Portal:Current events/2013 March 22
March 22, 2013 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Drone attacks in Pakistan:
- Pakistan officials say that a US drone strike has killed 4 suspected insurgents in a car in Datta Khel in North Waziristan. (The New York Times) (PressTV) (The Hindu)
- Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen:
- Two al-Qaeda fighters and two pro-government militiamen are killed in clashes in Jaar, Yemen. (AP via Google News)
Arts and culture
- American alternative rock band My Chemical Romance announces their breakup in one paragraph after a musical career spanning 12 years. (Billboard) (My Chemical Romance)
- Australian painter Del Kathryn Barton wins the 2013 Archibald Prize for her portrait of actor Hugo Weaving. (ABC News Australia) (The Australian Financial Review) (Vogue Australia)[permanent dead link]
Business and economy
- The People's Republic of China levies anti-dumping charges on the chemical resorcinol imported from the United States and Japan. (Reuters)
- 2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: Minister of Finance of Cyprus Michael Sarris says that his talks with officials in Russia about a possible rescue package for Cypriot banks have led nowhere. (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
- Heavy snowfall causes widespread disruption to many parts of the United Kingdom, while torrential rain brings floods to South West England. (BBC)
- 2013 Thailand refugee camp fire: At least 30 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand. (BBC) (The New York Times)
Health and environment
- 2013 meat adulteration scandal: Britain's Food Standards Agency says that 100kg of horse meat imported from Hungary and labelled as beef has been discovered in Lancashire. (BBC)
International relations
- President of the United States Barack Obama visits Jordan and meets with King Abdullah II. He warns of extremist threat in Syria. (AP via USA Today)
- Xi Jinping heads to Russia on the first stop of his maiden overseas tour as President of China. (BBC) (CNN) (The New York Times)
- The UN human rights council has set up an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea for the first time. (BBC) (Brookings Institution)
- South Korea´s Ministry of Unification allows humanitarian aid shipments to North Korea despite recent military tensions. (AFP via FMT)
- Two Italian marines accused of murdering Indian fishermen in international waters return to India to face legal charges, defusing a standoff between the two countries. (Al Jazeera)
- Israel–Turkey relations:
- Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologizes to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the death of nine activists during a flotilla raid in Gaza in 2010 and offers compensation for their families. (BBC)
- President of the United States Barack Obama announces that Israel and Turkey have reached an agreement to normalize relations between both countries. (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CBS News)
Law and crime
- Two tourists, an Israeli and a Norwegian, are kidnapped in the South Sinai of Egypt by armed tribesmen. (Xinhua) (Kuwait News Agency) (BBC)
- Rwandan accused war criminal Bosco Ntaganda is transferred into the custody of the International Criminal Court. (AP via USA Today)
- A shooting at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, United States, kills three people, including the suspected shooter. (WTOP) (USA Today) (CNN)
- A state of emergency is imposed in the Burmese town of Meiktila after at least twenty people are killed in communal violence. (BBC)
Movies
- The Movie Premiere of The Croods
- From the Creators of Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon
Politics and elections
- Najib Mikati announces his resignation as Prime Minister of Lebanon. (The Wall Street Journal)
- Several Ministers and Australian Labor Party figures resign or are sacked following a leadership spill including Simon Crean, Martin Ferguson, Chris Bowen, Kim Carr, Richard Marles, Ed Husic and Joel Fitzgibbon. (3 News)[permanent dead link] (Herald Sun)
- Former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy is being investigated over claims of illegal donations received from the country's richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt of L'Oréal. (Al Jazeera)
- Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is granted protective bail in several cases, paving the way for his return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile. (BBC)
Science and technology
- Two new species of lizards are discovered in the Andes Mountains in Peru. (TopNews Arab Emirates)
Sport
- 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification:
- In the UEFA Group I, defending champions Spain are held to 1–1 draw at home by Finland. (FIFA) (BBC)
- In the UEFA Group H, England defeat San Marino 8–0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Serravalle while Ukraine defeat Poland with a 3-1 away win. (FIFA) (Eurosport)
- In the UEFA Group F, Northern Ireland’s match with Russia is postponed due to heavy snow and ice in Belfast. (Goal.com) (Eurosport)
- In the CONCACAF Fourth Round, the USA defeats Costa Rica 1–0 in near-blizzard conditions at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. (Fox Sports)