April 2008

Portal history | Portal Biographies | Current events | Annual calendar

◄ | 20th century | 21st century    
◄ | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s      
◄ | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | ►
◄ | January 2008 | February 2008 | March 2008 | April 2008 | May 2008 | June 2008 | July 2008 | ►

Contents:
Mon Tuesday Wed do Fr. Sat So 1 2 3 4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 10 11 12 13 14th 15th 16 17th 18th 19th 20th 21st 22nd 23 24 25th 26th 27 28 29 30th

This article covers breaking news and events in April 2008.

Daily events

Tuesday April 1, 2008

• Berlin / Germany : The law for clarifying paternity regardless of the contestation procedure comes into force. The genetic proof of biological paternity can therefore also be initiated by a father who is interested in it, previously only the mother had this right.
• Gaborone / Botswana : Botswana President Festus Mogae is stepping down, his successor in office is the previous Vice-President Ian Khama .
• Karlsruhe / Germany : The Federal Constitutional Court declares an attempt to make it mandatory to deal with a child born out of wedlock to be unconstitutional.
• Luxembourg / Luxembourg : The European Court of Justice ends the tax treatment of employees with registered partnerships in a less favorable position than marital status .

Wednesday April 2, 2008

• Dublin / Ireland : Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern announces his resignation.
• London / United Kingdom : According to a survey by the broadcaster BBC , Germany's influence in 20 of the 22 countries examined is assessed as predominantly positive.
• United Kingdom : It is reported through the media that British researchers have for the first time cloned human cells in the shell of an egg cell obtained from a cow . Hybrid embryos were created here.

Thursday April 3, 2008

Automated Transfer Vehicle

• Bucharest / Romania : At the 20th NATO summit, the accession of Albania and Croatia will be decided in spring 2009. In addition, the heads of state and government of the member states decide to start accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro .
• Harare / Zimbabwe : The preliminary count of the presidential and parliamentary elections last week suggests a clear victory for the opposition parties; Long-time President Robert Mugabe , who is blamed for the catastrophic economic situation, would have to face a runoff election; his party loses a majority in parliament for the first time.
• Orbit : A space freighter known as an Automated Transfer Vehicle docks at the ISS for the first time .
• Beijing / China : The civil rights activist and environmental activist Hu Jia is sentenced to three and a half years in prison for criticizing the Olympics (officially for damaging the state)

Friday April 4, 2008

• Somalia : A French luxury yacht is hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Saturday 5th April 2008

• Wiesbaden / Germany : The Hessian state parliament meets for its first session after the state elections on January 27th. Due to a lack of majorities, it cannot elect a head of government and the previous CDU sole government under Roland Koch remains in office.

Sunday April 6, 2008

• Basel / Switzerland : FC Basel wins the final for the Swiss Cup in football in St. Jakob-Park with 4: 1 against AC Bellinzona .
• Germany : Various media reports that German police officers are training police officers in Libya .
• Podgorica / Montenegro : Incumbent Filip Vujanović just got an absolute majority in the presidential elections .
• Weliweriya / Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka's Transport Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and at least ten other people are killed in a bomb attack shortly before the start of a marathon .

Monday April 7, 2008

The torch relay 2008 in Paris under massive security precautions

• Brussels / Belgium : In the airspace of the EU , airlines are now allowed to allow their passengers to use a mobile phone during the flight if the necessary technical requirements are in place.
• Paris / France : The torch relay of the Olympic flame in Paris is canceled after the flame has been extinguished several times for "technical reasons". The flame was then taken to its destination by bus. Meanwhile, all 205 NOKs declare that they want to take part in the games .
• Wellington / New Zealand : The People's Republic of China and New Zealand sign a free trade agreement.

Tuesday April 8, 2008

Yi So-yeon

• Baikonur / Kazakhstan : The Russian Soyuz TMA-12 mission brings Yi So-yeon, the first person from Korea to space .
• Bochum / Germany : The employees of the Bochum plant of the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia , which will be closed in July 2008 , will receive severance payments totaling 200 million euros. Nokia has reached an agreement with employee representatives on this.
• Vienna / Austria : The National Council ratifies the EU reform treaty with almost 90 percent approval. Only the MPs of the right-wing parties FPÖ and BZÖ vote against it.

Wednesday April 9, 2008

• Berlin / Germany : From December 1st , 2008 , goods up to 150 euros that are bought outside the EU and sent to Germany are duty-free. According to the Federal Ministry of Finance , the upper limit has been raised from 22 euros to 150 euros. Exceptions are alcohol , alcoholic beverages, tobacco , tobacco products and perfume .
• Seoul / South Korea : The election for the National Assembly is won by the conservative Grand National Party of the new President Lee Myung Bak.

Thursday April 10, 2008

• Bratislava / Slovakia : Parliament votes with a large majority for the EU reform treaty .
• Kathmandu / Nepal : The constituent assembly election ends with a victory for the Communist Party .
• Spain : In some Mediterranean provinces, strict measures to save water are imposed. Regionally, it has not rained for 18 months, and the drought affects Catalonia as well as the southeast .

Friday April 11, 2008

• Mainz / Germany : ZDF announces that it will start regular HDTV operation for the Winter Olympics in 2010 .

Sunday April 13, 2008

• Rome / Italy : The parliamentary elections take place.
• International Day for Darfur is celebrated.

Monday April 14, 2008

• Bonn / Germany : The Bonn public prosecutor's office discontinues the fraud proceedings surrounding Jan Ullrich's doping allegations against a payment “in the six-figure amount to charitable institutions and the state treasury”; No charge is made. Chief Public Prosecutor Fred Apostel states: "Ullrich has doped."
• Germany , Morocco : The investment protection treaty between the two countries comes into force.
• Rome / Italy : On the second day of the parliamentary elections , Silvio Berlusconi's electoral alliance Popolo della Libertà / Lega Nord / Movimento per l'Autonomia in both chambers of parliament with a clear lead of over 9% over the previously ruling alliance Partito Democratico / Italia dei Valori is the winner and can thus form the next government.

Wednesday April 16, 2008

• Washington, DC / United States : The US government confirms the death of Abu Obeida al Masri , the "chief for external operations" of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda.

Friday April 18, 2008

• Harare / Zimbabwe : On the anniversary of independence 28 years ago, President Robert Mugabe , who has ruled since then, announced a speech to the nation . However, he does not want to announce the results of the parliamentary election three weeks ago. The presumed election winner, opposition leader Tsvangirai , announced that he had been invited to talks on behalf of a government of national unity , which, however, had broken off government hardliners.
• Vienna / Austria : When Amadeus Awards is Kurt Hauenstein (Music Project Supermax ) honored for his life's work.
• Yaren / Nauru : The President of the Republic of Nauru , Marcus Stephen , declared a state of national emergency and, as a result, dissolved Parliament . New elections are planned for April 26; Elections had only taken place in August 2007 , but the then incumbent President Ludwig Scotty lost a clear majority in parliament and was ousted by Stephen in a narrow runoff election. Since then, Parliament has been in constant stalemate.
• In response to the current discussion about the disadvantages of biofuel, the environmental organization Greenpeace reports that the production of biodiesel pollutes the earth's atmosphere by 20% more than production from petroleum. The reason is u. A. that primeval forests are being cut down and additional rape cultivation leads to increased nitrous oxide , which is a greenhouse gas 170 times stronger than CO ₂ . In many cases, production stops, which also contribute to rising food prices and famine, as is currently the case in Haiti . In Germany it is criticized that some car engines do not tolerate the 10% admixture.

Saturday April 19, 2008

• Berlin / Germany : In the final of the DFB Cup in the Olympiastadion Berlin , FC Bayern Munich wins 2-1 after extra time against Borussia Dortmund .
• Israel : With the beginning of the Jewish Passover festival, Israel seals off the traffic arteries to the Palestinian territories .

Sunday April 20, 2008

• Asunción / Paraguay : For the parliamentary and presidential elections , initial forecasts predict a historic change in power in Paraguay. Opposition candidate Fernando Lugo , a former bishop, wins the presidential election, which is likely to end the more than 60-year hegemony of the Colorado party.
• Glarus / Switzerland : Andrea Bettiga is elected in the second ballot to replace Pankraz Freitag in the district administrator of the Canton of Glarus . The FDP thus retains its two seats in the five-member cantonal government. In the first ballot, Bettiga was still behind SVP candidate Werner Hösli.
• Vienna / Austria : SK Rapid Wien wins early Austrian football championship with a 3-0 home win against SCR Altach .

Monday April 21, 2008

• Tbilisi / Georgia : According to the Georgian Air Force , a Russian MiG-29 shot down a Georgian unmanned reconnaissance drone while it was flying over the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia .

Tuesday April 22, 2008

• Harrisburg / United States : In the primaries for the presidential election in the United States in 2008 in the state of Pennsylvania to the Democratic Party wins Hillary Clinton % to 10 lead over Barack Obama .

Wednesday April 23, 2008

• Berlin / Germany : The Alliance Global Education Campaign is organizing the attempt to set a world record for "the largest lesson in the world", in which over 150 schools in Germany took part.

Thursday April 24, 2008

• Berlin / Germany : The German Bundestag passes the EU reform treaty in Lisbon with the required two-thirds majority. Only members of the Left vote against this. This means that Germany - like Austria two weeks ago - is one of the first states to pave the way for the "slimmed-down" constitution of the EU . For the final ratification, the Federal Council has to agree and the Federal President has to sign it.

Friday April 25, 2008

• Berlin / Germany : In the 58th ceremony of the German Film Prize in the palace at the radio tower is on the other side of director and screenwriter Fatih Akin award for best film.
• Moscow / Russia : According to the diplomat Valeri Kenjaikin in the Russian Foreign Ministry, Georgia has been gathering troops on the border of the breakaway region of Abkhazia for days and is capable of a military strike within a few hours. Furthermore, according to diplomat Kenjaikin, Russia has indications that Georgia has placed its armed forces in increased combat readiness . Abkhazia President Sergei Bagapsch announces that he has asked Russia to form a military alliance.
• Tehran / Iran : The second round of parliamentary elections takes place.

Saturday April 26, 2008

• Casablanca / Morocco : At least 55 people die and twelve are injured in a major fire in a factory in the Moroccan city of Casablanca.
• Yaren / Nauru : The parliamentary elections are taking place.

Sunday April 27, 2008

• Afghanistan : Afghan President Hamid Karzai narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at the commemoration ceremony for the 16th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops. According to the Afghan Ministry of Defense, two members of parliament were wounded in the attack by the Taliban.
• Amstetten / Austria : A 73-year-old man is arrested on suspicion that his now 42-year-old daughter was imprisoned in the cellar for 24 years and sexually abused . 7 children are said to have been conceived, between 5 and 20 years old; one died and was burned.
• Berlin / Germany : In a referendum to keep Berlin-Tempelhof airport open , a majority decides to continue operating. However, since the required voter turnout was not achieved, the referendum is considered to have failed. However, the outcome is not binding on the Senate .
• Fulda / Germany : An ICE derailed in the Landrückentunnel after the train raced into a flock of sheep at the tunnel entrance at more than 200 km / h. 19 people are injured.

Monday April 28, 2008

• Amstetten / Austria : Josef Fritzl makes a comprehensive confession.
• China : 66 people are killed in a train accident in eastern China.
• Rome / Italy : In the runoff elections of the local elections in Italy, the center-left camp has to accept another defeat: Francesco Rutelli ( PD ) is defeated by Gianni Alemanno ( PdL ) with 46.3% against 53.7% of the votes in the election of Mayor of Rome. Berlusconi's new legal alliance has also been established in most other cities . Only Sondrio , Vicenza and Udine go to the PD candidates.

Tuesday April 29, 2008

• Moscow / Russia : In the dispute over the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that break away from Georgia, the government is also relocating its own troops to the conflict region. Moscow is reacting to the relocation of Georgian armed forces to the borders of Abkhazia, the Russian Defense Ministry said . Under a mandate from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Russia has been stationing soldiers in the region since 1994 to ensure peace in the conflict area.
• Tbilisi / Georgia : The Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that Georgia was transporting weapons, lubricants, food and other technical equipment to Upper Abkhazia and stationing Georgian troops in the region. According to the Georgian Minister of State for European Integration, Georgi Baramidze, his country is not planning a military confrontation.

Wednesday April 30, 2008

• Rome / Italy : The tax returns of all citizens, which have been visible on the Internet for a few days, are switched off at the instruction of the Italian data protection officer Francesco Pizzetti . The websites were flooded Tuesday with thousands of curious people wanting to see how much their neighbors or celebrities made in 2005. The outgoing center-left government wanted to send a signal with the publication , but its legality was questioned and sparked countless protests. Massimo Romano, the head of the tax authority, was striving for a similar level of transparency as early as 1999 and failed at that time too.

See also

• Nekrolog April 2008 for deaths this month
• List of annually recurring days of remembrance and action in April
• Category for commemorative days, public holidays or days of action in April

Web links

Northern Ireland in April 2008

Commons : April 2008  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

 Wikinews: Article Published April 2008  - News

Individual evidence

1. ↑ BGBl. I p. 441
2. ^ NZZ: Change of government in Botswana
3. ↑ n-tv: Father love by law? Karlsruhe says no
4. ↑ European Court of Justice ends the discrimination against partner employees. In: lsvd.de . April 1, 2008, accessed May 4, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Tagesschau: Irish premier announces resignation (accessed April 2, 2008) ( Memento from March 12, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
6. ↑ n-tv: Estimated Germany - Best Image Worldwide (accessed April 2, 2008)
7. ↑ Ärzteblatt: British researchers clone embryos with animal egg cells (accessed on April 3, 2008) ( Memento from April 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
8. ↑ tagesschau.de: NATO is expanded by two states ( Memento from February 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
9. ↑ tagesschau.de: Zimbabwe President Mugabe wants to run for the runoff election (tagesschau.de archive)
10. ↑ n-tv: Flying Larder - Space Freighter docked
11. ↑ Star via AP: Dissident Hu Jia has to go to prison
12. ↑ BBC: Somali pirates seize French yacht (accessed April 7, 2008)
13. ↑ Switzerland Cup 2007/08. In: rsssf.com . Retrieved April 30, 2019 . 
14. ↑ Time: Doubts about BND information (accessed April 7, 2008)
15. ↑ BBC: Blast kills Sri Lankan minister (accessed April 7, 2008)
16. ↑ Golem.de:EU gives the green light for cell phone calls on the plane
17. ↑ Wikinews: Olympic torch relay in Paris ends in chaos
18. ^ NZ Herald: Trade agreement just the start - Clark (accessed April 7, 2008)
19. ↑ International flight no. 256: Soyuz TMA-12. In: spacefacts.de. Retrieved February 8, 2017 . 
20. ↑ Golem.de:Nokia-Werksschluss: social plan agreed
21. ↑ Golem.de : Value limit for duty-free shipments significantly increased
22. ↑ https://www.mopo.de/wahlen-konservative-gewinnen-bei-parlamentswahl-in-suedkorea-19700864
23. ↑ Golem.de : Also ZDF from 2010 in HDTV regular operation
24. ↑ https://pulitzercenter.org/blog/solidarity-global-day-darfur
25. ↑ Fraud proceedings against ex-professional cyclists stopped. Public prosecutor: "Jan Ullrich doped" ( Memento from April 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). On: sport.ard.de , April 14, 2008.
26. ↑ Investment protection in bilateral trade agreements between the Federal Republic of Germany and developing and emerging countries. In: bmwi.de . March 27, 2015, accessed November 20, 2018 . 
27. ^ After the victory of Silvio Berlusconi. No anticipation in Brussels ( memento from February 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Tagesschau, April 15, 2008
28. ↑ Germany's public enemy number one is dead . On: faz.net , April 16, 2008.
29. ↑ State of emergency on the South Sea island of Nauru declared , NZZ Online
30. ↑ Greenpeace alarmed: "Plant diesel" destroys primeval forests> Kleine Zeitung
31. ↑ https://www.israelnetz.com/kommentar-analyse/2008/06/06/sieben-wochen-nach-pessach-schavuot-das-fest-der-ersten-fruechte/
32. ↑ https://www.welt.de/politik/article1921894/Paraguay-estand-nach-61-Jahren-vor-Machtwechsel.html
33. ↑ NZZ-Online from April 20, 2008: "FDP can hold second seat in Glarus government"
34. ↑ https://www.wp.de/politik/uno-bestaetigt-abschuss-von-georgischer-drohne-durch-russland-id1705812.html?displayDropdownTop=block&displayDropdownBottom=none
35. ↑ Die Zeit: Race remains open (accessed March 23, 2008)
36. ↑ World record attempt: the largest lesson in the world reminds politicians of their promise "Education for everyone by 2015"
37. ↑ https://www.nzz.ch/deutscher_filmpreis_fuer_auf_der_anderen_seite-1.719293
38. ↑ Netzeitung : Crisis in the Caucasus: Russia subjects Georgia to attack plans ( memento of March 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) of April 25, 2008.
39. ↑ AFP: At least 55 people killed in major fire in Morocco ( Memento from April 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on April 27, 2008)
40. ↑ Financial Times Deutschland : Karzai escapes Taliban attack ( memento of April 30, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) of April 27, 2008.
41. ↑ Tagesschau.de: Father apparently keeps daughter prisoner for 24 years ( Memento from February 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on April 28, 2008)
42. ↑ https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/flughafen-tempelhof-volksentscheid-gescheitert/1221810.html
43. ↑ n-tv: flock of sheep in the way: ICE derailed in tunnel (accessed on March 28, 2008)
44. ^ Incest drama: Horrible confession by Josef F. on Mittelbayerische.de
45. ↑ FAZ-Online : Numerous dead in serious train accident (accessed on April 28, 2008)
46. ^ A post-fascist becomes mayor of Rome Neue Zürcher Zeitung , April 28, 2008
47. ^ N-tv : Conflict over Abkhazia: Russia strengthens troops from April 29, 2008.
48. ^ RIA Novosti : Georgia does not plan a military confrontation - Minister of State of April 29, 2008.
49. ^ Italian Ministry of Finance published income tax returns for all citizens