Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.
- Protests in Peru against inflation and the policies of President Pedro Castillo (pictured) result in at least nine deaths and the looting of the Supreme Court's offices.
- In NCAA Division I basketball, the South Carolina Gamecocks win the women's championship and the Kansas Jayhawks win the men's championship.
- Rodrigo Chaves Robles is elected President of Costa Rica.
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russia-Ukraine War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- Kramatorsk railway bombing
- A pair of Russian missiles strike a railway station in Kramatorsk, killing 50 people and injuring 87–400 others. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
- Kramatorsk railway bombing
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- At least 12 soldiers and four paramilitary fighters are killed and 21 more wounded during an attack on an army base in Namissiguima, Burkina Faso. (USNews)
Business and economy
- The Food and Agriculture Organisation's food price index rose 13% in March to an all-time record of 159.3 points amid fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Vegetable oils got 23% more expensive and cereals went up 17%, also to reach record price readings. (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot
- Two defendants in the case of an apparent plot seeking to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for her COVID-19 policies in October 2020 are acquitted by the jury of the charges of conspiring to kidnap; trial of other two defendants end in a hung jury. (National Public Radio)
- The Russian Ministry of Justice revokes the registration of 15 foreign organizations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. No reason was given, but the revocations come days after HRW reported on war crimes committed by Russia during the invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- HD1 (galaxy)
- HD1, the farthest known galaxy, is discovered 13.5 billion light-years away from Earth. (Astronomy.com) (The Harvard Gazette) (Forbes)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The governor of Luhansk Oblast, Serhiy Haidai, reports that all hospitals in the province have been completely destroyed by Russian forces. Russia denies the claim, accusing Ukraine of destroying their own hospitals. (CNN)
- Mayor Borys Filatov requests that all women, children, and elderly leave the city of Dnipro in preparation for a possible Russian attack. (The Guardian)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- 2022 Tel Aviv shooting
- Three people are killed and 11 more are injured during a mass shooting at a bar in Tel Aviv, Israel. The attacker is killed during a shootout in nearby Jaffa. (BBC News)
- 2022 Tel Aviv shooting
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
- The United States House of Representatives votes 420–3 to pass legislation to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine. Following this, the Senate also votes 100–0 to pass the legislation, sending it to President Joe Biden for approval. (San Francisco Chronicle) (Fox Business)
- The Russian ruble goes above the pre-war level after falling as low as 150 rubles per US dollar in early March. (Bloomberg)
- 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
Disasters and accidents
- Eight people are killed and three more injured during an explosion at a bar in a military camp in Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The causes of the blast are unknown. (Reuters)
- Around two million people in Puerto Rico are left without electricity after a fire occurs at one of the island's largest power plants. (The Washington Post)
- A DHL Boeing 757-200 cargo plane breaks into two parts after making an emergency landing at the Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, Costa Rica. No one is injured. (Reuters)
- At least 11 people are killed and a dozen injured in a landslide in Abriaquí muncipality, Colombia. (CNN)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Kazakhstan will lift their COVID-19 travel restrictions at the country's borders with Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Uzbekistan. (Astana Times)
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tests positive for COVID-19. (The New York Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan
International relations
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says that Minsk should be included in negotiations aimed at ending the war. (The Moscow Times)
- International reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly votes to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, with 93 votes in favor, 24 against and 58 abstentions. Russia is the second country to be suspended from the council, after Libya in 2011 during the final year of Muammar Gaddafi's rule. (CNN)
Law and crime
- War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Former German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger and former Interior Minister Gerhart Baum file a complaint with German federal prosecutors accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin, all 32 members of the Security Council of Russia, and members of the Russian Armed Forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine. (ABC News)
- An unknown assailant throws acetone and red paint at Russian Nobel Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov as he traveled on a Moscow–Samara train, injuring him. A motive for the attack is unknown, but it is suspected to be a possible reaction to Muratov's opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2022 Peruvian protests
- The government of Pedro Castillo announces that they have deployed the Peruvian Army to highways amid protests against inflation in the country. (Reuters)
- Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed for the Supreme Court of the United States, following a 53–47 vote by the Senate. Jackson is the first black woman to be confirmed for this position and will replace justice Stephen Breyer after he retires in the court's summer session. (The New York Times)
Science and technology
- Over 5,000 new species of previously undiscovered RNA viruses were found in ocean-living organisms and proposed to group them into five new phyla, according to a paper published in Science. (The Independent)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- Battle of Sievierodonetsk
- Russian forces shell Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk Oblast, setting ten high-rise buildings on fire. (The Guardian)
- Four civilians are reported to have been killed by the Russian military in Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast. (Reuters)
- Battle of Sievierodonetsk
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- Russia says it will end their invasion if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agrees to conditions set during negotiations, specifically a legal guarantee that Ukraine will not join NATO by changing the Ukrainian constitution to include such a provision. Russia also says that it suspended operations in Kyiv as a "goodwill gesture" in order to promote peace talks. (Hindustan Times)
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Afghanistan conflict
- A hand grenade is thrown into the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least one and injuring five people. (La Prensa Latina) (Deutsche Welle)
- Iraqi conflict
- Three missiles land near an oil refinery in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Two American security personnel are injured. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- Four Europeans go missing after a diving trip off the coast of Mersing, in the Johor state of Malaysia. Authorities say that a searching operation is ongoing and one person has since been rescued. (The Guardian) (ABC News)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo test positive for COVID-19 after attending the Gridiron Club's annual dinner in Washington, D.C.. Several other attendees also tested positive. (NBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
Law and crime
- A man dies after ramming his vehicle into the fence of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest, Romania and setting himself on fire. (Gazeta de Cluj) (Reuters)
- Former President of Burkina Faso Blaise Compaoré is found guilty of complicity in the murder of the country's first president, Thomas Sankara, and is sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment. Compaoré has been in exile in Ivory Coast ever since resigning to the presidency following the 2014 Burkina Faso uprising. (The Guardian)
- Poland arrests two Belarusian citizens on charges of spying for Minsk. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 2019–2022 Sudanese protests
- A protester is shot dead as security forces confront anti-coup demonstrations in the state of Khartoum, Sudan. (Reuters)
- The governing coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett loses its majority in the Knesset after coalition whip Idit Silman of the Yamina party defects to the opposition Likud party, raising the possibility of new elections in Israel for the fifth time in four years. (Axios)
Sports
- 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
- Russian and Belarusian athletes will be banned from participating in the 2022 Boston Marathon due to the invasion. (Boston.com)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Mali War
- Human Rights Watch says that the Malian military and mercenaries from the Wagner Group massacred over 300 civilians in the town of Mourrah during a nine-day counter-insurgency operation in March. (The Guardian) (Human Rights Watch)
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- Militants raid a community of nuns in Kaya, Sanmatenga Province, Burkina Faso, kidnapping an American. (Reuters) (Barron's)
- Mali War
- Nigerian bandit conflict
- At least 15 people are killed and more than a dozen others are injured in an attack at a military base in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. (Reuters)
- Imam Reza shrine stabbings
- A Shia cleric is killed and two more are injured during a stabbing attack at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, Iran. (The Washington Post)
- Ituri conflict
- A UN peacekeeper from Nepal is killed in Djugu territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by suspected militia members. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Global minimum corporate tax rate
- Poland blocks European Union's adoption of the 15% minimum corporate tax after previous holdouts have abandoned their opposition for the reform. (Politico)
Disasters and accidents
- Tornado outbreak of April 4–5, 2022
- An ongoing tornado outbreak kills two people and produces a large tornado that hits Allendale, South Carolina, United States, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a rare tornado emergency. (The Weather Channel)
- Five people are killed and ten others are injured when a train collides with a pickup truck in Mindszent, Hungary. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- Chinese authorities extend the lockdown in Shanghai after more than 13,000 people test positive for COVID-19. (NBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
International relations
- International reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Denmark–Russia relations, Estonia–Russia relations, Italy–Russia relations, Latvia–Russia relations, Portugal–Russia relations, Romania–Russia relations, Russia–Slovenia relations, Russia–Spain relations, Russia–Sweden relations
- Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden expel over 100 Russian diplomatic staff from their countries. Latvia closes the Russian consulates in Daugavpils and Liepāja, while Estonia closes the Russian diplomatic facilities in Narva and Tartu. These actions come as a reaction to the newly revealed Bucha massacre. (Politico) (Interfax Ukraine) (TASS) (National Post) (Al Arabiya)
- Turkey–Ukraine relations
- Turkey moves its embassy back to Kyiv from Chernivtsi. (Anadolu Agency)
- Denmark–Russia relations, Estonia–Russia relations, Italy–Russia relations, Latvia–Russia relations, Portugal–Russia relations, Romania–Russia relations, Russia–Slovenia relations, Russia–Spain relations, Russia–Sweden relations
Law and crime
- War in Darfur
- Darfur genocide
- The trial of Ali Kushayb, one of the suspects in the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, begins at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Kushayb pleads not guilty. (Deutsche Welle)
- Darfur genocide
- 2022 Peruvian protests
- President Pedro Castillo imposes a curfew in Lima amid protests against inflation caused by rising fuel and fertiliser costs. (BBC News)
- Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
- The European Commission launches disciplinary proceedings against Hungary under the newly-upheld conditionality mechanism that could block funds over rule-of-law concerns if the shortcomings do not prevent misuse of EU funds. (Politico)
- 2022 Sacramento shooting
- The Sacramento Police Department announces the arrests of two additional people, ages 27 and 31, in connection to the mass shooting on Monday that killed six people and injured 12 others. (NBC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Battle of Bucha
- U.S. President Joe Biden calls for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face trials for war crimes after more images emerge of the Bucha massacre. (CNN)
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that peace talks will continue despite the Bucha massacre. (BBC News)
- Battle of Bucha
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kashmir conflict
- An Indian Central Reserve Police Force officer is killed and another is wounded by militants in the Maisuma neighbourhood of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. (Times of India)
Business and economy
- International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- Lebanese liquidity crisis
- Deputy PM Saadeh Al Shami says that Lebanon and its central bank are bankrupt. (Anadolu Agency)
Disasters and accidents
- A train derails in Lualaba Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing seven people and injuring 14 others. (The Punch)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania
- COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, COVID-19 vaccination in Sweden
- The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for people over age of 65 years, as well as other adults aged 18-64 with weak immune response. (The Local Sweden)
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- China reports 13,146 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since the height of the pandemic in Wuhan in February 2020. (France 24)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
International relations
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Lithuania–Russia relations
- Lithuania orders the closure of the Russian consulate in Klaipėda and downgrades diplomatic ties with Russia, ordering the Russian ambassador to leave the country. (LRT)
- France–Russia relations, Germany–Russia relations, Latvia–Russia relations
- France, Germany and Latvia expel Russian diplomats in response to war crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, specifically the Bucha massacre. (Radio Free Europe) (Axios)
- Russia–European Union relations, Iceland–Russia relations, Norway–Russia relations, Russia–Switzerland relations
- Russia restricts diplomats, journalists, and politicians from the European Union, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein from obtaining a visa by a simplified procedure. (Kommersant) (Reuters)
- Lithuania–Russia relations
Law and crime
- 2022 Sacramento shooting
- The Sacramento Police Department arrests a 26-year-old man in connection to yesterday's mass shooting that left six people dead and 12 others injured. (KTVU)
Science and technology
- Discoveries of exoplanets
- Astronomers announce the discovery of K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb, an exoplanet that is said to resemble Jupiter. The discovery was made using the now-retired Kepler space telescope. (ScienceAlert)
- The third part of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report is released, studying methods to mitigate climate change. (Met Office)
- Centerra Gold announces that they have reached an agreement with Kyrgyzstan to hand control of the Kumtor Gold Mine to the Kyrgyz government. (Mining.com)
Sports
- 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- In basketball, the Kansas Jayhawks rally from a 15-point deficit to defeat the 8th-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels 72–69 in the National Championship Game. This is the 4th championship for the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team, and their first since 2008. (The New York Times)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Southern Ukraine offensive
- Battle of Odessa
- Large explosions are reported in the port city of Odessa as residents are urged to seek shelter. Ukrainian officials say the Russian Air Force has fired missiles at the city, and that some missiles have been intercepted. (BBC News) (NDTV)
- Battle of Odessa
- Bucha massacre, War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Human Rights Watch, an independent human rights group, says that it has documented allegations of war crimes perpetrated by Russian forces in Ukraine against civilians, including rape, summary execution, and looting of civilian properties. (CNN)
- The United States, the European Union, and NATO leaders react to emerging reports of the massacre in Bucha, accusing the Russian Armed Forces of war crimes and calling for more sanctions against Russia. (BBC News)
- Southern Ukraine offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Afghanistan conflict
- One person is killed and several more are wounded after a militant bombs a money exchange hub in Kabul, Afghanistan. While the ruling Taliban says that 10 people were wounded, the city's emergency hospital counts an injury toll of 59.(Reuters)
- Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
- Twenty-one people are killed during an ADF attack at the village of Masambo, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters)
Arts and culture
- 64th Annual Grammy Awards
- During the ceremony, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes a video appearance and delivers a pre-taped speech urging viewers to support his country during the invasion in "any way" they can. (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Washington Post)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in China
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- Around 25 million residents in Shanghai are ordered to undergo COVID-19 testing in an effort to contain the current COVID-19 outbreak. (South China Morning Post)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- COVID-19 pandemic in China
Law and crime
- 2022 Sacramento shooting
- Six people are killed and 12 others are injured during a mass shooting at a popular nightlife area in Sacramento, California, United States. (ABC News)
- 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- Around ten people are injured in downtown Chapel Hill, North Carolina, after a series of riots broke out following UNC's victory against Duke in the Final Four. (CNN)
Politics and elections
- 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election
- Voters in Hungary head to the polls to elect a new National Assembly. (The Guardian)
- Fidesz, the party of current Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, wins most of the seats and retains its parliamentary supermajority, while opposition leader Péter Márki-Zay loses his home district of Hódmezővásárhely. (CNN)
- 2022 Serbian general election
- Voters in Serbia head to the polls to vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections. (DW)
- President Aleksandar Vučić is re-elected with 60.0% of the vote, and his party Serbian Progressive Party wins the most votes in the National Assembly at 42.9% though fail to win an overall majority of seats. (Reuters)
- 2022 Costa Rican general election
- Voters in Costa Rica head to the polls to vote in the second round of the presidential election. (TSE)
- Rodrigo Chaves Robles is elected President of Costa Rica. (Reuters)
- 2022 Pakistani constitutional crisis
- Pakistani President Arif Alvi dissolves the National Assembly after Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri refused to hold a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was widely expected to lose the motion. Khan previously accused the United States of conspiring with the opposition to remove him due to his opposition towards US foreign policy, which the US denies. (BBC News)
- 2022 Sri Lankan protests
- The entire cabinet of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns following days of economic protests in Sri Lanka. (BBC News)
- Former Crown Prince of Jordan Hamzah bin Hussein announces on Twitter that he is renouncing his "Prince" title, saying that his "personal convictions" are not in line with the "modern methods of our institutions". Hamzah has been under house arrest since last March after he accused Jordanian leaders of corruption and incompetence. (BBC News)
Sports
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kyiv offensive
- Battle of Bucha
- Bucha massacre, War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Hundreds of civilians are found dead on the streets in Bucha after the city is recaptured by Ukrainian forces. Journalists and Ukrainian forces say that they have uncovered evidence of war crimes by the Russian military. (Times of Israel) (The Guardian) (The Kyiv Independent)
- Bucha massacre, War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Battle of Chernobyl
- The Ukrainian flag is raised over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant following its recapture from Russian forces. A ceremony is held to honour the staff at the former plant who continued to work under Russian occupation. (CNN)
- Ukraine retakes full control of the Kyiv Oblast as the last Russian troops return to Belarus. (Reuters)
- Battle of Bucha
- Southern Ukraine offensive
- Aftermath of the Siege of Enerhodar
- Residents say that Russian occupiers have violently dispersed a pro-Ukrainian demonstration in Enerhodar. Several protesters are arrested. Russian troops are also alleged to have used explosions in order to disperse the crowd. (Reuters)
- Aftermath of the Siege of Enerhodar
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- Siege of Mariupol
- Lithuanian documentary filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius is killed in Mariupol. (Reuters)
- Siege of Mariupol
- Kyiv offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Three Palestinian Islamic Jihad members are killed and four Israeli soldiers are injured during a gunfight near Jenin in the West Bank. (BBC News)
- Fighting erupts near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, leading to four Palestinians being arrested by Israel Police for rioting. (Times of Israel)
- Yemeni Civil War
- Ceasefire talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabian forces begin in Yemen in an effort to end fighting. (France 24)
Business and economy
- Australia and India sign a A$12.6 billion trade deal aimed at strengthening India's manufacturing sector by allowing access to more raw materials, and to also reduce Australia's dependence on China after China placed sanctions on some Australian goods following several political disputes. (South China Morning Post)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Nauru
- President Lionel Aingimea announces Nauru's first positive cases of COVID-19 in two asymptomatic people who travelled from Brisbane on March 31. (RNZ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Nauru
International relations
- Enlargement of NATO
- Prime Minister Sanna Marin says that a decision on Finland joining the NATO military alliance must be made before this summer, stating that "Russia is not the neighbor we thought it was". (Yle)
Law and crime
- Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 anti-war protests in Russia
- More than 170 people are detained in anti-war protests across Russia. (The Moscow Times)
- Ukrainian Americans protest an appearance by Fox News host Tucker Carlson at the Awaken Church in San Marcos, California. (KFMB-TV)
- 2022 anti-war protests in Russia
- Sri Lankan economic crisis
- 2022 Sri Lankan protests
- The Sri Lankan government imposes a state of emergency after the Mirihana Presidential Residence is targeted by local civilian protesters. (BBC News)
- 2022 Sri Lankan protests