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Carrie Lam

The United Kingdom invokes Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, beginning the formal process of Brexit.
Carrie Lam (pictured) wins the Hong Kong Chief Executive election, becoming the territory's first female political leader.
Former Russian MP and government critic Denis Voronenkov is shot dead in Kiev.
The World Meteorological Organization adds twelve new cloud types to the International Cloud Atlas, the first update to the official cloud classification scheme since 1986.
A terror attack at the Palace of Westminster, London, results in five people dead and fifty others injured.

March 31, 2017 (Friday)

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March 30, 2017 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the total number of refugees from Syria reaches over five million. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Turkish constitutional referendum, 2017
- Several people are wounded in clashes outside the Turkish consulate in Brussels. (Daily Star)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- Authorities of New South Wales issue a State Emergency Service for the towns of Murwillumbah and Lismore, and at least 12 flood rescues are underway as former Cyclone Debbie moves south from north Queensland. (Weatherzone), (9 News)
- Authorities shut down the city of Brisbane and South East Queensland as remnants of Cyclone Debbie move south. (Brisbane Times)
A private Twin Squirrel helicopter crashes in the Rhinog mountains of North Wales, killing all five people aboard. (BBC)
A massive fire results in the collapse of a bridge on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, Georgia, during rush hour, stranding motorists and resulting in a state of emergency. Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed calls the situation a "transportation crisis" that could close the affected stretch of highway for days or weeks. (NBC News)

International relations

Russian president Vladimir Putin attends the International Arctic Forum in Arkhangelsk, Russia. He says there that he is ready to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Helsinki, Finland. (Reuters)
United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he thinks the longer term status of president Bashar al-Assad is to be "decided by the Syrian people". This appears as a policy shift, since under president Barack Obama’s administration, the United States made the departure of Assad a key policy aim. (Times of Israel)

Law and crime

Italian police arrest 34 people of a drug gang who planned to steal Enzo Ferrari's corpse, and hold it for ransom. (NBC)
2016 South Korean political scandal
- Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye is arrested on charges of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion and leaking government secrets. (BBC)
North Carolina House Bill 2
- The state legislature of North Carolina repeals the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, more commonly known as the "transgender bathroom bill." In its place, the legislature enacted a ban on cities in North Carolina from enacting civil rights protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people through 2020, drawing sharp criticism from LGBT groups. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

2017 Venezuelan self-coup d'état
- In a ruling, Venezuela's Supreme Court says it "guarantees congressional functions will be exercised by" itself, authorizing president Nicolás Maduro to create oil joint ventures without the previously mandated congressional approval. Opposition leaders call it a "coup", while Peru recalls its ambassador. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Scientific Reports publishes the discovery that Daspletosaurus horneri, from the same Tyrannosauridae family as the Tyrannosaurus rex, had a sensitive nose: foramina sprouting from the trigeminal nerve at the snout and jaws enabled the behavioral functions of exploration, courtship, nesting, foreplay and parental investment. (The Guardian)

Spacex successfully places the SES-10 telecommunications satellite on a geostationary transfer orbit using for the first time a reused Falcon 9 first stage, and recovers it again. That first stage had previously flown to launch a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station and landed on an autonomous drone ship during the CRS-8 mission. (New York Times)

March 29, 2017 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Turkish military intervention in Syria
- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announces an end to the operation Euphrates Shield, which was part of international military operations against ISIL. He adds: "Any operation following this one will have a different name." (Deutsche Welle), (Al Jazeera)
Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)
- A car bomb attack on a police checkpoint in Baghdad kills at least 15 people and injures 40 others. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The Swedish Academy announces that American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has agreed to accept his Nobel Prize in Literature this weekend at a private location in Stockholm. (BBC)

Business and economy

The European Commission blocks the third attempt of the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse at a merger, citing the danger of a "de facto monopoly in the crucial area of fixed income instruments". (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

A head on crash between a pickup truck and a church bus outside Garner State Park in the American state of Texas kills at least 12 people and injures 3 others. (Fox News)

Law and crime

United States immigration ban
- In response to a federal appeal, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson (Hawaii), who on March 15 issued a temporary, national restraining order on implementation of the revised federal immigration/refugee rules, upgrades his earlier ruling to a preliminary injunction until Hawaii's lawsuit is resolved. (Los Angeles Times), (AP via Chicago Tribune)

Politics and elections

Brexit
- The United Kingdom formally notifies the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community. There is not yet agreement on a negotiations roadmap. (ARD) (Business Green)
French presidential election, 2017
- Former candidate Manuel Valls (PS) announces his support for Emmanuel Macron (En Marche!) rather than for his own party's nominee, Benoît Hamon. (Bloomberg)

March 28, 2017 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Authorities find the remains of two missing U.N. investigators—former Swedish politician Zaida Catalán and U.S. national Michael Sharp—in a shallow grave in the province of Kasaï-Central, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters), (BBC), (UN News Centre)

Business and economy

Police investigate the discovery of human excrement in cans of Coca-Cola in a Northern Ireland bottling facility. None of the contaminated product left the facility. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- A Category 4 severe tropical cyclone travels over the Whitsunday Islands and crosses the coast of Queensland, Australia, near the town of Airlie Beach. (ABC)
Over the last week, a meningitis outbreak has killed at least 140 people in Nigeria. (BBC)
All 141 people on board Peruvian Airlines Flight 112 escape when the aircraft crashes on landing at Francisco Carle Airport, Jauja, Peru. (The Aviation Herald)

International relations

Georgia–European Union relations
- Georgia's visa-free regime, which allows travel to most member states of the European Union, with the exception of Ireland and the United Kingdom, enters into force. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Brexit
- British Prime Minister Theresa May signs a letter invoking Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. Its notification to the European Council tomorrow will formally begin the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. (BBC)

Law and crime

A Belgian Court in Brussels declares that Delphine Boël’s case against former king Albert II of Belgium is inadmissible even though genetic testing has proved that her legal father Jacques Boël is not her biological father. (The Royal Central)
Simone Gbagbo, the former First Lady of Ivory Coast, is acquitted of crimes against humanity. She remains in prison for a previous conviction for undermining state security. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Proposed second Scottish independence referendum
- Lawmakers in the Scottish Parliament vote in favor of holding a second independence referendum for the country within two years. (Al Jazeera)
List of executive actions by Donald Trump
- U.S. President Trump signs an executive order undoing former President Obama's climate change policies. (BBC)

Science and technology

Accounts of sightings of animals thought to resemble the extinct thylacine, the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times, prompt a search in the Far North of the Australian state of Queensland. (The Guardian)

Sports

In association football, and as CONMEBOL qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup continues, the Argentina forward Lionel Messi is banned for four matches, five and a half hours before kickoff in his team's match against Bolivia. (BBC)

March 27, 2017 (Monday)

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Arts and culture

The Big Maple Leaf, a solid gold 1 million dollar Canadian coin weighing 100 kilograms (220 lb), is stolen from the Bode Museum in Berlin, Germany.(CBC)

Disasters and accidents

An avalanche on Mount Nasu in Japan's Tochigi Prefecture, kills at least eight schoolchildren while the students were on a mountaineering excursion. There are three students and three teachers missing. (AFP via Channel News Asia), (CNN)
2016–17 Australian region cyclone season
- More than 25,000 people are evacuated from the city of Mackay, Queensland, ahead of Cyclone Debbie which is expected to make landfall in northern Queensland tomorrow. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology warns that Cyclone Debbie will be the worst storm to hit Queensland since Cyclone Yasi in 2011. (ABC)

Politics and elections

Bulgarian parliamentary election, 2017
- Official results of yesterday's election are released today. An exit poll showed the centre-right GERB winning the most votes. (Yahoo! News)
Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2017
- The deadline for the Government formation in Northern Ireland has expired following the refusal of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin to enter a power sharing agreement with each other, with both parties blaming each other for the impasse. (BBC)

Science and technology

The U.S. FDA approves Tesaro's ovarian cancer drug, Niraparib. (Reuters)

Sports

The National Football League (NFL) owners approve, by a 31–1 vote, the move of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the 2019 or 2020 season. The Las Vegas Raiders will become the second top-level professional sports franchise in the city, following the National Hockey League's Vegas Golden Knights, which will begin play in October 2017. The move now awaits completion of a new Raiders stadium, until which time the Raiders will continue playing home games in Oakland. Bank of America has issued the Raiders $650 million in credit to purchase land and build the new stadium in Clark County. (NBC Sports), (The Washington Post)

March 26, 2017 (Sunday)

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Disasters and accidents

A Ukrainian military Mi-2 transport helicopter crashes after hitting a power line near Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, killing all five people aboard. (Reuters)

Law and crime

A shooting in Cincinnati, Ohio, kills one person and injures fourteen others. (CNN)
2017 Russian protests
- Authorities detain hundreds of people, including Alexei Navalny, at anti-corruption protests across Russia. (Reuters) (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Bulgarian parliamentary election, 2017
- Bulgarians vote to elect a new Prime Minister after the resignation of Boyko Borissov. Opinion polls predict a close contest between Borissov's centre-right GERB and the Socialist Party. (The Economist)
Hong Kong Chief Executive election, 2017
- The Hong Kong Election Committee meets to select a new Chief Executive. Carrie Lam becomes the first female Chief Executive. (The Telegraph), (The New York Times)
Wallis and Futuna Territorial Assembly election, 2017
- Voters in Wallis and Futuna re-elect nine members and elect eleven new members to the 20-seat Territorial Assembly. (Radio New Zealand International)

Sports

2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- The last two places in the Final Four are decided. In the East Region in New York City, South Carolina defeats Southeastern Conference foe Florida 77–70 for the Gamecocks' first-ever Final Four appearance. (AP via ESPN) In the South Region in Memphis, Tennessee, North Carolina defeats Kentucky 75–73, sending the Tar Heels to their 20th Final Four. (AP via ESPN)

March 25, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Four people are killed in twin bombings in Sylhet, Bangladesh. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- According to a local police chief, at least seven militants are killed by Afghan security forces in Logar Province. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Syrian Civil War
- At least 16 people are killed by multiple airstrikes on a prison in Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
March 2017 Israel–Syria incident
- In response to several Israeli airstrikes against suspected Hezbollah-related targets inside Syria, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has threatened wider war with the State of Israel, stating its intention to fire Scud missiles, and specifically target the Israeli city of Haifa. Israel responded by stating that any such actions by the Assad regime, or attacks on its aircraft, will cause Israel to "annihilate" Syrian air defense systems. (The Times of Israel)
Sinai insurgency
- A roadside bomb kills four Egyptian Army soldiers near the town of Arish, North Sinai Governorate. (Reuters)
A vehicle mounts the pavement and runs into pedestrians in Islington, London, injuring 4. The teenage perpetrators are found carrying offensive weapons, but are not assumed to be terrorists. (BBC)

Arts and culture

The Driehaus Architecture Prize for New Classical architecture is awarded to Robert Adam in Chicago. (The Architect's Newspaper)

Disasters and accidents

A 45-meter long escalator at Langham Place in Hong Kong malfunctions injuring at least 18 people. (RT)

International relations

European Union leaders gather in Rome to mark 60 years since the Treaty of Rome was signed. (BBC)
The UK-US air travel ban on laptops and other electronic devices in the passenger cabin comes into effect. (BBC)
China, Chile and Egypt lift their bans on importing meat from Brazil. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Northern Mali conflict
- The Coordination of Azawad Movements, a coalition of Tuareg groups, announce that they will boycott a peace conference scheduled next week on implementing a 2015 peace agreement saying it was "not sufficiently inclusive". (Al Jazeera)
The UK Independence Party (UKIP)'s only MP, Douglas Carswell, quits the party to become an independent MP. (The Guardian)
2017 Belarusian protests
- Thousands of people protest in Minsk, Belarus, despite a ban on protests, against a so-called "social parasites" tax on the unemployed. (BBC)

Sports

2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- The first two places in the Final Four are decided. In the West Region in San Jose, California, Gonzaga defeats Xavier 83–59, advancing to the first Final Four in the program's history. (AP via ESPN) In the Midwest Region in Kansas City, Missouri, Oregon defeats Kansas 74–60, giving the Ducks their first Final Four appearance since winning the first NCAA Tournament in 1939. (AP via ESPN)

More March 2017 events...

Ongoing events
Disasters UK and Ireland windstorm season Law Philippine Drug War Political European migrant crisis (timeline) Romanian protests South China Sea disputes United States immigration ban More details on ongoing conflicts below Sport 2016–17 Bundesliga 2016–17 EuroLeague 2016–17 EuroLeague Women 2016–17 La Liga 2016–17 NBA season 2016–17 NHL season 2016–17 PBA season 2016–17 Premier League 2016–17 Serie A 2016–17 UEFA Champions League 2017 AFL season 2017 NCAA Division I Men's 2017 NCAA Division I Women's 2017 NASCAR Cup Series 2017 World Rally Championship edit sidebar

Recent deaths
March 2017 30: Donald Harvey 28: Ahmed Kathrada 27: Clem Curtis 26: Brian Oldfield 26: Roger Wilkins 25: Dave Steele 23: Lola Albright 23: William H. Keeler 23: Clay Matthews Sr. 23: Denis Voronenkov 22: Dallas Green 22: Pete Hamilton 22: Sib Hashian 21: Chuck Barris 21: Colin Dexter 21: Jerry Krause 20: Martin McGuinness 20: David Rockefeller 20: Robert B. Silvers 19: Jimmy Breslin 18: Chuck Berry 18: Bernie Wrightson 17: George Braziller 17: Auntie Fee 17: Hugh Hardy 17: Derek Walcott 16: James Cotton 16: Hasyim Muzadi 15: Sok An 15: Dave Stallworth 14: Royal Robbins 14: John Van de Kamp 13: Adib Boroumand 13: Danehill Dancer 13: Tommy LiPuma 12: Murray Ball 11: Lloyd Conover 10: Tony Haygarth 10: Bill Leak 10: John Surtees 10: Robert James Waller 9: Mick Adams 9: Howard Hodgkin 9: Joseph Nicolosi 8: Lou Duva 8: George Andrew Olah 7: Ron Bass 7: Dave Valentin 6: Robert Osborne 6: Rabi Ray 5: Jay Lynch 5: Fred Weintraub 4: Bonnie Burnard 4: Clayton Yeutter 3: Míriam Colón 3: Tommy Page 3: Lyle Ritz 3: René Préval 3: Thomas Starzl 2: Tommy Gemmell 1: John Hampshire 1: Paula Fox 1: Gustav Metzger edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent March 2: Northern Ireland, Assembly 15: Netherlands, House of Representatives 20: East Timor, President (1st round) 26: Bulgaria, Parliament Upcoming April 2: Armenia, Parliament 2: Ecuador, President (2nd round) 2: Serbia, President 6: The Gambia, National Assembly 16: Turkey, Constitutional referendum 23: France, President edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara Cambodia: Sam Rainsy China: Wan Qingliang, Ling Jihua, Zhoi Bin, Guo Boxiong Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Nur Misuari, Joel Villanueva Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Chris Denning, Ched Evans, Thomas Mair United States: Bob McDonnell, Paul Anthony Ciancia Ongoing China: Bai Enpei, Pan Yiyang, Yang Weize Germany: Beate Zschäpe Indonesia: Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Mary Jane Veloso Pakistan: Waseem Azeem, Mufti Abdul Qawi Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr., Leila de Lima, Rodrigo Duterte, Jovito Palparan Romania: Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil Spain: Gürtel case, Spanish Royal House, Bárcenas affair United States: Etan Patz United Kingdom: Rolf Harris, Barry Bennell International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo ICTY: Ratko Mladić Upcoming China: Wu Changshun Egypt: Mohamed Morsi Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Bill Cosby edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria and Tunisia Maghreb insurgency ISIL insurgency in Tunisia Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria Boko Haram insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Somalia Civil war South Sudan Ethnic violence (South Sudanese Civil War) Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Sudanese nomadic conflicts Americas Mexico Mexican War on Drugs Peru Internal conflict in Peru Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines Moro conflict Cross border attacks in Sabah Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua conflict Myanmar Internal conflict in Myanmar Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Thailand South Thailand insurgency Europe Armenia and Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Russia Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Egypt Sinai insurgency Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria Arab–Israeli conflict Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraq American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Iraq and Syria (map) Military intervention against ISIL Israel and Lebanon Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israel and Palestine Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Syria American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Turkish military intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemen Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Al-Qaeda insurgency edit sidebar