Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship, the cruiser Moskva (pictured), sinks after an explosion off the coast of Ukraine.
- Flooding across KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, leaves at least 440 people dead.
- Shehbaz Sharif is elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan after Imran Khan is removed in a no-confidence motion.
- A series of attacks by armed bandits kill more than 150 people in Plateau State, Nigeria.
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Siege of Mariupol
- The Russian Armed Forces gives the last remaining Ukrainian troops and "foreign fighters" still held out at the Azovstal iron and steel works plant in Mariupol until 6 a.m. Moscow time to lay down their weapons and surrender to Russian forces. (Reuters)
- Siege of Mariupol
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Jihadist insurgency in Niger
- More than 70 Islamic State – West Africa Province militants are killed during airstrikes by Niger and Nigeria at the border between the two countries. (Al Jazeera)
- Jihadist insurgency in Niger
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
- The Australian government withdraws its two-year-old pandemic ban on foreign cruise ships. (SCMP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
International relations
- North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea says that it tested a new weapon to boost their tactical nuclear capabilities. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- Myanmar's military junta pardons 1,619 prisoners in an annual tradition, but does not include political prisoners. (France24).
Sports
- 2022 Nippon Professional Baseball season, Rōki Sasaki's perfect game
- Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Rōki Sasaki is taken out after throwing 102 pitches, eight perfect innings to end the bid for second-consecutive perfect games, one week after his first one. (MLB.com)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Northeastern Ukraine offensive
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- It is reported that Russian oligarch and former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has visited Kyiv in an effort to revive peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. (Bloomberg.com)
- The Russian Air Force launches airstrikes on Kyiv. (CTV News)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Disasters and accidents
- One person is killed and six more injured after an oil tanker explodes east of Hong Kong. (Al Jazeera)
International relations
- Russia–United Kingdom relations
- Russia's foreign ministry bans Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and 11 other British senior politicians from entering Russia. (BBC News)
- Japan's Ministry of Defense reports that it scrambled fighters to intercept foreign military aircraft 1,004 times in 2021, in 722 of these cases the foreign aircraft were from the People's Republic of China. (The Diplomat)
Law and crime
- 2022 Salvadoran gang crackdown
- President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele announces that 12,169 gang members have been arrested since the state of emergency began on March 27. (Europa Press)
- Columbiana Centre shooting
- A mass shooting at a shopping mall near Columbia, South Carolina, United States injures 12 people. (The Guardian)
- Riots between Hindus and Muslims during a Hanuman Jayanti ceremony in Delhi, India leave several people injured. (Reuters)
- Rioting in Sweden continues for a second day after the far-right Hard Line party led by Rasmus Paludan organized a Quran burning event in Landskrona. (AP)
Science and technology
- Chinese space program
- Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Wang Yaping and Zhai Zhigang of the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft land successfully in Inner Mongolia after spending 183 days in space. During the spaceflight, Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk.(Al Jazeera)
Sports
- 2022 USFL season
- In American football, the United States Football League kicks off their inaugural season with the Birmingham Stallions defeating the New Jersey Generals 28–24, marking the return of the USFL for the first time since the 1985 season. (CBS Sports)
- Lotte Championship
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia launches major missile strikes on Kyiv, saying that the strikes are in retaliation for the April 2022 Belgorod and Bryansk attacks. (Reuters)
- In an address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns of a possibility that Russia could use nuclear or chemical weapons and calls on Ukrainians to begin stockpiling potassium iodide pills, saying Russia is willing to use nuclear weapons to "bring a catastrophic end" to the war. CIA Director William Burns says that there is no evidence that a nuclear attack is imminent but also says that the CIA won’t ignore the threat. (Axios) (The Independent)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- 2022 Al-Aqsa Mosque storming
- More than 150 Palestinians and three Israeli police officers are injured after Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. Hundreds of Palestinians across the Gaza Strip protest the storming. (BBC News) (Al Jazeera)
- A man is injured during a stabbing attack in Haifa, Israel. Police say that the stabbing was likely motivated by political reasons. (Times of Israel)
- 2022 Al-Aqsa Mosque storming
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan
- At least 39 people are killed in several Pakistani airstrikes in border areas of Afghanistan's Khost and Kunar provinces, allegedly targeting TTP members. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
- Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan
- Internal conflict in Myanmar
- Karen conflict
- An attempt by the Burmese army to take control of Lay Kay Kaw, a Karen National Union-controlled town, fails. (Radio Free Asia).
- Karen conflict
- South Thailand insurgency
- Two bombings in Thailand by the Ethnic Malay Patani United Liberation Organisation kill one civilian and injure three police officers. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Moody's announces that it will declare Russia in default on May 4, at the end of the grace period, if Russia services the foreign dollar-denominated bonds that it paid on April 4 in rubles rather than in US dollars, as mandated by the terms of the obligations. (Reuters)
- The South Korean government approves a plan to join the CPTPP. (The Korea Times)
Disasters and accidents
- At least 35 people are killed and 71 others are injured when a bus carrying churchgoers to an Easter gathering crashes in Chipinge, Zimbabwe. (Al Jazeera)
- A migrant vessel crashes off the coast of Sabratha, Libya, killing at least 6 people and leaving 29 others presumed dead. (The Guardian)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
- South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum announces that South Korea will lift their COVID-19 social distancing requirements beginning on April 18. The mask mandate, however, will remain in place. (Korea Herald)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
Science and technology
- Censorship in Russia
- Russia blocks Radio France Internationale and the Russian edition of The Moscow Times. (Reuters)
- Gasteranthus extinctus, an orange wild flower that is a member of the Gesneriaceae family, is rediscovered in Ecuador after being considered extinct for 36 years. The study of the flower's rediscovery is published by the journal PhytoKeys and the Field Museum in Chicago. (CNET)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- April 2022 Belgorod and Bryansk attacks
- Russian authorities say that they have temporarily evacuated the entire populations of two villages after Ukrainian forces allegedly shelled the Russian settlement of Spodaryushino in Belgorod Oblast. (Times of Israel)
- Russia says that two Ukrainian helicopters "carried out at least six air strikes on residential buildings in the village of Klimovo" in Bryansk Oblast, injuring seven people. Ukraine denies the accusations, saying that Russians shot the villages themselves as part of a plan to "whip up anti-Ukrainian hysteria". (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) (Reuters)
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu says that Turkey is still working on organizing a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (APA.az)
- The Russian defence ministry confirms that the Russian Navy flagship cruiser Moskva sank in the Black Sea after an explosion and fire onboard. Ukraine claims to have hit the warship with Neptune anti-ship missiles. (TASS) (RIA)
- April 2022 Belgorod and Bryansk attacks
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Seven Pakistani soldiers are killed in an ambush by alleged members of the TTP in a border area of North Waziristan District. (Al Jazeera)
- At least 42 people are killed during attacks by Arab militiamen in the disputed area of Abyei between Sudan and South Sudan. (The Paradise)
Business and economy
- Egypt–India relations
- Egypt's Minister of Agriculture El Sayed El Quseir announces that India has approved Egyptian imports of wheat due to the shortage caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Egypt Online).
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Pacific typhoon season
- Storm Megi
- The death toll from the floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Megi in the Philippines increases to 115. (Al Jazeera)
- Storm Megi
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- Shanghai reports a record 2,573 symptomatic cases and 25,146 new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. (NBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Hong Kong authorities announce that they will ease some of their strict social distancing measures beginning on April 21, including lifting the ban on private gatherings of more than two households, extending dine-in service at restaurants to 10 p.m., and allowing the reopening of most premises, as the number of COVID-19 cases declines. (The Straits Times)
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 testing in the United States
- The U.S. FDA announces that they have approved the first test to detect COVID-19 through breathing. (The Hill)
- COVID-19 testing in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
- COVID-19 drug development
- Health Canada authorizes the use of the AstraZeneca's antibody-based therapy Evushield for immunocompromised patients aged above 12 years. (CBC)
- COVID-19 drug development
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency grants the first European approval of the Valneva COVID-19 vaccine for people aged between 18 to 50 years. (BBC News)
- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency also approves the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people aged between 6 to 11 years. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom
- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide surpasses 500 million. (Al-Arabiya English)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
International relations
- Iran begins nuclear centrifuge production in Natanz, Isfahan province. (MSN)
Law and crime
- 2022 New York City Subway attack
- Frank James, the suspect of Tuesday's subway attack, is held without bail in a federal court. (MSN)
- Abortion in the United States
- Abortion in Florida
- Governor Ron DeSantis signs a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy in most cases, a reduction from the current 24 weeks. Barring legal challenges, the bill is expected to enter into effect on July 1. (Politico)
- Abortion in Florida
Politics and elections
- Politics in Singapore
- Finance Minister Lawrence Wong has been selected as leader of the fourth generation (4G) leadership of the People's Action Party (PAP), paving the way for him to become the next Prime Minister of Singapore. (TODAY)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- Siege of Mariupol
- The Russian defence ministry claims that around 1,000 Ukrainian marines have surrendered to Russia. Ukraine makes no comment. (Rferl)
- Siege of Mariupol
- Foreign aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- The United States says that it is sending an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, as well as heavy weapons, including artillery systems, artillery rounds, armored personnel carriers, Mi-17 helicopters transferred from Afghanistan, 300 Switchblade drones and unmanned surface vehicles for coastal defence. (Reuters)
- Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov says U.S. and NATO vehicles transporting weapons on Ukrainian territory are "legal military targets". (Reuters)
- Northeastern Ukraine offensive
- Governor of Kharkiv Oblast Oleh Synyehubov says that seven people have been killed and 22 others have been injured in the oblast during the past 24 hours. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Kyiv offensive
- The Russian defence ministry says it will begin to target Ukrainian "decision-makers", including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and command centres in the capital Kyiv if Ukrainian forces continue to attack Russian territory. (NDTV)
- Presidents Andrzej Duda of Poland, Gitanas Nausėda of Lithuania, Egils Levits of Latvia, and Alar Karis of Estonia arrive in Kyiv and meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (AP)
- The Ukrainian military says that it has struck the Russian Navy's cruiser Moskva with Neptune anti-ship missiles hours after the warship was reported to be on fire in the Black Sea. (FCB News) (NDTV)
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- The Israel Defense Forces raid the city of Nablus in the West Bank, killing one person and injuring 31 others. (Al Jazeera)
- Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
- South Africa says that it is extending its participation in a multinational counter-insurgent coalition in Mozambique. (AP)
- Nigerian bandit conflict, Boko Haram insurgency
- Nigeria says it has uncovered an alliance between bandit gangs and the Islamist Boko Haram group. (AP)
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods
- The death toll from the floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, during the last five days increases to 300. (BBC News)
- Wildfires in 2022
- Two people are killed and 200 homes are reportedly damaged during the McBride Fire in Ruidoso, New Mexico. (The New York Times) (NMDPS)
- Earthquakes in 2022
- A 6.3 magnitude earthquake hits the Papua New Guinean island of New Britain. (Canberra Times)
- Ten people are killed and 14 others are injured when a truck crashes into a tourist bus in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. (ABC News)
- Eighteen people are killed when a truck carrying 29 people flips over in Indonesia's West Papua province. (Reuters)
- Twenty-eight people are dead after a boat capsizes in Sokoto State, Nigeria. (pulse NG) (PeaceFM)
- Six people are dead and 13 more injured during a fire at a pharmaceutical factory in Andhra Pradesh, India. (Independent)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- The U.S. CDC and TSA announce that they have extended the mask mandate for public transportation until May 3. (The Washington Post) (The Hill)
- U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra announces that the Biden administration has extended the COVID-19 state of emergency for 90 days. The state of emergency was expected to expire on April 16. (Roll Call)
- Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- Abortion in the United States
- Abortion in Kentucky
- A bill banning abortion after 15 weeks of gestation (styled on Mississippi's bill) and restricting its access to minors comes into force after the legislature overrides Governor Andy Beshear's veto. (WFPL)
- Abortion in Kentucky
International relations
- English Channel migrant crossings
- The British government and Rwanda agree on a deal to relocate illegal migrants who arrive on boats in the United Kingdom to processing centres in Rwanda. (BBC News)
- Enlargement of NATO
- Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin says Finland will decide on NATO membership within "weeks", after Russia warned the country against joining the Western military alliance. (BBC News)
Law and crime
- 2022 New York City Subway attack
- The suspect in yesterday's mass shooting and smoke bomb attack at the New York City Subway that injured 23 people is arrested following a tip from bystanders. (BBC News)
- Disney announces that it shut down Club Penguin Rewritten, which was seen as a successor to the defunct Club Penguin, over concerns of copyright infringement. Assets are seized by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit. Three people are arrested in London, United Kingdom on suspicion of distributing materials infringing copyright. (Dexerto)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Mali War
- The European Union suspends some of its military activities in Mali due to the alleged involvement of Russian private military companies in the conflict, especially during the Siege of Moura in March. (Reuters)
- Five soldiers are killed and several others are injured after a landmine planted by Islamic extremists explodes in Northern Pendjari National Park, Benin. (Reuters)
- Mali War
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- U.S. President Joe Biden calls the Russian war in Ukraine a "genocide". (Associated Press)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 New York City Subway attack
- Seventeen people are injured during a mass shooting and smoke bomb attack at the 36th Street station in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. The attacker is at large. (BBC News)
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- A police officer is stabbed and injured by a Palestinian militant in Ashkelon, Southern Israel. The attacker is shot dead. (The Guardian)
- Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria
- Armed Fulani herdsmen kill 23 people in Benue State, Nigeria. (Channels TV)
- Western Sahara conflict
- Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Two officers and two Tehrik-i-Taliban militants are killed in an ambush in North Waziristan, a district of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. (Associated Press)
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods
- Major flooding in South Africa, mainly in the city of Durban, kills at least 250 people and leaves many others missing. (BBC News)
- An explosion at an Amal Movement scout camp in Sidon, Lebanon, kills one person and injures seven others. According to the National News Agency the incident occurred due to an accident in a Hamas weapon depot. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Mainland China
- COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan
- Taiwan reports 551 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day figure of new cases this year. (Focus Taiwan)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
Law and crime
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- Partygate
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are fined for breaching the COVID-19 lockdown rules in the country. (The Guardian)
- Partygate
- Abortion in the United States
- Abortion in Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signs a law criminalising abortion in the state, with the exception of cases when the mother's health is in danger. According to the law, anyone performing an abortion could face a fine of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in prison, although the woman undergoing the abortion would not be penalised. (AP) (The Washington Post)
- Abortion in Oklahoma
- Russian fake news laws
- A Colombian citizen is arrested in Russia on charges of "spreading false information" about the Russian Armed Forces on social media. This is the first known case of a foreign national facing possible prosecution under Russia's new "fake news" law. (The Moscow Times)
- Chilean Constitutional Convention
- The Chilean Constitutional Convention approves defining the country as a "Social State" in the new fundamental law, a fact that various constituents and experts interpret as a turning point in the country's history. (eldiario.es)
- Law of Indonesia
- Law on Elimination of Sexual Violence
- Indonesia's parliament passed a bill outlawing sexual abuse and forced marriage. (CNN)
- Law on Elimination of Sexual Violence
Sports
- 2021–22 North American winter
- April 2022 North American storm complex, 2021–22 NHL season
- The National Hockey League announces that the upcoming Winnipeg Jets game against the Seattle Kraken, originally scheduled for April 13, has been postponed to May 1 as a winter storm sweeps through the southern area of Manitoba. (ESPN)
- April 2022 North American storm complex, 2021–22 NHL season
- 2022 Major League Baseball season
- In baseball, San Francisco Giants assistant coach Alyssa Nakken becomes the first woman to coach on the field during a Major League Baseball regular season game during the team's matchup against the San Diego Padres. (ABC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- Siege of Mariupol
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces that the city of Mariupol has been "completely destroyed", stating the death toll as "tens of thousands". (Washington Examiner)
- Governor of Donetsk Oblast Pavlo Kyrylenko says that three people have been killed and eight more injured by rocket attacks in the region. (Reuters)
- Siege of Mariupol
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Two Israelis of the Breslover group are shot in Nablus after they attempted to enter through an unmanned checkpoint in order to pray at Joseph's Tomb. Fire damage is discovered inside several chambers of the tomb and is attributed to Palestinian rioters who were throwing stones at the tomb two days prior. (The Jerusalem Post) (BBC News)
- Five people are injured when their car is stoned in East Jerusalem. (Times of Israel)
- A Palestinian militant is shot dead after throwing an incendiary device at Israeli security forces in the West Bank. (CTV News)
Business and economy
- International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- In response to the S&P's lowering of Russian foreign debt rating to "SD" (selective default), Finance Minister Anton Siluanov tells pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia that the government is preparing to sue in order to force the investors to accept their payments. (CNN)
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Pacific typhoon season
- At least 25 people are killed during floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Megi in the Philippines. (Reuters)
- Trikut cable car accident
- At least three people are killed at the Trikut hills ropeway in Deoghar district, Jharkhand, India. (NDTV)
- 6 people, including 3 children, have been killed and 5 injured in a gas leak explosion in an apartment block in Moscow, Russia. (Radio Free Europe)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
- COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia
- Philadelphia reinstates their indoor mask mandate amid an increase in the number of cases in the city, becoming the first major U.S. city to do so. The mandate will take effect on April 18. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Philadelphia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- Shanghai eases their lockdown in several areas of the city. (Bloomberg.com)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- In Chile, Santiago governor Claudio Orrego announces that the national capital will ration water for the first time in its history, as the country enters its 13th year of drought. (The Guardian)
Law and crime
- Islamic terrorism in Europe, Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- Murder of David Amess
- Islamic State supporter Ali Harbi Ali is convicted of the murder of British Conservative MP for Southend West David Amess. Ali is also convicted of preparing acts of terrorism. (BBC News)
- Murder of David Amess
- British Conservative MP for Wakefield Imran Ahmad Khan is convicted of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2022 Pakistani constitutional crisis
- Over 100 Pakistani lawmakers resign in protest of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan. (Reuters)