RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/April 2025
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April 2025[edit]
   | 38 |  The Tesla board is searching for a new CEO to replace Musk. |
| 31 |  Kahanists attack a Reform synagogue in Israel for hosting a joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony. |
| 31 |  George Santos has been sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud and identity theft. |
| 38 |   Canada had its own Portillo moment, as Pierre Poilievre has lost his seat in Carleton near Ottawa. Commentators mentioned his expectation to create a DOGE-style cutting of jobs, in a riding where a significant portion of the electorate are federal employees.
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| 24 |  Progressives are primarying AIPAC-backed Democrat Rep. Sri Thanedar. |
| 25 | ICE admits they lacked a warrant when they abducted Mahmoud Khalil. |
| 12 |   Northern Irish republican rap trio Kneecap has been put under investigation by counter-terrorism officers, after videos have been revealed showing the group calling for upping the Islamic terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and calling on the audience to kill their MP. In the last five years, two MPs Jo Cox and David Amess have both been murdered on the job. |
| 23 | Graham Linehan has been charged with harassment and criminal damage. |
| 26 |  Virginia Giuffre, the most prominent accuser of Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew, dies by suicide |
| 33 |    Alleged former members of neo-Nazi group claim its leader is Russian spy: Allegation against Rinaldo Nazzaro, founder of the Base, could shed new meaning on group’s efforts inside Ukraine |
| 33 | US FDA suspends safety testing of milk and other dairy products, citing decreased workforce due to Trump administration budget cuts. |
| 37 |  Pope Francis has died on Easter Monday at age of 88 |
| 30 | In an unusual overnight weekend order, the Supreme Court (minus the usual two suspects) has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting 30 Venezuelans, under the pretense of the "Alien Enemies Act", without any due process whatsoever. |
| 34 | Tommy Robinson has lost his appeal against his 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court. |
| 22 | Liz Truss to launch her own social media platform. Truss Social, anyone? |
| 19 | 
Full victory for transphobes; UK Supreme Court rules all transwomen are not women in law, Equality Commission promptly guts all transwomen protections while the PM fully supports the reactionary move. |
| 49 |  In perhaps a Rubicon-crossing moment for American democracy, the White House and El Salvador's president announce the release and return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia will not be pursued, with Trump also musing about deporting American citizens accused of violent crimes. Garcia was a US-resident who was removed to an El Salvador concentration camp despite lack of evidence of being a criminal, lack of any due process, a court order actually prohibiting him from being deported, and the Supreme Court of the US ruling that the White House must facilitate and effectuate his return. |
| 33 |  The Financial Times reports that the European Commission is to start issuing staff with burner phones and laptops for when they visit the United States on business. This a practice normally done when staff visit China, over surveillance. |
| 26 | Steve Bray , the “Stop Brexit man”, has been found not guilty of breaking anti protest laws with his protest in Parliament Square against Brexit, which included using a megaphone and speakers playing loud music. |
| 25 |  France may ban some of the biggest porn sites by the summer including Canadian-based Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube, and Czech-based XVideo, due to a new law requiring a certifiable age verification system for their users. |
| 25 |  Italy has tightened its citizenship-by-descent laws, so only those who have at least one Italian grandparent can get Italian citizenship. Previously, Italy had such liberal citizenship-by-descent laws that any person who was descended from an Italian since the Risorgimento of 1861 could apply for an Italian passport, which is one of the most visa-free ones in the world. |
| 22 |  The Guardian reports that a number of Labour MPs are pushing the British Foreign Office for the UK to recognise Palestinian statehood at the same time as France. |
| 42 | Macron has said that France is considering recognising a Palestinian state in June. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has denounced the proclamation, calling it a “prize” for terrorism. |
| 39 | Blatant market manipulation? Trump posts "This is a great time to buy!" on Truth Social hours before announcing a 90-day tariff pause on most countries. |
| 17 | UK creating ‘murder prediction’ AI tool to identify people most likely to kill. |
| 29 |  The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that parliamentary privilege can overrule the right to a private life in this situation. The ruling was over a member of the House of Lords who broke a superinjunction, over reporting of sexual impropriety by Monaco-based businessman Philip Green in the chamber. |
| 32 | Over 300 American academics have applied for the fifteen posts opened to Americans at Aix-Marseille University, after the university opened its doors to fleeing scientists due to research cuts under its “Safe Place for Science” programme. |
| 23 |  Carmarkers Audi and Jaguar Land Rover have said they are halting shipments of vehicles to the U.S., due to Trump’s tariffs. |
| 24 | Ten Britons have been accused of committing war crimes in Gaza according to a report recently compiled by lawyers and human rights researchers at The Hague. |
| 25 |  A joint European investigation spearheaded by a Spanish newspaper, has found that over 5000 European women have had cross border abortions, mainly due to differing term limits. The biggest was Germany to the Netherlands with over 1200, next was Portugal to Spain with over 500. |
| 33 | Israeli soldiers murder Red Crescent Aid workers. |
| 38 |  Armenia has passed a bill to start the long accession process of joining the European Union. |
| 42 |  Russell Brand has been charged with rape, indecent assault and sexual assault for incidents between 1999 and 2005. |
| 32 | 64-year-old Livia Tossici-Bell is found guilty of breaking the Public Spaces Protection Order by protesting outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. Her case drew the attention of the US State Department, expressing concern about respect for and protection of freedom of expression in the UK, and Vice President J. D. Vance. |
| 18 |
YouTube removes gender identity protections from its hate speech policy. |
| 40 | "Liberation Day" tariffs have wiped 140 billion dollars from the crypto market within hours. |
| 33 |  Researchers in Wales are discovering those who received the shingles vaccine Zostavax, are 20% less likely to later develop the crippling mental condition of dementia. |
| 30 |  
The Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union has given an opinion that all member states must recognise all marriage certificates of other member states, including those which allow same-sex marriage, for purposes of freedom of movement. |
| 44 | Trump tariffs the world; 10% minimum, up to 50% on 'worst offenders' (running a trade surplus with the US). Even uninhabited islands, home only to penguins and other wildlife, got hit with a Trump tariff. |
| 26 |  Mayor Eric Adams's corruption charges dismissed at the request of the Trump-led justice department, not on account of the charges being false but because they supposedly interfered in his ability to crack down on undocumented immigrants. |
| 27 | Chief Atomwaffen Division propagandist "Dark Foreigner" is found guilty on terrorism charges and faces potential sentencing of life in prison. |
| 24 | A French TV investigation reports that AI is being used to create thousands of very comprehensive realistic fake news websites, however they are with are riddled with errors. They are used solely to extract advertising money, which can reach thousands of dollars. |