And in the Rest of the World…

“HEY you, there’s a cockroach on your shoulder!”

Does that sound like a prank that somebody played on you yesterday?

If you think that cockroach prank isn’t wacky enough for 2016, check out the map below to see how April Fool’s Day pranks were being pulled around the world yesterday. We’re thinking that you’ll probably be amused either at which team Lionel Messi was reported to be moving to for €500 million, or at the country who got its state news agency to essentially say April Fool’s Day is uncool. After the map, check out our selection of quotes from around the world this week for some serious, non-prank news.

Abdul Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, ISIS leader

“We are systematically eliminating ISIL’s cabinet.”

— Ashton B. Carter, US Secretary of Defence, on US activities in the region

Abdul Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, also known as Hajji Iman, ISIS’s second-in-command, was killed by US special forces in Syria. US troops had attempted to capture al-Qaduli alive, until the situation escalated, leaving his party of four dead. Within ISIS, al-Qaduli served as finance minister and aided in external plots. Although the US has killed many significant ISIS leaders in the past weeks, they cautioned against complacency.

 

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Taliban faction

“The target was Christians.”

— Ehsanullah Ehsan, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesman, on claiming responsibility for the attack

In Lahore, Pakistan, 72 people were killed, and more than 300 people hurt in a suicide attack targeted at Christians. The location of the attack was a popular location for Christians, although both Muslims and Christians were affected by the explosions. The Pakistan faction of the Taliban took responsibility for the attacks.

 

US Capitol Shooter

“We believe the suspect is known to us.”

— US Capitol police chief Matthew R Verderosa, on the identity of the attacker

After an assailant tried to open fire in the US Capitol, both the Capitol Complex and White House went into lockdown. The man was quickly subdued by police, after wounding a female bystander. The incident took place in the Capitol Visitors’ Centre. Police have declined to name the shooter.

 

Abu Sayyaf, Philippine Militant Group

“Our priority is the safety of the 10 Indonesians who are being held hostage, we will keep working hard to save them.”

— Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, on the kidnapping

Two crew members from a tugboat sailing from the Borneo Islands to the Philippines have been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants for a ransom of US$1 million (S$1.4 million). Authorities believe that the sailors were brought to Sulu, a southern Philippine island suspected to be Abu Sayyaf’s hideout. Founded in the 1990s by Al Qaeda, Abu Sayyaf is an Islamic Moro insurgency group operating from the jungles in southern Philippines.

 

Seif Eldin Mustafa, EgyptAir hijacker

“We looked each other in the eyes and we said: Here we are. We’re at the end of the line. It’s over.”

— Andrea Banchetti, one of the hostages in the group who were not allowed to exit the plane

An EgyptAir plane travelling from Alexandria to Cairo was hijacked on Tuesday by a man with a fake explosive belt, who tried to divert the plane to Cyprus. Described as “unstable”, Mustafa reportedly hijacked the plane due to issues with his ex-wife. Apart from five white male passengers, Mustafa had allowed the other passengers to leave the plane early on during the hijacking. There were no casualties.

 

Vojislav Seselj, Serbian ultra-nationalist

“I’m absolutely convinced that the victims’ communities and many people will not be satisfied with this outcome.”

— UN Tribunal prosecutor Serge Brammertz, on the verdict

The UN Tribunal at the Hague cleared Seselj from three counts of crimes against humanity and six counts of war crimes in the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. As a close associate of ex-Serbian President Milosevic, Seselj was accused of taking part in the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina against non-Serb people. Many people have decried the verdict as a miscarriage of justice, and a symptom of the flawed UN system.

 

Dame Zaha Hadid, architect

“That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes the challenges are immense. There has been tremendous change over recent years and we will continue this progress.”

— Hadid, on having more female architects in the industry

Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi born architect, died on Thursday of a heart attack. The first female architect to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) Gold Medal, she won numerous awards, including the Riba Stirling Prize twice. Her creations have been commissioned in countries such as Hong Kong, Azerbaijan, and Germany, and they include Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London, the Riverside Museum at Glasgow’s Museum of Transport, and the Guangzhou Opera House in China. She has been credited for blazing a trail for female architects from an overseas background.

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Featured image 33/365 Atlas by Flickr user Joe Lodge. CC BY 2.0. 

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