April 17, 2020 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- The United Nations human rights office says that Myanmar has been carrying out daily airstrikes in Rakhine and Chin states and that at least 32 civilians (mostly women and children) have been killed since March 23. The Arakan Army unilaterally declared a month-long ceasefire to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but the military rejected the ceasefire saying a previous ceasefire had not been respected by the insurgents. (Reuters)
- Moro conflict
- Abu Sayyaf militants ambush and kill 11 Philippine Army troops and wound 14 others in the southern Sulu Province, according to general officer Cirilito Sobejana. (The Straits Times)
Business and economy
- The China Securities Regulatory Commission has approved a transaction in which Switzerland's Credit Suisse will take a majority interest in a China securities firm. Credit Suisse will thus be the first foreign bank to own a majority of such a company since the easing of rules about foreign ownership in 2018. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- Former England international and Leeds United F.C. footballer Norman Hunter dies from COVID-19. (BBC News)
- The Department of Health and Social Care reports 5,599 new confirmed cases and 847 more deaths from COVID-19, bringing the UK's death toll to 14,576 and 108,692 total cases. (RTÉ)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in Syria
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- China revises the coronavirus death toll upward in Wuhan, where the virus originated, adding 1,290 more fatalities to bring the country's reported deaths from COVID-19 to 4,632. (BBC News) (CNBC)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
- COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria
- Nigerian Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari dies from COVID-19 in Lagos. Kyari is the highest profile person to die from the virus in Nigeria so far. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reports 493 total cases and 17 deaths from COVID-19. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
International relations
- Norway–Russia relations
- The Russian Foreign Ministry files a complaint to its Norwegian counterpart over a Russian fishing trawler's detainment by the Norwegian Coast Guard near Svalbard earlier this month. (Reuters)