Portal:Current events/April 2019
April 2019 was the fourth month of that common year. The month, which began on a Monday, ended on a Tuesday after 30 days.
Portal:Current events[edit]
This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from April 2019.
April 1, 2019 (Monday)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Iran floods
- The Iranian government announces an emergency in southwestern provinces threatened by flooding and worked to evacuate dozens of villages as forecasters predicted more of the heavy rains that have killed at least 45 people last week. (Reuters)
- The death toll from thunderstorms in southern Nepal rises to 30. Several houses are ruptured, trees uprooted and vehicles overturned in Bara district and Parsa district. (BBC News)
- Thirty firefighters die in southwestern China after a forest fire trapped them due to a sudden shift in winds. (The New York Times) (BBC)
- Two children are killed and twenty are injured in China after a dust devil lifts an inflatable castle off the ground. (South China Morning Post)
Health and environment
- China announces that it will add fentanyl to a list of regulated narcotic drugs on May 1, 2019, in an effort to curtail its manufacturing. (BBC News) (CNN) (Time)
- Aftermath of Cyclone Idai
- The first death due to cholera is confirmed in Mozambique, with confirmed cases rising to 517. (CBS News) (The Independent)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Turkish local elections, Erdoğanism
- In an election marred by electoral fraud, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party wins with 44% of the vote while Republican People's Party comes in second with 30% of the vote. Overall, People's Alliance gets 51% of the vote while Nation Alliance receives 37% of the vote. Voter turnout was 84%. (Anadolu Agency)
- 2019 Japanese imperial transition
- Reiwa (令和) is revealed as the new Japanese Era name set to start on May 1 upon Crown Prince Naruhito's accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. (The Japan Times)
- 2019 Guatemalan general election
- The Supreme Electoral Tribunal accepts the nullity recourses against the candidacy of Thelma Aldana and temporarily leaves her out of the general elections. However, an appeal will be filed before the Supreme Court of Justice and ultimately, the Constitutional Court. All three top candidates face serious legal challenges that may prevent them from running. (Prensa Libre) (Fox News) (Al Jazeera)
- 2019 Algerian protests
- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announces that he will resign by April 28, following intense pressure from the military and the ruling party to step down amid anti-government protests, bringing an end to his 20-year rule. (Reuters)
- Brexit negotiations
- The British parliament votes against four alternative Brexit plans. (CBC)
- Protesters strip naked in the public galleries of the House of Commons, pressing their buttocks against the window facing Ministers. (The Guardian via YouTube) (The Guardian)
- Michele Muratori and Nicola Selva are sworn in as Captains Regent of San Marino. (Corriere Romagna)
April 2, 2019 (Tuesday)
Business and economy
- Google starts deleting consumer accounts from its social network Google+ due to low user engagement and the discovery of security vulnerabilities which potentially exposed user data to developers. (The Verge)
Disasters and accidents
- Boeing 737 MAX groundings
- Boeing delays the availability of the software update for its 737 Max airliners. The Federal Aviation Administration anticipates the update to be rolled out "in the coming weeks." (CBC)
International relations
- Russia–Venezuela relations
- Russia opens a helicopter training facility in Venezuela. Under the plans, Russian state-owned Rostec will train Venezuelan pilots to operate Mi-35M gunships and transport helicopters. The move comes after the White House warned Moscow against sending troops or military equipment to the country. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- According to a criminal complaint filed in a U.S. District Court, a Chinese woman is arrested and charged with making a false statement to the United States Secret Service after illegally entering U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on 30 March 2019 while carrying multiple passports, four mobile phones and a thumb drive containing malware. (BBC News) (Reuters)
- Eric Holder (not to be confused with the former U.S. Attorney General of the same name) is arrested and charged with the murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle. (The Washington Post)
- Peruvian authorities investigate the death of British De La Salle Brother Paul McAuley, age 71. According to the report he is burned to death in a home he founded for indigenous students in Iquitos, in the northeastern Amazonian region. (AP)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Algerian protests
- President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigns amid pressure from the public and the military, having ruled the country since 1999. (BBC News)
- Brexit negotiations
- UK Prime Minister Theresa May gives a speech after seven hours of continuous meetings, saying that a further extension to the withdrawal from the European Union is needed, and asking for talks with Jeremy Corbyn. (BBC News)
- The chairman for the Republican Party in North Carolina, Robin Hayes, is charged with bribery and other corruption charges, along with Republican donor Greg Lindberg. (Yahoo!)
- SNC-Lavalin affair
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expels former ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal Party of Canada. (BBC News) (Reuters)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The Nicolás Maduro-aligned Constituent National Assembly formally strips opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaidó of his immunity from prosecution, potentially paving the way for his arrest. (Brisbane Times)
Sports
- In American football, Tom Dundon, principal owner of the Alliance of American Football, announces that the league has suspended operations effective immediately, before the end of its first season. (ESPN)
April 3, 2019 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya Offensive
- The Libyan National Army (LNA) launches a surprise offensive in western Libya, moving units towards the Government of National Accord-held capital Tripoli, with reports of clashes in the city of Gharyan. The LNA say their operation, ordered by General Khalifa Haftar, is aimed at "cleansing the western zone from terrorist groups". (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
Law and crime
- Mueller special counsel investigation, Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary approves a subpoena to obtain, in its full and unredacted form, the final report written as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's recently concluded investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. (New York Post)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Ukrainian presidential election
- Volodymyr Zelensky wins the first round of Ukraine's presidential election with 30 percent of the vote, with President Petro Poroshenko coming in second with 15 percent of the vote. Since no candidate reached the required number of votes to achieve the office of the presidency, a runoff election between the two candidates will be held on April 21. Voter turnout was 63 percent. (Ukrinform) (The Jerusalem Post)
- In an effort led by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans vote 51-48 to approve new Senate rules to limit the in-session debate time for most of President Donald Trump's appointed political nominees to two hours instead of the previously required 30 hours. Senate Republicans invoke the so-called "nuclear option" to approve the new rules, a procedure that allows the Senate to amend rules with a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the two-thirds supermajority normally required to do so. (Axios)
- The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means formally requests six years of President Donald Trump's personal and business tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. (ABC News)
- Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- The U.S. House of Representatives approves a resolution to end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen. (Politico)
- Brexit negotiations
- An indicative vote on holding more indicative votes for Brexit possibilities in the House of Commons achieves a vote of 310 Aye and 310 No, becoming the first British parliamentary vote to result in a draw in the 21st century; Speaker John Bercow breaks the tie by voting No. (BBC News)
April 4, 2019 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya Offensive
- Libyan National Army forces continue to advance on the Libyan capital Tripoli, capturing the city of Gharyan, with only light resistance reported. General Khalifa Haftar has ordered the LNA to seize control of Tripoli, prompting the Tripoli-based Presidential Council to declare a general mobilization. (The Guardian) (Middle East Monitor)
Arts and culture
- Belarusian authorities begin demolishing crosses with bulldozers at the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic-era mass grave site Kurapaty on the outskirts of Minsk, where at least 30,000 people were executed by the NKVD's secret police in the 1930s and 1940s. The bulldozing is widely condemned in Belarus. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- Boeing 737 MAX groundings, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
- The Ethiopian government releases a preliminary report on the investigation into the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. (CNN)
- A rapidly spreading wildfire in Gangwon Province, South Korea, kills two people, injures 11 others, and forces the evacuation of thousands of civilians. (The Washington Post)
Law and crime
- Aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings, Internet censorship in Australia
- The Australian Parliament passes a law which makes it illegal for Internet platforms and service providers to host videos of "abhorrent violent conduct" without "expeditiously" removing them. (The Guardian)
- Cannabis in Guam
- Governor Lou Leon Guerrero signs a bill into law, legalizing the recreational use of cannabis. (The Hill)
Politics and elections
- George Vella is sworn in as the new President of Malta succeeding Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. (The Times of Malta)
April 5, 2019 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya Offensive
- Libyan National Army troops reach the outskirts of the Libyan capital Tripoli, securing a key military checkpoint known as "Bridge 27". (AFP)
- The LNA captures several more towns in the Tripoli District, including Qasr bin Ghashir, Wadi Rabie and Suq al-Khamis, as well as the town of ‘Aziziya in the Jafara District, to the west of Tripoli. (Reuters) (The Economist)
- LNA forces say they have seized control of Tripoli International Airport. (Reuters)
- The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Italy issue a joint statement calling on Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to end the offensive. (Euronews)
Disasters and accidents
- Boeing 737 MAX groundings, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
- The CEO for Boeing, Dennis Muilenburg, apologizes for the loss of lives in the two 737 MAX accidents, recognizing the role that the MCAS system played in the disasters. (Washington Post)
Health and environment
- The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the source of E. coli O103, that has infected 72 people in five states, has not been identified. Bill Marler, a food safety lawyer in Seattle, notes this O103 outbreak is by far the largest in recent memory. (The Washington Post via MSN.com)
Law and crime
- Julian Assange's asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy, INA Papers
- WikiLeaks says that a high-level source within the government of Ecuador has informed them that Julian Assange will be expelled within "hours to days" and that Ecuador's government already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest. On April 2, 2019, Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno accused WikiLeaks of leaking the INA Papers, a set of documents published in February 2019 which uncover the operations of INA Investment Corp, an offshore tax haven created by the brother of President Moreno and allegedly reveal government corruption. (WikiLeaks) (Al Jazeera)
- A 29-year-old man is charged with five counts of attempted murder after stabbing five people in "random attacks", including four people in a 10-hour period on March 30, in Edmonton, London. (BBC News)
- An inquest finds that Jennifer and Sarah Hart intentionally killed themselves. In 2018, a vehicle with the couple and their six adopted children drove off a cliff in California, killing all of them. (MSN.com)
Science and technology
- A small 5-200 kilometer planetesimal, with a similar mineral composition to Earth, is found orbiting in the debris disk of a white dwarf star. This discovery is among the first of its kind and expected to provide insight into the future of our own planetary system. (Astronomy.com)
- JAXA space probe Hayabusa2 successfully fires a bullet at Apollo asteroid 162173 Ryugu, forming a crater which will be used to collect underground samples. (AP)
April 6, 2019 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya offensive
- Militias loyal to the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord launch a counterattack on Libyan National Army troops in the southern outskirts of Tripoli. (The Washington Post)
- Libyan National Army Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar declares a no-fly zone for military aircraft over western Libya, after LNA forces were targeted by airstrikes from GNA warplanes that took off from Misrata Airport. (Al Arabiya)
Business and economy
- South Korea's Hyundai Motor reaches an agreement with Tencent to partner on research and development of self-driving cars. Hyundai plans to roll such cars out commercially by 2030. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- European migrant crisis
- Greek riot police clash with hundreds of migrants near the Diavata refugee camp, attempting to enter North Macedonia, after rumours were circulated on social media that the border would be open. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Maldivian parliamentary election
- Voters are called to the polls to elect the new members of the People's Majlis. Preliminary results give the victory to Maldivian Democratic Party, led by former President Mohamed Nasheed. (The Washington Post) (BBC News)
April 7, 2019 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya offensive
- The Government of National Accord in Tripoli formally announces the start of a counteroffensive to reclaim all parts of the capital held by the Libyan National Army. (Al Jazeera)
- The United States Africa Command evacuates a contingent of U.S. troops from Libya due to the unrest. India also withdraws a contingent of peacekeepers from Tripoli. (The Guardian)
- Libyan Air Force jets loyal to Khalifa Haftar strike GNA positions in Tripoli for first time since the offensive began, including four airstrikes near the Bab al-Azizia military barracks. (Reuters) (Voice of America)
- Russia blocks a United Nations Security Council statement calling on Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to immediately halt the Libyan National Army's offensive on Tripoli, because it wants the UN statement to also apply to pro-GNA forces, including Islamist militias from Misrata. (South China Morning Post)
- Two female suicide bombers attack a crowd on the outskirts of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing three civilians and injuring 33 others. (The Guardian.ng)
Disasters and accidents
- A major power outage occurs in Sudan, leaving almost the entire country without electricity amid ongoing anti-government protests. (Africanews)
- One person is killed when his car is hit by more than eighty shots by the Brazilian army after his car was mistaken for another one, in which were supposed to be criminals, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (G1)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Andorran parliamentary election
- Andorrans head to the polls to elect the new members of the General Council that will choose the new Prime Minister. The ruling party, Democrats for Andorra, loses the majority in the chamber. (La Vanguardia)
- Political appointments by Donald Trump, List of Trump administration dismissals and resignations
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is leaving the administration. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Kevin McAleenan will serve in her stead until a new secretary is confirmed by Congress. (The Washington Post)
April 8, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya offensive
- Forces loyal to the Government of National Accord retake Tripoli International Airport from the Libyan National Army. (Anadolu Agency)
- One of the vice chairmen of the GNA Presidential Council, Ali Faraj Qatrani, defects to the Tobruk-based government. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
- A warplane loyal to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, reported to be a MiG-23, strikes Mitiga International Airport, the only functional airport in Tripoli. A LNA spokesman says civilian planes were not targeted in the air raid. (The Guardian)
- War in Afghanistan
- A roadside bomb kills three U.S. troops and one civilian contractor near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. (BBC News)
Arts and culture
- The Nation's editor Katrina vanden Heuvel announces that she will step down as editor after 24 years, on June 15, 2019. (The New York Times)
Law and crime
- Nationwide protests against animal cruelty take place in Australia. In the city of Melbourne, protesters blocked a major intersection for four hours before it was dispatched by police; several people were arrested. (News.com.au)
- The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the United Kingdom releases a white paper proposing to set up an independent regulatory body which would require Internet companies to remove content and block websites considered harmful. (BBC News)
- 2019 college admissions bribery scandal
- American actress Felicity Huffman and 13 other defendants involved in a conspiracy regarding admission to prestigious colleges have agreed to plead guilty in the matter, prosecutors say. The 14 individuals are among 50 people accused of engaging in schemes that involved cheating on college entrance exams and paying $25 million in bribes to secure their children admission to well-known colleges. (WKZO)
- U.S. district judge Richard Seeborg halts the Trump administration’s policy of sending some asylum seekers to Mexico while their cases are pending in the United States. The national injunction will take effect Friday. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Eric Swalwell 2020 presidential campaign
- U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell from California announces he is running for the Democratic Party's nomination to be President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election. (Fox News)
- Eric Swalwell 2020 presidential campaign
- Trump administration dismissals and resignations
- U.S. President Donald Trump terminates the employment of Randolph Alles, the Director of the United States Secret Service. (CNN)
- United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces the designation of the entirety of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), effective April 15. This will be the first time the United States has designated a part of another government as a terrorist organization. (United States Department of State) (CBS News)
Science and technology
- David Saint-Jacques becomes the fourth Canadian astronaut to take part in a spacewalk and the first in 12 years as he begins a roughly seven-hour mission. (The Hamilton Spectator) (CBC.ca)
- Gravitational wave observations
- LIGO and Virgo detect a gravitational wave from a galaxy 6 billion light-years away in the direction of Cassiopeia, with further details being released on April 10. (New Scientist)
Sports
- 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- In basketball, the Virginia Cavaliers defeat the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 85–77 in overtime, to win their first national title. (The Washington Post)
April 9, 2019 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya offensive
- The UN cancels a planned Libyan National Conference that was due to take place later in April for negotiations between different political factions to organise new elections due to the ongoing fighting in Tripoli. (The Guardian)
- Sinai insurgency
- A 15-year-old suicide bomber attacks a market in Sheikh Zuweid, Egypt, killing four policemen and three civilians, and injuring 27 others. (Xinhua)
- 2018–19 Sudanese protests
- Heavy gunfire is reported in the Sudanese capital Khartoum as Rapid Support Forces loyal to President Omar al-Bashir attempted to break-up an anti-government protest outside the military's headquarters, killing at least 14 people, including five Sudanese soldiers who defected to the opposition. (Sky News)
Business and economy
- Debenhams, one of the largest department stores in the United Kingdom which employs 25,000 people, collapses into administration. (The Guardian)
- Alcon has completed a 100% spin-off from Novartis. (PharmaTimes) (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- A Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35 Lightning II jet disappears from radar while on a training mission over the Pacific Ocean. Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya subsequently grounds Japan's fleet of F-35s. (CBS News)
Law and crime
- 2019 college admissions bribery scandal
- 16 people are indicted on new charges in the nationwide college admissions cheating scandal, one day after it was announced that 13 of the defendants charged in the case would plead guilty for conspiracy. (The Boston Globe) (The New York Times)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Israeli legislative election
- Israelis go to the polls to elect the new members of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) and a new Prime Minister. (Reuters)
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- The Organization of American States votes 18 to 9, with six abstentions, to accept Gustavo Tarre Briceño as the ambassador from Venezuela. Tarre is the envoy from Juan Guaidó's government; Nicolás Maduro's Foreign Ministry calls Tarre a "political usurper". (Washington Post)
April 10, 2019 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya offensive
- Aguila Saleh, speaker of the Tobruk-based Libyan parliament which Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army is loyal to, states that no peace agreement or UN-backed conference is possible while Tripoli "is occupied by armed groups". (Fox News)
- The Libyan National Army says it has shot down a pro-GNA L-39 Albatros over Tripoli. (RT)
International relations
- Brexit negotiations
- The United Kingdom and European Union agree to delay Brexit until October 31, 2019. This means that the UK will participate in next month's European Parliament election. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- The United States federal government charges 24 in a Medicare fraud scheme involving the billing of Medicare for nearly $1.2 billion in unnecessary back braces and other medical braces pitched via telemarketing through durable medical equipment companies. (NPR)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- After the Organization of American States accepts an envoy from the government of President of the Venezuelan National Assembly Juan Guaidó as ambassador, United States Vice President Mike Pence asks for the United Nations to expel and replace the Nicolás Maduro-appointed Venezuelan envoy in its own chamber. (Bloomberg)
- The International Monetary Fund denies Venezuela access to its money as there is no majority of member states recognizing either Maduro or Guaidó, describing the situation as "political chaos" and asking for debate between its members on the nation. (Bloomberg)
Science and technology
- Katie Bouman and scientists at the Event Horizon Telescope project release the first ever photograph of the event horizon of a black hole, that of the supermassive black hole at the center of Messier 87 galaxy, taken using a network of eight radio telescopes around the world. (CNN)
- Homo luzonensis is identified as a new species of human beings discovered in the Callao Cave, Northern Philippines. (National Geographic)
April 11, 2019 (Thursday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2018–19 Sudanese protests, 2019 Sudanese coup d'état
- The Sudanese military surrounds the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum, and takes over state media buildings amid protests against President Omar al-Bashir. Several senior ministers are reportedly arrested, including former Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein. (The National)
- The army forms an interim council, with First Vice President Lt. General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf as the leader. President al-Bashir is reported to have stepped down. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Australian federal election
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls an election for 18 May. (ABC News Australia)
- North Korea appoints Choe Ryong-hae as President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's nominal head of state, replacing Kim Yong-nam after 21 years. Kim Jae-ryong becomes premier. (Yonhap)
Law and crime
- Abortion in South Korea
- The Constitutional Court of Korea rules that the 1953 abortion ban is unconstitutional. (Korea Herald)
- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is arrested in London after Ecuador withdraws asylum. He is later found guilty of breaching bail in 2012 by a British court, however he faces likely extradition to the United States over allegations he conspired with former US military analyst Chelsea Manning to acquire classified U.S. government files. (The Guardian)
- Police in Louisiana arrest Holden Matthews, a suspect in arson at three historically African-American churches in the past weeks which the NAACP flagged as hate crimes. Matthews is the son of a local deputy sheriff. He has ties to black metal music and commented on memes about musician Varg Vikernes, a neo-Nazi who boasted about burning churches in Norway and was imprisoned for arson and murder, but researchers are unsure if they prove hate was his motive. (CBS) (Rolling Stone) (Daily Beast)
- Michael Avenatti is charged by a federal grand jury in California on 36 counts, including embezzlement, wire fraud, tax evasion, bankruptcy fraud and bank fraud connected to his alleged theft of tens of millions of dollars from several clients. (United States Department of Justice) (ABC News)
Science and technology
- Israel's Beresheet lunar lander crashes at Mare Serenitatis on the surface of the Moon. The crash resulted from a failure in the lander's main engine, resulting in the total loss of the spacecraft. (The New York Times)
- SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center carrying Arabsat-6A to orbit. All three boosters landed successfully, marking the first time that all three boosters of a Falcon Heavy landed without failure. (CNN)
April 12, 2019 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Quetta bombing
- Twenty-one people are killed and about fifty others injured in a suicide bombing at a market in Quetta, Pakistan. (CNN)
- 2018–19 Sudanese protests, 2019 Sudanese coup d'état
- Lt. General Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf steps down as leader of the Transitional Military Council in favor of Lt. General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan. (BBC News)
- Russian security services kill two ISIL-affiliated terrorists who were planning an attack in the city of Tyumen. (RT)
Disasters and accidents
- Two buildings collapse in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing nine people and leaving fifteen others missing. The buildings were irregularly built. (G1)
Politics and elections
- Abortion in the United States
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signs a bill that restricts abortion after a detectable heartbeat. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio said it was preparing a constitutional challenge to the law. (ABC News)
April 13, 2019 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Second Libyan Civil War, 2019 Western Libya offensive
- Aguila Saleh, the chairman of the Tobruk-based Libyan parliament that rivals the Government of National Accord, stated that the parliament's Libyan National Army will continue advancing on Tripoli in spite of international calls for them to stop the offensive. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- The last known female Yangtze giant softshell turtle, the world's largest species of freshwater turtle and one of the most endangered species on the planet, dies at Suzhou Zoo in China. (Sohu.com)
Science and technology
- Scaled Composites Stratolaunch, an aircraft with the largest wingspan ever to fly, makes its maiden flight over California, United States. (BBC News)
April 14, 2019 (Sunday)
Disasters and accidents
- Tornadoes of 2019
- At least eight people are killed in the Southern United States amid severe storms bringing floods and tornadoes. (ABC News)
International relations
- Second Libyan Civil War
- Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the LNA visits Cairo for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has supported the LNA in its military operation against the rival GNA in Tripoli. (The Guardian)
Law and crime
- Two people are dead, and two others were wounded in a drive-by shooting outside a nightclub in Melbourne, Australia. (News.com.au)
- One person is killed and another injured in a shooting in a church in the British Columbia city of Salmon Arm. The suspected shooter was wrestled to the ground by churchgoers, police say. (CBC)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Finnish parliamentary election
- Social Democratic Party takes a narrow victory with 40 seats, while Finns Party comes close second with 39 seats. (Yle)
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign
- Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, announces he is running for the Democratic Party's nomination to be President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election. (NBC News)
Sports
- 2019 Masters Tournament
- Tiger Woods wins the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, his first major golf win in 11 years and his first win at the Masters since 2005. (WGHP) (The New York Times)
April 15, 2019 (Monday)
Arts and culture
- 2019 Pulitzer Prize
- Annapolis, Maryland daily newspaper The Capital is awarded a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of a mass shooting inside its own offices on June 28, 2018, that left five of its employees dead. (BBC News)
Business and economy
Disasters and accidents
- Notre-Dame de Paris fire
- A fire breaks out at the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in Paris, resulting in the collapse of its roof and spire and considerable damage to the building's interior. (AJC) (BBC)
- French President Emmanuel Macron pledges to rebuild the Cathedral after the fire. (BBC News)
International relations
- Inter-Korean summits, North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korean President Moon Jae-in says he is ready for a fourth summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The 2019 inter-Korean summit will be held in South Korean capital of Seoul. (Time) (SFGate)
Law and crime
- Four people are killed in a string of shootings in Penticton, British Columbia, in what police are calling targeted killings. A man later turned himself in and was taken into custody. (CBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 Republican Party presidential primaries, Bill Weld 2020 presidential campaign
- Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld announces he is running for the Republican Party's nomination to be President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election, the first Republican to officially challenge incumbent President Donald Trump. (CNN)
April 16, 2019 (Tuesday)
Business and economy
- Apple Inc. and Google remove TikTok from their app stores in India after a high court in Madras ruled the app could expose children to sexual content and cyberbullying. (CNN)
International relations
- Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, Saudi Arabia–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump vetoes a Congressional resolution that sought to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Five people are killed and 13 others injured in an arson and stabbing attack in an apartment complex in Jinju, South Korea. The attacker tells the police he was angry because of back pay. (The Korea Times)
- Eight families file a lawsuit against Washington Hebrew Congregation for allowing what they say was a lack of action over an assistant teacher who stands accused of sexually abusing several children in the day care program. (USA Today) (CNN)
April 17, 2019 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russian military intervention in Ukraine
- The Security Service of Ukraine claims to have captured a Russian military intelligence hit squad responsible for the attempted murder of a Ukrainian military spy in the run-up to a presidential election on 21 April. (Daily Express)
Arts and culture
- French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announces an architectural competition to redesign and rebuild the spire of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral after it was destroyed by fire. (ABC News) (MassLive)
Business and economy
- Singapore's non-oil exports slumped in March, according to numbers released by Enterprise Singapore. This was the biggest year-on-year monthly drop since October 2016. The slump in the export of electronics was especially marked. (The Straits Times)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Madeira bus crash
- At least 29 people, all German tourists, are killed in a bus crash in Caniço, Madeira Islands. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Operation Car Wash § Peru
- Former Peruvian President Alan García dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident happened moments after judicial authorities had served him with an arrest warrant on corruption charges. (CNN) (Infobae)
- Schools in the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area are closed as the FBI searched for an 18-year-old Miami Beach Senior High School student described as "infatuated" with the Columbine High School massacre. She traveled to Colorado and purchased a shotgun and ammunition upon arriving, and was deemed a "credible threat" to area schools. She was later confirmed dead. (CNN) (NBC News) (The New York Times)
- Moroccan authorities arrest a jihadist preparing to commit a terrorist attack in Seville, Spain, during the Holy Week processions. (El País)
- Aftermath of the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état
- Former President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir is transferred from house arrest to a maximum security prison, reports say. His whereabouts had been unknown since the coup against him earlier this month. Al-Bashir has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2009 for war crimes in Darfur. (BBC News)
- 2019 Guatemalan general election
- Presidential candidate Mario Estrada is captured in the United States because of his alleged connections with the international drug trafficking Sinaloa Cartel. The United States Department of Justice says in a statement that Estrada had requested the murder of political rivals to win the presidency in exchange for granting control of airports and ports in the country to these groups. The presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 16. (Prensa Libre)
- A man carrying lighters, canisters filled with gasoline and lighter fluid is arrested at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral. A police source states Lamparello is a CUNY student seeking his Ph.D. in philosophy and occasional adjunct lecturer at Lehman College. (The Hill) (New York Post)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Indonesian general election
- Voters in Indonesia go to the polls to elect members of the parliament, the President and Vice President. (The Guardian)
Science and technology
- Yale University researchers led by professor Nenad Sestan announce, through the Nature journal, that they successfully partly revived the brains of deceased pigs, four hours after death occurred. However, there were no signals from the brains that would indicate awareness or consciousness. (NPR)
April 18, 2019 (Thursday)
Armed conflict and attacks
Disasters and accidents
- At least 13 people are killed and 29 others are injured when a wall collapses in Empangeni, South Africa, at the start of an Easter service at a Pentecostal church. (BBC News)
- Mountain climbers Jess Roskelley, David Lama and Hansjörg Auer are suspected dead after an avalanche on Howse Peak in Canada's Banff National Park. (MSN.com)
Law and crime
- Dissident Irish Republican campaign
- Northern Irish journalist Lyra McKee is shot dead by dissident republicans on the Creggan estate in Derry. (The Irish News)
- The Royal Thai Navy is planning to remove a house that was allegedly constructed illegally 12 mi (19.31 km) off the Thai coastline to promote seasteading. The owners had planned to start a community of at least 20 houses in the area. Thai authorities have filed a complaint, which if prosecuted could carry a death sentence for "threatening the sovereignty of a state, and erosion of a state's independence". (Time via MSN)
- Aftermath of the Bishop International Airport attack
- Amor Ftouhi is sentenced to life in prison for stabbing a police officer at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, United States, in June 2017. (MLive)
Politics and elections
- Mueller special counsel investigation, Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- The redacted version of the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller is released by U.S. Attorney General William Barr. The investigation did not find any conspiracy between President Donald Trump and the Russian government regarding the accusation that they collaborated to win the 2016 presidential election. The report did not rule out if the Trump administration committed obstruction of justice. The Department of Justice also stated some members of Congress will receive a less-redacted version of the report in the near future. (The New York Times) (USA Today)
- Mali's Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga and his entire cabinet resigns, being succeeded by Boubou Cisse. No reason is addressed. (CNN)
April 19, 2019 (Friday)
Disasters and accidents
- A house deck collapses in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, injuring 40 people, 20 of them severely. (Global News)
International relations
- 2019 Western Libya offensive, Libya–United States relations
- The White House says President Donald Trump has spoken to Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar about recent developments in Libya. During the call, Trump recognised Haftar's efforts to combat Islamic terrorism and secure Libya's oil reserves. (BBC News)
- Russia and the United States veto a British-sponsored United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire between the Libyan National Army and forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord. (The Moscow Times)
Law and crime
- Minatitlán shooting
- A mass shooting at a bar in Minatitlán, Veracruz, kills 13 people and injures 4 others. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Media reports indicate former United States Vice President and Senator Joe Biden has decided that next week he will announce his participation in the race for Democratic Party's nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election. (The Atlantic) (NBC News)
- Mueller special counsel investigation, Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler issues a subpoena to the Justice Department for, by May 1, the full, unredacted version of the Mueller report, and for the underlying grand jury evidence and testimony. Attorney General William Barr's offer to allow committee members a chance to view a less-redacted version of the report does not meet the committee's needs and was not accepted. (Politico)
April 20, 2019 (Saturday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
- In Kabul, seven are killed after suicide bombers and gunmen attack the communications ministry. (BBC News)
- Syrian Civil War
- ISIL militants kill 50 Syrian soldiers in two days of clashes in the Syrian desert. (Al Jazeera)
Arts and culture
- Bangladesh celebrates Easter as national holiday for first time in 30 years. The South Asian nation of 159 million is 89% Muslim and 10% Hindu. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey to Myanmar and Bangladesh in 2017. (Vatican News)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Arab Winter
- Egyptians vote on a number of amendments to the Constitution of Egypt, which, among other things, allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to remain in power until 2030, increase the president's powers over Egypt's judiciary, and increase the power of Egypt's military over all other state institutions. The vote takes place over three days from 20 to 22 April. (AP News)
April 21, 2019 (Sunday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
- A series of explosions at churches and hotels in four cities in Sri Lanka, including the nation's commercial capital and largest city Colombo, kills at least 359 people and wounds around 500 others. ISIL has since claimed responsibility for the attacks. (BBC News)
- The Sri Lankan government temporarily blocks access to all social media platforms to stop the spread of "false media reports" about the attacks. (The Washington Post)
- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stated that several United States citizens were killed in the attacks and Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry officials have stated that at least five of the victims were of British nationality. (CNN)
- Pope Francis speaks words of solidarity to the Christian community of Sri Lanka, lamenting that the attacks have wrought grief and sorrow. (Vatican News)
- Four attackers are killed in a failed attack on a police station in Zulfi, Saudi Arabia. The attackers had machine guns, bombs, and petrol bombs. (Al Jazeera)
- Suspected jihadist militants attack a Malian military base in the town of Guiré, Koulikoro Region, killing ten soldiers. (Deutsche Welle)
Disasters and accidents
- 28 people are killed and two others are missing after a landslide in the municipality of Rosas, in southwestern Colombia. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Ukrainian presidential election
- According to exit polls, comedian Volodymyr Zelensky wins Ukraine's presidential run-off election over incumbent President Petro Poroshenko with more than 70 percent of the votes. Poroshenko concedes defeat. (Reuters) (BBC News) (CBC)
- 2019 North Macedonian presidential election
- Macedonians go to the polls to elect the next President of North Macedonia in an election dominated by divisions over the Prespa agreement, which resolved the naming dispute between North Macedonia and Greece. (Reuters)
April 22, 2019 (Monday)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Luzon earthquake
- Sixteen people are killed when a magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes the municipalities of Porac and Lubao, Pampanga province, Philippines at 17:11 Philippine Standard Time. (The Manila Times)
- According to PHIVOLCS, the epicenter of the earthquake is located 18 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of Castillejos, Zambales. PHIVOLCS originally records the earthquake, which is tectonic in origin, at magnitude 5.7, but later upgrades it to 6.1. (GMA News)
Politics and elections
- 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- U.S. Representative for Massachusetts Seth Moulton announces he is running for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2020 US presidential election. (CNN)
- United States sanctions against Iran
- The United States demands that all countries cease purchasing oil from Iran by May 1 or face sanctions, in a move aimed at reducing Iran's income. (Reuters)
April 23, 2019 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings
- ISIL claims responsibility for the bombings in Sri Lanka that took place on Easter Sunday. (The New York Times)
- Sri Lankan investigators believe that the bombings were revenge for attacks on New Zealand mosques in March. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifies Alphabet Inc.-owned delivery drone service Wing to operate as an airline in the United States. Wing is the first delivery drone company to receive FAA air carrier certification. (Reuters) (NPR)
Disasters and accidents
- 2019 Visayas earthquake
- A magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes the islands of Visayas in the Philippines at 13:37 Philippine Standard Time. (ABS-CBN News)
- According to PHIVOLCS, the epicenter of the earthquake is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) northwest of San Julian, Eastern Samar. PHIVOLCS originally records the earthquake, which is tectonic in origin, at magnitude 6.2, but later upgrades it to 6.5. (The Philippine Star)
- The earthquake happened less than 24 hours after the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Luzon. (ABS-CBN News)
- A mudslide at a jade mine in Hpakant, Kachin State, northern Myanmar caused by the collapse of a nearby lake kills three miners and leaves 51 missing. (CNN)
International relations
- North Korea–Russia relations
- Korean Central News Agency confirms North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will soon visit Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)
- Canada–Philippines relations
- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte insists Canada remove tons of mislabeled, misdirected trash from Manila that arrived in 2013 and 2014. Duterte threatens to retaliate, up to declaring war, if the trash is not removed. (NPR)
Law and crime
- Murder of Karina Vetrano
- In the United States, Chanel Lewis is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2016 murder of Karina Vetrano while she was running in Queens, New York City. The judge had earlier declined the defense's motion of a re-trial due to what they alleged to be police and juror misconduct. (ABC)
- Eight pedestrians in Sunnyvale, California, are injured when a car is intentionally driven into them. The driver is arrested after crashing into a tree. The FBI is assisting in the investigation. (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Prince Edward Island general election and electoral reform referendum
- The Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island wins its first minority government since the Island's 1890 general election; while the Green Party of Prince Edward Island has beaten the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party by taking most of all their seats and becoming the province's new Official Opposition party, a first for any Green Party in North America. (The Epoch Times) (The Guardian) Voters also reject adopting mixed-member proportional representation as the province's election system in a referendum held simultaneously with the election. (The Guardian)
Science and technology
- Exploration of Mars
- NASA reports the first detection of a likely Marsquake by the InSight Mars lander. (News18) (NASA)
April 24, 2019 (Wednesday)
Disasters and accidents
- Floods and mudslides in the South African city of Durban and the wider KwaZulu-Natal province have killed at least 60 people. (BBC News)
- Police evacuate 148 homes in Sokndal, Norway. Wildfires have burned through about 7.5 square kilometers (2.9 sq. miles) of land in the area. A spokesperson for the European Union Forest Fire Information System says wildfires in northern Europe "are way above the average" for this time of year. (BBC News)
International relations
- North Korea–Russia relations
- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives by train in Vladivostok, Russia, for his first talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expected to start Thursday. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- 2019 Guatemalan general election
- A judge in Miami orders the arrest of Guatemalan presidential candidate Roberto Arzú. Arzú is the second presidential candidate who has had legal problems with the United States. (Prensa Libre)
- Murder of James Byrd Jr.
- John William King is executed by lethal injection by the state of Texas, 21 years after the murder of James Byrd Jr., for which he was sentenced. (Reuters)
- Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker is investigated federally for a property tax break that netted him $331,000 in tax relief by taking toilets out of a Chicago mansion he owns. Pritzker stated he has "no concerns" about the report. (Washington Post) (Governing) (Washington Times)
Politics and elections
- Asia Press reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the execution by firing squad of four foreign ministry officials following the failure of his February Hanoi summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, after accusing them of "selling information to the U.S." before the summit. (Yahoo! News)
April 25, 2019 (Thursday)
Arts and culture
- The parliament of Ukraine passes a language law in a vote of 278 to 38 that will secure the use of Ukrainian as the country's only official language. (RFE/RL)
Disasters and accidents
- Tornadoes of 2019
- Tornadoes spawned by severe weather in Texas and Louisiana cause at least five deaths and over 17,000 power outages. (USA Today) (CBS News)
- An ammonia leak in a Chicago suburb hospitalizes 37 people. (Time)
- A Texas semi truck driver with no criminal record is arrested and faces 4 counts of vehicular homicide after he told police his brakes were failing on I-70 as it descended from the mountains in Colorado and caused a 28 vehicle crash. (CBS Denver)
International relations
- War in Donbass, Russian military intervention in Ukraine
- Russia announces it will fast-track citizenship applications from people living in conflict areas in eastern Ukraine. The European Union calls the move an attack on Ukraine's sovereignty that would undermine any peace agreement. (Reuters)
- The Washington Post reports that in June 2017 President Donald Trump secured the release of Otto Warmbier, a dying prisoner of North Korea, by agreeing to pay the regime in that country $2 million, described as a payment for hospital bills. (The Washington Post)
Law and crime
- Abortion in the United States by state
- A federal district court in Washington State issues a preliminary injunction against enforcement of an initiative by the Donald Trump administration ("gag order") that would have restricted doctor-patient communications about abortion in family planning clinics that receive U.S. taxpayer funding. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden announces he is running for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. (The New York Times)
Science and technology
- List of gravitational wave observations
- LIGO detects a second neutron star merger using its gravitational wave signal after the first such detection in August 2017. (Syracuse University)
April 26, 2019 (Friday)
Arts and culture
- Pope Francis meets with Milorad Dodik, head of the joint presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina. They discuss bilateral relations, the presence of the Catholic community, coexistence and reconciliation, and the economic and social challenges facing Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Vatican Press Office)
Disasters and accidents
- A large methane explosion at a coal mine in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine leaves 17 miners dead. (UrduPoint)
Law and crime
- Miami native Todd Leininger is released from a Venezuelan prison after being detained for five years for allegedly aiding the opposition. (CBS News) (Miami Herald)
Politics and elections
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces at an NRA meeting that he will be withdrawing the country's signature from the Arms Trade Treaty. (CTV News)
Sports
- 2019 NFL season
- The Kansas City Chiefs suspend wide receiver and return specialist Tyreek Hill from team activities for an alleged child abuse case. (Sporting News) (Houston Chronicle)
April 27, 2019 (Saturday)
Arts and culture
- The official video for Taylor Swift's "Me!", which premiered Thursday night, breaks Vevo's record for the biggest debut of all time, with at least 56.9 million views in 24 hours. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Disasters and accidents
- Seattle crane collapse
- A construction crane in the South Lake Union of Seattle collapses onto Mercer Street, killing four people. (The Seattle Times)
Law and crime
- Poway synagogue shooting
- One person is killed and multiple people are wounded in a shooting that occurred at a synagogue in Poway, California. (CNN)
- John Earnest, a 19-year-old student at California State University, San Marcos, is arrested after Poway synagogue shooting. (VOA News)
- Oliver North steps down as president of the National Rifle Association as New York attorney general Letitia James opens an investigation against the NRA. (Business Insider) (Vox)
April 28, 2019 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Six people are killed when terrorists storm a church in the Soum Province, Burkina Faso. The victims are the pastor, two of his sons and three other worshippers. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- 272 election workers in Indonesia die, mostly of fatigue-related illnesses, caused by long hours of work counting millions of ballot papers by hand. 1,878 other staff fall ill. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Crime in Tennessee
- Seven people are found dead in Sumner County, Tennessee. The suspect, Michael Cummins, is in police custody. (WFTS)
- Crime in Ohio
- Four family members, three women and one man, were found shot to death in an apartment in West Chester Township, Ohio. The suspect remains at large. (NBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Spanish general election
- Spaniards go to the polls to elect all 350 members of the Congress of Deputies and 208 (of 266) seats in the Senate. (CNN)
- The governing social democrat Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) wins, but short of an absolute majority. The far-right Vox party finished fifth with 10% of the votes. (CBC) (El País)
- The Valencian regional election is held concurrently. The ruling left-wing alliance led by PSPV-PSOE wins a majority. (El Pais)
April 29, 2019 (Monday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- A propaganda video featuring Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is released, in which he references the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, indicating that he is still alive and that the video was shot very recently. It is the first time he's been seen on video since July 2014, when he addressed a crowd at the now destroyed Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul. (Al Jazeera)
- Syrian Civil War
- Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants assault several Syrian Army positions in the northern Aleppo Governorate, killing 17 soldiers and wounding 30 others. HTS say the attacks were in response to recent Syrian government and Russian airstrikes on rebel-held areas. (Al Jazeera)
- Terrorism in the United States
- A US Army veteran was planning to bomb a white nationalist rally in retribution for the shooting in New Zealand. He was also planning attacks on Jews. (BBC News) (CNN)
Arts and culture
- Avengers: Endgame breaks numerous box office records, including the biggest opening weekend in cinematic history, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. (The Guardian)
Disasters and accidents
- Cyclone Kenneth
- The death toll in cyclone-hit northern Mozambique has risen to 38, as aid workers struggle to reach the worst-affected areas. Seven people were also killed by the cyclone in Comoros. (BBC News) (ReliefWeb)
- Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed 31 people in Indonesia while 13 others are missing. (Bangkok Post)
- North Carolina authorities have ordered evacuations covering a half-mile radius because of air quality, possibly including harmful sulfuric acid, from a massive fire at a metal recycling plant in Mooresboro. Officials say the blaze has been extinguished, as of 7:15 a.m. (BBC News)
- A minibus carrying Turkish Süper Lig Alanyaspor football players crashes near Alanya, Turkey, resulting in the death of Czech Republic national football team international Josef Šural, while several other players are seriously injured. (The Guardian)
Politics and elections
- Indonesian President Joko Widodo has decided to relocate the nation's capital from Jakarta, on the northwest coast of Java island. The new location and timing are not yet known. Jakarta, home to over 10 million people, is sinking at one of the fastest rates in the world; almost half of its area is below sea level. (BBC News) (NPR)
- U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announces he will resign, effective May 11. (The Washington Post)
April 30, 2019 (Tuesday)
Arts and culture
- 2019 Japanese imperial transition
- Emperor Akihito abdicates the Chrysanthemum Throne in favor of his elder son, Crown Prince Naruhito. He is the first Emperor to abdicate in over two hundred years, since Emperor Kōkaku in 1817. (The Japan Times) (The New York Times)
- The Canadian ten-dollar note, featuring Canadian civil rights activist Viola Desmond, wins the International Bank Note Society award. (BBC News)
Business and economy
- The Blackstone Group, a multinational private equity and asset management firm, has agreed to buy Geo-Young, a wholesale drug distributor in South Korea, in a deal that will retain Geo-Young's CEO, Cho Sun-hae, in her leadership role. (Reuters)
- U.S. Attorney General William Barr has decided to recuse himself from deliberations about whether the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice Department ought to challenge the planned merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, says a Reuters source "familiar with the decision". Barr is invested in both of the firms involved. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Canada–China relations
- Fan Wei, a Canadian citizen in China, is sentenced to death following his conviction for producing and trafficking methamphetamine. Canada has requested clemency for Fan, who is the second Canadian citizen sentenced to death this year. The application of the death penalty was condemned by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland added, "Canada stands firmly opposed to the death penalty everywhere around the world." (National Post) (BBC News) (Toronto Star)
- 2019 University of North Carolina at Charlotte shooting
- Six people are shot, two fatally, on the last day of classes at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The gunman was taken into custody after he ran out of ammunition. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- 2019 Venezuela uprising, 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- Juan Guaidó, accompanied by members of the Venezuelan armed forces, speaks in front of La Carlota Air Base in Caracas, stating that Leopoldo López, a political prisoner since 2014, is freed by defecting soldiers who have renounced their loyalty to Nicolás Maduro, prompting people to take to the streets. (The Guardian) (CNN) (CBS News)
- An armored car runs over supporters of Guaidó, escalating violence. At least 71 injured people, including two with gunshot wounds, were taken to Salud Chacao Medical Center in Caracas, according to the president of the center. (New York Daily News) (Associated Press) (Reuters) (CNN)
- The European Union calls for "free and fair" elections in Venezuela to end the standoff. (USA Today)
- Lopez and his family later seek refuge in Chile's diplomatic residence. (La Patilla) (Reuters)
- Reuters reports that an uneasy peace returned by the afternoon. There do not appear to be any immediate attempts by the opposition to take power through force, and there are no reports of defections from the armed forces leadership. (Reuters)
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
Ongoing events
Disasters
- 2018 Kivu Ebola outbreak
- 2018–19 European windstorm season
- Midwestern U.S. floods
- Iran floods
- Yemeni famine
Politics
- 1MDB scandal
- Afghan peace talks
- Algerian protests
- Brexit negotiations
- European migrant crisis (timeline)
- Haitian protests
- Iranian protests
- Iraqi protests
- Montenegrin protests
- Nicaraguan protests
- Qatar diplomatic crisis
- Rohingya persecution in Myanmar
- School strike for climate
- Serbian protests
- SNC-Lavalin affair
- Sudanese protests
- Turkish purges
- Mueller report (investigation) (timeline)
- Venezuelan presidential crisis (protests)
- Yellow vests movement
Religion
Sports
More details – ongoing conflicts
Elections and referendums
Recent
- April
- 17: Indonesia, President and Parliament
- 18: India, Lok Sabha (97 of 543 seats)
- 20–22: Egypt, Constitutional referendum
- 21: North Macedonia, President (1st)
- 21: Ukraine, President (2nd)
- 23: India, Lok Sabha (115 of 543 seats)
- 28: Benin, National Assembly
- 28: Spain, Cortes Generales
- 29: India, Lok Sabha (71 of 543 seats)
Upcoming
Recently concluded
- Malaysia: Assassination of Kim Jong-nam
- United States: Joaquín Guzmán
Ongoing
- Guatemala: Otto Pérez Molina, Roxana Baldetti, Juan Carlos Monzón and others
- Israel: Faina Kirschenbaum
- Philippines: Leila de Lima
- Spain: Bárcenas affair, Trial of Catalonia independence leaders
- United Kingdom: David Duckenfield, Graham Mackrell
- United States: Fat Leonard scandal
- International
Upcoming
- Egypt: Mohamed Morsi
- Guatemala: Álvaro Colom, Manuel Baldizón, Juan Alberto Fuentes
- Japan: Carlos Ghosn
- Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr.
- South Africa: Jacob Zuma
- United Kingdom: Football sex abuse scandal
- United States: 6ix9ine, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, NXIVM, Elizabeth Holmes, Meng Wanzhou, Chris Collins, Duncan D. Hunter, Roger Stone, R. Kelly, Harvey Weinstein
- Zimbabwe: Ignatius Chombo
- Association football
- Women's association football
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Golf
- Ice hockey
- Motorsport
- Rugby league
- Rugby sevens
- Rugby union
- Tennis
- Other sports seasons
More details – current sports events
April 2019
- 29: Les Murray
- 29: John Singleton
- 29: Josef Šural
- 28: Richard Lugar
- 27: Negasso Gidada
- 27: Bart Chilton
- 25: John Havlicek
- 24: Jean-Pierre Marielle
- 24: John William King
- 24: Michael Wolf
- 23: Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
- 23: David Winters
- 23: Johan Witteveen
- 22: Lê Đức Anh
- 21: Ken Kercheval
- 20: Reggie Cobb
- 20: Monir Farmanfarmaian
- 20: David V. Picker
- 19: Xiao Yang
- 18: Lorraine Warren
- 17: Alan García
- 15: Warren Adler
- 15: Owen Garriott
- 15: Les Reed
- 15: Winston L. Shelton
- 14: Bibi Andersson
- 14: Mirjana Marković
- 14: Gene Wolfe
- 13: Tony Buzan
- 13: Neus Català
- 13: Paul Greengard
- 13: S. K. Shivakumar
- 12: Georgia Engel
- 12: Forrest Gregg
- 11: Can Bartu
- 11: Ian Cognito
- 11: Scott Sanderson
- 10: Earl Thomas Conley
- 10: Irwin L. Jacobs
- 9: Marilynn Smith
- 9: Charles Van Doren
- 7: Michael E. Busch
- 7: Seymour Cassel
- 7: Arie Irawan
- 7: Cho Yang-ho
- 6: Fritz Hollings
- 6: Lloyd McDermott
- 6: David J. Thouless
- 5: Sydney Brenner
- 4: Georgiy Daneliya
- 2: Kim English
- 1: Ruth-Margret Pütz
March 2019
Africa
- Algeria, Libya and Tunisia
- Cameroon
- Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria
- Central African Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ethiopia
- Libya
- Mali
- Nigeria
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
Americas
- Colombia
- Mexico
- Peru
Asia
- Afghanistan
- China
- India
- India and Pakistan
- Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
- Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Thailand
Europe
- Armenia and Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Russia
- Ukraine
Middle East
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