Portal:Current events/2020 March 23

March 23, 2020 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Boko Haram insurgency
- March 2020 Chad and Nigeria massacres
  - Boko Haram jihadists kill 92 soldiers at an army base in Chad. (RTÉ News and Current Affairs)
  - Boko Haram kills 70 troops in an ambush in Borno, northeastern Nigeria. (Reuters)
Islamist insurgency in Mozambique
- Islamist militants seize the port town of Mocímboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique after capturing the town's military base in an overnight attack. Residents say militants have blocked all exits in the town. The armed forces and police launch a counter-offensive. (BBC News)
Syrian civil war
- The Syrian Air Defense Force says that it intercepted a drone near Khmeimim Air Base. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
- About 500 cinemas reopen in China. (Deadline Hollywood)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema, COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
- Italian actress and former beauty pageant winner Lucia Bosè dies aged 89 from pneumonia complicated by COVID-19. (Billboard)

Business and economy

Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
  - Fast food restaurant chain McDonald's closes all of its restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland citing the safety of its employees and customers amid the coronavirus pandemic. (The Guardian)
- Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
  - The United States Senate votes down for a second time a stimulus relief package. (WDAF-TV) (CNBC) (The Washington Post)
  - The Federal Reserve Bank announces the commitment to buy any amount of government-backed securities needed to keep interest rates down. Among other measures being developed to support the real economy, it will also establish a special purpose vehicle allowing it to buy investment-grade corporate bonds directly. (Reuters)

Health and environment

COVID-19 pandemic
- COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania
  - Vanuatu puts the island of Aneityum under "temporary lockdown" after a cruise ship with a reportedly infected passenger on board visited the island. (Radio New Zealand)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand
    - New Zealand enters alert level 3 after the investigation into two assumed community-spread cases do not find any links to travel. All schools and public venues are closed. The country will enter alert level 4 on 26 March at midnight local time. (Stuff)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji
    - Fiji confirms its third case of COVID-19. (FBC News)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Europe
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
    - Spain's Ministry of Health reports 4,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases, rising to 33,000 infected and 2,182 dead. (NBC News)
    - The Spanish Army has found elderly people abandoned and dead inside retirement homes, according to Defence Minister Margarita Robles. A criminal investigation has been launched. (BBC News)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
    - The British Army begins Operation Rescript, to assist the UK's efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. (The Independent)
    - The United Kingdom is placed in lockdown. The new measures close all non-essential stores and ban gatherings of more than two people. (The Guardian)
    - Downing Street says Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is the "designated survivor" to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson if he became "incapacitated" due to COVID-19. The clarification comes after the issue was raised by MP Peter Bone. (The Independent)
    - The British government announces that ExCeL London will be turned into a 4000-bed hospital to open next week, staffed primarily by military medics. (The Guardian)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
    - The Dutch Health Ministry reports 545 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 34 more deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 4,749 and 213 deaths. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Malta
    - Malta's government announces that citizens who test positive for COVID-19 and disobey self-isolation rules will be fined 10,000 euros. (Times of Malta)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus
    - President Nicos Anastasiades announces the order of a nationwide lockdown between 24 March and 13 April. (Bloomberg)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan
    - The government announces that a lockdown of Tashkent will begin on March 24. (The New York Times)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar
    - Myanmar reports the country's first confirmed cases of COVID-19, the patients are a 36-year-old who had travelled back from the United States and a 26-year-old returning from the United Kingdom. Panic buying is reported in the country's largest city, Yangon. (CNA)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates
    - Dubai closes all restaurants, cafes and food locals for two weeks. (Alarabiya in English)
- COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia
    - President Kais Saied orders the army to deploy in the streets to enforce a lockdown in response to the coronavirus. (Reuters)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa
    - President Cyril Ramaphosa announces a 21-day nationwide lockdown effective from March 26, to contain the coronavirus, as the number of confirmed cases rises to 402. Soldiers will be deployed to help police enforce the lockdown. (Reuters)
- COVID-19 pandemic in North America
  - COVID-19 pandemic in Canada
    - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that Canada will spend $192M to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. (Global News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario
      - COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto
        Mayor of Toronto John Tory declares a state of emergency for the city of Toronto. (CFTO-DT)
      - Premier Doug Ford announces that non-essential businesses in Ontario are to be shut down for at least two weeks. (National Post)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec
      - Premier François Legault announces that non-essential businesses in Quebec are to be shut down for three weeks. (National Post)
  - COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaii
      - Norwegian Jewel arrives at Honolulu after cutting its trip short due to COVID-19 and mechanical problems. No positive cases were confirmed among the passengers and crew members. (ABC News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts
      - Governor Charlie Baker orders all businesses and organizations not providing essential services to close until April 7, effective at noon on Tuesday. Baker states that he is not issuing a stay-at-home order, saying it "doesn't make sense from a public health point of view", but has directed the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to issue a stay-at-home advisory, limiting public gatherings to 10 people or less. (WBUR-FM)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan
      - Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issues a stay-at-home order for all Michiganders except for essential services. (Fox News)
    - COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
      - New York is expected to be the first state to test the treatment of coronavirus with blood from recovered patients. (NBC News)

International relations

COVID-19 pandemic in Italy
- Cuba sends doctors to Italy to fight the coronavirus. (Reuters)
United Arab Emirates–United States relations
- The United States Marine Corps and the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces hold military exercises amid tensions with Iran. (ABC News)

Law and crime

COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana
- Eight people are arrested at a market in Ashaiman for violating restrictions while disinfection on the market began. (GhanaWeb)
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company is expected to plead guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter in the Camp Fire. (NBC News)
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on prisons
- Rapper-turned-informant 6ix9ine requests an early prison release over fears of COVID-19. (The Daily Beast)
Capital punishment in the United States, Capital punishment in Colorado
- Colorado abolishes the death penalty and commutes sentences of death row inmates. (The New York Times)

Politics and elections

2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries
- Bernie Sanders wins the Democrats Abroad primary. (The Hill)

Science and technology

The ancestor, Ikaria wariootia, of all animals with a bilateral body plan is discovered as a fossil in rocks of South Australia. (Geology Page) (The Guardian)