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Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi

The Human Rights Protection Party, led by Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi (pictured), wins a landslide victory in the Samoan general election.
Astronomers announce the identification of GN-z11, the most distant known galaxy in the Universe.
Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres is murdered, prompting protests and calls for an investigation.
In the Irish general election, the ruling Fine Gael–Labour coalition loses its majority and over a third of its vote, but Fine Gael narrowly remains the largest party.
Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman win the Turing Award for introducing the ideas of public-key cryptography and digital signatures.

Ongoing events:
- Zika virus outbreak
- European migrant crisis
Recent deaths:

March 8, 2016 (Tuesday)

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International relations

China–United States relations
- The United States government announces restrictions against China's second-largest telecommunications company ZTE for violating U.S. sanctions placed on Iran, prompting a strong protest from Beijing. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China is not looking to take over the United States's role in the world. "China cannot possibly become another United States," he added. (Reuters)
European migrant crisis, Enlargement of the European Union
- The European Union and Turkey agree on broad principles for a plan to ease the migration crisis which includes returning thousands of migrants to Turkey. For this, the EU will swiftly ease visa requirements for Turks and speed up Ankara's EU accession talks. A final agreement is to be ready for next week's two-day EU summit in Brussels, Belgium. (Voice of America) (BBC) (March 17-18, 2016, EU agenda)
North Korea–South Korea relations
- South Korea imposes direct sanctions against North Korea that blacklists dozens of Northern companies and people for the first time, and bans ships that have visited North Korean ports in the previous 180 days from its waters. (The Washington Post) (AP via USA Today)
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps says several ballistic missiles were test fired today. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Media freedom in Turkey
- An Istanbul court places the Cihan News Agency under state control. The seizure of the Fethullah Gülen-linked news agency comes just days after the Turkish government seized control of the opposition Zaman newspaper. (Reuters)
Acting on requests from neighboring Italy, Swiss authorities arrest 15 people sought as suspected members of the 'Ndrangheta organized crime syndicate, a Mafia-type organization centered in Calabria, Italy. (AP)

Politics and elections

Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016, Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016
- Voters in the U.S. states of Mississippi, Michigan, Hawaii and Idaho vote in primary elections and caucuses. (Presidential Election News)

March 7, 2016 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002-present)
- At least 50 people are killed, including 33 militants, seven civilians and ten soldiers, in armed clashes between the Tunisian Army and Islamist militants in the town of Ben Gardane, near the border with Libya. (Reuters) (Al-Jazeera) (AFP via Daily Mail)
War in North-West Pakistan
- A Taliban suicide bomber hits a court complex in the town of Shabqadar killing at least 13 people and injuring 36. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a Pakistani Taliban faction, says the attack is retaliation for Mumtaz Qadri's execution last week. (Voice of America) (UPI)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- According to the Pentagon, more than 150 al-Shabaab fighters are reportedly killed Saturday by U.S. manned and unmanned aircraft strikes targeting a training camp near the central Somali town of Buloburde. (FOX News) (The New York Times)
- The Royal Australian Navy seizes a large cache of weapons from a fishing vessel near Oman's coast, that was bound for Somalia. The Australian Navy, which patrols waters around the Indian Ocean as part of an international maritime force, said it has seized nearly 2,000 AK-47 rifles, 100 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 49 PKM machine guns, 39 PKM spare barrels and 20 mortar tubes from the stateless vessel. 20 tonnes of weaponry in total. (Reuters)
Syrian Civil War
- A Syrian Arab Air Force or Russian airstrike reportedly kills a dozen people at a market selling diesel fuel in the rebel-held Idlib Governorate. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the death toll is likely to rise. (Reuters)

Business and economics

Germany's BASF SE, the largest chemical producer in the world, is pursuing a counterbid for DuPont that could short circuit the Delaware-based company's announced merger with fellow American firm, Dow Chemical Company. (Bloomberg) (Fortune)
Apple Inc. must pay the $450 million July 2014 settlement in a price fixing case since the U.S. Supreme Court will not hear its appeal of the June 2015 Court of Appeals ruling that it played a "central role" in a conspiracy with publishers to eliminate retail price competition and raise e-book prices. (Reuters) (Bloomberg) (AppleInsider)

Disasters and accidents

In the United States, an Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) San Francisco Bay Area commuter train bound for Stockton, California, derails and falls into a creek, injuring 14 people, four in serious condition. The crash shuts down service along the ACE system through Tuesday. (Los Angeles Times) (CNN)

International relations

South Korea–United States relations
- South Korea and the United States start a joint military exercise as North Korea repeats threats of "indiscriminate" nuclear strikes. (AFP via Rappler)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo calls on Muslim leaders at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit meeting in Jakarta to unite and be part of the solution on Palestine, noting the entire world is concerned about its deteriorating situation. Jokowi also criticizes what he calls Israel's "unilateral and illegal policies." (The Jakarta Post) (AP via Appeal-Democrat)
European migrant crisis
- Today's European Union summit with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in Brussels, Belgium, will discuss ways to stanch the flow of European-bound migrants. (CNN) (Voice of America) (Summit website)
  - The EU plans to boost aid to Greece and declare the route north through the Balkans closed. Presently, about 13,000 people are stranded at the Greece-Macedonia border. (BBC) (Kathimerini)
  - The leaders plan to give Turkey €3bn to take back thousands who don't qualify for asylum. (Kathimerini) (Business Day)
- Amnesty International takes on the EU for using Turkey as a buffer to police Europe’s borders. Deputy Director Gauri van Gulik says Europe has an absolute duty to protect refugees and must fast-track significant, unconditional resettlement. (AP via The Washington Post)
- Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) opens a humanitarian camp for migrants in the Grande-Synthe suburb of Dunkerque, France. (AP via ABC News)
Enlargement of the European Union
- The Turkish deputy ambassador to Britain says Turkey should be allowed to join the European Union in order to help solve the Syrian refugee crisis. (The Independent)

Law and crime

A gunman, who killed one man, injured two others, and was holding three people hostage, is found dead when an armed tactical response police team storms a building in the Ingleburn industrial area in suburban Sydney, Australia. All hostages were unharmed. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (Stuff.co.nz) (Sky News via KLFM)
Venezuelan security forces search for 30 gold miners reportedly killed last week in the state of Bolívar in the country's southeast. Survivor reports state the miners were shot last Friday in a fight for control of a gold deposit by criminals who then hid the bodies. Bolívar Governor Francisco Rangel Gómez denies any such massacre occurred. (EFE via Fox New Latino) (Reuters via The Times of India)
Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004
- Former mayor of the Pitcairn Islands Mike Warren is found guilty of downloading more than 1000 images and videos of child abuse and child pornography while working in child protection and is sentenced to 20 months in prison. (The Guardian)
American sportscaster Erin Andrews is awarded $55 million damages after a stranger, in 2008, secretly recorded her in the nude through a hotel door peephole, and posted the video on the Internet. (New York Daily News)

Politics and elections

United States presidential election, 2016
- Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announces he will not run for president in 2016 because of the impact his candidacy might have on the outcome in November. (CBS News)

Science and technology

Research, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Geoscience, confirms that Mercury's darker than expected crusty exterior is from carbon, likely the remains of the planet's ancient surface crust of graphite, rather than carbon dust from comet impacts as previously postulated. (Christian Science Monitor) (The Washington Post) (Nature Geoscience)

Sport

Maria Sharapova tests positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open tennis championship. She has taken the drug since 2006 on prescription for health issues. World Anti-Doping Agency President Craig Reedie says an athlete found guilty of using meldonium would normally face a one-year suspension. (BBC) (AP via The Times-Picayune)
- Nike, Inc. suspends ties with Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova after she failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open. (Reuters) (Fox Sports)
American football quarterback Peyton Manning retires after eighteen seasons in the National Football League with two Super Bowl championships, five MVP awards, and single-season and career league records for most passing yards and touchdown passes. (NFL)

March 6, 2016 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- A suicide bomber kills at least 60 people and wounds 70 others after ramming his explosives-laden truck into a security checkpoint at one of the entrances to the Iraqi city of Hillah, south of Baghdad. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the attack. (Reuters) (FOX News) (AP via Yahoo! News)
Syrian Civil War
- Battle of Aleppo (2012–present)
  - At least nine civilians are killed and dozens are injured after rockets and mortars hit the mainly Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsood in the city of Aleppo. The neighborhood is controlled by the People's Protection Units (YPG). (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Former First Lady of the U.S. Nancy Reagan dies at age 94. (NBC News)

Disasters and accidents

Twelve coal miners are killed following a gas leak in a mine near the Chinese city of Baishan in Jilin province. (AAP via SBS)
European migrant crisis
- At least 25 migrants, including 10 children, drown after their wooden boat capsizes in the Aegean Sea near the seaside town of Didim, Turkey. The Turkish Coast Guard was able to rescue 15 people. (International Business Times) (AFP via Yahoo7 News)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- North Korea threatens a pre-emptive nuclear strike against South Korea and the United States in response to the two nations' annual joint military exercise which Pyongyang considers is a pretext for an invasion. (The Washington Times)

Law and crime

Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani is sentenced to death for corruption. Zanjani was arrested in December 2013 after accusations that he withheld billions in oil revenue channelled through his companies. He denies the allegations. (BBC)
Egyptian interior minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar accuses Hamas and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the June 2015 assassination of Attorney General Hisham Barakat. (Latin American Herald Tribune) (Debkafile)

Politics and elections

Beninese presidential election, 2016
- Voters in Benin go to the polls for the first round of voting in a presidential election with 33 candidates vying to replace current President Thomas Yayi Boni. (Bloomberg)
Thousands of people gather in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi to protest against their government's negotiations with Russian state-owned oil company Gazprom. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
United States presidential election, 2016
- Marco Rubio wins the Puerto Rican Republican Party primary. (BBC)
- Bernie Sanders wins the Maine Democratic caucuses. (AP)

Slovak parliamentary election, 2016
- Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer party won 28.3 percent of the vote, but with just 49 seats, lost its majority in the 150-member parliament. The Freedom and Solidarity party won 21 seats (12.1%), and the Ordinary People party took 19 seats (11.0%). (AP via Daily Sabah)
- The right scored first-time seats. The Slovak National Party won 15 seats; and, the Kotleba – People's Party Our Slovakia won 14 seats, nearly three times more than predicted. (The Washington Post) (Irish Independent)
- Analysts indicate Fico may find it very difficult to form a new government. Political analyst Samuel Abrahám says coalition-building “could take weeks, even months. ... Fico's rhetoric strengthened the right in Slovakia." (Daily Times) (Reuters via Azerbaijan State News Agency )

March 5, 2016 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Taliban insurgency
- The Afghan Taliban releases a statement rejecting peace talks with the government of Afghanistan until foreign forces stop attacking their positions and withdraw from the country. Direct peace talks between the government and the Taliban were expected to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan next week. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Second battle of Aden
  - Gunmen shoot dead the police chief of Aden's Tawahi district and one of his aides. (Reuters)

Business and economy

China announces plans to build a railway linking the Tibetan capital Lhasa with Chengdu. (Channel News Asia)

Disasters and accidents

More than 60 people are hospitalized after an engine explodes on a crowded Bangkok, Thailand, commuter boat. Police suspect a liquefied natural gas leak caused the blast. The boat operator has been ordered to use diesel fuel only on its 25-boat fleet. (AP) (International Business Times)

International relations

North Korea–Philippines relations
- The Philippines impounds a North Korean cargo ship in line with new UN sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and missile launch. Presidential spokesman, Manolo Quezon, said the 6,830-tonne cargo ship would not be allowed to leave the Port of Subic, Luzon, where it has been docked for three days, and that its crew would be deported. (The Straits Times)

Law and crime

Media freedom in Turkey
- Turkish police fire tear gas at protesters outside the Istanbul headquarters of the Zaman newspaper which has been taken over by the Turkish government. (BBC)
Gunmen dressed in police uniforms kill at least ten people in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Republican Party presidential primaries, 2016, Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2016
- Voters in the states of Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Maine, and Kentucky, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico participate in a party caucus or vote in a primary election. (Presidential Primary Schedule)
- Ted Cruz wins the Republican Party caucus in Kansas and Maine. (CBS News), (The Guardian)
- Donald Trump wins the Louisiana primary and Kentucky caucus. (ABC News), (New York Times)
- Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic Party contests in Kansas and Nebraska while Hillary Clinton wins in Louisiana. (CNN), (Washington Post), (NOLA), (CNN)
Slovak parliamentary election, 2016
- Voters in Slovakia choose representatives for all 150 National Council seats. While anti-migrant Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer party is expected to lose its parliamentary majority, it should be in position to lead a coalition government. (Reuters via Firstpost) (New Europe), (Bloomberg)
Samoan general election, 2016
- Results from yesterday's election indicate that the ruling Human Rights Protection Party will retain power in a landslide. (ABC News Australia)
Anti-corruption campaign in China:
- The former party chief of Liaoning and Jilin provinces, Wang Min, is placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. (SCMP)

March 4, 2016 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- A Libyan spokesperson says two Italian hostages are freed by local fighters from Islamic State custody in Sabratha, Libya. He also confirms that two other Italian hostages were recently killed during local forces clashes with IS militants. (AP via ABC News)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
- Gunmen storm a retirement home in Yemen, run by a charity established by Mother Teresa, killing 16 people, including four Catholic nuns. (NY Times)
Dissident Irish Republican campaign (1998–present)
- A bomb explodes under a vehicle in Belfast injuring a prison officer; Dissident republicans have claimed responsibility. (Belfast Telegraph)
PKK rebellion (2015–present)
- Two Turkish police officers are killed and at least 14 others including several civilians are injured by a car bomb attack on a police station in the town of Nusaybin, near the Syria–Turkey border. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are blamed for the attack. (BBC)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Syrian rebels have seized control of the al-Tanf border crossing on the Iraq–Syria border from ISIL militants. The rebel fighters who took the crossing reportedly entered Syria through Jordan. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Electricity is gradually being restored across Syria from a nationwide blackout that began early Thursday afternoon. Syria's Electricity Ministry says the electrical grid is expected to return to normal capacity by midnight. There is no immediate word on the cause. (WireUpdate.com)
Five people, including an 18-month-old baby, are missing from an Indonesian ferryboat traveling from Bali to East Java that sank in the Bali Strait; 76 people have been rescued. (Jakarta Globe)

International relations

South China Sea disputes
- The U.S. Navy dispatches a carrier strike group containing the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS John C. Stennis to the South China Sea. (Washington Post)
Japan–United States relations, Relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe agrees to suspend work to expand the U.S. military base on Okinawa Island. Abe says his government will follow the court recommendation and settle several lawsuits over landfill work carried out to prepare for new runways. (Bloomberg)
France–Germany relations
- Germany wants France to shut down the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant near its border as soon as possible following media reports the April 9, 2014, incident was more serious than reported. (AP via ABC News) (Deutsche Welle)
European migrant crisis
- The European Commission proposes an end-of-year target date for lifting internal border checks and restoring the 26-nation, passport-free Schengen Area. (Reuters) (Bloomberg)

Law and crime

Brazilian police raid the home of ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in relation to the Petrobras scandal. Lula is brought in for questioning. (BBC)
Media freedom in Turkey
- A Turkish court places the influential Zaman newspaper under state control. Zaman is closely linked to the Gülen movement of influential U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, a former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (BBC)
The United States Supreme Court, with only Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting, blocks implementation of a Louisiana law that could have forced all but one of the state's abortion clinics to close, and restores an earlier judicial ban on enforcing the 2014 law. Last week, a federal appeals court said the law could be enforced. (Los Angeles Times) (AFP via GlobalPost)

Politics and elections

Samoan general election, 2016
- Voters in Samoa go to the polls for a general election. (Radio New Zealand)
Serbian parliamentary election, 2016
- Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, at the request of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, dissolves Serbia's parliament and calls for early elections to take place on April 24. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
United States presidential election, 2016, Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016
- Ben Carson suspends his campaign for the Republican Party nomination. The expected announcement was made during a speech at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). (NBC News)
United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016
- The British Chambers of Commerce suspends Director-General John Longworth for announcing his personal views on Brexit. The BCC, whose members are split on this issue, will not campaign for either side. (BBC)

March 3, 2016 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

DHKP/C insurgency in Turkey
- Istanbul police, after a standoff, shoot and kill two women from the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Army-Front suspected of ambushing a riot police station in the Bayrampaşa neighborhood on the city’s European side. Two policemen were injured. (The Washington Post)

Disasters and accidents

A nationwide power outage hits Syria. The Syrian government says shortly before the power outage, militants had hit part of a power-generating station with rockets in the city of Hama, though it hasn't said whether this damage was linked to the nationwide outage. Also, it isn't clear how many people are affected by the power outage as many cities outside of the government's control already weren't being served by the government-run power grid. (CNN)
At least 31 people are killed in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe, when a bus, with a blown front tire, switches lanes and slams into an oncoming public transport minibus. (AP ia Fox News)

International relations

North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
- South Korea claims that North Korea has launched several short range missiles into the Sea of Japan. (Yonhap) (AFP via Yahoo! News)
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un orders nuclear weapons to be ready for use at any time. (Sky News)
Taliban insurgency
- Sartaj Aziz, a top foreign affairs adviser for Pakistan, publicly admits for the first time that the Afghan Taliban's leadership is living in the country and that Islamabad has "considerable influence" over them. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present)
- The United States extends sanctions against Russia over its military intervention in Ukraine. (ABC News)
Jordan–United States relations
- The United States delivers eight UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Jordan to help the Jordanian Armed Forces defend the country from the threat of ISIL. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Honduran indigenous environmental activist Berta Cáceres is assassinated in her home in La Esperanza in Intibucá Department. (Telesur)
A riot at a prison in Guyana's capital Georgetown leaves at least 16 people dead. The riot began when inmates angered by a search that led to the confiscation of mobile phones set fires in one part of the prison. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

New Zealand flag debate
- Voting begins for the second stage of New Zealand's flag referendum with the current flag going up against the design chosen on the first stage of the referendum. Voting will end on March 23 with polling showing the current flag is favoured to win. (BBC) (CNN)
2014–16 Venezuelan protests
- Violence breaks out in in the Venezuelan city of San Cristóbal between students and police after a supreme court ruling curtailed the power of the opposition-controlled National Assembly to review government appointments of Supreme Court justices. (BBC)
Republican Party presidential debates, 2016
- The eleventh Republican Party presidential debate of the election cycle takes place at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit, Michigan, airing live on Fox News Channel. The debate features four Republican candidates, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich. Ben Carson was also invited to the debate but he said that he would not be attending. An estimated 16.9 million viewers watched the debate, 5.5 million of them adults aged 25-54, making it the most watched debate since December 2015. (Fox News) (CBS Local) (Hollywood Reporter)

Science and technology

Astronomers use the Hubble Space Telescope to discover GN-z11, the remotest galaxy yet discovered. (ABC News)

March 2, 2016 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

One Chinese national is killed and three others injured in a possible militant attack on a Chinese-invested company in Laos, the official Xinhua News Agency reports. (Reuters)
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
- Two Palestinian teenagers, from the nearby village of Qaryout, got into a Jewish settlement and stabbed an Israeli settler at his home in the Eli settlement near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. They were stopped and killed by the army. The injured settler was taken to a hospital. (Reuters)(AFP via i24news)
Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
- Jordan says an overnight raid on an ISIL cell in the city of Irbid has left seven militants and one security officer dead, with five others injured. Those killed were planning to blow up civilian and military targets in the country, according to the General Intelligence Directorate (GID). (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Nine people are killed in an attack on the Indian consulate In Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (NDTV)
Libyan Crisis (2011–present)
- The Tunisian Army kills five suspected ISIL militants near the town of Ben Gardane after they infiltrated across the border from neighboring Libya. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Mining company Samarco agrees to pay $4.4bn reais (£804m) in compensation to victims of the Bento Rodrigues dam disaster in Brazil. (BBC)

Disasters and accidents

Iraqi engineers warn that the Mosul Dam could collapse at anytime, resulting in a catastrophic flash flood that could kill up to one million people along the Tigris, with the major Iraqi cites of Mosul, Tikrit, Samarra and Baghdad all at risk. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad has urged American citizens to leave the area. (The Guardian)
2016 Sumatra earthquake
- The Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia (BMKG) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) issue tsunami warnings, after an undersea 7.9 magnitude earthquake strikes southwest of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean. (RT) (BOM)

International relations

South China Sea disputes
- Philippines Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario says Chinese coast guard ships that were sighted two weeks ago near the disputed Jackson Atoll in the northeast Dangerous Ground are no longer there today. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said ships were dispatched to the area in late 2015 to salvage a fishing vessel that posed a risk to navigation. Chinese ships, “... persuaded fishing boats to leave the waters in an effort to ensure safety conditions for normal navigation," Hong said. In addition to China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei also lay claim to the Spratly Islands waters. (AP via The Washington Post)
European migrant crisis
- The European Union launches a new aid program worth an initial 700 million euros (US$760 million) to address the growing refugee crisis in Greece. EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides says the so-called Emergency Assistance Instrument will be used to help migrants trapped in Greece and, if needed, in other countries on the migration route front lines. Approval by a majority of EU members is required. The next EU meeting is scheduled for Monday. (The New York Times) (Reuters) (Kathimerini)
The Gulf Cooperation Council formally designates Lebanon's Hezbollah militia a terrorist organization. The GCC member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. (The Washington Post)
The United Nations Security Council adopts the toughest sanctions on North Korea in twenty years due to continued efforts to develop a nuclear weapons program. (Fox News)

Politics and elections

Spanish general election, 2015
- The conservative People's Party (PP) and the left-wing Podemos party, which together hold 192 seats in Spain’s 350-seat parliament following December's election, confirm they will vote against Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sánchez’s candidacy to form a new government. (AP via The Washington Post)

More March 2016 events...

Ongoing events
Health Zika virus outbreak Flint water crisis Political War in Afghanistan Boko Haram insurgency Burundian unrest Iraqi Civil War Military intervention against ISIL American-led Iranian Israeli–Palestinian conflict Lebanese political deadlock Moldova protests Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Armenian–Azeri border conflict Nepal blockade PKK rebellion Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention Second Libyan Civil War Sinai insurgency South China Sea disputes Syrian Civil War American-led intervention Russian military intervention Venezuelan protests War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports 2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2015–16 La Liga season 2015–16 NBA season 2015–16 NHL season 2015–16 Premier League season 2016 ATP World Tour 2016 WTA Tour edit sidebar

Recent deaths
March 8: Ross Hannaford 7: Adrian Hardiman 7: Steve Kraly 6: Elizabeth Garrett 6: Kalabhavan Mani 6: Francis Pasion 6: Nancy Reagan 5: Hassan al-Turabi 5: Antoni Asunción 5: Paul Couch 5: Nikolaus Harnoncourt 5: Robert Redbird 5: Ray Tomlinson 5: Panayiotis Tetsis 5: Al Wistert 4: John Brooks 4: Bud Collins 4: Pat Conroy 4: Joey Feek 4: P. A. Sangma 4: Abbas Vaez-Tabasi 4: Zhou Xiaoyan 3: Ralph Baruch 3: Berta Cáceres 3: Martin Crowe 3: Thanat Khoman 3: Sarah Tait 2: Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern 2: Aubrey McClendon 2: James Barrett McNulty 1: Jim Kimsey 1: Tony Warren February 29: Louise Rennison 28: Didier Bellens 28: Delmer Berg 28: Frank Kelly 28: George Kennedy 28: Jack Lindquist 27: Lee Khoon Choy 27: Claude Parent 27: Francisco Kraus Trujillo 26: Andy Bathgate 26: Don Getty 26: Loh I-Cheng 25: Tony Burton 25: Jim Clark 25: John Chilton 25: Bhavarlal Jain 25: Alfred E. Mann 24: Lennie Baker 24: George C. Nichopoulos 24: Yordan Sokolov 24: Timber Country 22: Yolande Fox 22: Sonny James 22: Cara McCollum 22: Peter Mondavi 22: Douglas Slocombe 22: Yochanan Sofer 21: Eric Brown 21: Peter Marlow 20: Nando Yosu 19: Humbert Allen Astredo 19: Umberto Eco 19: Freddie Goodwin 19: Harper Lee 19: Charlie Tuna 19: Samuel Willenberg 18: Rosario Ferré 18: Abdul Rashid Khan 18: Tony Phillips 17: Andy Ganteaume 17: Mohamed Hassanein Heikal 17: Elias P. Demetracopoulos 17: Andrzej Żuławski 16: Boutros Boutros-Ghali 15: George Gaynes 15: Constance Glube 15: Fighton Simukonda 15: Vanity 14: Eric Lubbock 14: Steven Stucky 13: Nathan Barksdale 13: Avigdor Ben-Gal 13: Flakey Dove 13: Robin Ghosh 13: O. N. V. Kurup 13: Antonin Scalia 13: Viola Beach 13: Lauro Vizconde 13: Christopher Zeeman 12: Johnny Lattner 12: Yan Su 11: Jakob Denzinger 11: Douglas Inman 11: Kevin Randleman 11: Arthur Tunstall 11: Zeng Xuelin 10: Fatima Surayya Bajia 10: Andrew L. Lewis, Jr. 10: Abdel-Bari Zamzami 9: Sushil Koirala 9: Elizabeth Joan Smith edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria, Tunisia and Niger Maghreb insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Katanga insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger Boko Haram insurgency Somalia Civil war South Sudan South Sudanese Civil War Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Americas Colombian conflict Internal conflict in Peru Mexican War on Drugs Asia Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Moro conflict Moro conflict in Sabah Southeast Asia Internal conflict in Burma Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Europe European Migrant Crisis Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency War in Ingushetia Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Egypt Sinai insurgency Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraqi civil war American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Syrian Civil War American-led intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemeni crisis Houthi rebellion Al-Qaeda insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent February 14: Central African Republic, President (2nd round) 18: Uganda, President, Parliament 21: Bolivia, Constitutional referendum 21: Comoros, President 21: Niger, President (1st round), National Assembly 25: Jamaica, House of Representatives 26: Iran, Islamic Consultative Assembly, Assembly of Experts 26: Ireland, Dáil Éireann 28: Switzerland, Referendums March 4: Samoa, Fono 5: Slovakia, National Council 6: Benin, President (1st round) Upcoming March 3–24: New Zealand, Flag referendum 20: Republic of the Congo, President 20: Kazakhstan, Majilis 20: Laos, National Assembly 20: Niger, President (2nd round) 20: Senegal, Constitutional referendum April 6: Netherlands, EU referendum edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Brett Peter Cowan, Craig Thomson, Robert Hughes Brazil: Mensalão scandal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Ji Jianye, Li Chuncheng, Jiang Jiemin, Liao Shaohua, Ni Fake, Chen Baihuai, Zhou Yongkang, Gu Junshan Croatia: Ivo Sanader Egypt: Hosni Mubarak, Peter Greste, Mohamed Morsi Germany: Bernie Ecclestone, Uli Hoeness, Christian Wulff Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi Israel: Hussam Qawasmeh Jordan: Abu Qatada Philippines: Joseph Scott Pemberton Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Dan Diaconescu Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Eston Kohver, Vladimir Kvachkov South Africa: Shrien Dewani, Oscar Pistorius Turkey: Kenan Evren, Tahsin Şahinkaya United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis, Nicholas Jacobs, Nigel Evans, Max Clifford, Stuart Hall, Dappy, Rebekah Brooks, Andy Coulson, Rolf Harris, Tulisa Contostavlos, Chris Denning, Ray Teret, Gary Glitter, Fred Talbot, Adam Johnson United States: Abu Hamza al-Masri, Michael Grimm, Jesse Jackson Jr., Bob McDonnell, Vilma Bautista, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Jodi Arias, Anas al-Libi, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Sheldon Silver International ECCC: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan ICC: Germain Katanga ICTY: Momčilo Perišić, Mladen Markač, Ante Gotovina, Zdravko Tolimir Ongoing China: Yao Mugen, Guo Youming, Zhu Zuoli Germany: Beate Zschäpe Iran: Babak Zanjani Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Janet Lim-Napoles, Jovito Palparan Romania: Darius Vâlcov, Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie, Cătălin Voicu, Relu Fenechiu, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: MV Sewol crew members United States: Dean Skelos International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić PCA: China Upcoming China: Wu Changshun, Ling Jihua Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi Spain: Lionel Messi United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Dylan Quick, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Rick Perry International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo edit sidebar