Wikipedia:ITN archives/2011/March

(Archive begins here and is to be continued from here forward).


 * Protests in Wisconsin, United States, against changes to the state's budget plan enter their third week, with thousands of people demonstrating around the State Capitol.
 * Protests are held in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Yemen amid continuing turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa.
 * Pakistani Minister of Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti is assassinated in Islamabad, following years a death threats for supporting Pakistani Christians.
 * Essam Sharaf is appointed Prime Minister of Egypt by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after Ahmed Shafik resigns.
 * In Chad, parliamentary elections result in an overwhelming majority for the Patriotic Salvation Movement, led by incumbent president Idriss Déby.
 * NASA's Glory climate research satellite and four CubeSats are lost in the second consecutive failure of a Taurus-XL rocket, after its payload fairing fails to separate.
 * Protests continue across the Arab world in Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Libya.
 * The Human Rights Protection Party wins majority in Samoan general election.
 * Preliminary construction of the controversial Belo Monte Dam in Brazil is allowed to begin after the previous ruling is overturned by a higher court.
 * Protesters storm several State Security Intelligence buildings across Egypt, including the headquarters in Alexandria.
 * Former French President Jacques Chirac stands trial for charges of corruption, the first former French head of state to stand trial since Philippe Pétain.
 * Seiji Maehara resigns as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan after a scandal over political donations.
 * Events are held around the world to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.
 * At least 25 people are killed and 127 others are wounded after a car bomb attack in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
 * The Supreme Court of India lays out guidelines for passive euthanasia.
 * France becomes the first nation to recognize National Transitional Council as the legitimate government amid a continued uprising in Libya.
 * A 5.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Yunnan, China, severely damaging more than 18,000 houses and apartment buildings.
 * Belimumab becomes the first drug in over 50 years to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of lupus.
 * A 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan causes many injuries and triggers a 4 meter high tsunami.
 * An explosion at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant raises fears of a nuclear meltdown.
 * The People's Republic of China adopts a new five-year plan, which includes a goal of increasing GDP by eight percent this year.
 * The 14th Dalai Lama steps down as political leader of the Tibetan government in exile.
 * Persian Gulf nations, including Saudia Arabia, send troops and police to quell protests in Bahrain.
 * A third explosion at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Japan, forces the evacuation of workers and increases the risk of a full meltdown.
 * Security forces crack down on protests in Bahrain, as the Gulf Cooperation Council agrees to send troops to the country.
 * CIA contractor Raymond Allen Davis is freed in Pakistan after blood money is paid.
 * A U.S. drone attack kills almost 40 people in North Waziristan and draws condemnation from Pakistan.
 * Amid an ongoing armed conflict, the U.N. Security Council approves a no-fly zone over Libya.
 * The MESSENGER space probe becomes the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury.
 * Yemen declares a state of emergency after unidentified gunmen open fire on antigoverment protesters, killing at least 41.
 * Former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher dies at the age of 85.
 * The Moon reaches its closest point to Earth at full phase for the first time since 1993.
 * The French Air Force begins enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone.
 * Berlin Zoo's polar bear Knut dies at the age of 4.
 * Thousands of people protest across Syria in the country's largest demonstrations in decades.
 * In rugby union, England win the Six Nations Championship.
 * The 2011 Alpine Skiing World Cup concludes with Ivica Kostelić of Croatia and Maria Riesch of Germany winning the overall titles.
 * The ICANN Board votes to approve .xxx, a sponsored top-level domain intended as a voluntary option for adult websites.
 * Voters approve a constitutional referendum in Egypt as a part of the overall reform.
 * Nikolai Andrianov, the most successful men's Olympic gymnast, dies at the age of 58.
 * The House of Representatives of the Philippines impeaches Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for alleged betrayal of public trust.
 * Actress Elizabeth Taylor dies at the age of 79.
 * American mathematician John Milnor is awarded the 2011 Abel Prize for his pioneering contributions to Geometry, Topology and Algebra.
 * After failing to get austerity measures through the Assembly of the Republic, José Sócrates resigns as Prime Minister of Portugal.
 * NATO takes over command of the no-fly zone in Libya.
 * A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits northeastern Myanmar, killing at least 75 people.
 * Security forces open fire on protesters in Syria, killing several dozen people.
 * Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper ' s government falls after failing a vote of non-confidence.
 * Anthropologists have confirmed human settlement in the Americas, up to 3,500 years older than the previous oldest-known settlement.
 * The first female major party vice presidential candidate in the United States, Geraldine Ferraro (pictured), dies of complications from multiple myeloma.
 * Approximately 250,000 people march through London to protest against government spending cuts.
 * Harry Coover, the inventor of Super Glue and recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, dies at the age of 94.
 * Eduardo Souto de Moura is awarded the 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
 * An explosion at a munitions factory near Ja`ar, Yemen, kills at least 124 people.
 * Syrian prime minister Muhammad Naji al-Otari and his cabinet resign amid anti-government protests.
 * Libyan Foreign Minister Mussa Kussa resigns amid the Libyan civil war.
 * India defeat Pakistan during the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup, with the prime ministers of both countries in attendance.
 * Former Brazilian Vice-President José Alencar dies at the age of 79.
 * Rebels loyal to Alassane Ouattara begin to besiege Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire's former capital and largest city.