Armed conflicts and attacks

• Somali Civil War (2009–present)
  • The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) says a U.S. airstrike has killed around 60 al-Shabaab militants near Harardhere in central Somalia. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

• At least seven people die and more than 80 others are injured when a train derails in Bouknadel, Morocco. (Reuters) (BBC)
• The death toll of an accidental explosion in Aba, Nigeria, rises to 200. Over 2,000 people protest, claiming that the pipeline explosion was caused by NNPC’s negligence. (Vanguard News)

International relations

• Australia–Israel relations
  • Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces that his government is considering recognising Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and relocating its embassy accordingly, in line with the United States, drawing local criticism and sparking outrage from members of the opposition. The announcement comes days before a by-election in which the governing party's candidate is Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel. (BBC)
• Saudi Arabia–United States relations
  • United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets in Riyadh with Saudi Arabia King Salman to express concerns about the disappearance of Saudi Arabia journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Fox News) (Reuters)
  • Senior US Senator Lindsey Graham states that Mohammed bin Salman has murdered Khashoggi and that the country's crown prince has "got to go". (Aol) (CNBC)

Politics and elections

• Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigns from his post in order to dissolve the National Assembly and force early elections by the end of the year (RFE/RL)

Armed attacks and conflicts

• 2018 Cologne attack
  • At least three people are injured after a man firebombs a fast-food restaurant in the Cologne main station and takes a woman hostage. The woman is later rescued by German counter-terrorism units. (The Guardian) (Washington Post)

Arts and culture

• Kensington Palace announces that Their Royal Highnesses Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first child. (BBC)

Business and economy

• Economy of the United States
  • American retailer Sears files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after accumulating USD $134 million in debt. (ABC News)
• Hydraulic fracturing in the United Kingdom
  • Fracking for shale gas begins in the United Kingdom for the first time since it was suspended in 2011 after being linked to a series of earthquakes. Cuadrilla Resources say they will spend at least three months fracking two horizontal wells in Lancashire. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

• 2018 European floods, Hurricane Leslie (2018)
  • At least 10 people have been killed by flash floods in the Aude region of south-western France. A bridge also collapsed in the locality of Villegailhenc, while all roads are inaccessible in Carcassonne. (BBC)
• 2018 California wildfires
  • The Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a major California utility based in San Francisco, announces they temporarily turned off power to 60,000 customers in 12 Northern California counties due to threats of wildfires. Red flag warnings are issued to 22 million people in the state. (CNN) (Mercury News)

International relations

• Russia–Ukraine relations, Eastern Orthodox Church
  • The Russian Orthodox Church announces it will break communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople over EoC official plans to recognize the autocephaly of two Ukrainian Orthodox Churches. Moscow says it hopes Constantinople will change its mind to avoid this schism. This marks an important new aspect in the rift between Russia and Ukraine. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• A ban on rough sleeping in public areas comes into force in Hungary. Despite international criticism of the law, the Hungarian government says it is in the "interests of society as a whole". (BBC)
• Mounir el-Motassadeq, sentenced to 15 years in prison as a member of the Hamburg cell of the September 11 attackers, was deported from Hamburg, Germany to Morocco. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Politics of Yemen
  • Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi sacks Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, blaming him for the current economic crisis and famine in the country. Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed is appointed as the new Prime Minister. (Reuters)