Thursday, March 28th, 2024 

A federal court in the United States sentences Sam Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison for stealing $8 billion in a cryptocurrency fraud. (Reuters) 

The Kachin Independence Army captures the town of Lweje and its nearby border crossings in Kachin State, Myanmar, after junta forces abandoned their posts and fled across the border into China. (Irrawaddy) 

Slovakia’s Slovenské elektrárne shuts down operations at its Vojany Power Station, the last coal-fired power plant in the country. (Euronews) 

Cyclone Gamane makes landfall in Madagascar, killing at least eleven people and causing widespread flooding, according to local officials. (AP) 

A bus carrying Christian pilgrims from Botswana crashes in Limpopo, South Africa, killing 45 people. (Reuters) 

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 crashes into the Black Sea off Sevastopol, Crimea. The pilot is reported to have safely ejected. (Reuters) 

The International Court of Justice, in a unanimous decision, orders Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip unimpeded, warning that famine is already occurring. (Reuters) (The Guardian) 

The Czech information service reveals that Russia paid hundreds of thousands of euros through its “Voice of Europe” website to European politicians in order to influence European elections. (Parool) 

Wednesday, March 27th, 2024 

Four people are killed and seven others are injured during a stabbing spree in Rockford, Illinois, United States. (AP) 

The Thai House of Representatives approves a bill to legalize same-sex marriage by a vote of 400–10, with five abstentions. (AP via MSN News) 

A Special Investigative committee of the Seimas releases its findings, accusing President Gitanas Nausėda of receiving illegal support from the head of the State Security Department and for recruiting members of the Belarusian and Russian security services for his election campaign. Nauseda rejects the findings, accusing them of being politically motivated. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Belarusian Service) 

Myriam Spiteri Debono is unanimously elected by the Maltese Parliament as the next President of Malta. (Times of Malta) 

The End Sunday 

The End Thursday 

Wednesday, March 27th, 2024 

One person is killed, and sixteen others, including four children, are injured by Russian guided bomb strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Vol. 4 – 1972

If there is anything unique about the human animal it is that it has the ability to grow knowledge at an accelerating rate while being chronically incapable of learning from experience. Science and technology are cumulative, whereas ethics and politics deal with recurring dilemmas. Whatever they are called, torture and slavery are universal evils; but these evils cannot be consigned to the past like redundant theories in science. They return under different names: torture as enhanced interrogation techniques, slavery as human trafficking. Any reduction in universal evils is an advance in civilization. But, unlike scientific knowledge, the restraints of civilized life cannot be stored on a computer disc. They are habits of behavior, which once broken are hard to mend. Civilization is natural for humans, but so is barbarism.

– John Gray

Wednesday, March 27th, 2024 

The UN Security Council passes a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas, with the United States abstaining. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancels a planned visit to the U.S. in response to the abstention. (Reuters) 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces while campaigning that his Vice Presidential pick will be attorney Nicole Shanahan. (NBC News) 

At least five people are killed and 20 more injured after a double-decker FlixBus overturns and falls in the roadside near Leipzig, Germany. (NOS) 

A court in Tunisia sentences four people to death and two others to life in prison for the 2013 murder of politician Chokri Belaid. (Al Jazeera) 

Tuesday,  March 26th, 2024 

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, collapses after the container ship Dali strikes a bridge column, causing multiple vehicles to fall into the water below. (CBS News) 

President Joe Biden says that the federal government will pay for the full cost of rebuilding the bridge. (WMAR-TV) 

The US Supreme Court announces that it will hear oral arguments on whether to restrict access to mifepristone, a commonly-used abortion pill. (BBC News) 

The United Kingdom’s High Court of Justice grants WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a stay of extradition to the United States, and demands that the US not consider the death penalty against Assange if he is sent to the US to face espionage charges. (AP) 

The Israeli Air Force bombs Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria, killing an Iranian Quds Force officer and 15 other militants. (AP) 

A suicide bomber attacks a bus in Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, killing five Chinese workers and their Pakistani driver. (AP) 

Israeli warplanes launch airstrikes against Hezbollah targets near the towns of Ras Baalbek and Hermel in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon, killing at least three Hezbollah members. (Reuters) 

Former Kyrgyzstan deputy Raimbek Matraimov is detained in Baku, Azerbaijan, and is extradited to Kyrgyzstan. (AKIPress) 

Two Chinese nationals are arrested by the Indian Police near the India–Nepal border after they were intercepted entering the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh illegally. (India Today) 

Monday,  March 25th, 2024 

An investigation by Humo magazine and the website Apache [nl] reveals that Belgian Vlaams Belang politician Filip Dewinter worked as a “senior political advisor” for China for several years. (NOS) 

Seven Chadian soldiers conducting a patrol near Lake Chad are killed in an IED bombing. Chadian president Mahamat Déby accuses jihadist group Boko Haram of being behind the attack. (AP) 

Seventeen people are killed and another is injured when a passenger van collides with a dump truck and catches fire in Antipas, Cotabato, Philippines. (AFP via Barron’s) 

Puerto Rico declares an epidemic of dengue fever following an increase in cases. (AP) 

The End

Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 

The Russian Army states that it has seized the town of Ivanivske, in Donetsk Oblast. (Barron’s) 

Russian authorities report that 11 suspects, including the four assailants from yesterday’s terrorist attack, have been arrested. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. The death toll has risen to at least 133 people. (Reuters) 

Primary elections are held for the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in Louisiana and the Democratic Party in Missouri. (AP) 

Friday,  March 22nd, 2024 

Crocus City Hall attack At least 62 people are killed and more than 140 others are injured in a mass shooting at the Crocus City Hall music venue in Moscow Oblast, Russia, with the building subsequently catching on fire following an explosion. The perpetrators remain at large after escaping in a vehicle. (Baza) (Meduza) (Baza 2) (Reuters) 

The Russian government states in a press conference that the invasion of Ukraine is now a “war” and is no longer a “special military operation“, the official term used for the war by the Russian government. In another press conference later in the day, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov tells reporters that although the invasion is a de facto war, the Russian government is not currently planning to change the invasion’s de jure status as a “special military operation”. (Reuters) 

The Islamic State group claims responsibility for the attack in a statement issued by its official Amaq News Agency. (CNN) 

The Freedom of Russia Legion claims that the Russian government committed the attack. (Ukrainska Pravda) 

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 damaged. At least eight missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia are reported, while a “critical infrastructure object” is damaged in Vinnytsia. More than a million people are left without power across Ukraine due to the strikes, with five people killed and dozens more reportedly injured. (BBC News) 

The Dnieper Hydroelectric Station in Zaporizhzhia is hit by a missile causing extensive damage and a large fire. A trolleybus initially reported as carrying civilians was destroyed in the attack, later confirmed to have been empty apart from the driver who was killed. Shelling also damages one of the two power lines connected to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. (The Guardian) 

The Russian government claims that the Ukrainian government committed the attack. This was denied by the Ukrainian government who instead claim that the attack was a false flag attack by the Russian government designed to provoke public opinion in Russia against Ukraine and allow the Russian Army to mobilize more troops in its invasion of Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency) 

At least 23 Nigerien soldiers are killed, 17 are injured, and 34 others are missing after an ambush in Teguey [de], Tillabéri Region, Niger, by unknown jihadists. The Nigerien junta states that 30 jihadists were also killed. (Sahara Reporters) 

The Philippines announces that Abu Sayyaf has been “fully dismantled”, bringing an end to the decades-long jihadist insurgency. Twenty members of the group remain in Sulu and Basilan provinces, and negotiations are ongoing for their surrender. (Atlas News) (Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

Fourteen people are rescued from kidnappers by Nigerian forces and local vigilante groups in Katsina State, Nigeria. (Channels TV) 

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake strikes Bawean, East Java, Indonesia, causing severe damage. (Detik) 

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

Prominent Haitian gang leader Ti Greg, who escaped from prison earlier this month, is shot dead by police in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Sky News) 

Catherine, Princess of Wales announces that she was diagnosed with cancer following recent abdominal surgery and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. (BBC News) 

The End

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