News Watch
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).
Stabbing in Paris
Two people were stabbed and seriously wounded outside of the former location of Charlie Hebdo magazine shortly after it republished controversial comics depicting the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.
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).
Beirut port explosion
An explosion that occurred at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4 killed at least 220 people and injured thousands more. The explosion damaged and destroyed buildings throughout the city, leaving nearly 300,000 people homeless.
Two storms strike Caribbean
Two major storms passed through the Caribbean in August. Hurricane Marco struck the island of Hispaniola, comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on Aug. 23, killing at least 12 people. It then moved toward Cuba before heading north into the US.
Coup in Mali
The Malian army staged a coup on Aug. 18, marching on the capital, Bamako, and taking the president, Boubacar Keïta, and other leaders into custody. The president and his government resigned the next day. The coup was bloodless, with no reports of fighting.
Africa declared wild polio free
Africa was declared free of wild polio (that is, cases of polio caused by nonhuman sources) by the Africa Regional Certification Commission on Aug. 25 after there had been no reported cases in Nigeria, the last country on the continent to have wild cases, since 2016.
COVID-19 update
At press time, active COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in 188 countries and territories, with more than 26.5 million cases and, out of those, more than 872,000 deaths. The country with the most confirmed cases was the US, with 6.2 million.
Car attack in Germany
A man rammed his car into multiple vehicles, including several motorcycles, on a motorway near Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 19, seriously injuring three. It was described by authorities as a terrorist attack. The suspect was identified as an Iraqi man who lived in refugee housing nearby.
Violent Belarus protests
After a disputed election in Belarus on Aug. 9 in which ruling president Alexander Lukashenko claimed 80% of the vote, mass protests were held throughout the country on multiple days in favor of the opposition.
Scotland train derails
A commuter train near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, derailed on Aug. 12, killing three people and injuring six. Investigators believe the train hit debris on the tracks from a landslide caused by heavy rains in the area.
Islamists seize Mozambique port
In northern Mozambique on Aug. 12, a militant Islamist group associated with Daesh (ISIL) took over the strategic port city of Mocímboa da Praia, with a population of about 30,000, killing at least 50 soldiers in the attack.
Israel and Hezbollah clash
According to Israel, four members of the Islamist group Hezbollah were killed on July 27 as they attempted to infiltrate the country via the Golan Heights, bordering Syria and Lebanon. A few days earlier, a Hezbollah fighter in Syria was killed in an air strike that was blamed on Israel.
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).
COVID-19 update
At press time, active COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in 188 countries and territories, with more than 18 million cases and, resulting from those, more than 690,000 deaths. The country with the most confirmed cases was the US, with 4.4 million.
Caucasus border dispute
Military clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia began on July 11 along a disputed border region, Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the deaths of 11 Azeri troops and at least two Armenian troops. Both sides have accused the other of shelling towns near the border, with at least one Azeri civilian killed.
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).
Ethiopian ethnic unrest
At press time, at least 166 people had been killed during protests in Ethiopia that began after a popular Oromo-ethnic singer was killed on June 29. Most of the deaths occurred in the Oromia region, which is majority Oromo, but 10 people were killed in protests in the capital, Addis Ababa.
Quake in Oaxaca
An earthquake measuring 7.4 in magnitude occurred along the coast of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 23, killing at least six people, all found in one house that collapsed in the city of Oaxaca. It was felt 435 miles away in Mexico City.
COVID-19 update
At press time, active COVID-19 infections had been confirmed in 188 countries and territories, with more than 11.5 million cases and more than 535,000 deaths resulting.