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Worldwide current events · Sports events

Topics in the news

The Supreme Council of Crimea votes to leave Ukraine and join the Russian Federation and announces a referendum on secession.
Scientists discover a viable Pithovirus specimen in 30,000-year-old frozen tundra, marking the largest giant virus yet found.
At the 86th Academy Awards, 12 Years a Slave wins Best Picture and Gravity wins seven awards, including Alfonso Cuarón (pictured) as Best Director.
At least 29 people are killed and 130 injured in a mass stabbing at Kunming Railway Station in China.
Militants kill 59 students in Yobe State, Nigeria.
The Winter Olympics close with host nation Russia winning the most gold medals and most medals overall.

Recent deaths: Alain Resnais

March 6, 2014 (Thursday)

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Arts and culture

Pope Francis acknowledge that civil unions for LGBT people is a governmental move for economic and health management. (TIME)
Getty Images allows the free use of 35 million photos. (BBC)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2001–present):
- A NATO airstrike mistakenly hits a Afghan military outpost in Logar Province killing 5 Afghan soldiers. (The Washington Post)
Two members of the protest band Pussy Riot are left with chemical burns and head injuries after being attacked by a group of youths in a McDonald's. (AFP via Google News)

International relations

Venezuela cuts diplomatic ties with Panama calling it a "lackey of the United States". (CNN)
Niger deports Saadi al-Gaddafi, son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, to Libya. (BBC)
2014 Crimean crisis:
- The European Union freezes the assets of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich, two of his sons, and dozens of his advisers. (Los Angeles Times)
- The European Union and UN Security Council both hold emergency meetings to talk about the current crisis in Ukraine. (AFP via Times of India)
- President Barack Obama signs an executive order placing sanctions and visa bans on people that contributed to the current crisis in Crimea. (New York Times)

Politics and elections

A special referendum is called for March 16th in Crimea, in it voters will be allowed to choose whether they wish to stay part of Ukraine or join the Russian Federation. (Fox News)
The brother of the current President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, Quayum Karzai, drops out of the Afghan presidential election and endorses Zalmai Rassoul. (Hindustan Times)
President of Tunisia Moncef Marzouki lifts a state of emergency that was put in place after the 2011 Tunisian Revolution. (BBC)

Sport

Prince Harry launches the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style sporting championship for wounded soldiers. (BBC)

March 5, 2014 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts

2014 Crimean crisis:
- UN Envoy Robert Serry is ordered to leave Crimea at gunpoint after being threatened by 10 - 15 armed men. (AP)
- Saying she cannot be part of a network that "whitewashes the actions of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," Washington-based anchor Liz Wahl resigns on-air from the Russian government-backed news channel RT. (The Guardian) (CNN)
The Israel Defense Forces captures an Iranian ship carrying long-range artillery rockets to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (CNN)

Law and crime

The U.S. Supreme Court interprets the whistle-blower provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley to protect the employees of privately owned companies that contract with public companies, in a case involving a group of mutual fund entities. (SCOTUSBlog)

Politics and elections

Andrus Ansip resigns after nine years as prime minister of Estonia. (BBC)

March 4, 2014 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attack

2014 Crimean crisis:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference, saying that “force isn’t needed right now” after deploying roughly 16,000 troops to Crimea. (Reuters)
- Swedish foreign secretary Carl Bildt compares the ousted Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych to Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling after Yanukovych asked Russia to intervene to restore "law and order" in the country. (Dagens Næringsliv)
- Russia's UN ambassador says to the UN Security Council that Ukraine's fugitive former President Viktor Yanukovych requested Russian soldiers in the strategic Crimea region "to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order," contradicting the president's own comments last week. (Times of India)
- Vladimir Putin orders troops near the Ukraine border to return to their bases with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling the military exercises a "success". (Telegraph)
Islamist unrest in Egypt (2013–present):
- An Egyptian court bans the Palestinian group Hamas and orders its offices in the country to be shut down and all dealings with the group suspended. The court also brands it as a terrorist organization. (DW) (International Business Times)

Business and economy

A New York gold and gold futures trader files a lawsuit against the international banks involved in the twice-daily teleconferences that set the price of that metal. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Smog caused by haze from forest fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island leaves 30,000 people ill. (AFP via News Limited)
Italy releases 2m euros to save the ancient city of Pompeii after flooding causes walls to collapse. (BBC)

Law and crime

A New Jersey judge has ruled that the parents of their 18-year-old daughter do not have to pay for her college education after the teen filed a lawsuit against them seeking support and alleging abuse. (CBS)

March 3, 2014 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2014 Crimean crisis:
- The commander of the Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy reportedly confirms that the ship never defected to Russia as reported in Russian media. (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)
- Ireland's deputy leader Eamon Gilmore responds by summoning his Russian ambassador for talks. (The Irish Times)
- The Lithuanian and Polish presidents call for NATO treaty Article 4 consultations on the basis that Russia is executing military maneuvers in Kaliningrad, close to the borders with Lithuania and Poland. (Lithuania Tribune)
- Reuters reports that armed men have seized a ferry checkpoint between Crimea and Russia. (Fox News)
Young men with guns open fire at a local court in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, resulting in at least 11 deaths and 22 injuries. (Associated Press of Pakistan)
Violence across Nigeria, between Islamic terrorists and the Nigerian military, kills dozens of people. (CNN)

Art and culture

86th Academy Awards:
- 12 Years a Slave wins three Oscars, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. (Los Angeles Times)
- Italian film The Great Beauty wins the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. (Reuters)
- Alfonso Cuarón wins the Academy Award for Best Director for the film Gravity, which earned the most Awards during the ceremony, a total of seven. (euronews)
- Matthew McConaughey wins the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. (Reuters)
- Cate Blanchett wins the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Blue Jasmine. (Los Angeles Times)
- Frozen wins two Oscars, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. (LA Times)
Frozen becomes the eighteenth film and second animated film to cross the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office grosses. (Variety)
RTÉ, the Irish national broadcast service, is jammed inexplicably with strange and repetitive messages, provoking confusion and debate. (Independent)

Business and economy

Google and Samsung have asked an agency of the government of the People's Republic of China to impose limiting conditions on a proposed merger of Microsoft and Nokia. (Bloomberg)
Microsoft founder Bill Gates regains the top spot as the world's richest person, according to Forbes magazine's annual ranking of global billionaires. (BBC)

International relations

North Korea announces that it will release Australian Christian missionary John Short on account of his age. (Reuters via ABC Australia)

Law and crime

The trial of Oscar Pistorius begins in Pretoria. (New York Daily News)

Politics and elections

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta announces the composition of his new government after days of complicated negotiations with main ethnic Hungarian party of Romania. (Reuters)

Science and technology

Scientists announce the discovery of pithovirus, the largest giant virus yet known, from a 30,000 year old sample of frozen tundra. (Nature)

Sports

Graeme Smith, the captain of the South Africa cricket team, announces his retirement from international cricket at the end of the current series against Australia. (BBC)

March 2, 2014 (Sunday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2014 Crimean crisis, 2014 Ukrainian revolution:
- Ukraine's Navy commander-in-chief, Denis Berezovsky who was appointed only March 1, defects to the Russia-backed Crimea government. (Ria Novosty via inSerbia)
- Ukraine's acting president Oleksandr Turchynov says Ukraine's airspace has been closed to any non-civilian aircraft. (Reuters)^{[dead link]}
War in North-West Pakistan:
- Pakistani military bombs the hideout of a Taliban militant leader killing five insurgents. (Jerusalem Post)
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Over 100 people die in several bomb attacks in Nigeria. (Vanguard)

Arts and culture

Stalingrad, depicting the battle of the same name, becomes the best-selling Russian film of all time. ^{[citation needed]}

Disasters and Accidents

Alabama's oldest hotel, the Mentone Springs Hotel - built in 1884 and listed on the register of historical places - burns to the ground. (Chattanoogan)

Politics and elections

Thai general election, 2014
- Voters in Thailand go to the polls for a rerun of a general election hoped to end the current political crisis. (AAP via SBS)
In Russia, police detained several hundred anti-war protesters in Moscow. (AFP/NewsAsia) (Wall Street Journal)
Over 250,000 Haredim in Israel staged a protest against military conscription. [1]

Sport

In association football, Newcastle United fine their manager Alan Pardew nearly £100,000 for headbutting David Meyler on the opposing Hull City during a Premier League match yesterday. (The Observer)

In the second race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Kevin Harvick dominates the The Profit on CNBC 500, leading to his 2nd straight win at Phoenix International Raceway. (Nascar.com)

March 1, 2014 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2014 Crimean crisis, 2014 Ukrainian revolution:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin formally asks the Federation Council of the Russian Parliament for approval to use armed forces in Ukraine. He receives unanimous support. The Council also demands for President Putin to recall the Russian Federation ambassador to the United States. (Russia Today), (CNN) (BBC), (Associated Press)
- US President Barack Obama warns Russia, saying that any violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be "deeply destabilizing," and that "the United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine." (CNN)
- De facto Prime Minister of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov claims control of all military, police and other forces in Crimea and asks the President of Russia Vladimir Putin for assistance. (AP)
- Russian Federation ambassador to the United Kingdom is summoned by the British Secretary of State William Hague. (BBC)
- The U.N. Security Council is to be summoned for the second time in just two days. (BBC)
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- A welcome home parade in Darwin marks the official end of Australia's active involvement in the Afghanistan War. (ABC News Australia via Yahoo! 7)
War in North-West Pakistan
- A bomb attack on a polio vaccination team in a village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province kills at least ten people. (BBC)
- The Pakistan Taliban announces a one-month ceasefire aimed at reviving peace talks. (Reuters)
Kunming station massacre
- A group of knife-wielding terrorist suspects attacks people at the Kunming Railway Station in the city of Kunming in Yunnan province, south-western China. At least 29 people are killed and 130 others injured. (xinhuanet.com)(BBC)

Arts and culture

An entry on the documentary film Fuck causes offence after the Wikipedia website features it prominently on its home page. (The Houstonian)

Science and technology

Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge or the Penang Second Bridge, Southeast Asia's longest bridge over water in Penang, Malaysia is officialy opened.

Politics and elections

2014 Venezuelan protests: Clashes continue between anti-government protesters and security forces after 41 people are arrested. (Al Jazeera)
Proposals to change the automatic trade union affiliation with the UK Labour Party are passed at a special party conference vote by 86% to 14%. (BBC)

Sport

In association football, having headbutted a player for the opposing team, an unprecedented incident during a Premier League match, Alan Pardew faces the sack. (Metro) (BBC) (Independent)
In U.S. college basketball, Wichita State becomes the first NCAA Division I men's team to complete an undefeated regular season since Saint Joseph's in 2003–04. (AP via ESPN)

February 28, 2014 (Friday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

2014 Ukrainian revolution, 2014 Crimean crisis:
- Members of the Russian Parliament propose new laws that would make it easier for Russia to incorporate parts of Ukraine. (BBC)
- Russia finally confirms that it has moved troops in Ukraine's Crimea region to protect its own interests. (Telegraph)
- Mykhailo Kutsyn is appointed Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. (Kyiv Post)
- Acting General Prosecutor General Oleh Makhnitsky formally calls on Russia to extradite ousted President Viktor Yanukovych along with 10 other figures; the list includes former Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka, former Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko, Yanukovich aide Andriy Klyuyev, and former Justice Minister Olena Lukash. (RIA Novosty)
- Interim President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov says the Russian military is "directly involved" in the crisis in Crimea, while Interior Minister Arsen Avakov describes the events as "a military invasion and occupation". (Bloomberg) (CBS)
- News agency Interfax-Ukraine reports that armed pro-Russian men have taken over control of two airports, among which Simferopol International Airport, and raised the Russian Navy flag. (Sky News)
Syrian Civil War:
- Syrian air strikes near the Lebanese border town of Arsal killed three people. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

The Swedish Academy announces that Swedish writer Klas Östergren is appointed new member, succeeding late art critic Ulf Linde on seat No. 11. (TT via Dagens Nyheter)

Disasters and accidents

2013–14 Australian bushfire season
- Sick and elderly residents in the town of Morwell, Victoria, are evacuated as a fire in a disused coal mine near the Hazelwood Power Station continues to worsen. (The Australian)
At least fifteen children are killed in a school bus crash in Thailand's Prachinburi Province. (CNN)

Law and crime

British spree killer Joanne Dennehy is given a whole life sentence for three murders and two attempted murders committed in 2013. (BBC)
A stabbing spree in a Loblaws distribution centre in Edmonton, Alberta kills two, and injures four. The suspect, 29 year-old Jayme Pasieka, is arrested hours after the attack. (CNN)

Politics and elections

Russian businessman and oppositionist Gleb Fetisov, a co-chair of the Alliance of Greens and Social Democrats, detained in Moscow. (RAPSI) (RIA) (The Moscow Times)
The leader of the People's Alliance (Russia) opposition party Alexei Navalny placed under house arrest. (RFE/RL) (BBC) (RIA)

More February 2014 events...

Ongoing events
Economic Great Recession Eurozone crisis Greek government-debt crisis Environmental 2014 North Indian Ocean cyclone season 2014 Pacific typhoon season Political Bosnia and Herzegovina unrest Crimea crisis Russian military intervention in Ukraine Global surveillance disclosures Pro-EU protests in Ukraine South Sudan conflict Thailand political crisis Venezuela protests More details on ongoing conflicts below Sports Six Nations Championship edit sidebar

Recent deaths
March 5: Geoff Edwards 4: Mark Freidkin 4: Kurt Chew-Een Lee 4: William R. Pogue 4: Wu Tianming 3: Harold Mowery 3: Sherwin B. Nuland 2: Ryhor Baradulin 2: Molly Bobak 2: Justin Kaplan 1: Bangaru Laxman 1: Alain Resnais February 28: Lee Lorch 27: Aaron Allston 27: Huber Matos 26: Tim Wilson 25: Carlos Gracida 25: Jim Lange 25: Paco de Lucía 24: Franny Beecher 24: Harold Ramis 24: Carlos Páez Vilaró 23: Alice Herz-Sommer 23: Mike Parker 22: Charlotte Dawson 21: Sakis Boulas 21: Eddie O'Brien 20: Walter D. Ehlers 20: Roger Hill 20: Garrick Utley 19: Simón Díaz 19: Dale Gardner 19: Valeri Kubasov 18: Nelson Frazier, Jr. 18: Mavis Gallant 18: Buddy Leake 18: Maria Franziska von Trapp edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Global War on Drugs War on Terror Operation Active Endeavour Operation Enduring Freedom Terrorist incidents in 2014 Africa Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Maghreb insurgency OEF – Horn of Africa OEF – Trans Sahara Central African Republic Civil conflict Egypt Islamist unrest Sinai insurgency Libya Post-civil war interfactional fighting Nigeria Niger Delta conflict Islamist insurgency in Nigeria Somalia Civil war Sudan and South Sudan Sudan internal conflict South Sudan internal conflict Americas Colombian conflict Mexican Drug War Asia Afghanistan War Military operations Taliban insurgency India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Korea Korean maritime border conflict Pakistan Balochistan conflict North-West War Sectarian violence Philippines Communist insurgency Moro insurgency Russia North Caucasus insurgency Southeast Asia Cambodian–Thai border dispute Kachin conflict Papua conflict South Thailand insurgency Territorial disputes in the South China Sea Europe Dissident Irish Republican campaign War in Ingushetia Middle East Arab–Israeli conflict Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Israel–Iran proxy conflict Iraqi insurgency Kurdistan Kurdish–Iranian conflict Syrian Civil War Yemen al-Qaeda crackdown Shia insurgency South Yemen insurgency edit sidebar

Elections
Recent: February 2: Costa Rica, President (1st round) and parliament 2: El Salvador, President (1st round) 2: Thailand, General 9: Switzerland, Referendum 20: Libya, Constitutional Assembly Upcoming: March 9: Colombia, Parliament 9: El Salvador, President (2nd round) 9: North Korea, Parliament 15: Slovakia, President (1st round) 16: Serbia, Parliament 22: Maldives, Parliament 29: Slovakia, President (2nd round) edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Canada: Michael Thomas Rafferty China: Bo Xilai Croatia: Ivo Sanader Germany: Breno Borges Italy: Silvio Berlusconi Netherlands: Ante Gotovina (ICTY), Mladen Markač (ICTY), Momčilo Perišić (ICTY) Russia: Leonid Khabarov, Vladimir Kvachkov, Pussy Riot Sierra Leone: Charles Taylor (SCFSL) South Africa: Chris Mahlangu Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko United Kingdom: Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, Levi Bellfield, Robert Black, Vincent Tabak, Ali Dizaei, Antoni Imiela, Brian Regan, Donna Air, Ched Evans, Clayton McDonald, Titus Bramble, Dan Penteado, John Terry, Iftikhar and Farzana Ahmed, Asil Nadir, Justin Lee Collins, Kweku Adoboli, Tony McCluskie, Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, Chris Huhne, Nicola Edgington, Vicky Pryce, Derek Rose, Mick Philpott, Mairead Philpott, Paul Mosley, Kevin Liverpool, Junior Bradshaw, Aggro Santos, Stuart Hall, Stuart Hazell, Mark Bridger, Andrew Lancel, Dale Cregan, Ray Wilkins, Michael Le Vell, Liam Adams, R v Grillo and Grillo, Ian Watkins, William Roache, Dave Lee Travis United States: Noshir Gowadia, Buju Banton, Barry Bonds, Raj Rajaratnam, Casey Anthony, Conrad Murray, George Huguely, Allen Stanford, Roger Clemens, Jerry Sandusky, Jared Lee Loughner, Lauryn Hill, Kermit Gosnell, George Zimmerman, Chelsea Manning, Ariel Castro, Whitey Bulger, Robert Bales, Nidal Malik Hasan, Crystal Mangum Ongoing Australia: Craig Thomson Brazil: Mensalão scandal Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Canada: Luka Magnotta China: Organized crime in Chongqing Egypt: Mohamed Morsi, Hosni Mubarak France: Church of Scientology Germany: Christian Wulff, Beate Zschäpe Hong Kong: Alfredo Lim Iraq: Supreme Criminal Tribunal Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Netherlands: Thomas Lubanga (ICC), Radovan Karadžić (ICTY), Ratko Mladic (ICTY) Palau: Tommy Remengesau Philippines: Andal Ampatuan, Jr., Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Jinggoy Estrada, Gregorio Honasan, Janet Lim-Napoles, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Imelda Marcos, Nur Misuari, Manny Pacquiao, Jovito Palparan, Juan Ponce Enrile, Bong Revilla Russia: Platon Lebedev South Africa: Oscar Pistorius Sudan: Lubna al-Hussein Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra Turkey: Ergenekon network, Kenan Evren United Kingdom: Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson, Eddy Shah, Koo Stark United States: Jodi Arias Upcoming France: Éric Raoult Germany: Bernie Ecclestone Ivory Coast: Laurent Gbagbo Jordan: Abu Qatada Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United Kingdom: Dane Bowers, Max Clifford, Rolf Harris, Nicholas Jacobs United States: Paul Anthony Ciancia, Javaris Crittenton, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Peter Madoff, Christian Gerhartsreiter, Dylan Quick, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, James Eagan Holmes, Aaron Hernandez, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Anas al-Libi, Bob McDonnell edit sidebar

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