Portal:Current events/2012 March 19

March 19, 2012 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian uprising:
- At least 30 people are reported killed in fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces in the Damascus neighborhood of al-Mazzeh. (CNN)
- Russian anti-terror troops reportedly enter Syria. (Fox News)
- Confidential documents that surfaced provide a look into the regime's strategy to suppress the anti-government protests. (Al Jazeera) (The Guardian)
Bahraini uprising: Bahraini opposition groups prepare to talk to the ruling monarchy as the government continues to crackdown on protests across the nation. (Al Jazeera)
Indonesian police kill five men suspected of planning robberies in order to fund terrorism. (BBC)
A rabbi and his two children, along with the daughter of the school principal, are killed by an attacker at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France. (BBC) (The Washington Post) (The Times of Israel)^{[permanent dead link‍]}

Arts and culture

The Somali National Theatre reopens in Mogadishu more than two decades after it was closed amid civil war. (BBC)

Business and economy

Public sector workers in the German states of Lower Saxony and Bremen begin a 24-hour strike as part of pay negotiations. (DW)
Wendy's becomes the second best selling hamburger chain in the USA, overtaking Burger King. (CNN)
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rules against a First Amendment free speech challenge to a regulation by the Food and Drug Administration requiring that tobacco companies put graphic images on their cigarette packaging. The imagery is designed to discourage smoking. (Reuters)

Disasters

A gravel ship sinks off the coast of Taiwan with six crew members dead and two missing. (AP via Greenfields Reporter)^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Six tourists are buried in an avalanche in Kaafjord, Norway, leaving four dead and one missing. (BBC)

International relations

The International Atomic Energy Agency receives an invitation from North Korea to visit. (Al Jazeera)
The European Union threatens trade sanctions against Iceland and the Faroe Isles over a disagreement about fishing rights. (RTE)

Law and crime

Swiss Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet resigns from the international war crimes tribunal in Cambodia. (BBC)
A man is arrested following a break-in at the home of the Irish minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, in Dublin. (BBC)
An Interpol arrest warrant is issued for Michael Misick, former Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands on corruption charges. (Miami Herald)

Politics and elections

Demonstrations occur against Maldivian President Mohammed Waheed Hassan, accused of taking power in a coup, as he attempts to open parliament for the second time this month. (Al Jazeera)
The President of East Timor José Ramos-Horta concedes defeat in the East Timorese presidential election with Taur Matan Ruak and Francisco Guterres likely to contest a runoff in April. (AP via Newsday)
Tonga is in mourning following the death of King George Tupou V. (BBC)

Sport

Doctors monitoring the condition of Fabrice Muamba report that he has regained movement in his arms and legs, and his heart is now beating again without the aid of medication. (The Daily Telegraph) (The Guardian) (CNN) (Daily Mail) (Daily Mirror) (PA via The Guardian)
Fans and police clash and damage the Olympic Stadium in Athens two hours ahead of a match between Panathenians and Piraeus. (CNN)
Gaelic football and Aussie rules icon Jim Stynes dies at the age of 45. (Melbourne Age) (RTE) (The Australian)