Portal:Current events/2019 July 31

July 31, 2019 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan, 2019 Farah bombing
- Thirty-two civilians are killed and over 20 are injured after their bus hits a land mine on the main road between Herat and Kandahar. (New York Post)
War on Terror
- Unnamed U.S. officials say they have received intelligence that Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden and a wanted al-Qaeda terrorist, has been killed. The time, location and cause of death has not been disclosed. (The Guardian) (NBC News)

Business and economy

Brazilian Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes announces that the full members of Mercosur—Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay—are negotiating a free trade deal with the United States. (Clarín) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2019 wildfire season, 2019 Siberia wildfires
- Russian President Vladimir Putin orders the Russian Ground Forces to join firefighting efforts to help tackle raging wildfires in Siberia. A state of emergency has been declared in Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Buryatia and Sakha Republic, where millions of hectares are currently burning out of control. (BBC News)
A United States Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet crashes in Death Valley National Park, California, leaving seven visitors on the ground with minor injuries. A search and rescue operation is underway for the pilot. (The Los Angeles Times)
An explosion at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown, Texas, hospitalizes 66 people. (NBC News)

International relations

Law and crime

2019 Hong Kong protests
- At least 10 people are injured after fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. (BBC News)