Thursday, April 27th, 2023 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seizes a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in international waters of the Gulf of Oman, according to the United States Navy. (AP) 

One person is killed and 23 others are injured as a result of Russian Kalibr missile strike in Mykolaiv. (Euronews) 

The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, officially opens the new Warsaw Radom Airport in Radom, which has been under construction since May 2019. It is estimated that the airport initially will be able to serve around 1 million passengers, and in the future around 3 million. (Polish News) (Poland Posts English) 

The Moscow City Court orders the closure of the SOVA Center, which monitored nationalist and racist movements in Russia. (The Moscow Times) 

The Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia begins the recruitment of women for the military, allowing both genders to join for the first time. (Al Arabiya) 

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023 

Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with both countries announcing the dispatch of representatives to establish a diplomatic presence after the call. (NPR) 

Iranian ayatollah and Assembly of Experts member Abbas-Ali Soleimani is assassinated in a shooting at a bank in Babolsar, Mazandaran province. The perpetrator, a security guard at the bank, has been arrested by police. (BBC News) 

Six Iranian demonstrators are injured in clashes in Fanuj, Sistan and Baluchistan province, after a teenager was killed when his motorcycle collided with a police car. (RFE/RL) 

• Naxalite–Maoist insurgency 

Ten policemen and a civilian driver are killed when a bomb planted by suspected Maoist militants explodes in Dantewada district, Chhattisgarh, India. (Reuters)Pakistan reports their first case of mpox. (Al Jazeera) 

El Salvador opens a trial against former president Mauricio Funes for initiating a truce with street gangs during his presidency. Funes, who is currently living in Nicaragua, will not attend the trial. (AP) 

A Brazilian judge orders a temporary shutdown of social media app Telegram over its failure to provide information on Neo-Nazi chat groups to the Federal Police of Brazil. (AP) 

By a vote of 217–215, the United States House of Representatives passes a bill that would raise the United States debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for spending restrictions. (AP) 

The House of Commons of the United Kingdom passes the Illegal Migration Bill by a vote of 289–230 despite opposition from some members of the ruling Conservative Party. (BBC News) 

Zooey Zephyr, the first openly transgender member of the Montana House of Representatives, is censured by the Republican-led chamber on a party-line vote following her protest of anti-transgender legislation. Zephyr will be barred from debate until the May legislative session. (KXLH-TV) 

In basketball, the eight seed Miami Heat defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, who held the greatest record of the season at 58-24, in five games. The loss was widely described as one of the greatest upsets in NBA history. (ESPN) 

The End Thursday 

Wednesday, April 26th, 2023 

Singapore executes Tangaraju Suppiah for plotting to smuggle 1 kilo of cannabis into the country. His execution, the country’s first this year, drew significant pleas for clemency, including from the United Nations. (BBC News) 

Russia uses its T-14 Armata main battle tanks in combat against Ukrainian forces for the first time. (Reuters) 

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over a month after Xi’s summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. (National Public Radio) 

The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority blocks Microsoft’s $68.7bn (£55bn) acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying the deal will leave video gamers with less choice and will reduce innovation. (BBC News) 

Thirteen suspected gang members are lynched and set on fire by residents in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Al Jazeera) 

Hakuto-R Mission 1, an uncrewed lunar lander built by Japanese aerospace company ispace, is presumed lost after the company lost contact with the spacecraft during descent to the lunar surface. Onboard was the Emirates Lunar Mission rover Rashid, along with a transformable robot, SORA-Q, built by Tomy and JAXA. (CNN) 

Tuesday,  April 25^th, 2023  

A Russian S-300-type missile strike in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, kills at least one civilian and injures 10 others. (RFE/RL) 

Philippine President Bongbong Marcos approves a 90-day extension of mandatory registration of SIM cards, whose deadline is originally scheduled for the following day. (The Philippine Star) 

The End Wednesday 

Tuesday,  April 25th, 2023 

Fox News and host Tucker Carlson part ways. Less than an hour later, CNN fires host Don Lemon. (Politico) 

President Joe Biden formally announces his re-election campaign. (CNN) 

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei pays an official visit to Taiwan to reaffirm support for Taiwan as one of the 13 countries which recognize Taiwan in the One-China policy dispute. China condemns Giammattei’s visit. (Reuters) 

A Russian missile strike on Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, kills at least one civilian and injures 10 others. (RFE/RL) 

The United Kingdom begins a large-scale evacuation of British citizens from Sudan. (The Guardian) 

Monday,  April 24th, 2023 

A geomagnetic storm hits Earth, causing aurorae as far south as Alabama in the United States. The storm registers at a G5 (extreme), the highest on the scale. (San Francisco Chronicle) 

Russian forces in Crimea repel a drone attack on Sevastopol, according to governor Mikhail Razvozhaev, in the first attack on the peninsula since February. (The Guardian) 

Switzerland suspends all diplomatic operations at its embassy in Khartoum. (Reuters) 

Iranian workers in major industries continue Workers Strike.iranintl 

Brazil, South Africa, Niger and Mexico evacuate more than 100 citizens from Sudan.  (ABC News) 

Seventeen people are killed and more than 50 others are injured after explosive material in the basement of a police station in Kabal Tehsil, Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, catches fire, causing explosions. (Al Jazeera) 

Five people are injured when a 39-year-old Palestinian man rams his car into a crowd of people on a street in Jerusalem. He is later killed by an armed citizen. (Reuters) 

The End

Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 

According to the Institute for the Study of War and various Russian military bloggers, the Ukrainian military have taken up positions on the east bank of the Dnieper river north of the town of Oleshky. (Novaya Gazeta Europe) 

Syria suspends all of its flights to Sudan, following the deaths of 11 Syrians in the country. (NPA Syria) 

Many countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Canada, evacuate their nationals and some civilians from Khartoum, or announce plans to do so. (BBC News) 

Canada and the United States suspend all diplomatic operations in Sudan due to the ongoing conflict.  (Washington Times) 

Sudan reports a large internet outage across the entire country during the night. (Al Jazeera) 

American retailer Bed Bath & Beyond files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (NPR) 

Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo is extradited from the United States and is taken to prison on charges related to money laundering. (Reuters) 

Forty-seven members of the Good News International Church are found dead in Malindi, Kenya. (BBC News) 

The United Kingdom launches its UK Emergency Alert System, sending a test emergency population warning to all 4G and 5G mobile phones for the first time. Many people do not receive the alert, particularly users of the Three mobile network. The Cabinet Office acknowledges that the emergency alert did not reach some people, saying that it is “reviewing the test”. (BBC News) 

In North Kosovo, heads of four municipalities are elected amid a boycott by Serbian parties and a record low turnout of 3.5%. All four elected mayors are ethnic Albanians, although there is a dominant Serb population in the municipalities. (RFE/RL) 

Saturday, April 22nd, 2023 

Japan places its Self-Defense Forces on high alert as defence minister Yasukazu Hamada says that Japan could potentially shoot down the North Korean reconnaissance satellite that is expected to be launched by Pyongyang if it falls in Japanese territory. (Reuters) 

Russia announces the expulsion of several German diplomatic personnel in a tit-for-tat decision following the expulsion of Russian personnel from Germany. (RFE/RL) 

A Malian Air Force attack helicopter crashes into a residential area of Bamako while returning from operations against jihadists near the Mauritanian border. Three people on board killed and six on ground injured. (MENA FN) (AA France) 

France and Saudi Arabia announce that they will evacuate their citizens from Sudan, joining the United States and the United Kingdom in doing so. (The Washington Post) (Gulf News) 

Friday,  April 21st, 2023 

Latvian Defence Minister Ināra Mūrniece announces that Latvia will send all of its FIM-92 Stinger missile sytems to Ukraine, following a meeting with NATO allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. (Yahoo! News) 

A court in Macau sentences Levo Chan Weng-lin, the former chair of the city’s second largest casino VIP room operator, to 14 years in prison for illegal gambling and criminal association. (SCMP) 

The Belgian head of the EU humanitarian mission to Sudan, Wim Fransen, is shot in Khartoum. (The Telegraph) 

Leaders of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, a communion of conservative Anglican churches representing approximately 85% of the global Anglican population, reject the leadership of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby as the head of global Anglicanism over his stance on same-sex marriage. (ChurchTimes) 

Wreckage of the Imperial Japanese Navy ship SS Montevideo Maru, sunk during World War II, is found after 81 years in the South China Sea, off the coast of Luzon Island. The ship, which was carrying over 1,000 prisoners of war, including 850 Australian POWs, represented the largest loss of life for the Australian armed forces during the Second World War. (CNN) 

Twitter drops the “state-affiliated” and “government-funded” labels used for the accounts of media organizations. (Al Jazeera) 

A court in Paris, France, sentences Lebanese Canadian lecturer and professor Hassan Diab to life in prison over the bombing of a Parisian synagogue in 1980. Diab was tried in absentia and he remains in Canada under the request of arrest and extradition from French authorities. (The Guardian) 

UK Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab resigns from both positions following investigations into claims of him bullying staff members. Oliver Dowden and Alex Chalk are selected to replace him as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary respectively. (Al Jazeera) 

The End

Thursday, April 20th, 2023 

Amidst fighting, a food shortage is reported in Khartoum. (BBC News) 

An American citizen is killed in Khartoum becoming the second confirmed foreign death, hours after evacuation plans were announced by the United States. (CBS News) 

The United States sends additional troops and equipment to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, as preparation for a possible evacuation effort of American citizens in Sudan. (ABC News) 

An Iranian Navy commander claims to state television that the Iranian Navy forced a U.S. submarine to surface as it transited the Strait of Hormuz, and that the submarine violated Iranian territorial waters. The U.S. denies the Iranian claims. (Radiofarda) 

Russian authorities reported an explosion in Belgorod near the border with Ukraine, saying the explosion left a huge crater in the city center. (Barron’s via AFP) 

Lawyers for former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo file a request for an emergency stay in the United States, as a deadline for his extradition to Peru looms. Toledo denies the charges in Peru, including corruption. (Reuters) 

A hybrid solar eclipse occurs across the South Pacific in Australia, East Timor, and Indonesia. (New York Times) 

SpaceX launches the first test flight of Starship, the largest and most powerful launch vehicle to ever fly, from Starbase in South Texas. The vehicle successfully launched but lost control and the flight was explosively terminated four minutes after liftoff.  (BBC) 

Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai Aleksandr Uss resigns after being offered a position in the federal government. Russian President Vladimir Putin invites Deputy Finance Minister Mikhail Kotyukov to take the post of acting governor. (TASS) 

BuzzFeed shuts down its news website due to workforce cuts. The company’s stock collapsed by 16% after the announcement. (The Independent) 

Wednesday, April 19th, 2023 

Germany announces the suspension of its attempt to rescue 150 German citizens from Khartoum. (Reuters) 

Thousands of Sudanese civilians cross the closed border with Chad as refugees and are detained, according to Chadian Defence Minister Daoud Yaya Brahim. Brahim also states that the Chad National Army detained and disarmed a contingent of 320 Sudanese troops who crossed the border.  (Reuters) 

The United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan urge their citizens to seek shelter, hide, or evacuate due to ongoing fighting. (Sky News) 

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno says that Japan will send a Self-Defense Forces aircraft to evacuate 60 Japanese nationals from Sudan. (Asahi Shimbun) 

Satellite imagery reveals that at least one Egyptian Air Force MiG-29 was destroyed at an airbase in Merowe, with at least two others heavily damaged. (The Drive) 

At least 90 people are killed and 322 others are injured in a crowd crush in Sanaa, Yemen during a charity event. (Egypt Independent). 

Bulgaria temporarily bans the import of grain from Ukraine, except for those in transit, following similar decisions made by Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. (Reuters) 

A heatwave in Asia leads to deaths and school closures in India, and record-breaking temperatures in other countries. Luang Prabang, Laos, recorded a temperature of 42.7 °C (108.9 °F), while Tak, Thailand, recorded a temperature of 44.6 °C (112.3 °F). (The Guardian) 

President Rodrigo Chaves orders a series of measures to fight increasing crime in Costa Rica, including the deployment of more police, tougher juvenile laws, extradition of foreign criminals, and restrictions on the sale of ammunition. (Reuters) 

Secretary of Institutional Security of Brazil Marco Edson Gonçalves Dias resigns over his presence at the presidential palace during the attack. He is replaced by Ricardo Cappelli. (Reuters) 

Germany and Japan announce their evacuation plans have failed in Khartoum as both tried to evacuate at least 210 civilians and citizens from the embattled capital. (Reuters) 

The United Kingdom, Germany and Japan urge their citizens to seek shelter, hide or evacuate immediately as fighting rages in Sudan. (Sky News)

Egypt announces one of its planes, an “Egyptian MiG-29“, was destroyed at an air base in Merowe. It also reports that one of them was captured along with two planes nearly destroyed. (The Drive) 

The Libyan National Army sends supplies to support the Rapid Support Forces across the country. (Wall Street Journal) 

Over 155,000 Canadian federal workers go on strike, in the largest strike of its kind in 30 years, after the Public Service Alliance of Canada failed to reach an agreement with the government over pay raises and remote work. (BBC) 

A report by the United Nations Population Fund estimates that India will overtake China as the most populated country in the world by the middle of this year. (NBC News) 

Tuesday,  April 18^th, 2023 

A U.S. embassy convoy is attacked in Khartoum, amid U.S. efforts to mediate a ceasefire. (AP) 

Canada closes its embassy in Sudan and advises its citizens against travelling to the country. (Global News) 

Netflix ends its DVD rental service after 25 years, citing the reduced demand for physical rentals. (BBC News) 

One person is killed and five others are injured by the partial collapse of a parking garage in Manhattan, New York City, United States. Nearby buildings of Pace University are evacuated due to the instability of the garage’s remaining structure. (WCBS-TV) 

The Ukrainian government invites Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit Ukraine and criticizes Lula for his approach to the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomes Lula’s position on peace efforts. (Reuters) 

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accuses the United States Department of Defense of spying and says that he will classify information from the Mexican Armed Forces. (Reuters) 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas chairman Ismail Haniyeh meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the increase in violence in the West Bank, the detainment of Hamas-affiliated Palestinians in Saudi Arabia, and about improving relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia. This is the first meeting between Hamas and the Saudi royal family since 2015. (Al Jazeera) 

The European Parliament votes to grant visa-free travel for Kosovo citizens to any country that is part of the Schengen Area. The policy will be in effect no later than January 2024. (RFE/RL) 

Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems reach a US$787.5 million settlement in the defamation lawsuit, which was initially filed against the network in March 2021 for allegedly spreading false claims about the company regarding the 2020 United States presidential election. (Forbes) 

The End Wednesday 

India tells its citizens to find shelter or stay indoors immediately. (Devids Course) 

Tuesday, April 18^th, 2023 

A U.S. convoy is deliberately attacked in Khartoum, amid U.S. efforts to mediate a ceasefire. (Associated Press) 

Canada closes its embassy in Sudan fully, advises its citizens to not leave the country for Sudan and puts a Level 4 warning on travel. (Government of Canada) 

Former People’s Deputy of Ukraine Oleh Barna is killed in combat. (UNIAN) 

Russian president Vladimir Putin makes a rare visit to Russian-occupied Kherson and Luhansk Oblast, meeting military commanders in charge of the invasion. (Reuters) 

Two people are killed and dozens are feared missing after a landslide struck the Khyber Pass in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. (Reuters) 

The Ukrainian government invites Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit Ukraine and criticizes Lula for his approach to the conflict. The US defends Ukraine’s stance and accused Brazil of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda” whereas Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed Lula’s position on peace efforts. (Reuters) 

Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza is convicted in a Moscow court on charges of treason and violating Russia’s war censorship laws, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. (AP) 

The Evide data breach is made public. Ransomware results in data being stolen from a company in Northern Ireland which provides computer services to charities, including a charity that supports adult survivors of child abuse. (The Journal) 

 
Marathon Monday,  April 17th, 2023 

Ukraine and Russia conduct a prisoner swap for soldiers who fought in Bakhmut, with 130 Ukrainian soldiers returning and an unknown amount of Russian soldiers returning. (PBS) 

Slovakia transfers 13 MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, according to the Slovak Defence Ministry. (Reuters) 

Slovakia bans the import of food from Ukraine, following similar decisions made by Poland and Hungary last week. (The Guardian) 

Poland and Hungary ban imports of grain and other food from Ukraine “to protect the local agricultural sector”, due to Ukrainian supplies lowering the price of food. (Reuters) 

European Union ambassador Aidan O’Hara is assaulted at his home in Khartoum. EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Josep Borrell calls the assault a “gross violation of the Vienna Convention”. (BBC News) 

Sudan closes its airspace, cancelling all flights in and out of the country. Kenya likewise suspends all flights to and from Sudan. (Flight Global) 

China, Malaysia, and the United States urge their citizens in Sudan to hide, find shelter, or evacuate the country.  (CBS News) 

De facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan declares the Rapid Support Forces to be a rebel group, and orders the group dissolved. (Al Jazeera) 

Further sites of illicit soft plastic storage are found in Sydney after the collapse of commercial plastic recycler REDcycle. After taking $20 million from Coles and Woolworths to recycle soft plastics at 2,000 locations, the company instead stored 12,000 tonnes of plastics at more than 44 locations across Australia. (9 News) (The Guardian) 

The provincial health ministry of Santa Fe, Argentina, asks the public not to “not underestimate” the current situation of dengue fever after the province surpasses 10,000 cases and reports their third death from the disease amid a national outbreak of the disease. (La Capital) 

Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing pardons 3,015 prisoners on the occasion of the Buddhist New Year. (AFP via France 24) 

Argentina is confirmed as the host of the FIFA U-20 World Cup by FIFA, following the suspension of the tournament in Indonesia, which refused to host the Israeli team. (Reuters) 

A World Snooker Championship match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry is abandoned, while another match between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi is delayed after Just Stop Oil activists storm the The Crucible in Sheffield. Two people are later arrested by South Yorkshire Police. (BBC Sport) 

The End