01|In Arkansas, U.S.A., the sexual harrassment case brought against U.S. President Bill Clinton by Paula Jones is thrown out of court. Jones alleged that President Clinton exposed himself to her in 1991 but Judge Susan Webber Wright rules that the complaint does not warrant a full trial. (See also January 17.)|
01|At an auction in London, the "Kreutzer" violin, a 271-year-old Stradivarius, is sold for 947,500 pounds sterling (1.6 million U.S. dollars). It is believed this is the highest price ever paid for a musical instrument.|
01|In Botswana, the new president, Festus Mogae, is sworn in at a ceremony in Gaborone. Mogae is the third president of the independent country.|
01|In Brazil, it is announced that heavy rains have helped extinguish 95 per cent of the forest fires that have destroyed large areas of the Amazonian rainforest. (See also March 22, 16.)|
02|At a court in Bordeaux, France, Maurice Papon is convicted of crimes against humanity for his role in the mass deportation of Jews from France during World War II (1939-1945). Papon, 87, is the first French government official to be brought to account for his actions in the war. After the longest trial in French history, he is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment but remains free, pending an appeal.|
02|In Jerusalem, more than 6,000 Palestinian people join the funeral procession of Muhi al-Din al-Sharif, chief bomb-maker for the Hamas terrorist group. Rioting breaks out along the West Bank as Palestinians who hold Israel responsible for al-Sharif's death attack Israeli police.|
02|A bomb weighing almost 500 kilograms is discovered in a car crossing from the Republic of Ireland to the United Kingdom. Police intercept the bomb in Dublin and arrest the car driver, believed to be a militant republican belonging to a terrorist group headed by dissident IRA members.|
03|In London, artist Anthony-Noel Kelly and laboratory technician Niel Lindsay are convicted of stealing human body parts. Kelly, who used the parts to make moulds for his sculptures, is sentenced to nine months in prison. Lindsay receives a suspended sentence for his part in smuggling the dismembered bodies out of the Royal College of Surgeons.|
03|Maurice Papon is ordered to pay 4.6 million francs (approximately 800,000 U.S. dollars) in legal costs and damages to civil parties following his conviction for crimes against humanity (see April 2).|
03|In Berlin, Germany, a historic meeting of the East German Centre of the international writers' association, P.E.N., votes to merge with the former West German P.E.N. The merging of the two groups would form a united Centre eight years after the reunification of Germany. It is expected that the members of the West German P.E.N. will agree to such a merger when they meet next month.|
04|In Memphis, U.S.A., more than 4,000 people march in procession along the route taken by Martin Luther King for his last march. The procession marks the thirtieth anniversary of the black civil rights leader's assassination. At the head of the march is Jesse Jackson who calls for a new inquiry into King's murder, amid rumours of government and FBI involvement in the killing.|
04|Heavy rains, probably caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, cause a landslide in southwestern Iran, burying Abkarlabad village. Rescue efforts are hampered by continuing bad weather.|
04|In Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, environment ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet for a third time to discuss ways in which to combat the smog that is enveloping much of the island. (See also March 25.)|
05|An explosion at a coalmine in Donetsk, Ukraine, kills 63 workers and injures more than 40 others in the worst mining accident in the country's history. Investigations begin into what caused the methane gas explosion.|
05|In Japan, the world's longest suspension bridge opens to traffic. The Akashi Kaikyo bridge connects Kobe city with Shikoku Island, via the island of Awaji. It measures almost four kilometres, and took 10 years to build.|
05|An overloaded ferryboat carrying at least 300 passengers sinks in the Bight of Bonny, off the coast of Cameroon. The boat, which was travelling to Gabon, overturns in high winds. Only 20 survivors are found.|
06|Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in the U.S.A. announce their discovery that the drug tamoxifen halves the chances of breast cancer developing in women at high risk of contracting the disease. Trials of the drug have proved its effectiveness in cutting the number of cases of breast cancer, but suggest that women taking tamoxifen run an increased risk of contracting endometrial cancer, blood clots, and deep-vein thrombosis.|
06|Tammy Wynette, the country singer best known for her song "Stand by Your Man", dies at her home in Nashville, U.S.A., at the age of 55. Wynette is remembered as the "first lady of country music", having won Country Music Association awards, a Grammy, and an Award of Merit from the American Music Awards.|
06|In northern Israel, Israeli Arabs go on strike in protest against the destruction of three houses by police near the village of Shefar'am, in Galilee. The demolition of the houses on April 4 left three families with a total of 41 children homeless, and triggered confrontations between Israeli Arabs and police in which 44 people were injured.|
07|It is announced that water has been detected in the atmosphere of Saturn's largest satellite, Titan. Scientists from the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) believe they have identified water on Titan, as well as vast quantities of water in the spaces between stars. The discovery raises many new questions over the possibility of life on another other planet.|
07|In Washington, U.S.A., President Clinton orders the attorney general to reopen the file on the death of Martin Luther King, 30 years after his assassination in Memphis. The president requests that the inquiry involves King's widow, Coretta Scott King, who has persistently requested a full federal investigation into the black leader's death. (See also April 4.)|
07|In Toronto, Canada, 12 "prisoners of conscience" released from Cuba arrive with more than 20 of their dependants. The prisoners, who were released after the Pope's visit to Cuba in January, are free on condition that they do not remain in their country. They were accepted into Canada only after extensive security checks had been undertaken.|
08|Throughout Australia, thousands of workers march in protest against the sacking of more than 1,400 dockers by Patrick Stevedores company, Australia's second largest docks operator. The dismissal of the dockers, all members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), provokes outrage among the trade union movement. Union leaders pledge to continue protest action, in direct opposition to the federal government who support the dismissals.|
08|In the United Kingdom, Defence Secretary George Robertson announces that the former royal yacht, Britannia, will be installed at Leith Docks, Edinburgh. The ship is to be restored in preparation for its new role as a tourist attraction. (See also December 11, 1997.)|
08|More than 38 people are killed and hundreds more injured as a series of tornadoes and thunderstorms ravage the southern states of the U.S.A. The storms destroy more than 150 homes and leave whole communities cut off from road links and electricity supplies. The state of Alabama is worst affected, with winds of more than 400 kilometres per hour claiming at least 22 lives.|
09|In Saudi Arabia, at least 115 Muslims are killed as panic causes a stampede among more than 2 million Muslim pilgrims travelling to Mecca on the annual hajj. A stampede on the same section of Jamraat bridge cost 270 lives in 1994.|
09|In Seattle, U.S.A., a pilot attempting to land his Cessna aircraft at Boeing Field airport entangles his machine in overhead electricity cables. Mike Warren's plane hangs, upside down, by one wheel for more than four hours as rescuers attempt to reach him. Power supplies are cut off, leaving more than 25,000 homes without electricity, and the road 18 metres below the stranded plane is evacuated. Warren is eventually freed by a fireman on an elevated platform.|
09|Throughout Russia, hundreds of thousands of workers march in protest against the government's delay in paying billions of dollars of overdue wages. The protest, organized by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, is a response to months of nonpayment by the government.|
10|In Stormont, Northern Ireland, the prime ministers of Ireland and the United Kingdom, Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair, announce the settlement of a peace plan to bring to an end the hostilities in Northern Ireland. The new agreement is reached after 22 months of negotiations between the Ulster Unionist party, Sinn Fein, and six other political parties, as well as involvement from the governments of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.A. The deal will be put to the people of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in a referendum on May 22, 1998.|
10|In Armenia, President Robert Kocharyan appoints Armen Darbinyan as prime minister. Darbinyan was finance and economy minister under the former president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan.|
10|In the United Kingdom, torrential rain causes the most severe flooding in the country for more than a century. Four people are drowned in the rising waters. The floods cut off rail and road links, destroy hundreds of homes, and cause the evacuation of thousands more.|
11|In Mexico, the city of Monterrey is put on stand-by for evacuation as forest fires continue to burn out of control. Forest fires, which have affected nearly every state in the country this year, destroy 600 hectares of the Chipinque Ecological Park on the outskirts of Monterrey. More than 350 firefighters and volunteers battle against the blaze, which is fuelled by dry weather blamed on the El Nino phenomenon.|
11|In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the government orders the immediate closure of all private airstrips, and instructs all planes arriving from outside the country to land at international airports. The order is expected to hinder the efforts of international relief agencies operating in the Central African country. Air transport and private airstrips are vital links outside the capital, Kinshasa, since the collapse of the country's road network.|
12|In Augusta, U.S.A., Mark O'Meara wins the U.S. Masters golf competition. O'Meara holes a 6-metre putt on the seventy-second hole to win his first major trophy. He is presented with the Green Jacket by last year's winner, Tiger Woods.|
12|In Cambodia, a government general announces the capture of Pol Pot, former leader of the Khmer Rouge. General Meas Sophea announces that Pol Pot was apprehended in Thailand and placed under house arrest in Ba Sa-Ngam. King Sihanouk of Cambodia pledges support for a U.S. plan to bring Pol Pot to justice for his crimes against humanity.|
12|In Bristol, in the United Kingdom, a new world record is set as an 11-metric-ton steak-and-kidney pie is successfully cooked. The pie, measuring almost 10 metres in length, beats a previous weight record held by a chicken pie in the U.S.A.|
13|In Mererani, near Arusha in Tanzania, rescue workers continue efforts to save more than fifty miners who became trapped when heavy rain flooded their tanzanite mine on April 9. Although 21 people have been rescued from the mine, four men have been found dead. It is feared that the remaining workers will not survive in the flooded pits.|
13|In Bogota, Colombia, more than 15 people are killed inside Picota prison in the country's worst prison violence for a decade. The violence is triggered by the murder of a prison gang leader, which leads to the storming of a rival cellblock by his heavily armed followers. At least three others are seriously injured in the assault.|
14|In Lahore, Pakistan, thousands of children march the city streets in protest against the exploitation of children in the labour market. The demonstration, which also calls for improvements to the education system, is led by 50 children from countries throughout Asia who have been leading "The Global March" for three months. Officials estimate that more than 3 million Pakistani children younger than 14 years old are in full-time employment.|
14|In the holy city of Allahabad, in north India, millions of Hindus gather to bathe in the waters of the Ganges River. The ritual is part of the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela, and is believed to purify the body and wash away sin.|
14|In the U.S.A., the Pulitzer prizes for journalism, drama, letters, and music are announced by Columbia University in New York. The prize for public service goes to the Grand Forks Herald newspaper of North Dakota for its continued coverage during flood disasters in early 1997. The prizes for poetry and fiction go to Charles Wright and Philip Roth respectively. The music prize goes to Aaron Jay Kernis.|
15|Pol Pot, former dictator of Cambodia and leader of the Khmer Rouge, is found dead in the hut where he was held under house arrest, near the Thailand-Cambodia border. Pol Pot, who was in his seventies, was to be tried for crimes against humanity for his "killing fields" regime in the 1970's, which cost the lives of more than one million Cambodians. He is believed to have died of a heart attack. (See also April 12.)|
15|At the George Regional Court east of Cape Town, South Africa, the trial of former president P.W. Botha begins. Botha's trial is the result of his refusal to appear before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to answer questions about his actions during South Africa's apartheid era. (See also February 23.)|
15|In Monchy-le-Preux, France, three British soldiers killed in World War I are re-buried, 81 years after their deaths. Frank King, George Anderson, and an unknown soldier were discovered buried in a mass grave in December 1996.|
16|Five military officers are shot dead as their vehicle is ambushed by Chechen gunmen in the area bordering the regions of Ossetia and Ingushetia, in the Caucasus mountains in Russia. Several more officers are injured in the attack, which is believed to be the work of rebel Chechen militants who refuse to accept the peace treaty with Russia.|
16|It is announced in Turkey that 82 Kurdish rebels have been killed since April 13 in an attempt to neutralize the rebels' campaign for Kurdish self-rule. The violence was focused on the area around the Cudi Mountain on the Turkish-Iraqi border. A further 11 Turkish troops also died in the fighting.|
16|Fred Davis, eight times world snooker champion, dies at his home in Denbigh, Wales, at the age of 84.|
17|Linda McCartney, wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney, dies on holiday in California, U.S.A., following a long battle with cancer. She is remembered for her work as a photographer and animal rights campaigner, as well as for her musical involvement with her husband in their band, Wings. She was 56 years old.|
17|In the U.S.A., scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Colorado, announce that satellite images taken on March 23 show that a large ice shelf has become detached from the Antarctic Peninsula. The Larsen B ice shelf has already diminished by about 40 kilometres, and it is expected to melt completely within the next two years. The discovery prompts fears of widespread rises in sea levels and catastrophic flooding as a result of further rises in global temperatures.|
17|In Kabul, Afghanistan, talks between the Afghan Taliban and Bill Richardson, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, result in a ceasefire agreement. The Taliban agree to cease hostilities with their enemies in the north of the country and it is hoped that face-to-face negotiations may be achieved by the end of April.|
18|In Italy, the Turin Shroud goes on display for only the fourth time this century at the cathedral of Turin. The shroud, which bears an image of a man's body, is believed by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. Some experts, however, claim that it dates only from the 1200's. The shroud is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors a day during its nine weeks on display.|
18|In Sydney, Australia, thousands of supporters of the recently dismissed dockworkers clash with police. Demonstrators have been blocking the entrance to several ports in Australia for more than a week, and riot police attempt to break the picket line forcibly. Two protesters are injured in the resulting violence, and the police eventually retreat. (See also April 8.)|
18|In the provinces of Corrientes and Chaco in Argentina, at least 10 people are killed as floods force the evacuation of 38,000 people in the north of the country. A further 280,000 people are confined to their homes as floodwaters rise, and authorities announce that vast areas of agricultural land have been destroyed.|
19|In Detroit, U.S.A., Chinese dissident Wang Dan arrives after being exiled to the country following his release from prison in Liaoning province. Dan's release on medical grounds is not announced in China until his plane from Peking has taken off. He was imprisoned in 1989 following his part in organizing the Tiananmen Square democracy demonstrations.|
19|In London, the British films awards, known as the Baftas, are announced. The British film "The Full Monty" receives the most awards, collecting four after being nominated in ten categories. The highlight of the event is the presentation of an Academy fellowship to actor Sean Connery for his lifetime's contribution to films.|
19|In Austria, President Thomas Klestil wins a second term in office following an overwhelming victory in the elections.|
19|Octavio Paz, the most prominent poet and essayist in Mexico, dies at his home in Coyoacan, Mexico City, at the age of 84. He is best remembered for a collection of essays, "The Labyrinth of Solitude", and his poem "Sunstone". Paz won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1990.|
20|In Germany, the Red Army Faction announces that it is to be disbanded after almost thirty years of guerrilla activity. The leftwing terrorist group was established in 1970 to replace the Baader-Meinhof Gang, and was responsible for more than 30 killings during the 1970's and 1980's.|
20|In Islamabad, Pakistan, hundreds of supporters of Benazir Bhutto assemble outside parliament. They are angry at her trial for corruption, ordered by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government. The demonstrators are forcibly dispersed by riot police using tear gas and batons, and at least three people are injured.|
20|In Bogota, Colombia, a jetliner en route to Ecuador crashes into a mountain shortly after its takeoff from Bogota's international airport. All 43 passengers and 10 crew are killed.|
21|In Benoni, near Johannesburg, South Africa, thousands of people attend the funeral of Angelina Zwane, a six-month-old black child shot dead by a white farmer. The murder has prompted much racial tension. Winnie Mandela is among those who speak at the funeral. The farmer, Nicholas Steyn, was arrested soon after the shooting on April 12.|
21|In Australia, a federal court judge orders the re-employment of all 1,400 workers dismissed by Patrick Stevedores, Australia's second largest docks operator. The decision is hailed as a victory by the thousands of people who have been picketing Sydney Harbour and ports in Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane for two weeks. (See also April 18, 8.)|
21|In Cyprus, a series of earthquakes shakes the island but there are no reported injuries. Five quakes, measuring between 3.4 and 4.5 on the Richter scale, are measured during the activity, which is centred on Limassol, in the south of the island.|
22|In Babaloc, a village in the province of Kosovo in Serbia, Serbian police and Yugoslav military units attack the hideout where dozens of Albanians are sheltering. Several hundred armed police and soldiers enter the area, and it is thought that at least 22 Albanians are killed. The attack is an attempt to subdue antigovernment feeling prior to the April 23 referendum on whether Serbia should accept foreign intervention to find a solution to the Kosovo crisis. (See also March 31, 25, 22, 6, 2.)|
22|It is announced by a team of American scientists that the 1990's is the hottest decade for more than 600 years. The research, carried out by the universities of Massachusetts and Arizona, also reveals that 1990, 1995, and 1997 were hotter than any other years since 1400. The rise in temperature is attributed to a general global warming.|
23|In Belgium, the country's most notorious prisoner, Marc Dutroux, escapes from a court outside the town of Neufchateau and is not recaptured for more than four hours. His escape prompts a national outcry, as Belgian people regard the police as incompetent in their handling of the inquiry into the deaths of the four girls Dutroux is accused of killing. An emergency cabinet meting is called, which results in the resignation of Interior Minister Johan Vande Lanotte, and Justice Minister Stefaan De Clerck.|
23|In Poland, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a march of more than 7,000 Jews through the former death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. The three-kilometre-long "March of the Living" honoured the deaths of more than 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, and also marked the fiftieth anniversary of Israel's foundation.|
23|James Earl Ray, who was sentenced to 99 years in prison for the murder of Martin Luther King in 1968, dies in hospital in Nashville, U.S.A., at the age of 70. He spent his last years repeatedly denying his guilt in the murder and seeking a new trial. (See also April 7.)|
23|Constantine Caramanlis, former prime minister of Greece and pioneer of democracy in the country, dies in Athens following a heart attack. He was 91 years old.|
24|In Russia, President Yeltsin's prime ministerial candidate is finally elected to power by the State Duma. Sergei Kiriyenko was rejected by the Duma on two previous occasions, and President Yeltsin warned that a final rejection would prompt him to dissolve parliament. (See also March 23.)|
24|In Rwanda, the public executions of 22 people sentenced to death for their part in the 1994 genocide take place. In the capital Kigali, more than 30,000 people attend the execution of four people. The other executions are carried out in Gikongoro, Nyamata, Cyasemakamba, and Murambi. The executions go ahead despite appeals for clemency by the Pope, the U.S.A., and the European Union.|
25|In French Polynesia, authorities announce that 8 people have been killed and more than 11 injured as heavy rains trigger devastating landslides. The landslides also cut off telephone and electricity supplies, and destroy a number of homes. At least 5 people are still missing.|
25|In Colombia, two American hostages held captive for 34 days by rebel kidnappers, are released. Peter Shen and Todd Mark were captured by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) while bird-spotting in the area around Bogota.|
25|In Medan, Indonesia, police use rubber bullets to disperse a demonstration by more than 2,000 students. Violence flares as students leave the campus of the University of North Sumatra, and at least two students are badly injured. (See also March 26, February 2.)|
26|In Greensboro, U.S.A., a four-year-old boy shoots dead his six-year-old friend with a .38 calibre pistol he found in a handbag. Carlos Gilmer dies from gunshot wounds to his neck as his family prepares for his birthday party. Police are considering charging the owner of the gun under a state law that prohibits leaving guns accessible to minors.|
26|In Spain, authorities prevent toxic waste, spreading from a ruptured waste reservoir at Los Frailes mine, from entering the Donana National Park. The mine produces zinc, lead, copper, and silver. The spill has created a 32-kilometre-long path of toxic mud since the rupture on April 25, and the encroaching waste seriously threatened the park's ecology.|
26|In New Delhi, Indian police take three hunger-striking protesters to hospital for force-feeding in an attempt to divert attention from the strikers' cause, the freedom of Tibet from Chinese rule. Three more protesters remain in their camp and vow to continue their 49-day-long fast until action is taken on the future of Tibet.|
27|In Japan, the Yamaguchi District Court rules that Tokyo should pay compensation to three South Korean former "comfort women", who were forced to provide sex for Japanese soldiers during World War II (1939-1945).|
27|In Haryana, India, at least 19 people are killed and more than 27 injured when a passenger bus crashes into a truck near the town of Panipat.|
28|In Nigeria, the former deputy leader of the country and five other men are sentenced to death for allegedly plotting a coup against General Sani Abacha. The men are found guilty by a tribunal sitting in the town of Jos and a total of 30 people are charged for crimes relating to the coup attempt.|
28|In Brazil, 10 inmates of the Carandiru prison in Sao Paulo end their 16-day hunger strike after a judge agrees to review their sentences. The 10 men were imprisoned in 1989 following their conviction for the kidnapping of a Brazilian businessman but claim they were acting for political purposes and had been routinely tortured since their incarceration.|
29|David Hempleman-Adams becomes the first man to complete the Adventurers Grand Slam as he reaches the end of his 56-day expedition to the North Pole. Hempleman-Adams has completed journeys to the highest peaks in all seven continents and has reached all four of the earth's magnetic and geographic poles since his quest began in 1980.|
29|In Rome, the Italian Lower House of Parliament is thrown into chaos as members of parliament (M.P.'s) discuss the result of the preceding weekend's football match between Juventus and Inter Milan. Two M.P.'s threaten each other physically and verbal abuses are hurled. Parliament is suspended for the rest of the day.|
30|In Israel, official celebrations mark the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the country. They include military displays and fireworks, as well as sombre remembrances of those who died in the struggle to create a Jewish state. (See also March 23.)|
30|In London, Syrian poet Nizar Kabbani dies at his home, aged 75. Kabbani is remembered for his inspirational and influential verses on love and life.|
30|In Jamaica, it is announced that the Australian author Peter Carey has won the Commonwealth Writers Prize. Carey wins the award for his novel "Jack Maggs", beating 8 other shortlisted candidates selected from 53 countries.|
30|In India, at least 50 people are feared drowned as a boat sinks in the Bagmati River, near the eastern city of Patna. The overloaded boat, believed to have been carrying 90 passengers, got into difficulty in a whirlpool before it capsized.|
