s largest measles outbreak.