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Atsede Baysa

At least 64 people are killed and more than 340 others injured in an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Ethiopians Lemi Berhanu Hayle and Atsede Baysa (pictured) win the men's and women's Boston Marathon, respectively.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hits Ecuador, killing at least 480 people and injuring more than 4,000 others.
Two earthquakes kill at least 40 people and injure more than 3,000 others across Kyushu, Japan.
Volodymyr Groysman is appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine following the resignation of Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

Ongoing events
Recent deaths:

April 21, 2016 (Thursday)

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April 20, 2016 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- April 2016 Kabul attack
  - The death toll from yesterday's Taliban attack on the National Directorate of Security in Kabul rises to 64, with 347 others wounded, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry. (Reuters)
War in Donbass
- A Ukrainian military spokesman says three of its soldiers were killed by a mortar attack in the country's east, the heaviest toll reported in the region in nearly two months. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
War in North-West Pakistan
- Pakistani Taliban militants, in two attacks, kill seven police officers who were guarding medical workers administering polio vaccinations in Karachi. (The Guardian)

Arts and culture

Emancipation activist Harriet Tubman replaces Andrew Jackson on the United States twenty-dollar bill while Alexander Hamilton keeps his place on the ten after the public consultation process. (The New York Times) (Reuters)

Business and economics

The Kuwait Oil Workers Union ends their three-day strike that had cut Kuwait's crude production by nearly half. (Gulf News) (CNBC)
Mitsubishi admits that its fuel efficiency tests broke Japanese rules for a large number of vehicles. (BBC)
The European Union accuses Google of abusing the dominance of its Android by preloading its own apps. (Irish Times)
Volkswagen emissions scandal
- Volkswagen and United States officials agree in principal on a deal where the automaker could buy back up to 500,000 diesel cars. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Ecuador earthquake
- A magnitude-6.1 aftershock has struck off the coast of Ecuador at 3:33 a.m. local time, the US Geological Survey says, in the same area as the massive earthquake on Saturday. (USGS), (Reuters via Asia-Pacific News)
- People in Ecuador start burying their dead as the death toll from the earthquake passes 500. (AP)
European migrant crisis
- Up to 500 people are feared to have drowned off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean last week, in what would be the deadliest migrant shipwreck in months. (The Guardian)
A small-plane crashes near Chugiak, Anchorage in Alaska, killing at least four people, according to the Anchorage Fire Department. (Alaska Dispatch News)
Hundreds of people are evacuated following a large explosion at an oil facility in Coatzacoalcos in southern Mexico. (BBC)

International relations

Yemeni Crisis
- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States agree to carry out joint naval patrols to prevent Iranian arms shipments reaching Yemen, the Gulf bloc's secretary general Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said on Wednesday, following a meeting with United States Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. Iran denies it supplies weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. (Reuters)
Ukraine–European Union relations
- The European Union proposes offering Ukraine visa-free travel to its members. However, it is still unclear how fast the liberalization process will be dealt with in the European Parliament and European Council, where some EU member states might want to slow down the process. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
NATO–Russia relations
- NATO reopens informal talks with Russia for the first time in nearly two years. According to the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg "NATO and Russia have profound and persistent disagreements, today’s meeting did not change that." (Euronews)
United Kingdom–United States relations
- The United Kingdom's Foreign Office issues a travel advisory for gay people concerning travel to parts of the United States due to new legislation in North Carolina and Mississippi. (The Independent)

Law and crime

A women's rights group files a lawsuit in the Philippine Commission on Human Rights against Rodrigo Duterte for his rape remarks. (The New York Times)
Australian media reports that a deal has been reached on an alleged kidnapping case against Tara Brown and the Australian 60 Minutes crew. (9 News)
The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany rules that an anti-terrorism law is unconstitutional and violates right to privacy. (DPA)
The U.S. state of Utah declares pornography a "public health risk" in a move Governor of Utah Gary Herbert says is to "protect our families and our young people". The bill, signed by the governor, does not ban pornography in the state but does call for greater "efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction". (BBC)
Anders Behring Breivik, a convicted mass murderer in the 2011 Norway attacks, wins a human rights case against the government of Norway. (BBC)
Flint water crisis
- The first criminal charges are laid against three people, two state officials and a municipal official, involved in the Flint water crisis. (New York Times)
Panama Papers
- In a letter to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the United States Department of Justice announces it is opening a criminal investigation into tax avoidance schemes exposed by the Panama Papers with U.S. attorney Preet Bharara asking the ICIJ for help. (BBC)
Two people are burned alive amid xenophobic riots in Lusaka, Zambia. The riots started after rumours spread that Rwandans were behind recent ritual killings in the city. More than 250 people have been arrested after more than 60 Rwandan-owned shops were looted in two days of violence. (BBC)
Drug policy of Canada
- Canada's Minister of Health Jane Philpott says federal legislation to legalize marijuana will be introduced in spring of 2017. (CBC)
The United States Supreme Court rules that almost $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be turned over to American families of people killed in attacks blamed on Iran, including the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Yasri Khan, a senior member of Swedish Green Party (part of the Government coalition), who was refusing to shake hands with a female reporter on grounds that it violated his Muslim faith, announces that he is quitting politics. (The Local)
Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Philippine presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte reneges on his apology and denies a statement by his party, PDP-Laban, which said he was sorry for his rape comments. (The Manila Bulletin)
2016 Macedonian protests
- Protests continue against President Gjorge Ivanov in Skopje, Macedonia. Opposition leader Zoran Zaev said he will only take part in EU-brokered negotiations with the government if certain conditions are met. (The Irish Times)

April 19, 2016 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- April 2016 Kabul attack
  - A large explosion is reported in the Afghan capital Kabul a week after the Taliban declared the start of their annual spring offensive. The target was an Afghan government security compound with at least 28 people reported killed and more than 200 others injured. (Times of India), (AP via Fox News)
  - The United Nations Security Council condemns today's attack in Kabul by the Taliban. (AP via The Washington Post)
War in North-West Pakistan
- A suicide bomber explodes his vest next to a government building in Mardan, Pakistan, killing one person and critically wounding three more. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Iraqi Civil War
- Iraqi officials, following arrested IS militants' directions, uncover two mass graves with bodies of about 40 people in Ramadi. (AP via Fox News)
Syrian Civil War
- Airstrikes that were likely carried out by Syrian government forces kill around 40 people in a crowded market in rebel territory in Syria's Idlib Governorate. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Ecuador earthquake
- The death toll from Saturday's earthquake has risen to at least 480 with 1,700 missing. Another 2,500 have been injured. President Rafael Correa states it is the worst disaster in Ecuador in seven decades, and the reconstruction will have a "huge economic impact" on the country. (BBC) (CBS News)

International relations

Sweden–United States relations
- Swedish deputy prime minister Åsa Romson is criticized after referring to the September 11 attacks in New York as mere "accidents". Romson made the comments on public television while discussing the resignation of housing minister Mehmet Kaplan who had compared Israel's treatment of Arabs to the Nazis’ treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. (Daily Mail) (The Local)
Cross-Strait relations
- Under pressure from the Chinese delegation, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Kris Peeters ejects the Taiwanese delegation from a symposium of the OECD Steel Committee; it was the first such incident since Taiwan joined the OECD Steel Committee in 2005. (Focus Taiwan) (AP via Daily Mail) (AFP via The Daily Star)
The European Union offers to help the fledgling new UN-backed Libyan unity government with assistance in its security sector, managing migration, border management and police capacity building. This comes after Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj appealed to foreign governments for help in fighting ISIL and aid to rebuild the country. (The Guardian)
India–United Kingdom relations
- In response to an ongoing Supreme Court case regarding the ownership of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the government of India said it should not try to reclaim it from the United Kingdom. The government argues that the diamond was given to the British as a gift and was not stolen. However, the Supreme Court says it will continue with the case. (BBC)

Law and crime

Authorities in China sentence Huang Yu, a computer technician from Sichuan who worked for a government department which handled state secrets, to death for leaking more than 150,000 classified documents to an unidentified foreign power. The documents in question covered secrets ranging from the ruling Communist Party to military and financial issues. (The Guardian)
Lutz Bachmann, the leader of the German far-right and anti-Islam Pegida movement, goes on trial in Dresden on charges of hate speech. (BBC)
Transgender rights in the United States
- An American federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, rules a transgender high school student who was banned from the boy’s bathroom can proceed with the lawsuit against the school board. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
- Yesterday, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a statement that North Carolina House Bill 2, a so-called bathroom bill, "...jeopardizes not only the dignity, but also the actual physical safety, of transgender people." (The Washington Post)
Kidnapping and murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir
- A Jerusalem district court rejects an insanity plea and convicts Yosef Chaim Ben-David as the ringleader of the terrorist kidnapping and murder of the 16-year-old Palestinian. In November, the court convicted Ben-David's two accomplices, both minors, of murder. (Haaretz) (Al Bawaba)
While South Korea prepares for the 2018 Winter Olympics, the Associated Press reports the country has covered up widespread human rights violations, including rapes and murders, when it swept so-called vagrants off the streets in the years prior to the 1988 Games in Seoul. Thousands of victims have received no compensation, nor public recognition nor an apology. The AP says two early attempts to investigate were suppressed by senior officials and the current government refuses to revisit the case and is blocking a push by an opposition lawmaker. (AP)
Flint water crisis
- According to government officials, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette tomorrow will announce criminal charges against two state regulators and a Flint employee in connection with the city's lead-tainted water crisis. (AP via Fox News)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016, Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016
  - Voters in the U.S. state of New York go to the polls for a primary election with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump expected to win the respective contests for their parties in that state. (Reuters via The Star)
  - Donald Trump wins by a large margin in the Republican Party primary. (AP via OregonLive)
  - Hillary Clinton gains a decisive win (57.6 percent to 42.4 percent) over Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party primary. (New York Times) (Five Thirty Eight) (The Washington Post)
Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Rodrigo Duterte apologizes for making remarks about rape. (Rappler)
The government of the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island announces it is going to take its governance issue to the United Nations. Former and final Chief Minister of the island Lisle Snell said he seeks to have Norfolk Island added on the UN's list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and be given the rights that are accorded under the terms and conditions of being on the list. In 2015, the Australian government terminated Norfolk Island's self-governing status in response to serious financial issues but without the islanders' or government's consent. (Radio New Zealand)
Princess Sofia of Sweden and Prince Carl Philip announce birth of first son. (Daily Mail)

April 18, 2016 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Syrian rebels launch new offensives against government forces in the country's Latakia Governorate and Hama Governorate. Several rebel groups earlier announced they were launching a new battle against government forces in response to claimed violations of the cease-fire agreement, further putting a strain on the Syrian peace process. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
- Rockets fired by ISIL from northern Syria hit the Turkish town of Kilis killing four people, most of them children. (BBC)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict (2015–present)
- 2016 Jerusalem bus bombing
  - A bomb explosion in Jerusalem set two buses on fire and injured 21 people with ball bearing and nails. Israeli police say they believe the incident was a suicide bombing but no group has claimed responsibility. (Euronews) (Ynetnews)
Ethnic violence in South Sudan, Sudanese nomadic conflicts
- According to the government of Ethiopia, the death toll from a raid carried out by attackers from South Sudan has risen to 208 from a figure of 140 a day earlier, with 108 children being kidnapped in the process. Ethiopian forces killed 60 of the attackers and says it would cross the border into South Sudan to pursue the assailants if necessary. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Pulitzer Prizes
- The Associated Press wins the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for documenting the use of slave labor in Southeast Asia to supply seafood to American tables. (AP)
- Lin-Manuel Miranda wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical Hamilton based on the life of American founding father Alexander Hamilton. (Buzzfeed)

Business and economics

The meeting in Doha, Qatar, of the world's top oil producers, from both OPEC and non-OPEC countries, fails to agree on an output freeze. Oil analysts say the failure was due to Iran's non-participation, and Saudi Arabia linking its cooperation to Iran's inclusion. Oil prices drop in early Asian trading and on the New York Mercantile Exchange. (AFP via Bangkok Post) (CNBC) (Oilprice.com)
A member of the board of the Bundesbank in Germany says that the European Central Bank ought to crack down on the political practice, in EU's member state, by which banks that are no longer viable are nonetheless kept in business, as so-called Zombie banks. (Reuters)
Cuba-United States relations
- Carnival Cruise Lines says it will postpone its first cruise in 50 years from the United States to Havana, if Cuba does not waive its rule and allow Cuban-Americans passengers. Current Cuban law does not allow those born on the island to return by sea. (UPI) (AP via CNBC)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
- The Japanese Red Cross says that 250,000 people have been asked to leave their homes due to further tremors. (BBC)
2016 Ecuador earthquake
- Aid starts to flow in after an earthquake kills over 270 people in Ecuador. (AP via Fox News) (BBC)
European migrant crisis
- More than 400 migrants, mostly from Somalia, drown in the Mediterranean Sea while traveling from Egypt to Italy. (The Telegraph)
Violent storms cause floods across Uruguay with seven people killed and more than 2,000 left homeless. Four of those were killed by a tornado that struck Dolores. Four million people in the Chilean capital of Santiago were left without tap water as heavy rains triggered landslides. This led to the fouling of the city's water supply. (Al Jazeera)
2016 Houston floods
- Heavy rain of more than 1 foot (0.30 m) causes major flooding in Houston, Texas, affecting 1,000 homes, causing five deaths and causing power outages for over 100,000 residents. (CNN), (USA Today), (Time)
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott declares nine counties in the southeastern part of the state disaster areas. (UPI)

International relations

Australia–Philippines relations, Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely criticizes Philippine presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte regarding his remarks about the rape of an Australian citizen. (Rappler) (The New York Times)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- During a visit to Baghdad, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announces that the United States will be sending more troops to the country to help in the fight against ISIL. The U.S. also plans to give Kurdish Peshmerga forces, which are fighting ISIL on the ground, more than $400m (£280m; €350m) in assistance. (BBC)

Law and crime

War in Donbass, Russia–Ukraine relations
- A Ukrainian court sentences two Russian nationals to 14 years in prison each on charges of fighting alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Moscow contends that the two Russians were no longer employed by the state when they were captured. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Politics and elections

Philippine general election, 2016
- Bongbong Marcos, the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and top vice presidential candidate, defends Duterte's remarks about rape. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Italian oil drilling referendum, 2016
- The referendum fails to exceed the 50% turnout level necessary to make the results binding; turnout was recorded at 31.2%. (Reuters)
Next Australian federal election
- Australia looks likely to hold a double dissolution election on July 2 after the Senate rejects legislation to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission for a second time. (ABC News Australia)
2016 Macedonian protests
- Protests against President Gjorge Ivanov continue in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, after his decision to pardon politicians involved in a scandal. (The Seattle Times)

Sports

More than 30,000 runners participate in the 120th running of the Boston Marathon. Two Ethiopian runners win. Adriana Haslett and Patrick Downes, survivors of the 2013 bombing who each lost a leg in the blast, were in the field. (The Boston Globe) (NPR)

April 17, 2016 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Heavy fighting continues in the north of Afghanistan as Taliban fighters intensify their attacks in several districts around Kunduz in their bid to retake the city. According to a police chief, militants overnight attacked several police checkpoints in the southwest outskirts of the city while government forces repelled a major attack to the east of Kunduz. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Ecuador earthquake
- The death toll from Saturday night's earthquake in Ecuador rises to 262 with more than 2,500 people injured. (AP via Fox News) (BBC) (AFP/Reuters via ABC News Australia) (AP² via Miami Herald)
A bus carrying members of the Bharati Gananatya opera troupe crashes into a gorge in India's Odisha state resulting in 25 people killed and 11 injured. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
A drone collides at London's Heathrow Airport with an Airbus A320 carrying 132 passengers and five crew, with no injuries reported. (Sydney Morning Herald)

International relations

Members of OPEC meet in Doha, Qatar, amid uncertainty in the markets and the outcome of the meeting. Since 2014, the price of oil has dropped dramatically. Analysts hope that an agreement to freeze output will reassure global energy markets that the recent recovery in prices is sustainable. (Al Jazeera)
Israel–Syria relations
- The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu vows that the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, recognized as part of Syria, will forever stay in the country's hands and called on the international community to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the area. (BBC)
- The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemns the Israeli cabinet meeting held on occupied Syrian-territory and, in letters to both the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, calls on the U.N. to condemn Israel's action. (The Daily Star)
Russia-United States relations
- A Russian Su-27 jet intercepts a United States Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane while in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says, "We condemn this kind of behavior. It is reckless. It is provocative. It is dangerous." (AFP via The Strait Times)

Law and crime

Human rights in Myanmar
- The President of Myanmar Htin Kyaw pardons 83 political prisoners. A total of 282 people accused of political crimes have been released or had charges dropped since the new National League for Democracy government gained power on April 1. (Reuters) (Deutsche Welle,)

Politics and elections

Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte jokes about an Australian woman being raped and murdered in Davao City. (Rappler) (ABC News Australia) (Sydney Morning Herald) (BBC News)
Italian oil drilling referendum, 2016
- The Italian referendum proposes repealing the law that allows oil drilling concessions extracting Hydrocarbon within 12 nautical miles of the Italian coast to be prolonged until the exhaustion of the useful life of the fields. (Euronews)
Aftermath of the 2016 Brussels bombings
- At least 7,000 people take to the streets of Brussels, Belgium, in a march "against terror and hate." However, turnout was less than half of what was hoped for by organizers. (BBC)
Protests continue in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, against President Gjorge Ivanov's decision to suspend an investigation into the alleged corruption of a number of politicians. (The Sofia Globe)
Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- Brazil's Chamber of Deputies votes overwhelmingly (367-137) in favor of impeachment procedures against President Dilma Rousseff. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
United States presidential election in California, 2016
- The Los Angeles Times reports that close to 500,000 California voters, who wanted to register as an Independent but checked the American Independent Party box instead, may be ineligible to vote in the state's Democratic and Republican primaries. (Los Angeles Times) (Newsweek)

April 16, 2016 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- According to a police chief, at least 40 Taliban fighters are killed after launching an offensive against Afghan security forces to seize the strategic northern city of Kunduz while four security force personnel are also killed. (Al Jazeera)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- AMISOM soldiers kill four Somali civilians in the town of Bulla Marer, southwest of Mogadishu. The AU Mission said scared soldiers opened fire when the car the civilians were driving failed to stop at a roadblock. (BBC)
Moro conflict
- Philippine officials report four Indonesian sailors were kidnapped last night off the Philippines' southernmost town of Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi, near Malaysia's Sabah state. Seven gunmen in a blue speedboat attacked two Indonesian-flagged tugboats. Six other sailors, including one who was shot, were not taken by ISIL-linked Abu Sayyaf militants. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- Syrian government airstrikes, and rockets from Islamist insurgents, hit many neighborhoods in Aleppo. Fatalities are reported on both sides of the city. This continued fighting threatens the truce and peace talks being held in Geneva, Switzerland. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura says he will meet the government delegation Monday, and will sit down with the main opposition High Negotiations Committee later in the week. (Reuters) (AFP via Thanh Niên)
Ethiopia claims that members of South Sudan's Murle people have killed 140 people and abducted 39 children. (BBC)
German police report an apparent deliberate explosion at a Sikh temple in Essen while a wedding was being celebrated, has injured three people, one in serious condition. Police say there is no indication this was a terrorist incident. (AP)

Arts and culture

The United States Army approves 22 soldiers requests to become the service's first female infantry and armor unit officers. Thirteen women will enter the armor branch, and nine others will enter infantry as second lieutenants. (UPI)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kumamoto earthquakes
- A second earthquake hits southern Japan with a magnitude of 7.1 killing at least 32 people with the death toll from both earthquakes rising to 42. The new quake traps even more people. In Kumamoto a landslide occurs as well as a bridge collapse. (AFP via Yahoo! News) (AP) (AP via Yahoo! News)
- A new aftershock with a magnitude of 5.4 hits southern Kyushu island. A Japanese spokesman says 1,500 people have been injured, 80 seriously, since Thursday. (AP) (USA Today)
- Japan's Mount Aso in the Kumamoto Prefecture erupts sending ash about 100 meters (300 feet) into the air. The Japan Meteorological Agency kept its alert level at 2 on a scale of 5 for Aso following the eruption. It is unclear if the eruption is related to Saturday’s Kumamoto quake. (The Japan Times)
- Saturday's earthquake forces Sony to close its plant in the Kumamoto Prefecture. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan also stop work at several plants in the region. (UPI)
A helicopter crashes near Baltimore–Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland. However, no fatalities are reported. (Reuters via Euronews)
Five people are dead and five are in hospital after taking ecstasy at an Argentine version of the Time Warp Festival featuring electronic music acts. (Reuters via Yahoo!)
The death toll rises to seven from Thursday's building collapse in the Canary Islands' southern coastal town of Los Cristianos on the island of Tenerife. (AP)
2016 Ecuador earthquake
- A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes off the coast of Ecuador, near the town of Muisne. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issues a tsunami alert for coastal areas of Ecuador and Colombia. At least 42 people are reported dead with deaths reported in the cities of Manta, Guayaquil and Portoviejo. (BNO News) (USGS) (Reuters via NBC News) (AP via Fox News)
- A state of emergency is declared in six provinces. (BBC)
- Later, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center announces the threat has largely passed. The United States Geological Survey reports the 7.8 magnitude quake was preceded, 11 minutes earlier, by a 4.8 earthquake. Production at the 110,000 barrel-per-day Esmeraldas refinery is suspended as a precautionary measure. (The Straits Times)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Pope Francis arrives on the Greek island of Lesbos. Francis is expected to visit the Moria detention facility, where he will have lunch with some of the 3,060 men, women, and children there. (The Washington Post)
- Pope Francis offers refuge to a dozen Syrian Muslims, three families with six children, who faced deportation from Lesbos. The refugees accompanied the Pope on his return trip to Rome. (The Guardian)
Iran–European Union relations
- EU Foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini holds the highest-level talks between the EU and Iran in decades to mark a new phase in relations between the two. Both sides are keen to focus on trade, energy and the environment as possible areas of cooperation. (BBC)
The United States announces that it will transfer nine Yemeni detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to Saudi Arabia. (CNN) (AP)
Russia–United States relations, Cold War II
- A United States Air Force Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted and threatened by a Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet in international airspace over the Baltic Sea on Thursday (April 14), according to the United States European Command (EUCOM). (Fox News)

Law and crime

General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, Mexico's Secretary of National Defence, apologises for an incident in which two soldiers and a policewoman torture a woman. (AFP via France 24)

Politics and elections

Iraq's Parliament cancels its third session in a week to discuss political reforms as some MPs dispute the legitimacy of speaker Salim al-Jabouri to chair the meeting. Also, protesters gathered in the streets of Baghdad to protest the growing political deadlock in the country. (Al Jazeera)
Macedonian parliamentary election, 2016
- As protesters continue to take to the streets of Skopje, Macedonia, lawmakers confirmed that a snap election will take place on June 5 despite the protesters being angry at President Gjorge Ivanov’s decision to halt investigations into more than 50 public figures, including top politicians embroiled in a wire-tapping scandal. Zoran Zaev, the main opposition leader, vowed to boycott the election. (The Guardian)
Veteran President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso is sworn in for another term after a contentious election. (AFP via Daily Mail)

April 15, 2016 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- A battle rages in the Kunduz Province of Afghanistan as the Taliban launches its spring offensive to capture the city of Kunduz. According to a Taliban spokesperson, several outposts already fell to them but this could not be verified immediately while a police chief says that the security forces were keeping "the situation under control". (Al Jazeera)
PKK rebellion (2015–present)
- At least four Turkish Army soldiers are killed and two others are wounded after a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in the southeast Mardin Province. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Human rights abuse victims during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos stake a claim on auction proceeds from Imelda Marcos' art collection, which includes pieces by Michelangelo, Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso. (Rappler)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Kumamoto earthquake
- The death toll from yesterday's earthquake rises to nine with eight dead in the town of Mashiki. Eight hundred people have been injured including over 50 seriously injured. (AP)
At least two people are killed and five missing after a building collapses in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. (France 24)
A tornado hits the Uruguayan town of Dolores resulting in at least four deaths and seven injuries. (AP via Star Tribune)
A Malayan tiger attacks and kills a 38-year-old American zookeeper at the Palm Beach Zoo in Florida. (Reuters)

International relations

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Philippine general election, 2016
- Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte says he will set aside the Philippine claim on the Spratly islands and forge better economic relations with China. (Rappler)
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports that North Korea tried to launch a BM25 Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile but was unsuccessful. (Reuters)
- Chinese state media condemn the action saying that saber-rattling will "lead the country to nowhere". (The Guardian)
Russia–United States relations
- John Kerry informs Russia that under the rules of engagement the plane that flew over the USS Donald Cook on April 13th could have been shot down. (AFP via MSN)
Poland–Russia relations, NATO–Russia relations
- Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, during a visit to Slovakia for talks on the future of NATO, says Russia is more dangerous than the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). “By all evidence, Russia’s activity is a sort of existential threat because this activity can destroy countries,” Waszczykowski told reporters in Bratislava. He described ISIL as a very serious threat but said “it is not an existential threat for Europe”. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Authorities in Rwanda jail former politician Léon Mugesera for life. Mugesera was known for describing Tutsis as "cockroaches" and called for their extermination in a speech in 1992 and is said to be a precursor to the Rwandan genocide. (BBC)
Two firefighters are shot, one fatally and the other is in critical condition, during a welfare check in Temple Hills, Maryland. (AP)

Politics and elections

The New York Post, a daily newspaper controlled by media magnate Rupert Murdoch, makes a u-turn and endorses Donald Trump for President of the United States. (Washington Post) (New York Post)
Philippine presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago, who lags in surveys, accuses pollsters of fabricating results by excluding her name in opinion polls. (GMA News) (Inquirer) (The Manila Bulletin)
Impeachment process against Dilma Rousseff
- The Supreme Federal Court of Brazil rejects a bid by the Attorney General to suspend a vote in the parliament to begin impeachment procedures against the President Dilma Rousseff. (Reuters)
- Brazil's Chamber of Deputies begins debating the impeachment of the President. (AP)
Aftermath of the 2016 Brussels bombings
- Belgian Minister of Transportation Jacqueline Galant resigns in the wake of the recent bombings that shook Brussels last March. Galant resigned amid accusations her ministry ignored EU criticism of security at Belgium's airports. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Riot police violently break up an anti-Sisi protest in Cairo, Egypt. In the first sign of public discontent with President Sisi's rule, hundreds of people gathered and shouted slogans calling for his overthrow. (Al Jazeera)
Leaders of the Czech Republic choose “Czechia” as the one-word alternative name of their country to make it easier for companies, politicians and sportsmen to use on products, name tags and sporting jerseys. However, this change must still win cabinet approval before the foreign ministry can lodge the name with the United Nations for it to become the country’s official short name. (The Guardian)

More April 2016 events...

Ongoing events
Business 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist Panama Papers Health Flint water crisis Zika virus outbreak Political War in Afghanistan Boko Haram insurgency Brazil protests Burundian unrest Iraqi Civil War Military intervention against ISIL American-led Iranian Israeli–Palestinian conflict Lebanese political deadlock Moldova protests Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenian–Azeri border conflict Nepal blockade PKK rebellion Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Syrian Civil War American-led intervention Russian military intervention Venezuelan protests War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports 2015–16 La Liga season 2016 NBA Playoffs 2016 NHL Playoffs 2015–16 Premier League season 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2016 ATP World Tour 2016 Major League Baseball season 2016 WTA Tour edit sidebar

Recent deaths
April 20: Dwayne Washington 20: Victoria Wood 19: Ken Aldred (death announced on this date) 19: Patricio Aylwin 19: Estelle Balet 19: Ronit Elkabetz 19: Mehrdad Oladi 19: Milt Pappas 18: William Campbell 17: Bruce Mansfield 17: Doris Roberts 16: Ron Bonham 16: Miloud Chaabi 16: Rod Daniel 16: William M. Gray 16: Charlie Hodge 15: Frederick Mayer 15: A. A. Raiba 15: Richard Smith 14: Fred Hayman 14: David J. C. MacKay 14: Malick Sidibé 13: Manouchehr Sotodeh 13: Srinivas Aravamudan 13: Kurtis Haiu 13: Mariano Mores 13: Rex Patterson 13: Gareth Thomas 13: Ray Thornton 13: Nera White 12: Hector A. Cafferata, Jr. 12: Paul Carey 12: Gianroberto Casaleggio 12: David Gest 12: Balls Mahoney 12: Arnold Wesker 11: Ruth Gilbert 11: Ed Snider 10: Howard Marks 9: Arthur Anderson 9: Duane Clarridge 9: Tony Conrad 9: Will Smith 8: Wei Chueh 8: David Dore 8: Charles Hirsch 7: Freda Briggs 7: Frank E. Denholm 7: Vladimir Kagan 7: Blackjack Mulligan 6: Merle Haggard 6: Robert MacCrate 6: Ogden Mills Phipps 6: Murray Wier 5: Zyta Gilowska 5: Roman Gribbs 5: Mick Sullivan 4: Carlo Mastrangelo 4: Mike Sandlock 5: Barbara Turner 3: Abu Firas al-Suri 3: Erik Bauersfeld 3: Joe Medicine Crow 3: Bob Ellis 3: Lars Gustafsson 3: Cesare Maldini 2: Gato Barbieri 2: Amber Rayne 1: Tom Coughlin 1: Artur Górski 1: Denise Robertson March 31: Béla Biszku 31: Ronnie Corbett 31: Hans-Dietrich Genscher 31: Zaha Hadid 31: Imre Kertész 31: Douglas Wilmer 30: Shirley Hufstedler 30: John King 30: Andy "Thunderclap" Newman 29: Albert K. Bender 29: Patty Duke 29: Nil Hilevich 29: Jean Lapierre 29: Steven Sample 28: Winston Moseley 27: Mother Angelica 27: Vic Peters 26: Toni Grant 26: Jim Harrison 25: Abu Ala al-Afri 25: Shannon Bolin 25: Lester Thurow 24: Johan Cruyff 24: Garry Shandling 23: Phife Dawg 22: Rob Ford 22: Harold J. Morowitz 21: Andrew Grove 21: Joseph Mercieca 21: Ricardo Larraín 20: Anker Jørgensen 19: Roger Agnelli edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Boko Haram insurgency 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 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 CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Moro conflict Moro conflict in Sabah Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe European Migrant Crisis Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency 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 Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent March 20: Benin, President (2nd round) 20: Cape Verde, National Assembly 20: Republic of the Congo, President 20: Kazakhstan, Majilis 20: Niger, President (2nd round) 20: Senegal, Constitutional referendum April 6: Netherlands, EU referendum 8: Djibouti, President (1st round) 10: Chad, President (1st round) 10: Comoros, President (2nd round) 10: Peru, President, Congress 11: Sudan, Darfur status referendum 13: South Korea, National Assembly 13: Syria, People's Council 17: Italy, Oil drilling referendum Upcoming April 24: Austria, President 24: Serbia, National Assembly May 9: Philippines, President, Senate, House of Representatives 15: Dominican Republic, President, Senate, Chamber of Deputies edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Ji Jianye, Li Chuncheng, Jiang Jiemin, Liao Shaohua, Ni Fake, Chen Baihuai, Zhou Yongkang, Gu Junshan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste, Mohamed Morsi Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Jordan: Abu Qatada Philippines: Joseph Scott Pemberton Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Dan Diaconescu Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Eston Kohver, Vladimir Kvachkov South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, 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, Adam Johnson United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Jodi Arias, Anas al-Libi, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Sheldon Silver International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina, Zdravko Tolimir, Radovan Karadžić Ongoing China: Yao Mugen, Guo Youming, Zhu Zuoli Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu, Relu Fenechiu, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members United Kingdom: Rolf Harris United States: Dean Skelos International ICTY: Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Max Clifford United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar