Portal:Current events/2017 April 21

April 21, 2017 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan
- 2017 Camp Shaheen attack
  - Taliban insurgents attack an Afghan military base in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh Province, killing more than 140 soldiers. It is said to be the deadliest attack of its kind (BBC) (AP) (Reuters)
Two people are killed in an attack in a Federal Security Service office in the Russian city of Khabarovsk. The gunman is also killed. The US-Israeli SITE Intelligence Group says Amaq News Agency claims the attack for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The Russian Federal Security Service says the native 18-year-old perpetrator was a known member of a neo-nazi group. (Reuters) (Siberian Times)

Arts and culture

Business

British sports retailer Sports Direct agreed to acquire the American retail chains Bob's Stores and Eastern Mountain Sports for $101 million out of bankruptcy. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 20 schoolchildren are killed after their minibus collides with a truck in Mpumalanga, South Africa. (Sky News)
A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet crashes in the Celebes Sea off the Philippines during an attempted landing on the USS Carl Vinson. The pilot ejected and was recovered safely. (Navy Times)

Law and crime

Borussia Dortmund team bus bombing
- Germany arrests and charges a suspected perpetrator, 28-year-old Sergej W. The federal prosecutor says the suspect held put options on Borussia Dortmund shares. (BBC)
Arms trader Jacques Monsieur is to defend himself again at a Brussels court against accusations of arms trafficking to Libya, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Pakistan and Iran between 2006 and 2009. (RTL Info) (Het Nieuwsblad)

Politics and elections

French presidential election, 2017
- Yesterday's terrorist attack in Paris disrupts campaigning for the elections. (CNN), (The Telegraph)
- The first polls since April 20's attack indicate a slight bump for Marine Le Pen over Jean-Luc Mélenchon and François Fillon, though they still show her losing to Emmanuel Macron in the first and second rounds of the election. (Reuters)
2014–17 Venezuelan protests
- Venezuelan authorities report 12 people were killed overnight in the capital Caracas, mostly in the El Valle working class neighborhood where 54 people, including newborn babies, were forced to evacuate a maternity hospital. Others have fled to Colombia. This death toll during the three weeks of anti-government protests is 20. (AP via The Washington Post) (Yahoo! News) (The Telegraph)
Iranian presidential election, 2017
- The six approved candidates, including the incumbent Hassan Rouhani, begin campaigning. (Reuters)
Presidency of Donald Trump
- The White House dismisses U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in its continuing transition from the prior presidential administration. The current Deputy Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, will serve as the acting SG. (USA Today via MSN)
Pakistan's opposition interrupts Parliament's scheduled session demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resign during the investigation of his finances, per Thursday's Supreme Court ruling. (Reuters)

Science and technology