Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 (aircraft pictured) crashes in Guangxi, China, with 132 people on board presumed dead.
- A 7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, killing at least four people and injuring more than 225 others.
- The Power of the Dog wins Best Film and Best Director at the British Academy Film Awards.
- Cyclone Gombe kills at least 53 people in Mozambique.
- Yoon Suk-yeol is elected president of South Korea.
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kyiv offensive
- Battle of Kyiv
- A Russian airstrike partially destroys a shopping mall in Kyiv, killing at least eight people. (The Washington Post)
- Battle of Kyiv
- Siege of Mariupol
- Russia gives Ukraine a 5 a.m. (3 a.m. UTC) deadline to surrender the city of Mariupol. (The Guardian)
- Ukraine rejects the Russian ultimatum to surrender its control of Mariupol, with Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk saying "we have already informed the Russian side about this". (BBC News)
- Sumykhimprom chemical plant ammonia leak
- An ammonia leak occurs at the Sumykhimprom chemical plant in Sumy. (The Kyiv Independent)
- The Russian government announces that 9,861 of its soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since February 24. (Komsomolskaya Pravda)
- Kyiv offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Insurgency in the Maghreb
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- Islamist militants ambush soldiers in Gourma Province, Burkina Faso, killing 13 soldiers. (The Guardian)
- Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
- Kashmir conflict
- Militants shoot and kill a civilian inside his house in Budgam district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. (Hindustan Times)
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Moscow Stock Exchange reopens for bond trading after being closed for almost a month following the invasion. (BBC News)
Disasters and accidents
- China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735
- A China Eastern Boeing 737NG carrying 132 people crashes near Wuzhou, Guangxi, China. The airplane descended more than 20,000 feet (6,100 m) in just over a minute. Everyone on board is presumed dead. (CNN)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
- Ontario removes their mask mandate for most settings with the exception of public transportation, long-term care and retirement homes, congregate care and living facilities, homes for individuals with developmental disabilities, other health-care settings, shelters, and jails. (Global News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana
- New Orleans lifts their COVID-19 vaccine mandate for bars and restaurants. (NOLA.com)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
- COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
- Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces that beginning next month, Hong Kong will lift its COVID-19 restrictions, and will also end its ban on flights from the U.S. and eight other countries. (NBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
International relations
- Myanmar–United States relations
- International reactions to the Rohingya genocide
- The United States formally recognizes the Rohingya genocide committed by the Myanmar Army. (Reuters)
- International reactions to the Rohingya genocide
- Nuclear program of Iran
- Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expresses his support for negotiations and efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. He also says that the Iranian economy should not be tied to efforts to ease U.S. sanctions against the country. (Infobae) (Reuters)
Law and crime
- 2022 Corsica unrest
- Corsican nationalist leader Yvan Colonna dies several weeks after being assaulted in prison by another inmate. The attack resulted in riots on the island, which injured dozens of people. (Digital Journal)
- International sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Royal Gibraltar Police seize a superyacht docked at the Port of Gibraltar, which is owned by Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyansky. Pumpyansky is currently sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- Internet censorship in Russia
- A Russian court bans Facebook and Instagram for "extremism". (The Moscow Times)
- The Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulator, blocks Euronews. (Novaya Gazeta)
Sports
- Doping in Russia, Russia at the Olympics
- Russian racewalker Elena Lashmanova is banned from the Olympics for two years and will be stripped of her gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics following doping allegations against her. (ESPN)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Siege of Mariupol
- The city council of Mariupol says that Russian Armed Forces have forcefully deported "several thousand" people to camps and remote cities in Russia. (Reuters) (CNN)
- Siege of Mariupol
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Yemeni Civil War
Business and economy
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
- Bulgaria says it will end gas imports from Russia's Gazprom when its 10-year deal with Gazprom expires at the end of 2022, signalling a shift away from Russian energy. Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov says Bulgaria will also seek increased gas imports from Azerbaijan. (Politico)
- 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
Disasters and accidents
- At least five people are dead and dozens more missing after a ferry collides with a vessel and sinks in Bangladesh. (Reuters)
- Five people die after a fishing boat is hit by a rogue wave off the North Cape, New Zealand. (Stuff)
- A mine collapse in Özgön near the Osh Region in Kyrgyzstan kills three people. (AKIPress)
International relations
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu says that Russia and Ukraine are nearing an agreement on certain peace issues in an effort to end the war. (Reuters)
- According to the Daily Express tabloid, a BBC correspondent says that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “finally agreed” to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Wales Online)
- Zelenskyy says that he is ready to meet with Putin. (CNN)
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- France–Russia relations
- France ends all attempts to negotiate with Russia and freezes financial assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation worth €22 billion. France also freezes properties owned by Russian oligarchs worth €150 million. (The Jerusalem Post)
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- 2021–2022 North Korean missile tests
- South Korea claims that North Korea fired a short-range multiple rocket launcher into the sea. (AP) (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Residents in Kherson confront Russian military vehicles and tell them to "go home". (Sky News)
- A concert is held by anti-war demonstrators near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, to call for the war to end. (Reuters)
- 2022 Strépy-Bracquegnies car crash
- A car is driven into a crowd preparing to celebrate carnival in Strépy-Bracquegnies, Belgium, killing six people and injuring around 40 others. (BBC News)
Politics and elections
- 2022 East Timorese presidential election
- Preliminary results show that former president José Ramos-Horta is ahead of the incumbent Francisco Guterres in the election. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia says that on Friday it used the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile for the first time in Ukraine to destroy a weapons storage facility in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. (Reuters)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Disasters and accidents
- Twenty-two people are killed and 38 more injured during a bus–truck collision in Melela Kibaoni, Morogoro Region, Tanzania. (Al Jazeera)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in India
- COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra
- Maharashtra reports 97 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, making it the first time that the Indian state has reported less than 100 new cases of COVID-19 since April 2020. (Business Standard)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra
- COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- China reports its first death from COVID-19 since January 2021. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in India
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
International relations
- Nuclear program of Iran
- Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney says that an agreement to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could be reached within 48 hours. (Mehr News)
Politics and elections
- Politics of Australia
- 2022 South Australian state election
- Preliminary election results show Peter Malinauskas and his Labor Party winning a majority. (ABC News Australia)
- 2022 South Australian state election
- Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- A anti-NATO protest is held in Bulgaria during a meeting between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov to oppose Bulgaria selling weapons to Ukraine during the invasion. (Novinite) (The Bharat Express News)
- 2022 East Timorese presidential election
- Serdar Berdimuhamedow is sworn-in as President of Turkmenistan, succeeding his father Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. (Yeni Şafak)
Sports
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
- COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu, 2022 FIFA World Cup
- Vanuatu withdraws from the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier after several players and staff members on the team tested positive for COVID-19 amid a sudden spike in cases nationwide. (Times of India)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Vanuatu, 2022 FIFA World Cup
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Battle of Zaporizhzhia
- Nine people die after they are hit by Russian shelling in Zaporizhzhia. (National Post)
- Southern Ukraine offensive
- A Russian missile strike destroys a Ukrainian military barracks in Mykolaiv, killing at least 50 soldiers, many more are believed to be buried under rubble. (Sky News)
- Battle of Zaporizhzhia
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Russian Central Bank is considering splitting its stock exchange into two separate stock exchanges, one for Russian residents and the other for foreigners. (Forbes Russia)
- The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers organizes protests in Dover, Liverpool and Kingston upon Hull after P&O Ferries fired all British crew members across its entire fleet of ferries and replaced them with cheaper agency workers. (BBC News)
- The Çanakkale 1915 Bridge, connecting the European and Asian continents in Turkey, is opened for traffic. It surpasses Japan's Akashi Kaikyō Bridge as the world's longest suspension bridge. (CNN)
Disasters and accidents
- Four crew members are killed as a United States Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft crashes in Beiarn, Norway, while participating in the NATO military exercise Cold Response. (NRK) (CBS News)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- The United Kingdom ends all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on international travel. (Centre for Aviation)
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador
- Ecuador ends the restrictions of public and private gathering designated to curb the spread of COVID-19 after the country reached 85% of its vaccinated population. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
International relations
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky says that progress has been made regarding the neutrality status of Ukraine. (Reuters)
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- Western Sahara conflict
- Spanish minister of foreign affairs José Manuel Albares announces that Spain supports Morocco's proposal to recognize Western Sahara as a Moroccan autonomy for the first time, as it considers it is "the most serious, realistic, and credible basis" for resolving the conflict. (The New York Times)
Law and crime
- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signs a law to rename the town of Isfana as Razzaqov in honor of former Secretary of the Communist Party of Kirghizia Iskhak Razzakov. The law was passed by the Kyrgyzstan Parliament on March 16. (AKIPress)
Science and technology
- Internet censorship in Russia, Censorship of YouTube
- Russia's telecommunications regulator, Roskomnadzor, considers blocking YouTube as it accuses the platform of "terrorism and of endangerment of Russian citizens' lives." (Interfax Russia) (RIA Novosti)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announces that the UK is deploying a Sky Sabre air defence system to Poland, and 100 troops to operate it as part of NATO's response to Russian military aggression. (Sky News)
- Panama's maritime authority states that Russia has attacked three Panamanian-flagged civil vessels in the Black Sea since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, causing one of the ships to sink. No deaths have been reported. (Reuters)
- According to Ukrainian intelligence information, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledges to supply Russia with 40,000 mercenaries. (The Jerusalem Post)
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
- The U.S. House of Representatives votes 424-8 to suspend trade relations with Russia and Belarus following the invasion. (NBC News)
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
- DP World-owned shipping company P&O Ferries fires all 800 crew members across its entire fleet of ferries and replaces them with cheaper agency workers who were bussed in by the company in advance. Many crew members refuse to leave their ships after being made redundant and are forcibly removed. (BBC News)
- Amazon agrees to purchase American film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for US$8.5 billion. (Variety)
Disasters and accidents
- An Emirati-flagged ship sinks off the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf due to winds exceeding 70 km/h. (IRIBNEWS)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
- COVID-19 pandemic in India
- COVID-19 vaccination in India
- India begins to administering its COVID-19 vaccination rollout for children aged 12 to 14 years using its homegrown Corbevax COVID-19 vaccine. (Nikkei Asia)
- COVID-19 vaccination in India
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
- South Korea reports a record 621,328 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. (Yonhap)
- COVID-19 pandemic in India
- COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Canada announces that they will end their COVID-19 testing requirements for vaccinated travelers on April 1. (The Buffalo News)
- COVID-19 vaccination in Canada
- Health Canada approves the usage of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 6 and 11 years. (CP24)
- Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 drug development
- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the use of antibody-based treatment to preventing infections in adults with poor immune response Evushield developed by AstraZeneca. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
Law and crime
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian President Vladimir Putin orders the Federal Security Service to arrest Rosgvardiya Deputy Chief General Roman Gavrilov. (Euroweekly News)
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Pardon of Alberto Fujimori
- The Constitutional Court of Peru restores a humanitarian pardon for former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for murder and corruption, previously reversed by the Supreme Court three years before. (The Guardian)
- The Bulgarian Interior Ministry says that former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has been detained by police amid a probe into corruption and the alleged misuse of European Union funds. Former Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov is also arrested as part of the operation. (Reuters)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- Siege of Mariupol
- Mariupol theatre airstrike
- The Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol, which is currently being used as an air raid shelter holding up to 1,200 civilians, is largely destroyed by bombing. Ukraine accuses Russia of conducting an airstrike targeting the theatre, while Russian authorities deny responsibility, instead accusing the Azov Battalion of having planned and carried out the bombing. (BBC News) (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty)
- Mariupol theatre airstrike
- Siege of Mariupol
- Northeastern Ukraine offensive
- Siege of Chernihiv
- Russian troops reportedly shoot dead ten people queuing for food in Chernihiv. The Russian Defence Ministry denies Russian forces were behind the killings. (Sky News) (Reuters)
- Siege of Chernihiv
- Southern Ukraine offensive
- Battle of Melitopol
- Captured Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov is freed in exchange for nine Russian POWs. (Ukrinform)
- Battle of Melitopol
- Foreign aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
- British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace says that the UK has begun supplying Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles to the Ukrainian military. (Reuters)
- U.S. President Joe Biden announces a further $800 million in "security assistance" to Ukraine, including 800 anti-aircraft systems, and thousands of anti-tank missiles and armed combat drones to counter Russia's invasion. (Reuters)
- Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses his ministers on the ongoing situation in Ukraine and the Russian economy, saying that Russian "traitors" and "scum" would be "spat out like a midge that accidentally flew into their mouths", and also accuses a so-called "fifth column" of attempting to destroy the country from within. (Reuters)
- Eastern Ukraine offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Disasters and accidents
- 2022 Fukushima earthquake
- A 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off Fukushima, Japan, triggering tsunami warnings and causing power outages for millions of people in Tokyo. At least four people are killed and 94 others are injured. (Al Jazeera) (NDTV)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
- South Korea reports a record 400,741 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. (Korea Herald)
- COVID-19 vaccine
- A compromise is reached regarding a COVID-19 vaccine intellectual property waiver for developing countries. According to the compromise, developing countries which have exported less than 10% of the world's COVID-19 vaccine doses in 2021 do not need to seek consent from the owner of the patent before authorising the vaccine. The patent waiver does not apply to other COVID-19-related pharmaceutical products. (Politico)
- COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea
International relations
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that there is hope of reaching a compromise aimed at a ceasefire. (Politico EU)
- In a report from the Financial Times, a peace plan is drafted by Ukraine and Russia. The conditions include a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal if Ukraine abandons all attempts of joining NATO and accepts limits on its armed forces. (Naharnet) (Financial Times)
- Japan–Russia relations
- Japan announces that it will revoke Russia's most favoured nation trade status as part of further sanctions on Russia. (Reuters)
- Belarus–Canada relations
- Canada bans Belarusian aircraft from its airspace due to Belarus's support of Russia in the invasion. (The Hill)
- Russia in the Council of Europe
- Russia is expelled from the Council of Europe due to the invasion of Ukraine, although the Russian Foreign Ministry had previously announced that it would be quitting the organisation. (AP)
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- Iran–United Kingdom relations
- Iranian-British dual citizens Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori are released from prison in Iran and return to the United Kingdom after spending 5 years and 11 months, and 2 years and 7 months, respectively, in prison for suspected espionage. (BBC News)
- The British government releases US$500 million of sanctioned Iranian assets after Iran releases the prisoners. (BBC News)
- 2021–2022 North Korean missile tests
- The South Korean military says that North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile from Pyongyang International Airport, which exploded prematurely in mid-air. (Reuters)
- Iranian nuclear program
- The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps announces a new independent branch called the Nuclear Command Corps. (Asriran)
- China–United States relations, Chinese espionage in the United States
- Prosecutors for the U.S. Justice Department accuse five people working on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security of conspiring to spy on and intimidate several dissidents living in the United States, such as the father of Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, and Tiananmen Square protest leader and current congressional candidate Xiong Yan. The department says it is the first time that federal elections in the country have been interfered with in this manner. Three have been arrested while two remain at large. (The Guardian) (BBC News)
Law and crime
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The International Court of Justice orders Russia to immediately halt its invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposes a series of reforms to the national parliament, including re-establishing the Constitutional Court, reducing the membership requirement for establishing political parties from 20,000 to 5,000, reducing the number of parliament deputies appointed by the president, and restoring three regions that were merged during the 1990s. He says that the purpose of these reforms is to move the current political system from "superpresidential" rule to a presidential republic with a strong parliament. (Reuters)
Science and technology
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission bans Russian television networks RT and RT France from Canadian airwaves. (CBC)