August 15, 2018 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in Afghanistan
- At least 48 people, mostly students, are killed and a further 67 are injured in a suicide bomb attack at an education centre in Kabul. The Taliban denies any involvement. (BBC)
- The Taliban attacks two units of Afghan security forces in the Baghlan-e-Markazi district of Baghlan Province, killing at least 39 soldiers and police officers. (SFGate)
Arts and culture
- Me Too movement § China
- Following accusations by fellow monks of sexual misconduct and embezzling funds—accusations which were subsequently posted on social media—the Buddhist Association of China announces Shi Xuecheng's resignation from the office of president of that organization. Xuecheng had dismissed the records as a fabrication. (The Guardian)
Business and economy
- Automotive industry in South Korea
- The government of South Korea announces that it will ban 20,000 BMW vehicles following engine fires. (BBC)
- Economy of New Zealand
- New Zealand's parliament votes to ban the sale of homes to non-resident foreign nationals amid a housing affordability crisis. Australians and Singaporeans are exempt due to free-trade deals. (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- 2018 California wildfires
- Officials lift all mandatory evacuation orders for the deadly Carr Fire in Northern California that destroyed nearly 1,100 homes and killed eight people. (KHQ) (ABC News)
- 22 children and a woman drown after their boat sinks in the Nile in Sudan while travelling to school. (Business Standard)
International relations
- Foreign relations of South Korea
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in announces plans to create a Northeast Asian railroad community with North Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and Mongolia. (CNBC)
Law and crime
- Transgender rights in Germany
- The Cabinet of Germany approves a third gender option for official identification records. The change will come into force by the end of the year. (Deutsche Welle)
- Caracas drone explosions
- Venezuelan authorities arrest a military general, a colonel, and a dozen others in connection to a failed assassination attempt on President Nicolás Maduro. (UPI)
- Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)
- Omar Ameen, an ISIL member who lived in California as a refugee, is arrested in Sacramento for a 2014 murder in Rawa, Iraq. (The New York Times)
Politics and elections
- President Donald Trump revokes the security clearance of former Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan, and the White House announces clearance reviews for other current and former national security officials. (ABC News)
Science and technology
- Indian Space Research Organisation
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India will launch its first manned space mission by 2022, which would make it the fourth nation to do so after Russia, the United States, and China. (Reuters)
- Discoveries of exoplanets