Portal:Current events/2019 August 21

August 21, 2019 (2019-08-21) (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 they used a locally developed missile. (Reuters)

Business and economy

• United States federal budget
  • The Congressional Budget Office forecasts a deficit of US$1 trillion in 2020, up from the previous estimate of $892 billion. (The New York Times)

International relations

• 2019 Persian Gulf crisis, Australia–United States relations
  • Australia announces that it has agreed 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 was not the apparent cause. (TV2)

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)
• 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)

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