Portal:Current events

Edit instructions

Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

The 10th hole at Augusta National Golf Club

At least 257 people are killed in an Algerian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft crash in Algeria.
In golf, Patrick Reed wins the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club (pictured) in the United States.
A suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, kills dozens of people.
In the Hungarian parliamentary election, a coalition led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wins its third consecutive supermajority in the Hungarian National Assembly.

April 12, 2018 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- The fire onboard South Korean ship FV Don Wong 701 in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand, enters its fourth day. The port resumes limited operations despite the ongoing blaze and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission starts an investigation despite being unable to board the vessel. (The New Zealand Herald) (Stuff)

April 11, 2018 (Wednesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Yemeni Crisis (2011–present)
- The Royal Saudi Air Defense intercepts a ballistic missile fired from Yemen over the Saudi capital Riyadh that caused panic among residents. Houthis say they fired several Burkan-2 missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia, including Saudi Aramco oil facilities. Separately, Saudi Air Defenses shoot down two Houthi-operated Qasef-1 drones near the border. (Reuters) (Middle East Eye)
2018 Gaza border protests
- The Israeli Defence Forces say a bomb exploded near one of their construction vehicles near the Gazan border. In response, the IDF launches attacks on Hamas positions within the Gaza Strip. (The Times of Israel)
- The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre states 80% of the deceased Palestinians, including journalist Yasir Murtaja, are terrorists. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Tamer Abu Daqqa, a resident of Khan Younis, Gaza, claims he is the man shown on an unauthorised video taken by an Israeli soldier being shot by a sniper through the border fence. Daqqa rejects Israeli claims he was a ringleader of violence and says he was assisting wounded Palestinians. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman bars 110 Palestinians from entering Israel to attend a joint Israeli-Palestinian Remembrance Day ceremony in Tel Aviv. (The Jerusalem Post)
The International Criminal Court finds radical nationalist Serb Vojislav Seselj guilty of war crimes against Bosnians during the Balkans war and sentences him to ten years in prison. He is immediately released as he served more than eleven years in the court's custody, and takes to Twitter to declare himself "proud of my war crimes". (al-Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- The fire onboard South Korean ship FV Don Wong 701 in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand, enters its third day. At least four vessels – MV Searuby, MV San Granit, MV Longview Logger and MV Jeppesen Maersk – are delayed from arriving. (Stuff) (Stuff)
2018 Algerian Air Force Il-76 crash
- An Ilyushin Il-76 military plane crashes shortly after take-off from Boufarik Military Airport in Algeria, killing all 257 passengers on board. (BBC) (sbs.com)
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
- Poland releases a new report on the disaster, which killed 96 including then-President Lech Kaczyński, rejecting previous findings and claiming instead air traffic controllers in Smolensk, Russia, gave the jet erroneous information prior to two explosions destroying the jet in midair. (Radio Poland)
Humboldt Broncos bus crash
- The athletic therapist for the Humboldt Broncos, Dayna Brons, dies from injuries sustained in the crash, raising the death toll to 16. (Sportsnet.ca)
- Saskatchewan politicians seek a redesign of the intersection where the crash occurred, which was also previously the scene of a six-death crash in 1997. (Sportsnet.ca)
The family of a man killed in California when his Tesla Model X crashed with the Autopilot engaged says they intend to sue the carmaker. His wife further says he had complained of flaws in the vehicle's behaviour and predicted his death in a collision with the barrier his car ultimately hit. (Electrek)
The death toll from tainted alcohol in Jakarta and West Java, Indonesia, reaches at least 82. (Reuters)
The death toll from a fireworks factory explosion in Vellore, India, rises to four. (The Times of India)
The death toll from a Malawi cholera epidemic reaches 30. (Reuters)

Health and environment

Climate change in New Zealand
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern bans future offshore oil and gas exploration in New Zealand, leaving existing permits untouched. (The New Zealand Herald)
A survey commissioned by Water New Zealand reveals sanitary sewer overflows increased by 379% across the nation in 2017. (The New Zealand Herald)

International relations

South Korea–United States relations
- South Korea national security adviser Chung Eui-yong visits Washington, D.C. and meets with his U.S. counterpart John R. Bolton. (Yonhap News Agency)
The European Union says it is optimistic a two-year dispute with Poland's ruling Law and Justice over proposed judicial reforms will be resolved by mid May. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has been engaged in talks on the issue with the European Commission. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Terrorism in Spain
- Spain's Audiencia Nacional sentences ten Islamic extremists to between eight and twelve years in prison for a plot to launch attacks against Barcelona landmarks and behead a hostage on camera. The cell was convicted yesterday. (El País)
Terrorism in the United Arab Emirates
- The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court jails two Egyptians and a Saudi for fifteen years each and fines them for promoting terrorist ideologies online. The court orders them deported after release, their computer equipment seized, and their social media presences deleted. (Gulf News)
Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act
- U.S. President Donald Trump officially signs the anti-human trafficking act into law. (The Washington Post)
Terrorism in Canada
- Lawyers representing Ayanle Hassan Ali, accused of three attempted murders in a 2016 Toronto knife attack on Canadian soldiers, say he should be acquitted entirely of allegations the charges had a terrorist motive and found not criminally responsible for the underlying offences on the grounds of his mental health. (CBC.ca)
Elmira Medynska, the partner of Russian whistleblower Alexander Perepilichnyy, tells his inquest at the Central Criminal Court in London he seemed nervous and had been unwell prior to his death. The inquest is attempting to determine if Perepilichnyy had been murdered. (BBC)
South Korean politician Ahn Hee-jung is indicted on accusations he repeatedly raped his aide Kim Ji-eun, who previously accused him publicly of sexual abuse. (Gulf News)
Former President of Andalusia and ex-Minister of Health and Labour José Antonio Griñán declares before the court as a key in the ERE corruption scandal. (El Mundo)

Politics and elections

Azerbaijani presidential election, 2018
- Millions of Azerbaijanis vote in the presidential elections. President Ilham Aliyev receives 86% of the vote and is re-elected for another seven-year term. (The Washington Post)
2017–18 United States political sexual scandals
- A special investigatory committee from the Missouri House of Representatives releases a report on Governor Eric Greitens's alleged invasion of privacy and sexual misconduct. (Chicago Tribune), (FOX2Now)
Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, announces that he will not seek re-election to his seat from Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in the November mid-term election. Ryan has been Speaker since October 2015. (The Washington Post)

Sports

2018 NFL season
- The preseason schedules for the 2018 NFL season is released. (NFL)
2017–18 NBA season
- On the final night of the regular season, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had already secured double-figure season averages in points and assists, collects 20 rebounds in a 137–123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies to lift his rebound average into double figures, becoming the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in more than one season. Westbrook had averaged a triple-double last season. (ESPN)

April 10, 2018 (Tuesday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- 2018 Douma chemical attack
  - Anonymous U.S. officials say the United States is considering a multinational military response against Syrian government forces, with experts saying that France, the United Kingdom, and Middle Eastern allies would be considered to help. (Reuters)
- Eurocontrol warns airlines to operate with care over the Mediterranean Sea owing to planned airstrikes in Syria. (Reuters)
Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
- Yulia Skripal is released from hospital. Russia says it will view any resettlement efforts by the United Kingdom as abduction. (Sky News)
2018 Gaza border protests
- An Israeli Defence Forces investigation clears a sniper who fired a single bullet through the Gazan border fence, striking a Palestinian, but criticises a second soldier who filmed the incident and cheered. Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman says Israel has the world's most moral army and soldiers occasionally "let out some tension". (The Times of Israel)
- New York police arrest members of Jewish group IfNotNow during a protest against Israeli actions. IfNotNow members were blockading a local politician, and have previously chained themselves to the Israeli consulate. (The Jewish Telegraphic Agency) (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman calls Gazan journalist Yasser Murtaja, shot dead by Israel while covering border protests, as a "Hamas terrorist" engaged in intelligence gathering against the Israeli military. (The Times of Israel)
Greek soldiers fire warning shots at a Turkish helicopter over the Aegean Sea after it approaches the island of Ro. (The Telegraph)
France claims that a Russian military plane made a low pass over the warship Aquitaine off the Lebanese coast, claiming the aircraft was in deliberate breach of international law. (The Jerusalem Post)
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- A Yemeni human rights group files a war crimes complaint against Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Paris as the prince visits France. (Sputnik News)

Arts and culture

List of Japanese supercentenarians
- Japanese supercentenarian Masazo Nonaka is confirmed as the world's oldest living man. (Sky News)

Business and economy

Hungarian parliamentary election, 2018
- Hungarian businessman Lajos Simicska shuts down daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet after 80 years in print, and Lánchíd Rádió in response to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán winning a third consecutive parliamentary supermajority. Simicska was a former supporter of Orbán until he fell out with the Prime Minister in 2015. (Bloomberg)
Economy of India
- Jet Airways withdraws from the race to acquire debt-ridden state-owned Air India. (Arabian Business)

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- Firefighters contain a fire on FV Dong Won 701 in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand. The ongoing blaze, which broke out yesterday, has injured three people. (The New Zealand Herald)
- A court in Istanbul issues a warrant for the seizure of MV Vitaspirit, a Maltese tanker that crashed into a historic waterfront mansion on the Bosphorus on April 7, until the mansion's owners receive US$50 million. (Hurriyet Daily News)
Humboldt Broncos bus crash
- The Alberta Transportation Ministry suspends operations by Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd pending investigation into a crash with a bus which killed 15 people. (Global News)
US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211
- Nepalese investigators release their preliminary report into the disaster. (The Aviation Herald)
Two buses collide head-on in Luton, England, resulting in thirteen people injured. (Sky News)
A French military jet accidentally drops an inert bomb on a car factory in Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France. Two are injured and gendarmes evacuate 150. (The Express)
Thousands are left without power and flights are grounded after a powerful storm hits Auckland, New Zealand. (Radio New Zealand)
A 53-metre (174 ft) tower collapses the wrong way during demolition in Vordingborg, Denmark, severely damaging many buildings, including a cultural centre. (The Independent)
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
- Poland's ruling Law and Justice unveils a new monument on the eighth anniversary of the disaster, which killed 96 including then-President Lech Kaczyński near Smolensk, Russia. Initial investigations primarily blamed errors on the flight crew but Poland is conducting a new investigation with a new report expected to claim Russian air traffic controllers purposely misled the jet about its location before it was destroyed in an explosion. (Radio Poland)
- Law and Justice's Jarosław Kaczyński, twin brother of ex-President Lech, calls off Marches of Remembrance held in Warsaw every month since the disaster, saying they are not needed owing to the new monument. [http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/358192,Poland-reaches-goal-monthly-Smolensk-marches-called-off-PiS-leader (Poland Radio)

International relations

Israel–Russia relations
- Representatives of Russia and Israel meet in Moscow to discuss the Middle East, particularly recent developments in Syria and Gaza. (TASS)
2017–18 Qatar diplomatic crisis
- U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and praises the nation's efforts to combat terrorism, reversing his previous stance that Qatar funded terrorists at a "high level". Qatar and its neighbours are presently disputing the level and nature of terrorism in Qatar. (Fox News)
Terrorism in Malaysia, Terrorism in the United States
- Judges from the United States meet with counterparts in Malaysia to discuss strategies for prosecuting terrorists. (The New Straits Times)
Israel extends the area fishermen from southern Gaza are allowed to operate in from six miles offshore to nine miles offshore for three months. Restrictions remain unaffected in northern Gaza. (The Times of Israel)

Law and crime

Indonesia announces the capture of MV STS-50, a stateless vessel wanted by Interpol for illegal fishing, and her crew following a chase. MV STS-50 previously evaded capture in Mozambique and escaped after being detained in China. (Channel News Asia) (The Independent)
Terrorism in Italy
- A car bomb in Limbadi, near Vibo Valentia, Calabria, kills local politician Matteo Vinci and leaves his elderly father critically injured. (ANSA)
- Police say an improvised explosive device exploded overnight at a Unicredit bank in Bologna, with the bomber leaving behind graffiti criticising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (ANSA)
Terrorism in Russia
- Russian Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov says the FSB has foiled six terror attacks in 2018 so far, including plots targeting polling stations and a shopping centre. (TASS)
Terrorism in the United States
- United States Federal Prosecutors file a request to sentence Enrique Marquez, who purchased rifles used in a 2015 terror attack in California, to 25 years in prison. (AP via U.S. News & World Report)
2016–present purges in Turkey, HDP repression:, Terrorism in Turkey
- An appeals court in Turkey hands opposition Peoples' Democratic Party MP Burcu Çelik Özkan a sentence of more than seven years in prison for terrorism propaganda. She had previously received a six-year sentence for pro-Kurdistan Workers' Party activity, but the case has been retried following an appeal. (Ahval News)
Inn Din massacre
- Seven Myanmar Army soldiers are convicted of murder and sentenced to ten years in prison for their participation in the execution of ten Rohingyas in Inn Din. (Reuters)
Ukraine detains a Russian ship in Odessa suspected of illegally extracting sand. (TASS)
An Italian judge says a mafia clan has been plotting the murder of Spia.it journalist Paolo Borrometi. Italian prime minister Paolo Gentiloni voices his support to the journalist. (ANSA)
2017-18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- The Civil Guard arrests one woman and warrants a man from the Committees for the Defense of the Republic, focused on the defense of Catalan Republic, accused of terrorism and sedition. (El País)

Politics and elections

Presidency of Donald Trump
- U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert resigns at the request of National Security Advisor John R. Bolton. (CNBC)
2018 Kemerovo fire
- Aman Tuleyev, who resigned as governor of Kemerovo Oblast after a shopping centre fire killed 64 people there, is elected speaker of the regional legislature. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Ali Najafi resigns from his post after eight months in the office. His last resignation was rejected by the City Council. (Radio Farda)
Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal
- United States senators question Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the various controversies the social network is dealing with, including recent disclosures concerning Cambridge Analytica's use of Facebook data. (Los Angeles Times), (Wall Street Journal)

Science and technology

Discoveries of exoplanets
- Four new Hot Jupiter exoplanets are discovered: HATS-39b, HATS-40b, HATS-41b and HATS-42b. (Phys.org)
The Scott Polar Research Institute announces a mission planned for 2019 to search for Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's famed lost ship Endurance, which sank in 1914 leading to a multi-year rescue operation. (The Independent)
Proxima Centauri b, an Earth-like exoplanet, is hit with a deadly superflare. (ARS technica)

April 9, 2018 (Monday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2018 Gaza border protests
- Israel launches an investigation into a video appearing to show soldiers cheering as a Palestinian man is shot by an Israeli sniper through the Gazan border fence. (The Washington Post)
- The Palestinian Authority pays salaries to its West Bank staff but not to staff in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, amid growing disputes between the two groups. (The Sun Daily)
Terrorism in Thailand
- Three bombs explode in Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat, Thailand, injuring four people. (The Bangkok Post)
A motorcycle bomb kills at least eight and injures at least seven at a market in Shindand, Afghanistan. (Voice of America)
Syrian Civil War
- 2018 Douma chemical attack
  - Human Rights Watch calls the attack a war crime and says both Russia and Syria may bear criminal responsibility. (Reuters)
- An explosion in Idlib kills more than a dozen, including civilians and children. (euronews)
A prosecutor asks the International Criminal Court to decide if it has jurisdiction over Rohingya deportations from Myanmar to Bangladesh, saying they may constitute a crime against humanity. (Reuters)
The Metropolitan Police in London launches a war crimes investigation into five men wanted in Rwanda for alleged massacres in 1994. A United Kingdom court previously refused to extradite the men over concerns they may not receive a fair trial. (The London Evening Standard)
Three US Navy SEALs go on trial in San Diego accused of war crimes. Prosecutors allege the trio tortured unidentified detainees in Village Stability Platform Kalach in Chora, Uruzgan, Afghanistan. (The San Diego Union Tribune)

Arts and culture

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour"
- In a new apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis mentions Satan or the Devil twelve times. Warning against Catholic media transgressing the eighth commandment, he calls to "see how the unguarded tongue, set on fire by hell, sets all things ablaze." (Reuters)

Business and economy

The New Zealand Overseas Investment Office approves the sale of clothing company Icebreaker to U.S. retail conglomerate VF Corporation, revealing the sale price as NZ$288 million. (Stuff)

Disasters and accidents

List of shipwrecks in 2018
- A fire breaks out on South Korean fishing vessel FV Dong Won 701 in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand. Ten fire crews and a tug are in attendance. At least three are hospitalised and the ship is evacuated. (Stuff) (Radio New Zealand)
A school bus plunges into a gorge in the foothills of the Himalayas, in Himachal Pradesh, India, killing three adults and at least 27 children. (CBS News)
A wall collapses onto playing children in Doornfontein, South Africa, killing three. (Times Live)
A school charter bus traveling illegally on a parkway on Long Island, New York, collides with a bridge. Dozens of students are injured. (ABC News)
The Norfolk Southern Railway sues two staff members involved in a train collision last month in Georgetown, Kentucky, that derailed 13 cars and injured four. (Cincinnati)
A double decker tourist bus collides with low-lying tree branches in Żurrieq, Malta, killing two adults with six others being critically injured. (The Times of Malta)
A Piper PA-24 Comanche crashes after takeoff in Scottsdale, Arizona, killing all six people aboard. (USA Today)
Investigators say Trump Tower, where a man died in a fire yesterday, had no working smoke alarms. (CNN)

Health and environment

The International Maritime Organisation commences meetings in London aimed at reducing emissions in the shipping industry, which are presently unregulated. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol made the IMO responsible for controlling ship emissions. (BBC)
Prince Albert II of Monaco arrives in Edinburgh to launch an international conference of oceanographers and environmental experts to discuss the global marine environment, including oceanic acidification and plastic pollution, as well as the local creation of Marine Protected Areas in Scotland. (BBC)

International relations

Somalia seizes US$9.6 million from three bags arriving on a Royal Jet flight from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in the midst of diplomatic tensions between the nations. (al-Jazeera)
The United States says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has indicated willingness to discuss denuclearisation. (Voice of America)

Law and crime

Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations
- U.S. entertainer Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial begins. As he enters the court a topless woman with the words Women's Lives Matter written on her body charges him and is arrested. (AP via Fredericksburg)
Terrorism in Finland
- Abderrahman Bouanane goes on trial in a courtroom set up within a prison in Turku, Finland, accused of two murders and eight attempted murders in an alleged terror attack. The charges, the first terrorism crimes ever charged in Finland, relate to a stabbing in Turku's main market square. Bouanane is charged with two counts of terror-related murder and eight counts of attempted murder with a terror-related motive. (ABC)
Terrorism in France
- French police arrest three men and three women accused of involvement in the 2016 Magnanville stabbing by an ISIL supporter. Local media reports the detainees include police major Maryline Bereaud and her daughter. (The Guardian)
Terrorism in Indonesia
- Extremist Muslim preacher Kiki Muhammad Iqbal is sentenced to nine years for inciting terrorism for a sermon he gave last year at a mosque in Bandung. The sermon is alleged to have caused two suicide bombers to launch a May 2017 attack that killed three policemen in East Jakarta. (The Straits Times)
Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal
- The FBI raid the office, hotel room and home of U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyer and spokesperson Michael Cohen, seizing records related to several topics including payments to pornographic-film actress Stormy Daniels. (The New York Times)
Around 2,500 police armed with tear gas launch a raid in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, France, in a bid to force the removal of 250 activists who have occupied the site of the proposed Aéroport du Grand Ouest for ten years to prevent its construction. The proposed airport is abandoned but the activists refuse to leave their community. (The Guardian)
A day after a woman and her family tried to burn themselves in protest alleging she was raped by a local official and her husband murdered whilst in custody, six policemen are arrested in Unnao, India. (The Quint)
Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- The British Transport Police reject claims by entertainer Olly Murs of a cover-up of a possible terror incident in London in November. Murs reported hearing gunfire but investigations found no evidence of weapons use. (Sky)
Berlin Half Marathon, terrorism in Germany
- Police in Germany release six men suspected of plotting a terror attack at yesterday's Berlin Half Marathon, one of who was linked to Anis Amri, after failing to find evidence to substantiate their suspicions. (The Local)
Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- Six alleged members of banned neo-Nazi group National Action appear before the Central Criminal Court. Two, including the group's alleged leader, are charged with plotting the terrorist murder of MP Rosie Cooper. (The Warrington Guardian) (The St. Helens Star)

Politics and elections

2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- The Speaker of the Parliament of Catalonia, Roger Torrent, announces the investiture session of Jordi Sànchez i Picanyol for Friday, April 13. Sànchez, who has been imprisoned since October 2017 accused of sedition, was nominated again for President de la Generalitat on April 7. (La Razón)

Science and technology

MV Symphony of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship at 206,912 tonnes, begins its first voyage with paying passengers. (Stuff)

Sports

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Trevor Davis is arrested after making a bomb joke at Los Angeles International Airport. (Bleacher Report)

April 8, 2018 (Sunday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- 2018 Douma chemical attack
  - The death toll from yesterday's suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, rises to at least 70, according to the White Helmets group. The Syrian government and Russia deny the allegations of a chemical attack. (BBC)
  - U.S. President Donald Trump warns Russia and Iran for backing Bashar al-Assad and calls him "Animal Assad". (Sky News)
- Eight missiles are launched at the Syrian T4 air base in Homs Governorate, reportedly by Israeli F-15s. Syria claimed that five of the missiles are intercepted by the Syrian Air Defense Force. Reports stated that 14 soldiers were killed in the strike, including 4 Iranian Revolution Guards. (BBC) (Reuters) (Times of Israel)
2018 Gaza border protests
- Israeli Defence Forces fire shells at Palestinians on foot near the border fence, saying the men had crossed the fence before reentering the Gaza Strip near Gaza City. (Haaretz)
- Gazan hospitals declare a state of emergency owing to the thousands injured. (al-Jazeera)
- The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, says conduct by both Israel and Hamas may amount to war crimes and warns anybody violating international law may face prosecution. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli Defence Forces deny reports three Palestinians fired upon in Gaza yesterday by an Israeli tank had opened fire on Israeli soldiers and hardware, but says they planted two bombs made from plastic drinks bottles and containing an explosive liquid near the border fence. The suspects were not injured. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman asks Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to probe NGO B’Tselem for "incitement to disobedience" for asking Israeli troops at the border to refuse orders. B’Tselem accuses Liberman in response of "a deep contempt for basic moral principles" and reiterates its call for IDF personnel to refuse to carry out "manifestly illegal orders". (The Times of Israel)
- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says the PA will take no further responsibility for the Gaza Strip unless Hamas hands over full control. (The Times of Israel)
Sinai insurgency
- The Egyptian Army kills four suspected terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula. (Xinhua)
Terrorism in Germany
- German authorities arrest six men aged 18 to 21 suspected of planning a terror attack on today's Berlin Half Marathon. (The Telegraph)
Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- Police release two men detained for terrorism in Dewsbury, saying they are confident no terrorism offences can be charged. (ITV)
- A report commissioned by the UK states terrorists and extremists are increasingly turning to Bitcoin, the dark net, and encrypted communications apps in a bid to evade detection. (The Guardian)
- Police release on bail a suspected terrorist arrested yesterday at Gatwick Airport after he arrived on a flight from Morocco. (BBC)
Terrorism in Israel
- A Palestinian man launches a stabbing attack in the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim and is shot by a civilian. The attacker is hospitalised, as are three Israelis who suffered shock. (Israel National News)
- Authorities charge Ahmed Kunba with several attacks including a drive-by shooting in the West Bank settlement of Havat Gilad that killed one, shooting at a bus, and trying to infiltrate the West Bank settlement of Dotan. (The Times of Israel)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Iraqi security forces kill six suspected terrorists and seize guns and explosives in an operation targeting Islamic State in Anbar. (Iraqi News)
- A suicide bomber injures six Iraqi soldiers near Ramadi, Anbar. The soldiers were combing a building hit by a separate bombing yesterday that killed five and injured seven including a politician. (Iraqi News)
- Iraqi authorities say an unexplained explosion in Mutaibija, on the border of Diyala and Salahuddin, killed an alleged senior member of the Islamic State. (Iraqi News)

Disasters and accidents

A bus collides with a train near Armyansk, Crimea, killing five people and injuring four others. (Xinhua)
2018 Paris–Roubaix
- Belgian Vérandas Willems–Crelan cyclist Michael Goolaerts crashes during the race in France and subsequently dies in hospital. (BBC)
2018 Bahrain Grand Prix
- Ferrari Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen hits a mechanic during a pit stop. The mechanic receives multiple leg fractures. (ESPN)
The UK Airprox Board reveals a Red Arrows jet came within 100ft of collision with a civilian plane last year. (Lincolnshire Live)

International relations

Sino-Indian border dispute
- The Indian Army rejects Chinese categorisations of its patrols in Asaphila near the disputed Arunachal Pradesh border as "transgressions", and accuses China of damaging Indian roadlaying equipment. (the India Express)
Russia-United Kingdom relations
- Russia accuses the United Kingdom of withholding information on the investigation into the murder of Russian exile Nikolay Glushkov, which is being probed by counterterrorism officers. Glushkov had political asylum and was wanted in Russia for embezzlement from Aeroflot. (The Independent)

Law and crime

2018 Münster attack
- German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer rejects claims that yesterday's car attack was an act of either Islamic or far-right terrorism, saying the attacker was not politically motivated. (The Journal)
Operation Car Wash
- Former President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva surrenders to police following a two-day stand-off at a steelworkers' union building in São Bernardo do Campo. (BBC)
Animal welfare and rights in Australia
- A ship due to carry 65,000 sheep to the Middle East fails an Australian Maritime Safety Authority inspection after docking in Fremantle, Western Australia and is denied permits for the voyage. The government is investigating newly emerged footage of conditions on the ship, where thousands of sheep died during a similar voyage last year. (ABC)

Politics and elections

Hungarian parliamentary election, 2018
- Voters in Hungary go to the polls for a parliamentary election with the Fidesz Party led by Viktor Orbán achieving a super-majority for the third election in a row. (AFP via Focus News), (Washington Post)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announces the departure of National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton. (CNN)

Sport

In golf, American Patrick Reed wins the 2018 Masters Tournament held in Augusta, Georgia. (SBNation)

April 7, 2018 (Saturday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2018 Gaza border protests
- Israeli troops shoot dead ten Palestinians near the Israel–Gaza barrier, including a Palestinian journalist, as protests continue. (BBC)
- A funeral is held for journalist Yasser Murtaja, shot at the fence wearing a press jacket covering tyre burnings by protestors yesterday. Israel denies targeting journalists intentionally and says it is investigating. (The Guardian)
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman both praise the military response, with Liberman accusing Murtaja of "putting himself in danger" by operating a drone. (The Times of Israel)
2018 Münster vehicle ramming
- A man drives a van into a group of people in Münster, Germany, killing two and injuring 30. The driver then shoots and kills himself. (Express) (CNN)
Terrorism in India
- Local authorities in Goa, India, issue a terror alert for the West Coast for fishing vessels, resorts, barges, and offshore casinos. The alert states a fishing vessel may be used to launch a terrorist attack. The Ports Minister states that Pakistan has seized an Indian fishing vessel in connection with the alleged plot. (The Financial Express)
Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- Metropolitan Police arrest a suspected terrorist at Gatwick Airport after he arrives on a flight from Morocco. (BBC)
Cyberattacks on Iran
- The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology of Iran says hackers attacked its networks, leaving an image of US flags on screens. A researcher at Cisco's Talos security group acknowledges "several incidents in multiple countries" involving the use of their Smart Install protocol. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Dozens of people in the Syrian city of Douma are reported killed in an apparent chemical weapons attack. (Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

A fire breaks out at the 50th floor of the New York Trump Tower, killing one resident and injuring four firefighters. According to the New York City Fire Department, the building had no sprinklers. (BBC) (The Sydney Morning Herald)
A military helicopter crashes in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States kills both pilots. (CNN)
List of shipwrecks in 2018
- MV Vitaspirit, a 225-meter cargo ship, crashes into a 200-year-old historic coastal mansion on the outskirts of Istanbul, Turkey after an engine failure during a voyage from Russia to Saudi Arabia. (Hurriyet Daily News)

International relations

2018 North Korea–United States summit
- Several administration officials say the governments of the United States and North Korea have begun secret, direct talks with each other. (CNN)
Japan activates a 2,100-member Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, its first marine force since World War II. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gives a public address alongside his impeached successor Dilma Rousseff in São Bernardo do Campo, saying he will comply with an arrest warrant and begin a 12-year term for corruption after two failed appeals to have the warrant withdrawn. He maintains his innocence. (BBC)
Terrorism in Iraq
- Iraqi security services announce the arrests of 20 suspected Islamic State militants in raids in Nineveh. (Iraq News)

Sport

In football, FC Bayern Munich win the 2017–18 Bundesliga. It is their sixth title in a row and their 28th German title overall. (AFP via Yahoo! 7)

April 6, 2018 (Friday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

2018 Gaza border protests
- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warns Israel to use "extreme caution" as further protests are held at the Gazan border. Israeli Defence Forces open fire again, killing at least seven Palestinians. (The Guardian)
- Protestors begin burning tyres at the border. (The Guardian)
Moro conflict
- Acting on a tipoff about a planned attack, authorities in Shariff Aguak detain two suspected would-be bombers and disable an improvised explosive device. (Philstar Global)
Terrorism in the Netherlands
- The Dutch Court of Appeal increases the sentence of a man who twice attempted to travel to Syria from 31 months partially suspended to 40 months. The man was previously convicted of preparing terrorist crimes and trying to participate in a terrorist organisation. (Dutch News)
Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- Police announce they will expand Project Servator to cover London. Project Servator involves the deployment of hundreds of armed counterterror officers in a bid to rapidly swarm potential terrorists. (Sky News)

Arts and culture

Weinstein effect
- Three members of the Swedish Academy leave their seats after failing to oust another member whose husband is accused of sexual misconduct including raping young female writers. (Expressen)

Business and economy

Economy of the United Kingdom
- A report reveals that 2017 saw over ten thousand new businesses in the technology sector throughout the United Kingdom, with all areas seeing growth over 2016. Scotland saw a 77% increase with 440 new firms. (The Scotsman)
Trump tariffs
- U.S. stocks drop by about 2 percent in light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff statement yesterday concerning Chinese imports. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Humboldt Broncos bus crash
- A transport and a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collide north of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, en route to a play-off game against the Nipawin Hawks, killing 15 people. (CTV News) (CBC) (BBC)
A bus crashes near Genting Highlands in Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia, hitting a car and a barrier. Twenty-three people are injured, including sixteen Chinese tourists. (Channel News Asia)
A helicopter crash in Istanbul kills five and injures seven. (T.A.A.S.)

Health and environment

Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, invites bids for oil and gas exploration at Northeast Newfoundland Slope, a protected marine area that was closed to fishing in December. (CBC)

International relations

Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act
- The United States imposes sanctions on twelve Russian owned companies, a Russian arms exporter, and a bank. The U.S. cites multiple reasons, including Russian meddling in the 2016 elections and military engagements in Ukraine, Crimea, and Syria, among others. (ABC News)
Australia says it will prevent the departure of a ship due to carry 65,000 sheep to the Middle East next week unless the operators can reassure the government of the animals' welfare. The government launched an investigation yesterday after a video depicting conditions on the ship emerged. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Impeachment of Park Geun-hye
- Former President of South Korea Park Geun-hye is sentenced to 24 years in prison and an ￦18 billion fine for bribery, coercion, and abuse of power, among other charges. (The New York Times)
Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
- Salisbury District Hospital says poisoned spy Sergei Skripal is no longer critically ill, responding well to treatment, and "improving rapidly". His daughter was previously revealed to have regained consciousness. (BBC)
- Viktoria Skripal, a cousin of Yulia, states the poisoned pair suffered food poisoning rather than an attack with a nerve agent. Hours later she is denied a visa to visit her relatives in hospital. (Sky)
Killings by law enforcement officers in the United States in April 2018
- Hundreds protest the Wednesday fatal shooting of Saheed Vassell by police in Brooklyn, New York, after a pipe he was holding was mistaken for a gun. (BBC)
Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act
- Several U.S. federal authorities led by the FBI seize the personal ad website Backpage in an effort to stop alleged human trafficking, including that of minors. Its co-founder Michael Lacey was also charged with 93 counts of human trafficking. (Reuters) (Arizona Central)
Sexual offences in the United Kingdom
- Glasgow Sheriff Court sentences HMP Barlinnie prison officer Brian Johnstone to three years imprisonment for repeatedly sexually assaulting two inmates in the showers and their cells between 2013 and 2016. (BBC)
Aftermath of the ValuJet Flight 592
- The FBI offers a US$10,000 reward for information leading to the capture of mechanic Mauro Ociel Valenzuela-Reyes, who is accused of triggering the 1996 disaster by mispackaging oxygen cylinders that caught fire in the DC-9's hold. He fled justice in 1999. (CNN)
Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- A Central Criminal Court judge sentences Dutch-Somali terror convict Aweys Shikhey to eight years with an extended licence of four years. Shikhey received international attention for fantasy chats with a Kenyan online about murdering David Cameron, Queen Elizabeth II, Jews, and football fans. (The Times of Israel) (NLTimes.nl)
2018 in UFC
- Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor appears in court and is released on bail after being charged with assault and criminal mischief. (BBC)
Human rights in North Korea
- The International Criminal Court rejects a petition to investigate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for war crimes. The petition by Japanese families of alleged victims was turned down because the alleged wrongdoing predates Japan's 2007 joining of the ICC. (NHK)

Politics and elections

2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis
- Carles Puigdemont is released on bail, following the German judge's decision that he cannot be extradited for rebellion. However, proceedings for misuse of public funds are being considered against Puigdemont. (The Guardian)
- Puigdemont calls for the opening of dialogue with Spain. (BBC)
2017–18 United States political sexual scandals
- U.S. Representative Blake Farenthold announces his resignation from Congress. (NPR)

Science and technology

Facebook and Cambridge Analytica data breach
- Facebook states that people running popular pages will now have to verify their identity as part of its continued efforts to stem fake news and propaganda. (BBC)
- Facebook suspends AggregateIQ, a Canadian data firm, over concerns about possible data misuse. AggregateIQ was used by the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum. (BBC)
SpaceShipTwo
- Virgin Galactic successfully tests VSS Unity, the first test since a October 2014 crash destroyed a previous version, VSS Enterprise. (Euronews)