Portal:Current events/2019 August 21

August 21, 2019 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- A United States MQ-9 military drone is reportedly shot down in Yemen's Dhamar Governorate. A Houthi spokesperson claims responsibility and adds that they used a locally-developed missile. (Reuters)
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- 17 August 2019 Kabul bombing
  - The death toll of a suicide bombing during a wedding in Kabul, Afghanistan, four days ago, increases to 80. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

United States federal budget
- The Congressional Budget Office forecasts a deficit of US$1 trillion next year, up from the previous estimate of $892 billion. (The New York Times)

International relations

Australia–United States relations
- Australia announces its agreement to join the United States' coalition, along with the United Kingdom and Bahrain, to prevent Iran from targeting ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz. Australia will deploy a Boeing P-8 Poseidon and a frigate. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Denmark–United States relations
- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark expresses surprise at U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt cancellation of his planned visit to her country. Experts on the royal house call the move an act of "disrespect" as illness is not the apparent cause. (TV2)
Iceland–United States relations
- The office of the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir confirms that she will not meet the Vice President of the United States Mike Pence on his visit in September, citing "prior commitments." (AP News)

Law and crime

Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Australia
- The Supreme Court of Victoria rejects an appeal made by Cardinal George Pell against a six-year jail sentence for child sexual abuse. (The Guardian)
China–United Kingdom relations
- The Foreign Ministry of China confirms that United Kingdom consulate in Hong Kong employee Simon Cheng, who was reported missing, is administratively detained for 15 days by Shenzhen police. (CNN)
Indian senior opposition Rajya Sabha MP and former Cabinet Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram is arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on charges of corruption and money laundering during his term as Minister of Finance. Chidambaram says to the Supreme Court that the government is practicing a "politically-motivated vendetta" against him and his son Karti, who is also an opposition MP. (BBC News)