Portal:Current events/2019 October 13

October 13, 2019 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, NES–Syria relations
- The Syrian Democratic Forces agree to allow the Syrian Army to enter the SDF-held cities of Manbij and Kobani in an attempt to deter Turkey from attacking the towns. (Defence Post) (Reuters) (Al Arabiya)
- As many as 700 ISIL family members escape an Ayn Issa camp. (CNN)
- A thousand U.S. soldiers are to be pulled out of Syria because of the Turkish offensive. (BBC News)
- Fourteen people are killed and ten are injured by Turkish airstrikes targeting a convoy in the Syrian town of Ras al Ain. Five are identified as civilians. (Reuters)
Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- Multiple mortars hit Mogadishu Airport, wounding at least six people. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack. (VOA News) (Reuters)
Russian–Syrian hospital bombing campaign, Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
- The New York Times claims it can prove Russian aircraft bombed four Syrian hospitals in a matter of hours in May, using a combination of logbooks from planespotters, recorded radio transmissions, and eyewitnesses. (The Independent)

Disasters and accidents

Forty-eight people are confirmed dead, about 100 others are injured and 17 are missing after Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall in Japan. (Sky News)
The 90-metre cargo ship MV Rhodanus, with a crew of seven, runs aground in the Mouths of Bonifacio nature reserve in the Strait of Bonifacio off Corsica. French maritime police say the vessel did not respond to calls for around an hour before grounding, and that fuel was not thought to be leaking. (France 24)
A gas explosion kills nine people in a restaurant in Wuxi, China. (The Independent)

International relations

Law and crime

California becomes the first U.S. state to ban the sale of fur products. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2023. (CNN)

Politics and elections

2019 Tunisian presidential election
- Voters in Tunisia go to the polls to elect a new president. Conservative academic Kais Saied wins more than 70% of the votes. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
2019 Polish parliamentary election
- Voters in Poland go to the polls to elect a new government. The incumbent right-wing Law and Justice is expected to slightly increase its plurality. (Reuters)