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)