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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

In basketball, the Duke Blue Devils defeat the Wisconsin Badgers to win the NCAA Men's Championship (MOP Tyus Jones pictured).
A preliminary deal is reached between Iran and six other countries regarding Iran's nuclear program.
Al-Shabaab gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing more than 140 people.
Russian fishing trawler Dalniy Vostok sinks, killing at least 56 people.
Muhammadu Buhari is elected President of Nigeria.
Islam Karimov is re-elected President of Uzbekistan.
In cricket, the World Cup concludes with Australia defeating New Zealand in the final.

Recent deaths: Elmer Lach – Robert H. Schuller – Manoel de Oliveira

April 8, 2015 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

A gunfight erupts between Afghani solders and US soldiers working for NATO's Resolute Support Mission leaving 1 Afghani soldier dead and 3 Afghani and 2 US soldiers wounded. (Reuters) (RT)

Business and economy

Royal Dutch Shell purchases rival BG Group for around $70 billion. (Wall Street Journal)

Disasters and accidents

At the Dragon Aromatics chemical plant in Fujian a fourth tank of about 1,500 tonnes of liquid hydrocarbon caught fire and exploded. More than 14,000 residents have been evacuated.(BBC)

Law and crime

Shooting of Walter Scott
- The Charleston County coroner rules that Walter Scott died of multiple gunshot wounds to the back and rules his death a homicide. (Live 5)
Boston Marathon bombings
- A verdict has been reached in the trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. [1]

April 7, 2015 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Intervention in Yemen
- The World Health Organisation estimates that 560 people have died, more than 1,700 people have been injured and more than 100,000 people have fled their homes following the intensification of fighting three weeks ago. (AP via Virginia Gazette)

Disasters and accidents

Following the deployment of 350 police, over 600 firefighters and over 400 soldiers, the fire at the Dragon Aromatics chemical plant in Zhangzhou (southeast China) restarts, forcing the evacuation of residents within a radius of 18km from the plant. (South China Morning Post)
Widespread power outages are reported in Washington D.C. after an explosion at a Maryland power substation. (CNN), (ABC 6)

Law and crime

The Parliament of Malaysia passes the Prevention of Terrorism Act which allows the Government to detain terrorism suspects without charge. (AFP via France 24)
At least 20 people die in a shootout between Indian police and timber smugglers in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. (AFP via Straits Times)
American judge Kenneth Marra strikes out claims that Virginia Roberts was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, Duke of York in her claim against Jeffrey Epstein. (BBC)
Raiders using specialist cutting equipment break into an underground vault in the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit company in the London diamond district and empty 300 safety deposit boxes. (Daily Mail)
Shooting of Walter Scott: A North Charleston, South Carolina policeman is charged with murder after video footage emerges of him shooting an unarmed suspect attempting to flee on foot following a daytime traffic stop. (Post and Courier)

Politics and elections

Kentucky U.S. Senator Rand Paul announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. presidency in 2016. (USA Today)
Chicago mayoral election
- Rahm Emanuel is re-elected to a second term as Mayor of Chicago, defeating opponent Jesús "Chuy" García in the city's first mayoral runoff election since switching to non-partisan elections 20 years ago. (Chicago Tribune)

Sports

2015 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
- The Connecticut Huskies defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 63-53 to win their third successive NCAA Division I women's basketball championship. The title is the 10th for both the Huskies and their head coach Geno Auriemma, tying him with late UCLA men's coach John Wooden for the most championships by a Division I basketball coach. (New York Times), (CBS News), (ESPN), (USA Today)

April 6, 2015 (Monday)

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Business and economy

Twitter and YouTube are both inaccessible for hours in Turkey; part of a crack-down on social media by the government there. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

In Fujian, Southeast China an explosion and fire at a paraxylene producing petrochemical plant by Dragon Aromatics occupied 430 firemen. (Reuters)
Tropical storms kill at least 36 people and injure scores in Bangladesh over the past couple of days, with Bogra District hardest hit (20 deaths). (AP via Fox News)

Law and crime

An Indonesian court rejects Andrew Chan's and Myuran Sukumaran's appeal against the President of Indonesia Joko Widodo's refusal to grant them clemency against the death penalty as organisers of the Bali Nine plot to smuggle heroin to Australia in 2005. (ABC News Australia)
Gul Ahmad Saeed is suspected in the killing of his fiancee and nine of her relatives in Pakistan, apparently because of opposition to his marriage. He also is a suspect in the murders, earlier this year, of his mother, father, brother, and sister-in-law. (NBC)
University of Virginia fraternity Phi Kappa Psi announces that it will "pursue all available options" against Rolling Stone magazine a day after the magazine withdraws "A Rape on Campus", a story alleging a student was gang-raped at a party in 2012. (CNN Money)

Sports

Basketball
- In basketball, Dick Bavetta, John Calipari, Spencer Haywood, Lisa Leslie, Dikembe Mutombo and Jo Jo White are announced as 2015 inductees to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They will be formally inducted alongside five figures announced in February, Louie Dampier, Lindsay Gaze, Tom Heinsohn (already inducted as a player but now entering as a coach), John Isaacs, and George Raveling, on September 11. (ESPN)
- In basketball, Duke defeats Wisconsin 68–63 to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.(USA Today)

April 5, 2015 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Garissa University College attack
- Kenyan Air Force planes bomb two al Shabaab bases in response to last week's attack on Garissa University College. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Devastating floods in northern Chile leave at least 25 dead and more than 100 missing. (CNN)

International relations

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven says that neither he nor any other of his cabinet-level ministers will be attending the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Moscow due to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Sweden joins a large group of European countries unofficially boycotting the May 9th Victory Day parade. (The Local)

Law and crime

Dozens of Chinese taxi drivers attempt a mass suicide in Beijing to protest the way taxi companies renewed their vehicle leases. (The New York Times) (The Telegraph)
Rolling Stone magazine retracts "A Rape on Campus", a discredited story claiming an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia. (The Independent)

Science and technology

Giant pandas Xi Mei and Lu Lu break the record for the longest mating session ever recorded at the Sichuan Giant Panda Research Center, lasting 18 minutes and three seconds. (The Telegraph) (The Strait Times)
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN centre in Geneva, Switzerland has been restarted after a two-year conversion. (The Guardian)

April 4, 2015 (Saturday)

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Accidents and disasters

6 people die in a Malaysian helicopter crash. (ABC) (CBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Sinai Insurgency
- Egypt launches strikes around Sheikh Zuweid in retaliation for the 15 Egyptian soldiers that were killed by ISIL-affiliated groups in the past week, killing about 100 terrorists according to Egyptian military sources. (PressTV)
- ISIL affiliated groups have claimed responsibility for killing the 15 soldiers. (ABC)(CTV)

International Relations

Russia convenes a UNSC session to discuss Saudi Arabian attacks in Yemen after Royal Saudi Air Force bombed a refugee camp, killing dozens. (RT)(Sputnik)

Law and crime

The United States Army is probing alleged sexual assaults committed by its soldiers in Colombia between 2003-2007. (USA Today)

Sports

In the semifinal round of the 2015 NCAA Men's basketball tournament, the Wisconsin Badgers win an upset victory against the previously undefeated Kentucky Wildcats. (SB Nation).

April 3, 2015 (Friday)

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Accidents and disasters

Five people die in a helicopter crash in a São Paulo residential area, including the son of Governor Geraldo Alckmin. (Xinhua)
Germanwings Flight 9525:
- Data from the flight data recorder reveals that the plane was deliberately accelerated before crashing into the French Alps. (Reuters)(BBC)(Guardian)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Sinai insurgency
- About 15 Egyptian soldiers and 2 civilians are killed by a combination of guns and car bombs. (BBC)(NY Times)
Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- Saudi Arabia donates a plethora of weapons and medical supplies to the conflict by dropping them over Tawahi. (Reuters)(Globe&Mail)

International relations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagrees with the Iranian nuclear program agreement that the P5+1 Nations offered to Iran, saying it threatens Israel. (Reuters)(YNet news)(Fox)

Law and crime

Plaintiffs withdraw a lawsuit against Google that had asserted that it was illegally tying its licensing of the Android operating system to the favorable treatment of Google apps. (Reuters)

Miscellaneous news

An American sailor who was lost for 66 days in the Atlantic Ocean is found by a German tanker. He survived on a diet of solely raw fish and rainwater. (BBC) (CTV news) (Yahoo news)

Pandemics

Burkina Faso culls 115,000 chickens over a bird flu scare. (Reuters) (Xinhua)

Politics and elections

Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Piet de Jong celebrates his 100th birthday. (NOS)
Former Vice President of Zimbabwe Joice Mujuru is expelled from the ruling party for allegedly planning a coup against President Robert Mugabe. (BBC)(Herald)(NewZimbabwe)

April 2, 2015 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 140 people and wounding 65 others. (BBC) (AP via News24)
Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- Al-Qaeda fighters attack a prison in Al Mukalla freeing at least 270 prisoners. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

Germanwings Flight 9525:
- The flight data recorder is recovered from the crash site. (CNN)
- German prosecutors state that the co-pilot researched suicide methods and the security of cockpit doors. (BBC)

International relations

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China files a protest after two American jet fighters landed on April 1 at an air base in Taiwan. (AFP via Yahoo7) (Reuters via Yahoo)
Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, People's Republic of China, Germany, and the European Union (the P5+1) reach a breakthrough agreement on the general framework for an agreement on Iran's nuclear program, but sign no verbal agreement or official document. The deadline for a full deal is June 30, 2015. (The New York Times) (CNN)

Law and crime

Denial of the Armenian Genocide is criminalized in the Republic of Cyprus. (Reuters UK)

Politics and elections

Indiana Senate Bill 101
- A Christian-owned Indiana pizza shop closes its doors after receiving death and arson threats in response to the restaurant saying they would not cater a same sex wedding; the owners are afraid they may close permanently or leave town. (The Washington Times)
- A GoFundMe page gets over $50,000 from supporters. (The Washington Post)

More April 2015 events...

Ongoing events
Political Syrian and Iraqi civil wars Military intervention against ISIL Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger 2015 military intervention in Yemen 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine More details on ongoing conflicts below edit sidebar

Recent deaths
April 2015 7: Tim Babcock 7: Stan Freberg 7: Jean Germain 7: Geoffrey Lewis 7: Richard Henyekane 6: James Best 6: Dollard St. Laurent 6: Dave Ulliott 6: Gertrude Weaver 5: Fredric Brandt 5: Victor Gotbaum 5: Lon Simmons 5: Gardner C. Taylor 5: Tom Towles 5: Julie Wilson 4: Klaus Rifbjerg 4: Elmer Lach 3: Mathias Gnädinger 3: Terdell Middleton 2: Manoel de Oliveira 2: Robert H. Schuller 1: Cynthia Lennon 1: Misao Okawa March 2015 31: Betty Churcher 31: Ralph Sharon 31: Klaus Tschira 30: Helmut Dietl 30: Robert Z'Dar 29: Juan Carlos Maccarone 29: Peter Tarsey 29: Paul Torgersen 28: Chuck Brayton 28: Miroslav Ondříček 28: Gene Saks 27: Daundre Barnaby 27: Carlos Falchi 27: Hot Rod Hundley 27: Janet L. Norwood 26: Dinkha IV 26: John Renbourn 26: Tomas Tranströmer 25: George Fischbeck 25: Bill Slayback 24: Yehuda Avner 24: Richard Butson 24: Oleg Bryzhak 24: Scott Clendenin 24: Maria Radner 23: Lil' Chris 23: Gary Dahl 23: Søren Kam 23: Alan Seymour 23: Geoff Tunbridge 23: Lee Kuan Yew 22: Arkady Arkanov 22: Norman Scribner 22: Viktor V. Yanukovych 21: Chuck Bednarik 21: Lisa Colagrossi 21: Milen Dobrev 21: Hans Erni 21: Jackie Trent 21: Alberta Watson 20: Perro Aguayo Jr. 20: Eva Burrows 20: A. James Clark 20: Ellen Conford 20: Malcolm Fraser 20: Robert Kastenmeier 20: A. J. Pero 20: Gregory Walcott 20: Gerald Lee Warren 19: Michael Brown 19: Gus Douglass 19: Providencia Paredes 19: Danny Schechter 18: H. Allen Jerkens 18: Lyle E. Schaller 17: Bob Appleyard 17: Alan Richardson 17: Shaw Taylor 16: Bruce Crump 16: Buddy Elias 16: Andy Fraser 16: Jack Haley 16: Miguel Donoso Pareja 15: Collins Chabane 15: Xu Caihou 15: Sally Forrest 15: Mike Porcaro 14: Valentin Rasputin 13: Daevid Allen 13: Irwin Hasen 13: Gretchen Kafoury 13: Meyera Oberndorf 13: Ray Ritchie 13: Al Rosen 12: Ray Arnett 12: Willie Barrow 12: Michael Graves 12: Terry Pratchett 11: Samuel Charters 11: Richard Glatzer 11: Jimmy Greenspoon 11: Dell Williams 10: Windell Middlebrooks 10: Claude Sitton 10: Stuart Wagstaff 9: Florence Arthaud 9: David B. Frohnmayer 9: Gene Gene the Dancing Machine 9: James Molyneaux, Baron Molyneaux of Killead 9: Camille Muffat 9: Frei Otto 9: Alexis Vastine 8: Sam Simon 8: Lew Soloff edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria and Cameroon Boko Haram Somalia Civil war South Sudan South Sudanese Civil War Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Asia Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines Communist insurgency Moro insurgency Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Dissident Irish Republican campaign Chechen-Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency War in Ingushetia Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraqi civil war American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey-PKK conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections
Recent: March 5: Pakistan, Senate 8: Switzerland, Referendum 11: Lebanon, President (20th round) 17: Israel, Knesset 19: Tuvalu, Parliament 21: Egypt, House of Representatives 28: Nigeria, President, House of Representatives, Senate 29: Uzbekistan, President Recent: April 2: Lebanon, President (21st round) Upcoming: April 11: Malta, Referendum 13: Sudan, President, National Assembly 15: Togo, President 19: Finland, Parliament 19: Northern Cyprus, President 22: Lebanon, President (22nd round) 25: Togo, President 25: Anguilla, House of Assembly 26: Benin, National Assembly 26: Kazakhstan, President 30: Tanzania, Referendum edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Michael Thomas Rafferty, Luka Magnotta China: Liu Tienan, Li Daqiu, Bo Xilai Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff, Breno Borges Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Italy: Silvio Berlusconi Jordan: Abu Qatada Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Vladimir Kvachkov, Pussy Riot South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius, Chris Mahlangu Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Ali Dizaei, Antoni Imiela, Brian Regan, Donna Air, Ched Evans, Clayton McDonald, Titus Bramble, Dan Penteado, John Terry, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed, Asil Nadir, Justin Lee Collins, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Kevin Liverpool, Junior Bradshaw, Aggro Santos, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Michael Le Vell, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret, Gary Glitter, Fred Talbot United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, George Huguely, Allen Stanford, Roger Clemens, Jerry Sandusky, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Crystal Mangum International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga, Thomas Lubanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina SCFSL: Charles Taylor Ongoing China: Ji Jianye, Ni Fake Egypt: Mohamed Morsi France: Dominique Strauss-Kahn Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan, Joseph Scott Pemberton Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members United Kingdom: Eddy Shah, Koo Stark United States: Jodi Arias, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladic Upcoming China: Zhou Yongkang, Wu Changshun Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Dane Bowers, Andy Coulson United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, James Eagan Holmes, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Anas al-Libi, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar

Events by month

2015: January; February; March

2014: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

2013: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

2012: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

2011: January; February; March; April; May; June; July; August; September; October; November; December

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