Portal:Current events/2015 August 23
< Portal:Current events
August 23, 2015 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Al-Qaeda militants take over parts of the strategic southern Yemeni port city of Aden. The militants reportedly raised their black flag above the city's port and government buildings. The city was recaptured by pro-government forces last week. (Reuters)
- Cross-border fire from Yemen kills a Saudi general making him the highest-ranking officer to be killed in border attacks by Houthi militants since March. (AFP via Yahoo)
- A United Arab Emirates military intelligence operation in Yemen frees a British hostage. (BBC)
Arts and culture
- Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL
- Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is reported to have blown up the ancient Baalshamin temple in Palmyra, Syria. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- The death toll from floods in the Indian state of Assam rises to seven, with 650,000 people displaced. (The Hindustan Times)
- 2015 Pacific typhoon season
- Typhoon Goni leaves the Philippines with 15 dead and 12 people missing. (AP)
- The number of fatalities in the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash is "highly likely" to have risen to 11. (BBC)
International relations
- Britain and Iran reopen embassies in each others' capitals that had been closed after Iranian protesters stormed the British embassy on November 29, 2011. (Reuters)
- North and South Korea resume talks in the border village of Panmunjon in efforts to defuse recent tensions. (AP)
Law and crime
- Malaysia finds the bodies of more than 20 people believed to be victims of human trafficking in mass graves buried near the border with Thailand. (Reuters via The Guardian)
- Authorities arrest two Iowa men in Saugus, Massachusetts after heavy firearms are discovered in their hotel room. The two men had made threats on social media stating their targeting of the 2015 Pokemon Video Game World Championships that are being held in Boston. (CNN)