Portal:Current events/2019 March 22

March 22, 2019 (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- In the town of Dangdala, Chad, 23 National Army soldiers are killed in an overnight attack by Boko Haram militants. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Global investment management company BlackRock says that it is buying eFront, the leading provider of management software for alternative investments, for $1.3 billion in cash. (MarketWatch)

Disasters and accidents

Two buses collide head-on in a village near Kintampo, Ghana, killing at least 50 people. Almost all casualties are a result of a fire on one of the buses. (BBC News) (GhanaWeb)
2018–19 Australian region cyclone season
- Thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes as two potentially devastating cyclones are expected to hit the country this weekend. Cyclone Trevor will make landfall in the north near Numbulwar and Borroloola, while Cyclone Veronica, a Category 4 storm, will strike Pilbara on Australia's west coast. (BBC News)
2019 Yancheng chemical plant explosion
- Officials report the death toll is now 62 from Thursday's chemical plant explosion in Chenjiagang Industrial Park in northeastern Jiangsu Province, with 94 others seriously injured and 28 people still missing. (BBC News) (The Straits Times)

International relations

North Korea–United States relations, China–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump removes sanctions targeting North Korea that were imposed Thursday by the Treasury Department on two Chinese companies. (Fox News)
The Inter-American Development Bank, Latin America’s largest development lender, cancels its scheduled annual 48-country meeting next week following China's refusal to allow a representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó to attend what would have been the first IADB meeting held in China. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Zaoyang car attack
- A man is shot dead in the city of Zaoyang, China, after ramming his vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians, killing at least six and injuring seven others. (MSN)
Special Counsel investigation, Links between Trump associates and Russian officials
- Special Counsel Robert Mueller delivers a report on his inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 elections to Attorney General William Barr, who is expected to summarize the findings for congressional lawmakers in the coming days. (CBS News) (ABC News) (NBC News) (CNN)

Politics and elections

2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
- More than 24 hours after the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) detain attorney Roberto Marrero—Juan Guaidó's chief of staff—there has been no contact with him and lawmakers are denied access to him at El Helicoide. (Tal Cual Digital)
- Just hours after Marrero's detention, the United States Department of the Treasury responds by placing sanctions on BANDES, the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank and four of its subsidiaries. (France 24))
2019 Algerian protests
- Hundreds of thousands of Algerians again rally, this week in heavy rain and cold weather, against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika demanding his immediate resignation. Bouteflika is fighting for his political survival in the face of unrelenting protests and the desertion of long-time allies. (Reuters)

Sports

The English Football League is to deduct Birmingham City F.C. nine points for breaching profitability and sustainability rules. Birmingham City are the first club to be deducted points since the EFL introduced its new profitability and sustainability regulations in 2016. (BBC Sport)