Portal:Current events/2019 October 10

• 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Kurdish–Turkish conflict
  • Heavy fighting between the Turkish Land Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces along the Syria–Turkey border reportedly leaves hundreds dead. The International Rescue Committee says 64,000 people in northern Syria have fled since the Turkish offensive began, leaving the border towns of Ras al-Ayn and al-Darbasiyah largely deserted. (Reuters)
• Syrian Civil War
  • The Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, blames the Turkish offensive on the Kurdish forces, saying Syria will not be negotiating with them "on the terms of separatism". (Xinhua)
• Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
  • The White House confirms that Ibrahim al-Asiri, suspected chief bomb maker for terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was killed in an American counter-terrorism operation in Yemen in 2017. (The New York Times)
• 2019 Ecuadorian protests
  • Anti-government protesters parade captured police officers in the Ecuadorian capital Quito, which is de facto under the control of protesters and the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador. The officers were not harmed, though they were forced to address a large crowd calling on President Lenín Moreno to step down, which was broadcast live by several private broadcasters after being ordered to do so by indigenous leaders. (The Guardian)
  • Protest groups issue a statement demanding that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) leave Ecuador, saying that civil unrest won't stop until they leave. (Bloomberg) (Pastebin)
• Terrorism in Indonesia
  • An ISIL radical stabs multiple people, including Indonesia's security minister Wiranto. Two suspects were later arrested. (BBC News)

• The Swedish Academy awards the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature to Olga Tokarczuk, "for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life", and the 2019 prize to Peter Handke, "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience". The 2018 prize is awarded only now because last year it was postponed due to a scandal. (The Guardian)

• A highway bridge collapses onto cars in Wuxi, China, trapping multiple vehicles. Search and rescue operations commence. (The Straits Times)

• 2019 United States outbreak of lung illness linked to vaping products
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number of deaths caused by vaping-associated pulmonary injury has risen to 27, with an additional 1,299 cases of non-fatal injuries. (The New York Times)

• 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, European Union–Turkey relations
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatens to send 3.6 million Syrian refugees into Europe if the European Union labels the country's recent offensive in northeastern Syria an "occupation". (The Guardian)

• Michael Drejka, a 47-year-old white Florida man who shot and killed Markeis McGlockton, an unarmed 28-year-old African American man, in a parking space dispute, is sentenced to 20 years in prison. Drejka had cited Florida's stand-your-ground law in his defense and was not initially charged until the case was handed over to State Attorney Bernie McCabe, who charged Drejka with one count of manslaughter. (ABC News)
• Crime in Alaska
  • A murder case from Anchorage, Alaska makes national news, after it is revealed that the killer recorded the killing in both video and still photographs on an SD card, which was later found by a local woman on a street and turned over to police. Local police arrested Brian Steven Smith and charged him with the murder, after identifying him from the content of the memory card. (The New York Times) (Yahoo News) (KTUU-TV)
• Trump–Ukraine scandal
  • Two associates of Rudy Giuliani have been arrested for campaign finance violations in connected to efforts to discredit presidential candidate Joe Biden, according to a spokesman for the District Court for the SDNY. (CNN)

• Politics of Romania
  • Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă and her government is ousted after the approval of a vote of no-confidence. She will hold the office acting until new Prime Minister is elected. (BBC News)

• 2019 Hong Kong protests
  • A source for CNN confirms that a note posted anonymously on Pastebin.com is by Apple CEO Tim Cook. In the note, Cook defends Apple's decision today to bin the HKmap.live iOS app because, he says, its use endangers "law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong." (CNN)

• Women's rights in Iran, 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second Round
  • In a men's football match attended by women supporters for the first time in decades, Iran beats Cambodia 14–0. (Al Jazeera)