Friday,  March 17th, 2023 

The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, presidential commissioner for children’s rights, for alleged war crimes involving the abduction and forced adoption of children from Ukraine. (AP) 

Poland announces that it will deliver four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member state to send warplanes to Ukraine. (Sky News) 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces that Turkey will begin the process of ratifying Finland’s membership of NATO without Sweden, which Turkey accuses of supporting the PKK. (Yle) 

Hungary announces that a vote on Finland’s membership application will take place on March 27. Fidesz parlimentary group leader Máté Kocsis says that Sweden’s application will be considered at a later date. (AFP via Barron’s) 

Fourteen people are killed and at least 12 others are injured by a roof collapse at a cold storage warehouse in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, India. (Metro) 

New Zealand bans the use of Chinese-owned video sharing app TikTok on all government devices. (The Guardian) 

Thursday, March 16th, 2023 

The Moldovan parliament approves a law that formally declares the country’s official language as Romanian. (Reuters) 

The Libyan National Army says that it has found about two and a half tonnes of uranium ore contained in ten drums, near the border with Chad, that was reported missing by the International Atomic Energy Agency. (BBC News) 

Two police officers are killed by a 16-year-old gunman while responding to a domestic dispute call at an apartment complex in Inglewood, Edmonton, Canada. The perpetrator kills himself after seriously wounding his mother. (CBC News) 

Over 220 Brazilian National Guardsmen are deployed to the northeastern states of Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba after riots caused by imprisoned gang members result in three deaths and class cancellations in both states. (AP) 

The British government bans the use of Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on all government devices, citing security concerns. (Sky News) 

Four people including including Islamic Jihad and Hamas commanders are killed and five more injured during a raid by Israeli security forces in the Jenin refugee camp, in the West Bank. (The Jerusalem Post)

Eight miltants and two civilian children are killed during a military operation by the Pakistani military in Zinghara, South Waziristan. (Xinhua) 

The death toll from Cyclone Freddy has increased to over 300. Most of the deaths occurring in Malawi. (Al Jazeera) 

French President Emmanuel Macron invokes a Constitutional amendment allowing him to circumvent the National Assembly in order to pass a controversial reform bill raising the retirement age in the country from 62 to 64, without the law going to a vote. (New York Times) 

The End

Tuesday,  March 14^th 2023 

OpenAI launches GPT-4, the next generation large language model for artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. The new model can respond to images, and has the ability to process up to 25,000 words. (BBC News) 

Russian Su-27 fighter jets “intercepted and hit” a United States Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, with the collision damaging the drone’s propeller and causing the United States to crash the drone into international waters. (The Washington Post) (Reuters) 

Argentina’s annual inflation rate increases to 102.5%, the highest recorded rate since 1991, according to the country’s statistics index. (Reuters) 

Meta Platforms announces plans to cut 10,000 more jobs across its workforce, citing “higher interest rates in the United States, global geopolitical instability and increased regulation” as the reason for the layoffs. (BBC News) 

Protests occur in Pakistan over the possible arrest of PTI chairman and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan. (livemint) 

Lithuania’s Seimas votes to recognize Russian paramilitary force Wagner Group as a terrorist organization, citing the group’s “numerous crimes” in Ukraine, including the killing and torturing of civilians. (RFE/RL) 

Ecuadorian lawmakers unanimously vote to declassify documents in continuing efforts to impeach president Guillermo Lasso for corruption. (Reuters) 

President of Honduras Xiomara Castro announces that Honduras will stop recognizing Taiwan and will start recognizing the People’s Republic of China as the sole Chinese state. (AP) 

Ecuador withdraws its ambassador from Argentina in protest of the latter sheltering Ecuatorian politician María de los Angeles Duarte since 2020, refusing to give information of her whereabouts. Hours later, Argentina also withdraws its ambassador from Ecuador, escalating diplomatic tensions between the two nations. (Infobae) 

Monday,  March 13th, 2023 

New York-based commercial bank Signature Bank is closed down after a bank run on its deposits, and is taken into receivership by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. (Reuters) 

Cyclone Freddy kills at least 99 people in Malawi, including 85 people in Blantyre. It is the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record, according to the WMO, having formed on February 4. (The Guardian) 

One person is killed and three others are injured by an apparent gas explosion in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. (BBC News) 

Two people are killed and nine others are injured when a truck strikes a group of pedestrians in Amqui, Quebec, Canada. (CBS News) 

Kerisiano Kalolo becomes the new Head of Government of Tokelau. (RNZ) 

The End

Sunday, March 12th, 2023 

Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh becomes the first Asian to win the Best Actress award for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. (AFP via ABS-CBN News) 

At this year’s Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once wins seven awards, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. (Variety) 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman formally announces the establishment of Riyadh Air, a new flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia. (Reuters) 

Israeli airstrikes at a weapons depot in Masyaf, Hama Governorate, Syria, kill a Syrian soldier and two pro-Iranian militants. (Arab News) 

Saturday, March 11th, 2023 

Li Qiang is elected as Premier of the People’s Republic of China, succeeding Li Keqiang. (BBC News) 

A security guard is killed and eight other people are injured by an explosion in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province, Afghanistan. (Reuters) 

Sixteen people are killed by Fula gunmen at a police checkpoint in Zangon Kataf, Kaduna State, Nigeria. (AP) 

Mikaela Shiffrin becomes the world’s most successful alpine skier with her 87th World Cup victory. (Reuters) 

The End