Current Events for the Week of 5 April 2010

Current Events for Monday, 5 April 2010

United States (U.S.) National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Shuttle Discovery takes-off to Internal Space Station (ISS) in one the final trips of such kind
Armed militants attack U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan and are fought-off, suicide bombs elsewhere kill thirty-eight
Suicide bomber kills two in restive Ingushetia, Russian Federation
7.2-magnitude earthquake shakes American-Mexican border towns
Environmental activists: disabled Chinese coal cargo ship leaking oil into Great Barrier Reef
Thai authorities struggle to end mass protest in major Bangkok market
At least 115 Chinese miners pulled from flooded pit one week after collapse in northern China
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, under-fire for critical comments about the West, rallies tribal factions and distances himself from main foreign support
South African President Jacob Zuma urges calm after far-right white leader Eugene Terre’blanche murdered by black workers
Roman Catholic Cardinal Angelo Sodano admonishes “petty gossip,” criticism of the Mother Church and defends Pope Benedict XVI role in the sex abuse scandals hitting the Vatican
Suicide car bombers kill forty-one in central Baghdad
Chinese, Iranian diplomats “agree” economic sanctions are “ineffective”
Apple’s long-awaiting iPad hits shelves
Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) Associate Justice John Paul Stevens to retire during U.S. President Barack Obama’s first term
Flaming candles, chants, bells, and drums mark Fire Ceremony at the theological tomb of Jesus of Nazareth in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem, Israel
Five killed in Tesoro, Incorporated refinery fire in Anacortes, Washington
U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ): no charges to file in American International Group (AIG) collapse
Bolivian President Evo Morales hails success in regional elections, but exit polls show opposition strength in key areas
During Central Asia tour, United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges Uzbekistan to improve human rights record and is greeted by Kyrgyz protesters
Cuban President Raoul Castro: Europe, U.S. waging media war against Cuba
International crude oil prices jump on U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) news that job creation increased in first-quarter of this year
Summit of downstream Mekong River nations demands answers from China over pollution
South Korean Foreign Ministry: Somali pirates have captured “huge” cargo ship in Indian Ocean
British think-tank Demos argues for voting rights to be extended to sixteen-year-olds
Militants kill two U.N. workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) restive northwest
Dissident Republicans being blamed for Armagh, Northern Ireland police headquarters car-bomb this weekend
Maoist mine attack on Indian soldiers in Orissa kills ten
Roman Catholic Preacher to the Papal Household Reverend Father Raniero Cantalamessa apologizes for remarks linking papal criticism to anti-Semitism
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade: Senegal is taking-back control of all French military bases
U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) postpones for months long-awaited report on whether China artificially manipulates its currency, the yuan (¥)
Human rights activists claim former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Mohammed ElBaradei supporter arrested by Egyptian police
Five Afghan soldiers killed, three wounded in “friendly-fire” incident with German peacekeepers
Russian Federation Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez sign key trade agreements after high-level meetings in Caracas
SeaFrance ferry strike enters third day
At least twenty killed, twenty-five missing in Peruvian mudslide

Current Events for Tuesday, 6 April 2010

Duke University ends Butler University’s unlikely run to win National Championship 61-59
U.S. Republican National Committee (RNC) shakes-up top-level staff after revelations it spent over $2,000 at sex-themed nightclub to entertain potential donors
Five bodies recovered after “miracle” Chinese mine rescue
At least twenty-four dead, four missing in West Virginia mine explosion
U.S. President Obama poised to announce new limit to U.S. nuclear arsenal
Wikileaks releases classified video it claims shows U.S. military killing a dozen Baghdad civilians, two Reuters reporters
Californian-Mexican border towns shaken after unusual earthquake
British Prime Minister to call 6 May elections
The Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California (USC) poll: billionaire Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman pulls-out small lead in race after injecting record-breaking $39 million of her own money into the campaign
Afghan President Karzai, U.S. war of words worsens
Fresh attack on U.S. consulate in Peshawar, no damages or injuries reported
Apple sells more than 300,000 iPads on opening day
Paleontologists uncover Velociraptor teeth in Protoceratops find
Argentina formally complains to China over soya oil ban
Series of large Baghdad explosions kill at least ten
At least forty Indian soldiers killed by Maoist rebels in central Indian attacks
Australian central bank raises interest rates from 4% to 4.25% to try and cool inflation, rising housing prices
British law taxing those making more than £150,000 annually by 50% comes into effect
South Korean naval vessel catches-up to oil tanker captured by Somali pirates
Xinhua news agency: China executes Japanese drug smuggler, first such execution since 1972
Thai Red Shirt protesters confront police in busy Bangkok market district
U.S. regulators to press for record $16 million fine against Toyota
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner to press India to open its markets to more American goods in first trip to that nation since assuming post
Russian Federation Prime Minister Vladimir Putin: Russia could sell Venezuela $5 billion in arms
Egyptian police release ElBaradei supporter
Joint operation by DRC forces, U.N. peacekeepers retakes Mbandaka airport from local militia
Three main contenders emerge for SCOTUS Associate Justice Stevens’ seat: 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Diane Wood, U.S. Solicitor-General Elena Kagan, and U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Judge Merrick Garland
Extended unemployment benefits expire for thousands

Current Events for Wednesday, 7 April 2010

U.S. President Obama leaves for Prague, The Czech Republic to sign new nuclear pact with Russian Federation, Russian authorities warn they could pull-out of treaty if threatened by U.S. missile defense plans
Powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hits off north Aceh, Indonesia coast, no deaths reported and tsunami alert cancelled
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat: U.S. Middle East peace push may have stalled permanently
U.S. DoJ prosecutors: Washington man arrested, charged with threatening to kill U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D., WA) over her vote on the healthcare bill
Anonymous sources: U.S. President Obama has authorized strikes against American-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to miss American-sponsored nuclear summit due to political campaigning
Yemen frees scores of Shi’a captives in north of country to cement truce with militants
Acting Nigerian president Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan appoints new cabinet
Scientists discover brightly-colored, two-meter (~6.6-feet) long Filippino monitor lizard
Nissan, Renault to take 3.1% stake in Daimler
Anti-government Thai Red Shirts surround parliament building, for members of parliament (MP) to flee
Riot police fire tear gas, rubber bullets to disperce opposition protesters in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
BBC: jailed Taliban commander Akbar Agha released from Aghan prison
North Korean court sentences American who “entered the country illegally” to eight years hard labor
U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia: U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has no authority to fine Comcast over Internet speed restrictions
Internet company AOL to either close or sell-off social networking website Bebo after only buying it two years ago for $850 million
Venezuelan authorities seize eight “Colombian spies”
Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) to boycott elections in northern Sudan
The euro (€) falls sharply against British pound (£), U.S. dollar ($) after reports Greece tried to renegotiate Eurozone rescue plan
Egyptian riot police beat, arrest dozens of pro-democracy protesters in Cairo
North Korean authorities debut home-grown operating system (OS), Red Star
At least ninety-five killed in Rio de Janeiro flooding
SeaFrance strike enters fifth day
International crude oil prices hit eighteen-month high on positive word of U.S. economic recovery
U.S. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: upcoming visit by Afghan President Karzai could be cancelled if he continues to make troubling political statements

Current Events for Thursday, 8 April 2010

World nuclear summit in Washington, D.C. next week to focus on unsecured bomb material
RNC holds strategic meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana this weekend
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev flees Bishkek, opposition claims power and dissolved parliament after violent protests
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva scaps foreign trip, declares state of emergency, blocks some websites and television stations
Qatari Ambassador to the United States Ali bin Fahad al-Hajri caught smoking in the toilet on flight to U.S., made “threatening” comment
Families holding-out hope for four West Virginia miners still trapped
U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM): no current plans to reopen investigation into 2007 attack on Iraqi civilians
Turkish cargo vessel taken by Somali pirates in Indian Ocean
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: American-Israeli dispute still unsettled
Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team warns of “busy” hurricane season
Rio de Janeiro rescuers continue digging for survivors, deathtoll rises to 110
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meets in Vietnam, Burma/Myanmar to be one focus
Université Pierre et Marie Curie researchers: sushi may introduce enzymes into the gut that promote digestion
University of Maribor study: “near-death flashes” may be result of elevated blood carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels
United Airlines, U.S. Airways in-talks on merger
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Geithner to visit China early next week, to discuss yuan (¥)
Another Sudanese opposition party joins boycott of upcoming elections
Sri Lankans head to parliamentary polls, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa hopes to solidify power
U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gives somber assessment to U.S. economic recovery, citing continued problems in the housing market and with unemployment
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: Israel “main threat to peace” in Middle East
European Union (E.U.) removes all its election monitors in Sudanese region of Darfur, citing safety concerns
Polish, Russian leaders hold first joint ceremony marking 1940 massacre of 22,000 Poles in Katyn
E.U. begins Somali soldier training mission in Uganda
South African African National Congress (ANC) party urges members to stop singing anti-Apartheid “Shoot the Boer” song amid rising racial tensions
Wifi woes for iPad
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrests California man for threats made against U.S. House of Representatives (House) Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., CA)
Los Angeles, California Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to shut-down city services twice per week to help solve budget crisis

Current Events for Friday, 9 April 2010

U.S. Air Force (USAF) V-22 Osprey crashes in Afghanistan, three U.S. servicemen and one civilian contractor killed
Kyrgyz mourn seventy-five killed in popular uprising, as self-proclaimed interim leader Roza Otunbayeva thanks Russian Federation for their “significant support”
U.S. Federal Reserve officials once again pledge low interest rates
Thai army warns Red Shirt protesters it may use force to end protests
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulls-out of next week’s U.S.-backed nuclear conference
Rio de Janeiro deathtoll rises to 173
Spain agrees to take four more Guantánamo Bay Naval Base (Gitmo) detention center captives
Pakistani National Assembly unanimously passes constitutional curbs to President Asif Ali Zardari’s powers, transfers many of them to parliament and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani
Hamas seizes bank funds in Gaza, casts doubt on financial security for Gaza investments
Armenian, Turkish diplomats agree to meet in Washington, D.C. next to push forward ties
First post-civil war Sri Lankan parliamentary poll ends with little violence
British National Trust’s Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire librarians find rare first edition The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling, with handwritten note to his daughter
Apple previews new features to be available with upcoming iPhone operating system upgrade
Hewlett-Packard (HP) researchers show-off working devices using memristors
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir predicts fair election even though many opposition parties have withdrawn
South African researchers uncover two fossil sets of remains of Australopithecus sediba
European Central Bank keeps eurozone interest rates at 1%
U.S. military takes step-back, will re-review video of 2007 U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter attack on Iraqi civilians
Rescuers once again forced from West Virginia mine because of dangerous gas levels
Supporters of radical Iraqi Shi’a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr vote to reject both premier election front-runners, choose former Interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari
China, Nepal finally agree on Mount Everest’s height: 8,848 meters (~29, 029 feet/~5.5 miles)
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R.) apologizes for leaving slavery out of proclamation making April “Confederate History Month”