Portal:Current events/2013 April 2

April 2, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Mexican Drug War:
- The Mexican police find 9 mutilated bodies inside a SUV with Texas license plates in the northern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. (EFE via GlobalPost)
War in North-West Pakistan:
- At least 7 people are killed in an attack by militants, suspected to be Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, on a power station in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. Ten hostages are reportedly taken by the militants. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The Muppets co-creator Jane Henson dies at the age of 78. (CBS News)
The wrongful death of Michael Jackson trial gets underway with jury selection. (MTV)

Business and economy

Official European Union figures shows that unemployment in the eurozone hit a record high of 12.0% in February 2013. (CNN)
United States Government owned mortgage firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announce record profits during 2012. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

Thirteen children are killed in a fire at a mosque in Yangon, Burma. (The New York Times)
A quarry accident in Arusha, Tanzania, leaves at least 13 people dead. (AFP via AllAfrica.com)
Authorities in China report four more critical cases of the H7N9 strain of bird flu, taking the total of known cases to seven. (Reuters)

International relations

2013 Korean crisis:
- North Korea announces it will resume activities in the Yongbyon nuclear complex, closed since 2007. (BBC) (CNN) (CBS News)
- U.S. officials reveal that China has been increasing its military presence on the border with North Korea since mid-March, and conducted naval drills in the Yellow Sea. (The Washington Times)
- Experts reveal that the 2013 North Korean nuclear test may have been conducted with a newly developed enriched uranium nuke, instead of a plutonium one. (BBC) (CNN)
The United Nations General Assembly approves the first Arms Trade Treaty to regulate the multi-billion-dollar global trade in conventional arms with 154 votes in favor, three member states – Iran, North Korea and Syria – against the decision, and 23 abstentions. (BBC) (Xinhua) (UN News Centre)

Law and crime

Three men are arrested for allegedly raping and robbing a foreign tourist on a minibus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, amid concerns about security before the country hosts 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. (Al Jazeera)
Police in Colombo, Sri Lanka, arrest three Sinhalese Buddhist monks for torching a Muslim-owned clothing store, raising fears for safety among Muslims. (Al Jazeera)
Palestinian prisoners stage protests in Israeli jails as the Palestinian Authority accuses Israel of deliberately delaying the treatment of Maysara Abu Hamdiya, a prisoner who died of throat cancer. (The New York Times)
Hundreds of Egyptian students angered by an outbreak of food poisoning at Al-Azhar University that affected 479 students storm the offices of Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, a major venue for Sunni Muslim learning with which the university is affiliated. (AP via ABC News)
Tonya S. Bundick is charged in connection with seventy arsons in Virginia, United States. (AP via Fox News)

Politics and elections

The Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas re-elects Khaled Meshaal as its leader. The group also passes a new law ordering gender segregation in Gaza's schools that will go into effect in September. (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)
Cyprus Finance Minister Michael Sarris resigns after completing talks on a controversial bailout deal and will be replaced by current Labour Minister Charis Georgiades. (BBC) (AP via The Guardian)
Opposition activists from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies detonate small homemade bombs and set fire to several vehicles in the latest anti-government protest to hit Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Al Jazeera)
Sudan frees seven political prisoners, a day after President Omar al-Bashir orders the release of all such detainees. (The Guardian)
Six people, including multiple elected officials, are arrested on charges of fraud for allegedly attempting to rig the 2013 New York City mayoral election. (CNN)
The Senate of Uruguay votes 23–8 to legalize same-sex marriage. (AP via ABC News)^{[permanent dead link]}

Science and technology

Top NASA scientist James Hansen retires in order to concentrate on global warming activism. (The New York Times)

Sport

In the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Paris Saint-Germain secures a 2–2 draw against Barcelona while Bayern Munich beats Juventus 2–0. (BBC) (UEFA)
In baseball, Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish comes within one batter of throwing a perfect game. (USA Today)
Video is released showing Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball head coach Mike Rice assaulting and yelling obscenities and slurs at his players during practice. (ESPN)
Longtime college and professional American football coach Chuck Fairbanks dies at the age of 79. (The New York Times)