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Worldwide current events
Sports events

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Tim Berners-Lee

The United States attacks a Syrian air base in response to a chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun which killed more than 70 people.
Tim Berners-Lee (pictured) wins the Turing Award for inventing the World Wide Web, the first web browser, and the protocols and algorithms that allow the Web to scale.
In college basketball, the South Carolina Gamecocks win the NCAA women's tournament and the North Carolina Tar Heels win the men's tournament.
A bombing in the Saint Petersburg Metro kills at least 14 people and injures more than 45 others.
The annual Boat Races are held, with Oxford winning the men's race and Cambridge winning the women's race.

April 7, 2017 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- 2017 Shayrat missile strike
  - The United States launches 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles aimed at the Ash Sha'irat air base in Homs Governorate in response to the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons in its attack on the town of Khan Shaykhun. At least six people are killed. (NBC News)
2017 Westminster attack
- The death toll rises to five after a woman who fell into the River Thames dies in hospital. (News.com.au)
2017 Stockholm attack
- A vehicle is driven into a group of people on a street in Stockholm, Sweden. (Reuters)
Mortar rounds are fired in a neighborhood in Wadajir District, Somalia, killing three civilians. Al-Shabaab is suspected of being behind the attack. (Reuters)
A wave of small-scale terrorist attacks, including tire burning and the bombing of the electric grid, hits the Thai provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla in response to the new Constitution of Thailand. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Hyundai (Sonata and Santa Fe) and Kia (Optima, Sorento, and Sportage) are recalling 1.5 million cars, over 1.3 million in United States and 170,000 in South Korea, over an engine defect. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Six people are killed and two are missing after the Jhelum River in Kashmir overflows following heavy rain and snowfall. (Reuters)

Politics and government

China–Norway relations
- Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg meets with Premier of the People's Republic of China Li Keqiang in Beijing to announce the end of a diplomatic freeze between the countries and the resumption of free trade negotiations between China and Norway. (Reuters)
The Maldives Police Service arrests the country's opposition leader, Qasim Ibrahim, after his party's failed bid to impeach the Speaker of the People's Majlis. (Reuters)

April 6, 2017 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing
- Russian authorities discover and deactivate an explosive device in a Saint Petersburg flat, during ongoing raids occurring in response to the bombing. (BBC)
Battle of Mosul
- Two Iraqi Army pilots are killed when their Mi-24 helicopter is shot down by ISIS over the city of Mosul. (Reuters)
An Israeli soldier is killed during a car ramming attack near Ofra, in the West Bank. Another Israeli soldier was injured. A Palestinian suspected of committing the attack is taken into custody. (Haaretz)

Business

Seven & I Holdings Co., the parent company of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, agrees to acquire the retail operations of Sunoco for $3.3 billion. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Severe flooding caused by Cyclone Debbie forces the evacuation of Edgecumbe, New Zealand, and nearby areas. (BBC)

Law and crime

The Alabama Ethics Commission finds there is "probable cause" that Governor Robert Bentley violated the state's ethics and campaign finance laws, and refers the case to Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey. (USA Today)

Politics and government

Thai King Vajiralongkorn signed into law a new Constitution of Thailand that paves the way for democratic reforms while allowing the Royal Thai Army to retain its influential role in Thai politics. (BBC)
United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes recuses himself from the committee’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election; Rep. Mike Conaway will take the lead in this investigation. (BBC) (The Washington Post)
Gambian parliamentary election, 2017
- Voters in the Gambia go to the polls for an election, the country's first legislative election since longtime President Yahya Jammeh resigned and left the country. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

In athletics, Jemima Sumgong, a Kenyan gold medallist in the women's marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics, tests positive for the banned substance EPO. (Reuters via ABC Australia)

April 5, 2017 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- A suicide bomber kills at least six people and wounds 18 near a Pakistan Army vehicle taking part in the census in the city of Lahore. (Reuters)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- According to security sources, dozens of people are killed in an overnight attack in Tikrit by suspected ISIL militants. 31 bodies were taken to a hospital, according to a local doctor, while more continued to be found by morning. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

A USAF F-16 crashes shortly after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland. The pilot inside ejected safely and was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. (Fox News)
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northeast Iran near the city of Mashhad, kills 1 person and at that least four were injured. (Reuters)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea fires a medium-range ballistic missile about 60 kilometers (37 miles) into its eastern waters, in the direction of Japan according to United States and South Korean officials. (CNN) (AP)
- United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issues a statement saying "The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment." (CNN)
China–Finland relations
- Chinese president Xi Jinping visits Finland on his way to the United States. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Mexican Beltrán Leyva Cartel drug lord Alfredo Beltrán Leyva is sentenced to life in prison and ordered to forfeit $US529,200,000. (U.S. Department of Justice)

Politics and elections

LGBT history
- Two openly gay candidates are elected to the Anchorage Assembly, becoming the first openly LGBT elected officials in Alaska. Approximately 20 percent of the city's population voted, a notably low turnout. (LGBT Weekly) (Alaska Commons)

April 4, 2017 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- A toxic gas attack, allegedly by Syrian warplanes, kills at least 83 and injures many more in rebel-held Khan Shaykhun, Idlib. (The Globe and Mail), (NBC News)
Battle of Mosul
- The United Nations announces expansion of civilian camps for people fleeing Mosul, following resumption of airstrikes on ISIL-held portions of the Iraqi city. (Reuters) (Arab News)

Disasters and accidents

Tornadoes of 2017
- Robert Bentley, the Governor of Alabama, declares a state of emergency due to forecasts of storms with the threat of tornadoes during the day. The neighboring state of Georgia also faces the threat of severe weather. (Fox News)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in the United States
- The full 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago rules (8-3) that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination. (AP) (USA Today)

Science and technology

Bertha, once the world's largest tunnel boring machine, completes its 9,270-foot-long (2,830 m) tunnel under Seattle, Washington, after four years of digging and a lengthy delay near the beginning of the project. (Wired)
The National Assembly of Hungary passes a bill that undermines the functioning of the Central European University (CEU). Academics and academic institutions worldwide have expressed support for CEU. (BBC)
English computer scientist Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee is awarded the 2016 A.M. Turing Award for inventing the World Wide Web, the first web browser, and the protocols and algorithms that allow the Web to scale. (Association for Computing Machinery)

April 3, 2017 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing
- An attack on a Saint Petersburg Metro train at Sennaya Ploshchad station kills at least 11 people and injures more than 50 others. Authorities disarm another bomb, found at nearby Vosstaniya Square station. (The Independent), (The New York Times)
Piracy off the coast of Somalia
- Somali pirates hijack an Indian cargo ship off the coast of Puntland. (BBC)

Arts and culture

An Egyptian excavation team discovers the remains of a pyramid dating back 3,700 years to the thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt at the Dahshur necropolis 40km south of Cairo. (Al Jazeera), (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- A mother and two children drown after their car plunges into the flooded Tweed River, raising the death toll to eight people. A ten-year-old girl escapes and alerts authorities. (News.com.au)
A boiler explosion at a Missouri box company in St. Louis's historic Soulard neighborhood kills three people and injures four others. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), (St. Louis Public Radio)

Law and crime

LGBT rights in Russia
- Russian authorities arrest more than 100 gay men in Chechnya, including television personalities and religious figures, for "nontraditional sexual orientation." The Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported that three of the arrested men have been killed, while others reportedly were released for family honor killing. Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov's spokesperson said this report contains “absolute lies and disinformation” since there are no homosexuals in Chechnya. (The Guardian), (The New York Times)
Trump Tower wiretapping allegations
- Media reports indicate that former National Security Advisor Susan Rice improperly requested the unmasking of some American names, including those of Donald Trump's campaign staff, that had been incidentally collected during national security investigations. A National Security Adviser may request unmasking if specific criteria are met. A Rice associate denies that the unmasking was improper. (Fox News) (Business Insider) (The Blaze)

Politics and elections

Armenian parliamentary election, 2017
- Authorities declare that the Republican Party, led by President Serzh Sargsyan, wins the Armenia election amid accusations by opposition parties and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe of voting irregularities. (Al Jazeera)

Sports

In ice hockey
- The NHL announces that it will not release its players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics. (ESPN)
In basketball
- 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game
  - North Carolina defeats Gonzaga, 71-65, for the 2017 men's basketball national title. (ESPN) (The New York Times)
- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announces its 2017 induction class, which will formally enter the Hall on September 8: (Hall of Fame press release)
  - To be inducted as players are Zack Clayton, Nikos Galis, George McGinnis, and Tracy McGrady.
  - To be inducted as coaches are Robert Hughes, Muffet McGraw, and Bill Self.
  - To be inducted as contributors are Mannie Jackson, Tom Jernstedt, Jerry Krause, and Rebecca Lobo.

April 2, 2017 (Sunday)

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Business and economy

India inaugurates the 9.2-kilometer Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. (The Times of India)
Ciudad Juárez-based newspaper Norte closes its print edition, citing a lack of security in Mexico. (AP via ABC) (Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- The death toll from Cyclone Debbie and the associated flooding in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland rises to five people. (News Limited)
A bus carrying around 50 schoolchildren rolls over on a highway south of Sveg in the northern region of Härjedalen, Sweden, killing three people. (Reuters)

Law and crime

An attack occurs at a Sufi shrine near Sargodha, Pakistan, killing more than 20 people. Authorities arrest a main suspect and several others. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Armenian parliamentary election, 2017
- Voters in Armenia go to the polls for an election, the first since constitutional changes were approved in a referendum in 2015, which changed the country's governance from a semi-presidential system to a parliamentary republic. Opinion polls predict a tight race between the nationalist Republican Party, led by President Serzh Sargsyan, and the centre-right Prosperous Armenia, led by Gagik Tsarukyan. With votes from 64% of the polling stations counted, the Republican Party leads with 49.7% of votes. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), (TASS)
Serbian presidential election, 2017
- Voters in Serbia go to the polls for an election, which Prime Minster Aleksandar Vučić of the conservative Serbian Progressive Party is expected to win. In projections, Vučić gets around 55% of the votes, avoiding a second round. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), (CNBC)
Ecuadorian general election, 2017
- Voters in Ecuador return to the polls for the second round of a presidential election, which Lenín Moreno of the socialist PAIS Alliance is predicted to narrowly win over the center-right Creating Opportunities's Guillermo Lasso. With 94.18% of the votes counted, Moreno leads with 51.07%. According to the national election commission, it was a transparent and successful election. (SBS News), (TeleSUR)

Sports

2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Game
- South Carolina defeats fellow Southeastern Conference team Mississippi State 67–55 for the Gamecocks' first national title. (AP via ESPN)

April 1, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Military intervention against ISIL
- An Iraqi airstrike near Al Qaim, Anbar province, Iraq, kills Ayad al-Jumaili, believed to be ISIL's second-in-command. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- Consequences of heavy rain from Cyclone Debbie kill at least three people and force 20,000 others to leave their homes in New South Wales and Queensland. (News Limited), (ABC)
- Police search for four missing people in southeast Queensland as the Logan River reaches record levels. (AAP via Yahoo News Australia)
A landslide hits the Indonesian island of Java and leaves more than two dozen people missing. (DPA via News Limited)
2017 Putumayo landslide
- A landslide in Colombia's southwestern border department of Putumayo sends mud and debris crashing onto houses killing over 250 people and injuring at least 400 others. In addition, 200 people are missing. (Hindustan Times) (Reuters)
An explosion occurs at a carnival in Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis, France, injuring at least 18 people. (The Independent), (BBC)
Authorities cannot contact the South Korean cargo freighter Stellar Daisy. It is believed that the ship sunk off the coast of Uruguay. (SBS Australia)

Politics and elections

2017 dissolution of Venezuelan National Assembly
- Venezuela's Supreme Court reverses their controversial ruling. The court restores legislative power to the National Assembly. However, the court's decision still allows President Nicolás Maduro to enter joint-venture deals. (BBC), (The Washington Post)
After two weeks of social unrest in French Guiana, the French government promises €1 billion for education, healthcare, security, and justice. (France 24), (Reuters)

Sports

2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- Men's basketball Gonzaga defeats South Carolina 77–73 to advance to the title game on April 3. (AP via ESPN)
- In the other semifinal, North Carolina defeats Oregon 77–76. (AP via ESPN)

More March 2017 events...

Ongoing events
Disasters UK and Ireland windstorm season Law Philippine Drug War Political European migrant crisis (timeline) Romanian protests South China Sea disputes United States immigration ban More details on ongoing conflicts below Sport 2016–17 Bundesliga 2016–17 EuroLeague 2016–17 EuroLeague Women 2016–17 La Liga 2016–17 NBA season 2016–17 NHL season 2016–17 PBA season 2016–17 Premier League 2016–17 South African Premier Division 2016–17 Serie A 2016–17 UEFA Champions League 2017 AFL season 2017 Formula One season 2017 Major League Baseball season 2017 NASCAR Cup Series 2017 World Rally Championship edit sidebar

Recent deaths
April 2017 6: Don Rickles 5: Arthur Bisguier 5: Paul O'Neill 3: Kishori Amonkar 3: Roy Sievers 1: Darcus Howe 1: Peter Lawler 1: Ikutaro Kakehashi 1: Yevgeny Yevtushenko March 2017 31: Gilbert Baker 31: William Coleman 31: James Rosenquist 30: Rosie Hamlin 30: Donald Harvey 29: Alexei Abrikosov 28: Ahmed Kathrada 27: Clem Curtis 26: Brian Oldfield 26: Roger Wilkins 25: Julian Stanczak 25: Dave Steele 23: Lola Albright 23: William H. Keeler 23: Clay Matthews Sr. 23: Denis Voronenkov 22: Dallas Green 22: Pete Hamilton 22: Sib Hashian 21: Chuck Barris 21: Colin Dexter 21: Jerry Krause 20: Martin McGuinness 20: David Rockefeller 20: Robert B. Silvers 19: Jimmy Breslin 18: Chuck Berry 18: Bernie Wrightson 17: George Braziller 17: Auntie Fee 17: Hugh Hardy 17: Derek Walcott 16: James Cotton 16: Hasyim Muzadi 15: Sok An 15: Dave Stallworth 14: Royal Robbins 14: John Van de Kamp 13: Adib Boroumand 13: Danehill Dancer 13: Tommy LiPuma 12: Murray Ball 11: Lloyd Conover 10: Tony Haygarth 10: Bill Leak 10: John Surtees 10: Robert James Waller 9: Mick Adams 9: Howard Hodgkin 9: Joseph Nicolosi edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent March 20: East Timor, President (1st round) 26: Bulgaria, Parliament April 2: Armenia, Parliament 2: Ecuador, President (2nd round) 2: Serbia, President Ongoing 6: The Gambia, National Assembly Upcoming April 16: Turkey, Constitutional referendum 23: France, President May 4: Algeria, People's National Assembly edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara Cambodia: Sam Rainsy China: Wan Qingliang, Ling Jihua, Zhoi Bin, Guo Boxiong Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Nur Misuari, Joel Villanueva Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Chris Denning, Ched Evans, Thomas Mair United States: Bob McDonnell, Paul Anthony Ciancia Ongoing China: Bai Enpei, Pan Yiyang, Yang Weize Germany: Beate Zschäpe Indonesia: Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Mary Jane Veloso Pakistan: Waseem Azeem, Mufti Abdul Qawi Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr., Leila de Lima, Rodrigo Duterte, Jovito Palparan Romania: Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil Spain: Gürtel case, Spanish Royal House, Bárcenas affair United States: Etan Patz United Kingdom: Rolf Harris, Barry Bennell International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo ICTY: Ratko Mladić Upcoming China: Wu Changshun Egypt: Mohamed Morsi Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Bill Cosby edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria and Tunisia Maghreb insurgency ISIL insurgency in Tunisia Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria Boko Haram insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Somalia Civil war South Sudan Ethnic violence (South Sudanese Civil War) Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Sudanese nomadic conflicts Americas Mexico Mexican War on Drugs Peru Internal conflict in Peru 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 CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion 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 and Syria (map) Military intervention against ISIL Israel and Lebanon Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israel and Palestine Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Syria American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Turkish military intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemen Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Al-Qaeda insurgency edit sidebar