Portal:Current events/2011 April 17

April 17, 2011 (Sunday)

Armed conflict and attacks

At least four people are shot dead by security forces during anti-government protests in Syria. (CBC) (AFP via Channel News Asia)
2011 Libyan civil war
- Rebel forces in Libya regain the town of Ajdabiya. (Al Jazeera)
- Heavy fighting continues in Misrata with reports of seventeen people dying. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
NATO announces that eight soldiers from member countries died in fighting in Afghanistan. (AP via Atlanta Journal Constitution) (AP via Fox News)
Fourteen people claimed to be responsible for shooting 52 protestors in Sana’a in March are referred to the state prosecutor. (Al-Arabiya)

Business and economy

China raises its bank reserves requirements as an anti-inflation move, an increase of 50 basis points (half of a percent) effective April 21. (Financial Times)
Oman is to spend 1 billion rials in an attempt to prevent further anti-government protests. (IOL)

Disasters

The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Japan to announce US assistance for the recovery effort following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (BBC)
More than forty people die in the tornado outbreak of April 14–16, 2011, with North Carolina being the worst affected state. (CNN)
At least twelve people are killed in a severe storm in China's Guangdong Province. (The Telegraph)

Politics

Police in China detain dozens of underground Protestant church followers in Beijing. (AFP via Google News) (Hong Kong Standard)
The National Coalition Party wins the Finnish parliamentary election (44 seats), with the True Finns, third-place finishers, emerging as a new major political party (39 seats). Biggest losers are the Centre Party (36 seats); coalition talks will probably be held between the Coalition, the True Finns and the Social Democrats (42 seats).(YLE)
Goodluck Jonathan will be reelected as President of Nigeria based on unofficial results in the presidential election. (The Guardian)
The Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refuses to accept the resignation of Intelligence Chief Heyder Moslehi. (AFP via Google)

Sport