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Worldwide current events
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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.
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.

April 2, 2017 (Sunday)

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Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- The death toll from Cyclone Debbie and associated floods in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland rises to five. (News Limited)

Politics and elections

Armenian parliamentary election, 2017
- Voters in Armenia go to the polls for an election, the first since constitutional changes were approved in a referendum in 2015, which changed the country's governance from a semi-presidential system to a parliamentary republic. Opinion polls predict a tight race between the Republican Party, led by President Serzh Sargsyan, and Prosperous Armenia, led by Gagik Tsarukyan. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Serbian presidential election, 2017
- Voters in Serbia go to the polls for an election, which Prime Minster Aleksandar Vučić is expected to win. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

April 1, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Military intervention against ISIL
- The Iraqi State Television says Ayad al-Jumaili, believed to be ISIL's second-in-command, is killed by an Iraqi airstrike near Al Qaim, Anbar province, Iraq. (Daily Mail)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- At least three people have died in heavy rain following Cyclone Debbie and 20,000 forced to leave their homes in New South Wales and Queensland. (News Limited), (ABC)
- Police search for four missing people in southeast Queensland as the Logan River reaches record levels. (AAP via Yahoo News Australia)
More than two dozen people are missing after a landslide hits the Indonesian island of Java. (DPA via News Limited)
2017 Putumayo landslide
- A landslide in Colombia's southwestern border province of Putumayo sends mud and debris crashing onto houses killing over 250 people and injuring at least 400. A further 200 are missing. (Hindustan Times) (Reuters)
An explosion occurs at a carnival in Paris, France, injuring at least 18 people. (Independent)
A South Korean cargo freighter goes missing and is believed to have sunk off the coast of Uruguay. (SBS Australia)

Politics and elections

2017 dissolution of Venezuelan National Assembly
- Venezuela's Supreme Court reverses Thursday's controversial ruling, now restoring legislative power to the National Assembly. However, the court's decision still allows President Nicolás Maduro to enter joint-venture deals. (BBC) (The Washington Post)
After two weeks of social unrest in French Guiana, the French government promises € 1 billion for education, healthcare, security and justice. (France24) (Reuters)

Sports

2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- Gonzaga defeats South Carolina 77–73 to advance to the title game on April 3. (AP via ESPN)
- The Bulldogs await the winner of the evening's second semifinal, which pits North Carolina and Oregon. (ESPN)

March 31, 2017 (Friday)

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Armed conflict and attacks

War in North-West Pakistan
- A bomb targets a mosque in the city of Parachinar near the border with Afghanistan killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens more. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Cyclone Debbie
- Authorities find a woman's body near the town of Murwillumbah, New South Wales, bringing the number of confirmed storm fatalities to at least two people. There are fears that more people could be missing in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. (The Australian)
Interstate 85 bridge collapse
- Officials state that repairs will take months following a fire that collapsed a bridge on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, Georgia. Three individuals are arrested in connection with the disaster, two with criminal trespass and one with first degree criminal damage. (WSB)

Environment and ecology

A Japanese fleet returns home after slaughtering 333 whales in the Antarctic. The Japanese government says this is done for research purposes. (New York Magazine)

International relations

At a NATO meeting, German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel rejects as "quite unrealistic" the belief that Germany would spend 2% of GDP on the military. He says other spending such as development aid should be taken into account. (BBC)

Law and crime

Indian state of Gujarat passes a law which makes slaughter of a cow punishable with life imprisonment.(BBC)

Politics and elections

2017 dissolution of Venezuelan National Assembly
- Luisa Ortega Díaz, Venezuela's attorney general, denounces a rupture of the constitutional order. Some protesters hold banners reading: "No To Dictatorship". (Reuters)
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that he is developing a plan to close the Rikers Island prison within 10 years. (BBC)
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma fires finance minister Pravin Gordhan amid a major cabinet reshuffle. The South African rand plunges. (CNN)
Protesters set the Congress of Paraguay on fire to protest against a bill that would let the president seek re-election. (BBC)

Sports

2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament
- Mississippi State defeats four-time defending national champion Connecticut 66–64 in overtime, ending the Huskies' NCAA-record winning streak at 111 games. (AP via ESPN)
- The MSU Bulldogs advance to the title game against fellow Southeastern Conference team South Carolina, which defeated Stanford 62–53 in the evening's first semifinal. (AP via ESPN)

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)
Interstate 85 bridge collapse
- A 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. A 2015 report stated that the highway carried nearly a quarter-million vehicles a day. (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. (The Times of Israel)

Law and crime

Italian police arrest 34 people of a drug gang who reportedly planned to steal Enzo Ferrari's corpse, and hold it for ransom. (NBC)
2016 South Korean political scandal
- Authorities arrest Impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye 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 enacts a ban on cities in North Carolina from enacting "civil rights" protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people through 2020. (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) (BBC)
Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Michael T. Flynn is willing to testify under the condition of immunity in the ongoing congressional probe on Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (CNN)
- A Congressional witness states that Russia hired 1,000 people to create anti-Clinton 'fake news' in key U.S. states during the election. (The Independent)
- During a Senate hearing, United States Senator Marco Rubio states that there have been post-election hack attempts against the U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Rubio himself. (CNN)

Science and technology

Scientific Reports publishes Carthage College research that Daspletosaurus horneri, from the same Tyrannosauridae family as the Tyrannosaurus rex, had a sensitive nose. The research describes that foramina sprouted from the trigeminal nerve at the snout and jaws possibly enabling 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. The event is notable because of the implied economic cost savings of reusing, for the first time, a used Falcon 9 first stage which had previously been recovered. That first stage had previously launched a Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station and landed on an autonomous drone ship during the CRS-8 mission. (The 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)

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 Formula One 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
April 2017 1: Yevgeny Yevtushenko March 2017 31: Gilbert Baker 31: William Coleman 31: James Rosenquist 30: Donald Harvey 29: Alexei Abrikosov 28: Ahmed Kathrada 27: Clem Curtis 26: Brian Oldfield 26: Roger Wilkins 25: Julian Stanczak 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 edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent March 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