Portal:Current events

Edit instructions

Topics in the news

Coronavirus pandemic

Severe weather in the Southeastern United States

Thirty-eight people are killed in a tornado outbreak (satellite image shown) in the Southeastern United States.
The High Court of Australia quashes the conviction of Cardinal George Pell for child sex abuse and orders his acquittal.
Cyclone Harold impacts the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga, killing at least thirty people.

April 19, 2020 (Sunday)

edithistorywatch

April 18, 2020 (Saturday)

edithistorywatch

Business and economy

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Bangladesh, Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- Hundreds of garment workers march in Chittagong, Bangladesh demanding factory owners pay them last month's wages following delays. (Reuters)

Health and environment

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Taiwan
  - Taiwan quarantines 700 Navy sailors after three cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on board a vessel that recently returned from the island nation of Palau. (Reuters)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Europe
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The Department of Health and Social Care reports 5,526 new confirmed cases and 888 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the UK's death toll to 15,464 and 114,217 total cases. (RTÉ)

Politics and elections

2019–20 Hong Kong protests
- Convener of the Civil Human Rights Front of Hong Kong, Jimmy Sham, warns police to expect "more resistance than ever" as veteran pro-democracy activists are arrested in a mass raid. Sham also says plans for a mass rally on July 1 are underway. (Radio Television Hong Kong)
- Vice-convener of Sham's organization, Figo Chan, is also arrested Saturday afternoon by Hong Kong police. (Hong Kong Free Press)

Science and technology

Several hospitals across the Czech Republic, and authorities at Prague Airport say they have thwarted numerous cyberattacks against them since yesterday. (Reuters)

April 17, 2020 (Friday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

The United Nations human rights office says that Myanmar has been carrying out daily airstrikes in Rakhine and Chin states and that at least 32 civilians (mostly women and children) have been killed since March 23. The Arakan Army unilaterally declared a month-long ceasefire to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but the military rejected the ceasefire saying a previous ceasefire had not been respected by the insurgents. (Reuters)
Moro conflict
- Abu Sayyaf militants ambush and kill 11 Philippine Army troops and wound 14 others in the southern Sulu Province, according to general officer Cirilito Sobejana. (The Straights Times)

Business and economy

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has approved a transaction in which Switzerland's Credit Suisse will take a majority interest in a China securities firm. Credit Suisse will thus be the first foreign bank to own a majority of such a company since the easing of rules about foreign ownership in 2018. (Reuters)

Health and environment

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Europe
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - Former England international and Leeds United F.C. footballer Norman Hunter dies from COVID-19. (BBC)
    - The Department of Health and Social Care reports 5,599 new confirmed cases and 847 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the UK's death toll to 14,576 and 108,692 total cases. (RTÉ)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Asia
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Syria
    - The Kurdish-controlled area of Syria confirms the first death from COVID-19 in Qamishli; that of a 53-year-old man who tested positive postmortem. (Reuters)
  - 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in mainland China
    - China revises the coronavirus death toll upward in Wuhan, where the virus originated, adding 1,290 more fatalities to bring the country's reported deaths from COVID-19 to 4,632. (BBC) (CNBC)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Africa
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria
    - Nigerian Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari dies from COVID-19 in Lagos. Kyari is the highest profile person to die from the virus in Nigeria so far. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reports 493 total cases and 17 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)

International relations

Norway–Russia relations
- The Russian Foreign Ministry files a complaint to its Norwegian counterpart over a Russian fishing trawler's detainment by the Norwegian Coast Guard near Svalbard earlier this month. (Reuters)

April 16, 2020 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Health and environment

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases passes two million worldwide. (Foreign Policy)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Africa
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Eswatini
    - Eswatini reports the country's first death from COVID-19, as total cases rise to 17. (National Post)
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria
    - At least 18 people in Nigeria have been killed by police during the enforcement of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. (de Telegraaf)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Europe
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The government extends the country's lockdown for at least another three weeks. (BBC)
    - The COVID-19 critical care NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham is opened inside the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull, England. It can treat up to 4,000 COVID-19 patients. (BBC)
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Germany
    - The Robert Koch Institute reports 2,866 new confirmed cases and 315 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing Germany's death toll to 3,569 and 130,450 total cases. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Police discover the bodies of 17 people inside a morgue built for four at a nursing home in New Jersey, United States, following an anonymous tip-off. (BBC)
2020 coronavirus pandemic in India
- Tablighi Jamaat leader Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi is charged with manslaughter after a gathering the organization held in Delhi on March 3 was linked to 1,023 coronavirus cases across 17 Indian states. Police say he ignored two notices to end the religious event at a mosque in Delhi, he denies any wrongdoing. (BBC)
Saudi Arabia executes a 33-year-old Yemeni man convicted for an attack on a Spanish dance troupe last year, which resulted in two dancers injured. The attack was claimed by the affiliate of al-Qaeda in the region. (Al Jazeera)

Politics and elections

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Brazil, Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on politics
- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro fires Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta amid disagreements over the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic. He is replaced by Nelson Teich. (CNN)

April 15, 2020 (Wednesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mali War, 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Mali
- Spain evacuates its troops from Mali after several soldiers become infected with COVID-19. The troops were part of the European Union's EUTM Mali training mission. (The Olive Press)
Terrorism in the United States
- A 36-year-old man is arrested for attempting to firebomb a Jewish assisted living facility in Longmeadow, Massachusetts on April 3. His arrest is part of a larger investigation into a white supremacist group suspected of plotting mass killings online. He is charged with two counts of attempted arson, but is released the next day. (HuffPost) (WWLP)
According to the United States Navy, a Russian SU-35 fighter jet intercepts a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft, flying over the Mediterranean Sea. (Business Insider)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Easter tornado outbreak
- The death toll in a tornado outbreak that devastated the Southeastern United States on April 12–13 rises to 35. (WHSV-TV)
Fourteen people are injured in a chain-reaction accident involving up to 60 vehicles, during the morning rush hour on Chicago's Kennedy Expressway, as unseasonable, wintry weather strikes the city. None of the injuries is considered life-threatening. At least 32 others are treated at the scene. (NBC News) (Accuweather)

Health and environment

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States
  - The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States rises by 2,371 in a single day to 30,800, the highest number of COVID-19 linked deaths reported in any country in a single day, as total cases rise to 635,000. (Reuters)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in France
  - France reports 1,438 more deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily death toll in the country to date, bringing the country's death toll to 17,167 with 133,470 total cases. The latest figures include deaths from COVID-19 in care homes over the three-day Easter weekend. (Reuters)
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic on naval ships
    - The French Ministry of Armed Forces reports 668 sailors, more than a third of the crew of its flagship aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, have tested positive for COVID-19. (France 24)

International relations

U.S. officials say China may have conducted low-yield nuclear weapon tests in its Lop Nur test site in violation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. (Reuters)
According to United States Space Command, Russia conducts a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test. (CNBC) (Air Force Magazine)

Politics and elections

2020 South Korean legislative election
- Elections for the 21st National Assembly of South Korea are held amidst the coronavirus pandemic. (BBC News)
- Turnout is at 66.2 percent, the highest in a legislative election since 1992. (United Press International)
- The ruling Democratic Party and its affiliate Together Citizens' Party are projected to win 180 seats, a record high for any political parties in South Korean history. (Yonhap News Agency)
- The leader of the main opposition United Future Party, Hwang Kyo-ahn resigns from his post after his party's defeat. (The Korea Times)
- Thae Yong-ho becomes the first ever North Korean defector to be elected to a constituency seat, representing Seoul's Gangnam District in the National Assembly. (The Korea Times)

Sports

The 2020 Tour de France has been delayed until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNN)

April 14, 2020 (Tuesday)

edithistorywatch

Business and economy

The U.S. Department of Justice returns US$300 million recovered from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal to Malaysia. The repatriation was due for February, but was delayed due to technical issues and Malaysia's ongoing political crisis. (Reuters)
Socio-economic impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on tourism
- Airbnb secures a US$1 billion loan to stay afloat as the pandemic causes worldwide demand for its services to drop. This follows a separate bond deal, also worth US$1 billion, it negotiated last week for similar reasons. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2020 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone wildfires
- Officials of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine announce the successful extinguishment of all open fires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. (Deutsche Welle)
- The ghost city of Pripyat was left unscathed by the fire while several abandoned villages burnt to the ground. (Forbes}

Health and environment

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Asia
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India, 2020 coronavirus lockdown in India
    - Prime Minister Narendra Modi extends India's nationwide lockdown until May 3. (Al Jazeera)
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines
    - The Philippine Department of Health initiates a nationwide "mass" testing program, but prioritizes the critically ill and vulnerable. (Arab News)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in North America
  - 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States
    - The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States rises by 2,228 in a single day, the highest number of COVID-19 linked deaths reported in any country in a single day, as total cases rise to over 600,000. (Reuters)

International relations

United States and the United Nations, World Health Organization's response to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces the United States is suspending funding of the World Health Organization (WHO) pending an investigation of its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its relationship with China. (CNN)
China–Kazakhstan relations
- The Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons the Chinese ambassador after an article claiming that Kazakhs are "eager to return to China" and "do not have too many complaints" about China's historical invasions of Kazakhstan is published on the private Chinese website Sohu. (Reuters)

Law and crime

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Asia
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Turkey
  - Turkey will free one-third of its prisoners to curb the spread of COVID-19. At least 45,000 prisoners will be freed until the end of May, with the exception of those accused of terrorist offenses, as well as journalists and politicians accused of plotting the 2016 coup attempt. (Al Jazeera)
- 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Jordan, Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on religion
  - Jordan bans public worship at mosques during Ramadan, and will not allow evening prayers, as a precaution to fight the virus. (Reuters)
A 30-year-old man is arrested and charged with making terroristic threats after he allegedly threatened to kill his father and his ex-girlfriends, as well as blow up the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park. Explosive devices are discovered in his Upper West Side apartment. (The New York Post) (Yahoo! News)

Politics and elections

China appoints Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps general secretary Sun Jinlong as the new Communist Party Secretary of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. (Reuters)
Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign
- Former U.S. President Barack Obama officially endorses his former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive nominee in the Democratic Party primaries. (The New York Times)
2020 Kiribati parliamentary election
- Citizens of Kiribati cast their votes in the first round of the country's latest parliamentary election. (Radio New Zealand)

April 13, 2020 (Monday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Second Libyan Civil War
- 2019–20 Western Libya offensive
  - GNA forces recapture the city of Sabratha, and the nearby town of Sorman in the Zawiya District, while seizing armored vehicles and weapons belonging to the Libyan National Army. (Anadolu Agency)
  - The Libyan National Army confirms one of its Mi-35 helicopters has been shot down near Misrata, killing three crew members onboard. (Al Masdar News)