A state of emergency is declared in Fiji as nearly 7000 people are displaced and two people have been killed during floods with conditions set to worsen with heavy storms expected following Tropical Depression 17F.(AAP via Herald Sun)(AFP via Perth Now)
The three widows and two daughters of Osama bin Laden are convicted of illegally living in Pakistan and sentenced to 45 days in jail and fined $114 each. (BBC)
Following last year's defamation of Father Kevin Reynolds by RTÉ, the Irish state-controlled broadcaster's head of current affairs Ed Mulhall retires, Ken O'Shea resigns from Prime Time and a related programme, Prime Time Investigates is axed. (Irish Independent)(The Irish Times)
Democratic Party primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington DC. (CNN)
Sports
In
2012 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament, defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team 80-61 and becoming the first NCAA basketball team to win 40 games in a season and with an undefeated record. (AP via NPR)
2012 South Sudan–Sudan border conflict: The Sudan People's Liberation Army says it shot down a Sudanese MiG-29 jet fighter in South Sudan's Unity state. (CNN)
Sinai desert hits the Israeli city of Eilat but causes no injuries or property damage. (Reuters)
Azawad National Liberation Movement declares an end to military activities, claiming that they have captured enough territory to form their own state. (BBC)
tobacco products by retailers comes into force in England. Lawmakers hope it will lead to a reduction in the number of young people taking up smoking. (BBC)
The 158th Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge is stopped mid-race due to a swimmer in the water. After a clash of oars at the restart, Cambridge won easily. (BBC)(Yahoo)
Charges are dropped against Larisa Litvinova in the case of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, whose controversial death in a Russian jail led to claims of torture and neglect. (BBC)
Disabled Chinese land rights lawyer Ni Yulan and her husband are sentenced by a Beijing court a year after they were detained for fraud and "provoking trouble". (Jakarta Post)
George Zimmerman, the main person of interest in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, say that they quit representing Zimmerman due to them losing contact with him. (CNN)
earthquake occurs off the coast of Aceh in Indonesia with a preliminary magnitude of 8.6 and a tsunami warning issued. There are five indirect fatalities. (NineMSN)
A draft United NationsSecurity Council resolution outlines plans to send observers to Syria to monitor compliance with a new peace plan, as several people are reportedly shot dead after Friday prayers. (BBC)
Spain seeks to deter Argentina's nationalization of YPF, an Argentine oil company majority-owned by Spain's Repsol, warning that such a nationalization would make Argentina a "pariah". (New York Times)
Kirill says the church is stronger than its critics after a series of scandals. (AFP)
Juan Carlos is criticised for going on a hunting trip to Botswana while his country is in an economic crisis. (Mail & Guardian)
Business and economy
yuan, allowing it to fluctuate up to 1% in trading against the United States dollar, up from 0.5%. (BBC)
International relations
Across Europe, hundreds of activists are prevented by authorities from boarding flights bound for Tel Aviv as part of the Welcome to Palestine campaign. Hundreds of Israeli police officers are deployed at Israel's main airport to arrest any activists who manage to fly in. (Al Jazeera)(The Times of Israel)
At least 55 people are reported killed, including 26 in the city of Idlib, as violence increases again despite the arrival of U.N. observers to monitor a cease-fire. (CNN)
Military leaders and a group of political parties in
acting president and prime minister remain in detention. (CNN)
A six-year-old boy is killed and two other children are wounded after a militant throws a hand grenade into a
by-elections earlier this month in which opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party won dozens of seats. (CNN)
The U.S. military's top officer Martin Dempsey speaks of being "embarrassed" and tells a Pentagon news conference "we let the boss down" in relation to allegations that United States Secret Service agents habitually associated with prostitutes in Colombia. Pentagon spokesman George E. Little tells reporters that the number of military staff involved could be more than the five originally reported. (BBC)
An Israeli soldier hits a foreign
pro-Palestinian activist, believed to be a Danish national, with his gun after protesters attack and injure the soldier; the Danish ambassador to Israel demands an explanation from Israel. (Al Jazeera)(Los Angeles Times)(Toronto Star)(Ynet)
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, the heir to the Dutch throne, buys a villa for €4.5 million beside the Greek town of Kranidi near a home owned by Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin. (BBC)
DFLP go on hunger strike on the Palestinian "Prisoners' Day". Thousands of people rally in towns and cities in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in support of their action, waving Palestinian flags and displaying photos of imprisoned relatives. (Al Jazeera)(The Jerusalem Post)
It is announced that more than 20 writers are still needed for a week-long event to include a poet from every nation competing in the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics: among those attending are Jo Shapcott (Great Britain) and Nobel laureates Seamus Heaney (Ireland) and Wole Soyinka (Nigeria). (BBC)(The Guardian)
The St Cuthbert Gospel, the oldest intact European book, is to stay on UK territory due to the £9 million raised for purchase by the British Library. (BBC)
Port Said Stadium disaster: A hearing of 73 men accused of involvement in the killing of 79 people is adjourned until May 5. (Al Jazeera)
International relations
Senior U.S. officials admit for the first time that the Secret Service prostitution scandal during the 6th Summit of the Americas involved as many as 20 women, 11 American agents and some military personnel. (BBC)
Spanish foreign minister
José García-Margallo y Marfil attacks Argentina over its decision to nationalise YPF, an Argentine oil company in which Spanish company Repsol has a majority shareholding, a decision reported to be popular in Argentina. (BBC)
Thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators march through Tubli calling for the downfall of the regime and chanting against the Formula 1 Grand Prix, due to be held in Bahrain on Sunday. (Al Jazeera)
Police fire stun grenades at protesters in a separate rally outside a cultural exhibition in Manama amid calls for the release of imprisoned Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, being kept alive by intravenous drip. (BBC)
American television personality and producer Dick Clark dies of a heart attack at the age of 82. (ABC)
Business and economy
In the
Securities and Exchange Commission finalize joint rules that will limit which firms must register with either or both of those agencies as "swap dealers." (Reuters)
International relations
Cuba claims U.S. President Barack Obama was forced to use his "imperial veto" to stop the summit calling for an end to the U.S. embargo against it. (BBC)
North Korea rejects criticism from countries on the United Nations Security Council regarding its failed rocket launch, and breaks off an agreement that would see it halt testing of nuclear weapons in exchange for food aid. (AFP via Google)
Senior U.S. officials condemn graphic photos depicting their troops posing with the mangled corpses of suspected Afghan suicide bombers on at least two separate occasions months apart. The Los Angeles Times defends its publication of the photos after being warned against the move by the U.S. military. (Al Jazeera)
Law and crime
China pledges an investigation into the death of British businessman Neil Haywood, and the alleged role of former politician Bo Xilai and his wife. (BBC)
English-speaking comedian ever to perform in Russia. The routine references Russia's new law banning "homosexual propaganda" and jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. (BBC)
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter reportedly crashed in Afghanistan, killing all four on board. (CNN)
International relations
An agent at the centre of the U.S. prostitution scandal in Colombia denied one of his escorts $770 from an agreed fee of $800, according to The New York Times, thus prompting the row that revealed the scandal to the public. (BBC)
The Syrian army kills over 50 civilians nationwide, primarily in the besieged city of Idlib. (Al Arabiya)
Egyptian revolution
:
Tens of thousands of people demonstrate in Tahrir Square against continuing military rule in Egypt. (BBC)
Yemeni revolution
:
At least 18 deaths are reported by Yemen's defence ministry as a result of an army offensive intent on recapturing the capital of Abyan Governorate. (BBC)
Marcus Robinson, due to have been executed in 2007, is ordered off death row after North Carolina Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks rules his trial was tainted by racial bias, grounds for cancellation of a death sentence under the state's Racial Justice Act. The judge used controversial statistical evidence of bias to grant the change of sentence. (BBC)
Demonstrators against the regime flood a main highway in a march stretching for miles as Bahrain's rulers struggle to contain opposition anger ahead of the Formula 1 Grand Prix. (The Daily Telegraph)
Police fire tear gas at demonstrators outside the capital Manama ahead of the Grand Prix. (RTE)
Salah Abbas Habib is beaten to death by police supporting the Bahraini regime. (Al Jazeera)(BBC)
The regime stifles coverage of demonstrations against its rule by denying entry to journalists from news organisations including Sky, which holds the UK TV rights to air the controversial Formula 1 Grand Prix, as well as CNN, Reuters and the Financial Times. (The Guardian)
The Bahraini regime presses ahead with its plans to use the Formula 1 Grand Prix as a symbol of national unity. (The Irish Times)
FIA president Jean Todt dismisses concerns about the reputation of Formula 1 following week-long damaging headlines and calls for a boycott over its support of the regime. (Daily Mail)
Renewed protests against the regime break out overnight with police firing tear gas and stun grenades at civilians. Chants of "Down with Hamad," calling for the King of Bahrain to be ousted from power, are reported by witnesses. (RTE)
Despite calls for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix to be cancelled following the death of a man, the race is staged, under armed guard. (BBC)
Turnout is reported to be low, though
Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, heir apparent to the Bahraini throne, is seen smiling and shaking hands with other spectators at the finish. (Reuters)
It is revealed that Force India tried to pull out of the race and return to Britain but, after the team's refusal to take to the circuit, there was a confrontation between Bernie Ecclestone and the Force India team. (Daily Mirror)
The Sunday Telegraph's chief foreign correspondent Colin Freeman and his fixer and translator are arrested. Activist Ala'a Shehabi is arrested after reporting the arrest of Colin Freeman. The Guardian reports the arrest of Ala'a Shehabi. (The Guardian)
Calls for afternoon protests at the destroyed
Al Khalifa family, get underway as the race ends, while protests are also held outside the London offices of Formula One chief, Bernie Ecclestone, with demonstrators chanting "down, down Bernie" and "shame on you Bernie". (Al Jazeera)
Anonymous, which last week took out the official website of Formula One, posts partially redacted data concerning dozens of race ticket holders found on Formula One servers. The international group also posts a statement online saying it intends to carry out further action if imprisoned hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja or his family are harmed, promising to "respond with fury and rage the likes of which have never been seen." (NPR)
U.S. and Afghan negotiators finalise an agreement concerning the continuing U.S. presence in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdraws its troops at the end of 2014. (BBC)
Bahraini uprising: Bahrain's highest appeals court postpones for a week the final verdict in the case of imprisoned hunger striker Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and 20 other democracy activists. (BBC)
Syrian uprising: Syrian regime forces kill at least 33 people with shells and gunfire in the city of Hama. (BBC)
The Egyptian government denies licenses to eight U.S. civil society groups, including the Carter Center. (BBC)
Arts and culture
A festival of William Shakespeare's 37 plays performed polyglotically, from Swahili to sign language, begins as part of the World Shakespeare Festival on the anniversary of the Bard of Avon's birth. (BBC)
White House lawyers launch an internal investigation into the role its advance staff may have played in the U.S. Secret Service sex scandal in Colombia, though no evidence has been found to implicate anyone in the scandal. (BBC)
2008 economic meltdown. He is to face no punishment and his legal expenses are to be paid. (BBC)
The sister of
MI6 officer Gareth Williams, found dead in his flat, tells his inquest that he had been a "scrupulous risk-assessor" and only let "vetted" people into his home. (BBC)
The British broadcasting regulator Ofcom launches an investigation into the hacking of private email accounts by Sky News. (BBC)
The Ofcom announcement comes on the same day that the news channel's boss John Ryley appears before the Leveson Inquiry where he says the company broke the law by hacking emails. (BBC)
Officials in
Trayvon Martin, to resign. George Zimmerman, now facing a murder charge, is released on bail and taken to a secret location. (BBC)
The home and email addresses of the 38,000 entrants to the London Marathon are published on the website of the organisers. (BBC)
Rangers F.C. owner Craig Whyte is banned for life from any involvement in Scottish football while a 12-month transfer embargo is imposed on the club. (BBC)
Syrian uprising: Three people are injured in a car bombing in central Damascus, blamed by the regime-backed state television on an "armed terrorist group". The opposition say around sixty people were killed nationwide yesterday. (Al Jazeera)
Bradley Manning's defence insist his case was mishandled by American prosecutors and must now be thrown out. (Al Jazeera)
Ireland's police watchdog rules that there are no grounds for any criminal case against any of five officers involved in the 31 March 2011 incident known as the “rape tape” controversy, resulting from the inadvertent video recording of a sergeant in a patrol car joking about the rape of two women. (Irish Examiner)(The Journal)
British police arrest five people in the English town of Luton on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. (BBC)
A spokesman for Newt Gingrich announces he will remain in the primary until the convention, despite having been placed behind in opinion polling. (ABC News)
Syrian uprising: United Nations envoy Kofi Annan describes the situation in Syria as bleak, raising concerns about reports indicating that Syrian Army forces are conducting operations against opponents. (Sky News)
prisoners of war as border clashes between the two states seem to abate. (Reuters)
Syrian uprising (2011–present): Nearly 70 people are killed in rocket attacks by the Syrian army on the city of Hama, including many children. (Al Jazeera)
2011–2012 Bahraini uprising: Mourners and police clash at the funeral of a protester who was killed last week. (IOL)
Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani guilty of contempt of court but he is given only a token sentence of imprisonment lasting less than a minute. (NDTV)(BBC)
The
Charles Taylor on charges of arming Sierra Leone's rebels in return for "blood diamonds" in the 1990s. He is convicted on charges related to aiding and abetting war crimes but acquitted of charges of ordering them. (AFP via France 24)(BBC)
Colombian Army on a mission to destroy cocaine laboratories in Caquetá Department with another four soldiers, a police officer and a French journalist missing. (BBC)
A court in Bahrain orders a civil trial for 21 activists who took part in anti-government protests and were convicted by a military court. (Al Jazeera)
U.S. President Barack Obama refuses to comment on Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident said to be at the U.S. embassy after fleeing house arrest. (BBC)
