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Worldwide current events
Sports events

Topics in the news

Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson

Pfizer and Allergan call off a planned $160 billion merger due to changes in U.S. tax inversion regulations.
Amid the scandal caused by the Panama Papers, a leak of legal documents revealing information on 214,488 offshore companies, Iceland's prime minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (pictured) steps aside temporarily.
In basketball, the Villanova Wildcats defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels to win the NCAA Men's Championship.
In cricket, the West Indies win both the ICC World Twenty20 and ICC Women's World Twenty20.

Ongoing events:
- Zika virus outbreak
Recent deaths:

April 7, 2016 (Thursday)

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April 6, 2016 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Aleppo offensive (April 2016)
  - The Syrian Army and its allies launch an offensive south of Aleppo. (Jerusalem Post)

Business and Economics

Hedge fund impresario Bill Ackman faces skeptical questioning from investors after his Pershing Square fund loses big on both Herbalife and Valeant Pharmaceuticals. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
- Cyclone Zena, now a category 3 storm, heads for Fiji, where a tropical depression already dumped up to 12 inches of rain on the western and northern parts of Fiji's largest and most populous island, Viti Levu, triggering major flash flooding that's killed at least two people. The archipelago is still recovering from category 5 Cyclone Winston that killed 44 people in February. (Weather.com) (Television New Zealand)
2016 Ethiopia flood
- Deadly floods hit Ethiopia, leaving at least 28 people dead as seasonal rains come early to the country. The majority of these deaths occurred in the city of Jijiga while elsewhere, heavy downpours of rain were reported with more floods expected in the next few days. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in a majority vote, ordered an "indefinite" halt in the war crimes trial of Croatian Serb rebel leader Goran Hadžić, who is terminally ill with brain cancer and declared "unfit to stand trial." Hadžić was charged with 14 war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1991–95 war in Croatia. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin announces the creation of a new National Guard, which he said would fight terrorism and organized crime. However, some critics claim the creation of the National Guard is linked to the upcoming legislative election this September with them saying that Putin fears unrest, something Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denies. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Dutch Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement referendum, 2016
- Voters in the Netherlands go to the polls for a non-binding referendum on approval of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement. (EU Observer)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- The self-declared National Salvation government, one of the rival governments of Libya, resigns and gives up power to the UN-backed Libyan Presidential Council in Tripoli. (The Guardian)
Beninese businessman Patrice Talon is sworn in as the new President of Benin. (Euronews via Reuters)

April 5, 2016 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Al-Nusra Front militants shoot down a Syrian Arab Air Force Sukhoi Su-22 fighter jet and capture its pilot in the northern Aleppo Governorate. (The Telegraph)
PKK rebellion (2015–present)
- The Turkish military say it carried out air strikes in northern Iraq against targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, hitting weapon stores and shelters. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economics

In American football, Twitter wins the bidding contest over Amazon, Verizon, and others, for streaming rights to 10 of 16 National Football League (NFL) regular season Thursday Night Football Games, ones that will also be telecast by either CBS or NBC. The league streamed one game last year with Yahoo!. Verizon, meanwhile, already owns the mobile rights to all NFL games which are available to subscribers via a mobile app; the 10 NFL games on Twitter will be free. (Re/code) (ESPN) (NFL.com)
Tax inversion
- Pfizer Inc. decides to terminate its $160 billion merger with Allergan, Plc as officials in Washington crack down on corporate inversions. Pfizer will need to pay a $400 million fee to Allergan for expenses relating to the deal. (Bloomberg)

Health and medicine

India's health ministry orders government agencies to enforce a new rule for larger health warnings that cover 85 percent of a cigarette pack's surface, up from 20 percent now. India's biggest cigarette maker ITC Ltd., part-owned by British American Tobacco, and Godfrey Phillips India Ltd., a partner of U.S.-based Philip Morris International, shut factories on Friday in protest. (Reuters)

International relations

China–North Korea relations
- China's Ministry of Commerce says that it is restricting trade with North Korea, in line with the recent sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council last March. China will be banning the export of jet fuel and import of gold, some coal and "rare earth metals" used in high-tech goods. (BBC)
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- South Korea has determined North Korea is capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on its medium-range Rodong-1 ballistic missile, which could reach all of South Korea and most of Japan, according to a senior government official. (The New York Times)
Panama Papers
- France places Panama back on its list of countries that do not cooperate in catching tax evaders. "France has decided to put Panama back on the list of uncooperative countries, with all the consequences that will have for those who have transactions" with the Central American state, Finance Minister Michel Sapin, told Parliament on Tuesday. (AFP via Al Jazeera)
Mexico–United States relations
- Due to concerns about an increasingly anti-Mexican climate across the border, Mexico unexpectedly changes two of its top officials responsible for U.S. relations. Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu told local media, "We have been warning that our citizens have begun to feel a more hostile climate. This (anti-Mexican) rhetoric has made it clear that we have to act in a different way so that this tendency being generated doesn't damage the bilateral relationship." (Reuters)

Law and crime

The International Criminal Court terminates the case against Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto and ends his trial, saying there is insufficient evidence he was involved in deadly violence that erupted after his country's 2007 presidential election. (Al Jazeera)
The Military junta of Thailand gives the Royal Thai Armed Forces broad police-like powers. The military is now allowed to prevent or suppress over 27 types of offenses. The move created an outcry from human rights organizations and prompted the United States to express its concern over the growing influence of the military in the country. (The Guardian)
LGBT rights in the United States
- Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant approves a new law that allows religious groups and private businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people. (AP via The Washington Post)

Politics and elections

Panama Papers
- Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson temporarily steps down amid allegations his family attempted to hide millions in an offshore account. (The Guardian)
- The Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif sets an independent judicial commission to investigate allegations of graft against his family following documents leaked as part of the Panama papers showed his sons owned several offshore accounts. (AP via ABC News America)
- Philippine general election, 2016
  - Imee Marcos (daughter of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos and sister of vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos), her three sons, and JV Ejercito (son of Manila mayorial candidate Joseph Estrada) are among hundreds of Filipino celebrities and politicians implicated for laundering money in tax havens. (GMA News), (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. state of Wisconsin go to the polls for a primary election with Ted Cruz winning the Republican Party contest and Bernie Sanders winning the Democratic Party primary. (ABC News America), (Reuters via ABC News Australia)
Queensland term length referendum, 2016
- The results of a referendum last month in the Australian state of Queensland with voters agreeing to plans for a four year fixed parliamentary term. (AAP via Yahoo! News)
The South African Parliament debates a minority motion to impeach President Jacob Zuma following last week's Constitutional Court judgment that Zuma had violated the constitution in a spending scandal involving the president's private home. The African National Congress has a 249 - 151 majority, making this motion's chance of gaining a two-thirds majority unlikely. (AP via The Washington Post) (Reuters)
- The motion failed by 243 votes to 133. (News24)
2015–16 protests in Brazil
- Marco Aurélio Mello, a Supreme Federal Court judge orders Brazil's Chamber of Deputies to start impeachment proceedings against Vice President Michel Temer over charges he helped doctor budget accounting as part of President Dilma Rousseff's administration. (Reuters)
Peruvian general election, 2016
- Peruvians protest in five cities, including the capital Lima, against the presidential candidacy of Keiko Fujimori, daughter of imprisoned ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who exactly 24 years ago this day carried out a coup by shutting down Congress and taking over the courts with the support of the military. Keiko Fujimori is the front runner in Sunday's April 10, 2016, election. Yesterday, Fujimori committed to respect democratic liberties and the rule of law, and to work against corruption, which some opponents have rejected. The Organization of American States says the election could lack credibility unless two recently-disqualified candidates are allowed to run. (NBC News) (AP via The Washington Post) (Prensa Latina)

Sports

2016 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship Game
- In women's college basketball, the Connecticut Huskies top the Syracuse Orange to cap a perfect season (38-0) with the program's fourth straight national championship, and in all four, UConn's senior center Breanna Stewart wins the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. (CNN) (ESPN)

2015–16 Rangers F.C. season
- Rangers F.C., the association football club with the most domestic league titles in the world, earn promotion to the Scottish Premiership, returning to the nation's top division for the first time since their triple relegation for financial reasons in 2012. (BBC Sport)

April 4, 2016 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts

Boko Haram insurgency
- Nigeria's army says it has arrested Khalid al-Barnawi, a leader of the Boko Haram splinter group Ansaru. (Reuters)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- More than 20 people have been killed in attacks targeting Shiite militias and government forces. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Alaska Airlines announces plans to acquire Virgin America for $4 billion. (Street Insider)
Tax inversion
- The U.S. Treasury Department announces new regulations to curb tax-avoiding corporate inversions, i.e., where U.S. companies slash their tax bills by claiming a new tax home overseas, though their core operations and management remain in the United States. The pending $160 billion merger of Pfizer Inc. and Allergan, Plc could be cancelled because of these new rules. (CNN Money) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

2016 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flood
- At least 63 people are killed and over 30 are injured as flash floods ravage Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and other parts of northwest Pakistan. (Al Jazeera)
Five people are killed when a tourist helicopter crashes in the American town of Sevierville, Tennessee. (Fox News)

Health and medicine

Mexico City authorities declare a pollution alert after smog rose to 1.5 times acceptable limits the day before implementation of the City's new, temporary air quality program that will keep one-fifth of the city's cars at home every weekday. (AP)

International relations

China–Vietnam relations
- Vietnam seizes a Chinese fishing vessel for intruding in its waters and tows the vessel to the port of Hai Phong. (AP)
European migrant crisis
- Greece starts deporting migrants to Turkey. (BBC)
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia–Azerbaijan relations
- Armenia will recognize the independence of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from Azerbaijan if military actions there continue, according to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Azerbaijan has resorted to an "unprecedented provocation along the entire perimeter of the contact line" with Nagorno-Karabakh, Sargsyan told a meeting with ambassadors from member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, referring to the latest flare-up of the conflict. (Reuters)
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction, North Korea–United States relations
- North Korea threatens a genocide against the United States of America. (News.com.au)

Law and crime

South Korea announces plans to reduce the amount of immigrants entering the country illegally. (Yonhap)
The United States Supreme Court unanimously rules the one person, one vote requirement may be satisfied by drawing election districts based on the total population of a place, turning down a legal effort to reinterpret the rule that it be based only on the number of people eligible to vote. (The Washington Post) (The Atlantic)
- The Supreme Court decided two cases where businesses appealed the previous rulings, finding for the plaintiffs in both. The Court upheld a more than $150 million class action judgment on Walmart's treatment of workers in Pennsylvania, and upheld a $203 million judgment against Wells Fargo over allegations the bank imposed excessive overdraft fees. (Reuters via CNBC)

Politics and elections

Panama Papers
- Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson refuses to resign after leaked "Panama Papers" tax documents showed he and his wife used an offshore firm to allegedly hide million-dollar investments. "I have not considered quitting because of this matter nor am I going to quit because of this matter," Gunnlaugsson told Icelandic television Channel 2. (AFP via Times Live)
The President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev signs a presidential decree officially recognizing March 17, March 24, and April 7 as public holidays for Kyrgyzstan. The dates are meant to commemorate the days of Kyrgyzstan's massive anti-government revolts. On March 17, 2002, during anti-government protests in the Aksy District, police killed four protesters, while March 24 and April 7 commemorate the Tulip Revolution of 2006 and the Second Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010, respectively. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2016
- Fighting erupts between unknown assailants and police in the southern part of Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of the Congo, after a disputed Presidential election that brought Denis Sassou Nguesso back to power for a third term. The reason for the clashes is not immediately clear but they have taken place in districts where support for the opposition is strong. The government blames the violence on the Ninjas, a militant group active during the Second Republic of the Congo Civil War. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
Mehbooba Mufti, leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, becomes Jammu and Kashmir's first female Chief Minister. (The Guardian)
United Nations Secretary-General selection, 2016
- Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark is running for Secretary-General of the United Nations, to succeed Ban Ki-moon whose second term expires at the end of this year. Clark, who is the first non-European and fourth woman among the eight announced candidates, was prime minister for nine years (1999–2008) and has been Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme since April 2009. The United Nations Trusteeship Council will begin preliminary meetings with candidates next week in New York City. (The Guardian) (AP via The Washington Post)

Sport

Basketball
- 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game
  - In American college basketball, the Villanova Wildcats defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels 77–74. (NBC Sports)
- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announces its 2016 induction class, consisting of 10 individuals who will formally enter the Hall on September 9. Zelmo Beaty, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Cumberland Posey, Sheryl Swoopes, and Yao Ming will be inducted as players, Tom Izzo and John McLendon as coaches, Jerry Reinsdorf as a contributor, and Darell Garretson as a referee. (Hall of Fame press release)

April 3, 2016 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- 2016 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
  - Azerbaijan calls a unilateral ceasefire in its fight with ethnic Armenians one day after 30 soldiers died. The Associated Press reports rebel forces reject Azerbaijan's claims, saying they see no sign the government has stopped fighting. (AP), (BBC) (NPR)
Syrian Civil War
- Battle of al-Qaryatayn (March–April 2016)
  - The Syrian Army retakes control of al-Qaryatayn, Homs Governorate, after driving out ISIL militants. (Reuters)
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports the al-Nusra Front's spokesperson Abu Firas al-Suri was among 20 militants killed in a suspected Russian airstrike on a village near the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria. (Reuters)
Moro attacks on Sabah, Moro Conflict
- Four Sarawakian Malaysians are kidnapped off the coast of Sabah by suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (The New York Times)
Military intervention against ISIL, Iraq Civil War
- The United States military reports a drone attack killed ISIL rocket expert Jasim Khadijah. The unmanned airstrike also killed other IS militants and destroyed at least one makeshift drone. Khadijah, a former Iraqi officer, is believed responsible for the March attack that killed a U.S. Marine in northern Iraq. (UPI) (Daily Mail)
- Iraqi forces capture the northern part of the ISIL held town of Hīt, west of Baghdad. (AP)
An attacker throws a grenade and fires shots outside a sports hall in the small town of Zubin Potok in northern Kosovo, just hours before Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić was due to hold an election rally there. "A hand grenade exploded outside the sports hall but there are no injuries," Besim Hoti, a Kosovo police commander in the area, told Reuters. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Aftermath of the 2016 Brussels bombings
- Two weeks after the deadly suicide bombings, Brussels Zaventem International Airport will reopen today with three symbolic flights to Faro, Athens, and Turin. On Thursday, the airport had said it was "technically ready" to resume partial services, but the opening was held up because police unions threatened to strike unless additional security checks were introduced. (AsiaOne) (The Jewish Press)
Panama Papers
- A leak of 11.5 million documents from law firm Mossack Fonseca reveals details of shell companies used by 12 current or former world leaders including President of Russia Vladimir Putin whose aides allegedly shuffled billions of dollars. (ABC News via 9MSN)
- The documents, 2.6 terabytes of information, were obtained more than a year ago from an anonymous source by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. Journalists from more than 80 countries have been working with this data. The documents expose holdings of 12 current and former world leaders, and 128 more politicians and public officials worldwide. The national leaders named include Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif; Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, and Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson. (The Guardian)(USA Today)
The Health Information Trust Alliance, a nonprofit industry group, warns that hospitals in the United States must prepare for more ransomware attacks. A review late last year of some 30 mid-sized U.S. hospitals found 52 percent were infected with malicious software. This week, an attack on MedStar Health forced the largest healthcare provider in the Washington, D.C. area, to shut down much of its computer network. (Reuters).

Disasters and accidents

2016 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa flood
- At least 45 people are killed and another 34 hospitalized following heavy rains and flash floods in the northwestern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. (Dawn) (AP)
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Vanuatu with a tsunami warning issued. (USGS)
2016 Chester, Pennsylvania train derailment
- Two people are killed and 35 injured when a United States Amtrak passenger train on the Palmetto route traveling from New York City to Savannah, Georgia, with 341 passengers and seven crew on board, derails in Chester, Pennsylvania, after striking a backhoe that was on the track. Local media reports the deceased are veteran Amtrak workers. Area hospitals are treating the injured; none in life-threatening condition. (CNN) (NBC Philadelphia) (BBC) (Reuters)
At least 18 people are injured following a collision between two trains at Plymouth railway station in the city of Plymouth, Devon. The crash has caused significant disruption to rail services in South West England. (Sky News)

International relations

India–Saudi Arabia relations
- In Riyadh, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia's King Salman sign five agreements, including plans to increase investments, and to cooperate in intelligence sharing. (AP)
European migrant crisis
- Czech Minister of the Interior Milan Chovanec says that authorities in Prague will send a group of 25 Iraqi Christians back to Iraq after they tried to move to Germany rather than staying in the Czech Republic. The refugees were on their way to Germany via bus before being stopped at the border. Czech authorities agreed to a request by the German police to take the people back. Chovanec said the 25 Iraqis abused Czech generosity and should go back to Iraq within seven days. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
- Last month's agreement between the European Union and Turkey will be implemented Monday as migrants currently on Greek islands will be returned to the Turkish mainland. (AP)
Japan–Philippines relations
- A Japanese Navy submarine makes a port call in the Philippines, the first in fifteen years, in a show of growing military cooperation amid tension triggered by China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. It was escorted into the former U.S. Naval Base at Subic Bay by two Japanese destroyers on a tour of Southeast Asia. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Guillaume Pepy, France's national railway company president, announces armed train marshals, in civilian dress, will be patrolling some passenger trains. (AP)

Politics and elections

The Parliament of South Africa announces it will debate a motion to impeach President Jacob Zuma this coming Tuesday. This comes after Zuma is facing mounting pressure when the Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma violated the constitution by using state funds to renovate his mansion. Yesterday, anti-apartheid veteran Ahmed Kathrada joined opposition leaders in calling for Zuma's resignation. (Al Jazeera)
Police forcibly break up a protest in Malé, Maldives, with tear gas and pepper spray and detain multiple journalists. The demonstration was against government moves to introduce a new law to criminalize defamation. (BBC)
Abortion in Poland
- Thousands of people attended a pro-choice rally outside Parliament of Poland in Warsaw after Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, backed a call by Polish Catholic bishops for a full ban on abortion. (Euronews via Reuters)
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi sacks Prime Minister and Vice President of Yemen Khaled Mahfoudh Bahah. Hadi named top general Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar as his new Vice President and appointed Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, a former official in Saleh's General People's Congress as the new Prime Minister. (Reuters)

Science and technology

The Associated Press reports a government-sponsored committee of 27 companies/trade associations, set up by the U.S. FAA in February, on Friday submitted recommendations that could clear the way for commercial drone flights over populated areas, and help speed the introduction of package delivery drones. (AP)

Sport

ICC Women's World Twenty20, 2016 ICC Women's World Twenty20
- West Indies women's national cricket team beat defending champions Australia women's national cricket team by 8 wickets the final in Kolkata. (ICC)
2016 ICC World Twenty20
- Defending champions The West Indies beat England by 4 wickets in the final in Kolkata. (BBC)
2016 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
- The 2016 United States women's college basketball national championship will be decided when two former Big East Conference foes meet at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 8:30 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, April 5, 2016. Connecticut topped Oregon State 80–51, and Syracuse claimed an 80–59 win over Washington in Sunday's semifinals. Syracuse (30–7, 13–3 ACC) will be making its first appearance in the NCAA title game. UConn (37–0, 18–0 American), a 10-time national champion and defending champion for the fourth straight season, has won every title game it has played in. (ESPN) (ESPN²)

April 2, 2016 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Armenian–Azerbaijani border conflict
- 2016 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes
  - Armenia and Azerbaijan exchange gunfire for the third successive day after an escalation of a dispute over the boundaries between Azerbaijan and the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. (RT)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that the Al-Nusra Front as well as other insurgents have captured the village of Tel el-Ais in a strategic position overlooking the highway between Aleppo and Damascus. (AP)
- The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports a mass grave, containing the bodies of beheaded women and children, has been found in the former ISIL-controlled city of Palmyra, recently retaken by the Syrian government. (The Independent)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- Two security guards are killed while repelling an ISIL attack on the Bayda oil field, near the town of Marada, Libya. (Reuters)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- Hīt offensive (2016)
  - Iraqi security forces free a large number of prisoners from an underground ISIL-operated jail in the city of Hīt. Malallah al-Obeidi, a local official in the Al Anbar Governorate, put the number of freed prisoners at around 1,500, saying most of them were civilians. (AFP via Al Arabiya)
PKK rebellion (2015–present)
- A bombing kills at least five Turkish soldiers and one special forces police officer in the southeastern city of Nusaybin, near the Syria–Turkey border. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Archaeologists claim to have discovered a probable Viking settlement in North America on Newfoundland's Point Rosee. (AFP via ABC Australia)
Hong Kong terrestrial television provider Asia Television ceases all broadcasts at midnight, following a 2015 decision by the Hong Kong Government not to renew its television license. (Fortune.com)

Disasters and accidents

In the United States, a Lancair IV plane crashes into a car stopped along a highway, 50 miles north of San Diego, California, killing car passenger Antoinette "Toni" Frances Isbelle, a member of the WFTDA's San Diego Starlettes roller derby team. Five others, including the pilot, are hospitalized. (The San Diego Union Tribune) (New York Daily News)

International relations

European migrant crisis, Austria–Italy relations
- Austria plans to deploy soldiers on its border with Italy to stem an expected increase in migrants trying to get to northern Europe, according to Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil. "As the EU's external borders are not yet effectively protected, Austria will soon ramp up strict border controls. That means massive border controls on the Brenner Pass, and with soldiers," Doskozil told German daily newspaper Die Welt. (Reuters)
Burundian unrest (2015–present)
- The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution setting the stage for the deployment of UN Police to Burundi, where political unrest that has lasted nearly a year killed over 400 people and displaced tens of thousands. The resolution asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to present options within 15 days for the deployment of UN police in order to monitor the security situation, promote respect for human rights and advance the rule of law. (Al Jazeera)
NATO–Russia relations
- The United States Air Force sends 12 F-15C Eagles and 350 personnel to Iceland and the Netherlands to deter further Russian aggression in Europe. (CNN)
Greek government-debt crisis
- Greece demands an explanation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after an apparent leaked transcript suggested the IMF may threaten to pull out of the country's bailout as a tactic to force European lenders to offer more debt relief. Whistleblowing site WikiLeaks published what it said was the transcript of a March 19 conference call of three senior IMF officials discussing tactics to apply pressure on Greece, Germany and the EU to reach a deal in April. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Indian women's rights activists are barred by angry villagers and local authorities from entering Shani Shingnapur temple despite a court ruling guaranteeing access. Breaking with a centuries-old tradition, the high court in Mumbai ruled women have a fundamental right to enter Hindu temples across the state of Maharashtra, and the government has the responsibility to protect their rights. Bhumata Ranragini Brigade leader Trupti Desai and 25 other supporters were detained by police. All India Mahila Congress President Shobha Oza and Delhi Commission for Women chairwoman Swati Maliwal called the actions of locals and authorities "completely shameful." (UPI)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016, Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016
- The Republican National Committeeman for North Dakota, Curly Haugland, says that the likelihood for outsiders such as Donald Trump to get state electoral votes are slim as the party honor its own elders. (Politico)
Trần Đại Quang is sworn in as the President of Vietnam. (Reuters via The Star)
The Saudi-owned news channel Al Arabiya shuts its offices in Beirut, Lebanon and dismisses 27 employees in a sudden move reflecting tensions between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. Saudi Arabia interpreted Lebanon's lack of public solidarity as a sign that it had become beholden to Hezbollah. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
The Governor of the U.S. territory of Guam Eddie Calvo announces his intention to hold a plebiscite to decide the future political status of the island. Calvo said he hopes to start a successful "education campaign" on the issue before filing a petition to start a referendum. If the plebiscite does take place, voters on Guam would be asked to select which political status they would prefer; independence, statehood, or free association However, the possible vote would be non-binding as any change in political status would require an act of Congress in Washington, D.C.. Guam is currently on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories in need of decolonization. (Radio New Zealand)
Aftermath of the 2016 Brussels bombings
- Police in Brussels, Belgium arrest multiple right-wing and anti-racist protesters, with riot squads engaged in a tense confrontation with local youths in the district of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. A standoff grew when far-right protesters faced a counter-demonstration, despite protests being banned by local authorities who were fearful of last Sunday's event, in which police forcefully dispersed a right-wing protest with water cannons. (Reuters)

Sport

2016 World Figure Skating Championships
- Spanish figure skater Javier Fernández defends his world title after making a stunning comeback from behind Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, who was ahead by 12 points, to win gold. (The Guardian)
2015–16 NBA season
- In basketball, the visiting Boston Celtics defeat the Golden State Warriors, snapping the Warrior's 14-month, 54-game home win streak which leaves the San Antonio Spurs with the only undefeated home record this season. (Basketball-Reference.com) (SBNation) (ESPN)
2016 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
- In the U.S. men's national college basketball tournament semifinals in Houston's NRG Stadium, the Villanova Wildcats thrash the Oklahoma Sooners 95–51, the most lopsided result in men's Final Four history; and in a battle between Atlantic Coast Conference members, the North Carolina Tar Heels defeat the Syracuse Orange 83–66. The title game on April 4 pits the Wildcats, 1985 champions, and the five-time champion Tar Heels. (NBC Sports) (Toronto Sun)

April 1, 2016 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports airstrikes on the village of Deir al-Asafir, Rif Dimashq Governorate, have killed at least 30 people and left dozens more injured. (The Telegraph)
War in Donbass
- International monitors from the OSCE report that fighting has intensified in Eastern Ukraine as a second year of a shaky truce begins. The worst of the fighting is located between government-controlled Avdiivka and separatist-controlled Yasynuvata. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- A U.S. drone strike reportedly kills a key Al-Shabaab leader, Hassan Ali Dhoore, and two other militants, near the town of Jilib, Somalia, according to several U.S. officials. (AP)

Disasters and accidents

In a second day of severe weather, at least seven people are injured as tornadoes sweep across the Midwestern and Southern part of the United States, with more severe weather expected. (Al Jazeera)

Health and medicine

Health authorities in Fiji are urging people to observe strict personal hygiene as the country goes through a massive outbreak of conjunctivitis. In the past 14 days alone the number of cases of the virus in one district of Suva have jumped from 700 to 5000 cases. (Radio New Zealand)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea fires another ballistic missile off its east coast, according to South Korean officials. This occurred while world leaders are attending the annual Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., where North Korea is on the agenda for discussion. (The Guardian) (Yonhap)

Politics and elections

Gian Nicola Berti of We Sammarinese and Massimo Andrea Ugolini of the Sammarinese Christian Democratic Party take office as the Captains Regents of San Marino. (San Marino Notizie)
Moldovan presidential election, 2016, 2015–16 protests in Moldova
- The Parliament of Moldova announces that the country will hold a Presidential election on October 30. A court in early March ruled in favor of having a direct national election to choose a president rather than a vote in parliament, a concession to protesters who have been demonstrating for months against the political elite. This will be the first time since 2001 that the public will choose their country's president directly. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
2015–16 protests in Brazil
- President Dilma Rousseff loses another key member of the country's 2016 Summer Olympics organization. Colonel Adilson Moreira of the National Public Security Force, who was in charge of organizing security, in an email to his colleagues reportedly criticizes the President and other senior officials, saying he is ashamed of the country's being led by an "unscrupulous group." Brazilian officials, who earlier received Sports Minister George Hilton's resignation, say the planning for the Olympic Games will not be affected. (BBC) (International Business Times)

More March 2016 events...

Ongoing events
Business 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist Panama Papers Health Flint water crisis Zika virus outbreak Political War in Afghanistan Boko Haram insurgency Brazil protests Burundian unrest Iraqi Civil War Military intervention against ISIL American-led Iranian Israeli–Palestinian conflict Lebanese political deadlock Moldova protests Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenian–Azeri border conflict Nepal blockade PKK rebellion Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Syrian Civil War American-led intervention Russian military intervention Venezuelan protests War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports 2015–16 La Liga season 2015–16 NBA season 2015–16 NHL season 2015–16 Premier League season 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2016 ATP World Tour 2016 MLB season 2016 WTA Tour edit sidebar

Recent deaths
April 6: Merle Haggard 5: Zyta Gilowska 5: Roman Gribbs 5: Mick Sullivan 4: Carlo Mastrangelo 4: Mike Sandlock 5: Barbara Turner 3: Abu Firas al-Suri 3: Erik Bauersfeld 3: Joe Medicine Crow 3: Bob Ellis 3: Lars Gustafsson 3: Cesare Maldini 2: Gato Barbieri 2: Amber Rayne 1: Tom Coughlin 1: Artur Górski 1: Denise Robertson March 31: Béla Biszku 31: Ronnie Corbett 31: Hans-Dietrich Genscher 31: Zaha Hadid 31: Imre Kertész 31: Douglas Wilmer 30: Shirley Hufstedler 30: John King 30: Andy "Thunderclap" Newman 29: Patty Duke 29: Nil Hilevich 29: Jean Lapierre 29: Steven Sample 28: Winston Moseley 27: Mother Angelica 27: Vic Peters 26: Toni Grant 26: Jim Harrison 25: Abu Ala al-Afri 25: Shannon Bolin 25: Lester Thurow 24: Johan Cruyff 24: Garry Shandling 23: Phife Dawg 22: Rob Ford 22: Harold J. Morowitz 21: Andrew Grove 21: Joseph Mercieca 21: Ricardo Larraín 20: Anker Jørgensen 19: Roger Agnelli 18: Guido Westerwelle 17: Paul Daniels 16: Sylvia Anderson 16: Better Loosen Up (death announced on this day) 16: Alexander Esenin-Volpin 16: Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan 16: Cliff Michelmore 16: Frank Sinatra, Jr. 15: Asa Briggs 15: Richard Burke 15: Tamara Grigsby 15: Seru Rabeni 14: Peter Maxwell Davies 14: Suranimala Rajapaksha 14: Davy Walsh (death announced on this day) 13: Adrienne Corri 13: Hilary Putnam 13: Martin Olav Sabo 13: József Verebes 12: Annastasia Batikis 12: Felix Ibru 12: Lloyd Shapley 11: Ben Bagdikian 11: Iolanda Balaș 11: Rómulo Macció 10: Ken Adam 10: Ernestine Anderson 10: Anita Brookner 10: Keith Emerson 10: Gogi Grant 10: Mohammed Irfan 10: Gary Jeter 10: Jovito Salonga 9: Jon English 9: John Gutfreund 9: Richard Horton 9: Ralph S. Larsen 9: Clyde Lovellette 8: Ross Hannaford 8: George Martin 7: Adrian Hardiman 7: Steve Kraly 7: Michael White 7: Quentin Young 6: Elizabeth Garrett 6: Kalabhavan Mani 6: Francis Pasion 6: Nancy Reagan 6: Harold H. Saunders edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Boko Haram insurgency Somalia Civil war South Sudan South Sudanese Civil War Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Asia Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Moro conflict Moro conflict in Sabah Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe European Migrant Crisis Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraqi civil war American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent March 5: Slovakia, National Council 6: Benin, President (1st round) 9: Kiribati, President 20: Benin, President (2nd round) 20: Cape Verde, National Assembly 20: Republic of the Congo, President 20: Kazakhstan, Majilis 20: Niger, President (2nd round) 20: Senegal, Constitutional referendum Upcoming April 6: Netherlands, EU referendum 8: Djibouti, President (1st round) 10: Chad, President (1st round) 10: Comoros, President (2nd round) 10: Peru, President, Congress 13: South Korea, National Assembly 13: Syria, People's Council 17: Italy, Oil drilling referendum 24: Austria, President 24: Serbia, National Assembly edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Ji Jianye, Li Chuncheng, Jiang Jiemin, Liao Shaohua, Ni Fake, Chen Baihuai, Zhou Yongkang, Gu Junshan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste, Mohamed Morsi Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Jordan: Abu Qatada Philippines: Joseph Scott Pemberton Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Dan Diaconescu Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Eston Kohver, Vladimir Kvachkov South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret, Gary Glitter, Fred Talbot, Adam Johnson United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Jodi Arias, Anas al-Libi, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Sheldon Silver International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina, Zdravko Tolimir, Radovan Karadžić Ongoing China: Yao Mugen, Guo Youming, Zhu Zuoli Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu, Relu Fenechiu, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members United Kingdom: Rolf Harris United States: Dean Skelos International ICTY: Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Max Clifford United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar