Portal:Current events/2011 March 16

March 16, 2011 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Arab Spring:
- Bahrain security forces drive out protestors from the Pearl Roundabout, resulting in several deaths. (Al Jazeera)(Ynet)
- Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi shell Misrata as the civil war continues and start an assault on Ajdabiya the last town before the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters) (BBC)
- Demonstrators defy a government ban in the Syrian capital Damascus and protest for a second day, demanding the release of political prisoners. (BBC) (Ahram Online)
The Israeli Air Force attacks a training site of the Palestinian militant group Al Qassam brigades in the southern part of Gaza City in response to a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli southern communities in the Sdot Negev Regional Council in the southern district of Israel. Palestinians reported that three people were killed in the attack and three were wounded. (Palestine News Network)(idfspokesperson.com)

Business and economy

Japan's Nikkei 225 improves by six per cent as concerns over the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on the economy are reduced. (BBC)
The Japanese yen reaches a postwar high against the United States dollar on the basis that Japanese insurers will redeem overseas assets to pay for the cost of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. (Business Week)

Disasters

Fukushima I nuclear accidents:
- Another fire breaks out at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in northern Honshu, Japan. (Reuters via Edmonton Examiner)
- Radiation levels rise inside and outside the plant leading to the temporary evacuation of emergency workers. (New York Times) (BBC) (Reuters)
- Gregory Jaczko, the head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission tells a United States Congressional panel that his Commission is recommending a higher exclusion zone. (Voice of America)
Japanese earthquake and tsunami:
- The death toll from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami rises to 4,277 with at least 8,194 missing. (CNN) (NineMSN)
- The Emperor of Japan Akihito expresses his condolences to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. (AP via The Houston Chronicle)

Law and crime

Police in Cambodia ask prosecutors to charge recruitment firm T&P with illegally detaining its staff. (BBC)
Raymond Davis, an official with the United States embassy in Pakistan, is acquitted of charges of two counts of murder and released from jail after compensation is paid to the victims' families, the result of intense diplomatic talks between the United States and Pakistan.(CNN) (Times of Pakistan)

Politics

Hillary Clinton, the United States Secretary of State, states that she will not serve a second term in President Obama's Cabinet if he is reelected in 2012 and will retire from public life. (Huffington Post)
Michigan protests:
- The Governor of Michigan Rick Snyder signs legislation giving enhanced powers to emergency managers appointed to manage cities and schools including the power to terminate union contracts. (AP via the The Columbus Republic)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
- Michigan State Police remove eleven protesters in the State Capitol following a rally attended by thousands of people. (Detroit Free Press)^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Sport

Transport :

Indian Railways driver Surekha Yadav loco pilot mail drives the Deccan Queen from Pune to Mumbai CST, for Central Railways division, and becomes the first woman from this country to do so.