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Worldwide current events · Sports events

Topics in the news

In rugby union, the Six Nations concludes with Ireland winning the championship.
Chiquita and Fyffes agree to a merger that would create the world's largest banana producer.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (aircraft pictured) goes missing while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
The International Criminal Court finds former Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga guilty of war crimes committed during the Ituri conflict.
The Supreme Council of Crimea votes to leave Ukraine and join the Russian Federation and announces a referendum on secession.

Recent deaths: Tony Benn – Bob Crow – Frank Jobe

March 17, 2014 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

United States Navy SEALs take over a Libyan oil tanker off the coast of Cyprus after it was captured by rebels. (AP via New Zealand Herald)

Arts and culture

Model and fashion designer L'Wren Scott is found dead in her New York apartment. (BBC)

International relations

President of the United States Barack Obama announces that the United States will sanction Russian officials that contributed to the current Crimean crisis. (Voice of America)

Natural disasters

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Chile with officials issuing precautionary tsunami warnings for the nation's coast. (CNN)
The US Geological Survey records a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in Los Angeles, California. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Crimean referendum, 2014
- The Supreme Council of Crimea votes to declare independence from Ukraine and join Russia. (BBC)

Science and technology

Evidence of cosmic inflation is announced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. (BBC) (Space)

March 16, 2014 (Sunday)

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Politics and elections

Crimean referendum, 2014
- Voters in Crimea vote overwhelmingly to leave Ukraine and rejoin Russia. Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States condemn the move. (BBC) (Associated Press)
Serbian parliamentary election, 2014
- Voters in Serbia go to the polls for an early parliamentary election. The centre right SNS is reported to be receiving around 50% of the popular vote. (AP via Houston Chronicle), (Straits Times)

Sports

2014 Winter Paralympics:
- The Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia officially concludes. (CBC) (BBC)
In the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Carl Edwards wins the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway after rain causes the race to be delayed more than 5 hours, and the final laps of the event to be run under caution. (NASCAR.com)
In U.S. men's college basketball, the field for the NCAA Division I Tournament is set. Florida is the #1 overall seed, with the other top seeds being Arizona, Virginia, and unbeaten Wichita State. (AP via ESPN)

March 15, 2014 (Saturday)

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Disasters and accidents

The Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak states that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was deliberately steered off course for reasons unknown and then flew for almost seven hours more. (AsiaOne)

Business and economy

Jack Lew, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, speaks to Wang Yang, vice premier of the People's Republic of China, and expresses U.S. approval of China's new, wider, daily trading band for its renminbi. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Voters in the Australian states of Tasmania and South Australia go to the polls for state elections. The Liberal Party led by Will Hodgman have won government in the Tasmanian election while the South Australian election is too close to call. (Radio Australia), (ABC), (AAP via Yahoo!7)
Slovak presidential election, 2014
- Voters go to the polls in Slovakia with partial results showing that Prime Minister Robert Fico and businessman-turned philanthropist Andrej Kiska are likely to be the two contenders in the second round. (AP)
2014 Crimean crisis and 2014 Russian anti-war protests
- The March of Peace took place in Russia a day before the Crimean referendum. 30,000 people participated in anti-war protests in Moscow. (The Moscow Times) (Reuters) (RFE/RL)

Sport

In motorsports, the Chip Ganassi Racing #01 Riley-Ford Ecoboost Daytona Prototype, driven by Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and Marino Franchitti, wins the 2014 12 Hours of Sebring (RACER.com)

March 14, 2014 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Attacks all across Pakistan leave dozens dead, with the most violence centered in Peshawar and Quetta. (Reuters)
Islamic militants attack a Nigerian Army barracks in Maiduguri, Borno State. (Voice of America)

Business and economy

American sandwich shop chain Quiznos files for bankruptcy. (Businessweek)

Disasters and accidents

A 7-story building in Mumbai, India, collapses, killing 7 people and injuring 4. (The Hindu)
Rescue crew continue to search for victims in the explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem, which killed 8 and injured more than 70. (NY Times)

Law and crime

A French court sentences former Rwandan army captain Pascal Simbikangwa to 25 years for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. (BBC)

International relations

The United States announces plans to relinquish remaining controls of the Internet following revelations of National Security Agency surveillance last year. (Washington Post)

Politics and elections

Joko Widodo is chosen as the nominee for the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle for the upcoming presidential election. (The Jakarta Globe)

International relations

United States Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov meet in London, United Kingdom, to discuss the current Crimean crisis. (New York Times)

March 13, 2014 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2014 Crimean crisis:
- Leaders in the Ukrainian Kherson Oblast threaten to shut off all power and water to Crimea if the referendum goes forward. (FOX)
- Russia masses its military near the Ukrainian border again as new military operations are announced. (New York Times) (BBC)
At least 100 rockets have been fired from Gaza into southern Israel over the last 3 days, with the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine claiming responsibility. The IDF responded by shelling two alleged PIJ targets. (J Post)
Islamist unrest in Egypt (2013–present):
- Masked gunmen attack a bus carrying Egyptian Army soldiers in Cairo, killing one. (AP via The Hindu)

Business and economy

An executive board member of the European Central Bank, Benoît Cœuré, says that the ECB is determined to secure the continued decline in real interest rates in the months ahead. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

An intoxicated hit-and-run driver in Austin, Texas, United States, drives into a nighttime crowd at the South by Southwest festival, killing two and injuring 23 (USA Today) (CNN)
A U.S. newspaper report claims Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 flew for hours after vanishing from radars Saturday. (Al Jazeera) (Wall Street Journal)
Rescue crew continue to search for victims in the explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem, which killed 8 and injured more than 70. (NBC) (NY Times)
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs near Japan's Kyushu Island. (Chicago Tribune)
A helicopter crash in Norfolk, United Kingdom, kills Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond. (Eastern Counties Newspapers)

Science and technology

David Willetts, the UK science minister, announces £11m of funding for data processing linked to the Square Kilometre Array. (The Register)

March 12, 2014 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Three Taliban insurgents are killed by a team of Afghan police and private commandos after attacking a former National Directorate of Security headquarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Taliban claims they killed four commandos and five policemen, which police deny. (AP via ABC)

Business and economy

Judge Katherine B. Forrest of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, orders Fabrice "Fabulous Fab" Tourre to pay more than $825,000 for defrauding investors while a trader at Goldman Sachs. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370:
- China requests activation of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters meaning international space agencies join an "unprecedented" search for the Malaysian airliner which disappeared over an ocean Saturday. (Al Jazeera)
- A crowdsourcing search effort after the vanished airliner finds a silhouette in the water of similar size and shape to the lost plane. Also, a Chinese satellite sights sizable pieces of debris. (CNN) (news.com.au)
An explosion in the New York City neighbourhood of East Harlem kills 8 and injures over 70. (Pix 11) (WABC-TV)
At least 350 apartments are evacuated due to a fire in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood. (KNTV)

Health

Fiji's Health Department confirms that eleven people have died and over 10,000 people have been infected in an outbreak of the type three strain of dengue fever. (ABC Online)

International relations

2014 Crimean crisis
- Russia says planned U.S. financial aid to Ukraine is illegal. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

A new law levying criminal penalties on yeshiva students who dodge military service in the Israeli Defence Forces passes the Knesset with near unanimous support as the entire opposition boycotts the vote; Yoni Chetboun from Jewish Home is the lone no-voter. (Times of Israel)

Science and technology

Sir Tim Berners-Lee calls for a World Wide Web equivalent of the Magna Carta, on the 25th anniversary of his proposal for the World Wide Web. (BBC)

March 11, 2014 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Gunmen in Kabul, Afghanistan kill Swedish Radio foreign correspondent Nils Horner. (Washington Post)
Maoist rebels ambush an Indian paramilitary force in Chhattisgarh, India, killing 18 soldiers. (AP via TIME)
In response to mortar fire, an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip kills three suspected militants. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
Protesters clash with police in Turkey after a 15-year-old boy died from a head injury sustained during anti-government protests. (The Guardian) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

New Zealand says it plans to hold a referendum regarding the change of its national flag. (The Guardian)
Bronze weapons found near China's Terracotta Army are determined to have once belonged to the soldiers. (Live Science)

Business and economy

Colorado says it has collected $2 million in taxes from marijuana sales in the month of January. (The Washington Post)
Men's Wearhouse buys rival JoS. A. Bank Clothiers for $1.8 billion. (Reuters)

International relations

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea:
- Two Philippine ships are expelled by the Chinese Coast Guard from Ayungin Shoal in the Spratly group of islands. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Law and crime

The search of one of Congress's stand-alone computers is referred to the Justice Department for investigation. (AP via USA Today)
Fourteen Caribbean nations file a lawsuit against the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands for damages caused during the Atlantic slave trade. (TIME)
Joran van der Sloot faces an extradition case in the United States. (People)

Politics and elections

The Libyan Parliament sacks Prime Minister Ali Zeidan and appoints former defense secretary Abdullah al-Thani as acting prime minister. (Reuters)
Politics of Israel
- Shas endorses Isaac Herzog from the Israeli Labor Party as the country's next prime minister. (Times of Israel)
- A new electoral law that raises the threshold of votes political parties need in elections to gain representation in the Knesset from 2 to 3,25% is passed unanimously as the entire opposition boycotts the vote. (AlJazeera)

More March 2014 events...

Ongoing events
Economic Great Recession Eurozone crisis Greek government-debt crisis Environmental 2014 North Indian Ocean cyclone season 2014 Pacific typhoon season Political Crimea crisis Russian military intervention in Ukraine Global surveillance disclosures Pro-EU protests in Ukraine South Sudan conflict Thailand political crisis Venezuela protests More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports March 7-18: South American Games in Santiago, Chile edit sidebar

Recent deaths
March 17: L'Wren Scott 16: Gary Bettenhausen 15: Scott Asheton 15: David Brenner 15: Howard Callaway 15: Clarissa Dickson Wright 14: Tony Benn 14: Glenn McDuffie 14: Bob Thomas 13: Reubin Askew 13: Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond 13: Ahmad Tejan Kabbah 12: Věra Chytilová 12: Richard Coogan 12: Shawn Kuykendall 11: Dean Bailey 11: Len Buckeridge 11: Christine Buckley 11: Bob Crow 10: Joe McGinniss 9: Mohammed Fahim 9: William Clay Ford, Sr. 9: Nazario Moreno González 8: James Ellis 8: William Guarnere 8: Roy Higgins 8: Wendy Hughes 8: Gerard Mortier 8: Larry Scott 7: Hal Douglas 6: Frank Jobe 6: Sheila MacRae 6: Marion Thorpe 5: Geoff Edwards 4: Mark Freidkin 4: William R. Pogue 4: Wu Tianming 3: Kurt Chew-Een Lee 3: Harold Mowery 3: Sherwin B. Nuland 2: Ryhor Baradulin 2: Molly Bobak 2: Justin Kaplan 1: Bangaru Laxman 1: Alain Resnais edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Global War on Drugs War on Terror Operation Active Endeavour Operation Enduring Freedom Terrorist incidents in 2014 Africa Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Maghreb insurgency OEF – Horn of Africa OEF – Trans Sahara Central African Republic Civil conflict Egypt Islamist unrest Sinai insurgency Libya Post-civil war interfactional fighting Nigeria Niger Delta conflict Islamist insurgency in Nigeria Somalia Civil war Sudan and South Sudan Sudan internal conflict South Sudan internal conflict Americas Colombian conflict Mexican Drug War Asia Afghanistan War Military operations Taliban insurgency India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Korea Korean maritime border conflict Pakistan Balochistan conflict North-West War Sectarian violence Philippines Communist insurgency Moro insurgency Russia North Caucasus insurgency Southeast Asia Cambodian–Thai border dispute Kachin conflict Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Europe Dissident Irish Republican campaign War in Ingushetia Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Israel–Iran proxy conflict Iraqi insurgency Kurdistan Kurdish–Iranian conflict Syrian Civil War Yemen al-Qaeda crackdown Shia insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections
Recent: February 2: Costa Rica, President (1st round) and parliament 2: El Salvador, President (1st round) 2: Thailand, General 9: Switzerland, Referendum 20: Libya, Constitutional Assembly Recent: March 9: Colombia, Parliament 9: El Salvador, President (2nd round) 9: North Korea, Parliament 15: Slovakia, President (1st round) 16: Serbia, Parliament Upcoming: March 22: Maldives, Parliament 29: Slovakia, President (2nd round) edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan Canada: Michael Thomas Rafferty China: Bo Xilai Croatia: Ivo Sanader Germany: Breno Borges Italy: Silvio Berlusconi Netherlands: Ante Gotovina (ICTY), Mladen Markač (ICTY), Momčilo Perišić (ICTY), Germain Katanga (ICC) Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Vladimir Kvachkov, Pussy Riot Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor (SCFSL) South Africa: Chris Mahlangu Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Levi Bellfield, Robert Black, Vincent Tabak, Ali Dizaei, Antoni Imiela, Brian Regan, Donna Air, Ched Evans, Clayton McDonald, Titus Bramble, Dan Penteado, John Terry, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed, Asil Nadir, Justin Lee Collins, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Kevin Liverpool, Junior Bradshaw, Aggro Santos, Stuart Hall, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Michael Le Vell, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis United States: Noshir Gowadia, Buju Banton, Barry Bonds, Raj Rajaratnam, Casey Anthony, Conrad Murray, George Huguely, Allen Stanford, Roger Clemens, Jerry Sandusky, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Crystal Mangum Ongoing Australia: Craig Thomson Brazil: Mensalão scandal Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Organized crime in Chongqing Egypt: Mohamed Morsi, Hosni Mubarak France: Church of Scientology Germany: Christian Wulff, Beate Zschäpe, Uli Hoeness Hong Kong: Alfredo Lim Iraq: Supreme Criminal Tribunal Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Netherlands: Thomas Lubanga (ICC), Radovan Karadžić (ICTY), Ratko Mladic (ICTY) Palau: Tommy Remengesau Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Imelda Marcos, Jovito Palparan Russia: Platon Lebedev South Africa: Oscar Pistorius Sudan: Lubna al-Hussein Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra Turkey: Ergenekon network, Kenan Evren United Kingdom: Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, Eddy Shah, Koo Stark, Max Clifford, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans United States: Jodi Arias Upcoming France: Éric Raoult Germany: Bernie Ecclestone Ivory Coast: Laurent Gbagbo Jordan: Abu Qatada Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United Kingdom: Dane Bowers, Rolf Harris United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Peter Madoff, Christian Gerhartsreiter, Dylan Quick, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Anas al-Libi, Bob McDonnell edit sidebar

Events by month

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