RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/April 2019

April 2019
Two dead and four injured in a shooting at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte campus. Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó calls for a military coup to oust Nicolás Maduro and leads soldiers and a crowd of supporters through the streets of Caracas. Emperor Akihito becomes the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in 200 years. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein resigns There are 700 US cases of measles in 2019, a disease, for context, that was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. This outbreak represents the highest number of cases in 25 years. Thanks, Andrew Wakefield and your followers. Prosecutors drop child porn charges when software tools (often protected as "commercial secrets") are questioned. Woman killed, 3 injured in shooting at California synagogue Trump defends his comments on the Charlottesville rally while calling Robert E. Lee "a great general". Joe Biden has entered the race for the 2020 Democratic Party nomination Due to a printing error by the printers, the rabid-populist tabloid The Daily Telegraph accidentally printed two pages of its liberal compact rival the Sydney Morning Herald. To compare, it would be like the New York Post printing pages of the New York Times. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has tabled a bill in Holyrood for a second Scottish independence referendum in 2021, if Brexit goes through. Saudi Arabia executes 37 for "terrorism offenses". Major pharmaceutical company and two of its former executives facing charges for their roles in the opioid crisis. More than 200 people have been killed in explosions in Churches and hotels, in what police have described as a well-planned, co-ordinated attack Videos appear to show armed militia detaining migrants at US-Mexico border Elizabeth Warren says House should start impeachment proceedings for Trump after the redacted version of the Mueller report was released on Thursday. Two-wave US flu season is now the longest in a decade 'Church' to offer 'miracle cure' despite FDA warnings against drinking bleach A police counterterror operation went awry in Derry when a suspected member opened fire, killing a journalist. Astronomers have found helium hydride -aka the "universe's first molecule". Trump vetoes measure ending US support for Saudi-led war in Yemen Bernie Sanders received strong support for his Medicare-for-all proposal at a town hall with Fox News. He recently updated his health reform proposal. The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris suffers a devastating fire. Three UKIP MEPs have quit the party and joined the Brexit Party in protest over the conduct of Gerard Batten as leader, reducing UKIP's size in the European Parliament from 24 at the last election to just four. Batten and the national executive insist they were not chosen to stand for election anyway, however. Theresa May has been briefed that DAESH member Shimima Begum was a member of the organisation's "Hisba" police force. Small group of Brexiteer protestors block off depot of Aldi supermarket because it's a German business Antivaxxers sinking to new lows - appropriating nazi-era Star of David symbology to represent how oppressed they are!! US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos indicated she was aware of potential threats to transgender students, but rolled protections back anyway All major browsers (except Firefox and Brave) will permanently enable click tracking. Trump reportedly promised to pardon CBP head if he violated immigration law One third of cancer patients use dangerous and useless alternative and complementary medicine without informing their doctor. A protestor(?) attempted self immolation on the White House lawn Doctors in Papua New Guinea are reporting seeing an increasing numbers of patients seeking medical assistance, due to botched penis enlargements. The rise is due to a number of men putting injections of silicon, or various oils such as coconut oil and cooking oil, into their "member". Literature review by the German government finds glyphosate poses zero increased risk of cancer, contradicting a scientifically questionable finding in a 2018 American lawsuit against Bayer. The tabloid newspaper the  is getting rid of page 3 girls, bringing an end to the era when pictures of topless women appeared in British daily newspapers. Star rugby player Israel Folau is to be fired by Rugby Australia after writing on social media that hell awaits those who die without repenting the sin of homosexuality. A major observational study of more than 30 000 people finds that vitamins and minerals are good for human health, but only if you get those from actual food, not supplements. South Korea's constitutional court has ordered that the country's 60 year-old abortion law, which prohibits it, be repealed. The Ecuadorian embassy in London has withdrawn the asylum application of Julian Assange and allowed the Metropolitan Police to arrest him for breaching bail. Texas' congress is currently debating a new law (Bill #896) that would classify destroying any fetus, including by means of abortion, as a homicide and punishable by death. (warning: adblock bitching) The Sudanese Army have overthrown President Omar al-Bashir, ending 30 years of rule and ordered the release of all political prisoners. International economics organsation the, has conveyed that millennials (those born between 1983 and 2002) are dropping out of the middle-class in all developed economies. This is primarily due to rising property values over wages. New human species discovered in the Philippines The UK and EU have agreed another Brexit delay until 31 October. Cue dozens of crap Halloween jokes. House votes to restore net neutrality rules (warning: autoplay video) Black hole picture revealed for the first time. Ireland has passed legislation banning zero-hours contracts and stating workers are always entitled to a minimum payment, even if their employer fails to provide them with work. The Chinese government is seriously considering a ban on cryptocurrency mining, principally Bitcoin mining, primarily due to environmental reasons.

Police have foiled a suspected terrorist attack in County Down, after a member of the public reported a mortar being rigged on a country road to fire at passing cars. First ever photo of a black hole taken to be released on Wednesday Iran Labels U.S. Central Command a Terrorist Organization Trump Designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a Foreign Terrorist Group Facebook has announced that it is deplatforming several noted Canadian alt and far right extremists including Rebel Media's, white nationalist crusader Kevin Goudreau, and groups including Soldiers of Odin, Wolves of Odin, and the Aryan Strikeforce across its platforms. Kirstjen Nielsen Resigns as Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that he would annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins another term in office The Hungarian government has sent a complaint to the Slovenian embassy, after a noted Slovenian news magazine Mladina put a provocative cartoon of Viktor Orbán on the cover. The magazine has been critical of Hungary's increasing authoritarianism and its growing influence in Slovenia. State attorney generals sue the Trump administration for weakening nutritional standards for school meals. Mormon LDS Church rolls back controversial anti-LGBT policies. Ted Cruz sues the Federal Election Commission in attempt to overturn limits on post-election campaign donations. Another one of those pesky transitional fossils identified - 4-legged whale found in Peru. Year-old footage of Steve Bannon suggests Breitbart is undergoing severe financing issues due to the successes of the "Sleeping Giants" network in convincing companies not to advertise there. The trial of suspected National Action terror cell leader Jack Renshaw has concluded with no verdict on the charge of being a member of a proscribed organisation, but Mr. Renshaw has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and four sex offences. President Donald Trump reverses his earlier decision to repeal the Affordable Care Act, saying he wants to wait till after the 2020 election. The meltdown of WND. (Apparently original is behind a Paywall for some people - here's an alternative site for the article: stuff.co.nz) Algeria's autocratic president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has submitted his resignation as the country's head of state, after weeks of popular protest in the country. 40 MPs have passed a parliamentary motion called for “organ tourism”, the practice of going abroad to “buy” replacement organs, to be banned.