Portal:Current events/2018 April 20: Difference between revisions
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;Armed conflicts and attacks |
;Armed conflicts and attacks |
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*[[Syrian Civil War]] |
*[[Syrian Civil War]] |
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**[[ISIL]] agrees to hand over control of [[Yarmouk Camp]] in southern [[Damascus]] to the [[Syrian Army]] in return for safe passage to ISIL-held territory in the [[Syrian Desert]], bringing the predominantly [[Palestinian refugees|Palestinian refugee]] district under government control for the first time since 2012. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/islamic-state-group-to-give-up-last-pocket-in-syrian-capital/2018/04/20/61001278-448b-11e8-b2dc-b0a403e4720a_story.html |
**[[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] agrees to hand over control of [[Yarmouk Camp]] in southern [[Damascus]] to the [[Syrian Army]] in return for safe passage to ISIL-held territory in the [[Syrian Desert]], bringing the predominantly [[Palestinian refugees|Palestinian refugee]] district under government control for the first time since 2012. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/islamic-state-group-to-give-up-last-pocket-in-syrian-capital/2018/04/20/61001278-448b-11e8-b2dc-b0a403e4720a_story.html (''The Washington Post'')] |
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*[[International military intervention against ISIL]] |
*[[International military intervention against ISIL]] |
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**[[Iraq]] conducts a series of air strikes against an [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] target in [[Syria]]. [https://www.yahoo.com/news/iraq-bombs-isis-apos-terrorist-210548506.html (Yahoo! News)] |
**[[Iraq]] conducts a series of air strikes against an [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] target in [[Syria]]. [https://www.yahoo.com/news/iraq-bombs-isis-apos-terrorist-210548506.html (Yahoo! News)] |
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*[[2018 Gaza border protests]] |
*[[2018 Gaza border protests]] |
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**Palestinians riot along the Israel-Gaza border fence, burning tyres and flying flaming kites across the border to set Israeli fields ablaze; [[Israel Defence Forces]] soldiers respond with tear gas and live fire, killing four Palestinians, including a 15-year-old, according to the [[Hamas]] |
**Palestinians riot along the Israel-Gaza border fence, burning tyres and flying flaming kites across the border to set Israeli fields ablaze; [[Israel Defence Forces]] soldiers respond with tear gas and live fire, killing four Palestinians, including a 15-year-old, according to the [[Hamas]]-run health ministry. [https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/gaza-march-of-return-protests-continues-for-fourth-consecutive-we-1.6013144 (''Haaretz'')] [https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-say-gazan-killed-by-idf-sniper-fire-near-border/ (''The Times of Israel'')] |
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**[[B’Tselem]] alleges Israeli forces have been firing on tents around 400 metres back from the border housing protestors including the elderly and children, and attacked peaceful protestors with [[tear gas]]. [https://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/20180419_military_fires_tear_gas_at_gaza_protest_tents (B’Tselem)] |
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**One petrol bomb-carrying kite is flown over the border adorned with a [[ |
**One petrol bomb-carrying kite is flown over the border adorned with a [[swastika]]. [https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-fly-swastika-kite-with-petrol-bomb-across-gaza-border-into-israel/ (''The Times of Israel'')] |
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*[[First Liberian Civil War]] |
*[[First Liberian Civil War]] |
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**[[Liberia]]n warlord [[Mohammed Jabbateh (Jungle Jabbah)|Mohammed "Jungle Jabbah" Jabbateh]] is sentenced to 30 years in prison in the [[United States]] for [[immigration to the United States|immigration]] offences. Jabbateh lied to authorities about his role in the Liberian Civil War. [ |
**[[Liberia]]n warlord [[Mohammed Jabbateh (Jungle Jabbah)|Mohammed "Jungle Jabbah" Jabbateh]] is sentenced to 30 years in prison in the [[United States]] for [[immigration to the United States|immigration]] offences. Jabbateh lied to authorities about his role in the Liberian Civil War. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-43836567 (BBC News)] |
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*[[Russia]]n [[frigate]] ''Yaroslav Mudry'' passes through the [[English Channel]], and is shadowed by [[Royal Navy]] coastal defence ship [[HMS St Albans|HMS ''St Albans'']]. [https://nypost.com/2018/04/20/royal-navy-tails-russian-warship-amid-rising-tensions/ (''The New York Post'')] |
*[[Russia]]n [[frigate]] ''Yaroslav Mudry'' passes through the [[English Channel]], and is shadowed by [[Royal Navy]] coastal defence ship [[HMS St Albans|HMS ''St Albans'']]. [https://nypost.com/2018/04/20/royal-navy-tails-russian-warship-amid-rising-tensions/ (''The New York Post'')] |
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* [[2014–2018 Nicaraguan protests]] |
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** The government put the number of people killed in two days of protests at 10. [https://www.thenational.ae/world/the-americas/ortega-cancels-reforms-after-24-reportedly-die-in-nicaragua-protests-1.723868 (''The National'')] |
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;Arts and culture |
;Arts and culture |
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*[[Expo 2020]] |
*[[Expo 2020]] |
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**[[Tajikistan]] announces that it will participate in the [[Expo 2020]] in [[Dubai]]. [https://en.trend.az/casia/tajikistan/2891010.html (Trend)] |
**[[Tajikistan]] announces that it will participate in the [[Expo 2020]] in [[Dubai]]. [https://en.trend.az/casia/tajikistan/2891010.html (Trend)] |
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*[[Deaths in 2018]] |
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⚫ | |||
;Business and economy |
;Business and economy |
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*[[Economy of the United States]] |
*[[Economy of the United States]] |
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**[[Wells Fargo]] bank is fined [[United States dollar|US$]]1 billion by the United States government for mishandling of mortgages and automobile loans. Wells Fargo is also ordered to reimburse customers who were overcharged. [http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/20/news/companies/wells-fargo-regulators-auto-lending-fine/index.html (CNN)] |
**[[Wells Fargo]] bank is fined [[United States dollar|US$]]1 billion by the United States government for mishandling of mortgages and automobile loans. Wells Fargo is also ordered to reimburse customers who were overcharged. [http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/20/news/companies/wells-fargo-regulators-auto-lending-fine/index.html (CNN)] |
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**All [[The Bon-Ton|Bon-Ton]] department stores are expected to close by August. At the time of announcement, the company operated 256 stores under its own name and the [[Bergner's]], [[Boston Store]], [[Carson's]], [[Elder-Beerman]], [[Herberger's]] and [[Younkers]] nameplates. [https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2018/bon-ton-store-closings/ (Pymnts.com)] [http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/19/news/companies/bon-ton-liquidation/index.html (CNN)] |
**All [[The Bon-Ton|Bon-Ton]] department stores are expected to close by August. At the time of announcement, the company operated 256 stores under its own name and the [[Bergner's]], [[Boston Store (Wisconsin)|Boston Store]], [[Carson's]], [[Elder-Beerman]], [[Herberger's]] and [[Younkers]] nameplates. [https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2018/bon-ton-store-closings/ (Pymnts.com)] [http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/19/news/companies/bon-ton-liquidation/index.html (CNN)] |
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*[[South Korea]]n shipbuilding firm [[Sungdong]] collapses into receivership after surviving on government aid for eight years. [https://splash247.com/sungdong-shipbuilding-officially-placed-court-receivership/ (Splash 24/7)] |
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⚫ | |||
;Disasters and accidents |
;Disasters and accidents |
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*Around 40 people are injured after two passenger trains collide in [[Salzburg]], [[Austria]]. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-crash/about-40-slightly-injured-in-austrian-train-accident-police-idUSKBN1HR0I5https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-crash/about-40-slightly-injured-in-austrian-train-accident-police-idUSKBN1HR0I5 (Reuters)] |
*Around 40 people are injured after two passenger trains collide in [[Salzburg]], [[Austria]]. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-crash/about-40-slightly-injured-in-austrian-train-accident-police-idUSKBN1HR0I5https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-crash/about-40-slightly-injured-in-austrian-train-accident-police-idUSKBN1HR0I5 (Reuters)] |
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*Around 10,000 people are evacuated from central [[Berlin]], [[Germany]], while [[bomb disposal]] experts defuse a {{convert|500|kg|lb}} [[World War II]]–era British bomb at a construction site. [ |
*Around 10,000 people are evacuated from central [[Berlin]], [[Germany]], while [[bomb disposal]] experts defuse a {{convert|500|kg|lb}} [[World War II]]–era British bomb at a construction site. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-43833138 (BBC News)] |
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*[[Mount Iō (Shiretoko)|Mount Iō]] in northern [[Japan]] erupts for the first time in 250 years, together with nearby [[Mount Kirishima]] [https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2018/04/20/japanese-volcano-mount-io-erupts/535232002/ (USA Today)][http://clicklancashire.com/2018/04/19/volcano-erupts-in-kyushu.html (''Click Lancashire'')] |
*[[Mount Iō (Shiretoko)|Mount Iō]] in northern [[Japan]] erupts for the first time in 250 years, together with nearby [[Mount Kirishima]] [https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2018/04/20/japanese-volcano-mount-io-erupts/535232002/ (''USA Today'')] [http://clicklancashire.com/2018/04/19/volcano-erupts-in-kyushu.html (''Click Lancashire'')] |
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*[[Southwest Airlines Flight 1380]] |
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**The [[United States]] [[Federal Aviation Administration]] issues an emergency [[Airworthiness Directive]] for [[CFM56-7B]] jet engines. The EAD expands on previous orders requiring [[ultrasonic testing]] to search for [[metal fatigue]] in fan blades. It mandates testing on engines that have reached 30,000+ flights<!--"flight cycles" in aviation jargon used by the source-->, believed to cover 352 US engines and 681 engines worldwide. [http://avherald.com/h?article=4b798bcf&opt=0 (The Aviation Herald)] [http://avherald.com/h?article=4b7725fb&opt=0 (The Aviation Herald)] |
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*A helicopter crashes in [[Sulawesi]], [[Indonesia]], killing one and injuring nine. [http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/one-dead-nine-injured-in-sulawesi-helicopter-crash (''The Straits Times'')] |
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;Health and environment |
;Health and environment |
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*A [[United Kingdom|British]] man reported last month to be suffering what doctors called the "worst-ever" super-[[gonorrhoea]] is said by [[Public Health England]] to have been cured. [ |
*A [[United Kingdom|British]] man reported last month to be suffering what doctors called the "worst-ever" super-[[gonorrhoea]] is said by [[Public Health England]] to have been cured. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43840505 (BBC News)] |
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;International relations |
;International relations |
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*[[2017–18 North Korea crisis]] |
*[[2017–18 North Korea crisis]] |
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**[[North Korea]] leader [[Kim Jong-un]] |
**[[North Korea]] [[Supreme Leader (North Korean title)|leader]] [[Kim Jong-un]] announces that North Korea will suspend its [[List of North Korean missile tests|missile]] and [[List of nuclear weapons tests of North Korea|nuclear]] tests and has agreed to shut down its nuclear test sites. [https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/04/20/north-korea-suspends-missile-tests-closing-nuclear-test-site-report.html (Military)] [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/north-korea/north-korea-says-it-has-suspended-nuclear-missile-testing-n867961 (NBC News)] |
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;Law and crime |
;Law and crime |
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*[[List of offenders executed in the United States in 2018|Offenders executed in the United States in 2018]] |
*[[List of offenders executed in the United States in 2018|Offenders executed in the United States in 2018]] |
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**[[Alabama]] executes 83-year-old [[Walter Moody]] via lethal injection, who assassinated [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] judge [[Robert Smith Vance]] on December 16, 1989. Moody is the oldest prisoner to be executed in the US since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976. [ |
**[[Alabama]] executes 83-year-old [[Walter Moody]] via lethal injection, who assassinated [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] judge [[Robert Smith Vance]] on December 16, 1989. Moody is the oldest prisoner to be executed in the US since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43836864 (BBC News)] |
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*[[Cybercrime]] |
*[[Cybercrime]] |
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**The [[Central Criminal Court]] in [[London]] jails Kane Gamble, 18, for two years for unlawfully accessing [[CIA]], [[FBI]] and [[ |
**The [[Central Criminal Court (England and Wales)|Central Criminal Court]] in [[London]] jails Kane Gamble, 18, for two years for unlawfully accessing [[CIA]], [[FBI]] and [[United States Department of Justice]] databases and phone and email accounts of senior US intelligence officials. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-43840075 (BBC News)] |
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*[[Politics of Zimbabwe]] |
*[[Politics of Zimbabwe]] |
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**The [[Parliament of Zimbabwe]] summons ex-[[President of Zimbabwe|President]] [[Robert Mugabe]] over an alleged theft of [[diamonds]]. [ |
**The [[Parliament of Zimbabwe]] summons ex-[[President of Zimbabwe|President]] [[Robert Mugabe]] over an alleged theft of [[diamonds]]. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-43839068 (BBC News)] |
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*[[Basque conflict]] |
*[[Basque conflict]] |
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**The [[Basque separatism|Basque separatist]] terrorist group [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] apologises to every victim. ETA killed more than 800 people in its 40-year history, committing terrorists attacks throughout [[Spain]] |
**The [[Basque separatism|Basque separatist]] terrorist group [[ETA (separatist group)|ETA]] apologises to "every victim" of its actions. The ETA killed more than 800 people in its 40-year history, committing terrorists attacks throughout [[Spain]]. [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43834750 (BBC News)] |
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*[[Crime in Poland]] |
*[[Crime in Poland]] |
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**A court in [[Radom]], [[Poland]] hands a six-month suspended prison term and a 10,000 [[polish zloty|zloty]] fine to a [[Russia]]n pilot who caused a security scare during [[Pope Francis]]'s 2016 visit for [[World Youth Day]]. The Russian had flown from the [[Czech Republic]] to compete in an international aerobatics competition and unknowingly violated a no-fly zone imposed for the papal visit. After failing to contact the aircraft, local authorities scrambled two [[F-16|F-16 fighter jets]] to intercept it. [http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/359890,Penalty-for-Russian-pilot-who-triggered-alert-during-papal-visit-to-Poland (Radio Poland)] |
**A court in [[Radom]], [[Poland]], hands a six-month suspended prison term and a 10,000 [[polish zloty|zloty]] fine to a [[Russia]]n pilot who caused a security scare during [[Pope Francis]]'s 2016 visit for [[World Youth Day]]. The Russian had flown from the [[Czech Republic]] to compete in an international aerobatics competition and unknowingly violated a no-fly zone imposed for the papal visit. After failing to contact the aircraft, local authorities scrambled two [[F-16|F-16 fighter jets]] to intercept it. [http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/359890,Penalty-for-Russian-pilot-who-triggered-alert-during-papal-visit-to-Poland (Radio Poland)] |
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**[[Poland|Polish]] Justice Minister and Prosecutor General [[Zbigniew Ziobro]] announces plans for a change to national [[self defence]] law to allow people to use more force than their attacks, and orders prosecutors to abandon proceedings against a businessman who shot at a getaway car containing fleeing robbers. [http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/359850,Justice-minister-wants-immunity-for-people-who-defend-themselves (Radio Poland)] |
**[[Poland|Polish]] Justice Minister and Prosecutor General [[Zbigniew Ziobro]] announces plans for a change to national [[self defence]] law to allow people to use more force than their attacks, and orders prosecutors to abandon proceedings against a businessman who shot at a getaway car containing fleeing robbers. [http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/359850,Justice-minister-wants-immunity-for-people-who-defend-themselves (Radio Poland)] |
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*The [[ |
*The [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]] announces it intends to appeal yesterday's ruling that an unnamed detained [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] suspect in the custody of U.S. troops in [[Iraq]] cannot be transferred to an unnamed foreign nation. The man has dual U.S.-[[Saudi Arabia]]n citizenship. [https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/19/politics/isis-citizen-transfer/index.html (CNN)] |
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*[[Inn Din massacre]] |
*[[Inn Din massacre]] |
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**A [[Myanmar Police Force|Myanmar police]] captain testifies in court that he and his colleagues were ordered by their superiors to [[Entrapment|entrap]] two [[Reuters]] journalists, who were arrested on 12 December 2017 for "possessing state secrets" under a colonial-era law. The journalists had been working on a report documenting the massacre at [[Inn Din]]. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-journalists/myanmar-police-set-up-reuters-reporters-in-sting-police-witness-idUSKBN1HR12Q (Reuters)] [https://www.voanews.com/a/myanmar-policeman-testifies-arrested-reporters-were-set-up/4358822.html (Voice of America)] |
**A [[Myanmar Police Force|Myanmar police]] captain testifies in court that he and his colleagues were ordered by their superiors to [[Entrapment|entrap]] two [[Reuters]] journalists, who were arrested on 12 December 2017 for "possessing state secrets" under a colonial-era law. The journalists had been working on a report documenting the massacre at [[Inn Din]]. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-journalists/myanmar-police-set-up-reuters-reporters-in-sting-police-witness-idUSKBN1HR12Q (Reuters)] [https://www.voanews.com/a/myanmar-policeman-testifies-arrested-reporters-were-set-up/4358822.html (Voice of America)] |
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*An [[Iraq]]i judge hands a [[capital punishment|death sentence]] to an [[ISIL]] member who acted as a judge deciding on marriages in [[Mosul]]. [http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/881012d5-e116-4f69-a981-58e4067255f1 (Kurdistan 24)] |
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;Politics and elections |
;Politics and elections |
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*[[Democratic National Committee |
*''[[Democratic National Committee v. Russian Federation]]'' |
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**The [[Democratic National Committee]] file a lawsuit against [[Russia]], the [[Donald Trump |
**The [[Democratic National Committee]] file a lawsuit against [[Russia]], the [[Presidency of Donald Trump|Donald Trump administration]], and [[WikiLeaks]] alleging that the former conspired to [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|interfere in the 2016 United States elections]]. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democratic-party-files-lawsuit-alleging-russia-the-trump-campaign-and-wikileaks-conspired-to-disrupt-the-2016-campaign/2018/04/20/befe8364-4418-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html (''The Washington Post'')] |
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*[[Brexit negotiations]] |
*[[Brexit negotiations]] |
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**The [[UK]] [[National Audit Office (United Kingdom)|Audit Office]] rejects a [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] estimate of the cost of leaving the [[European Union]] that was repeated by [[UK Prime Minister|Prime Minister]] [[Theresa May]]. Rather than the official [[pound sterling|£]]35–39 billion estimate, the watchdog says that figure misleadingly included £7.2 billion earmarked directly for private hands and did not include up to £3 billion in budget contributions and £2.9 billion in [[European Development Fund]] payments. [https://www.fxstreet.com/news/uk-audit-office-brexit-divorce-bill-to-exceed-gbp-39bn-201804200312 ( |
**The [[UK]] [[National Audit Office (United Kingdom)|Audit Office]] rejects a [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] estimate of the cost of leaving the [[European Union]] that was repeated by [[UK Prime Minister|Prime Minister]] [[Theresa May]]. Rather than the official [[pound sterling|£]]35–39 billion estimate, the watchdog says that figure misleadingly included £7.2 billion earmarked directly for private hands and did not include up to £3 billion in budget contributions and £2.9 billion in [[European Development Fund]] payments. [https://www.fxstreet.com/news/uk-audit-office-brexit-divorce-bill-to-exceed-gbp-39bn-201804200312 (FXstreet)] |
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*[[2018 United States gun violence protests]] |
*[[2018 United States gun violence protests]] |
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**On the anniversary of the [[Columbine High School massacre]], thousands of students across the [[United States]] walk out |
**On the anniversary of the [[Columbine High School massacre]], thousands of students across the [[United States]] walk out of school to protest against school shootings. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hundreds-school-walkouts-planned-friday-n867726 (NBC News)] [http://people.com/crime/national-walkout-day-anniversary-columbine-massacre-protest-gun-violence/ (''People'')] |
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;Science and technology |
;Science and technology |
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*[[Discoveries of exoplanets]] |
*[[Discoveries of exoplanets]] |
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**A study has been revealed that WASP-104b, a [[ |
**A study has been revealed that [[WASP-104b]], a [[hot Jupiter]] [[exoplanet]], has been discovered as one of the darkest exoplanets ever seen. [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2167030-distant-jupiter-like-world-may-be-the-darkest-planet-ever-found/ (''New Scientist'')] |
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<!-- All news items above this line -->}} |
<!-- All news items above this line -->}} |
Latest revision as of 21:13, 2 February 2024
April 20, 2018
(Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- ISIL agrees to hand over control of Yarmouk Camp in southern Damascus to the Syrian Army in return for safe passage to ISIL-held territory in the Syrian Desert, bringing the predominantly Palestinian refugee district under government control for the first time since 2012. (The Washington Post)
- International military intervention against ISIL
- Iraq conducts a series of air strikes against an ISIL target in Syria. (Yahoo! News)
- 2018 Gaza border protests
- Palestinians riot along the Israel-Gaza border fence, burning tyres and flying flaming kites across the border to set Israeli fields ablaze; Israel Defence Forces soldiers respond with tear gas and live fire, killing four Palestinians, including a 15-year-old, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. (Haaretz) (The Times of Israel)
- B’Tselem alleges Israeli forces have been firing on tents around 400 metres back from the border housing protestors including the elderly and children, and attacked peaceful protestors with tear gas. (B’Tselem)
- One petrol bomb-carrying kite is flown over the border adorned with a swastika. (The Times of Israel)
- First Liberian Civil War
- Liberian warlord Mohammed "Jungle Jabbah" Jabbateh is sentenced to 30 years in prison in the United States for immigration offences. Jabbateh lied to authorities about his role in the Liberian Civil War. (BBC News)
- Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry passes through the English Channel, and is shadowed by Royal Navy coastal defence ship HMS St Albans. (The New York Post)
- 2014–2018 Nicaraguan protests
- The government put the number of people killed in two days of protests at 10. (The National)
Arts and culture
- 2018 Gaza border protests
- Actress Natalie Portman, who was born in Jerusalem, pulls out of the upcoming Genesis Prize (worth 1 million USD) ceremony in Israel over "recent events in Israel". The Genesis Prize Foundation says it is worried the event will become politicised. (CBS News)
- Expo 2020
- Tajikistan announces that it will participate in the Expo 2020 in Dubai. (Trend)
- Deaths in 2018
- Swedish musician Avicii dies in Oman at the age of 28. (BBC News)
Business and economy
- Economy of the United States
- Wells Fargo bank is fined US$1 billion by the United States government for mishandling of mortgages and automobile loans. Wells Fargo is also ordered to reimburse customers who were overcharged. (CNN)
- All Bon-Ton department stores are expected to close by August. At the time of announcement, the company operated 256 stores under its own name and the Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers nameplates. (Pymnts.com) (CNN)
- South Korean shipbuilding firm Sungdong collapses into receivership after surviving on government aid for eight years. (Splash 24/7)
Disasters and accidents
- Around 40 people are injured after two passenger trains collide in Salzburg, Austria. (Reuters)
- Around 10,000 people are evacuated from central Berlin, Germany, while bomb disposal experts defuse a 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) World War II–era British bomb at a construction site. (BBC News)
- Mount Iō in northern Japan erupts for the first time in 250 years, together with nearby Mount Kirishima (USA Today) (Click Lancashire)
- Southwest Airlines Flight 1380
- The United States Federal Aviation Administration issues an emergency Airworthiness Directive for CFM56-7B jet engines. The EAD expands on previous orders requiring ultrasonic testing to search for metal fatigue in fan blades. It mandates testing on engines that have reached 30,000+ flights, believed to cover 352 US engines and 681 engines worldwide. (The Aviation Herald) (The Aviation Herald)
- A helicopter crashes in Sulawesi, Indonesia, killing one and injuring nine. (The Straits Times)
Health and environment
- A British man reported last month to be suffering what doctors called the "worst-ever" super-gonorrhoea is said by Public Health England to have been cured. (BBC News)
International relations
- 2017–18 North Korea crisis
- North Korea leader Kim Jong-un announces that North Korea will suspend its missile and nuclear tests and has agreed to shut down its nuclear test sites. (Military) (NBC News)
Law and crime
- Offenders executed in the United States in 2018
- Alabama executes 83-year-old Walter Moody via lethal injection, who assassinated United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit judge Robert Smith Vance on December 16, 1989. Moody is the oldest prisoner to be executed in the US since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976. (BBC News)
- Cybercrime
- The Central Criminal Court in London jails Kane Gamble, 18, for two years for unlawfully accessing CIA, FBI and United States Department of Justice databases and phone and email accounts of senior US intelligence officials. (BBC News)
- Politics of Zimbabwe
- The Parliament of Zimbabwe summons ex-President Robert Mugabe over an alleged theft of diamonds. (BBC News)
- Basque conflict
- The Basque separatist terrorist group ETA apologises to "every victim" of its actions. The ETA killed more than 800 people in its 40-year history, committing terrorists attacks throughout Spain. (BBC News)
- Crime in Poland
- A court in Radom, Poland, hands a six-month suspended prison term and a 10,000 zloty fine to a Russian pilot who caused a security scare during Pope Francis's 2016 visit for World Youth Day. The Russian had flown from the Czech Republic to compete in an international aerobatics competition and unknowingly violated a no-fly zone imposed for the papal visit. After failing to contact the aircraft, local authorities scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to intercept it. (Radio Poland)
- Polish Justice Minister and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro announces plans for a change to national self defence law to allow people to use more force than their attacks, and orders prosecutors to abandon proceedings against a businessman who shot at a getaway car containing fleeing robbers. (Radio Poland)
- The U.S. Department of Justice announces it intends to appeal yesterday's ruling that an unnamed detained ISIL suspect in the custody of U.S. troops in Iraq cannot be transferred to an unnamed foreign nation. The man has dual U.S.-Saudi Arabian citizenship. (CNN)
- Inn Din massacre
- A Myanmar police captain testifies in court that he and his colleagues were ordered by their superiors to entrap two Reuters journalists, who were arrested on 12 December 2017 for "possessing state secrets" under a colonial-era law. The journalists had been working on a report documenting the massacre at Inn Din. (Reuters) (Voice of America)
- An Iraqi judge hands a death sentence to an ISIL member who acted as a judge deciding on marriages in Mosul. (Kurdistan 24)
Politics and elections
- Democratic National Committee v. Russian Federation
- The Democratic National Committee file a lawsuit against Russia, the Donald Trump administration, and WikiLeaks alleging that the former conspired to interfere in the 2016 United States elections. (The Washington Post)
- Brexit negotiations
- The UK Audit Office rejects a Treasury estimate of the cost of leaving the European Union that was repeated by Prime Minister Theresa May. Rather than the official £35–39 billion estimate, the watchdog says that figure misleadingly included £7.2 billion earmarked directly for private hands and did not include up to £3 billion in budget contributions and £2.9 billion in European Development Fund payments. (FXstreet)
- 2018 United States gun violence protests
- On the anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, thousands of students across the United States walk out of school to protest against school shootings. (NBC News) (People)
Science and technology
- Discoveries of exoplanets
- A study has been revealed that WASP-104b, a hot Jupiter exoplanet, has been discovered as one of the darkest exoplanets ever seen. (New Scientist)