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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

Augusta National Golf Club

The United States, United Kingdom and France strike multiple government targets in Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma.
At least 257 people are killed as an Algerian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft crashes in Algeria.
In golf, Patrick Reed wins the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club (pictured) in the United States.
In the Hungarian parliamentary election, a coalition led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wins its third consecutive supermajority in the Hungarian National Assembly.

April 17, 2018 (Tuesday)

edithistorywatch

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- Oil exploration ship MV Ocean Geos catches fire after an explosion on board off Kuala Baram, Malaysia. Two injured crew are evacuated and one more remains missing. (The New Straits Times)

International relations

Korean War
- 2018 inter-Korean summit, North Korea-South Korea relations
  - North Korea and South Korea announce that they are planning to officially end the Korean War. (Business Insider)

April 16, 2018 (Monday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Israel
- Petah Tikva resident Zohar Zuaretz is indicted on counterterror charges for far right social media posts in which he spoke of killing Arabs. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman declares the Iliya Institute, a Jerusalem community centre, to be a terror organisation operating on behalf of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. (The Jerusalem Post)
Terrorism in Malaysia
- Malaysia announces the arrest of six alleged Islamic State members accused of plotting to abduct and murder police and assault places of worship. Authorities appeal for information on four more suspects. (Channel News Asia)
Syrian Civil War
- Russia denies interfering with the site of a chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria, and says a nine-member Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons team currently waiting in Damascus will be allowed to visit on Wednesday. (BBC)
- Syrian state media SANA reports that the Syrian Air Defense Force has intercepted several missiles fired at Shayrat Airbase in the Homs Governorate. The U.S. denies any involvement. (Haaretz)
2018 Gaza border protests
- Israel announces sanctions on the owners of fourteen bus companies, and their families, in response to the firms transporting Palestinian protestors to the Gaza-Israel border. (The Washington Post)

Arts and culture

2018 Pulitzer Prize
- The annual Pulitzer Prizes, which celebrate US journalism, are awarded. The New York Times wins the most with three. Pieces on Donald Trump and the #MeToo movement feature prominently. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Grenfell Tower fire
- A leaked draft report by fire investigators BRS Global for the Metropolitan Police reveals new details of mistakes in the construction and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower in London. As well as flammable cladding the report finds errors in window and cavity installation. It concludes the fire would have not spread beyond a single flat and all 71 victims would have survived had refurbishment not been performed, and that victims may also have survived had they sought refuge behind fire doors protecting waste chute rooms on each floor. (The Evening Standard) (The Independent) (The Evening Standard)
Disasters in Indonesia
- A warehouse in Cirebon, Indonesia, collapses onto a neighbouring arts centre where teenagers were preparing for a dance show. At least seven people die, six of them children. (The Straits Times)
- The Indonesia People's Representative Council convenes a meeting to discuss the ongoing oil spill in Balikpapan Bay, East Kalimantan. (Tempo)
Shipping accidents in 2018
- An initial report on a collision between container ships MV Tolten and MV Hamburg Bay near Karachi, Pakistan, that caused millions of rupees in damage and lost cargo last month suggests errors by MV Toltens captain caused the collision and better tug provision by Karachi Port would have prevented it. (Geo)
- Firefighters reopen the sealed Korean fishing ship FV Dong Won 701 in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand, in a bid to finally extinguish the fire that broke out on April 9. (NZCity.co.nz)
Railway accidents in 2018
- Four elephants are killed after being hit by a freight train near a Bagadihi Forest Range area in Jharsuguda district in the Indian state of Odisha. (The Tribune Chandigarh)

International relations

2018 inter-Korean summit
- South Korea is expected to open a press center and online platform in preparations for the summit with North Korea. (The Korean Herald)
- The summit is expected to set the tone for the North Korea–United States summit later this year. (Yonhap News Agency)
Iran–Tajikistan relations
- Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meets with Tajikistan president Emomali Rahmon. (Mehr News Agency)

Law and crime

Crime in India
- Eight people, including a juvenile and a caretaker for a local temple, go on trial in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, accused of abducting an eight-year-old girl, keeping her captive, sexually abusing her, and murdering her in a high-profile case that has already been the subject of nationwide protests and pretrial Supreme Court proceedings. (The Times of India)
Former President of Andalusia and ex-Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Manuel Chaves González declares before the court as a key figure in the ERE corruption scandal. (El País)
A judge in Ragusa, Sicily, Italy, orders the release of a Proactiva Open Arms migrant search and rescue ship detained in Pozzallo since arriving there on March 18 carrying over 200 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea. Catania prosecutors requested the Spanish ship's detention alleging involvement in illegal immigration after Proactiva refused to hand the migrants over to Libya. (A.N.S.A.)
Police clash with KKE protestors in Athens, Greece, firing tear gas as the crowd uses angle grinders in an attempt to topple a statue of former U.S. President Harry Truman in response to the United States' airstrikes in Syria. Three protestors are injured. (eKathimerini)
South Carolina authorities announce that a riot yesterday at the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, Lee County, killed seven inmates and wounded seventeen others. (The Guardian)
Terrorism in Turkey, Turkey–United States relations
- U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson goes on trial in Turkey facing espionage and terrorism charges that carry a maximum prison term of 35 years. (ABC News)
Russian investigative journalist Maxim Borodin falls from a window in Yekaterinburg and dies. Local officials say the death is non-suspicious but Novy Dens chief editor and international monitor OSCE both say he may have been murdered. (BBC)
The Holocaust
- German prosecutors charge an unidentified 94-year-old ex-Auschwitz guard with aiding and abetting 13,335 murders when he was nineteen. (BBC)

Science and technology

Explorers program
- SpaceX's scheduled launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is delayed until April 18. TESS is designed to search for exoplanets using the transit method and is 400 times more powerful than the Kepler space observatory. (BBC)
China's People's Liberation Army says the nation's J-10C fighter jets have entered combat service. (Xinhua)
Bombardier announces an increase in range for the Global 7000 business aircraft to 7,700 nautical miles, surpassing the Gulfstream G650 as the longest-range private jet. (The Montreal Gazette)
Archaeologists announce the discovery of a treasure haul potentially linked to 10th Century Danish King Harald Bluetooth in Rügen, Germany. The initial finds were made by amateur treasure hunters in January and the total haul is the largest of its type. (BBC)

Sports

Desiree "Desi" Linden becomes the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years. For the men's division, Yuki Kawauchi of Japan became the first Japanese person to win since 1987. (USA Today)

April 15, 2018 (Sunday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal
- UK Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn of Labour asks to see "incontrovertible evidence" before accepting Russia was responsible. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson responds, saying it is "quite extraordinary" to question Russian involvement. (BBC News)
Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes
- Afghan and Pakistani forces exchange cross-border fire on the Durand Line, killing two Pakistan Army troops and injuring five others. (Voice of America)
Sinai insurgency
- ISIL claims responsibility for an attack on a military base in the Sinai peninsula, Egypt, yesterday that killed eight soldiers and injured fifteen. The Egyptian Military said 14 militants were killed in the attack. (The Washington Post)
2018 Gaza border protests
- Gazans launch a kite carrying a firebomb over the Israeli border near Kibbutz Kissufim, starting a fire in a field. It is the fourth such incident this week. Local authorities alert residents to be vigilant for potential repeat attacks. (The Times of Israel)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- A car bomb in Kirkuk, Iraq, kills and injures several civilians. The blast follows a bombing at Hor Rajab, Baghdad, earlier in the day that wounded one civilian. (Iraqi News)
Israel Defense Forces announce the destruction of a Gaza-Israel tunnel thought to belong to Hamas, with Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman claiming it to be the longest tunnel found to date. (Jerusalem Online)
Militants disguised as United Nations troops attack two military bases near Timbuktu, Mali, using rockets and two car bombs. At least one soldier at the bases, used by France and the UN, is killed and more than twelve others are wounded. (BBC News)
Russia sends landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov, chartered civilian vessel MV Alexander Tkachenko, and transport ship Orsk to Syria laden with military equipment. (Metro)

Arts and culture

Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL
- Deputy tourism and antiquities minister Qais Hussein Rashid unveils a United Nations-brokered plan for "re-constructing touristic, archaeological and heritage sites" damaged by ISIL in Mosul. (Iraqi News)
Prominent New York LGBT and environmental lawyer David Buckel commits suicide by setting himself on fire with petrol in Prospect Park. He leaves and circulates a suicide note indicating his death is in protest against the use of fossil fuels. (BBC News)
Theology of Pope Francis
- Pope Francis comforts a crying boy in San Paolo della Croce, Rome, by telling him his recently-deceased father, an atheist, will have ascended to heaven on the basis his father had "a good heart". (A.N.S.A.)

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- Fire and Emergency New Zealand announce they hope the fire aboard Korean ship FV Dong Won 701 is extinguished seven days after catching light in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand. Firefighters say they plan to board the vessel tomorrow to confirm. (Stuff)
2017–18 Australian bushfire season
- A state of emergency is declared in New South Wales, Australia, as a bushfire continues to burn out of control. More than 500 personnel from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and the Australian Defence Force are tackling the bushfire, which has torn through the Holsworthy Barracks and threatens the suburbs of Sydney. (The Guardian)
2017 M1 motorway crash
- The UK Department of Transport rejects a call by road safety campaign NGO Brake for tougher legislation on licencing for commercial drivers in response to a crash that killed eight last year. (BBC News)

Health and environment

Rose Acre Farms recalls around 207 million eggs from a farm in North Carolina after 22 people fell ill with suspected Salmonella braenderup. It is the largest recall of eggs in the United States since 2010. (Reuters)
Former U.S. First Lady Barbara Bush declines further medical treatment for serious ongoing health issues. (KFOR-TV)

International relations

Syria–United States relations, 2018 bombing of Damascus and Homs
- U.S. President Donald Trump warns Syria's government that the U.S. is "locked and loaded" to strike again if Syria were to carry out new chemical attacks. (BBC News)
Bangladesh–Tajikistan relations
- Tajikistan foreign minister Sirodjidin Aslov meets with Bangladesh State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam. (Bdnews24.com)
2018 Arab League summit
- The Arab League summits in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, their first meeting since the Qatar diplomatic crisis, focused on Jerusalem and Iran. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

Israeli authorities release 207 African migrants from Saharonim Prison after a Supreme Court ruling ordering their release amid deportation negotiations. The migrants had refused to leave the country voluntarily. (The Times of Israel)
An improvised explosive device damages a shopfront in Limassol, Cyprus. (The Cyprus Mail)
A court in Somaliland jails poet Nacima Qorane for three years for bringing the state into contempt by writing a poem calling for reunification with Somalia. (BBC)
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews riot outside the Israel Defense Forces draft office in Jerusalem after rumours emerge of a female draft dodger being arrested in Har Nof. Police open fire with water cannons and stun grenades. (The Times of Israel)
Inmates at E Wing of HMYOI Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England, riot, injuring four prison officers. A woman claiming to be an inmate's partner says the riot was in response to the inmates being housed en masse in solitary confinement without association with other prisoners for at least a week. (BBC News)
Turkmenistan bans the import of bikinis, shorts, and swimsuits. (RadioFreeEurope / Radio Liberty)

Politics and elections

Politics of Guatemala
- Guatemalan territorial dispute referendum, 2018
  - Millions of Guatemalans are summoned to participate in a referendum in which they will determine if they submit to the International Court of Justice the territorial, insular and maritime dispute with Belize. (teleSUR)
- The election of the candidates for Attorney General of Guatemala and successor of Thelma Aldana has concluded and 14 candidates have obtained the necessary qualifications to participate. President Jimmy Morales will appoint the Attorney General in the coming days. (teleSUR)
Montenegrin presidential election, 2018
- The Presidential election begins in Montenegro, with Milo Đukanović of the hegemonic Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro and independent candidate Mladen Bojanić being the favorites in the polls. (Foreign Brief)
2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis, Catalan independentism
- 315,000 demonstrators in Barcelona demand the freedom of jailed separatist leaders and freedom of speech. (The Guardian)
Efforts to impeach Donald Trump
- Former FBI Director James Comey doesn’t believe Donald Trump should be impeached, despite saying that he’s “morally unfit” to be president. (CNN)

Science and technology

Asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2018
- An asteroid, 2018 GE3, sized between 37 and 138 metres (121 and 453 ft) passes 193,000 kilometres (120,000 mi) from Earth, possibly the largest known asteroid to ever pass that close in observational history. (Minor Planet Center)
- Another asteroid, 2018 GY₃, which had passed 301,000 kilometres (187,000 mi) from Earth on April 10, is identified as the lost asteroid 2008 GY₂₁, which had passed similarly close to Earth in 2008. (Minor Planet Center)
Scientists say that they have identified genes that cause deadly heart condition pulmonary arterial hypertension which kills 50% of those affected within five years. (BBC News)
USS Portland, a new United States naval ship costing $1.6 billion, arrives and docks in Portland, Oregon, ahead of being formally commissioned later this month. (KGW)

Sports

Athletics at the 2018 Commonwealth Games – Men's marathon
- Scottish athlete Callum Hawkins collapses twice and strikes his head. Journalists, fellow athletes, and Commonwealth Games Scotland criticise a delay in him receiving medical assistance. (The Telegraph) (BBC Sport) (Herald Scotland)
2017–18 Premier League
- Manchester United lose 1-0 to West Brom, handing rivals Manchester City the Premier League title. (BBC Sport)
2018 NBA Playoffs
- The Indiana Pacers defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98–80 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series in Cleveland, snapping LeBron James' personal streak of 21 consecutive wins in the first round. (The Star)

April 14, 2018 (Saturday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- 2018 bombing of Damascus and Homs
  - The United States, France, and the United Kingdom target chemical weapon sites and other Syrian military sites with missile strikes on early Saturday morning Syrian time (EET), in response to the Douma chemical attack. (The Washington Post) (BBC)
  - Russia calls for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council as it considers supplying S-300 missile systems to Syria. (Reuters)
2018 Gaza border protests
- An explosion near the Israel–Gaza border fence kills at least four Palestinians. Hamas says terrorists from Islamic Jihad were killed. Locals claim the explosion was from the Israeli Defence Forces shelling Hamas. Israel denies any involvement. (The Times of Israel)
- The Palestinian Authority says an Egyptian delegation presently visiting Gaza City has asked Hamas to call off the Great March of Return. (The Times of Israel)
- Israeli forces shoot and wound a Palestinian near Khan Younis. Local medical personnel report he has a bullet lodged in his head. (wafa)
- Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi calls for international intervention to "protect Palestinians". (wafa)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- The Taliban destroy an electricity pylon in Doshe, Baghlan, Afghanistan, overnight. The pylon carries imported power from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and its destruction causes widespread blackouts across several provinces and in capital Kabul. (Tolo News)
An explosion strikes a major weapons depot linked to Hezbollah and Iran in Mount Azzan, near Aleppo, Syria. Local media and Sky News reports an unidentified jet attacked the site, possibly as part of Western coalition airstrikes in the region, but al-Mayadeen denies any airstrike happened and said controlled explosions were carried out at the site yesterday. (The Times of Israel)
Terrorism in Egypt
- The Egyptian military says 14 terrorists attacked a Sinai military base today, with four of them blowing themselves up and killing eight soldiers. (Egypt Today)
Yemen accuses Iran of arming Houthi rebels with drones in violation of United Nations sanctions to allow the militants to launch attacks on Saudi Arabia. Iran supports the Houthis but denies arming them. (The Daily Star)
A civilian vehicle hits an unexploded landmine in Arsal, Lebanon. Three occupants die. (The Daily Star)

Disasters and accidents

A storm blasts central US with heavy snow, winds, and hail, forcing flight cancellations, creating treacherous road conditions and killing at least three people. (ABC News)
The US Navy concludes its investigation into the October crash of a T-45C Goshawk military training jet in Tennessee that killed both on board, concluding pilot error caused the accident. (Navy Times)

Law and crime

The Court of Cassation in Egypt upholds life sentences for three Muslim Brotherhood leaders including Mohamed Badie and five-year terms for fourteen others. (The Daily Star)
Terrorism in Iraq
- The Islamic State ambushes a member of al-Hashd al-Shaabi on Neft Khana road, near Khanqeen, northeast of Baquba, Iraq. The militants execute him. (Iraqi News)

Politics and elections

UK Independence Party leadership election, 2018
- Gerard Batten is elected unopposed as the leader of the UK Independence Party, having been interim leader of the party since previous leader Henry Bolton was overthrown in a vote of no confidence in February. (Sky News)

Science and technology

March for Science 2018
- A second March for Science is held with various rallies happening internationally. (Mother Jones)

Sports

2018 NBA Playoffs
- The first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs begins. (Yahoo! Sports)

April 13, 2018 (Friday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War
- The United Nations Security Council meets amid concerns of military strikes in Syria by the United States and its allies following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria last weekend, with the United States ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, accusing Russia of lies and covering for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which she said had used chemical weapons at least 50 times in the past seven years of warfare, and the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, blaming the United States, France and the UK for escalating tensions. (The Washington Post)
- The British government issues a statement saying it is "highly likely" the Assad regime used chemical weapons on its own people, and that since such an action could not go unchallenged, Britain would work with United States and France to coordinate an international response, without specifying what measures the United Kingdom would take. (CNN)
2018 Gaza border protests
- Protests enter a third week, with thousands taking part. (The Washington Post)
- The Israeli Defence Forces claim an improvised explosive device was set off near the Gazan border with possible Palestinian casualties and other protestors attempted unsuccessfully to fly a kite carrying a firebomb over the border fence. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Israel opens fire again, with the Gaza Health Ministry claiming one Palestinian was killed and 233 injured as protesters torched tyres and Israeli flags. (Haaretz)
- The International Federation of Journalists, Norwegian Refugee Council, and Committee to Protect Journalists criticise Israeli authorities for shooting dead Yaser Murtaja during his coverage of the protests last week. The IFJ calls Murtaja's death murder and its general secretary accuses Israel of "fabricating lies" to support the killing. (The Jeruslalem Post)
Police say a bombing took place in Barawe, Lower Shabelle, Somalia, at a football stadium yesterday, the first time a stadium in the country has been targeted, killed up to five spectators. (Reuters)
Armed bandits storm a mining site in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara, killing 26 people, including 16 illegal gold miners. (CNN)
The Government of Ecuador says that the three Ecuadorian journalists kidnapped by rebel members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on 26 March have been murdered. President Lenín Moreno orders military operations on the Colombian border to catch the murderers, offering a reward of US$100,000. (The Guardian)
Poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal
- Sir Mark Sedwill, national security advisor to the United Kingdom, says Russian intelligence targeted Yulia Skripal's email account. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- The fire aboard Korean ship FV Dong Won 701 in the Port of Timaru, New Zealand, enters its fifth day. Fire and Emergency New Zealand rejects a proposal to tow the vessel out to sea as too dangerous. Firefighters commence efforts to seal the ship to suffocate ongoing fires. (Stuff)
A bus overturns near the village of Vakarel, Bulgaria, killing six people and injuring 20. (Reuters)
Vanuatu plans another evacuation from Ambae Island due to volcanic activity from Manaro Voui. (RNZ)
Summit Air Flight 409
- The Nepalese Accident Investigation Commission concludes its investigation, finding the plane stalled after the flight crew lost situational awareness and began a rapid ascent to avoid terrain whilst still configured for landing. (The Aviation Herald)
Russian authorities say a Kamov Ka-29 belonging to the Baltic Fleet crashed late yesterday whilst attempting to land on a ship, killing two people. (RadioFreeEurope / Radio Liberty)

Environment

The International Maritime Organisation announces agreements to reduce shipping emissions by 50% of 2008 levels by 2050, and to ban heavy fuel oil from the Arctic. (CBC) (Reuters)

Law and crime

Terrorism in France
- French judges clear the Tarnac Nine, accused of performing an anarchist terror sabotage in a controversial trial, of wrongdoing and describe the existence of a terror group as a "fiction". Defence lawyers had accused ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy's government of misusing counterterror law. (The Guardian)
Terrorism in Germany
- Three Syrian nationals are arrested in Saarland suspected of terror links. Two are suspected of fighting with the Islamic State in Syria. (Deutsche Welle)
Right-wing terrorism in the United Kingdom
- An unidentified civilian is jailed for three and a half years for terror offences connected to banned neo-Nazi group National Action. Acquitted Finnish national Mikko Vehvilainen, a serving soldier in the British Army, is jailed alongside him for a weapons offence, receiving 12 months. (BBC) (BBC) (The Birmingham Mail)
LGBT rights in Portugal
- The Parliament of Portugal passed a new law, by a 109 vote margin, making it easier for people to change their legal gender. Portuguese citizens from the age of 16 will now be able to change their gender and name in documents without the need of a medical report. (BBC)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump pardons former Vice-President Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted of lying about leaks to the media. (BBC)
2016 Ludwigshafen bombing plot
- An Islamic State member is sentenced in Vienna to nine years in prison, among others for instigating an 12-year-old boy to commit a Christmas market bombing in Ludwigshafen, Germany.(Deutsche Welle)
An improvised explosive device goes off prematurely in Wardaka, Baghlan, Afghanistan, killing nine insurgents and injuring five more. (Tolo News)
Terrorism in Iraq
- Islamic State claim responsibility for bomb attacks on al-Hashd al-Shaabi in Asdeira, Salahuddin, Iraq that killed at least ten. (Iraqi News)
- The Iraqi Interior Ministry announces the arrest of six alleged Islamic State fighters including one woman in Mosul. (Iraqi News)
- An al-Hashd al-Shaabi statement claims the group launched missiles over the Syrian border at Islamic State militants preparing to launch an international assault, killing and injuring dozens of militants. (Iraqi News)

Politics and elections

Brexit negotiations
- Thousands of pro-European Union supporters of Open Britain, the European Movement and Britain for Europe demonstrate across the United Kingdom calling for a referendum on the final terms of the UK's planned exit from the European Union. (The Belfast Telegraph)
2017–18 United States political sexual scandals
- Elliott Broidy resigns as deputy financial chairman of the U.S. Republican National Committee following reports that he negotiated a $1.6 million payoff with a Playboy Playmate over claims he had impregnated her. (Politico)
Heads of state and government from across the Americas meet in Lima, Peru, for the Eighth Summit of the Americas. (Al Jazeera News)
The U.S. government releases a report by Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz that accuses former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe of improperly authorizing a media disclosure and "lack of candor" concerning this disclosure. (The Hill)

Science and technology

Experimental satellite RemoveDEBRIS arrives at the International Space Station ahead of a planned mission removing orbital debris. (GetSurrey)

April 12, 2018 (Thursday)

edithistorywatch

Armed conflicts and attacks

Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
- The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons states it agrees with UK authorities on their analysis of the identity of the toxic chemical used against the Skripals. The UK identifies the substance as a Novichok nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia. (BBC) (OPCW)
2018 Gaza border protests
- A further two Palestinian protestors die, bringing the death toll at the Israeli-Gazan border to 34 since March 30. (al-Jazeera)
- Adalah and Al Mezan say Gazan doctors had to amputate the legs of two young protestors wounded by Israeli fire after Israel refused permission for their transfer to Ramallah in the West Bank for treatment. Israel says the men were refused transfers because they were involved in violence. (The Times of Israel)
- Egypt, citing humanitarian reasons, opens the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula for three days. (The Times of Israel)
- The 9th International Conference on the Holy City of Jerusalem begins, with Israel denying access to the Palestinian Authority-hosted conference to a number of foreign invitees including a party of thirteen Indians, two buses containing academics, and Ghanan MP Ras Mubarak. Israel's ambassador to Ghana denies ever issuing Mubarak with permission to enter the Occupied Palestinian Territories, calling Mubarak a "propaganda machine" and claims it's a "complete lie". (al-Jazeera)
Syrian Civil War
- Siege of Eastern Ghouta
  - Syrian government fighters remove the last rebels from Douma, completing the Syrian government's recapture of former rebel stronghold Eastern Ghouta. (al-Jazeera)
Right-wing terrorism in the United Kingdom
- The High Court in Glasgow sentences Banff resident Connor Ward to life in prison with a minimum term of six years for plotting an anti-Islamic terror attack against mosques in Aberdeen. (The Press and Journal)
- Two serving soldiers are cleared of terror offences related to banned neo-Nazi group National Action. A civilian is convicted. (BBC) (BBC) (Birmingham Mail)
Unidentified militants attack Kuru-kuru and Jarkuka in Zamfara, Nigeria, killing dozens. (The Punch)
Ex-MI5 agent Jeremy Fleming gives his first public speech as head of GCHQ, revealing the United Kingdom launched a "major offensive cyber-campaign" against Islamic State. He also criticises Russia for actions such as launching the NotPetya virus and the poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal, both actions Russia denies involvement in. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Chernobyl disaster
- The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant opens its doors to tourism. (TASS)
Steve Huffman, co-founder and CEO of Reddit, says racism is allowed on the website. Some users criticize his position, while others praise Huffman for defending free speech. (BBC)

Business and economy

Economy of the United Kingdom
- Door-to-door sales firm Kleeneze, which employs around 5,000 people, collapses into administration after 95 years. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Shipwrecks in 2018
- The fire onboard South Korean ship FV Dong Won 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)
A Hellenic Air Force Mirage 2000-5F fighter jet crashes near the Greek island of Skyros in the Aegean Sea while intercepting a Turkish aircraft that had violated Greek airspace. The pilot is reported dead. (The Independent) (Protothema)
Strong winds from a storm cause two of the Taj Mahal's minarets to collapse. No injuries are reported (BBC)
Tesla Inc. withdraws from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board's probe of a fatal Model X crash in California. Tesla had drawn the NTSB's ire by releasing information publicly about its view of the case and about the car's Autopilot feature, something the Board does not allow during active investigations. (Reuters) (Bloomberg)

International relations

2018 inter-Korean summit
- A joint letter from more than 200 NGOs urge South Korean president Moon Jae-in to discuss North Korean human rights at the April 27 summit. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

2018 Hamburg stabbing attack
- A man fatally stabs his ex-wife and his one-year-old daughter at a crowded subway platform in central Hamburg, Germany. (Washington Post)
Terrorism in Iraq
- Counterterror forces in Ninevah arrest and charge four suspected Islamic State members over a fatal bombing at a market in regional capital Mosul last year. Separately, authorities discover an unidentified corpse in Mosul thought to be connected. (al-Bawaba News)
- A mass grave containing burnt bodies is found in al-Tarabisha, Anbar. (Iraqi News)
Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer pleads guilty to conspiracy and money laundering and agrees to assist in the prosecution of other Backpage employees, including co-founders Michael Lacey and James Larkin, who were charged with several counts of human trafficking on April 6 after the site was seized by the FBI. (The Wall Street Journal)

Science and technology

2018 in spaceflight
- NASA announces that the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite will be launched from Cape Canaveral on April 16. (Times Now News)
2017 Atlantic hurricane season
- Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate join the list of retired Atlantic hurricane names. (USA Today)
Threatened fauna of Australia
- The Mary River turtle, which is endemic to the Mary River in south-east Queensland, Australia, is added to the Zoological Society of London's list of endangered species. (CNN)
A study in Nature shows species which are visually unusual of attractive go extinct at higher rates. (Tech Times)

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)
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)
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)
Mexican Drug War
- Fourteen people are killed in 36 hours in Cancún, Mexico, in the worst spate of violence in the city since 2004. (The Daily Mail)
The Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals partly overturns the acquittal of Serb radical nationalist Vojislav Šešelj and finds him guilty of crimes against humanity during the Yugoslav Wars. He is not detained as he served more than eleven years in the court's custody, and takes to Twitter to declare himself "proud of my war crimes" and "ready to repeat them". (Bloomberg) (The Irish Times)
Terrorism in Iraq
- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi attends the funeral of bodyguard Brigadier General Sherif Ismail el-Morshedy, killed in action in Nineveh against Saraya al-Salam. (Iraqi News)

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

Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act
- U.S. President Donald Trump officially signs the anti-human trafficking act into law. (The Washington Post)
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)