Current events: 2023-04-23

[Wikipedia Current Events]

Armed attacks and conflicts

• 2023 Sudan conflict
  • Battle of Khartoum
    • Filipino president Bongbong Marcos announces that the Philippines is ready to evacuate all its nationals and possibly civilians from Sudan, primarily Khartoum, joining in with several other countries. The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines also announces the suspension of all flights to Sudan to ensure the safety of its citizens and raises alerts to level 3 after a Filipino is hit by a stray bullet in Khartoum. (RPN Radio) (ABS-CBN) (GMA Network)
  • The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh and Oman advise their citizens not to travel to Sudan, put travel on high alert, and suspend all flights, entering the list of countries to do the same. Bangladesh also announces that several nationals have been evacuated to Saudi Arabia following an agreement to do so. (Barrons) (Dhaka Tribune) (Foreign Ministry of Oman)
  • The United States, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Germany, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, France, the Netherlands, China, Italy, Vatican City, Switzerland, South Korea, Hungary, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria and Egypt evacuate their nationals and some civilians from Khartoum. (BBC News) (BBC News) (Rudaw) (Daily Pakistan) (DW) (Times of India) (Anadolu Agency) (CNN) (Economic Times) (Reuters) (Qatar News Agency) (Al Jazeera) (New York Times) (WION) (Arab News)
  • Syria suspends all its flights to Sudan, following the large conflict in the country and the deaths of 11 Syrians in the country. (NPA Syria) (New Arab)
  • Sudan reports a large internet outage across the entire country during the night. (Al Jazeera)
  • Turkey, Kenya, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Georgia, Nigeria, Sweden, Belgium, Russia, Ireland, Norway, Ghana, Serbia, Portugal and Brazil announce plans to evacuate their more than 100,000 citizens combined from Sudan following the number of countries with the same worries. (Jordan News) (TRT World) (Zawya) (BNN Network) (L'Orient-Le Jour) (Georgia Today) (VON) (Al Jazeera) (Reuters) (Serbia Post) (Publico Portugal) (Jovem Pan)
  • Canada and the United States suspend all diplomatic operations within Sudan due to the ongoing conflict. (Barrons) (Washington Times)
  • Thousands of refugees are reported have entered South Sudan and Egypt urgently from all over Sudan. (Reuters) (DW)
• Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Armenia says that an Azerbaijani sniper killed an Armenian soldier. The government of Azerbaijan denies the claim and conversely says that its own soldiers came under fire in Nagorno-Karabakh. (AP via Al Arabiya)
  • Azerbaijan sets up a checkpoint at the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in violation of the 2020 ceasefire agreement which guarantees free and safe passage to the region. (DW)
• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Southern Ukraine campaign
    • According to the Institute for the Study of War and various Russian military bloggers, the Ukrainian military have taken up positions on the east bank of the Dnieper river north of the town of Oleshky. (Novaya Gazeta Europe)

Business and economy

• The Bed Bath & Beyond store chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (NPR)

Disasters and accidents

• Three people are killed and one person is injured after a train collides with a car near Neustadt am Rübenberge, Lower Saxony, Germany. (AP)

Law and crime

• Khalistan movement
  • Indian police arrest Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh for his role in an assault on a police station in February. (Al Jazeera)
• Odebrecht scandal
  • Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo is extradited from the United States and is taken to prison on charges related to money laundering. Toledo is allocated in the same prison where former presidents Alberto Fujimori and Pedro Castillo are also incarcerated. (Reuters)
• Malindi cult
  • 47 members of the Good News International Church are found dead in Malindi, Kenya. (BBC)

Science and technology

• The United Kingdom launches its UK Emergency Alert System, sending a test emergency population warning to all 4G and 5G mobile phones for the first time. Many people do not receive the alert, particularly users of the Three mobile network. The Cabinet Office acknowledges the emergency alert did not reach some people, and says it be "reviewing the test". (BBC News) Politics and elections
• 2022–2023 North Kosovo crisis
  • 2023 Kosovan local elections
    • In North Kosovo, heads of four municipalities were elected amid a boycott by Serbian parties and an all-time low turnout of 3.5%. Out of 45,095 voters, only 1,567 voted. All four elected mayors are ethnic Albanians, with a dominant Serb population in the municipalities. (RFE/RL)

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