Portal:Current events/2022 August 23

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Battle of Donbas
      • Ukrainian forces reportedly shell the administration headquarters of the Donetsk People's Republic in separatist-held Donetsk, killing three people, according to pro-Russian officials. (Reuters)
    • Foreign aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
      • Slovakia announces that it will send an additional 30 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles and ammunition to Ukraine. (Reuters)
• Libyan Crisis
  • According to the Libyan National Army, a United States-manufactured MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down with a surface-to-air missile, crashing near Benina International Airport in Benghazi, Libya. (Eurasian Times) (Mehr News Agency)

Health and environment

• Holocene extinction
  • The dugong is declared extinct in China after scientists report no verified sightings of the large marine mammal since 2000. However, dugongs still exist in the wild in parts of Southeast Asia and Australasia. (BBC News)
• South Korea registers a population decrease for the second consecutive year, due to having the world's lowest birth rate. (Xinhua)

Law and crime

• 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal
  • The Federal Court of Malaysia upholds the corruption conviction and 12-year prison term of former prime minister Najib Razak in connection with the embezzlement of sovereign wealth funds from 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Najib is the first former Malaysian prime minister to be imprisoned. (NPR)
• Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
  • Two men are found guilty of conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction for use in the foiled plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. One of the men is also convicted of an explosives charge. (AP)
• Brazilian police conduct eight raids on pro-Bolsonaro businessmen accused of discussing the possibility of a coup d'état if incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro loses the upcoming presidential election. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

• Scott Morrison ministerial positions controversy
  • Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces an official inquiry into his predecessor Scott Morrison's secret swearing of himself into various ministerial positions during his second ministry. (The Guardian)
• 2022 Samoan o le Ao o le Malo election
  • Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II is re-elected by the Parliament for a second term as O le Ao o le Malo, the Samoan head of state. (RNZ)