Portal:Current events
Topics in the news
- China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 (aircraft pictured) crashes in Guangxi, China, killing all 132 people on board.
- The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, the first bridge over the Dardanelles and the world's longest suspension bridge, opens in Turkey.
- Serdar Berdimuhamedow succeeds his father Gurbanguly and takes office as president of Turkmenistan.
- A 7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, killing at least four people and injuring more than 225 others.
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kyiv offensive
- Battle of Kyiv
- Four people are injured by a series of Russian strikes on infrastructure in Kyiv. (Euronews)
- Battle of Kyiv
- A laboratory near the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is looted and destroyed by Russian soldiers. (CNN)
- Kyiv offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Somali Civil War (2009–present)
- Somali security forces repel an ambush by al-Shabaab jihadists on Mogadishu International Airport. Two terrorists are killed and three police officers are injured. All domestic and international flights are suspended. (Toronto Star) (The National News)
- Yemeni Civil War
- A car bombing kills four people in Aden, including a Brigadier General. No group claims responsibility. (Reuters)
Business and economy
- Economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russian President Vladimir Putin orders countries it deems "unfriendly" (mostly European) to pay for its deliveries of natural gas in rubles. (Bloomberg)
- The Moscow Stock Exchange will reopen in limited capacity on March 24, ending the almost month-long shutdown of its activities. (Bloomberg)
- Nestlé announces it will halt sales of non-essential items in Russia, suspend any capital investments and stop advertising of its products after it was pressured to boycott Russia. (Reuters)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- House Sergeant at Arms William J. Walker and Capitol physician Brian P. Monahan announce a phased reopening of the United States Capitol beginning next week after being closed for 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Hill)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
International relations
- Foreign relations of Russia
- Poland–Russia relations
- Poland expels 45 staff of the Russian embassy in Warsaw for "spying activities". (Rzeczpospolita)
- Anatoly Chubais, the special envoy of the Kremlin for ties with international organisations, resigns from his post and leaves Russia. (Reuters)
- Poland–Russia relations
- Belarus–Ukraine relations
- Belarus expels most Ukrainian diplomats, accusing Kyiv of interfering in Belarus's domestic affairs. Only 5 diplomats out of 20+ staff will stay in Minsk; Belarus additionally orders a closure of the consulate of Ukraine in Brest. (AFP via The Straits Times)
Law and crime
- Aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack
- Criminal charges in the 2021 United States Capitol attack
- Capitol riot suspect Evan Neumann has been granted asylum in Belarus "indefinitely". He claimed he faced "political persecution" in the United States. (BBC News)
- Criminal charges in the 2021 United States Capitol attack
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- The Israel Border Police arrests 17 Palestinians which it suspects of taking part in riots last month. (Times of Israel)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kyiv offensive
- Battle of Kyiv
- Ukrainian forces say that they have retaken Makariv, a suburb near Kyiv. (BBC News)
- Battle of Kyiv
- Siege of Mariupol
- Russian Navy warships in the Sea of Azov shell Ukrainian-held areas of Mariupol. (ABP Live)
- 2022 Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations
- UN Secretary-General António Guterres says that there is diplomatic progress on several key issues in the situation in Ukraine in an effort to end the "unwinnable" war. (TASS)
- Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov says that Russia will only use its nuclear weapons if the country faces an "existential threat" amid growing concerns that Russia will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. (Reuters)
- Kyiv offensive
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- 2022 Beersheba attack
- Four people are killed and two others are injured during a vehicle-ramming and mass stabbing attack in Beersheba, Southern Israel. The attacker, an Islamic State supporter, was shot dead by a bus driver. (Haaretz)
Arts and culture
- Five Ancient Egyptian tombs are discovered in Egypt. (Jerusalem Post)
Business and economy
- 2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus
- Danish shipping company Maersk announces its complete withdrawal from the Russian economy and says that it will sell off all of its Russian assets. (Trans.info)
- LG Electronics suspends all shipments to Russia and says that the company "remains committed to supporting humanitarian relief efforts". (UPI)
- French oil and gas company TotalEnergies announces that it will no longer buy Russian oil by the end of the year and will also terminate additional investments in Russia. (The New York Times)
Health and environment
- COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tests positive for COVID-19 for the second time. (AP)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C.
- COVID-19 pandemic in Norway
- King Harald V tests positive for COVID-19. (ABC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
International relations
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov says that the ongoing ceasefire talks should be "more active and substantial". (The Moscow Times)
- Russia–Ukraine relations
Law and crime
- Two teachers are killed during a stabbing attack at a school in Malmö, Sweden. The perpetrator, an 18-year-old student, is arrested. (BBC News)
- Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is convicted of fraud and sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court, which claims that Navalny stole millions in donations from his supporters. (Sky News)
Politics and elections
- 44th Canadian Parliament
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that the Liberal Party has finalized a confidence-and-supply agreement with the New Democratic Party. (CTV News)
Science and technology
- Australia announces the creation of the Defence Space command, saying it is designed to counter Russia and China's ambitions in outer space. The new agency's servicemembers will come from the army, navy, air force, and will also include private contractors. (BBC News)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Russo-Ukrainian War
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Kyiv offensive
- Battle of Kyiv
- Kyiv shopping centre bombing
- A Russian airstrike destroys a shopping mall in Kyiv, killing at least eight people. (The Washington Post)
- Kyiv shopping centre bombing
- 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)
- 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 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)
- Norway will provide financial support to students from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. (Schengen Visa)
Disasters and accidents
- China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735
- A China Eastern Boeing 737NG crashes near Wuzhou, Guangxi, China, killing all the 132 people on board. The plane descended more than 20,000 feet (6,100 m) in just over a minute. (CSB News)
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 healthcare 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
- Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- Russia–Ukraine relations
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that he will consider dropping Ukraine's request to join NATO in exchange for a ceasefire. (Axios)
- Russia–Ukraine 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 French island, which injured dozens of people. (Digital Journal)
- International sanctions during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Royal Gibraltar Police seize a superyacht, owned by Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyansky, docked at the Port of Gibraltar. Pumpyansky is currently sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union. (Reuters)
Politics and elections
- 44th Canadian Parliament
- The Liberal Party of Canada reaches a tentative confidence-and-supply agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP) that would see the NDP prop up the minority Liberal government until 2025 in exchange for progress on longtime NDP policy priorities. (CTV News)
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
- An 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)