Portal:Current events/2019 September 15

• 2019 Abqaiq–Khurais attack, Saudi Arabia–United States relations
  • During a phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly tells Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman that the "U.S. supports Saudi Arabia in its efforts to fight terrorism" and that the U.S. will cooperate in the aftermath of the oil facilities attacks. (Al Arabiya English)
  • After accusations by U.S. and Saudi officials, Iran denies involvement in the attack and says it's "ready for war" against both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia after the Kingdom blamed Iran for backing the Houthis. (Reuters)
  • An anonymous senior Iraqi intelligence officer says the drones that attacked Saudi Arabia were launched from Popular Mobilization Forces bases in southern Iraq. The drones on that flight path reportedly would have crossed Kuwait's airspace to carry out the strikes. Kuwait's government says it is investigating the sighting of a drone, reportedly flying low and hovering over Kuwait City on the day of the attacks. (Middle East Eye)
  • An unnamed United States official says evidence suggests the drones approached Saudi Arabia from the northwest from Iraq or Iran, contrary to the Houthi militants' claim that the drones were launched from Yemeni territory. Three experts cited by CNN say the official's evidence is not conclusive. (Reuters) (CNN)
  • Donald Trump says the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" after the attacks on its ally Saudi Arabia, but is awaiting confirmation from Riyadh on who launched the strikes before taking action. (CNBC)
• Syrian Civil War
  • 2019 al-Rai bombing
    • A car bomb in the Syrian town of al-Rai, close to the Turkish border, kills at least ten people after it explodes near a hospital. (Reuters)

• Price of oil
  • Following the drone attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities, the price of benchmark Brent Crude oil futures contracts surges as high as 19.5% at market opening, the biggest increase in percentage terms since the 1990 oil price shock in response to Ba'athist Iraq invading Kuwait. (Yahoo! Finance)
• Donald Trump authorizes the use of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to "keep the markets well-supplied", following severe disruption to crude oil output in Saudi Arabia. (The Hill)
• Opioid epidemic in the United States
  • U.S. company Purdue Pharma files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Agreeing to contribute more than US$3 billion from the sale of a daughter company, the owners propose to settle thousands of lawsuits related to the risk of addiction to their narcotic painkiller Oxycontin. (The Guardian)

• A sightseeing boat capsizes on the Godavari River in India's East Godavari district, killing at least 12 people and leaving 35 others missing, all Indian nationals. (The Independent)
• A Transpacifico airplane crashes shortly after departing an airport in Popayán, Colombia for a domestic flight. Seven of the nine occupants are killed. The remaining two on board are injured, as is a child on the ground. (Al Jazeera)

• Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israel–Turkey relations
  • The Cabinet of Israel legalizes the outpost settlement of Mevo’ot Yericho, in the occupied West Bank. (The Jewish Press)
  • Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed annexation of the West Bank, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu says Israel is turning into "a racist, apartheid regime." (Reuters)

• 2019 Hong Kong protests
  • Despite an official ban, thousands of people march from Causeway Bay to the center of town. Police use tear gas to disperse the protestors. (CNN)
• 2019 Tunisian presidential election
  • Tunisians cast their vote in the first round of presidential elections. (Reuters)

• 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Final
  • In basketball, Spain defeats Argentina 95–75 to win their second World Cup title. (news.com.au)