Portal:Current events/2016 March 23

March 23, 2016 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2016 Brussels bombings
- Belgian federal prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw says two brothers of Belgian nationality, Khalid and Brahim el-Bakraoui, were responsible for yesterday's suicide bombings. Khalid bombed the subway station while Ibrahim bombed the airport, he added. A third suspect, who died at the airport, is identified as Najim Laachraoui, says De Standaard. A fourth suspect seen in the airport photo, who left a massive bomb at the airport that did not detonate, is unidentified and still at large. (UPI) (Los Angeles Times) (De Standaard)
- Van Leeuw says 31 people died and 271 are injured in the bombings. (UPI)
- Referring to the Brussels bombings, Poland abandons a pledge to shelter Syrian migrants under a European Union relocation agreement. (Reuters)
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present), War on Terror
- At least 50 militants are reportedly killed in a U.S. air strike on an Al-Qaeda training camp in southern Yemen. (Reuters)

Business and economics

The U.S. Labor Department releases a long-awaited rule, the so-called persuader rule that was first proposed in 2011. The regulation requires companies to disclose when they seek advice about countering union campaigns. The final rule will apply to contracts beginning on July 1, 2016. Several business groups, such as the National Retail Federation, the Associated Builders and Contractors, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, object because the rule limits employers' free speech rights to counter union organizing, it could interfere with attorney-client privilege, etc. Court challenges are expected. (Reuters) (The Hill)

Disasters and accidents

2015–16 North American winter
- Late March 2016 North American blizzard
  - A powerful blizzard sweeping Denver, Colorado, forces authorities to close Denver International Airport, Interstate 70, Interstate 25 and leaves more than 100,000 people without power. The Colorado Army National Guard has been deployed to help rescue those stranded by the storm. (The Denver Post)
  - Denver International Airport reopens at 7 pm (Mountain Daylight Time). Over 1,300 flights were canceled. Just a few flights are expected to arrive or depart through the night. The National Weather Service estimates that parts of Denver received 19.5 inches of snow as of 3:59 pm (MDT). (The Denver Post) (The Denver Post²)

International relations

European migrant crisis
- Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, announce they are withdrawing from the so-called hotspots on the Greek islands because of the new EU-Turkey deal. UNHCR's Melissa Fleming says, "Under the new provisions, these sites (hotspots) have now become detention facilities." MSF's Marie Elisabeth Ingres says, “We will not allow our assistance to be instrumentalized (sic) for a mass expulsion operation, and we refuse to be part of a system that has no regard for the humanitarian or protection needs of asylum seekers and migrants.” (Vox Media) (New Europe)

Law and crime

Passengers are evacuated from the south domestic terminal at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the U.S. state of Georgia after a suspicious package is found. The package is declared safe by a bomb squad. (AP via News24)
The Supreme Court of the United States, which currently has just eight justices, today heard the case brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh (Zubik v. Burwell, which includes similar ones by other religious organizations) that challenges the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provision that employer-paid health insurance plans provide women with access to contraceptives at no additional out-of-pocket cost, and challenges the federal government accommodation offered in 2014 that would have a third-party provide the coverage with costs paid by the federal government. The plaintiffs state that both are unconstitutional because they violate the free exercise of religion. The decision is expected in June. If the result is a split decision (4-4), there would be no national precedent and each case's final decision would be the one made in court before the case was forwarded to the Supreme Court. In the group of cases presented today, all but one appeals court upheld the government mandate. (Reuters) (USA Today) (NPR)

Politics and elections

Nigerien general election, 2016
- Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou wins re-election in a second round of voting, receiving 92 percent of the vote in an election that was boycotted by the opposition. (Al Jazeera)
Senegalese constitutional referendum, 2016
- Voters in Senegal approve a series of constitutional reforms, which include a reduction of presidential terms from seven to five years, with 63 percent of the vote. (BBC)
2016 United States presidential election
- Tuesday, March 22 primaries/caucuses
  - Front runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump each won the Democratic and Republican primary in Arizona, respectively. (BBC)
  - Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz each won their party's votes in Idaho and Utah (BBC)
  - The early results for Tuesday's GOP caucus in American Samoa -- nine uncommitted. The Democratic caucus was held on March 1, 2016, with Hillary Clinton getting eight delegates and Bernie Sanders three. (caffeinatedthoughts.com) (The Green Papers)