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Portal:Current events/April 2019

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

April2019 was the fourth month of that common year. The month, which began on aMonday, ended on aTuesday after 30 days.

Portal:Current events

[edit]

This is anarchived version of Wikipedia'sCurrent events Portal from April 2019.

April 1, 2019 (2019-04-01) (Monday)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Iran floods
- TheIranian government announces an emergency in southwestern provinces threatened by flooding and worked to evacuate dozens of villages as forecasters predicted more of theheavy rains that have killed at least 45 people last week.(Reuters)
The death toll from thunderstorms in southernNepal rises to 30. Several houses are ruptured, trees uprooted and vehicles overturned inBara district andParsa district.(BBC News)
Thirty firefighters die in southwesternChina after a forest fire trapped them due to a sudden shift in winds.(The New York Times)(BBC)
Two children are killed and twenty are injured inChina after adust devil lifts aninflatable castle off the ground.(South China Morning Post)

Health and environment

China announces that it will addfentanyl to a list of regulated narcotic drugs on May 1, 2019, in an effort to curtail its manufacturing.(BBC News)(CNN)(Time)
Aftermath ofCyclone Idai
- The first death due tocholera is confirmed inMozambique, with confirmed cases rising to 517.(CBS News)(The Independent)

Politics and elections

2019 Turkish local elections,Erdoğanism
- In an electionmarred by electoral fraud,Turkey's rulingJustice and Development Party wins with 44% of the vote whileRepublican People's Party comes in second with 30% of the vote. Overall,People's Alliance gets 51% of the vote whileNation Alliance receives 37% of the vote.Voter turnout was 84%.(Anadolu Agency)
2019 Japanese imperial transition
- Reiwa (令和) is revealed as the newJapanese Era name set to start on May 1 uponCrown Prince Naruhito'saccession to theChrysanthemum Throne as the 126thEmperor of Japan.(The Japan Times)
2019 Guatemalan general election
- TheSupreme Electoral Tribunal accepts the nullity recourses against the candidacy ofThelma Aldana and temporarily leaves her out of the general elections. However, an appeal will be filed before the Supreme Court of Justice and ultimately, theConstitutional Court. All three top candidates face serious legal challenges that may prevent them from running.(Prensa Libre)(Fox News)(Al Jazeera)

2019 Algerian protests
- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announces that he will resign by April 28, following intense pressure from the military and the ruling party to step down amid anti-government protests, bringing an end to his 20-year rule.(Reuters)
Brexit negotiations
- TheBritish parliament votes against four alternativeBrexit plans.(CBC)
- Protesters strip naked in the public galleries of theHouse of Commons, pressing their buttocks against the window facing Ministers.(The Guardian via YouTube)(The Guardian)
Michele Muratori andNicola Selva are sworn in asCaptains Regent ofSan Marino.(Corriere Romagna)

April 2, 2019 (2019-04-02) (Tuesday)

Business and economy

Google starts deleting consumer accounts from its social networkGoogle+ due to low user engagement and the discovery ofsecurity vulnerabilities which potentially exposed user data to developers.(The Verge)

Disasters and accidents

Boeing 737 MAX groundings
- Boeing delays the availability of the software update for its737 Max airliners. TheFederal Aviation Administration anticipates the update to be rolled out "in the coming weeks."(CBC)

International relations

Russia–Venezuela relations
- Russia opens a helicopter training facility inVenezuela. Under the plans, Russian state-ownedRostec will train Venezuelan pilots to operateMi-35M gunships and transport helicopters. The move comes after the White House warned Moscow against sending troops or military equipment to the country.(Reuters)

Law and crime

According to a criminal complaint filed in a U.S. District Court, aChinese woman is arrested and charged with making a false statement to theUnited States Secret Service after illegally enteringU.S. President Donald Trump'sMar-a-Lago resort inFlorida on 30 March 2019 while carrying multiple passports, four mobile phones and athumb drive containingmalware.(BBC News)(Reuters)
Eric Holder (not to be confused withthe former U.S. Attorney General of the same name) is arrested and charged with the murder of rapperNipsey Hussle.(The Washington Post)
Peruvian authorities investigate the death of BritishDe La Salle Brother Paul McAuley, age 71. According to the report he is burned to death in a home he founded for indigenous students inIquitos, in the northeastern Amazonian region.(AP)

Politics and elections

2019 Algerian protests
- President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns amid pressure from the public and the military, having ruled the country since 1999.(BBC News)
Brexit negotiations
- UK Prime Minister Theresa May gives a speech after seven hours of continuous meetings, saying that a further extension to the withdrawal from the European Union is needed, and asking for talks withJeremy Corbyn.(BBC News)
The chairman for theRepublican Party inNorth Carolina,Robin Hayes, is charged with bribery and other corruption charges, along with Republican donorGreg Lindberg.(Yahoo!)
SNC-Lavalin affair
- Canadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau expels former ministersJody Wilson-Raybould andJane Philpott from theLiberal Party of Canada.(BBC News)(Reuters)
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- TheNicolás Maduro-alignedConstituent National Assembly formally strips opposition leader andNational Assembly President Juan Guaidó of his immunity from prosecution, potentially paving the way for his arrest.(Brisbane Times)

Sports

InAmerican football,Tom Dundon, principal owner of theAlliance of American Football, announces that the league has suspended operations effective immediately, before the end ofits first season.(ESPN)

April 3, 2019 (2019-04-03) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya Offensive
- TheLibyan National Army (LNA) launches a surprise offensive in westernLibya, moving units towards theGovernment of National Accord-held capitalTripoli, with reports of clashes in the city ofGharyan. The LNA say their operation, ordered by GeneralKhalifa Haftar, is aimed at "cleansing the western zone from terrorist groups".(Reuters)(Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Mueller special counsel investigation,Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- The U.S.House Committee on the Judiciary approves asubpoena to obtain, in its full and unredacted form, the final report written as part ofspecial counsel Robert Mueller's recently concluded investigation into Russian meddling in the2016 presidential election.(New York Post)

Politics and elections

2019 Ukrainian presidential election
- Volodymyr Zelensky wins the first round ofUkraine'spresidential election with 30 percent of the vote, with PresidentPetro Poroshenko coming in second with 15 percent of the vote. Since no candidate reached the required number of votes to achieve the office of the presidency, a runoff election between the two candidates will be held on April 21.Voter turnout was 63 percent.(Ukrinform)(The Jerusalem Post)
In an effort led byU.S. Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell, SenateRepublicans vote 51-48 to approve new Senate rules to limit the in-session debate time for most of PresidentDonald Trump's appointed political nominees to two hours instead of the previously required 30 hours. Senate Republicans invoke the so-called "nuclear option" to approve the new rules, a procedure that allows the Senate to amend rules with a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the two-thirdssupermajority normally required to do so.(Axios)
TheU.S. House Committee on Ways and Means formally requests six years of PresidentDonald Trump's personal and business tax returns from theInternal Revenue Service.(ABC News)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- TheU.S. House of Representatives approves a resolution to end U.S. support for theSaudi Arabia-led coalition in thewar in Yemen.(Politico)
Brexit negotiations
- An indicative vote on holding more indicative votes for Brexit possibilities in theHouse of Commons achieves a vote of 310 Aye and 310 No, becoming the first British parliamentary vote to result in a draw in the 21st century;Speaker John Bercow breaks the tie by voting No.(BBC News)

April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya Offensive
- Libyan National Army forces continue to advance on theLibyan capitalTripoli, capturing the city ofGharyan, with only light resistance reported. GeneralKhalifa Haftar has ordered the LNA to seize control of Tripoli, prompting the Tripoli-basedPresidential Council to declare a general mobilization.(The Guardian)(Middle East Monitor)

Arts and culture

Belarusian authorities begin demolishing crosses with bulldozers at theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic-eramass grave siteKurapaty on the outskirts ofMinsk, where at least 30,000 people were executed by theNKVD'ssecret police in the 1930s and 1940s. The bulldozing is widely condemned in Belarus.(BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Boeing 737 MAX groundings,Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
- The Ethiopian government releases a preliminary report on the investigation into the crash ofEthiopian Airlines Flight 302.(CNN)
A rapidly spreadingwildfire inGangwon Province,South Korea, kills two people, injures 11 others, and forces the evacuation of thousands of civilians.(The Washington Post)

Law and crime

Aftermath of theChristchurch mosque shootings,Internet censorship in Australia
- TheAustralian Parliament passes a law which makes it illegal for Internet platforms and service providers to host videos of "abhorrent violent conduct" without "expeditiously" removing them.(The Guardian)
Cannabis in Guam
- Governor Lou Leon Guerrero signs a bill into law, legalizing the recreational use ofcannabis.(The Hill)

Politics and elections

George Vella is sworn in as the newPresident of Malta succeedingMarie-Louise Coleiro Preca.(The Times of Malta)

April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya Offensive
- Libyan National Army troops reach the outskirts of theLibyan capitalTripoli, securing a key military checkpoint known as "Bridge 27".(AFP)
- The LNA captures several more towns in theTripoli District, includingQasr bin Ghashir,Wadi Rabie andSuq al-Khamis, as well as the town of‘Aziziya in theJafara District, to the west of Tripoli.(Reuters)(The Economist)
- LNA forces say they have seized control ofTripoli International Airport.(Reuters)
- TheUnited States,United Kingdom,France, andItaly issue a joint statement calling onField Marshal Khalifa Haftar to end the offensive.(Euronews)

Disasters and accidents

Boeing 737 MAX groundings,Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
- The CEO forBoeing,Dennis Muilenburg, apologizes for the loss of lives in the two737 MAX accidents, recognizing the role that theMCAS system played in the disasters.(Washington Post)

Health and environment

The U.SCenters for Disease Control and Prevention reports the source ofE. coli O103, that has infected 72 people in five states, has not been identified.Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer in Seattle, notes this O103 outbreak is by far the largest in recent memory.(The Washington Post via MSN.com)

Law and crime

Julian Assange's asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy,INA Papers
- WikiLeaks says that a high-level source within the government ofEcuador has informed them thatJulian Assange will be expelled within "hours to days" and that Ecuador's government already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest. On April 2, 2019,Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno accused WikiLeaks of leaking theINA Papers, a set of documents published in February 2019 which uncover the operations ofINA Investment Corp, an offshoretax haven created by the brother of President Moreno and allegedly reveal government corruption.(WikiLeaks)(Al Jazeera)
A 29-year-old man is charged with five counts of attempted murder after stabbing five people in "random attacks", including four people in a 10-hour period on March 30, inEdmonton, London.(BBC News)
An inquest finds that Jennifer and Sarah Hart intentionally killed themselves. In 2018, a vehicle with the couple and their six adopted children drove off a cliff inCalifornia, killing all of them.(MSN.com)

Science and technology

A small 5-200 kilometerplanetesimal, with a similar mineral composition to Earth, is found orbiting in thedebris disk of a white dwarf star. This discovery is among the first of its kind and expected to provide insight into the future of our own planetary system.(Astronomy.com)
JAXA space probeHayabusa2 successfully fires a bullet atApollo asteroid 162173 Ryugu, forming a crater which will be used to collect underground samples.(AP)

April 6, 2019 (2019-04-06) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya offensive
- Militias loyal to the internationally-recognisedGovernment of National Accord launch a counterattack onLibyan National Army troops in the southern outskirts of Tripoli.(The Washington Post)
- Libyan National Army Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar declares ano-fly zone for military aircraft over westernLibya, after LNA forces were targeted by airstrikes fromGNA warplanes that took off fromMisrata Airport.(Al Arabiya)

Business and economy

South Korea'sHyundai Motor reaches an agreement withTencent to partner on research and development of self-driving cars. Hyundai plans to roll such cars out commercially by 2030.(Reuters)

Law and crime

European migrant crisis
- Greek riot police clash with hundreds of migrants near theDiavata refugee camp, attempting to enterNorth Macedonia, after rumours were circulated onsocial media that the border would be open.(Reuters)

Politics and elections

2019 Maldivian parliamentary election
- Voters are called to the polls to elect the new members of thePeople's Majlis. Preliminary results give the victory toMaldivian Democratic Party, led by formerPresident Mohamed Nasheed.(The Washington Post)(BBC News)

April 7, 2019 (2019-04-07) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya offensive
- TheGovernment of National Accord inTripoli formally announces the start of a counteroffensive to reclaim all parts of the capital held by theLibyan National Army.(Al Jazeera)
- TheUnited States Africa Command evacuates a contingent of U.S. troops from Libya due to the unrest.India also withdraws a contingent of peacekeepers from Tripoli.(The Guardian)
- Libyan Air Force jets loyal toKhalifa Haftar strike GNA positions in Tripoli for first time since the offensive began, including four airstrikes near theBab al-Azizia military barracks.(Reuters)(Voice of America)
- Russia blocks aUnited Nations Security Council statement calling on LibyanField Marshal Khalifa Haftar to immediately halt the Libyan National Army's offensive on Tripoli, because it wants the UN statement to also apply to pro-GNA forces, including Islamist militias fromMisrata.(South China Morning Post)
Two female suicide bombers attack a crowd on the outskirts ofMaiduguri,Nigeria, killing three civilians and injuring 33 others.(The Guardian.ng)

Disasters and accidents

A majorpower outage occurs inSudan, leaving almost the entire country without electricity amid ongoing anti-governmentprotests.(Africanews)
An innocent motorist is fatally shot bythe Brazilian army after being shot eighty times when his vehicle is mistaken for a criminal target inRio de Janeiro.(G1)

Politics and elections

2019 Andorran parliamentary election
- Andorrans head to the polls to elect the new members of theGeneral Council that will choose the newPrime Minister. The ruling party,Democrats for Andorra, loses the majority in the chamber.(La Vanguardia)
Political appointments by Donald Trump,List of Trump administration dismissals and resignations
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces thatHomeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is leaving the administration.Customs and Border Protection commissionerKevin McAleenan will serve in her stead until a new secretary is confirmed by Congress.(The Washington Post)

April 8, 2019 (2019-04-08) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya offensive
- Forces loyal to theGovernment of National Accord retakeTripoli International Airport from theLibyan National Army.(Anadolu Agency)
- One of the vice chairmen of the GNAPresidential Council,Ali Faraj Qatrani, defects to theTobruk-based government.(Asharq Al-Awsat)
- A warplane loyal toField Marshal Khalifa Haftar, reported to be aMiG-23, strikesMitiga International Airport, the only functional airport inTripoli. A LNA spokesman says civilian planes were not targeted in the air raid.(The Guardian)
War in Afghanistan
- A roadside bomb kills threeU.S. troops and one civilian contractor nearBagram Airfield,Afghanistan.(BBC News)

Arts and culture

The Nation's editorKatrina vanden Heuvel announces that she will step down as editor after 24 years, on June 15, 2019.(The New York Times)

Law and crime

Nationwide protests against animal cruelty take place inAustralia. In the city ofMelbourne, protesters blocked a major intersection for four hours before it was dispatched by police; several people were arrested.(News.com.au)
TheDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the United Kingdom releases a white paper proposing to set up an independent regulatory body which would require Internet companies toremove content and block websites considered harmful.(BBC News)
2019 college admissions bribery scandal
- American actressFelicity Huffman and 13 other defendants involved in a conspiracy regarding admission to prestigious colleges have agreed to plead guilty in the matter, prosecutors say. The 14 individuals are among 50 people accused of engaging in schemes that involved cheating on college entrance exams and paying $25 million in bribes to secure their children admission to well-known colleges.(WKZO)
U.S. district judgeRichard Seeborg halts theTrump administration’s policy of sending some asylum seekers toMexico while their cases are pending in the United States. The national injunction will take effect Friday.(Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 United States presidential election,2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Eric Swalwell 2020 presidential campaign
  - U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell fromCalifornia announces he is running for theDemocratic Party's nomination to bePresident of the United States in the 2020 presidential election.(Fox News)
Trump administration dismissals and resignations
- U.S. President Donald Trump terminates the employment ofRandolph Alles, theDirector of theUnited States Secret Service.(CNN)
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces the designation of the entirety ofIran'sIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as aForeign Terrorist Organization (FTO), effective April 15. This will be the first time theUnited States has designated a part of another government as a terrorist organization.(United States Department of State)(CBS News)

Science and technology

David Saint-Jacques becomes the fourth Canadian astronaut to take part in aspacewalk and the first in 12 years as he begins a roughly seven-hour mission.(The Hamilton Spectator)(CBC.ca)
Gravitational wave observations
- LIGO andVirgo detect a gravitational wave from a galaxy 6 billion light-years away in the direction ofCassiopeia, with further details being released on April 10.(New Scientist)

Sports

2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- Inbasketball, theVirginia Cavaliers defeat theTexas Tech Red Raiders,85–77 inovertime, to win their first national title.(The Washington Post)

April 9, 2019 (2019-04-09) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya offensive
- The UN cancels a plannedLibyan National Conference that was due to take place later in April for negotiations between different political factions to organisenew elections due to the ongoing fighting inTripoli.(The Guardian)
Sinai insurgency
- A 15-year-oldsuicide bomber attacks a market inSheikh Zuweid,Egypt, killing four policemen and three civilians, and injuring 27 others.(Xinhua)
2018–19 Sudanese protests
- Heavy gunfire is reported in theSudanese capitalKhartoum asRapid Support Forces loyal toPresident Omar al-Bashir attempted to break-up an anti-government protest outside the military's headquarters, killing at least 14 people, including five Sudanese soldiers who defected to the opposition.(Sky News)

Business and economy

Debenhams, one of the largestdepartment stores in theUnited Kingdom which employs 25,000 people, collapses into administration.(The Guardian)
Alcon has completed a 100% spin-off fromNovartis.(PharmaTimes)(Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

AJapan Air Self-Defense Force F-35 Lightning II jet disappears from radar while on a training mission over thePacific Ocean. JapaneseDefense Minister Takeshi Iwaya subsequently grounds Japan's fleet of F-35s.(CBS News)

Law and crime

2019 college admissions bribery scandal
- 16 people are indicted on new charges in the nationwide college admissions cheating scandal, one day after it was announced that 13 of the defendants charged in the case would plead guilty for conspiracy.(The Boston Globe)(The New York Times)

Politics and elections

2019 Israeli legislative election
- Israelis go to the polls to elect the new members of theKnesset (Israel's parliament) and a newPrime Minister.(Reuters)
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- TheOrganization of American States votes 18 to 9, with six abstentions, to acceptGustavo Tarre Briceño as the ambassador from Venezuela. Tarre is the envoy fromJuan Guaidó's government;Nicolás Maduro's Foreign Ministry calls Tarre a "political usurper".(Washington Post)

April 10, 2019 (2019-04-10) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya offensive
- Aguila Saleh, speaker of theTobruk-basedLibyan parliament whichKhalifa Haftar'sLibyan National Army is loyal to, states that no peace agreement or UN-backed conference is possible whileTripoli "is occupied by armed groups".(Fox News)
- The Libyan National Army says it has shot down a pro-GNA L-39 Albatros overTripoli.(RT)

International relations

Brexit negotiations
- TheUnited Kingdom andEuropean Union agree to delayBrexit until October 31, 2019. This means that the UK will participate in next month'sEuropean Parliament election.(BBC News)

Law and crime

The United States federal government charges 24 in aMedicare fraud scheme involving the billing of Medicare for nearly $1.2 billion in unnecessaryback braces and other medical braces pitched viatelemarketing throughdurable medical equipment companies.(NPR)

Politics and elections

2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- After theOrganization of American States accepts an envoy from the government of President of theVenezuelan National Assembly Juan Guaidó as ambassador,United States Vice President Mike Pence asks for theUnited Nations to expel and replace theNicolás Maduro-appointed Venezuelan envoy in its own chamber.(Bloomberg)
- TheInternational Monetary Fund denies Venezuela access to its money as there is no majority of member states recognizing either Maduro or Guaidó, describing the situation as "political chaos" and asking for debate between its members on the nation.(Bloomberg)

Science and technology

Katie Bouman and scientists at theEvent Horizon Telescope project release the first ever photograph of the event horizon of ablack hole, that of the supermassive black hole at the center ofMessier 87 galaxy, taken using a network of eight radio telescopes around the world.(CNN)
Homo luzonensis is identified as a new species ofhuman beings discovered in theCallao Cave,Northern Philippines.(National Geographic)

April 11, 2019 (2019-04-11) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2018–19 Sudanese protests,2019 Sudanese coup d'état
- TheSudanese military surrounds thepresidential palace in the capitalKhartoum, and takes over state media buildings amid protests againstPresident Omar al-Bashir. Several senior ministers are reportedly arrested, including former Defense MinisterAbdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein.(The National)
- The army forms aninterim council, withFirst Vice President Lt. GeneralAhmed Awad Ibn Auf as the leader. President al-Bashir is reported to have stepped down.(BBC News)

Politics and elections

2019 Australian federal election
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls an election for 18 May.(ABC News Australia)
North Korea appointsChoe Ryong-hae as President of the Presidium of theSupreme People's Assembly, the country's nominal head of state, replacingKim Yong-nam after 21 years.Kim Jae-ryong becomespremier.(Yonhap)

Law and crime

Abortion in South Korea
- TheConstitutional Court of Korea rules that the 1953abortion ban is unconstitutional.(Korea Herald)
WikiLeaks founderJulian Assange is arrested inLondon afterEcuador withdrawsasylum. He is later found guilty of breaching bail in 2012 by a British court, however he faces likelyextradition to the United States over allegations he conspired with former US military analystChelsea Manning to acquire classified U.S. government files.(The Guardian)
Police in Louisiana arrest Holden Matthews, a suspect in arson at three historicallyAfrican-American churches in the past weeks which theNAACP flagged as hate crimes. Matthews is the son of a local deputy sheriff. He has ties toblack metal music and commented on memes about musicianVarg Vikernes, a neo-Nazi who boasted about burning churches in Norway and was imprisoned for arson and murder, but researchers are unsure if they prove hate was his motive.(CBS)(Rolling Stone)(Daily Beast)
Michael Avenatti is charged by afederal grand jury inCalifornia on 36 counts, includingembezzlement,wire fraud,tax evasion,bankruptcy fraud andbank fraud connected to his allegedtheft of tens of millions of dollars from several clients.(United States Department of Justice)(ABC News)

Science and technology

Israel'sBeresheetlunar lander crashes atMare Serenitatis on the surface of theMoon. The crash resulted from a failure in the lander's main engine, resulting in the total loss of the spacecraft.(The New York Times)
SpaceX'sFalcon Heavy launches successfully fromKennedy Space Center carryingArabsat-6A to orbit. All three boosters landed successfully, marking the first time that all three boosters of a Falcon Heavy landed without failure.(CNN)

April 12, 2019 (2019-04-12) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Quetta bombing
- Twenty-one people are killed and about fifty others injured in asuicide bombing at a market inQuetta,Pakistan.(CNN)
2018–19 Sudanese protests,2019 Sudanese coup d'état
- Lt. GeneralAhmed Awad Ibn Auf steps down as leader of theTransitional Military Council in favor of Lt. GeneralAbdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan.(BBC News)
Russiansecurity services kill twoISIL-affiliated terrorists who were planning an attack in the city ofTyumen.(RT)
2019 Mall of America murder attempt

Disasters and accidents

Two buildings collapse inRio de Janeiro,Brazil, killing nine people and leaving fifteen others missing. The buildings were irregularly built.(G1)

Politics and elections

Abortion in the United States
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signs a bill that restricts abortion after a detectable heartbeat. TheAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Ohio said it was preparing a constitutional challenge to the law.(ABC News)

April 13, 2019 (2019-04-13) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War,2019 Western Libya offensive
- Aguila Saleh, the chairman of theTobruk-basedLibyan parliament that rivals theGovernment of National Accord, stated that the parliament'sLibyan National Army will continue advancing on Tripoli in spite of international calls for them to stop the offensive.(Reuters)

Health and environment

The last known femaleYangtze giant softshell turtle, the world's largest species of freshwater turtle and one of the most endangered species on the planet, dies atSuzhou Zoo inChina.(Sohu.com)

Science and technology

Scaled Composites Stratolaunch, an aircraft with the largestwingspan ever to fly, makes itsmaiden flight overCalifornia,United States.(BBC News)

April 14, 2019 (2019-04-14) (Sunday)

Disasters and accidents

Tornadoes of 2019
- At least eight people are killed in theSouthern United States amid severe storms bringing floods and tornadoes.(ABC News)

International relations

Second Libyan Civil War
- Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of theLNA visitsCairo for a meeting withEgyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has supported the LNA in itsmilitary operation against the rivalGNA inTripoli.(The Guardian)

Law and crime

Two people are dead, and two others were wounded in adrive-by shooting outside anightclub inMelbourne,Australia.(News.com.au)
One person is killed and another injured in a shooting in a church in theBritish Columbia city ofSalmon Arm. The suspected shooter was wrestled to the ground by churchgoers, police say.(CBC)

Politics and elections

2019 Finnish parliamentary election
- Social Democratic Party takes a narrow victory with 40 seats, whileFinns Party comes close second with 39 seats.(Yle)
2020 United States presidential election,2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries,Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign
- Pete Buttigieg, Mayor ofSouth Bend, Indiana, announces he is running for theDemocratic Party's nomination to bePresident of the United States in the 2020 presidential election.(NBC News)

Sports

2019 Masters Tournament
- Tiger Woods wins theMasters Tournament inAugusta, Georgia, his firstmajor golf win in11 years and his first win at the Masters since2005.(WGHP)(The New York Times)

April 15, 2019 (2019-04-15) (Monday)

Arts and culture

2019 Pulitzer Prize
- Annapolis, Maryland daily newspaperThe Capital is awarded aPulitzer Prize for its coverage of amass shooting inside its own offices on June 28, 2018, that left five of its employees dead.(BBC News)

Business and economy

AT&T Inc. sells its 10% stake inHulu to Hulu LLC for $1.43 billion.(Variety)

Disasters and accidents

Notre-Dame de Paris fire
- A fire breaks out at theNotre-Dame de Paris cathedral inParis, resulting in the collapse of its roof andspire and considerable damage to the building's interior.(AJC)(BBC)
- French President Emmanuel Macron pledges to rebuild the Cathedral after the fire.(BBC News)

International relations

Inter-Korean summits,North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he is ready for a fourth summit withNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The2019 inter-Korean summit will be held in South Korean capital ofSeoul.(Time)(SFGate)

Law and crime

Four people are killed in a string of shootings inPenticton,British Columbia, in what police are calling targeted killings. A man later turned himself in and was taken into custody.(CBC News)

Politics and elections

2020 United States presidential election,2020 Republican Party presidential primaries,Bill Weld 2020 presidential campaign
- FormerMassachusetts Governor Bill Weld announces he is running for theRepublican Party's nomination to bePresident of the United States in the 2020 presidential election, the first Republican to officially challenge incumbentPresident Donald Trump.(CNN)

April 16, 2019 (2019-04-16) (Tuesday)

Business and economy

Apple Inc. andGoogle remove TikTok from their app stores inIndia after a high court inMadras ruled the app could expose children to sexual content and cyberbullying.(CNN)

International relations

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present),Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen,Saudi Arabia–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump vetoes a Congressional resolution that sought to end U.S. support forSaudi Arabia's military intervention inYemen.(Reuters)

Law and crime

Five people are killed and 13 others injured in an arson and stabbing attack in an apartment complex inJinju,South Korea. The attacker tells the police he was angry because of back pay.(The Korea Times)
Eight families file a lawsuit againstWashington Hebrew Congregation for allowing what they say was a lack of action over an assistant teacher who stands accused of sexually abusing several children in the day care program.(USA Today)(CNN)

April 17, 2019 (2019-04-17) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Russian military intervention in Ukraine
- TheSecurity Service of Ukraine claims to have captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy in the run-up to a presidential election on 21 April.(Daily Express)

Arts and culture

French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announces an architectural competition to redesign and rebuild the spire of theNotre-Dame de Paris cathedral after it was destroyed byfire.(ABC News)(MassLive)

Business and economy

Singapore's non-oil exports slumped in March, according to numbers released byEnterprise Singapore. This was the biggest year-on-year monthly drop since October 2016. The slump in the export of electronics was especially marked.(The Straits Times)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Madeira bus crash
- At least 29 people, allGerman tourists, are killed in a bus crash inCaniço,Madeira Islands.(BBC News)

Law and crime

Operation Car Wash § Peru
- FormerPeruvian President Alan García dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident happened moments after judicial authorities had served him with an arrest warrant on corruption charges.(CNN)(Infobae)
Schools in theDenver, Colorado, metropolitan area are closed as the FBI searched for an 18-year-oldMiami Beach Senior High School student described as "infatuated" with theColumbine High School massacre. She traveled to Colorado and purchased a shotgun and ammunition upon arriving, and was deemed a "credible threat" to area schools. She was later confirmed dead.(CNN)(NBC News)(The New York Times)
Moroccan authorities arrest a jihadist preparing to commit a terrorist attack inSeville,Spain, during theHoly Week processions.(El País)
Aftermath of the2019 Sudanese coup d'état
- FormerPresident of Sudan Omar al-Bashir is transferred fromhouse arrest to a maximum security prison, reports say. His whereabouts had been unknown since the coup against him earlier this month. Al-Bashir has been wanted by theInternational Criminal Court since 2009 for war crimes inDarfur.(BBC News)
2019 Guatemalan general election
- Presidential candidateMario Estrada [es] is captured in theUnited States because of his alleged connections with the international drug traffickingSinaloa Cartel. TheUnited States Department of Justice says in a statement that Estrada had requested the murder of political rivals to win the presidency in exchange for granting control of airports and ports in the country to these groups. The presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 16.(Prensa Libre)
A man carrying lighters, canisters filled with gasoline and lighter fluid is arrested atNew York City'sSt. Patrick's Cathedral. A police source states Lamparello is aCUNY student seeking his Ph.D. in philosophy and occasional adjunct lecturer atLehman College.(The Hill)(New York Post)

Politics and elections

2019 Indonesian general election
- Voters in Indonesia go to the polls to elect members of theparliament, thePresident andVice President.(The Guardian)

Science and technology

Yale University researchers led by professorNenad Sestan announce, through theNature journal, that they successfully partly revived the brains of deceasedpigs, four hours after death occurred. However, there were no signals from the brains that would indicate awareness or consciousness.(NPR)

April 18, 2019 (2019-04-18) (Thursday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2019 Makran massacre
- 14 people are killed in a gun attack on a bus inPakistan.(CNN)

Disasters and accidents

At least 13 people are killed and 29 others are injured when a wall collapses inEmpangeni,South Africa, at the start of an Easter service at a Pentecostal church.(BBC News)
Mountain climbersJess Roskelley,David Lama andHansjörg Auer are suspected dead after anavalanche onHowse Peak in Canada'sBanff National Park.(MSN.com)

Law and crime

Dissident Irish Republican campaign
- Northern Irish journalistLyra McKee is shot dead bydissident republicans on theCreggan estate inDerry.(The Irish News)
TheRoyal Thai Navy is planning to remove a house that was allegedly constructed illegally 12 mi (19.31 km) off the Thai coastline to promoteseasteading. The owners had planned to start a community of at least 20 houses in the area. Thai authorities have filed a complaint, which if prosecuted could carry a death sentence for "threatening the sovereignty of a state, and erosion of a state's independence".(Time via MSN)
Aftermath of theBishop International Airport attack
- Amor Ftouhi is sentenced to life in prison for stabbing a police officer atBishop International Airport inFlint, Michigan, United States, in June 2017.(MLive)

Politics and elections

Mueller special counsel investigation,Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Theredacted version of the report by Special CounselRobert Mueller is released byU.S. Attorney General William Barr. The investigation did not find any conspiracy between PresidentDonald Trump and the Russian government regarding the accusation that they collaborated to win the2016 presidential election. The report did not rule out if the Trump administration committed obstruction of justice. The Department of Justice also stated some members of Congress will receive a less-redacted version of the report in the near future.(The New York Times)(USA Today)
Mali'sPrime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga and his entire cabinet resigns, being succeeded byBoubou Cisse. No reason is addressed.(CNN)

April 19, 2019 (2019-04-19) (Friday)

Disasters and accidents

A house deck collapses inLangley,British Columbia,Canada, injuring 40 people, 20 of them severely.(Global News)

International relations

2019 Western Libya offensive,Libya–United States relations
- TheWhite House saysPresident Donald Trump has spoken toLibyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar about recent developments in Libya. During the call, Trump recognised Haftar's efforts to combat Islamic terrorism and secure Libya's oil reserves.(BBC News)
- Russia and theUnited States veto aBritish-sponsoredUnited Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire between theLibyan National Army and forces loyal to theTripoli-basedGovernment of National Accord.(The Moscow Times)

Law and crime

Minatitlán shooting
- Amass shooting at a bar inMinatitlán,Veracruz, kills 13 people and injures 4 others.(Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Media reports indicate formerUnited States Vice President andSenator Joe Biden has decided that next week he will announcehis participation in the race forDemocratic Party's nomination in the2020 United States presidential election.(The Atlantic)(NBC News)
Mueller special counsel investigation,Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- House Judiciary ChairmanJerry Nadler issues a subpoena to theJustice Department for, by May 1, the full, unredacted version of theMueller report, and for the underlying grand jury evidence and testimony. Attorney GeneralWilliam Barr's offer to allow committee members a chance to view a less-redacted version of the report does not meet the committee's needs and was not accepted.(Politico)

April 20, 2019 (2019-04-20) (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- InKabul, seven are killed after suicide bombers and gunmen attack thecommunications ministry.(BBC News)
Syrian Civil War
- ISIL militants kill 50Syrian soldiers in two days of clashes in theSyrian desert.(Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Bangladesh celebratesEaster as national holiday for first time in 30 years. The South Asian nation of 159 million is 89%Muslim and 10%Hindu.Pope Francis made an apostolic journey toMyanmar and Bangladesh in 2017.(Vatican News)

Politics and elections

2019 Egyptian constitutional referendum,Arab Winter
- Egyptians vote on a number ofamendments to theConstitution of Egypt, which, among other things, allowPresident Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to remain in power until 2030, increase the president's powers overEgypt's judiciary, and increase the power ofEgypt's military over all other state institutions. The vote takes place over three days from 20 to 22 April.(AP News)

April 21, 2019 (2019-04-21) (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
- A series of explosions at churches and hotels in four cities inSri Lanka, including the nation's commercial capital and largest cityColombo, kills at least 359 people and wounds around 500 others.ISIL has since claimed responsibility for the attacks.(BBC News)
- The Sri Lankan government temporarilyblocks access to allsocial media platforms to stop the spread of "false media reports" about the attacks.(The Washington Post)
- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stated that several United States citizens were killed in the attacks and Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry officials have stated that at least five of the victims were of British nationality.(CNN)
- Pope Francis speaks words of solidarity to the Christian community of Sri Lanka, lamenting that the attacks have wrought grief and sorrow.(Vatican News)
Four attackers are killed in a failed attack on a police station inZulfi,Saudi Arabia. The attackers had machine guns, bombs, and petrol bombs.(Al Jazeera)
Suspected jihadist militants attack aMalian military base in the town ofGuiré,Koulikoro Region, killing ten soldiers.(Deutsche Welle)

Disasters and accidents

28 people are killed and two others are missing after alandslide in the municipality ofRosas, in southwesternColombia.(BBC News)

Politics and elections

2019 Ukrainian presidential election
- According to exit polls, comedianVolodymyr Zelensky wins Ukraine's presidential run-off election over incumbentPresident Petro Poroshenko with more than 70 percent of the votes. Poroshenko concedes defeat.(Reuters)(BBC News)(CBC)
2019 North Macedonian presidential election
- Macedonians go to the polls to elect the nextPresident of North Macedonia in an election dominated by divisions over thePrespa agreement, which resolved thenaming dispute between North Macedonia andGreece.(Reuters)

April 22, 2019 (2019-04-22) (Monday)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Luzon earthquake
- Sixteen people are killed when a magnitude 6.1earthquake strikes the municipalities ofPorac andLubao,Pampanga province,Philippines at 17:11Philippine Standard Time.(The Manila Times)
- According toPHIVOLCS, theepicenter of the earthquake is located 18 kilometres (11 mi) northeast ofCastillejos,Zambales. PHIVOLCS originally records the earthquake, which is tectonic in origin, at magnitude 5.7, but later upgrades it to 6.1.(GMA News)

Politics and elections

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- U.S. Representative forMassachusetts Seth Moulton announces heis running for theDemocratic Party's nomination in the2020 US presidential election.(CNN)
United States sanctions against Iran
- TheUnited States demands that all countries cease purchasing oil fromIran by May 1 or face sanctions, in a move aimed at reducing Iran's income.(Reuters)

April 23, 2019 (2019-04-23) (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
- ISIL claims responsibility for the bombings inSri Lanka that took place on Easter Sunday.(The New York Times)
- Sri Lankan investigators believe that the bombings were revenge forattacks on New Zealand mosques in March.(Reuters)

Business and economy

TheFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifiesAlphabet Inc.-owneddelivery drone serviceWing to operate as anairline in theUnited States. Wing is the first delivery drone company to receive FAA air carrier certification.(Reuters)(NPR)

Disasters and accidents

2019 Visayas earthquake
- A magnitude 6.5earthquake strikes the islands ofVisayas in thePhilippines at 13:37Philippine Standard Time.(ABS-CBN News)
- According toPHIVOLCS, theepicenter of the earthquake is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) northwest ofSan Julian,Eastern Samar. PHIVOLCS originally records the earthquake, which is tectonic in origin, at magnitude 6.2, but later upgrades it to 6.5.(The Philippine Star)
- The earthquake happened less than 24 hours after the6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Luzon.(ABS-CBN News)
Amudslide at ajade mine inHpakant,Kachin State, northernMyanmar caused by the collapse of a nearby lake kills three miners and leaves 51 missing.(CNN)

International relations

North Korea–Russia relations
- Korean Central News Agency confirmsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un will soon visit Russia for a summit withRussian President Vladimir Putin.(Reuters)
Canada–Philippines relations
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte insistsCanada remove tons of mislabeled, misdirected trash fromManila that arrived in 2013 and 2014. Duterte threatens to retaliate, up todeclaring war, if the trash is not removed.(NPR)

Law and crime

Murder of Karina Vetrano
- In the United States,Chanel Lewis is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2016murder of Karina Vetrano while she was running inQueens, New York City. The judge had earlier declined the defense's motion of a re-trial due to what they alleged to be police and juror misconduct.(ABC)
Eight pedestrians inSunnyvale, California, are injured when a car is intentionally driven into them. The driver is arrested after crashing into a tree. TheFBI is assisting in the investigation.(NBC News)

Politics and elections

2019 Prince Edward Island general election andelectoral reform referendum
- TheProgressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island wins its first minority government since theIsland's 1890 general election; while theGreen Party of Prince Edward Island has beaten thePrince Edward Island Liberal Party by taking most of all their seats and becoming the province's new Official Opposition party, a first for any Green Party in North America.(The Epoch Times)(The Guardian) Voters also reject adoptingmixed-member proportional representation as the province's election system in a referendum held simultaneously with the election.(The Guardian)

Science and technology

Exploration of Mars
- NASA reports the first detection of a likelyMarsquake by theInSight Mars lander.(News18)(NASA)

April 24, 2019 (2019-04-24) (Wednesday)

Disasters and accidents

Floods and mudslides in theSouth African city ofDurban and the widerKwaZulu-Natal province have killed at least 60 people.(BBC News)
Police evacuate 148 homes inSokndal,Norway.Wildfires have burned through about 7.5 square kilometers (2.9 sq. miles) of land in the area. A spokesperson for theEuropean Union Forest Fire Information System says wildfires in northern Europe "are way above the average" for this time of year.(BBC News)

International relations

North Korea–Russia relations
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives by train inVladivostok, Russia, for his first talks withRussian President Vladimir Putin, expected to start Thursday.(BBC News)

Law and crime

2019 Guatemalan general election
- A judge inMiami orders the arrest of Guatemalan presidential candidateRoberto Arzú. Arzú is the second presidential candidate who has had legal problems with theUnited States.(Prensa Libre)
Murder of James Byrd Jr.
- John William King is executed by lethal injection by the state ofTexas, 21 years after the murder of James Byrd Jr., for which he was sentenced.(Reuters)
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker is investigated federally for a property tax break that netted him $331,000 in tax relief by taking toilets out of aChicago mansion he owns. Pritzker stated he has "no concerns" about the report.(Washington Post)(Governing)(Washington Times)

Politics and elections

Asia Press reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the execution by firing squad of four foreign ministry officials following the failure of his FebruaryHanoi summit withU.S. President Donald Trump, after accusing them of "selling information to the U.S." before the summit.(Yahoo! News)

April 25, 2019 (2019-04-25) (Thursday)

Arts and culture

Theparliament ofUkraine passes a language law in a vote of 278 to 38 that will secure the use ofUkrainian as the country's only official language.(RFE/RL)

Disasters and accidents

Tornadoes of 2019
- Tornadoes spawned by severe weather inTexas andLouisiana cause at least five deaths and over 17,000 power outages.(USA Today)(CBS News)
Anammonia leak in aChicago suburb hospitalizes 37 people.(Time)
A Texas semi truck driver with no criminal record is arrested and faces 4 counts of vehicular homicide after he told police his brakes were failing on I-70 as it descended from the mountains in Colorado and caused a 28 vehicle crash.(CBS Denver)

International relations

War in Donbass,Russian military intervention in Ukraine
- Russia announces it will fast-track citizenship applications from people living in conflict areas in easternUkraine. TheEuropean Union calls the move an attack on Ukraine's sovereignty that would undermine any peace agreement.(Reuters)
The Washington Post reports that in June 2017 PresidentDonald Trump secured the release ofOtto Warmbier, a dying prisoner ofNorth Korea, by agreeing to pay the regime in that country $2 million, described as a payment for hospital bills.(The Washington Post)

Law and crime

Abortion in the United States by state
- A federal district court inWashington State issues apreliminary injunction against enforcement of an initiative by theDonald Trump administration ("gag order") that would have restricted doctor-patient communications aboutabortion in family planning clinics that receive U.S. taxpayer funding.(Reuters)

Politics and elections

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- FormerSenator andVice President Joe Biden announceshe is running for theDemocratic Party's nomination in the2020 U.S. presidential election.(The New York Times)

Science and technology

List of gravitational wave observations
- LIGO detects a secondneutron star merger using itsgravitational wave signal after thefirst such detection in August 2017.(Syracuse University)

April 26, 2019 (2019-04-26) (Friday)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis meets withMilorad Dodik, head of the jointpresidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina. They discuss bilateral relations, the presence of the Catholic community, coexistence and reconciliation, and the economic and social challenges facing Bosnia and Herzegovina.(Vatican Press Office)

Disasters and accidents

A largemethane explosion at acoal mine in the self-proclaimedLuhansk People's Republic in easternUkraine leaves 17 miners dead.(UrduPoint)

Law and crime

Miami nativeTodd Leininger is released from aVenezuelan prison after being detained for five years for allegedly aiding the opposition.(CBS News)(Miami Herald)

Politics and elections

U.S. President Donald Trump announces at anNRA meeting that he will be withdrawing the country's signature from theArms Trade Treaty.(CTV News)

Sports

2019 NFL season
- TheKansas City Chiefs suspend wide receiver and return specialistTyreek Hill from team activities for an alleged child abuse case.(Sporting News)(Houston Chronicle)

April 27, 2019 (2019-04-27) (Saturday)

Arts and culture

The official video forTaylor Swift's "Me!", which premiered Thursday night, breaksVevo's record for the biggest debut of all time, with at least 56.9 million views in 24 hours.(The Hollywood Reporter)

Disasters and accidents

Seattle crane collapse
- Aconstruction crane in theSouth Lake Union ofSeattle collapses ontoMercer Street, killing four people.(The Seattle Times)

Law and crime

Poway synagogue shooting
- One person is killed and multiple people are wounded in a shooting that occurred at a synagogue inPoway,California.(CNN)
- John Earnest, a 19-year-old student atCalifornia State University, San Marcos, is arrested afterPoway synagogue shooting.(VOA News)
Oliver North steps down as president of theNational Rifle Association asNew York attorney general Letitia James opens an investigation against the NRA.(Business Insider)(Vox)

April 28, 2019 (2019-04-28) (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Six people are killed when terrorists storm a church in theSoum Province,Burkina Faso. The victims are the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers.(BBC News)

Disasters and accidents

272 election workers inIndonesia die, mostly of fatigue-related illnesses, caused by long hours of work counting millions of ballot papers by hand. 1,878 other staff fall ill.(BBC News)

Law and crime

Crime in Tennessee
- Seven people are found dead inSumner County, Tennessee. The suspect, Michael Cummins, is in police custody.(WFTS)
Crime in Ohio
- Four family members, three women and one man, were found shot to death in an apartment inWest Chester Township, Ohio. The suspect remains at large.(NBC News)

Politics and elections

2019 Spanish general election
- Spaniards go to the polls to elect all 350 members of theCongress of Deputies and 208 (of 266) seats in theSenate.(CNN)
- The governing social democratSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) wins, but short of an absolute majority. The far-rightVox party finished fifth with 10% of the votes.(CBC)(El País)
- TheValencian regional election is held concurrently. The ruling left-wing alliance led byPSPV-PSOE wins a majority.(El Pais)

April 29, 2019 (2019-04-29) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

A propaganda video featuringIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant leaderAbu Bakr al-Baghdadi is released, in which he references the2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, indicating that he is still alive and that the video was shot very recently. It is the first time he's been seen on video since July 2014, when he addressed a crowd at the now destroyedGreat Mosque of al-Nuri inMosul.(Al Jazeera)
Syrian Civil War
- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants assault severalSyrian Army positions in the northernAleppo Governorate, killing 17 soldiers and wounding 30 others. HTS say the attacks were in response to recent Syrian government andRussian airstrikes on rebel-held areas.(Al Jazeera)
Terrorism in the United States
- AUS Army veteran was planning to bomb a white nationalist rally in retribution for theshooting in New Zealand. He was also planning attacks onJews.(BBC News)(CNN)

Arts and culture

Avengers: Endgamebreaks numerous box office records, including the biggest opening weekend in cinematic history, grossing over $1 billion worldwide.(The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Kenneth
- The death toll in cyclone-hit northernMozambique has risen to 38, as aid workers struggle to reach the worst-affected areas. Seven people were also killed by the cyclone inComoros.(BBC News)(ReliefWeb)
Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed 31 people inIndonesia while 13 others are missing.(Bangkok Post)
North Carolina authorities have ordered evacuations covering a half-mile radius because of air quality, possibly including harmfulsulfuric acid, from a massive fire at a metal recycling plant inMooresboro. Officials say the blaze has been extinguished, as of 7:15 a.m.(BBC News)
A minibus carrying TurkishSüper Lig Alanyaspor football players crashes nearAlanya,Turkey, resulting in the death ofCzech Republic national football team internationalJosef Šural, while several other players are seriously injured.(The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo has decided to relocate the nation's capital fromJakarta, on the northwest coast ofJava island. The new location and timing are not yet known. Jakarta, home to over 10 million people, is sinking at one of the fastest rates in the world; almost half of its area is below sea level.(BBC News)(NPR)
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announces he will resign, effective May 11.(The Washington Post)

April 30, 2019 (2019-04-30) (Tuesday)

Arts and culture

2019 Japanese imperial transition
- Emperor Akihito abdicates theChrysanthemum Throne in favor of his elder son, Crown PrinceNaruhito. He is the first Emperor to abdicate in over two hundred years, sinceEmperor Kōkaku in 1817.(The Japan Times)(The New York Times)
TheCanadian ten-dollar note, featuring Canadian civil rights activistViola Desmond, wins theInternational Bank Note Society award.(BBC News)

Business and economy

TheBlackstone Group, a multinationalprivate equity andasset management firm, has agreed to buy Geo-Young, a wholesale drug distributor inSouth Korea, in a deal that will retain Geo-Young's CEO, Cho Sun-hae, in her leadership role.(Reuters)
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has decided to recuse himself from deliberations about whether theAntitrust Division of theU.S. Justice Department ought to challenge the planned merger ofT-Mobile andSprint, says aReuters source "familiar with the decision". Barr is invested in both of the firms involved.(Reuters)

Law and crime

Canada–China relations
- Fan Wei, aCanadian citizen inChina, issentenced to death following his conviction for producing and traffickingmethamphetamine. Canada has requested clemency for Fan, who is the second Canadian citizen sentenced to death this year. The application of the death penalty was condemned byCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Foreign MinisterChrystia Freeland added, "Canada stands firmly opposed to the death penalty everywhere around the world."(National Post)(BBC News)(Toronto Star)
2019 University of North Carolina at Charlotte shooting
- Six people are shot, two fatally, on the last day of classes at theUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte. The gunman was taken into custody after he ran out of ammunition.(CNN)

Politics and elections

2019 Venezuela uprising,2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Juan Guaidó, accompanied by members of the Venezuelan armed forces, speaks in front ofLa Carlota Air Base inCaracas, stating thatLeopoldo López, a political prisoner since 2014, is freed by defecting soldiers who have renounced their loyalty toNicolás Maduro, prompting people to take to the streets.(The Guardian)(CNN)(CBS News)
- An armored car runs over supporters of Guaidó, escalating violence. At least 71 injured people, including two with gunshot wounds, were taken to Salud Chacao Medical Center inCaracas, according to the president of the center.(New York Daily News)(Associated Press)(Reuters)(CNN)
- TheEuropean Union calls for "free and fair"elections in Venezuela to end the standoff.(USA Today)
- Lopez and his family later seek refuge inChile's diplomatic residence.(La Patilla)(Reuters)
- Reuters reports that an uneasy peace returned by the afternoon. There do not appear to be any immediate attempts by the opposition to take power through force, and there are no reports of defections from thearmed forces leadership.(Reuters)

◀April 2019▶
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30

Ongoing events

Disasters

Politics

Religion

2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism

Sports

NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal

More details –ongoing conflicts

edit section

Elections and referendums

Recent

April
- 17:Indonesia,President and Parliament
- 18:India,Lok Sabha(97 of 543 seats)
- 20–22:Egypt,Constitutional referendum
- 21:North Macedonia,President (1st)
- 21:Ukraine,President (2nd)
- 23:India,Lok Sabha(115 of 543 seats)
- 28:Benin,National Assembly
- 28:Spain,Cortes Generales
- 29:India,Lok Sabha(71 of 543 seats)

Upcoming

May
- 5:Panama,President and Parliament
- 5:North Macedonia,President (2nd)
- 6:India,Parliament(51 of 543 seats)
- 8:South Africa,Parliament
- 8:Belize,Referendum
- 12:India,Parliament(59 of 543 seats)
- 12:Lithuania,President
- 13:Philippines,Senate andHouse of Representatives

edit section

Trials

Sport

More details –current sports events

edit section

Recent deaths

April 2019

March 2019

edit section

Ongoing conflicts

Africa

Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
- Maghreb insurgency
Cameroon
- Anglophone Crisis
Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
- Boko Haram insurgency
Central African Republic
- Civil War
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ethiopia
- Oromo conflict
Libya
- Civil war
Mali
- Northern Mali conflict
Nigeria
- Communal conflicts in Nigeria
Somalia
- Civil war
South Sudan
- Ethnic violence(South Sudanese Civil War)
Sudan

Americas

Asia

Afghanistan
- Afghanistan War
China
- Xinjiang conflict
India
- Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
- Insurgency in Northeast India
India and Pakistan
- Kashmir conflict
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
- Moro conflict
  - Cross border attacks in Sabah
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
- Papua conflict
Myanmar
- Internal conflict in Myanmar
Pakistan
- War in North-West Pakistan
- Balochistan conflict
Philippines
- Communist rebellion in the Philippines
Thailand
- South Thailand insurgency

Europe

Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Georgia
- Abkhaz–Georgian conflict
- Georgian–Ossetian conflict
Russia
- Chechen–Russian conflict
- North Caucasus insurgency
Ukraine
- War in Donbass
  - Russian military intervention in Ukraine

Middle East

Egypt
- Sinai insurgency
Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria
- Arab–Israeli conflict
Iran
- Iran–PJAK conflict
Iraq
- American-led intervention in Iraq
- Iranian intervention in Iraq
Iraq andSyria (map)
- Military intervention against ISIL
Israel and Lebanon
- Israeli–Lebanese conflict
Israel and Palestine
- Gaza–Israel conflict
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Syria
Turkey
- Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Yemen

Further information:List of ongoing armed conflicts

edit section

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