RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/April 2018

April 2018
The House Intelligence Committee has formally cleared Trump of any charges of collusion with Russia. The Dominican Republic has switched its recognition from the Republic of China to the PRC. Guns will be banned for part of the National Rifle Convention. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-blast/twin-blasts-in-afghan-capital-kill-at-least-26-including-nine-journalists-idUSKBN1I1069 26 were killed, including nine journalists, in a terrorist attack in Kabul. A separate attack in Kandahar killed 11 children.] Assad's forces have taken two villages from the Kurds. In what definitely isn't monopolization, T-Mobile and Sprint have agreed to a merger. The largest demonstration in Thailand since the 2014 coup took place against a government-funded luxury housing project on forested land. Transdr, the world’s first trans-only dating app, has been harshly criticized for attracting chasers and using transphobic language in its marketing. 40 Tuaregs were killed by suspected Jihadists. Mongolia and Singapore are the final two sites under consideration for the upcoming United States-North Korea summit The House chaplain was fired, possibly for warning of the implications of tax reform. Nine killed and ten injured in a school stabbing in Shaanxi.

The 550-year old remains of possibly the largest child sacrifice ever have been discovered. Two-thirds of Brits are concerned about abuse of transgender people. Trump gives health workers means to discriminate against people who request abortions or gender-reassignment surgery (transgendered people), a.k.a. "religious liberty protections". Researchers kept pig brains and organs alive for 36 hours after death. The Koreas have agreed to finally end their war this year and to pursue denuclearization. Teacher protests have broken out in Arizona and Colorado. Representative Patrick Meehan (R-PA) resigns after it was revealed he used $39000 in taxpayer money as a severance payment to a former aide who accused him of sexual harassment. A militia leader pled guilty to attempting to bomb a federal cabin. Mike Pompeo has been confirmed as the new Secretary of State. North and South Korea are holding the first summit in over a decade on 27 April. Facebook posts record revenues for first quarter despite privacy scandal EPA chairman Pruitt has made a proposal to limit the types of research they can use. Four mass graves from the Rwandan genocide have been uncovered. Madrid regional premier Cristina Cifuentes quits after video of her shoplifting emerges All Bavarian government buildings must now display a Christian cross. A federal judge has ruled to uphold DACA, calling the White House "arbitrary and capricious" in moving to end it. Sixteen were killed when armed herdsmen attacked a Nigerian church. A man drives a van into a crowd of people in Toronto, killing 10. Facebook posts reveal that the driver, a military washout, was motivated by his "involuntary celibacy" and had praised Elliot Rodger. Britain went three days straight without coal power, beating the record they set just days ago. A right-wing Indian politician has claimed that Indians invented satellites and the internet in ancient times and used them to receive live updates on the Kurukshetra War (traditionally dated to around 3000 BCE). Ridicule follows. Evolution of the human race for specific niche roles is ongoing - Bajau peoples of Southeast Asia show adaptions suited to nomadic sea-borne lifestyle Far-right protesters clash with a migrant demonstration in Lesbos. At least twenty were killed at a wedding in Yemen by Saudi-led air strikes. Armenian PM Sargsyan resigns amidst massive protests accusing him of clinging to power. [https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-trumps-trans-military-ban-backfired-spectacularly How Trump's trans military ban backfired. Spectacularly.] The bodies of eleven Libyans attempting to flee to Italy have been recovered by the Libyan coastguard. At least 57 were killed in a terrorist attack at a voter registration center in Kabul, and at least six more in a car bombing at another voting center in Baghlan. Italy’s retrograde laws, pushed by the Catholic Church, force LGBT parents to lie about the way their children were conceived. One killed in Madagascar as police crack down on protests against electoral laws designed to disqualify their candidate. A meme app has been banned in China for "vulgar" content. The decision raises the issue of unnecessary censorship. North Korea announces a freeze on nuclear and missile tests starting April 21. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/imploding-lawsuits-fundraising-troubles-trailer-park-brawls-has-the-alt-right-peaked/2018/04/20/0a2fb786-39a6-11e8-9c0a-85d477d9a226_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f5730bd91f3a ‘Imploding’: Financial troubles. Lawsuits. Trailer park brawls. Has the alt-right peaked?] One wounded in yet another Florida school shooting. Peptide-based biogenic dental product may cure cavities Thousands of students walk out across the US on the anniversary of Columbine demanding stricter gun control. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that provinces can put up non-tariff barriers like restrictions between inter-provincial trade. This ruling came about after a New Brunswick man went over his allowance of liquor that he imported from Québec. A federal appeals court has ruled that sanctuary cities can't be denied public safety grants. The UK just went for a record 55 hours without using coal. In West Virginia a police officer was fired for assessing the situation and trying to talk down a black suspect instead of just shooting him. He has won a six-figure settlement over his questionable firing. Cuba has a non-Castro in charge for the first time since the revolution. A former Texan 911 operator has been prosecuted for interfering with police procedure by hanging up a number of calls reporting robberies and murders because she wasn't interested in talking at the moment. On the 50th anniversary of its independence, Swaziland officially renames itself to the Kingdom of eSwatini. The inventor and manufacturer of bump stocks has announced it is ceasing production. Three men were convicted of plotting to bomb an apartment complex housing Somali Muslim migrants. Austrian researcher Herwig Czech exposes Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger's links to the Nazi euthanasia program in 1940s. Liberty University's bread-and-butter business is running an online distance learning program that, if the accounts of current and former students are to be believed, is basically a diploma mill roughly on par with ITT Tech and other for-profit colleges. China conducted live-fire drills on the southeast coast which may have been aimed at Taiwan. Bills to curtail LGBT rights are failing in US legislatures. Palestinian with truck carrying explosives for 'Independence Day Terror Attack' arrested. Turkish-backed, racist and misogynistic terror groups in Afrin are accused of forced conversions and murder of Yazidis, taking a page from DAESH's book on inter-faith and inter-racial relations. A UN security team was fired on in Syria while visiting suspected chemical sites. Alex Jones is being sued for defamation by the parents of two Sandy Hook victims. Barbara Bush has passed away at the age of 92. The Koreas are negotiating officially ending the Korean War after nearly seventy years. A Russian journalist who reported on a secretive group of Russian mercenaries in Syria died after a mysterious fall. Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles The US and UK blame Russia for hacks on internet routers worldwide. Michael Cohen's secret third client is revealed to be... Sean Hannity!!! CNN: "If I wrote a screenplay in which a lawyer/fixer had only three clients -- the President of the United States, a major GOP donor trying to cover up allegations of impregnating a Playmate and Sean Hannity -- roughly ZERO major or minor studios would buy that script, considering how improbable it all is. And rightly so! Yet here we are." Hundreds of thousands protest in Barcelona over imprisoned Catalan leaders. A massive tunnel between Israel and Gaza dug by militants has been destroyed. The Philippines barred entry to and deported an EU Socialist Party official who criticized Duterte's War on Drugs. Tens of thousands protest against corruption in Slovakia. Fact-checking Mark Zuckerberg's testimony about Facebook privacy [https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/apr/15/states-not-recording-complaints-made-about-school-chaplains An investigation finds that Australian state governments fail to keep basic records about school chaplains, including complaints. Both major political parties have also re-committed to continuing the religious programs in public schools] Anti-gun control protests broke out across the US as a reaction to March for Our Lives. China is implementing a mandatory social credit system. Exxon lost a last-ditch effort to avoid investigation on whether they knew about the link between fossil fuels and climate change. Protests break out in Hungary against Orban's rule. Art Bell, longtime host of paranormal themed radio show Coast to Coast AM, has died at age 72. Having apparently learned nothing from George W. Bush (despite all his criticism of the Iraq War on the campaign trail), Donald Trump literally tweets out "mission accomplished" after bombing Syria. All that's missing is an aircraft carrier and a flight suit. Texas judge: LGBT workers should be protected from workplace discrimination Chinese Twitter Weibo will be removing gay content over the next few months. UPDATE: They aren't doing it after massive backlash. The Oklahoma teacher strike has ended with millions in new education funding. Meanwhile, after threatening their own strike, Arizona teachers have gotten a 20% pay raise. The US, France and UK bombed the Syrian regime directly, ostensibly in response to the use of chemical weapons last week. Let's just hope WWIII doesn't start...  21 were sentenced to life in Turkey over the

Duterte threatens to arrest an ICC prosecutor if she comes to investigate his War on Drugs. Five were killed by a bombing at a Somalian soccer match. Genetics in loggerhead turtles have shown to be heavily related to the magnetic fields of their nesting places. US Border Patrol agents attempted to dump an injured man across the US-Mexico border because he "looked Mexican."

Global warming, Atlantic cooling: the Gulf Stream, which keeps Europe warm, is at its weakest in 1600 years. The US and Russia are closer to military conflict than any time since the end of the Cold War. In what might be the dawn of a new conspiracy theory, a town council in Britain is forced to issue a formal denial that its new tech is causing miscarriages and killing wildlife. Trump promises strike on Syria and warns Russia against backing Assad. DREAMers in Arizona have been barred from in-state tuition. Argentine Congress has begun a debate on loosening the country's abortion restrictions. Paul Ryan is retiring at the end of his term. Pulling valuable metals from e-waste makes financial sense A Jewish elementary school in Paris faces antisemitic graffiti. Chad has been taken off the travel ban. Saudi Arabia is floating a plan to turn Qatar into an island. The US and Russia clash over Syria at the UN Security Council. A 600,000 strong Black Lives Matter Facebook page has been shut down after Facebook revealed it was run by an Australian man profiting from $100,000 worth of donations. The top adviser to Ali Khamenei has threatened response to a Syrian air strike Iran blames on Israel. At least eight were killed by a bombing in Herat. Tensions mount as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pressures British Columbia to drop its opposition against the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which goes from Alberta to its coast. There is an on-going trade war between British Columbia and Alberta over this. The FBI raided the office of Trump's longtime personal lawyer. Facebook has suspended another data analytics firm that was using tactics similar to Cambridge Analytica. An 85,000 year old human finger bone found in Saudi Arabia suggests we left Africa earlier than we thought. 149 women and children abducted by Boko Haram have been rescued. Russia and Syria blame Israel for an airstrike on a Syrian air base whose culprit remains unknown. A leaked Home Office report confirms that an increase in violent crime in the United Kingdom was influenced by the Office cutting police officers by 14% since 2012. The Home Secretary at the time? Theresa May. Kim Jong-un said he is willing to discuss denuclearization. China has banned the export of items with the potential to be used in a WMD to North Korea. Only two-thirds of American Millennials are sure the earth is round, and 2% are convinced it's flat. A Vatican ex-diplomat was arrested for suspicion of having child pornography. Last month, Portugal generated more electricity than it needed using only renewable energy. The District of Columbia joins several American cities in taxing ride-hail companies, such as Uber and Lyft, in order to fund mass transit. A federal judge has ruled that "military-style" rifles and high capacity magazines aren't protected by the Second Amendment. Japan activated its first marine unit since the end of World War II due to fears of China's rising power. At least seventy were killed in what is suspected to be a chemical attack in Douma. Texan congressman Blake Farenthold (R) resigns under allegations of sexual harassment and miscellaneous inappropriate behavior. Secret talks between the US and North Korea are underway, planning for a Trump-Kim summit. Several are dead from a van plowing into a crowd in Muenster. Arizona and Texas are sending a combined number of 400 personnel to the US-Mexico border. Four were detained in the Indonesian province of Aceh, which is under sharia law, for allegations of having gay sex. A Saudi oil tanker was attacked by the Houthis, though Saudi Arabia says this will not affect oil supplies. Are your phone camera and microphone spying on you? An analysis of various statistical surveys suggests that American political polarization is due to people having a sport-team mentality rather than because of genuine disagreements over the issues. This is best resolved by treating other people as "human beings", the researcher concludes. The US has imposed sanctions on seven Russian oligarchs and 17 senior government officials. Four were killed and at least 200 injured in the Israeli response to resumed protests on the Gaza border. UPDATE: Deaths include a well-known Palestinian journalist covering the demonstration. The Cambridge Analytica scandal affected almost double the amount of people it was previously thought to have. Trump threatens another $100 billion of sanctions on China, to which China says it will retaliate if implemented. A sugar tax on soft drinks is introduced today in the United Kingdom. The tax makes a 2 litre bottle of Pepsi go up from £1.50 (≈US$2.10) to £1.95 (≈US$2.73) Six Vietnamese pro-democracy activists were sentenced to between seven and 15 years on baseless allegations of attempting to overthrow the government. A gunman shot four academics dead at Osmangazi University who he alleges were members of the Gülen movement. Naturopath jailed in New South Wales after almost killing an eight-month old baby with dangerous dietary advice. She has said, through lawyers, that she believes her arrest was "staged". A study finds that consumer DNA tests are wrong 40% of the time. Facebook announces that most of their users may have had their data skimmed by "malicious actors".

Reality check: Has London surpassed New York City in murder rates?

A Malaysian university drew criticism for having a forum to "convert" LGBT students. At least 20 civilians were killed in an Afghan air raid against the Taliban. A man was beaten, choked and tased by police after jaywalking. Trump announces plans to militarize the US-Mexico border until the wall is built. Four were wounded by a shooting at the YouTube HQ before the shooter took her own life. UPDATE: she reportedly hated the company for filtering her videos and demonetization. A protestor was hit by a sheriff's deputy at a rally over an unarmed black man being killed by police. Six people found in a mass grave were allegedly arrested by the Mali military three days earlier, as violence by the government and jihadist groups alike increases ahead of the presidential election. Pink News highlights research showing that young trans people are 65% less likely to try to kill themselves if their names and pronouns are respected. A bill to be introduced this week to the South Carolina state legislature would ban local governments from implementing stricter gun laws. Saudi dictator Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman recognized the existence of Israel, and called Iranian dictator Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei "worse than Hitler." The EPA wants to roll back California's air pollution regulations, claiming that they are too stringent. Sinclair Broadcasting Company made reporters from local networks it owns recite the same script warning about fake news. China declares counter-tariffs on 128 US products. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, anti-apartheid activist and widow to Nelson Mandela, died in her sleep at the age of 81. Israel has scrapped its internationally criticized deportation plan in favor of sending African migrants to other Western countries. The Oklahoma teacher walkout has begun. Trump says the DACA deal is off, as well as threatening to kill NAFTA if Mexico doesn't tighten border security. For the first time in its history, the LDS has apostles who aren't white men. Erdogan called Israeli PM Netanyahu a terrorist amidst the deaths on the Gaza border. New York has banned firearms from domestic abusers. Georgetown, Texas, becomes the largest American city to be completely powered by renewable energy. The previous record holder was Burlington, Vermont. The US plans to collect the social media history of visa applicants. Violence erupts in Indian Kashmir after a clash between police and militant separatists.