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Worldwide current events
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Topics in the news

Site of sub-surface lake on Mars

Scientists announce the discovery of a 20-kilometre-wide (12 mi) sub-surface lake of water (location pictured) on Mars.
A heat wave in Japan leaves 80 people dead, with more than 22,000 others requiring hospitalization.
At least 80 people are killed and more than 100 others injured in wildfires in the Greek tourist resort of Mati.
In the Syrian Civil War, an army offensive captures all opposition-held regions in the south of the country.
A hydroelectric dam under construction in south-eastern Laos collapses, resulting in extensive damage and leaving more than 6,000 people displaced.

July 26, 2018 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

A bomb explodes outside the U.S. Embassy in China, wounding the lone assailant. (Reuters)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Hundreds of Sub-Saharan African migrants storm a border fence in Spain's North African enclave Ceuta. The Guardia Civil reports 602 people succeeded in reaching Ceuta, of whom 586 are taken to a temporary reception centre, while 16 others are being treated in hospital. Fifteen border guards were also hurt. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in Japan
- The six remaining Aum Shinrikyo cult members who were perpetrators of the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack and on death row are executed by hanging. (JapanToday)
Cannabis in the United Kingdom
- The United Kingdom's Home Secretary Sajid Javid announces that medicinal cannabis products are to be legalized by the end of 2018, allowing cannabis treatments to be legally prescribed by specialist doctors following several high profile cases. (BBC) (Reuters)

July 25, 2018 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2018 Quetta suicide bombing
- A blast outside a polling station in Quetta, Pakistan, kills 31 people and wounds several more on election day. (Hindustan Times)
Syrian Civil War
- 2018 As-Suwayda attacks
  - Coordinated suicide bombings and shootings carried out by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in As-Suwayda, Syria, kill 215 people and injure more than 200 others. (Reuters)

Business and economy

United States–European Union relations, Trump tariffs
- U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders agree to halt their trade war over vehicles and say they will open talks on removing trade barriers between the United States and the European Union. (AP via Yahoo! Finance)

Disasters and accidents

2018 Attica wildfires
- The death toll from the wildfires in Greece rises to 80 people while many others are still missing. (BBC)
2018 Laos dam collapse
- The death toll from a dam collapse in Laos that caused heavy floods rises to 26, while more than 130 remain missing. (Channel NewsAsia)
A Legionella outbreak in Bresso, Italy, kills three people while 17 others are hospitalized. (Corriere Della Sera)

Politics and election

Pakistani general election, 2018
- Voters in Pakistan go to the polls to elect the members of the National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies of Pakistan. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Water on Mars
- Scientists at INAF announce the discovery of a liquid water lake beneath a polar ice cap on Mars. The discovery was made using MARSIS, a radar instrument on board the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. (BBC)

July 24, 2018 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli–Syrian military incidents during the Syrian Civil War
- The Israel Defense Forces shoot down a Syrian Air Force jet near the Golan Heights after it reportedly crosses into Israeli airspace. (BBC)

Business and economy

2018 lower Puna eruption
- Hawaii cancels a grant funding the island government's purchase of a recreational land parcel that is now covered by fresh lava. (WRAL)
Trump tariffs
- The White House announces $12 billion in bailouts for farmers and ranchers affected by recently imposed retaliatory tariffs. (Sacramento Business Journal)

Disasters and accidents

2018 Vietnam floods
- The death toll from heavy floods in Vietnam rises to 27, while seven other people are missing. (Reuters)

Science and technology

2018 in paleontology
- Researchers at the Imperial College London report the discovery of the Lingwulong genus, a subgroup of Sauropods that lived in China about 174 million years ago, which is 15 million years earlier than any previously-known member of the group. (BBC) (ABC News)

July 23, 2018 (Monday)

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Disasters and accidents

2018 Attica wildfires
- Wildfires in east and west Attica, Greece, kill at least 76 people, leave another 172 injured, and burn hundreds of houses and vehicles, prompting a state of emergency. The Greek government requests help from European Union countries. (Reuters) (Sky News)
2018 Laos dam collapse
- Heavy rains cause the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in southern Laos to collapse, releasing a reported five billion cubic metres of water. As a result, 20 people are confirmed dead, over a hundred are missing, and 6,600 have been displaced. (BBC) (The Guardian)
2018 lower Puna eruption
- Geologists monitoring the eruption of Kīlauea warned it could continue to spout lava for a long time. (WRAL)
The death toll from an intense heat wave in Japan rises to 77. (The Straits Times)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- Photos taken on July 20 and 22 and published by 38 North appear to show North Korea dismantling a ballistic missile launchpad and engine testing stand at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. (UPI)

Law and crime

Danforth shooting
- Police identify the gunman in a deadly shooting in Toronto, Canada. Investigators are still determining a motive. His family claims he had severe mental health problems. (CBC)
Oksana Shachko
- Femen co-founder and activist Oksana Shachko is found dead in her Paris apartment in an apparent suicide. France granted her political refugee status in 2013. (RFE/RL)

Politics and elections

Protests against Rodrigo Duterte
- Protesters take to the streets around Manila as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte prepares for his State of the Nation Address (SONA). (Time)
17th Congress of the Philippines
- Majority of the House of Representatives of the Philippines elects Former President and current House Representative, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as House Speaker of the lower congress replacing Pantaleon Alvarez. (Reuters)

July 22, 2018 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- An ISIL suicide bomber kills 14 people and wounds over 60 others at a police checkpoint near Hamid Karzai International Airport. The attack coincides with Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum returning to Afghanistan after more than a year in exile in Turkey. Dostum and his entourage are unwounded. (The Wall Street Journal)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- A suspected U.S. drone strike kills four alleged al-Qaeda militants in Ma'rib. (AP)

Law and crime

Protests against Emmanuel Macron, Benalla affair
- A French judge hands preliminary charges to one of French President Emmanuel Macron's top security aides after video surfaced showing him attacking a protester at a May Day demonstration. (Canoe.com)
Danforth shooting
- A mass shooting in Toronto, Canada occurs. Three people are killed and 13 are injured. The shooter is found dead nearby after exchanging gunfire with police and fleeing. (AP)

Sports

2018 Open Championship
- Francesco Molinari wins the British Open at Carnoustie for his first major title by two strokes over a group including past major winners Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. Tiger Woods, Molinari's playing partner for the final round, finishes one shot further back in a tie for sixth. (CBS News)
2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens – Men's tournament
- New Zealand defeats England 33–12 in the final to win the 2018 men's Rugby World Cup Sevens. (Radio New Zealand)
Football in Germany
- Arsenal and German professional footballer Mesut Özil announces his retirement from international football, citing racism and disrespect. (The Guardian)

July 21, 2018 (Saturday)

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Business and Economy

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne resigns due to failing health and is replaced by Jeep CEO Mike Manley.

Armed conflicts and attacks

Western Iran clashes (2016–present)
- PJAK militants blow up an ammunition dump and kill eleven Iranian border guards stationed at an Iran–Iraq border post in Marivan County. Several militants are killed in return. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Israel Defense Forces extract 98 White Helmets and 324 others from recently recaptured southwestern Syrian territory into Jordan, at the request of Canada and the United States. Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany offer refuge to some of them. Two other groups intended for rescue, comprising about 800 people, do not escape. (CBC)

Disasters and accidents

2018 Vietnam floods
- Tropical Storm Son-Tinh kills 20 people, injures 14 more and leaves at least 16 missing in Vietnam. (Reuters)
The death toll from a heatwave in Japan rises to 30. (BBC)

Law and crime

Crime in South Africa
- Gunmen attack a minibus of people returning from a funeral between Colenso and Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Eleven people are shot dead and four others are critically injured. (The Evening Standard)
Crime in Los Angeles
- A gunman is arrested for one count of murder after killing a woman then taking dozens of people hostage at a Trader Joe's in Los Angeles, California. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

People's Party (Spain) leadership election, 2018
- Pablo Casado is elected leader of Spain's centre-right People's Party after defeating former Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría in a run-off. (BBC)
Presidency of Rodrigo Duterte
- The Philippines immigration authority has ordered the deportation and blacklisting of an Australian nun who was investigated, under instruction from President Rodrigo Duterte, for her political activism. (Business Insider)

Sports

2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens – Women's tournament
- New Zealand defeats France 29–0 in the final to win the 2018 women's Rugby World Cup Sevens. (Radio New Zealand)

July 20, 2018 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2018 Gaza border protests
- The Israel Defense Forces engage in a gunfight with Hamas' military wing after an Israeli soldier is killed by a Palestinian sniper; four Hamas members are killed. Israel responds to the incident with strikes on Hamas targets across Gaza. (BBC) (The New York Times)
- Three rockets are fired at Israeli communities from Gaza. Two of them are intercepted by the Iron Dome. (CNN)

Arts and culture

Weinstein effect
- James Gunn is fired as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after the emergence of old tweets where he joked about subjects like pedophilia and rape. (Time)

Disasters and accidents

Smoke from a brush fire reduces visibility and the OPP temporarily closes a 130-kilometre section of Ontario Highway 17 between Mattawa and Petawawa, the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the province. (Ottawa Citizen)
Marine accidents in 2018
- An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation into the collision between container ship MV Beijing Bridge and trawler FV Saxon Onward concludes both vessels saw each other in the lead-up to the collision but neither took appropriate avoiding action in time, with evasive manoeuvres by the cargo ship increasing the collision risk. (The Maritime Executive)

Law and crime

Impeachment of Park Geun-hye
- Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye is sentenced to an additional eight years for abusing state funds and violating election laws. (CBC)
A man attacks people on a bus in Lübeck, Germany, prompting an evacuation of the vehicle. Six people are hurt by a knife, one is punched and two fall down; three are critically wounded. Police find a smoldering non-explosive backpack at the scene. The Iranian-born suspect is arrested. (BBC) (CBC) (RFERL)
Hackers steal the personal data of 1.5 million Singaporeans through the national public health care system. Officials say Prime Minister Hsien Loong Lee's data is the target of the breach. (Channel NewsAsia)
Microsoft reports that at least three United States congressional candidates have been targeted by hackers in the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections. (BBC)

Politics and elections

2017–18 Iranian protests
- Outside President Hassan Rouhani's office in Tehran, a group of Iranian girls severely burned in a 2012 school fire protest unequal diyah by the government toward their medical bills, which some say is an inalienable right. Their lawyer says Iran's policy of paying half diyah to women is "unfair and discriminatory". (PayvAnd)
People's Party (Spain) leadership election, 2018
- The XIX Congress of the People's Party begins, which will elect the new party leader and successor of former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The candidates are former Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría and the party's deputy secretary of communication, Pablo Casado. (Reuters)