Portal:Current events/2013 April 17
April 17, 2013 (Wednesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- War in North-West Pakistan:
- A United States drone attack kills at least five people in the Pakistani city of Wana, located in the South Waziristan Agency. (The Nation)
- Arab–Israeli conflict:
- 2013 Bangalore blast:
- Boston Marathon bombings:
- The U.S. FBI recovers forensic evidence suggesting the two explosive devices which exploded near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon were pressure cooker bombs, placed inside heavy black nylon bags containing shrapnel. (Al Jazeera)
- An episode of the popular U.S. sitcom Family Guy is pulled by the Fox Network over its depiction of people being run over by a car at the Boston Marathon. The film Four Lions is also pulled by Film4 due to the hysteria surrounding the recent Boston Marathon bombings in which three people died. (BBC)
- 2013 ricin attacks:
- Further suspicious letters are found addressed to President Barack Obama and to members of the United States Senate. (CNN)
- The United States Senate is evacuated following the scare. (US News & World Report) (The Huffington Post)
Disasters and accidents
- West Fertilizer Company explosion:
- An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, United States, kills 15 and injures more than 100 people and damages many nearby buildings, including residences, a nursing home, and a middle school. (Reuters) (BBC)
Health and environment
- The H7N9 strain of avian influenza kills two more people in Shanghai, raising the national death toll to 16. (AFP via Channel NewsAsia)
- Taiwan prepares to permanently ban killing of poultry in traditional markets amid concerns over the spread of the H7N9 avian flu virus in mainland China. (AFP via Channel NewsAsia)
International relations
- 2013 Korean crisis:
- North Korea blocks a delegation of South Korean businessmen from delivering food and supplies to 200 of their staff inside the closed Kaesong joint industrial zone. (AFP via Channel NewsAsia)
Law and crime
- The Indian state of Gujarat seeks the death penalty for ten people involved in the Naroda Patiya massacre in 2002 including former minister Maya Kodnani who had been earlier sentenced to prison sentences. (Zee News)
- Leading Russian political activist Alexei Navalny goes on trial in the city of Kirov for embezzlement. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Funeral of Margaret Thatcher:
- The former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's ceremonial funeral is held in London. (The Guardian) (Metro)
- Among the foreigners at the funeral are Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, former Apartheid-era South African President F. W. de Klerk, former United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former United States Vice President Dick Cheney, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard and current Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper. (The Guardian)
- Hundreds of protesters arrive at Ludgate Circus near the end of the procession route, protesting variously by turning their backs to the coffin, chanting slogans or standing in silence. (The Guardian)
- The Italy Parliament prepares to vote for a new President to succeed Giorgio Napolitano, in order to end a two-month impasse between political parties by forming a coalition government. (AFP via Channel NewsAsia)
- Venezuela's opposition leader Henrique Capriles distances himself from post-election street violence after seven people are killed in riots over the results of the presidential election. Capriles had previously planned to march on the National Electoral Council to demand a recount. (Reuters)
- Parliament of New Zealand legalizes same-sex marriage in New Zealand. (The New Zealand Herald)
- A proposal to tighten gun control in the United States fails in a Senate vote. (The Washington Post)
Sport
- In horse racing, the owners and trainer Peter Moody announce the retirement of Australian Thoroughbred racehorse Black Caviar undefeated over 25 races, the second-most of all time. (BBC) (The Australian) (ABC News Australia)
- In basketball, Brittney Griner, who was selected two days earlier by the Phoenix Mercury as the top overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, comes out as lesbian. (ESPN)
- In ice hockey, Dynamo Moscow wins 2013 Gagarin Cup playoffs of the KHL defeating Traktor Chelyabinsk in sixth game with a 3–2 overtime win. (RIA Novosti)