Scientists announce the finding ofmicrofossils up to almost 4.3 billion years old, within rocks from theHudson Bay shoreline in northernQuebec,Canada, that may represent the oldest-known evidence oflife on Earth.(Reuters)
An avalanche near thenorthern Italian town ofCourmayeur, kills at least three people and injures another three, while two others are believed missing.(BBC)
Amass grave is discovered at a former Catholic orphanage inTuam,Ireland, containing “significant quantities of human remains”, all of them children. It is alleged over 800 children died at this orphanage and most were buried in the 1950s.(The Guardian)
According to provincial officials, at least eight people are killed and another 22 are injured by a roadside bomb inFarah Province. However, according to locals, the attack was actually an airstrike.(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
At least 110 people have died of starvation in thedrought-hit region ofBay,Somalia, in the past 48 hours, according to Prime MinisterHassan Ali Khayre. This comes as theUnited Nations and various non-governmental organizations are warning of potentialfamine in the country.(The Independent)
Mexico opens legal aide centers in its 50 U.S. consulates to defend its citizens' rights amid the United States "crackdown" on illegal immigration. In a video,Foreign MinisterLuis Videgaray Caso said Mexico supports following the law but notes that current circumstances highlight the need for immigration reform.(Reuters)(AP viaThe Toledo Blade)
Public Safety MinisterRalph Goodale says Canada will not tighten its border because more migrants, reacting to the United States immigration crackdown, are illegally crossing into Canada from the U.S. Goodale added the issue had not risen to a scale that required hindering the flow of goods and people moving across the world's longest undefended border.(Reuters)
Jordan says the country executed 15 people today, including 10 who were convicted on terrorism charges with others related to incidents that go back as far as 2003.Amnesty International protests the executions which were carried out in "secrecy and without transparency." Jordan restored the death sentence byhanging in 2014.(Reuters)
Israel changes its law regardingmarijuana use. Instead of facing criminal charges, first-time offenders who smoke marijuana in public places will only receive a fine.(Haaretz)
North Korea temporarily bans allMalaysian nationals (estimated to be at least 11 people including embassy employees) from leaving the country amid a growing dispute between the two countries over the death ofKim Jong-nam, the half-brother ofKim Jong-un. Malaysian officialKhairy Jamaluddin calls the move "tantamount to taking hostages".(BBC)(Channel News Asia)
A suicide bomber and unidentified gunmen dressed as doctors attack a military hospital inKabul, killing at least 38 people and wounding dozens more.ISIL claims responsibility for the attack.(The Guardian)
A fire breaks out at an orphanage inSan José Pinula,Guatemala after students protesting conditions including alleged sexual and physical abuse set fire to their bedding, killing at least 19 children.(BBC)
German and Egyptian archaeologists uncover a humanoid statue with an approximate height of eight metres, believed to be ofRamesses II, at the former site ofHeliopolis in northeastCairo.(The Daily Telegraph)
Disasters and accidents
A motorway bridge nearAncona, Italy, collapses killing two Italians and injuring twoRomanian workers. The Italian highway agency links the collapse with a temporary structure that was designed to support it.(BBC)
An assailant injures seven people, one severely, in an axe attack at thecentral railway station inDüsseldorf, Germany. Police have arrested one suspect.(CNN)
A landslide at a rubbish dump on the outskirts ofAddis Ababa,Ethiopia, kills at least 48 people.(BBC)
A bus driver in theHaitian city ofGonaïves ploughs into crowds of people celebratingRara while speeding away from an earlier accident which left one person dead, killing at least 38 people, including a group of street musicians, and injures 17 others.(Reuters)
The state ofWashington, joined by the states ofCalifornia,Maryland,Massachusetts,New York, andOregon, asks a federal judge to stop, on constitutional grounds, the revised federal immigration/refugee rules from taking effect on Thursday, March 16. The state ofHawaii has filed a separate, similar request.(Reuters)
Off the northern coast of Somalia,Somali pirates hijack theAris 13, aUnited Arab Emirates-owned oil tanker, kidnapping eightSri Lankan crew members. This is the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel in five years.(AP viaThe Independent)
Disasters and accidents
A blaze at a fireworks warehouse nearNetanya, centralIsrael, kills two people and injures five others.(Reuters)
The destruction from snow fall kills six people and leaves over 100,000 others without electricity, with some areas in theNortheastern United States receiving over 4 feet (1.2 m) of snow.(The Weather Channel)
Law and crime
Europol reports a total of more than 10,000 assault rifles and 400 shelling weapons were seized in northernSpain during an anti-trafficking operation in January.(News Front)
Israeli authorities shoot into a car that was on a ramming attack at a bus shelter at theGush Etzion Junction in theWest Bank where 13 Palestinians and 3 Israelis have been killed since October 2015. A 16-year-oldPalestinian, Fatima Jibrin Taqatqa, had lost control of her car and the teenager now remains in critical condition.(Jewish Press)(Fars)
A second explosion occurs in the Rabwah area of Damascus.(Al Masdar News)
Suspected Russian warplanes carry out airstrikes on the city ofIdlib at dawn, killing 21 people including at least 14 children.(The New Indian Express)
A U.S. federal judge inHawaii, finding the revised federal immigration/refugee executive order violates the U.S. Constitution'sreligious establishment clause, grants the state of Hawaii's motion for a nationwide temporary restraining order on these rules that were set to become effective at midnight. PresidentDonald Trump vows to appeal this ruling. Two other federal courts held hearings on similar requests filed by the states ofMaryland andWashington; neither of these judges issued a ruling.(Reuters)(Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
TheIsraeli Air Forcelaunches several airstrikes on targets insideSyria, and for the first time, publicly claims responsibility. Syrian air defenses responded by launching missiles at the aircraft, and thereupon IsraeliArrow 3 missiles were launched in response to the counter-offensive. Israel stated that it was targeting suspected weapons shipments toHezbollah inLebanon, adding that the Israeli military will keep intervening until they believe such shipments have ceased. According to theSyrian Army, four Israeli jets entered its airspace and struck targets nearPalmyra.(CNN)(AP)
Around 1,500–2,000 people leave al-Waer district ofHoms today for their preferred destination of either Northern Homs Governorate,Idlib Governorate or Turkish Army positions in Northern Aleppo Governorate. Up to 15,000 to 20,000 people including armed militants, their families and supporters will leave the besieged district in the coming weeks with the rest of the population reconciling and receiving aid.(BBC)(Al Masdar News)
French security forces shoot suspect Ziyed Ben Belgacem dead inParis'Orly Airport after he put the pellet gun to her head and took away an assault rifle from one of three soldiers from"Sentinelle" operation patrolling the airport. Belgacem had earlier shot a police officer with a pellet gun. Later, he had threatened a bar and then carjacked another vehicle to the airport.(BBC)
Racing 92 andStade Français, twoFrenchrugby clubs, announce that they are calling off their proposed merger following widespread opposition to the project.(BBC)
Citing security concerns because of recent terrorist activity, theAmerican andBritish governments impose a ban affecting inbound-passengers flying from much of theMiddle East and North Africa. The ban includes airplane cabin passenger-accessible items such aslaptops,tablets, and other electronic devices which are larger than asmartphone. Larger such electronic devices will still be allowed on board inchecked baggage which is thus more closely screened and passenger-inaccessible.(CNN)(BBC)
In a 6–2 decision (NLRB v. SW General, Inc), theU.S. Supreme Court puts new restrictions on presidential powers, limiting a president's authority to staff certain top government posts in a case involving an appointment to theNational Labor Relations Board saying that under theFederal Vacancies Reform Act, a person cannot serve as the acting head of a federal agency once the president nominates him or her to permanently serve in the role if it is a position that requiresU.S. Senate confirmation. The court upholds a lower court's ruling that then-PresidentBarack Obama exceeded his legal authority with his temporary appointment of an NLRB general counsel in 2011. The ruling will give PresidentDonald Trump and future presidents less flexibility in filling jobs that requireSenate confirmation.(Reuters)
FormerCongolese Vice President and warlordJean-Pierre Bemba, sentenced last year by theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) to 18 years in prison forwar crimes, is given an additional 12 months and fined 300,000euros for bribing witnesses during an earlier ICC trial. The court also handed jail terms and fines for alleged interference in his trial to members of his legal team.(The Guardian)
A series of shootings inRothschild, Wisconsin, leave at least four people dead, including a police officer.(WTOP)
A jury acquits the former head of the now-closedMassachusetts pharmacy,New England Compounding Center, Barry Cadden, on 25 counts of second-degree murder but convicts him of racketeering and other crimes in a meningitis outbreak that was traced to fungus-contaminated drugs and killed 64 people across the country. Cadden disregarded sanitary conditions to boost production and make more money.(Boston.com)
Authorities arrest at least eight people in connection with yesterday's attack.(Fox News)
London'sMetropolitan Police Service announces that the attacker isBritish-born Khalid Masood, previously questioned by British authorities for connections to terrorism.(Reuters)
A man drives into a crowd of pedestrians inAntwerp,Belgium, injuring several people. Police arrest the man, who is believed to be North African born and living inFrance.(The New York Times)
TheSouth Korean government raises the wreckage of theMVSewol from the sea near the South Korean island ofDonggeochado. The ferry sank in April 2014, killing 304 people.(BBC)
On Friday night a man begins to shoot in aLille Metro station inLille,France. Three people are injured, including being shot in the leg and neck. The gunman is not thought to be a terrorist, and is still on the run.(The Independent)
Disasters and accidents
Proactiva notes the finding of five corpses the Libyan coast; these were floating near two capsized boats which could each hold more than 100 people.(BBC)
The Gambia's justice ministerAbubacarr Tambadou states that the country will establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission "within the next six months" to investigate allegations of abuse dating from the time of formerPresidentYahya Jammeh. According to Tambadou, public hearings are scheduled to get underway by year's end.(BBC)
The replacement plan for thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) is withdrawn after Republican leaders fail to gain enough support. The failure of the Trump administration to repeal the act means it will remain law in the United States.(BBC)
In response to several Israeli airstrikes against suspectedHezbollah-related targets insideSyria, Syrian presidentBashar al-Assad has threatened wider war with theState of Israel, stating its intention to fireScud missiles, and specifically target the Israeli city ofHaifa. Israel responded by stating that any such actions by the Assad regime, or attacks on its aircraft, will cause Israel to "annihilate" Syrian air defense systems.(The Times of Israel)
A vehicle mounts the pavement and runs into pedestrians inIslington,London, injuring 4. The teenage perpetrators are found carrying offensive weapons, but are not assumed to be terrorists.(BBC)
TheCoordination of Azawad Movements, a coalition ofTuareg groups, announce that they will boycott a peace conference scheduled next week on implementing a 2015 peace agreement saying it was "not sufficiently inclusive".(Al Jazeera)
The deadline for the Government formation in Northern Ireland has expired following the refusal of theDemocratic Unionist Party andSinn Féin to enter a power sharing agreement with each other, with both parties blaming each other for the impasse.(BBC)
A fire results in the collapse of a bridge onInterstate 85 in Atlanta, Georgia, during rush hour, stranding motorists and resulting in a state of emergency. Atlanta mayorKasim Reed calls the situation a "transportation crisis" that could close the affected stretch of highway for days or weeks. A 2015 report stated that the highway carried nearly a quarter-million vehicles a day.(NBC News)
The state legislature ofNorth Carolina repeals the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, more commonly known as the "transgenderbathroom bill." In its place, the legislature enacts a ban on cities in North Carolina from enacting "civil rights" protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people through 2020.(Reuters)
Officials state that repairs will take months following a fire that collapsed a bridge onInterstate 85 inAtlanta, Georgia. Police arrest three individuals in connection with the disaster, charging two with criminal trespass and one with first degree criminal damage.(WSB TV)
International relations
At aNATO meeting,German foreign ministerSigmar Gabriel rejects as "quite unrealistic" the belief that Germany would spend 2% ofGDP on the military. He says other spending such as development aid should be taken into account.(BBC)
Some individuals set theCongress of Paraguay on fire. The attack occurs during a protest against a bill that would let the president seek re-election.(BBC)
Women's basketballMississippi State defeats four-time defending national championConnecticut 66–64, ending the Huskies' NCAA-record winning streak at 111 games.(AP via ESPN)
