Portal:Current events/2010 March 20

March 20, 2010 (Saturday)

A series of severe sandstorms hit north China, affecting the regions of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia and the provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Hebei. (China Daily)
Death of Girija Prasad Koirala:
- Former Prime Minister and Acting Head of State of Nepal Girija Prasad Koirala, "the elder statesman of South Asia" who brought down the King, dies in Kathmandu at the age of 86. (Press TV) (The Times of India) (Xinhua) (Arab News) (ABC) (BBC)
- The government declares a national day of mourning for his funeral. (The Washington Post)
Child sex abuse in the Catholic Church:
- The Pope's special pastoral letter to Irish Catholics on the issue of child sex abuse within the Church is published by the Vatican but fails to impress some survivors organisations. (RTÉ) (BBC) (CBC) (CNN)
- The Swiss Catholic Church investigates its own sex allegations, including some said to have occurred since 2001. (Reuters)
Middle East:
- A Palestinian teenager is killed, and another wounded by Israeli Security Forces. According to Israeli authorities, a mob of Palestinians were holding a "violent, illegal riot", and were approaching an Israeli settlement in a "threatening matter", and were dispersed by tear gas and rubber bullets. Israel promises an investigation into the incident. (Yahoo! News)
- Major politicians in the United States urge in a letter addressed to United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to resolve tensions with Israel "quietly, in trust and confidence, as befits longstanding strategic allies". (The Jerusalem Post)
- Four people are charged with spying for Israel in Lebanon and admit being recruited by Mossad; two of them flee to Israel; Israel does not comment. (Ynetnews) (The Jerusalem Post) (Press Trust of India)
Unidentified gunmen assassinate Sheikh Daud Ali Hasan, a senior commander of the Al-Shabab militant group in the southern city of Kismayo, Somalia. (Reuters) (African Press Agency)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Thousands of Russians demonstrate across the country against the policies of the government of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. (Al Jazeera) (RIA Novosti) (BBC)
A severe sandstorm affecting northern parts of China hits the capital Beijing, with health authorities urging people to stay inside. (China Daily) (BBC) (Bernama)
Cabin crew at British Airways begin a three-day strike. (BBC) (The Times) (The Guardian)
67 people are arrested and several people are injured during a clash between members of the English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism in the town centre of Bolton, UK. (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph) (The Times)
A Western Saharan human rights campaigner alleges abuse by Moroccan police after being interviewed by the BBC for their Tropic of Cancer programme. (BBC)
Hundreds of thousands of people attend a rally in support of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome ahead of this month's elections. (France24) (BBC) (The Sydney Morning Herald) (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
A teenager is arrested in New Jersey, United States in connection with the recent Wal-Mart announcement telling "all blacks" to leave the shop. (CNN) (CBS News) (The New York Times)
David Bowie and Sir Elton John are among those to publicly mourn the death of Lesley Duncan, who also appeared on albums by Pink Floyd and Dusty Springfield. (BBC) (The Scotsman)
In international rugby union, France achieve the Grand Slam—their first since 2004—to win the 2010 Six Nations Championship. (BBC) (RTÉ) (The Times) (The Globe and Mail)