Portal:Current events/2018 July 23

July 23, 2018 (Monday)

Disasters and accidents

2018 Attica wildfires
- Wildfires in east and west Attica, Greece, kill at least 76 people, leave another 172 injured, and burn hundreds of houses and vehicles, prompting a state of emergency. The Greek government requests help from European Union countries. (Reuters) (Sky News)
2018 Laos dam collapse
- Heavy rains cause the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in southern Laos to collapse, releasing a reported five billion cubic metres of water. As a result, 20 people are confirmed dead, over a hundred are missing, and 6,600 have been displaced. (BBC) (The Guardian)
2018 lower Puna eruption
- Geologists monitoring the eruption of Kīlauea warned it could continue to spout lava for a long time. (WRAL)
The death toll from an intense heat wave in Japan rises to 77. (The Straits Times)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- Photos taken on July 20 and 22 and published by 38 North appear to show North Korea dismantling a ballistic missile launchpad and engine testing stand at the Sohae Satellite Launching Station. (UPI)

Law and crime

2018 Toronto shooting
- Police identify the gunman in a deadly mass shooting in Toronto, Canada. Investigators are still determining a motive. His family claims he had severe mental health problems. (CBC)
Femen co-founder and activist Oksana Shachko is found dead in her Paris apartment in an apparent suicide. France granted her political refugee status in 2013. (RFE/RL)

Politics and elections