Portal:Current events/2019 August 20

• Syrian Civil War, 2019 Northwestern Syria offensive
  • The Al-Qaeda-linked faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) acknowledges "a redeployment" south of the strategic town of Khan Shaykhun. (AP News)
  • Media close to the government reports that the Syrian Army enters the northern sector of the town of Khan Shaykhun, following the reported HTS withdrawal. (Al-Masdar News)

• The Spanish Ministry of Health declares an outbreak of listeriosis in Andalusia as a national health alert after cases are reported in Asturias, Madrid, Catalonia and Extremadura, including one death. (RTVE)

• 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
  • Nicolás Maduro confirms United States reports that top Venezuelan officials are having secret meetings with members of the Trump administration. Maduro claims that the talks encourage Trump to listen to him; United States sources claim that the talks encourage Maduro supporters to defect. (The Guardian)
• Proposed United States purchase of Greenland
  • U.S. President Donald Trump cancels his September state visit to Denmark because Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says that she has no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland. (BBC News)
• Holy See–Vietnam relations
  • The two sides meet in the Vatican and discuss bilateral relations, ecclesial life and the future visit of Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Vietnam — Holy See Joint Working Group first met in 2009. Vietnam, a Communist nation of 97 million, is 7% Catholic. (Vatican News)

• Crime in Brazil
  • Thirty-seven passengers on a bus over Rio–Niterói Bridge, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are held hostage before police fatally shoot the armed hijacker. After closer inspection, police discover that the hijacker used a fake plastic gun. (BBC News) (Extra)
• Former professional basketball player Mateen Cleaves is acquitted of several sex crimes in a court in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. (MLive) (WJRT-TV)
• A modification of the Volcker rule is approved by the OCC and the FDIC. The new version eases rules on proprietary trading by Wall Street banks. Consumer groups criticize the rule change, claiming that it removes protections from taxpayers. (Reuters)
• The Texas Department of Information Resources reports that the computer systems of 23 towns in the state were hit by a ransomware attack on August 16. "One single threat actor" is suspected. (Insider)

• Politics of Italy, Conte Cabinet
  • Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigns. He criticizes Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition for personal and political gain. The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, accepts Conte's resignation and announces that he will start consultations with party leaders. (Reuters) (Reuters)

• List of unmanned aerial vehicles
  • The Russian Ministry of Defence announces that the six-tonne satellite-controlled reconnaissance drone Altius-U has performed its maiden flight. (TASS)

• Expansion of Major League Soccer
  • Major League Soccer, the top level of the men's sport in the U.S., announces that a team in St. Louis, Missouri will become the league's 28th team, most likely in 2022. The ownership group, led by several female members of the Taylor family that controls the Enterprise Holdings car rental company, is the first in MLS in which women hold a majority interest. (ESPN)