Friday,  March 22nd, 2024 

A capsized boat carrying Rohingya refugees is found off the coast of Aceh, Indonesia, with 69 refugees rescued. (NOS) 

Russia launches a massive attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region with ballistic and cruise missiles, injuring at least 17 people. (CNN) 

The German Bundesrat approves a partial legalization of cannabis in Germany, set to come into effect on 1 April. (DW) 

Prominent Haitian gang leader Ti Greg, who escaped prison earlier this month, is shot dead by Haitian police. (Sky News) 

Russia launches dozens of ballistic missiles at Ukrainian cities for a second consecutive day with reports of power outages in Kharkiv after critical infrastructure was targeted. At least eight missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia are reported, while a “critical infrastructure object” is damaged in Vinnytsia. (U.S. News & World Report) 

Dnieper Hydroelectric Station in Zaporizhzhia is hit with a missile causing extensive damage and a large fire. A trolleybus carrying civilians was destroyed in the attack, although casualties are currently unknown. The shelling also damaged one of the two power lines connected to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. (The Guardian)  

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake causes severe damage in Bawean, East Java, Indonesia. (Detik) 

Thursday, March 21st, 2024 

The Dutch Royal Marechaussee arrests three British soldiers of the HMS Prince of Wales after multiple incidents in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (NOS) 

The death toll of the capsized South Korean-flagged tanker Keoyoung Sun increases to nine with one person still missing. (Reuters) 

The Russian Ministry of Defence announces that its forces have captured the Ukrainian village of Tonenke in Donetsk Oblast. (Al Arabiya) 

At least one civilian is killed and four others are injured in a Russian ballistic missile attack on Mykolaiv, Ukraine. (Reuters) 

The European Council agrees to open talks on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership of the European Union days after the recommendation by the European Commission. (AP) 

Pope Francis laicizes Belgian bishop Roger Vangheluwe due to allegations of abuse. (NOS) 

Filipino former legislator Arnolfo Teves Jr. is arrested in Dili, East Timor, after being placed in the Interpol Red Notice in connection with his role in the 2023 massacre in Negros Oriental, Philippines. (AFP via Barron’s) 

The End Friday 

Thursday, March 21st, 2024 

Vietnam’s President Võ Văn Thưởng resigns after just over a year in office amid the Communist Party‘s anti-corruption campaign, making him the shortest-serving president in Vietnamese history. (Reuters) 

A court in Russia sentences the Volga Maniac serial killer to life in prison for the murders of 31 elderly women in Tatarstan between 2011 and 2012. (Reuters) 

A Russian missile kills five people and injures eight others in an industrial area of Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Russia states it has occupied the Ukrainian village of Tonenke, Donetsk Oblast. (Al Arabiya) 

A suicide bomber kills three people and injures 12 others at the entrance of a private bank in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (TOLO News) 

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq launches drone attacks on Kiryat Shmona Airport and Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.  (Islamic Republic News Agency) 

Wednesday, March 20th, 2024 

Gangs attack the neighborhood of Petion-Ville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing at least five people. (The Washington Post) 

The United States evacuates citizens by helicopter as fighting spreads. (The Guardian) 

Eight Balochistan Liberation Army gunmen are killed after trying to storm Gwadar‘s port in the Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Two security guards are also wounded in the gunfight, which lasted for two hours. (Al Jazeera English) 

Twelve bodies are found in Mexico, five in Jalisco and seven in Sonora. (Associated Press) 

Twelve people are killed in an explosion at a mine in Harnai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. (Associated Press) 

Eight people are killed, one is injured, and two are missing after the South Korean-flagged tanker Keoyoung Sun loaded with 980 tons of acrylic acid capsizes near Mutsure Island, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. (Al Jazeera English) 

Argentina announces a charge against Venezuela before the International Civil Aviation Organization for allegedly violating the Convention on International Civil Aviation after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro banned Argentine aircraft from its airspace earlier this month amid traded accusations with Argentinian President Javier Milei. (Infobae) 

Leo Varadkar announces his resignation as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael, triggering a leadership election. Varadkar will remain as Taoiseach until his successor as party leader is elected. (CNN International) 

The General Elections Commission announces that Prabowo Subianto had received the most votes in the presidential election, but the determination of the winner as president-elect is still waiting complaints from other candidates at the Constitutional Court. (Al Jazeera English) 

Tuesday,  March 19th, 2024 

Four armed men storm the Bank of the Republic of Haiti in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, injuring a security guard. All the attackers are killed in the ensuing shootout with police. (The Haitian Times) 

Israel announces the death of senior Hamas military leader Marwan Issa, following an airstrike on a tunnel complex last week, making Issa the highest ranking Hamas official killed in the war so far. (BBC News) 

Russia claims to have captured the village of Orlivka in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency) 

Two Somali National Army airstrikes kill 39 alleged al-Shabaab militants in Afgooye, Somalia. (Horseed Media) 

A bus crashes into a tunnel wall on an expressway in Linfen, China, killing 14 people. (AP) 

Former Mississippi sheriff’s deputy Hunter Elward is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for his role in torturing two men in January 2023. (CBS News) 

Founder of Chinese property developer Evergrande Group Hui Ka Yan is fined 47 million yuan ($6.53 million) and barred from the securities market for life after the China Securities Regulatory Commission accused the group of inflating its revenue. (Reuters) 

The pro-Beijing Legislative Council of Hong Kong unanimously passes the local enaction bill on national security, which had been tasked by Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law. (Reuters) 

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is indicted over accusations of lying about his COVID-19 vaccination status. (AP) 

Armenia begins a process of border demarcation with Azerbaijan in the Tavush Province, amid Azerbaijiani demands that Armenia withdraw its forces from the disputed villages of Bağanis Ayrum, Aşağı Əskipara, Xeyrimli, and Qızılhacılı. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says that failure to compromise could result in war “by the end of the week”. (Reuters) (RFE/RL) 

The Democratic Party holds presidential nominating contests in Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio. (The Hill) 

The Republican Party holds presidential nominating contests in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, and Ohio. (The Hill) 

CARICOM and United Nations officials appoint seven seats out of eight of a presidential council to address the political crisis in Haiti. Once the council is installed, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry will resign. (Miami Herald) 

Monday,  March 18th, 2024 

Dozens of people are killed in an Israeli attack on the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The Israeli military verifies that twenty Hamas militants were killed, including a senior figure of the group. (NOS) (BBC News) 

Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Ismail al-Ghoul is arrested by Israeli forces at Al-Shifa hospital, with the network joined by journalist advocacy groups in denouncing his arrest. (Al Jazeera) 

Afghanistan claims five women and three children are killed in two Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan, following accusations that attacks in Pakistan were masterminded in Afghanistan, which the Taliban authorities deny. In response, Taliban forces open mortar fire on Pakistani troops at the border. (Reuters) 

The bodies of at least twelve people are discovered in the neighborhood of Pétion-Ville, in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. The perpetrators of the killings are unknown. (Al Jazeera) 

Around 80 people are kidnapped by unknown bandits near Kajuru Station, Kaduna State, Nigeria. (BBC News) 

Schools across South Sudan close for the day, as an extreme heat wave is expected to hit the country. (Firstpost) 

A police officer is killed and two others are injured during a shooting, over a search at a home for suspected drug trafficking, in Charleroi, Belgium. The suspect was shot and killed by police. (DeMorgen) 

Hundreds of people protest in eastern Cuba against ongoing food shortages and power outages. (BBC News) 

The End

Sunday, March 17th, 2024 

Russian president Vladimir Putin is reelected to a fifth term in office with 87% of the vote. External observers widely consider he had “no real opposition”. (Reuters) 

The Noon Against Putin protest occurs. (The Washington Post) 

Ukraine says that three Russian sabotage groups have been intercepted in Sumy Oblast. (The Kyiv Independent) 

A drone reportedly hits a military base in Transnistria, destroying an Mi-8 helicopter. (The Kyiv Independent) 

Niger’s military junta revokes a military accord with the United States that allowed U.S. Defense Department personnel on its soil. (Reuters) 

Saturday, March 16th, 2024 

A court in Hong Kong sentences 12 people to prison terms ranging from four to seven years in prison for storming the Legislative Council Complex in July 2019. The defendants included actor Gregory Wong and activists Ventus Lau and Owen Chow. (Reuters) 

In Japan, the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Kanazawa to Tsuruga, Fukui is completed. (NHK) 

The Netherlands awards a contract to French defense firm Naval Group to build its Orka-class submarines. The new submarines will replace the aging Walrus-class submarine fleet. (Le Monde) 

Vaughan Gething is elected leader of Welsh Labour with 51.7% of the vote, making him the first Black First Minister of Wales upon taking office. (BBC News) 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he has approved a military operation to capture Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip amid international pressure to stop the offensive. (Reuters) 

A gunman kills three people in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, United States, and escapes in a carjacked car. The suspect subsequently traveled to Trenton, New Jersey, where he barricaded himself with several hostages. (NBC News) 

Friday,  March 15th, 2024 

At least 20 people are killed and at least 73 others are injured in a Russian double tap missile strike in Odesa, Ukraine. (CNN) 

At least three people are killed by tornadoes in Logan County, Ohio, United States. (AP) 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo lifts the 2003 moratorium on the death penalty in an attempt to reduce the level of violence in the country. (ABC News) 

The Sudanese National Forces Coordination, a coalition of pro-SAF armed groups led by vice president Malik Agar, declares its support politically and militarily for the SAF. (Radio Dabanga) 

The Croatian government votes to dissolve the parliament, thereby requiring that a parliamentary election be held within the next two months. The parliamentary election was originally scheduled to be held on September 22. (Reuters) 

Thursday, March 14th, 2024 

A Royal Air Force plane carrying UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and several journalists has its GPS signals jammed while flying near Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Mobile phone signals were also jammed during the flight. The Russian military is suspected of being behind the jamming. (BBC News) 

Russian-installed officials at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, say that shelling has hit critical infrastructure at the plant and that “such attacks are unacceptable”. (Reuters) 

A civilian is killed and three others are injured by airstrikes launched by Ukraine in Belgorod Oblast, Russia. (TASS) 

Iraq’s National Security Council formally bans the Kurdistan Workers’ Party following a high-level meeting between Iraqi and Turkish officials in Baghdad, Iraq. (Al Monitor) 

At least 20 people are killed and 155 are injured at a food distribution point in the Kuwait Roundabout. (CNN) 

An al-Shabaab member blows himself up outside a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing three guards and two security forces. Six gunmen then stormed the hotel in 13-hour siege, causing a gunfight with the army in which three soldiers and the six attackers are killed. Twenty-seven other people are wounded. (Al Jazeera) 

Denmark announces plans to extend military conscription to women for the first time and to also increase the standard service time. (BBC News) 

SpaceX Starship integrated flight test 3  SpaceX successfully launches the first Starship rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built, at Starbase in Texas, United States, after two previous failed attempts. The rocket reached an altitude of more than 200 kilometres (120 mi), but was destroyed during re-entry. (Al Jazeera) 

Wednesday, March 13th, 2024 

Ukraine launches a wave of drone strikes in Russia for a second consecutive day, causing a fire at a Rosneft oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast, while a Ukrainian drone is reportedly shot down near Kirishi refinery in Leningrad Oblast. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the attacks are an attempt to disrupt the upcoming presidential election. (Reuters) 

The European Union agrees to provide an additional €5 billion to their Ukrainian military aid fund. (Reuters) 

The European Union‘s counter-piracy mission says that one of its warships is currently shadowing the hijacked Bangladeshi bulk carrier Abdullah as it sails toward the coast of Somalia. At least 23 crew members are being held hostage by pirates on the ship. (AP) 

The United States deploys a Marine Corps Security Force Regiment platoon to secure the U.S. embassy complex in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (NBC News) 

Seven people are killed and 27 others are injured in an explosion caused by a suspected gas leak at a restaurant in Langfang, Hebei Province, China. (China Daily)  

The British government announces that it will ban foreign state ownership of newspapers amid a controversial bid by a United Arab Emirates-led consortium to take over the Telegraph Media Group, which publishes The Daily Telegraph. (AP) 

Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders abandons his bid to become the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands citing a lack of support from other political parties in coalition formation talks. Wilders led his party to a surprise victory in the 2023 Dutch general election with 37 seats. (BBC News) 

Sixteen SWAT officers are injured in an explosion at a training center in Orange County, California, United States. (ABC News) 

The End