Portal:Current events/March 2013

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Bangladesh protests:
- The death toll in Bangladesh rises to 44 as protests continue following the sentencing of Delwar Hossain Sayeedi. (The New York Times)
2013 Lahad Datu standoff:
- At least 14 people die in Malaysia's Sabah province when rebels open fire on government security forces. (BBC)
Northern Mali conflict:
- One of Islamist organization al-Qaeda's most feared commanders in Africa, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, is killed by Chadian forces in Northern Mali. (Voice of America) (Reuters) (BBC)

Business and economy

China's Purchasing Managers Index declines to 50.1 indicating a possible slowdown in the Chinese economy. (The Australian)

Health and environment

A study concludes that clogged arteries around the heart are a risk factor for brain injury from stroke. (US News & World Reports)
An environmental study finds that 100 million sharks are killed by fishermen each year. (National Geographic)

Law and crime

Death of Mido Macia: Eight South African policemen are arrested on suspicion of murder after dragging a Mozambican man behind their police van earlier in the week. (BBC) (Reuters)
Myanmar drug lord and convicted murderer Naw Kham is executed by lethal injection in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. (Xinhua)
Google wins a copyright case in the German Bundestag over whether they can put news stories on their website without having to pay. (Bloomberg) (PC Magazine)

Politics and elections

2013 Sequestration: A budget sequestration comes into effect today in the United States Government. (The Guardian) (Bloomberg)
British Prime Minister David Cameron says he will "win people back" after his party, the Conservatives came third in the Eastleigh by-election behind the Liberal Democrats and UK Independence Party. (BBC)

Science and technology

SpaceX CRS-2: The SpaceX Falcon 9 supply rocket launches from Cape Canaveral SLC-40 as scheduled, but encounters problems once in orbit. (Los Angeles Times)
Boston Dynamics upgrades the prototype United States Army robot BigDog with an arm strong enough to hurl cinderblocks. (PC Magazine) (NBC)

Sport

Juventus stays six points clear at the top of the 2012–13 Serie A after earning a 1–1 draw at second-place Napoli. (CNN) (Goal.com)
In golf, Northern Irish player Rory McIlroy abruptly quits 2013 The Honda Classic mid-round. (Fox Sports)

March 2, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Bangladesh protests:
- The death toll in Bangladesh rises to at least 50 as protests continue following the sentencing of Delwar Hossain Sayeedi. (Xinhua)
Northern Mali conflict:
- Chadian soldiers kill Mokhtar Belmokhtar, an al-Qaeda commander in Africa responsible for a mass hostage-taking at an Algerian gas plant. (Reuters) (BBC)
South Thailand insurgency:
- Suspected insurgents detonate a motorcycle bomb in Southern Thailand killing 2 Thai Military rangers and wounding 11 people. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A massive car crash on I-65 in Kentucky, United States, leaves 6 people from Wisconsin dead and 2 injured. (WMTV) (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Health and environment

A study concludes that continuous standing and walking reduces the risk of type II diabetes better than either sitting/lying or exercise. (Medical News Today)

Law and crime

A judge declines to throw out the case against actress Lindsay Lohan in which she is accused of lying to a California police officer after a car accident in 2012. (Star Pulse)

Science and technology

Image taken by the Cassini spacecraft from Saturn orbit shows Venus shining like a bright beacon through Saturn’s rings. (ESA) (NASA)
Hackers hack the popular note-taking application Evernote. The website says that the hackers gained access to user passwords, e-mails, and usernames. (ZD Net) (PC Magazine)

Sport

El Clásico: Real Madrid defeat rivals FC Barcelona 2–1 in the 2012–13 La Liga match. Sergio Ramos scores winning goal. (ESPN)
The 1,000 mile 2013 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. The winner of the race will get a new truck and $50,400. (AP via Seattle PI) (NPR)

March 3, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Lahad Datu standoff:
- Fighting erupts in Sabah, Malaysia, leaving seven dead, including five policemen. Four people are taken hostage. In response, the Malaysian Military doubles their troop presence in the area. (BBC) (Reuters) (The New York Times)
2013 Bangladesh protests:
- At least 16 people die in clashes in Bangladesh as a strike organized by Jamaat-e-Islami begins. (BBC) (Reuters)
March 2013 Karachi bombing:
- A bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, kills at least 45 people in a predominately Shia Muslim area. (BBC) (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Queen Elizabeth II is admitted to hospital for observation after experiencing symptoms of gastroenteritis. Buckingham Palace has described it as a "precaution". (BBC)

Health and environment

Following treatment, a 2-year-old Mississippi girl born with the HIV/AIDS virus is pronounced to be HIV negative. (CBS) (The Guardian) (BBC) (CNN)
Thailand promises to put an end to legal ivory trade within the country. (BBC)

Law and crime

Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien, who resigned last week due to allegations of sexual impropriety, admitted his past sexual misconduct and apologized for it. (USA Today)
While on the way to the hospital due to complications in a pregnancy, a young Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish couple from a Brooklyn enclave are killed in a hit-and-run; the baby was delivered prematurely by C-section but died the next day of its injuries. The car owner was arrested soon after; the driver was arrested days later after a search. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Swiss referendum, 2013: Voters in Switzerland pass measures limiting CEO pay and outlawing golden parachutes. (The Guardian)

Science and technology

SpaceX CRS-2: The cargo ship SpaceX Dragon docks at the International Space Station after a brief delay. (CNet)
NASA's Curiosity rover is switched to a redundant onboard computer in response to an undefined memory issue on the active computer. (NASA)

Sport

Norway's Marit Bjørgen wins five medals in 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships that ends today in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (CBC) (Eurosport)
Norwegian biathlete Tora Berger secures the women's overall title in the 2012–13 Biathlon World Cup with five individual races still remaining. (IBU)
Lauren Silberman becomes the first woman to try out for the National Football League, but her attempt to make a team ends after two kicks with an injury. (USA Today)
Russia, Great Britain and France become the top-3 countries in the medal table of the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. (EA)
Mexico scores twice in extra time and defeates United States 3–1 to win the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. (US Soccer Players)

March 4, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Northern Mali conflict:
- French officials announce that a soldier was killed in action during contact with Islamic militants over the weekend. It is France's third casualty since operations began in Operation Serval. (BBC)
- France claims that it is "probable" that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb chief Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was killed in Mali in late February. (AP via Navy Times)
March 2013 Karachi bombing:
- Gunmen shoot and kill two people returning from a funeral for victims of the bombing. (AP via ABC News)
2013 Lahad Datu standoff:
- The death toll in Malaysia rises to 26 as conflict between people claiming to follow the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysian Armed Forces continue. (Time)
2012–2013 Egyptian protests:
- Five people die in clashes between protestors and Egyptian police. (BBC)
Akashat ambush:
- At least 40 Syrian soldiers are killed in ambush in Western Iraq. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace after spending one night in hospital. (BBC)

Business and economy

Forbes releases its annual list of the world's wealthiest people, with Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim topping the list for the fourth year in a row. (USA Today)
Latvia applies to enter the eurozone in 2014, in a move which could see it become the 18th member of the bloc. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

At least 11 children are killed after a school bus collides with a truck in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab. (NDTV)
2013 Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation crash: A Fokker 50 operated by Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation crashes in poor weather at Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nine people were in the aircraft, a crew of five and four passengers. At least three people survived the accident. (Bloomberg) (News24) (BBC) (Reuters)
At least 9 people die after heavy snowfall hit the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido over the weekend. (BBC) (CNN) (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Kenyan general election, 2013:
- Voters in Kenya go to the polls for a general election with police issuing reports warning of possible violence. (BBC) (AP via Business Week)
- At least 17 people are killed in the port city of Mombasa, Kenya, and surrounding areas. (Reuters) (RTE)
Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela is suffering from a new severe respiratory infection as he struggles to recover from cancer surgery conducted in Cuba. (Reuters)

Religion

Papal conclave, 2013: More than 100 Roman Catholic cardinals meet in Rome to start the process of selecting a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. (CNN)

Science and technology

A newly observed near-Earth asteroid 2013 EC passes Earth within the orbit of the Moon. (Universe Today)
Scientists announce they have directly measured the polarization of light, overcoming aspects of the uncertainty principle. (Science World Report)

March 5, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Lahad Datu standoff:
- The Malaysian Army launches an attack on an armed Filipino group on the island of Borneo in an effort to end the standoff. (BBC)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- Gunmen kill eight people in an attack on a police station and a bank in northeastern Nigeria. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers his final annual address to the National People's Congress. The People's Republic of China sets its economic growth rate for 2013 at 7.5%. (AFP via SBS World News)
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surpasses pre-financial crisis levels, reaching an all-time high, last set in October 2007, after the release of better than expected economic data from the United States and Europe and the Chinese growth target. (AP via New Jersey Herald) (The New York Times) (The Wall Street Journal)

International relations

Venezuela announces its intention to expel a member of the United States embassy working as a US Air Force military attaché. The U.S. official is accused of spying on the military and meeting with officials to plan destabilizing the country. (AP via The New York Times)
The UN Security Council holds a closed-door session to discuss new sanctions against North Korea following reports of an agreement on a draft resolution between the United States and China. North Korea announces plans to nullify the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War. (BBC) (Yonhap News) (NHK World)

Law and crime

A black American political candidate "was dragged and set on fire" during his murder in the U.S. state of Mississippi, say his family. The corpse of Marco McMillian was found bruised and burned near a levee on the Mississippi River. (The Daily Telegraph)
Eddie Maher, who spent almost 20 years as a fugitive in the United States, is jailed for five years for stealing a security van containing £1.2m in Suffolk, England. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Death of Hugo Chávez:
- Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, dies in office at the age of 58 in the capital, Caracas. (Al Jazeera) (RTÉ News) (CBS News)
- Chávez's death triggers a presidential election to be held within thirty days. (The Guardian)
- Vice President Nicolás Maduro assumes the presidency until an election is held. (BBC)
Kenyan general election, 2013: Early returns show that Uhuru Kenyatta has taken a lead in the presidential election. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
The government of Moldova falls in a confidence vote after the government coalition broke down. (Al Jazeera)
UK Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond announces the closure of four Army bases as part of a shake-up to accommodate the return of thousands of British troops stationed in Germany. (BBC)
Voters in the American city of Los Angeles, California, go to the polls for a mayoral election with Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel to contest a runoff on 21 May 2013. (Los Angeles Times)

Science and technology

Japanese carrier Willcom announces the Phone Strap 2 WX06A, which weighs only 32 grams. The company advertises it as the world's "smallest and lightest phone". (The Verge)
Scientists in the United States publish the most detailed scans of the human brain to date as part of a project to understand how the organ works. (BBC)

Sport

Real Madrid defeat Manchester United by a 2–1 scoreline (3–2 on aggregate) in the second leg of their 2012–13 UEFA Champions League last 16 tie. With the Premier League club leading 1–0, Nani's controversial second half sending off provides the game's main turning point, and Cristiano Ronaldo ultimately scores the winning goal on his first return to Old Trafford since leaving in the summer of 2009. (ESPN) (BBC) (The Guardian)

March 6, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Battle of Ar-Raqqah: Syrian rebels capture Ar-Raqqah, the first major city to be under rebel control in the Syrian civil war. (AP via Fox News)
- British Foreign Secretary William Hague announces the UK will send armoured vehicles and body armour to opposition forces in Syria to help save lives. (BBC)
- The Arab League grants the Syrian National Coalition the seat within its organisation formerly occupied by the Syrian Republic. (AP via Fox News)
- 20 United Nations peacekeepers are detained by around 30 armed fighters in the Golan Heights on the border between Syria and Israel. (Reuters)
War in Somalia:
- The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 2093 that partially lifts a decades-old arms embargo on Somalia for one year, allowing the government in Mogadishu to buy weapons to strengthen its security forces to fight al-Qaeda linked Islamists. (Reuters)

Business and economy

The European Commission fines Microsoft €561 million for failing to provide residents of the European Union with a selection of web browsers as an alternative to Internet Explorer. (BBC)
The UK's Office of Fair Trading gives the country's top 50 payday loans companies 12 weeks to change their practices after identifying "widespread irresponsible lending". (BBC)

Disaster and accidents

All nine people, including two pilots and seven passengers, on board a Beechcraft Super King Air B200 airplane chartered by Peruvian mining company die after the plane became ensnared in power lines and crashed to the ground in the La Libertad Region, Peru. (Reuters) (MARSA)

International relations

The South Korean military states that it is prepared to respond if North Korea launches an attack as it threatened yesterday. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Bob Carr, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, releases a report into the handling of the case of Ben Zygier who died in Israeli custody in December 2010 and was believed to be a Mossad agent. (AAP via The Australian)
The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals holds in favor of Google in a lawsuit based on Wisconsin privacy laws in a decision that will tend to protect the vendors of search engines from those who object to the unwholesome responses they get when entering a vanity search. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Ted Baillieu resigns as the Premier of the Australian state of Victoria as his embattled government was pushed close to collapse. (The Australian)

Religion

Papal conclave, 2013: The Brazilian Conference of Bishops (the largest such conference in the world) officially advises the cardinals of Brazil in the conclave explicitly to ask the mass media to print supportive articles on the Archbishop of São Paulo, Cardinal Odilo Scherer. (Rorate Caeli)

Science and technology

A newly discovered Y-chromosome haplogroup is thought to push back the time of Y-chromosomal Adam to 338,000 years ago. (New Scientist)

Sport

Italy's Juventus and France's Paris Saint-Germain reach 2012–13 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals defeating Celtic and Valencia respectively. (CNN) (CBC) (Reuters)
Fallout of Manchester United v. Real Madrid:
- UEFA backs Turkish referee Cüneyt Çakır over his controversial decision to red card Manchester United's Nani in last night's elimination by a 2–1 scoreline (3–2 on aggregate) at the feet of Real Madrid in the second leg of their 2012–13 UEFA Champions League last 16 tie at Old Trafford. (The Guardian) (The Independent)
- Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan says Sir Alex Ferguson is "distraught"; the Scottish manager has not appeared in public since the incident. (Irish Independent)
- Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand may face a disciplinary procedure after his sarcastic hand-clapping gesture before Cüneyt Çakır at the end of the game. (The Guardian) (The Daily Telegraph)
- Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane backs Cüneyt Çakır's red carding of Nani. (Irish Independent)
- Paddy Crerand, who won the competition in 1968, blasts Roy Keane over his position on Nani's controversial red card, describing Keane as being "in a minority of one. Not one person said it was a red card except Roy". (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph)

March 7, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Lahad Datu standoff:
- The death toll rises to at least 60 persons in the conflict between the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysian Armed Forces. (The New York Times)

Arts and culture

Hilary Mantel is awarded the 2013 David Cohen Prize for literature. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Six people are injured and four more could be hospitalized (none are believed critically injured) after a gas explosion at American Steel (part of Amsted Rail Co.), in the Greater St. Louis Metro East suburb of Granite City, Illinois. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

International relations

Nuclear program of North Korea:
- North Korea threatens its enemies with the possibility of a pre-emptive nuclear strike, amplifying its threatening rhetoric. (Fox News) (Reuters)
- The United Nations Security Council approves unanimously new sanctions against North Korea for its recent nuclear test. (CNN)

Law and crime

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is convicted of arranging an illegal wiretap and is sentenced to a year in jail. (BBC)
Vicky Pryce, ex-wife of former UK Cabinet Minister Chris Huhne is convicted of perverting the course of justice after accepting speeding penalty points on Huhne's behalf. (BBC)
Hilton Botha, the former lead detective in the murder case involving Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, has resigned from the South African Police Service. (SAPA via News24)
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, alleged spokesman for al-Qaeda and said to be the son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, is captured in Jordan and faces criminal charges in the United States. (Star Tribune)

Politics and elections

Denis Napthine is sworn in as the Premier of the Australian state of Victoria replacing Ted Baillieu. (ABC News Australia)
In Kenya, Kalonzo Musyoka, the running mate of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, claims that votes in the Kenyan presidential election have been doctored. (BBC)
In the United States, Senator Rand Paul ends a 13-hour filibuster to block voting on the nomination of John O. Brennan as the Director of the CIA, questioning President Barack Obama and his administration's use of drones, and the stated legal justification for hypothetical lethal use within the United States targeting against noncombatants. Attorney General Eric Holder states that combat drones would not be used to target and kill, without due process, Americans not engaged in combat on American soil. (Fox News)

Science and technology

The first built Bombardier CSeries test aircraft is publicly presented during a program update event at the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, where the manufacturer, Bombardier Aerospace, has its Final Assembly Line facility and flight test facility. (Reuters)

Sport

The first legs of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League round of 16 are held across Europe. Gareth Bale helps Tottenham to a 3–0 defeat of Inter Milan. (BBC) (Eurosport)

March 8, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Piracy in Somalia:
- The Greek-owned oil tanker MT Smyrni is released along with its 26 crew members for a reported ransom of $9.5 million after being held hostage for 10 months. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Tropical Cyclone Sandra forms in the Coral Sea off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland. (The Courier-Mail)
Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers is injured in a car accident and rushed to a hospital with minor injuries. (NOS) (Telegraaf)

International relations

North Korea ends all peace pacts with South Korea and closes the main Panmunjom border crossing inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korean generals affirm they are aiming their long range missiles at the U.S. mainland in retaliation for the recently approved U.N. sanctions. (BBC) (CNN)

Law and crime

Former Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond is set to be paid about £2m ($3m) in July, a year after he left the bank following its Libor interest rate fixing scandal. (News24)

Politics and elections

Sinn Féin's Francie Molloy wins the Mid Ulster by-election, holding onto the seat vacated by Martin McGuinness at the end of 2012. (BBC)
Following the state funeral of former President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez, Vice President Nicolás Maduro is officially sworn in as Interim President. (BBC)

Religion

The Vatican announces that the 2013 papal conclave to select a new pope will begin on March 12. (The Washington Post)

Science and technology

Russian scientists announce they have found a wholly new type of bacteria in the mysterious subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica. (RIA Novosti) (AFP via Discovery News)

Sport

Shane Flanagan is stood down as coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks as the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority continues its investigation of alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs by the club during the 2011 NRL season. (News Limited)

March 9, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflict and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Rebels free 21 United Nations peacekeepers who were held captive for four days. (BBC) (AP via Houston Chronicle)
War in Afghanistan:
- At least 19 people are killed by two suicide bombings in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and in Khost Province, as Chuck Hagel, the United States Secretary of Defense, visits the city. (AP)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- Nigerian militant group Ansaru announces that it has killed seven foreigners that were being held hostage. (BBC) (Reuters) (The Telegraph)
Piracy in Somalia:
- The UAE-owned chemical tanker MV Royal Grace is released along with its crew of 20 for an undisclosed ransom amount after being held hostage for over a year. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

A house fire kills five children and two adults (including a pregnant woman) in the Gray community of Knox County, Kentucky, United States, cause undetermined and under investigation. (NBC) (AP via The Huffington Post)
One man is killed and five others are injured after a sailboat breaks up and sinks off of San Clemente, California, United States. (Los Angeles Times)

Health and environment

Three time "Best Restaurant in the World" winner Noma is accused of giving 63 customers food poisoning. (Counsel & Heal)

Law and crime

Google will pay a $7 million penalty to settle an investigation into the collection of e-mails, passwords and other sensitive information sent over wireless networks from 2007–2010 in the United States. Google company cars taking street-level photos for its online mapping service also had been vacuuming up personal data transmitted over wireless networks that weren't protected by passwords. (SAPA via News24)
An Egyptian court reaffirms the death sentence for 21 football fans for their role in the 2012 Port Said Stadium riot and sentenced two security officers to 15 years in jail for negligence. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

Former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, aged 94, is hospitalized; officials say it is only for a routine checkup. (BBC) (NBC)
Results of the 2013 Kenyan presidential election indicate that Uhuru Kenyatta has won a victory in the first round with just over 50% of the vote. His leading opponent Raila Odinga says that he will challenge the results. (BBC) (Euronews) (The Guardian)
Voters in the state of Western Australia go to the polls for a state election with the coalition government of Colin Barnett winning a convincing victory. (AAP via SBS) (The Australian)
Voters in Malta go to the polls for a general election with polls showing the Labour Party set to win government. (BBC)

Science and technology

NASA's MRO spacecraft provides images allowing scientists for the first time to create a 3D reconstruction of ancient water channels below the Martian surface. (NASA) (Science)
A newly observed near-Earth asteroid 2013 ET with an estimated diameter of about 100 meters comes within 960,000 km from the Earth's surface. (Before It's News)

Sport

In baseball:
- At the 2013 World Baseball Classic, a bench-clearing brawl between Canada and Mexico breaks out after Canada bunts with a 9–3 lead in the ninth inning. (Toronto Star)
- Panamanian pitcher Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, MLB's all-time saves leader, announces he will retire at the end of the 2013 Major League Baseball season. (MLB)
In basketball, Florida Gulf Coast University becomes the first team to officially secure its spot in the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. (AP via ABC News)
In biathlon, France's Martin Fourcade wins his eighth 2012–13 Biathlon World Cup event when he wins the 10 km sprint race on the Laura Biathlon & Ski Complex in Sochi, Russia. He also secures the men's overall title. (AP via CBC) (Eurosport)
In boxing, 48-year-old Bernard Hopkins defeats Tavoris Cloud at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to win IBF Light Heavyweight title. (ESPN) (Reuters)

March 10, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan:
- President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai alleges that the U.S. armed forces are collaborating in some way with the Afghan Taliban in an effort to ensure that some troops remain after the scheduled 2014 pullout. (AP via MSN News)
2013 in Pakistan:
- Hundreds of Christian protestors clash with police across Pakistan after the burning of Christian houses in Lahore. (AP via Houston Chronicle)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- Nigerian militants belonging to Ansar al-Muslimeen claim responsibility to kidnapping and killing Italian, Greek, and British construction workers in Northern Nigeria. (CNN)

Arts and culture

Daylight saving time goes into effect across the United States (except Arizona and Hawaii) and Canada (except Saskatchewan). (CNN) (CBC)
American fantasy adventure film Oz the Great and Powerful brings in an estimated $80.3 million in the United States during its opening weekend. (E!)
At the 2013 Crufts dog show, Soletrader Peek A Boo, a Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, wins Best in Show. (BBC) (The Times)

Disasters and accidents

Six teenagers are killed and two other people are injured in a car accident near Warren, Ohio, United States. It is the deadliest accident in Trumbull County history and the deadliest in Ohio in three years. (CNN)
Five teenagers are killed after a Chevrolet SUV and a gas tanker collide at the intersection of two county roads in Dumas, Texas, United States. (CNN)

Law and crime

The head of Sierra Leone's Anti-corruption Commission says that 29 government health officials will appear in court on corruption charges for having allegedly defrauded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's vaccine programme. (SAPA via News24)
The Mexican Navy frees 104 Central American kidnapped migrants from a house in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. (AP via USA Today)

Politics and elections

The Burmese National League for Democracy reelects Aung San Suu Kyi as its leader. (CNN)
Residents of the Falkland Islands begin voting in a two day sovereignty referendum on whether the islands should remain a British overseas territory. (BBC)
Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela is released from the hospital after "successful" medical tests. (AP via Miami Herald)

Sport

Titleholders Chelsea comes from two goals down to draw 2–2 with Manchester United and earns a replay of their 2012–13 FA Cup quarter-final. (BBC) (ESPN)
France's Sébastien Ogier at the wheel of his Volkswagen Polo R WRC wins 2013 Rally México, the third stage of the 2013 WRC season. (WRC) (Autosport)

March 11, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- Two US and three Afghan soldiers are killed in Wardak Province in the latest insider attack against coalition forces. In a separate incident, two Afghan civilians are shot dead by American soldiers after failing to stop at a checkpoint near Kabul. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Akashat ambush:
- The insurgent group Islamic State of Iraq claims responsibility for ambushing a convoy of Syrian Army soldiers on March 4. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

The European Union bans the sale of cosmetics developed through animal testing. (BBC)
Italian stocks lose value after Fitch Ratings downgrades the country's creditworthiness. (The Wall Street Journal)

Disasters and accidents

Five U.S. service members are killed after a helicopter crash during a rainstorm in Daman district of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (BBC) (CNN)
An EA-6B Prowler military plane crashes about 50 miles west of Spokane, Washington, United States, and kills three American Navy crew members. (CNN)
Three minor earthquakes strike Southern California, United States. (Fox News)
2013 Huangpu River dead pigs incident: More than 12,000 dead pigs are found rotting in the Huangpu River that supplies Shanghai, China, with drinking water. (The Guardian) (BBC) (BusinessWeek)

Health and environment

Five species of shark and two species of manta ray receive international protection as part of CITES. (Environmental News Service)
A new study suggests that regular aspirin use may reduce the risk of melanoma in women. (Counsel & Heal)
A study of mummies concludes that heart disease was common among ancient people. (ABC News)

International relations

North Korea breaks the 1953 armistice with South Korea and cuts the phone line between the two countries, after United States and South Korea have begun military drills. North Korean officials say that the army is ready to attack at any given order. (BBC)

Law and crime

13 people are shot and injured during a drive-by shooting in Washington, D.C., United States. (International Business Times) (The Washington Times)
Ram Singh, one of the six alleged rapists in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case, is found dead in Tihar Jail. (BBC)
Former Mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick is convicted on corruption charges. (The Guardian)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accuses the state of Illinois of securities fraud by misleading investors about the health of the state's public pension fund. (New York Times)
A New York state judge invalidates a New York City ban on the sale of soft drinks larger than 16 ounces that was set to take effect on March 12. The office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg indicates it will appeal. (CNN)
Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce are each jailed for eight months for perverting the course of justice. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Interim President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro files papers to stand in the presidential election on April 14 with Henrique Capriles Radonski standing as an opposition candidate. (CNN)
Hungary's parliament passes a series of constitutional changes to counteract previous court rulings. Critics claim the move undermines the rule of law. (BBC)
The results of the Falkland Islands sovereignty referendum are announced with 99.8% of voters supporting the Islands staying as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. (BBC) (AFP via Google News)

Science and technology

Astronomers announce that the newly discovered double star system WISE 1049-5319 is the third-closest neighbor to the Solar System. (Ars Technica)
A group of astrobiologists including Chandra Wickramasinghe say that algae-like structures inside a Polonnaruwa meteorite, that fell on December 29, 2012, in Sri Lanka, are clear evidence of panspermia, the idea that life exists throughout the Universe. (MIT Technology Review) (arXiv)

Sport

English football club Reading fires coach Brian McDermott after a fourth successive loss in the 2012–13 Premier League. (Sky Sports) (AP via USA Today)

March 12, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Syrian Army forces kill 30 army deserters in an ambush on the Damascus Airport road. (Reuters)
- The Syrian army launches intensive air strikes on Homs following the rebel's capture of the Baba Amr district. (Reuters) (BBC)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict:
- A Palestinian protestor is killed by Israeli forces after hurling stones and incendiary bottles in the West Bank. (Fox News) (BBC)

Arts and culture

English singer and lyricist Morrissey is diagnosed with severe pneumonia and hospitalised in San Francisco on his U.S. tour. (The Guardian)

Business and economy

The Better Business Bureau expels the Los Angeles chapter, the nation's largest chapter, over a pay-to-play scheme. (Los Angeles Times)
Google agrees to pay $7 millions to settle a privacy lawsuit over the handling of wireless data. (BBC) (AP via ABC News)
Japan's JOGMEC becomes the first to successfully extract methane hydrate from seabed deposits. (Reuters) (AFP via Google)
Private equity firm Apollo Global Management announces that it has purchased the rights to Twinkies and other Hostess Brands snacks and hopes to have the treats back on grocery shelves by summer. (Chicago Tribune)

Disasters and accidents

An Israeli military helicopter Bell AH-1 Cobra crashes near Palmachim Airbase in southern Israel and kills two IAF pilots. (BBC) (Reuters) (Haaretz)
Frankfurt Airport is closed and Eurostar trains are suspended due to unseasonably heavy snowfall in Western Europe. (AP via News24) (BBC)
Four teenagers die after their car skidded on an icy patch and went through a bridge guardrail into Forked Creek near Wilmington, Illinois, United States. (AP via Peoria Journal Star)

Health and environment

A study finds a correlation between insufficient sleep and weight gain. (Counsel & Heal)
A Saudi Arabian man becomes the ninth person to die from the Novel coronavirus 2012. (Reuters)
At CITES meeting in Thailand, participating nations vote in effect various restrictions on the trade of critically endangered hardwood trees. (BBC)

Law and crime

South Africa exhumes the bodies of two people whose deaths may be tied to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of Nelson Mandela. (Business Week)
The secretive Opus Dei sect is mobilising within the Irish professions to interfere with abortion law reform, according to Senator John Crown. (The Guardian)
The US Secret Service launches an investigation after hackers post what they claim is personal data and credit information of celebrities, including First Lady Michelle Obama, online. (SAPA via News24)
A U.S. judge entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of alleged Aurora theatre gunman James Eagan Holmes, after his lawyers said they were not ready to enter a plea. (AFP via News24)
Former New York City police officer Gilberto Valle is found guilty of plotting to kidnap, kill, and eat women. (BBC)
Authorities believe that a U.S. man suspected of killing his grandparents on March 8 in Renton, Washington, is barricaded in a hotel in Lincoln City, Oregon. (AP via San Francisco Chronicle)

Politics and elections

Voters in Greenland go to the polls for a parliamentary election. (BBC) (AAP via News Limited)
Armenian presidential election runner-up Raffi Hovannisian goes on hunger strike after three weeks of mass rallies against the election results. (Reuters) (Radio Free Europe)

Religion

Papal conclave, 2013:
- Roman Catholic Cardinals meet in Rome in a conclave to appoint a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. (AP) (Vatican Radio)
- Black smoke rises from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, signalling that Roman Catholic Cardinals had not elected a new pope in the first vote of their secret conclave. (BBC) (Reuters via News24)

Science and technology

NASA holds a media conference to announce new discoveries about Mars made by the Curiosity rover. It was found that the planet could have once supported life. (Space.com) (NASA) (AP)
The "mysterious life form" detecting last week in Lake Vostok, Antarctica, turns out to be a false positive resulting from contamination. (Science World Report)

Sport

Lionel Messi scores twice in FC Barcelona's historic comeback, 4–0 win over AC Milan at Camp Nou to reach quarter-finals of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League. In the other match, Turkey's Galatasaray defeats Schalke 04 3–2 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (UEFA) (ESPN)
Former AC Milan and Italy legend Gennaro Gattuso says he will retire from the game in the summer 2013 in order to focus on his coaching ambitions. (Goal.com)
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and British athlete Jessica Ennis are awarded the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards. (Laureus) (BBC)
In chess, Ukraine wins 2013 Women's World Team Chess Championship ahead of China and Russia in Astana, Kazakhstan. (Chess News) (ChessBase)

March 13, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2013 Srinagar attack:
- Five Indian paramilitary soldiers are killed and three civilians injured by two militants near a school in Bemina area of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, later two militants being killed by CRPF. (BBC)
Taliban insurgency:
- A suicide bomber kills 10 spectators, including the district police chief, during a local gaming event in Kunduz province of northern Afghanistan. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war:
- Ahmad Shihadeh, a member of the European Union's delegation in Syria, is killed in a rocket attack in a Damascus suburb. (BBC) (Reuters)
Kurdish–Turkish conflict:
- Kurdish rebels release eight Turkish citizens that had been held captive for two years. (Voice of America)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- Men on motorbikes storm a primary school in Nigeria and open fire wounding four teachers. (GlobalPost)

Arts and culture

French sociologist of science and anthropologist Bruno Latour wins the 2013 Holberg Prize. (Le Monde) (Aftenposten) (Holbergprisen)

Business and economy

The European Parliament rejects a European Union budget for the first time in its history. (Financial Times)

Disasters and accidents

A twin-engine Embraer 821 plane crashes in the Brazilian state of Pará, killing all nine passengers and the pilot. (SAPA via News24)

International relations

North Korea confirms that it has shredded the 60-year-old Korean Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War, and warns that the next step will be an act of "merciless" military retaliation. (AFP via News24)

Law and crime

A shooting spree leaves four dead and two wounded in the villages of Mohawk and Herkimer in Herkimer County, New York. Police storm the gan abandoned bar in Herkimer where the gunman, Kurt R. Myers, 64, had holed himself up. After the gunman shot at officers and killed Ape, an FBI dog, police shot and killed him. (AP via ABC News) (WKTV) (Observer-Dispatch) (Syracuse.com) (USA Today) (MSN News)
Seven men are executed for theft in Saudi Arabia after their appeals for clemency are denied. (BBC) (CNN)
Hundreds of heavily armed Australian police raid motorcycle gangs in Sydney and its suburbs and seize explosives, guns, drugs and cash and arrest high-ranking members. (AFP via News24)

Politics and elections

Adam Giles is elected as the new leader of the Country Liberal Party in Australia's Northern Territory replacing Terry Mills as Chief Minister. He will be the first indigenous head of government in Australian history. (Northern Territory News) (ABC News Australia)
After her Siumut party wins the parliamentary election, Aleqa Hammond is set to become first female Prime Minister of Greenland. (AP via CBC) (AAP via The Australian)

Religion

Papal conclave, 2013:
- Black smoke rises from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, signalling that Roman Catholic Cardinals had not elected a new pope in the morning session of the second day of voting at their conclave. (BBC) (AP via Boston.com)
- White smoke rises from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel in the evening indicating that a new pope has been chosen. (The Guardian) (The New York Times) (NCR)
- Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina is elected as the new pope, taking the papal name Pope Francis. He is the first pope of the Catholic Church from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope. (BBC) (Reuters) (CTV News)

Science and technology

The European Southern Observatory's ALMA telescope begins service in Chile's Atacama Desert. (The Telegraph) (Taipei Times)
The 2013 Intel Science Talent Search concludes with a Colorado high school senior winning the top prize for her work on algae biofuels. (NBC News)

Sport

Germany's Bayern Munich and Spain's Málaga reach 2012–13 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals defeating Arsenal and Porto on aggregate respectively. (BBC) (UEFA)

March 14, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A string of coordinated car bombs and suicide bombers strike central Baghdad, followed by a militant attack on the Justice Ministry building. At least 25 people are killed, including 7 police officers and 3 militants, along with 50 wounded. (CNN) (Reuters)
Mexican Drug War:
- Gunmen storm a bar in Cancún, Mexico, and kill 7 people, also 4 others were wounded in the attack. The authorities allege that the victims were part of a taxi union. (AP via The Washington Post)

Law and crime

Former Khmer Rouge senior official and Foreign Minister of Kampuchea Ieng Sary dies during a genocide trial in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP)
At least two people are killed and five others are injured when a man, believed to be a Chinese worker, goes on a stabbing rampage at a fish processing firm in Etajima, Japan. (SAPA via News24)

Politics and elections

The National People's Congress names CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping as the new President of the People's Republic of China, Politburo member Li Yuanchao as the new Vice President, Li Keqiang as the new Premier, and Politburo standing member Zhang Dejiang as the Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. (AFP via SBS News) (AP) (The New York Times)
The Constitutional Court of Armenia upholds the reelection of President Serzh Sargsyan in the recent presidential election. (Reuters)
Nepalese Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi takes oath of office as new Prime Minister of the country, heading an interim government with the task of conducting elections. (AAP via The Australian)
British Prime Minister David Cameron says talks between himself and the leaders of the UK's other main political parties on the recommendations of the Leveson report have broken down. Cameron says he will publish a Royal Charter on press regulations on Monday. (BBC)
British Labour Party peer Lord Ahmed is suspended from the party after claiming a conspiracy by Jewish-owned media organisations was responsible for his imprisonment for dangerous driving. (BBC)

Science and technology

Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider express confidence that a particle discovered in July 2012 is a Higgs boson after measuring its spin and parity. (BBC) (CERN)

Sport

The second legs of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League round of 16 are held across Europe. Emmanuel Adebayor's extra-time goal earns Tottenham Hotspur a place in the quarter-finals after their loss 1–4 to Inter Milan. (BBC) (UEFA)
The National Hockey League officially announces it will realign into a four-division structure and a modified division-based playoff system starting next season after the league's board of governors approves. The league's players association had previously given their approval as well. (ESPN)

March 15, 2013 (Friday)

Arts and culture

American rapper Lil Wayne has a seizure in Los Angeles, United States. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

At least 24 people die when a double decker bus veers off the Hex River Pass near De Doorns, Cape Town, South Africa. (SAPA via News24) (The Times South Africa)
Three people die after a twin-engine plane crashes into a parking lot in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. (CNN)
At least 16 people are killed in a fireworks accident in Jesus Tepactepec, Tlaxcala, Mexico. (CNN) (BBC)

Law and crime

A 19-year-old man is arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting in Washington, D.C., United States, on March 11, that injured 13 people. (AP via Fox News)

Politics and elections

The Italian Parliament meets in Rome with the composition of the government still unclear three weeks after an inconclusive general election. (Reuters)
David Cameron and Nick Clegg, the leaders of the two parties which make up the UK coalition government, publish separate plans for press regulation in England and Wales. (BBC)
Independent MP Eric Joyce is banned from buying alcohol in the UK's Houses of Parliament after he was arrested on Thursday following a drunken brawl at a bar in the complex. (BBC)
The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu forms a coalition between his Likud party and the Centrist Yesh Atid, rightist Jewish Home and leftist Hatnuah parties. (The Telegraph)
North Korea launches short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan. (NK News) (AP via Japan Times)

Religion

The Vatican denies claims that Pope Francis failed to speak out against human rights abuses during military dictatorship in Argentina. (BBC)

Science and technology

Scientists working on the Lazarus Project announce that they have successfully rejuvenated cells of Rheobatrachus silus, a species of frog extinct since 1983. (Science 2.0)

Sport

The draw for the quarterfinals of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League and 2012–13 UEFA Europa League is held in Nyon, Switzerland. (UEFA) (Goal.com)
Mehdi Mahdavikia, the former Hamburger SV and Iran midfielder, announces his retirement from football at the end of the current season. (Hamburger Abendblatt)
In figure skating, Patrick Chan of Canada wins his third world title at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario, Canada. (USA Today) (AP via ESPN)

March 16, 2013 (Saturday)

Arts and culture

British Lance Corporal James Ashworth, who died in southern Afghanistan in 2012 while protecting his colleagues from a grenade blast, is to be awarded the Victoria Cross. (BBC) (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: A deal is reached between Cyprus and the EC–ECB–IMF troika. The terms of the €10 billion "bailout" package cause widespread anger among Cypriots who queue from early morning to withdraw their savings as it emerges that up to 10% of each citizen's deposits are to be wiped out to raise billions. (BBC) (RTÉ News) (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

At least 24 Pakistan Army soldiers are killed and 5 are injured after their bus crashes into a ravine in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (AAP via News Limited)
A tour bus carrying the Seton Hill University women's lacrosse team veers off the Pennsylvania Turnpike and strikes a tree near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States, killing the team's head coach, her unborn child, and the bus driver. (CNN) (USA Today)
A United States helicopter crashes near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, killing one coalition service member and injuring another. (AP via News24)

International relations

The United States scraps the final stage of its European missile shield. (BBC)
The United States will spend $1 billion to deploy additional ground-based missile interceptors on the West Coast as part of efforts to enhance the nation's ability to defend itself from attack by North Korea. (CNN) (The New York Times)

Law and crime

A group of eight men allegedly rape a 39-year-old Swiss tourist and assault her husband in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. (SAPA via News24)
Seven people are shot and wounded at a family gathering in an apparent gang-related drive-by shooting in Galt, California, United States. (The Sacramento Bee)

Politics and elections

Voters in Zimbabwe go to the polls to vote on a new constitution with both major parties Zanu-PF and Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai supporting the new constitution. (BBC)
In Italy, Laura Boldrini, member of the left-wing party Left Ecology Freedom, is elected President of the Chamber of Deputies. Pietro Grasso, a former anti-mafia magistrate and member of the centre-left Democratic Party, is elected President of the Senate. (La Repubblica)

Religion

Giving his first audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis tells journalists he wants "a poor Church, for the poor". (BBC)

Science and technology

Soyuz TMA-06M: Three astronauts return safely to Earth from the International Space Station aboard a Russian capsule. (AFP via News24)

Sport

In rugby union:
- Wales defeat England 30–3 in Cardiff to win the 2013 Six Nations Championship. (Sky News) (France 24) (The Guardian)
- Cyprus defeat Bulgaria 79–10 in the European Nations Cup Second Division to earn their 18th consecutive Test victory. This at least ties the all-time record for consecutive Test wins, and (depending on the source) may be a new record. (ESPN Scrum)
In figure skating, Kim Yuna of South Korea wins the Ladies Championship at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. (Yonhap)

March 17, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A car bombing near a bus station in Garmat Ali near the Iraqi city of Basra kills at least 10 people. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Japanese architect Toyo Ito wins the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize. (AP via Google News) (The Guardian)

Business and economy

Following a train derailment, Amtrak temporarily suspends service along the busy New York-to-Boston route. (AP via Google News)

Law and crime

An Albanian hitman serving time in Greece takes six people hostage in an apparent escape attempt. (BBC)
Five people are wounded during a shooting at a nightclub in Belle Glade, Florida, United States. (WPBF) (Sun-Sentinel)
Prominent French lawyer Olivier Metzner is found dead of an apparent suicide. (Bloomberg)
Two members of the Steubenville High School football team have been found guilty of raping a sixteen-year-old girl in the U.S. town of Steubenville, Ohio. (Sky News Australia)

Religion

Thousands of people gather in Rome's Saint Peter's Square to hear Pope Francis deliver his first Angelus prayer and blessing. (BBC)

Science and technology

New data suggests that the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the World Ocean, is home to a large amount of bacterial life forms. (LiveScience)

Sport

In Formula One, Kimi Räikkönen wins 2013 Australian Grand Prix, the first stage of the 2013 season, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. (BBC) (Reuters)
In tennis, Rafael Nadal wins men's singles and Maria Sharapova wins women's singles at the 2013 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, United States. (BBC) (NDTV)
Greek football player Giorgos Katidis is banned from his national team for life after giving a Nazi style salute while celebrating a goal in the 2012–13 Superleague Greece match. (Daily Mail)
In men's field hockey, Australia defeats Malaysia 3–2 in the final of the 2013 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. (NDTV)
In basketball, the field for the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament is announced. (CNN)
In volleyball, Russia's Lokomotiv Novosibirsk defeats Italy's Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 3–2 in the thriller final to win the 2012–13 CEV Champions League. (CEV)
In snooker, Ding Junhui defeats Neil Robertson 4–3 to win the Grand Final of the Players Tour Championship 2012/2013. (BBC) (Eurosport)
In road bicycle racing, Gerald Ciolek of Germany wins 2013 Milan – San Remo single-day cycling race, the fourth stage of the 2013 UCI World Tour season. (BBC)
In Alpine skiing, Austrian Marcel Hirscher and Slovenian Tina Maze win the overall men's and women's 2013 Alpine Skiing World Cup titles, respectively. (AP via Yahoo! News)
In biathlon, last stage of the 2012–13 Biathlon World Cup ends in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Martin Fourcade wins men's overall title and Tora Berger wins the women's overall title. (CBC) (AP via Yahoo! Sports)

March 18, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian civil war:
- Fighter jets from the Syrian Air Force fire rockets into northern Lebanon with no casualties reported. (CNN)
- The Syrian Opposition claims that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons in an attack on their forces in Aleppo. (US News & World Report)
War in Somalia:
- A car bombing in the center of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, kills at least 10 people and injures 20 others. (BBC)
Terrorism in Pakistan:
- A suspected militant suicide bombing at a court and prison complex in the Pakistani city of Peshawar kills at least 4 people and injures 47 others. (BBC) (The Guardian)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- A series of explosions kill at least 25 people in a bus park in the northern Nigerian city of Kano. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Seven U.S. Marines are killed and seven others are injured when a mortar explodes during a training exercise in the Hawthorne Army Depot in Hawthorne, Nevada, United States. (Fox News) (CNN) (Reuters)

International relations

Japan protests to France about the sale of DCNS helicopter landing equipment to the People's Republic of China. (AFP via Google News)
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner appeals to Pope Francis for assistance in settling Argentina's dispute over the Falkland Islands with the United Kingdom. (BBC)
China says that United States plans to bolster missile defences in response to provocations by North Korea would only intensify antagonism, and urges Washington to act prudently. (The Guardian)
North Korea threatens Japan with a preemptive nuclear strike. (NK News)

Law and crime

M23 Movement leader Bosco Ntaganda surrenders himself at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, having been wanted by the ICC since 2006 on war crimes charges. (AP via USA Today) (The Guardian) (The New York Times)
Six men accused of raping a Swiss woman tourist appear in an Indian court. (Bloomberg)
The Sun newspaper apologizes for accessing private information on a stolen mobile phone belonging to Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh. (BBC)
James Seevakumaran, a 30-year-old student at the University of Central Florida, pulls the fire alarm and plans to attack the school. Instead, after brandishing a gun at another student, he commits suicide in his dorm in Orlando, Florida, United States. The entire campus is evacuated when improvised explosive devices are found in the room. (Los Angeles Times) (AP via Fox News)
The United States FBI states that they know who carried out greatest art heist in American history at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. (Fox News)

Politics and elections

Ghassan Hitto is elected as the Syrian National Coalition's provisional Prime Minister. He will be tasked with forming a government amid the Syrian civil war. (AP via USA Today) (Reuters)
The UK's three main political parties reach an agreement on measures to regulate the British press. (BBC)
Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton officially announces her support for same-sex marriage. (AP via Boston.com)
US President Barack Obama nominates Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez to be the next United States Secretary of Labor. (Yahoo! News)

Religion

Pope Francis appoints Alfred Xuereb, an Honorary Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, to succeed archbishop Georg Gänswein as his first private secretary. (Times of Malta)

Sport

International Olympic Committee's evaluation commission begins four-day inspection of Madrid for 2020 Summer Olympics bid. (AP via ESPN)

March 19, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

19 March 2013 Iraq attacks:
- A series of bombings and shootings kills at least 98 people and injures 240 others across Iraq. (BBC) (Reuters) (CNN)
Kurdish–Turkish conflict:
- Two people are injured in explosions at Turkey's justice ministry and the headquarters of the governing AK Party in Ankara. (BBC)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: Cypriot lawmakers overwhelmingly reject the EC–ECB–IMF troika plan to tax all bank deposits. (BBC) (RTÉ News)

Disasters and accidents

A bus crash in the Indian state of Maharashtra kills at least 37 people and injures 14 others. (AAP via Herald Sun)
At least 16 people are dead after landslides in a mountainous area north of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. (BBC)

Law and crime

Saudi Arabia police arrest one Iranian, one Lebanese and 16 Saudis on charges of spying. (BBC)
An American man is sentenced to between five and ten years in prison for the murder of Irish tourist Nicola Furlong in Japan. (The Irish Times) (Irish Independent)
A suspect, Qari Abdul Saeed, is arrested in Pakistan for the 2002 beheading of The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (CNN) (NBC News)
In the U.S. state of Ohio, Thomas Lane receives three life sentences for the child murders at Chardon High School that he committed in February 2012 as a 17-year-old. (AP)
The United States Supreme Court holds in a 6–3 decision that the first-sale doctrine applies to the domestic sale of foreign copies of copyrighted work lawfully made abroad. (IP-Watch)
Benjamin Pierce Bishop, a civil defense contractor who works in intelligence, was charged with giving U.S. national security secrets his Chinese girlfriend. (AP via New York Post)

Politics and elections

In Ukraine, a fight breaks out during a session of the Verkhovna Rada over the use of the Russian language in politics. (Sky News) (Kyiv Post) (MSN)

Religion

Hundreds of thousands of people attend the papal inauguration ceremony for Pope Francis in Rome's Saint Peter's Square. (BBC) (AFP via Straits Times)

Science and technology

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity extends evidence of water-bearing minerals when studying the rock Tintina. (BBC) (NASA) (JPL)
The United States Air Force successfully launches an Atlas V 401 rocket carrying a missile defense satellite SBIRS-GEO 2. (Space.com)
NASA publishes LRO images of the two craters on the Moon, where twin GRAIL probes ended their gravity-mapping mission in December 2012. (NASA) (Space.com) (BBC)

Sport

English striker Michael Owen, who plays for Stoke City, announces his retirement from football at the end of the 2012–13 Premier League season. (BBC) (The Guardian)
Former Danish road bicycle racer Rolf Sørensen admits in a press release that he utilised EPO and cortisone during his professional career. (Cycling News)
In baseball, the Dominican Republic wins the 2013 World Baseball Classic defeating Puerto Rico 3–0 in the final. (MLB) (The Guardian) (ESPN)
In wrestling, the 2013 European Wrestling Championships begins today in Tbilisi, Georgia. (CELA) (Xinhua)

March 20, 2013 (Wednesday)

Arts and culture

British horror writer James Herbert dies at the age of 69 in Sussex, England. (BBC) (The Bookseller) (The Guardian)
The last surviving member of the 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition George Lowe dies at the age of 89 after a long illness. (The Guardian) (Voice of America) (Huffington Post)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades presents a new bailout package for Cypriot banks as Cyprus is hit with a liquidity crisis. (BBC) (ABC News Australia)

Disasters and accidents

19 miners, who were trapped underground, are rescued from the Rudna mine after a small earthquake hits the heavily industrialized region of Silesia, Poland. (BBC) (The Guardian)

International relations

President of the United States Barack Obama begins a four-day visit to the Middle East, visiting Palestine and Israel. (BBC) (New York Daily News) (The Guardian)
Venezuela cuts off an informal channel of communication with the United States because of comments by a US State Department official about next month's presidential election. (Reuters)

Law and crime

South Korea is suspected to be the target of recent cyberattacks as major TV stations and bank's computer systems infrastructures experience disruptions followed by shutdown. Recent reports indicate that the systems were brought down by a computer virus. (BBC) (AP via Fox News)

Politics and elections

President of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman dies in office at the age of 84 after a long illness at a hospital in Singapore. (BBC) (AP via ABC News)

Science and technology

Scientists debate the possibility that the Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in September 1977, may have left the Solar System. (BBC) (AGU)
Belgium's Pierre Deligne wins the 2013 Abel Prize in mathematics for seminal contributions to algebraic geometry. (Abel Prize) (The Hindu) (AP via The Washington Post)

Sport

Leigh Nugent resigns as the head coach of the Australian swimming team following negative reports into the culture of the team. (ABC News Australia) (The Australian)

March 21, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Gaza–Israel conflict:
- Two rockets fired from Gaza strip land in Sderot, Israel, in violation of the ceasefire brokered after the eight-day conflict in November 2012. (ABC News)
Terrorism in Pakistan:
- A car bombing at the Jalozai refugee camp near the Pakistani city of Peshawar kills at least 12 people and wounds up to 30 others. (BBC)
Kurdish–Turkish conflict:
- Jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party leader Abdullah Öcalan makes historic calls for dialogue with Turkey after almost thirty years of violent conflict. (BBC) (CNN) (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen:
- Three members of Ansar al-Sharia and two pro-government militia fighters are killed in an attack in Abyan Governorate. (Reuters)
Syrian civil war:
- At least 42 people are killed and 84 injured after a reported suicide bombing at a Damascus mosque. Senior pro-government Sunni cleric Mohammed al-Buti is amongst those killed. (Reuters)
- President of the Syrian National Coalition Moaz al-Khatib condemns the attack, while placing his suspicion on the Syrian government for orchestratring it. The Free Syrian Army denies involvement in the attack on the grounds that it doesn't target mosques. (Al Jazeera)

Arts and culture

Nigerian writer and literary icon Chinua Achebe dies at the age of 82. (Premium Times Nigeria) (The Guardian) (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Berlin helicopter crash: Two helicopters collide and crash near Berlin's Olympic Stadium in Germany, killing the pilot of one helicopter and injuring four people. (BBC) (Daily Mail)
At least 45 people drown and 60 are missing after a boat carrying Nigerian migrants capsizes and sinks off shore from Libreville, Gabon. (BBC)
At least 24 people are killed and more than 100 injured in a tornado and hail storm in southern China. (AFP via ABC News Australia)

International relations

U.S. President Barack Obama, in a formal visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, states that "Palestinians deserve a state of their own". (NBC News)
North Korea threatens to attack American military bases in Japan in response to the use of nuclear-capable B-52 bombers in joint military drills with South Korea. (Al Jazeera)

Law and crime

A dispute between a Muslim gold shop owner and Buddhist sellers escalates into communal violence that leaves 10 people dead, 20 injured, and 4 mosques burnt to the ground in Myanmar. (CNN)
India's Supreme Court sentences actor and politician Sanjay Dutt to 5 years in prison over illegal arms possession, related to the 1993 Mumbai bombings. The death sentence of Yakub Memon, convicted mastermind of the bombings, has been upheld. (Times of India) (BBC)
Seven people are shot and wounded at a nightclub in Chicago, Illinois, United States. (CNN)
Several BBC Twitter accounts are hacked including its Weather, Arabic and Radio Ulster feeds by a group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army. (BBC)
The suspect wanted in connection with the shooting death of prison chief Tom Clements in Colorado, is believed to be the man that was killed in a shootout with deputies in Montague County, Texas, United States. A deputy was seriously injured in the shootout. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Leader of the Australian Labor Party Julia Gillard calls a spill for all leadership positions. (ABC News Australia)

Religion

Justin Welby is formally enthroned as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. (BBC)

Science and technology

The European Space Agency releases the Planck space observatory's first all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background, the most accurate ever created. It determines that the Universe is older than expected, at 13.82 billion years old. (BBC) (NASA) (The New York Times)

Sport

In snooker, Martin Gould wins 2013 Championship League defeating Ali Carter 3–2 in the final. (World Snooker) (SnookerHQ)
In speed skating, the 2013 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships begins today at the Adler Arena Skating Center in Sochi, Russia. (ISU)
New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is credited with his third NHL goal when Jordan Staal of Carolina Hurricanes accidentally put the puck in his own empty net. (CBC) (SB Nation) (National Post)

March 22, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Drone attacks in Pakistan:
- Pakistan officials say that a US drone strike has killed 4 suspected insurgents in a car in Datta Khel in North Waziristan. (The New York Times) (PressTV) (The Hindu)
Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen:
- Two al-Qaeda fighters and two pro-government militiamen are killed in clashes in Jaar, Yemen. (AP via Google News)

Arts and culture

Australian painter Del Kathryn Barton wins the 2013 Archibald Prize for her portrait of actor Hugo Weaving. (ABC News Australia) (The Australian Financial Review) (Vogue Australia)
American alternative rock band My Chemical Romance announces their breakup after a musical career spanning 12 years. (Billboard) (My Chemical Romance)

Business and economy

The People's Republic of China levies anti-dumping charges on the chemical resorcinol imported from the United States and Japan. (Reuters)
2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: Minister of Finance of Cyprus Michael Sarris says that his talks with officials in Russia about a possible rescue package for Cypriot banks have led nowhere. (Bloomberg)

Disasters and accidents

Heavy snowfall causes widespread disruption to many parts of the United Kingdom, while torrential rain brings floods to South West England. (BBC)
2013 Thailand refugee camp fire: At least 30 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand. (BBC) (The New York Times)

Health and environment

2013 meat adulteration scandal: Britain's Food Standards Agency says that 100kg of horse meat imported from Hungary and labelled as beef has been discovered in Lancashire. (BBC)

International relations

President of the United States Barack Obama visits Jordan and meets with King Abdullah II. He warns of extremist threat in Syria. (AP via USA Today)
Xi Jinping heads to Russia on the first stop of his maiden overseas tour as President of China. (BBC) (CNN) (The New York Times)
The UN human rights council has set up an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea for the first time. (BBC) (Brookings Institution)
South Korea´s Ministry of Unification allows humanitarian aid shipments to North Korea despite recent military tensions. (AFP via FMT)
Two Italian marines accused of murdering Indian fishermen in international waters return to India to face legal charges, defusing a standoff between the two countries. (Al Jazeera)
Israel–Turkey relations:
- Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologizes to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the death of nine activists during a flotilla raid in Gaza in 2010 and offers compensation for their families. (BBC)
- President of the United States Barack Obama announces that Israel and Turkey have reached an agreement to normalize relations between both countries. (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CBS News)

Law and crime

Two tourists, an Israeli and a Norwegian, are kidnapped in the South Sinai of Egypt by armed tribesmen. (Xinhua) (Kuwait News Agency) (BBC)
Rwandan accused war criminal Bosco Ntaganda is transferred into the custody of the International Criminal Court. (AP via USA Today)
A shooting at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, United States, kills three people, including the suspected shooter. (WTOP) (USA Today) (CNN)
A state of emergency is imposed in the Burmese town of Meiktila after at least twenty people are killed in communal violence. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Najib Mikati announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Lebanon. (The Wall Street Journal)
Several Ministers and Australian Labor Party figures resign or are sacked following a leadership spill including Simon Crean, Martin Ferguson, Chris Bowen, Kim Carr, Richard Marles, Ed Husic and Joel Fitzgibbon. (3 News) (Herald Sun)
Former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy is being investigated over claims of illegal donations received from the country's richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt of L'Oréal. (Al Jazeera)
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is granted protective bail in several cases, paving the way for his return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile. (BBC)

Science and technology

Two new species of lizards are discovered in the Andes Mountains in Peru. (TopNews Arab Emirates)

Sport

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification:
- In the UEFA Group I, defending champions Spain are held to 1–1 draw at home by Finland. (FIFA) (BBC)
- In the UEFA Group H, England defeat San Marino 8–0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Serravalle while Ukraine defeat Poland with a 3-1 away win. (FIFA) (Eurosport)
- In the UEFA Group F, Northern Ireland’s match with Russia is postponed due to heavy snow and ice in Belfast. (Goal.com) (Eurosport)
- In the CONCACAF Fourth Round, the USA defeats Costa Rica 1–0 in near-blizzard conditions at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. (Fox Sports)

March 23, 2013 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War on Terror:
- Pakistani Taliban threaten to assassinate former President Pervez Musharraf if he returns to the country. (CNN)
- An Australian man kidnapped in the Philippines by an al-Qaeda-linked group for ransom has been freed following "joint efforts" by the two countries. (Al Jazeera)
Northern Mali conflict (2012–present):
- France formally confirms death of Islamist commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, a senior al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in February, after DNA tests. (BBC)
2012–13 Central African Republic conflict:
- All non-essential United Nations staff are removed from Central African Republic, as Seleka rebels move to within 75km of the capital, Bangui. (Al Jazeera)
- Rebels claims to have entered Bangui with Reuters reporting running battles between the rebels and government forces. (BBC) (Reuters)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: The Cyprus Parliament approves three bills that aim to raise enough money to qualify the country for a broader bailout package and stave off financial collapse. (Al Jazeera)
Exiled Russian business oligarch Boris Berezovsky is found dead at his home in Surrey, England. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh tornado: At least 20 people are killed and more than 200 injured when a powerful tornado rips through the southeastern district of Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh. (CNN)
2013 Thailand refugee camp fire: The death toll from a fire in a Thai refugee camp for Karen refugees from Myanmar rises to 37 with more than a hundred injured. (Bangkok Post)
23 people are killed and 30 injured in a road accident in Pakistan's Punjab province. (The Times of India)

International relations

US President Barack Obama concludes his visit to the Middle East with a trip to the famous ruins of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. (BBC) (CBC) (CNN)

Law and crime

Brazilian police charge 16 people in connection with the Kiss nightclub fire last January including the owner of the club which killed 241 people and injured 168. (The Daily Telegraph)
Eleven inmates are missing and two guards injured after gunmen attacked a prison in Trikala, Greece, less than a week after a hostage siege at a different jail. (BBC)
Dominican Republic authorities arrest 35 people including military, police, and custom officials in a drugs bust. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announces he will step down in 2015 after nearly 25 years in power. (The Daily Telegraph) (Daily Mail)
The US Senate approves its first budget in four years by a margin of 50–49. (Fox News)

Religion

Newly elected Pope Francis meets his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for lunch at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the first time the two are meeting since the change of guard. (CNN)

Sport

Kyle Dake of Cornell University defeats David Taylor of Penn State in the final of the 165-pound (75 kg) weight class at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, becoming the first wrestler to win four individual NCAA titles in four different weight classes. (AP via ESPN)

March 24, 2013 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War on Terror:
- A suicide bomber strikes a Pakistani military checkpoint in the tribal district of North Waziristan, killing at least 17 soldiers. (Al Jazeera)
2012–13 Central African Republic conflict:
- Rebels in the Central African Republic reportedly take the presidential palace in Bangui, as President François Bozizé flees to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
Golan Heights clashes (2012–present):
- Israeli soldiers fire an anti-tank missile at a Syrian Army post after coming under fire for the second time in 12 hours in the Golan Heights area. (Al Jazeera) (The Times of Israel)
Nigerian Sharia conflict:
- 25 people are killed in coordinated attacks by unidentified men armed with machine guns, bombs and rocket-propelled grenades in Northern Nigeria Adamawa State. (Indian Times)

Business and economy

2012–13 Cypriot financial crisis: Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades begins a series of emergency meetings in Brussels in a last-ditch attempt to finalize a bailout. (BBC)

International relations

Bolivia's President Evo Morales vows to take a border dispute with Chile to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. (AFP via GlobalPost)
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Iraq on an unannounced visit to press for greater co-operation over the conflict in Syria. (BBC)

Law and crime

American politician Jessica Upshaw dies, reportedly after being shot in the head in the small town of Mendenhall, Mississippi. (CBS News)

Politics and elections

2013 in Pakistan:
- Tens of thousands gather in Lahore as Pakistan's cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan launches an election bid for the country's general elections in May 2013. (Al Jazeera)
- Mir Hazar Khan Khoso is appointed as interim Prime Minister of Pakistan ahead of general elections in May 2013. (AFP via The Express Tribune)
- Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf leaves Dubai for Karachi, ending his self-imposed exile and defying death threats from the Taliban. (BBC)
Syria's opposition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib resigns from the Syrian National Coalition after inconclusive talks with the European Union. (Al Jazeera)
Hundreds of thousands of people march in Paris against proposals to legalise same-sex marriage in France with violent clashes after police deny marchers access to the Champs-Élysées. (AP via NBC News)

Sport

In Formula One, Sebastian Vettel wins the 2013 edition of the Malaysian Grand Prix ahead of Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton. (BBC)
In cricket, India defeats Australia by six wickets in the final test match to clean-sweep the 2013 Border–Gavaskar Trophy 4–0. (BBC) (ESPN Cricinfo)
In road bicycle racing, Daniel Martin wins 2013 Volta a Catalunya, the fifth stage of the 2013 UCI World Tour season, ahead of Joaquim Rodríguez. (The Guardian) (Cycling News)
In curling, Scotland wins the 2013 World Women's Curling Championship defeating Sweden 6–5 in the final. (BBC) (WWCC2013)
In cross-country skiing, Norway's Petter Northug and Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk win the overall 2012–13 FIS Cross-Country World Cup titles. (AP via CBC)
In association football, the Costa Rican Football Federation files an official protest with FIFA requesting that their national team's 0–1 loss to the USA on March 22 in near-blizzard conditions at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, be replayed. (AP via ESPN)

March 25, 2013 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2012–13 Central African Republic conflict:
- Seleka chief Michel Djotodia declares himself President of the Central African Republic and promises to retain power-sharing government as part of peace deal and put end to looting. (Al Jazeera)
- South Africa's President Jacob Zuma says that thirteen of the country's soldiers were killed in the Central African Republic as rebels seized the capital, Bangui. (BBC)
Syrian civil war:
- Rebel Free Syrian Army chief Colonel Riad al-Asaad is injured after a blast targets his car. (CNN)
- Arab League officials say the Syrian opposition, the National Coalition, will represent the country in the upcoming summit in Doha, Qatar. (Al Jazeera)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis:
- Cyprus reportedly reaches an outline bank bailout deal with international lenders including the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. (Reuters via The Sydney Morning Herald)
- Eurozone finance ministers approve the deal, which includes a radical downsizing of the island's Russian-fueled financial sector. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Thousands of homes in Scotland and Northern Ireland are without electricity and many roads are closed after snowfall and strong winds hit over the weekend. (BBC)
Six sleeping workers are killed by a fire in a car seat factory outside Bangalore, India. (BBC)

Health and environment

Around 1,000 dead ducks are pulled from Sichuan River in southwest China, sparking health and environmental concerns among residents. Also, more than 16,000 dead pigs have been pulled from Shanghai's Huangpu River over the past two weeks. (BBC)

International relations

The United States agrees to hand over Bagram Jail, its main detention facility in Afghanistan, to the country's government. (Al Jazeera)
South Korea signs a new military plan with the United States to counter a possible incursion or a limited attack from North Korea. (BBC)
China's President Xi Jinping vows to intensify ties with Africa, as he addresses leaders in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on his first trip to the continent. (AFP via GlobalPost)
The European Union suspends sanctions against 81 officials and eight firms in Zimbabwe, but those against President Robert Mugabe and his top aides remain in place. (BBC)
United States Secretary of State John Kerry meets with the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai to talk about the two countries' strained relations. (The Wall Street Journal)
The European Union and Japan say that they will begin talks to restart free trade between the two entities beginning in April. (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

Hundreds of people gather outside Daily Mail headquarters to hold a vigil after the possible hounding to death of a primary school teacher Lucy Meadows by the British media. (The Guardian)
Six people are wounded during a stabbing attack at a Target store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. A 41-year-old homeless man was arrested. (The Huffington Post) (AP via Fox News)
The bodies of seven men, all shot in the head as if executed, are found dumped in plastic chairs placed along the side of a street in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico. (Al Jazeera)
The former President of Zambia Rupiah Banda is arrested for alleged corruption and abuse of authority. (AP via Fox News)
Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal rules that foreign domestic workers are not allowed to become Hong Kong permanent residents. (BBC) (Reuters) (Al Jazeera)

Sport

American professional golfer Tiger Woods returns to World Number One with victory at the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational. (ESPN) (The New York Times)

March 26, 2013 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan:
- Australia announces that it will be closing its base in Tarinkot in Urozgan Province, with the majority of troops returning home by the end of this year. (ABC News Australia)
- A suicide attack on a police station in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, kills five police officers while seven attackers die. (BBC)
- One British soldier is killed and nine are wounded by Taliban insurgents in an attack on a patrol base with a truck bomb and small arms fire in Helmand Province, Nad Ali District, Afghanistan. (The Daily Telegraph)
2012–13 Central African Republic conflict:
- After declaring himself President of the Central African Republic, Seleka chief Michel Djotodia says that he has suspended the constitution of the country and dissolved its parliament. (BBC)
Syrian civil war:
- The United Nations prepares to move about half of its international staff in Syria out of the country as violence creeps closer to UN facilities. (AFP via GlobalPost)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- A roadside bombing kills the head of a local town council and a member of a provincial council in Tuz Khormato, Saladin Province, Iraq. (CNN)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: Cyprus's Ministry of Finance says banks will remain shut until Thursday to give regulators time to guard against a run on deposits, and that big depositors in Cypriot banks can lose up to 40% of their funds, while depositors with less than 100,000 euros in their accounts will not be affected by bailout plans. (BBC) (CNN)
Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meet in Durban for the 2013 BRICS summit. (BBC)
T-Mobile USA removes the contract requirement from its mobile phone payment plans, becoming the first of the four major national wireless carriers in the U.S. to do so. (The New York Times)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Madagascar locust infestation: A plague of locust descends upon Madagascar, threatening crops and other vegetation across roughly 50% of the country. (BBC) (International Business Times)

International relations

Italy's Court of Cassation overturns the acquittals of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito in the murder of Meredith Kercher and orders a retrial. However, Knox, who returned home immediately upon release, is not expected to be there as the U.S. tends not to extradite its citizens to face legal action. (The Journal) (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera) (CNN)
The Arab League summit begins in Qatar, Doha, with the Syria conflict and possible talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban among the key issues. (Al Jazeera)
North Korea issues a new threat to strike targets on the United States mainland, Hawaii and Guam, as well as South Korea, days after a new US–South Korea military pact. (Press TV)
Vietnam accuses a Chinese vessel of firing on one of its fishing boats in disputed waters in the South China Sea, setting it on fire. (BBC)

Law and crime

A post-mortem examination finds Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky's death was "consistent with hanging", after the examination found nothing to indicate a violent struggle or involvement of another party. (BBC)
Congolese war crimes suspect Bosco Ntaganda appears before the International Criminal Court at The Hague for the first time, following his surprise surrender last week. (BBC)
Thousands of people sign an online petition requesting the Daily Mail to sack its controversial columnist Richard Littlejohn after the possible hounding to death of a primary school teacher Lucy Meadows by the British media. (BBC)
A court in South Africa sentences Nigerian militant Henry Okah to 24 years' imprisonment for his involvement in the Abuja car bombings which killed at least 12 people in October 2010. (BBC)
The United States Supreme Court weighs the case of a California constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions, passed after gay marriage became legal there. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi resigns from his post in protest over the return of two Italian marines to India to face charges for allegedly murdering fishermen. (BBC) (Reuters) (CNN)
Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirms he is to resign as an MP and move to the United States to become head of the International Rescue Committee in New York. (BBC)

Sport

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification:
- In the AFC Fourth Round, Japan, on the verge of becoming the first team to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, suffers a shock loss to Jordan, whose own chances of qualifying for their first ever FIFA World Cup are boosted by the result in Amman. (Reuters) (AFP via NDTV)
- In the UEFA Group I, Spain, the defending World Cup champions, defeats France 1–0, with a Pedro's winning goal at the Stade de France. (BBC) (FIFA)
- In the UEFA Group H, Montenegro secures a 1–1 draw against England in Podgorica. (BBC) (FIFA)
- In the CONCACAF Fourth Round, the United States and Mexico draw 0–0 at Estadio Azteca, giving the USA a point in World Cup qualifying at Azteca for only the second time ever. (ESPN)
- Based on the fact that it was not filed properly, FIFA rejects a protest filed by Costa Rica against a match played against the United States during a snowstorm at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. (AP via USA Today)
In cricket, England manage to bat through the 5th day of the final test match against New Zealand in Auckland, to draw the three match series 0–0. (ESPN Cricinfo) (BBC)

March 27, 2013 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

South Thailand insurgency:
- The Thailand government prepares for peace talks with Muslim separatist groups with the hope of ending a decade-long insurgency. (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
Northern Mali conflict:
- The Government of Mali announces that 63 of their soldiers have been killed fighting jihadists since the French led intervention Operation Serval in January 2013. (AFP via SBS)
Terrorism in Greece:
- A bomb explodes outside the residence of a Greek shipowner near Acropolis in central Athens; no one is injured. (The Wall Street Journal)

Arts and culture

The Rolling Stones are to headline Glastonbury Festival 2013 in Pilton, Somerset, England. (The Guardian) (The Daily Telegraph)
Patricia McCarthy wins the 2013 National Poetry Competition. (The Guardian)
Kate Tempest wins the 2013 Ted Hughes Award for innovation in poetry. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

2013 Nantou earthquake: At least one person is killed and 19 others are injured when a 6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes near Taipei, Taiwan, causing a fire and shaking buildings. (AFP via The Star Malaysia) (The Washington Post)
A mini-tornado in the Philippines kills 12 people when a motorboat capsized. (AFP via The Star Malaysia)

International relations

North Korea renews war threats against South Korea and the United States, saying conditions "for a simmering nuclear war" have been created on the Korean peninsula. The country also says it is cutting a military hotline, which facilitates the travel of South Korean workers to a joint industrial complex in Kaesong. (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
Canada becomes the first country to withdraw from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. (CTV News)

Law and crime

A German property developing firm removes parts of the East Side Gallery, a historic stretch of the Berlin Wall amid heavy police presence, despite a week of protests. (BBC)
China sentences 20 men of the ethnic Uighur group to jail terms of up to life imprisonment on charges of terrorism and inciting secession in Xinjiang. (BBC)
Oscar Pistorius's brother appears in court charged with murder over the death of motorcyclist's in a road accident in 2008. (BBC)
Wildlife officials in Cameroon find over 40 elephant carcasses, clustered in Nki and Lobeke national parks, with a horseback-riding band of about 300 poachers from Sudan being the chief suspects. (CNN)
A row between a spam-fighting group and the hosting firm CyberBunker sparks retaliatory attacks, flooding core infrastructure of the Internet, in what security experts are describing as the biggest cyberattack in history. (BBC)
Police in Wales says they will call off the search for missing April Jones in about a month. (Sky News)

Sport

In basketball, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Miami Heat 101-97, ending their winning streak at 27 games. The Heat had not lost a game since February 1st. This was also the game that featured Jimmy Butler dunking on Chris Bosh. (NBA)
In ice hockey, Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames is traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, with Calgary acquiring prospects Ben Hanowski and Kenneth Agostino, and also Pittsburgh's first-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft. Iginla has played for the Flames since the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, and has served as Flames captain since 2003. (NHL)

March 28, 2013 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Kenya:
- Six gunmen (presumed to be of the Mombasa Republican Council) and one policeman die during an attack on a casino in coastal town of Malindi, Kenya. (Al Jazeera)
M23 rebellion:
- The United Nations Security Council authorizes a new intervention force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in attempt to end rebel attacks and bring peace to the region. (AP via Time)
South Sudan internal conflict (2011–present):
- A battle for an airstrip in Pibor County kills 143 rebels and 20 government troops. The rebels reportedly belong to a group led by David Yau Yau. (AP via Google News)
Syrian civil war:
- Mortar fire hits Damascus University cafeteria section killing 15 students and injuring 7 others. (BBC)

Arts and culture

Barbara Walters, longtime newswoman and host of the American talk show The View, announces plans to retire in May 2014. (USA Today)
Olivier Award and Tony Award winning actor Richard Griffiths dies at the age of 65. (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: Security tightens in Cyprus as banks prepare to reopen after nearly two weeks, following a controversial international bailout that was negotiated with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Two people are killed and one seriously injured when a century-old wall collapses on them in Carlton, Australia. (The Age)
At least 100 people are left homeless after a fire razes 40 houses in Samal, Davao del Norte, Philippines. (ABS via CBN News)

International relations

The members of the United Nations are scheduled to decide on Australian diplomat Peter Woolcott's draft for the first ever treaty to regulate the conventional arms trade. (The Australian)
The Syrian opposition opens its first embassy in Qatar, a day after it was given Damascus's seat at the Arab League. (Al Jazeera) (The New York Times)
Russia conducts unscheduled military exercises in the Black Sea, drawing criticism from NATO. (The Hindu)

Law and crime

New details about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are revealed, showing that the massacre was less than 300 seconds long. Search warrants show that perpetrator Adam Lanza had an arsenal in his home. (USA Today) (CNN)
Edwin Ernesto Rivera Gracias, a Salvadoran national recently added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list for allegedly committing a 2011 murder in Colorado, surrenders after agreeing to face charges. (CNN)
British–Italian fraudster Giovanni Di Stefano is sentenced to 14 years in jail for fraud. (BBC)
Former British Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell says he will take legal action against The Sun over claims he swore and called police officers plebs in a row in Downing Street. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet announces that she is running in the Chilean presidential election on November 17. (Fox News)
Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela is hospitalised with a lung infection. (ABC News)
Italy remains in political gridlock as Pier Luigi Bersani announces that the latest attempts to form a stable government have failed. (AP via USA Today)

Religion

New research suggests that the cloth in the Shroud of Turin likely dates from between 300 BC and 400 AD. (The Huffington Post)
As part of the Maundy Thursday service Pope Francis washes the feet of prisoners at a juvenile detention centre in Rome, Italy. (BBC)

Science and technology

American bioengineers at Stanford University build a transistor-like transcriptor out of DNA and RNA molecules. (Discovery News) (NPR)

Sport

Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), a pan-European anti-racism group, reports England's football fans to FIFA over racist chants roared throughout last Friday's World Cup qualifying match in San Marino. Among the chants were songs referring to the IRA and Second World War and a ditty calling for Anton and Rio Ferdinand to be tossed on a bonfire. England face a heavy fine as punishment and the prospect of further sanctions, such as playing qualifiers behind closed doors. (Goal.com) (The Guardian)
New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder is in a critical condition in hospital, after being severely beaten as he left a bar in Christchurch. (AFP via The Times of India)
American race car driver Denny Hamlin has a compression fracture in his back resulting from a crash on March 24. (ESPN)
A judge allows South African sprint runner Oscar Pistorius to travel abroad to compete in games if he complies with certain conditions. (The Guardian) (BBC)

March 29, 2013 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Pakistan:
- A blast near the United States Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills 10 people and wounds at least 31 others. (CNN)
Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal):
- Coordinated car bombings against five Shiite mosques in Baghdad and Kirkuk kill 23 worshipers. (AP via ABC News)

Arts and culture

The electronic music band Kraftwerk is not allowed to perform at a music festival in China due to unspecified "political reasons". (The Guardian)
After 25 years on the air, the American TV show America's Most Wanted is cancelled. (CBS News)

Business and economy

2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades says the island has no intention of abandoning the euro, despite the tough conditions imposed by its 10 billion euro bailout deal with the European Union and International Monetary Fund. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Dar es Salaam building collapse: At least 36 are killed and around 25 more are trapped when a 16-floor building collapses in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (BBC) (CNN) (AllAfrica.com)
2013 Gyama Mine landslide: A large landslide buries 83 gold miners in China's Tibetan Autonomous Region near Lhasa. (The Washington Post)
More than 220 people are rescued from two ice floes that broke off of Latvia and were blown into the Gulf of Riga. (CNN)
A United States Navy SEAL is killed in a training accident. (USA Today)

Health and environment

A study published in The Journal of Pediatrics confirms that there is no scientific evidence of a link between vaccines and autism. (CBS News)

International relations

Iran, North Korea and Syria block adoption of a United Nations treaty that would regulate the international arms trade, a proposal which required agreement by all 193 UN member states. (Al Jazeera)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un orders preparations for strategic rocket strikes on the US mainland at an overnight meeting with top army commanders, in response to the use of nuclear-capable B-2 Stealth Bombers in joint US-South Korea military drills. China appeals for calm on all sides. (The Telegraph)

Law and crime

A Pakistani lawyer throws a shoe at the former President Pervez Musharraf at the Sindh High Court, as Musharraf successfully extends his bail on charges of conspiracy to murder and sacking judges. (Al Jazeera)
Several people are injured in Sri Lanka's largest city Colombo when Buddhist monks lead hundreds of people to attack a Muslim owned clothing warehouse. (BBC)
A Bosnian court sentences Veselin Vlahović to 45 years in jail for murders, tortures, rapes and lootings during the Bosnian War. (AP via ABC News)

Politics and elections

Former Premier of Alberta Ralph Klein dies in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, at the age of 70. (CTV News)

Religion

Christians across the globe celebrate Good Friday. (AP via Toledo Blade)

Science and technology

Soyuz TMA-08M: A Soyuz spacecraft docks with the International Space Station after being in orbit for less than six hours, setting a record, in a test conducted to reduce the time crew members have to spend in the ferry craft. (CBS News)
Scientists from New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Swarm Lab announce that they have created robotic ants that behave very similarly to real ants. (National Geographic)

Sport

American professional wrestler Reid Flair dies at age 25 from unknown causes. (Los Angeles Times)
In horse racing, Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom wins the 2013 Dubai World Cup. (BBC)

March 30, 2013 (Saturday)

Arts and culture

Musical innovator and fourteen-time Grammy Award winning producer Phil Ramone dies at the age of 79. (The Washington Post)

Business and economy

A judge dismisses the majority of the lawsuit charges against a group of American banks related to the Libor scandal. (AP via USA Today)

International relations

2013 Korean crisis: North Korea declares it is in a state of war with South Korea, and will conduct any further dealings under "wartime regulations". Russia urges calm on both sides. North Korea threatens to shut down the industrial plant in Kaesong, on the border with South Korea. (Reuters) (RT) (CBS News)

Politics and elections

President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano forms two groups of people, both politicians and entrepreneurs, who will propose ideas to solve the Italian economic and political crisis. The government led by Mario Monti will be in charge until a new government can be formed. (BBC)
The Supreme Court of Kenya unanimously confirms that Uhuru Kenyatta is the rightful winner of the recent disputed presidential election. (Los Angeles Times)

Law and crime

Nuon Chea, the most senior surviving Khmer Rouge leader, is declared fit for trial by a United Nations-backed court in Cambodia. (CNN)
The Eiffel Tower is evacuated for a time after an anonymous caller made a bomb threat. No explosives were found, police are still searching for the caller. (Fox News)
Three people are shot (one critically) at three stores at the Edgewood Towne Center shopping plaza near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The victims were taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital while police searched the area. (NBC News)

Science and technology

Famous panda Mei Xiang is artificially inseminated in the U.S. National Zoo after natural breeding failed to occur. (Reuters)
Scientists announce that a green meteorite Northwest Africa 7325, found in Morocco in 2012, may have originated on Mercury, which, if proven, would be the first known meteorite from that planet. (Space.com)

Sport

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder, who was assaulted outside a bar, is now out of the induced coma and off the ventilator, but has no recollection of the attack. (AFP via Dawn.com)
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball team hires Steve Alford as its new head coach. (Los Angeles Times)
Long time University of Alabama athletics director Mal Moore dies at age 73. (USA Today)
The University of Michigan wins the 2013 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships. (AP via Detroit Free Press)

March 31, 2013 (Sunday)