Portal:Current events/2013 March 4

Current events of March 4, 2013 (2013-03-04) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Northern Mali conflict: French officials announce that a soldier was killed in action during contact with Islamic militants over the weekend. It is France's third casualty since operations began in Operation Serval. (BBC) France claims that it is "probable" that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb chief Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was killed in Mali in late February. (AP via Navy Times) March 2013 Karachi bombing: Gunmen shoot and kill two people returning from a funeral for victims of the bombing. (AP via ABC News) 2013 Lahad Datu standoff: The death toll in Malaysia rises to 26 as conflict between people claiming to follow the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysian Armed Forces continue. (Time) 2012–2013 Egyptian protests: Five people die in clashes between protestors and Egyptian police. (BBC) Akashat ambush: At least 40 Syrian soldiers are killed in ambush in Western Iraq. (BBC) Arts and culture Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace after spending one night in hospital. (BBC) Business and economy Forbes releases its annual list of the world's wealthiest people, with Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim topping the list for the fourth year in a row. (USA Today) Latvia applies to enter the eurozone in 2014, in a move which could see it become the 18th member of the bloc. (BBC) Disasters and accidents At least 11 children are killed after a school bus collides with a truck in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab. (NDTV) 2013 Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation crash: A Fokker 50 operated by Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation crashes in poor weather at Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nine people were in the aircraft, a crew of five and four passengers. At least three people survived the accident. (Bloomberg) (News24) (BBC) (Reuters) At least 9 people die after heavy snowfall hit the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido over the weekend. (BBC) (CNN) (The Guardian) Politics and elections Kenyan general election, 2013: Voters in Kenya go to the polls for a general election with police issuing reports warning of possible violence. (BBC) (AP via Business Week) At least 17 people are killed in the port city of Mombasa, Kenya, and surrounding areas. (Reuters) (RTE) Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela is suffering from a new severe respiratory infection as he struggles to recover from cancer surgery conducted in Cuba. (Reuters) Religion Papal conclave, 2013: More than 100 Roman Catholic cardinals meet in Rome to start the process of selecting a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. (CNN) Science and technology A newly observed near-Earth asteroid 2013 EC passes Earth within the orbit of the Moon. (Universe Today) Scientists announce they have directly measured the polarization of light, overcoming aspects of the uncertainty principle. (Science World Report)