30 April: Promised $2.10 increase in US minimum wage (currently $5.15/hr or $10,700/yr per 40 hour week) delayed due to Iraq spending bill to which it is attached; president said to be contemplating veto due to desire to see more tax cuts included in measure... At least 100 US soldiers confirmed killed in Iraq during April, as US Congress attempts to impose timeline for withdrawal on Pres. Bush, who promises veto...

27 April: Accusing the World Bank of blackmail for witholding money already granted in protest against economic reforms, Ecuador pres. Rafael Correa has declared the World Bank's representative 'persona non grata' and ordered him not to re-enter the country... First presidential debate among US Democratic party candidates held in South Carolina; 8 candidates answered audience questions under 60-second time-limit: Bill Richardson (D-NM) said he would have US troops out of Iraq on his first day in office; Hillary Clinton (D-NY), said to be "winner", said she would not have pushed to invade Iraq if she were president, because Bin Laden had not yet been captured...

26 April: Russia's anger over US plans to install 10 "non-explosive interceptors" in Poland, as part of a NATO missile-defense "shield" escalates; Putin gov't has threatened to withdraw from arms control treaty if US goes ahead with installation... US Sec. of State, Condoleezza Rice, has refused to answer a subpoena to testify under oath before the House Oversight Committee; committee chair Henry Waxman has said "She will not propose a date to testify, she will not agree to testify, and she insists that our committee be satisfied with partial information that was previously submitted to other committees"... Warrant issued by Indian authorities for arrest of Hollywood actor Richard Gere, on charges that kissing Bollywood star in public was "an obscene act"...

24 April: US Democrats in House of Representatives vote to begin Iraq troop withdrawal this year; if Senate approves measure, Bush will be forced to sign or veto spending bill for war funding... Chinese gov't said to be moving to increase transparency with initiative to allow gov't departments to release information ahead of the 2008 Olympic games... Family of US Army Specialist Pat Tillman, a former NFL star killed in Afghanistan, accuses Pentagon of "intentional falsehoods"; his brother says the story published regarding his death was used to deliberately hide the manner in which he died and to use his death as a form of propaganda; Tillman remarks were given in testimony before US House committee investigation... Former Army private Jessica Lynch also told House committee the Pentagon distorted the manner in which she was injured, treated by Iraqis and then recovered by US forces, using "little girl Rambo" image to push support for Iraq war; Lynch was forbidden from contradicting Pentagon information until after retiring from military... NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg backs 3-year trial period for "congestion pricing", a fee imposed on those who drive automobiles into the city's busiest areas...

21 April: 2 people killed when hostage-taker kills one plus self at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; gunman said to be employee of subcontractor; Guardian newspaper reports "On the west coast, in San Francisco, up to 400 students were hurried out of classes as a result of an internet posting which connected the school to Virginia Tech. The school authorities were taking no chances and evacuated .. Eight buildings at the University of Minnesota were evacuated on Wednesday after a bomb threat, and a middle school in Columbia, Missouri, was shut down after gunfire was heard between two passing cars"... Pressure mounts for AG Gonzales to resign, as Senate Republicans express disappointment with sworn testimony, say AG unconvincing in clarifying discrepancies in previous statements...

19 April: US Supreme Court votes 5-4 to uphold states' right to pass laws banning late-term abortion, labeled "partial-birth abortion" by its opponents; Justice Kennedy, speaking for the majority said the court could "may use its voice and its regulatory authority" to "dissuade" women from having abortions, but could not ban the procedure entirely... Russia witholdhing liscensing for 89 adoptions agencies that allow foreign couples to adopt Russian orphans; "nationalist" campaign against permitting such adoptions cited as possible motive for complicating registration process... US Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said the Iraq war is "lost" militarily and requires a political solution; he will push to override if Pres. Bush vetoes bill including Iraq withdrawal... Effort by Australia, US to "exchange" political refugees seeking asylum, in controversial effort to reduce number of asylum seekers overall, criticized by Human Rights Watch as "trade in human lives"; HRW Refugee Policy director says "Refugees are human beings, not products that countries can broker and trade"...

17 April: HRW reports "Voting on April 14 in key Nigerian states including Rivers and Anambra was so marred by fraud, intimidation and violence that the results in at least those states should be canceled and the polls re-run"; HRW also found that "Voting failed to take place in many areas where Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) later reported voter turnout in excess of 90 percent. In several areas of Rivers State, local observers and foreign journalists watched ballot boxes being stuffed with ballots marked in favor of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in full view of the public"... Nigeria supreme court unanimously rules election commission abused its power when it banned opposition leader and VP from appearing on ballots, said commission needed specific court ruling to support actions; VP says he will fight to annul any vote which does not include him as candidate... Opposition to Putin gov't grows as police crackdown on opposition demonstrators hardens; attacks against demonstrators decried as authoritarian acts in violation of int'l law... New technology allows retinal implants to perform image refinement tasks actual retinal cells would perform, increasing chances implants will produce not only awareness of light but also better image definition... 75% of endangered amphibians and reptiles have died off in preserve habitat designed specifically to save them; Costa Rica's La Selva rainforest preserve has seen drop-off in numbers over last 35 years, prompting scientists to search for ecological factor, new studies in other such areas... BBC reports more than 20% of all EU subsidies go to French farmers, France seeking to maintain massive agricultural export economy, second only to US globally...

16 April: AHN reports "For the first time, the government of Sudan has accepted the deployment of U.N. attack helicopters and 3,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help fortify the 7,000-strong African Union troops already stationed in the Darfur region"; a letter from a spokesman for Sudan's foreign minister is quoted as saying bluntly to the UN secretary general "The heavy support package has been fully accepted by the Sudanese government, there is no more discussion"... A gunman has killed 32 people and reportedly taken his own life at Virginia Tech University; shooting is worst mass firearm homicide in US history, occurred over two separate incidents, separated by more than two hours... Ivory Coast initiates process designed to dismantle "confidence zone" separating loyalist and rebel forces; former rebel leader was made prime minister of interim unity gov't... IHF says Russian authorities violated international human rights law when they detained and beat peaceful opposition protesters; BBC begins reporting status of "spreading" opposition to the Putin "regime"... US attorney general Gonzales sworn testimony before US Senate judiciary committeee postponed till Thursday; AG to testify about role in untimely dismissal of at least 8 federal prosecutors, ABC news reporting newly released emails show Gonzales contradicts own prior testimony about involvement; top members of Congressional investigation have said they will continue to demand to see White House documents related to firings, regardless of whether Gonzales resigns or is dismissed...

15 April: Ecuador pres. Rafael Correa appears to have won 78.1% support in national referendum on forming new "people's assembly", to express will of the people, bypass Parliament, enact sweeping constitutional reforms; opponents claim Correa seeks to amass new powers, Correa says move needed to circumvent failed institutions that don't serve people's interest... Previously unheard of radical Palestinian group claims it has killed kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston; BBC says there is no confirmation, but it finds the news deeply concerning...

14 April: HRW Middle East and North Africa director reports "The [Iran] government's banning of the Hamedan Teachers Association and the arrest of its members demonstrate Iran’s flagrant disregard for its own laws and its obligations under international human rights law", calls for immediate release of all detained teachers...

13 April: Spain's ruling socialst party has said sworn testimony yesterday by top national police officials from the time of the 2004 Madrid train bombings shows the leaders of the then governing conservative "popular" party lied...

1 April: Conviction of Australian Guantánamo detainee Hicks comes under fire; Bush appointee reportedly arranged pretrial deal to eliminate all but 7 months of any sentence handed down in exchange for guilty plea; legal experts have described the move as "a perversion of the rule of law that may fatally discredit the Pentagon's already disparaged handling of terrorism suspects", according to the LA Times...