Portal:Current events/2013 March 16

Current events of March 16, 2013 (2013-03-16) (Saturday)

Arts and culture

• British Lance Corporal James Ashworth, who died in southern Afghanistan in 2012 while protecting his colleagues from a grenade blast, is to be awarded the Victoria Cross. (BBC) (The Telegraph)

Business and economy

• 2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: A deal is reached between Cyprus and the EC–ECB–IMF troika. The terms of the €10 billion "bailout" package cause widespread anger among Cypriots who queue from early morning to withdraw their savings as it emerges that up to 10% of each citizen's deposits are to be wiped out to raise billions. (BBC) (RTÉ News) (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 24 Pakistan Army soldiers are killed and 5 are injured after their bus crashes into a ravine in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (AAP via News Limited)
• A tour bus carrying the Seton Hill University women's lacrosse team veers off the Pennsylvania Turnpike and strikes a tree near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States, killing the team's head coach, her unborn child, and the bus driver. (CNN) (USA Today)
• A United States helicopter crashes near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, killing one coalition service member and injuring another. (AP via News24)

International relations

• The United States scraps the final stage of its European missile shield. (BBC)
• The United States will spend $1 billion to deploy additional ground-based missile interceptors on the West Coast as part of efforts to enhance the nation's ability to defend itself from attack by North Korea. (CNN) (The New York Times)

Law and crime

• A group of eight men allegedly rape a 39-year-old Swiss tourist and assault her husband in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. (SAPA via News24)
• Seven people are shot and wounded at a family gathering in an apparent gang-related drive-by shooting in Galt, California, United States. (The Sacramento Bee)

Politics and elections

• Voters in Zimbabwe go to the polls to vote on a new constitution with both major parties Zanu-PF and Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai supporting the new constitution. (BBC)
• In Italy, Laura Boldrini, member of the left-wing party Left Ecology Freedom, is elected President of the Chamber of Deputies. Pietro Grasso, a former anti-mafia magistrate and member of the centre-left Democratic Party, is elected President of the Senate. (La Repubblica)

Religion

• Giving his first audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis tells journalists he wants "a poor Church, for the poor". (BBC)

Science and technology

• Soyuz TMA-06M: Three astronauts return safely to Earth from the International Space Station aboard a Russian capsule. (AFP via News24)

Sport

• In rugby union:
  • Wales defeat England 30–3 in Cardiff to win the 2013 Six Nations Championship. (Sky News) (France 24) (The Guardian)
  • Cyprus defeat Bulgaria 79–10 in the European Nations Cup Second Division to earn their 18th consecutive Test victory. This at least ties the all-time record for consecutive Test wins, and (depending on the source) may be a new record. (ESPN Scrum)
• In figure skating, Kim Yuna of South Korea wins the Ladies Championship at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. (Yonhap)