Portal:Current events/2016 March 4

Current events of March 4, 2016 (2016-03-04) (Friday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Libyan Civil War (2014–present) A Libyan spokesperson says two Italian hostages are freed by local fighters from Islamic State custody in Sabratha, Libya. He also confirms that two other Italian hostages were recently killed during local forces clashes with IS militants. (AP via ABC News) Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) Gunmen storm a retirement home in Yemen, run by a charity established by Mother Teresa, killing 16 people, including four Catholic nuns. (NY Times) Dissident Irish Republican campaign (1998–present) A bomb explodes under a vehicle in Belfast injuring a prison officer; Dissident republicans have claimed responsibility. (Belfast Telegraph) PKK rebellion (2015–present) Two Turkish police officers are killed and at least 14 others including several civilians are injured by a car bomb attack on a police station in the town of Nusaybin, near the Syria–Turkey border. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are blamed for the attack. (BBC) Syrian Civil War The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Syrian rebels have seized control of the al-Tanf border crossing on the Iraq–Syria border from ISIL militants. The rebel fighters who took the crossing reportedly entered Syria through Jordan. (Reuters) Disasters and accidents Electricity is gradually being restored across Syria from a nationwide blackout that began early Thursday afternoon. Syria's Electricity Ministry says the electrical grid is expected to return to normal capacity by midnight. There is no immediate word on the cause. (WireUpdate.com) Five people, including an 18-month-old baby, are missing from an Indonesian ferryboat traveling from Bali to East Java that sank in the Bali Strait; 76 people have been rescued. (Jakarta Globe) International relations South China Sea disputes The U.S. Navy dispatches a carrier strike group containing the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS John C. Stennis to the South China Sea. (Washington Post) Japan–United States relations, Relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe agrees to suspend work to expand the U.S. military base on Okinawa Island. Abe says his government will follow the court recommendation and settle several lawsuits over landfill work carried out to prepare for new runways. (Bloomberg) France–Germany relations Germany wants France to shut down the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant near its border as soon as possible following media reports the April 9, 2014, incident was more serious than reported. (AP via ABC News) (Deutsche Welle) European migrant crisis The European Commission proposes an end-of-year target date for lifting internal border checks and restoring the 26-nation, passport-free Schengen Area. (Reuters) (Bloomberg) Law and crime Brazilian police raid the home of ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in relation to the Petrobras scandal. Lula is brought in for questioning. (BBC) Media freedom in Turkey A Turkish court places the influential Zaman newspaper under state control. Zaman is closely linked to the Gülen movement of influential U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, a former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (BBC) The United States Supreme Court, with only Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting, blocks implementation of a Louisiana law that could have forced all but one of the state's abortion clinics to close, and restores an earlier judicial ban on enforcing the 2014 law. Last week, a federal appeals court said the law could be enforced. (Los Angeles Times) (AFP via GlobalPost) Politics and elections Samoan general election, 2016 Voters in Samoa go to the polls for a general election. (Radio New Zealand) Serbian parliamentary election, 2016 Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić, at the request of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, dissolves Serbia's parliament and calls for early elections to take place on April 24. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) United States presidential election, 2016, Republican Party presidential candidates, 2016 Ben Carson suspends his campaign for the Republican Party nomination. The expected announcement was made during a speech at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). (NBC News) United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 The British Chambers of Commerce suspends Director-General John Longworth for announcing his personal views on Brexit. The BCC, whose members are split on this issue, will not campaign for either side. (BBC)