Portal:Current events/2022 April 18

Armed conflicts and attacks

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Eastern Ukraine offensive
      • Russian troops capture the city of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast. Local authorities say that four refugees have been shot dead trying to escape the city. (Ukrinform) (Reuters)
    • The Russian defence ministry says that its forces have destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities, including five command posts, a fuel depot and three ammunition warehouses in "mass strikes" overnight. Russia also says that it shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29s and one Su-25. (Reuters)
• Kurdish–Turkish conflict
  • Operation Claw-Lock
    • Turkey launches a series of airstrikes on PKK targets in Duhok Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. (Reuters)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Two Palestinians are seriously injured after being shot by Israeli security forces in the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces say that the Palestinians were attacking Israeli troops. (Times of Israel)

Disasters and accidents

• A jeep returning from a wedding crashes into another vehicle in Amethi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, killing six people and injuring four more. (Hindustan Times)

Health and environment

• COVID-19 pandemic
  • COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
    • COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
      • Prime Minister Mario Draghi tests positive for COVID-19. (Bloomberg)
    • COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
      • COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
        • Scotland lifts their law mandating face coverings in shops, restaurants and public transport. (BBC News)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    • Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation
      • U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida voids the Biden administration's mask mandate on airplanes and public transportation. Most U.S. airlines including Alaska Airlines and United Airlines subsequently end their mask mandates due to the ruling. (AP) (Bloomberg)
  • COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
    • South Korea ends their COVID-19 restrictions two years after they were imposed. However, the mask mandate will remain in place. (Yonhap)

International relations

• Russo-Ukrainian War
  • 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
    • Russian occupation of Kherson
      • Igor Kastyukevich is appointed the de facto mayor of Kherson, the only Ukrainian Oblast capital captured during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Euromaidan Press)
• Solomon Islands–United States relations
  • United States officials plan to travel to Solomon Islands due to concerns that the country is making a security pact with China. The U.S. fears the proposed agreement could lead to Chinese troops being deployed to Solomon Islands. (Reuters)
• Yemeni Civil War
  • The Houthi movement signs an agreement to stop using child soldiers. (AP)