Portal:Current events/2013 March 28

Current events of March 28, 2013 (2013-03-28) (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Terrorism in Kenya: Six gunmen (presumed to be of the Mombasa Republican Council) and one policeman die during an attack on a casino in coastal town of Malindi, Kenya. (Al Jazeera) M23 rebellion: The United Nations Security Council authorizes a new intervention force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in attempt to end rebel attacks and bring peace to the region. (AP via Time) South Sudan internal conflict (2011–present): A battle for an airstrip in Pibor County kills 143 rebels and 20 government troops. The rebels reportedly belong to a group led by David Yau Yau. (AP via Google News) Syrian civil war: Mortar fire hits Damascus University cafeteria section killing 15 students and injuring 7 others. (BBC) Arts and culture Barbara Walters, longtime newswoman and host of the American talk show The View, announces plans to retire in May 2014. (USA Today) Olivier Award and Tony Award winning actor Richard Griffiths dies at the age of 65. (The Telegraph) Business and economy 2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: Security tightens in Cyprus as banks prepare to reopen after nearly two weeks, following a controversial international bailout that was negotiated with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. (BBC) Disasters and accidents Two people are killed and one seriously injured when a century-old wall collapses on them in Carlton, Australia. (The Age) At least 100 people are left homeless after a fire razes 40 houses in Samal, Davao del Norte, Philippines. (ABS via CBN News) International relations The members of the United Nations are scheduled to decide on Australian diplomat Peter Woolcott's draft for the first ever treaty to regulate the conventional arms trade. (The Australian) The Syrian opposition opens its first embassy in Qatar, a day after it was given Damascus's seat at the Arab League. (Al Jazeera) (The New York Times) Russia conducts unscheduled military exercises in the Black Sea, drawing criticism from NATO. (The Hindu) Law and crime New details about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting are revealed, showing that the massacre was less than 300 seconds long. Search warrants show that perpetrator Adam Lanza had an arsenal in his home. (USA Today) (CNN) Edwin Ernesto Rivera Gracias, a Salvadoran national recently added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list for allegedly committing a 2011 murder in Colorado, surrenders after agreeing to face charges. (CNN) British–Italian fraudster Giovanni Di Stefano is sentenced to 14 years in jail for fraud. (BBC) Former British Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell says he will take legal action against The Sun over claims he swore and called police officers plebs in a row in Downing Street. (BBC) Politics and elections Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet announces that she is running in the Chilean presidential election on November 17. (Fox News) Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela is hospitalised with a lung infection. (ABC News) Italy remains in political gridlock as Pier Luigi Bersani announces that the latest attempts to form a stable government have failed. (AP via USA Today) Religion New research suggests that the cloth in the Shroud of Turin likely dates from between 300 BC and 400 AD. (The Huffington Post) As part of the Maundy Thursday service Pope Francis washes the feet of prisoners at a juvenile detention centre in Rome, Italy. (BBC) Science and technology American bioengineers at Stanford University build a transistor-like transcriptor out of DNA and RNA molecules. (Discovery News) (NPR) Sport Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE), a pan-European anti-racism group, reports England's football fans to FIFA over racist chants roared throughout last Friday's World Cup qualifying match in San Marino. Among the chants were songs referring to the IRA and Second World War and a ditty calling for Anton and Rio Ferdinand to be tossed on a bonfire. England face a heavy fine as punishment and the prospect of further sanctions, such as playing qualifiers behind closed doors. (Goal.com) (The Guardian) New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder is in a critical condition in hospital, after being severely beaten as he left a bar in Christchurch. (AFP via The Times of India) American race car driver Denny Hamlin has a compression fracture in his back resulting from a crash on March 24. (ESPN) A judge allows South African sprint runner Oscar Pistorius to travel abroad to compete in games if he complies with certain conditions. (The Guardian) (BBC)