April 9, 2013
(Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- South Sudan internal conflict (2011–present):
- Gunmen kill 12 United Nations peacekeepers and civilian staff in an ambush in Jonglei, South Sudan. (AFP via Google News) (CNN) (Al Jazeera)
Arts and culture
- Haruki Murakami, Michel Houellebecq, Sjón and Andrew Miller go head-to-head on the shortlist for the 2013 International Dublin Literary Award. (The Guardian) (BBC)
Disasters and accidents
- 2013 Bushehr earthquake: A 6.1–magnitude earthquake rocks the Iranian towns of Khvormuj, Bandar Deyr and Kangan, killing 37 people and injuring over 850, and was felt as far as Bahrain. (BBC) (CNN) (Reuters)
- A helicopter crash kills two American NATO soldiers in eastern Afghanistan. (Reuters) (CNN) (NBC News)
International relations
- Kissinger cables:
- Among the cables available now on WikiLeaks are the Nixon administration's early comments on recently-deceased former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. (CNN) (Democracy Now)
- Also released information on sources the U.S. used to spy on the Indira Gandhi household in 1970s India. (Hindustan Times)
- Information in the cables also recall the days of The Emergency and the roles of Sanjay Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. (The Indian Express)
- 2013 Korean crisis:
- North Korea announces its plans to launch a missile tomorrow; an event on that day had been warned about before. (Daily Express)
- North Korean authorities advise foreigners to leave South Korea soon, forecasting a possible conflict. (BBC)
- Japan sends two warships to patrol the Sea of Japan and sets Patriot missiles in central Tokyo and Okinawa Island. (Sky News)
- North Korea forbids all its workers to reach the Kaesong industrial plant, which may be permanently closed. (CNN)
- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warns that the crisis may soon become "uncontrollable". The Commander of the United States Pacific Command Samuel J. Locklear describes the situation as a threat to the U.S. but states that North Korean missiles will not be destroyed, unless a serious threat. (BBC) (CNN)
- Iran announces that a new uranium ore mine and an enrichment plant will be added to the country's nuclear policy, defying the U.N. resolutions. (CNN)
Law and crime
- Velika Ivanča shooting: At least 13 people are killed and another three injured after a man goes on a spree shooting in the village of Velika Ivanča near the Serbian capital Belgrade. (Time) (The New York Times) (San Francisco Chronicle)
- At least 15 people are stabbed and wounded at Lone Star College–CyFair in Cypress, Texas, United States, with student Dylan Quick named as a suspect. (ABC News) (The Huffington Post) (ABC Local)
Politics and elections
- Thatcher funeral events:
- Downing Street announces the funeral for Margaret Thatcher is scheduled for Wednesday, 17 April. She will be afforded a ceremonial exit, ranking her alongside Diana Spencer and the Queen Mother. (BBC)
- Tony Blair, who continued many of Thatcher's policies, expresses irritation at the response to her death, claiming people are being disrespectful. Blair appears on CNN to reveal his admiration for his predecessor, calling her "a huge figure, a towering figure." (BBC) (CNN via YouTube)
- Theatregoers at Billy Elliot the Musical – set in County Durham during the miners' strike of 1984–85 – elect to have a song calling for the death of Margaret Thatcher performed as usual. (The Guardian) (BBC)
- Kenya officially swears in their new president, Uhuru Kenyatta. (Reuters) (BBC) (AP via ABC News)
- The French Senate adopts article 1 of Bill 344, which legalizes same-sex marriage, in a 179–157 vote. (Libération)
- Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell announces that Dr. Cecile La Grenade will become the country's first female Governor General. She will succeed Sir Carlyle Glean. (Caribbean Journal)
Sport
- 2012–13 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals:
- Borussia Dortmund score twice against Málaga in a dramatic period of injury time and wins 3–2, securing the semi-final berth. The British match officials are lambasted for their incompetence, with replays showing that at least two of the game's goals – including the winner – were scored illegally. (The Guardian) (BBC) (UEFA)
- Galatasaray nearly overthrow Real Madrid 3–2 during a surprising second half in Istanbul. Galatasaray's goals fly in from Emmanuel Eboué, Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba, but Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice and Real Madrid win 5–3 on aggregate in the end, progressing to the semi-final stage for a record 24th time. (The Guardian) (BBC) (UEFA)
- In ice hockey, the United States win 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship defeating Canada 3–2 in the final. (IIHF) (TSN)