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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

Flooding in Golestan Province, Iran

In Iran, widespread flooding since late March kills at least 62 people (flooding in Golestan Province pictured).
Zuzana Čaputová is elected president of Slovakia, becoming the country's first female president and its youngest.
A Special Counsel investigation, headed by Robert Mueller, concludes and reports its findings to the United States Attorney General.
At least 160 people are killed in attacks against Fulani herdsmen in central Mali.

April 6, 2019 (Saturday)

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April 5, 2019 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya Offensive
- Libyan National Army troops reach the outskirts of the Libyan capital Tripoli, securing a key military checkpoint known as "Bridge 27". (AFP)
- The LNA captures several more towns in the Tripoli District, including Qasr bin Ghashir, Wadi Rabie and Suq al-Khamis, as well as the town of ‘Aziziya in the Jafara District, to the west of Tripoli. (Reuters) (The Economist)
- LNA forces say they have seized control of Tripoli International Airport. (Reuters)
- The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Italy issue a joint statement calling on General Khalifa Haftar to end the offensive. (Euronews)

Disasters and accidents

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

Law and crime

Julian Assange's asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy, INA Papers
- A high-level source within the government of Ecuador tells WikiLeaks that Julian 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 the INA Papers. The INA Papers are a set of documents published in February 2019 which uncover the operations of INA Investment Corp, an offshore tax haven created by the brother of President Moreno. The trove of emails, phone communications and expense receipts are said to link the president and his family to a series of corrupt and criminal dealings, including money laundering and offshore accounts. The leak has sparked a parliamentary investigation into President Moreno for 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, in Edmonton, London. (BBC)
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, killing all of them. (MSN.com)

Science and technology

A small 5-200 kilometer planetesimal, with a similar mineral composition to Earth, is found orbiting in the debris 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 probe Hayabusa2 successfully fires a bullet at Apollo asteroid 162173 Ryugu, forming a crater which will be used by to collect underground samples. (AP)

April 4, 2019 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present), 2019 Western Libya Offensive
- Libyan National Army forces continue to advance on the Libyan capital Tripoli, capturing the city of Gharyan, with only light resistance reported. General Khalifa Haftar has ordered the LNA to seize control of Tripoli, prompting the Tripoli-based Presidential Council to declare a general mobilization. (The Guardian) (Middle East Monitor)

Art and culture

Belarusian authorities begin demolishing crosses with bulldozers at the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic-era mass grave site Kurapaty on the outskirts of Minsk, where at least 30,000 people were executed by the NKVD's secret police in the 1930s and 1940s. The bulldozing is widely condemned in Belarus. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Boeing 737 MAX groundings, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
- The Ethiopian government releases a preliminary report on the investigation into the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. (CNN)
A rapidly spreading wildfire in Gangwon 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 the Christchurch mosque shootings, Internet censorship in Australia
- The Australian 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 of cannabis. (The Hill)

Politics and elections

Brexit
- In a protest against the organisation of Brexit, a short film asking for SOS help was projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover - the UK mainland's closest point to Europe - facing France. (Indy)

April 3, 2019 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present), 2019 Western Libya Offensive
- The Libyan National Army (LNA) launches a surprise offensive in western Libya, moving units towards the Government of National Accord-held capital Tripoli, with reports of clashes in the city of Gharyan. The LNA say their operation, ordered by General Khalifa Haftar, is aimed at "cleansing the western zone from terrorist groups". (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Special Counsel investigation (2017–2019), Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary approves a subpoena to obtain, in its full and unredacted form, the final report written as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's recently concluded investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. (New York Post)

Politics and elections

2019 Ukrainian presidential election
- Volodymyr Zelensky wins the first round of Ukraine's presidential election with 30 percent of the vote, with President Petro 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 by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans vote 51-48 to approve new Senate rules to limit the in-session debate time for most of President Donald 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-thirds supermajority normally required to do so. (Axios)
The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means formally requests six years of President Donald Trump's personal and business tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. (ABC News)
Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen
- The U.S. House of Representatives approves a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen. (Politico)
Brexit
- An indicative vote on holding more indicative votes for Brexit possibilities 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)

April 2, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Business and economy

Google starts deleting consumer accounts from its social network Google+ due to low user engagement and the discovery of security 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 its 737 Max airliners. The Federal 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 in Venezuela. Under the plans, Russian state-owned Rostec will train Venezuelan pilots to operate Mi-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, a Chinese woman is arrested and charged with making a false statement to the United States Secret Service after illegally entering U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on 30 March 2019 while carrying multiple passports, four mobile phones and a thumb drive containing malware. (BBC), (Reuters)
Eric Holder (not to be confused with the former U.S. Attorney General of the same name) is arrested and charged with the murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle. (The Washington Post)

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)
2019 Chicago mayoral election
- Chicago elects its first black female and first openly gay mayor, Lori Lightfoot. (AP News via MSN)
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 with Jeremy Corbyn. (BBC)
The chairman for the Republican Party in North Carolina, Robin Hayes, is charged with bribery and other corruption charges, along with Republican donor Greg Lindberg. (Yahoo)
SNC-Lavalin affair
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expels former cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal party caucus. (BBC), (Reuters)
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The Nicolás Maduro-aligned Constituent National Assembly formally strips opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaidó of his immunity from prosecution, potentially paving the way for his arrest. (Brisbane Times)

Sports

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

April 1, 2019 (Monday)

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Disasters and accidents

2019 Iran floods
- The Iranian government announces an emergency in southwestern provinces threatened by flooding and worked to evacuate dozens of villages as forecasters predicted more of the heavy rains that have killed at least 45 people last week. (Reuters)
The death toll from thunderstorms in southern Nepal rises to 30. Several houses are ruptured, trees uprooted and vehicles overturned in Bara district and Parsa district. (BBC)
Thirty firefighters die in southwestern China 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 in China after a dust devil lifts an inflatable castle off the ground. (South China Morning Post)

Health and environment

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

Politics and elections

2019 Turkish local elections, Erdoğanism
- In an election marred by electoral fraud, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party wins with 44% of the vote while Republican People's Party comes in second with 30% of the vote. Overall, People's Alliance gets 51% of the vote while Nation Alliance receives 37% of the vote. Voter turnout was 84%. (Anadolu Agency)
2019 Japanese imperial transition
- Reiwa (令和) is revealed as the new Japanese Era name set to start on May 1 upon Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. (The Japan Times)
2019 Guatemalan general election
- The Supreme Electoral Tribunal accepts the nullity recourses against the candidacy of Thelma Aldana and temporarily leaves her out of the general elections. However, an appeal will be filed before the Supreme Court of Justice and ultimately, the Constitutional 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
- The British parliament votes against four alternative Brexit plans. (CBC)
- Protesters strip naked in the public galleries of the House of Commons, pressing their buttocks against the window facing Ministers. (The Guardian - YouTube) (The Guardian)
Michele Muratori and Nicola Selva are sworn in as Captains Regent of San Marino. (Corriere Romagna)

March 31, 2019 (Sunday)

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Disasters and accidents

A plant explosion in the Jiangsu province of China kills seven and injures five others. The explosion is the second deadliest in the month after the 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion. (Reuters)
Severe thunderstorms in Nepal leave at least 25 people dead while more than 400 others are injured. (ABC News) (The Guardian)

International relations

Cross-Strait relations
- Taiwan condemns China after two PLAAF fighter jets pass the maritime line on the Taiwan Strait. Though there was no immediate response from China, the move comes after a week when the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard sent ships through the Strait. (Reuters) (Channel NewsAsia) (The Japan Times)
United States recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel
- During the 30th Arab League summit held in Tunisia, leaders condemn the United States' claim that the Golan Heights belong to Israel, and stated the establishment of a Palestinian state is essential for stability. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera) (The Washington Post)

Law and crime

Fourteen suspected communist rebels are killed in the Philippines. However, human rights groups dispute the claims by police forces stating those killed were farmers. (The Bangkok Post) (Channel NewsAsia)
Three teenage migrants who partook in the hijacking of Elhiblu 1 are charged in Malta. (The New York Times)
American rapper Nipsey Hussle is shot and killed outside a Los Angeles clothing store. Two other people with him were also shot and wounded. A suspect has yet to be identified and remains at large. (Global News)

Politics and elections

2019 Ukrainian presidential election
- Voters in Ukraine go to the polls today in the first round of the presidential election. President Petro Poroshenko is seeking re-election, with comedian Volodymyr Zelensky and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko the primary challengers. All three have expressed largely pro-European views. Former Vice Prime Minister Yuriy Boyko is the front-runner among the pro-Russian candidates. A total of 39 candidates are on the ballot, increasing the probability no candidate will win more than 50 percent of the votes. If so, the top two will meet in a second round on 21 April. (BBC)
2019 Slovak presidential election
- Anti-corruption candidate Zuzana Čaputová of the Progressive Slovakia party wins the second round of Slovakia's presidential election, defeating the governing party candidate Maroš Šefčovič, 58 percent versus 42%. She will be the country's first female head of state. (BBC)
2019 Turkish local elections
- Voters head to the polls in Turkey to vote on metropolitan and district municipal mayors along with provincial and municipal councillors. The election is believed to be contested on challenging the current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)