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Worldwide current events
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The Leekfrith torcs

Scientists announce the discovery of possible microfossils within rocks dated between 3.77 and 4.28 billion years old from Northern Quebec, Canada, potentially making them the oldest known fossils of life on Earth.
The discovery of the Leekfrith torcs (pictured), believed to be the oldest Iron Age gold jewellery found in Britain, is announced.
Moonlight wins Best Picture and La La Land wins in six categories at the Academy Awards.
The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army captures Al-Bab from ISIL.
Astronomers announce that the star TRAPPIST-1 hosts seven exoplanets, some orbiting in its habitable zone.

March 5, 2017 (Sunday)

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March 4, 2017 (Saturday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- According to provincial officials, at least eight people are killed and another 22 are injured by a roadside bomb in Farah Province. However, according to locals, the attack was actually an airstrike. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- The Benghazi Defense Brigades, an ally of the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, claims to have captured five cities and two oil-production areas from forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar in the east of Libya. (Al Jazeera)
Syrian Civil War
- East Aleppo offensive (February 2017)
  - CJTFOIR deploys U.S. forces near Manbij to "reassure Coalition" members and to "deter aggression." This comes days after the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces' Manbij Military Council agreed to hand over territory west of Manbij to the Syrian Army to create a buffer zone between the SDF and Turkish-backed rebels. (Rudaw)
- A Syrian Air Force MiG-23 fighter jet crashes in Turkey's Hatay Province near the Syria–Turkey border after an engine failure. (Al Masdar News)(Daily Sabah) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

At least 110 people have died of starvation in the drought-hit region of Bay, Somalia, in the past 48 hours, according to Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre. This comes as the United Nations and various non-governmental organizations are warning of potential famine in the country. (The Independent)

International relations

Malaysia–North Korea relations
- Malaysia expels Kang Chol, North Korea's ambassador, after he criticised the former's investigation into the death of Kim Jong-nam. (BBC)
Mexico–United States relations
- Mexico opens legal aide centers in its 50 U.S. consulates to defend its citizens' rights amid the United States "crackdown" on illegal immigration. In a video, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray Caso said Mexico supports following the law but notes that current circumstances highlight the need for immigration reform. The Pew Research Center estimates there are nearly 6 million undocumented Mexicans living in the United States. (Reuters) (AP via The Toledo Blade)
Canada–United States relations
- Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says Canada will not tighten its border because more migrants, reacting to the United States immigration crackdown, are illegally crossing into Canada from the U.S. Goodale added the issue had not risen to a scale that required hindering the flow of goods and people moving across the world's longest undefended border. (Reuters)

Law and crime

Capital punishment in Jordan
- Jordan says the country executed 15 people today, including 10 who were convicted on terrorism charges with others related to incidents that go back as far as 2003. Amnesty International protests the executions which were carried out in "secrecy and without transparency." Jordan restored the death sentence by hanging in 2014. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Presidency of Donald Trump
- U.S. President Donald Trump accuses former President Barack Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower the month before the 2016 presidential election but offers no evidence to support his claim. A spokesman for President Obama rejects these claims. Former national security adviser Ben Rhodes' tweet to President Trump pointed out, "No President can order a wiretap." (The New York Times) (The Washington Post) (AAP via SBS)

March 3, 2017 (Friday)

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Disasters and accidents

2015 Shoreham Airshow crash
- The Air Accidents Investigation Branch determines that a pilot error was the cause of the crash. (BBC)
2016–17 Zimbabwe floods
- Since December, flooding in Zimbabwe has killed 246 people and nearly 2,000 more have been left homeless, according to officials. (Al Jazeera)
2017 Cook Inlet natural gas leak
- A damaged natural gas pipeline operating under Cook Inlet offshore of Nikiski (near Anchorage, Alaska) continues releasing between 6,000–8,800 cubic meters (210,000–310,000 cubic feet) of gas per day. Pipeline operator Hilcorp Energy states that due to sea ice conditions, repairs will not be possible for weeks. (Popular Mechanics), (Peninsula Clarion)

International relations

United States–European Union relations
- The European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for United States citizens after the U.S. government failed to agree to visa-free travel for citizens of five European Union member states, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. The resolution is non-binding. (The Independent)

Law and crime

Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home
- A mass grave is discovered at a former Catholic orphanage in Tuam, Ireland, containing “significant quantities of human remains”, all of them children. It is alleged over 800 children died at this orphanage and most were buried in the 1950s. (The Guardian)
Antisemitism in the United States
- A 31-year-old ex-journalist is arrested and charged with making at least eight threats against Jewish Community Centers in the United States, as well as a threat made against the Anti-Defamation League, while allegedly impersonating a former girlfriend. (BBC)

Politics and elections

Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2017
- Mike Nesbitt announces he is standing down as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) following the party's poor performance in yesterday's Northern Ireland Assembly election. (BBC)

March 2, 2017 (Thursday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Syrian Civil War
- Palmyra offensive (2017)
  - The Syrian Army and its allies recapture the ancient city of Palmyra from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (Reuters)(Al-Masdar News)
- East Aleppo offensive (February 2017)
  - The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces' Manbij Military Council, "after reaching a new alliance with Russia," hands over a vast expanse of territory west of Manbij to the Syrian Army to create a buffer zone between the SDF and Turkish-backed rebels. (BBC)(Al-Masdar News)(Rudaw)
War in North-West Pakistan
- A United States drone strike kills two alleged militants in the Kurram district of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Disasters and accidents

A methane gas explosion occurs at a coal mine in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, killing at least eight miners, with another 20 unaccounted for. (Al Jazeera)
An avalanche near the northern Italian town of Courmayeur, kills at least three people and injures another three, while two others are believed missing. (BBC)

Law and crime

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is acquitted of involvement in the deaths of hundreds of anti-government protesters during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Northern Ireland Assembly election, 2017
- Northern Irish voters go to the polls to elect their new MLA representatives after a snap election was called following the resignation of Deputy First minister Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin over the mishandling by Democratic Unionist Party over the recent Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. (BBC News)
The government of Sweden submits a bill to the Riksdag to reintroduce conscription this summer in response to new global security challenges. (Al Jazeera)
Political appointments of Donald Trump
- The U.S. Senate confirms Donald Trump's appointment of his former opponents in the presidential primaries, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Governor of Texas Rick Perry, as Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development and Energy respectively, with the support of all Republicans and some Democrats. (CNN)

March 1, 2017 (Wednesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- At least 16 people were killed and 40 more wounded after two suicide bombers attacked Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Business and economics

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rises above 21,000 points, reaching an all-time high. (Los Angeles Times)

International relations

Georgia–European Union relations
- The European Union formally grants Georgian citizens visa-free travel to its member states, with the exception of Ireland and the United Kingdom. The signed documents will be published on March 8, and officially enter into force on March 28. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Syrian Civil War
- Russia and China veto a draft United Nations Security Council resolution sponsored by France, the United Kingdom and the United States calling for sanctions against the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad over allegations that the government used chemical weapons in the conflict. (RT) (The Guardian)

Law and crime

Philippine Drug War
- After a temporary suspension due to the kidnapping and killing of a South Korean national, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte orders the Philippine National Police to resume his controversial campaign. (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Kim Jong-nam's assassination
- Two women, Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Đoàn Thị Hương, are charged with murder in relation to the death of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The women, who reportedly thought they were involved in a prank TV show, did not enter pleas. (CNN) (The Globe and Mail)

Politics and elections

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir names Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh as Prime Minister of Sudan, the first person to hold the post since it was abolished following the 1989 Sudanese coup d'état. (Reuters)
Pakalitha Mosisili, the Prime Minister of Lesotho loses a confidence motion in the Parliament of Lesotho, and may call a snap election. (SABC)

Science and technology

Origin of life
- Scientists announce the finding of microfossils up to almost 4.3 billion years old, within rocks from the Hudson Bay shoreline in northern Quebec, Canada, that may represent the oldest-known evidence of life on Earth. (Reuters)
An American Atlas V successfully launched an NRO payload from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch is the 70th successful Atlas V launch and the 14th successful mission for the NRO. (SpaceflightNow)

February 28, 2017 (Tuesday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- Twelve Afghan National Police officers are killed in a Taliban "infiltration attack" in the southern Helmand Province. (BBC)
Gaza–Israel conflict
- At least four Palestinians are injured following Israeli air strikes in Gaza that were reportedly in response to rockets launched into southern Israel by Hamas. (RT)

Business and economics

The Hershey Company announces it will cut about 15 percent of its global workforce (~2,700 jobs) to return its international businesses to profitability as quickly as possible. The layoffs will have a greater impact on the international workforce. (CNN)

Disasters and accidents

A small plane crashes in a residential area of Riverside, California, killing at least three people, all of whom were passengers on the plane. No one on the ground was injured. (BBC)
A police sniper accidentally fires his weapon while changing position and injures two people during a speech by French President François Hollande in Villognon. (BBC)
Twelve people are injured, four critically, after an SUV hits the Gulf Shores High School Band during the Gulf Shores, Alabama, Mardi Gras parade. The vehicle, in the parade behind the band, accelerated when the 73-year-old driver's foot slipped off the brake pedal onto the gas. (RT) (CNN) (WPMI-TV)

Law and crime

2016–17 Turkish purges
- About 330 people with alleged links to last year's coup attempt stand trial at a prison outside Ankara on charges of murder and attempting to overthrow the government, the largest trial to date. (Al Jazeera)
German police storm a refugee center in Hamburg after a knife-wielding man barricades himself in a room with a pregnant woman believed to be his partner. The man was injured before he was arrested. (RT)
Hundreds of right-wing activists gather to protest the court-ordered demolition of the Israeli settlement Ofra, which was built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank. Israeli police are evacuating nine homes in the settlement, despite hunger strikes and people barricading themselves inside. (RT)
The Royal Thai Government has fired Police General Jumpol Manmai for "extremely evil" misconduct and political interests which threatened national security. (Reuters)

Politics and elections

Presidency of Donald Trump
- U.S. president Donald Trump plans to unveil a plan that may allow illegal immigrants to stay with possible preconditions. (CNN)
- The Trump administration plans to increase the budget of the United States Armed Forces by more than 9%. (Reuters)

February 27, 2017 (Monday)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

Moro conflict
- The Abu Sayyaf militant group beheads their German hostage Jurgen Kantner in Indanan, Philippines. (The Straits Times)
Communist rebellion in the Philippines
- A total of 21 combatants die in a three-week offensive by the government against the Communist Party of the Philippines. (Rappler)
Syrian Civil War
- The Syrian Government's Tiger Forces reaches the front lines with the Syrian Democratic Forces south of Manbij after capturing territory from ISIL, east of al-Bab. (Syrian Live Map)
War in Afghanistan (2015–present)
- According to the Afghan Interior Ministry, Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, a senior Taliban commander, is killed in a U.S. airstrike in Kunduz Province. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
War in Somalia (2009–present)
- A car bomb explodes near a checkpoint outside Mogadishu, wounding at least four Somali soldiers. (Al Jazeera)

International relations

Armenia–European Union relations
- Armenia and the European Union agree on a new pact to boost ties between the two. It is expected to be signed later this year. This comes after Armenia rejected an Association Agreement in 2013. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Politics and elections

The Liberal Party of the Philippines, the party of vice president Leni Robredo and detained senator Leila de Lima, formally becomes the opposition after its members and its ally from the Akbayan party are ousted from key positions in the Senate. (Rappler)

Science and technology

SpaceX announces that it will take two space tourists on an orbit of the Moon in 2018. (CNBC)

More February 2017 events...

Ongoing events
Disasters European cold wave UK and Ireland windstorm season Law Philippine Drug War Political European migrant crisis (timeline) Romanian protests South China Sea disputes United States immigration ban More details on ongoing conflicts below Sport 2017 World Rally Championship 2017 NASCAR Cup Series 2016–17 Bundesliga 2016–17 La Liga 2016–17 NBA season 2016–17 NHL season 2016–17 PBA season 2016–17 Premier League 2016–17 Serie A 2016–17 EuroLeague 2016–17 EuroLeague Women 2017 Pakistan Super League edit sidebar

Recent deaths
March 2017 4: Clayton Yeutter 3: Míriam Colón 3: Tommy Page 3: René Préval 2: Tommy Gemmell 1: John Hampshire 1: Gustav Metzger February 2017 27: Alex Young 26: Gerald Kaufman 26: Joseph Wapner 25: Neil Fingleton 25: Bill Paxton 25: Elli Norkett 23: Alan Colmes 23: Bernie Custis 23: David Waddington 22: Ed Garvey 21: Kenneth Arrow 21: Jeanne Martin Cissé 21: Desmond Connell 21: Ion Croitoru 20: Vitaly Churkin 20: Mildred Dresselhaus 19: Charismatic 19: Larry Coryell 19: Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe 18: Omar Abdel-Rahman 18: Ivan Koloff 18: Norma McCorvey 18: Clyde Stubblefield 18: Daniel Vickerman 17: Warren Frost 17: Robert Michel 17: Michael Novak 17: George Steele 16: Dick Bruna 16: Jannis Kounellis 15: Stuart McLean 13: Ricardo Arias Calderón 13: Kim Jong-nam 12: Al Jarreau 12: Sione Lauaki 11: Chavo Guerrero Sr. 10: Mike Ilitch 10: Hal Moore 9: Packy 8: Tara Palmer-Tomkinson 8: Tom Raworth 8: Hans Rosling 7: Svend Asmussen 7: Richard Hatch 7: Alec McCowen 7: Raymond Smullyan 6: Irwin Corey 6: Inge Keller 6: Joost van der Westhuizen 4: Basil Hetzel edit sidebar

Elections and Referendums
Recent February 5: Liechtenstein, Landtag 8: Somalia, President 12: Germany, President 12: Switzerland, Referendum 12: Turkmenistan, President 19: Ecuador, President, National Assembly, Referendum 20: Nagorno-Karabakh, Constitutional referendum 21: Marshall Islands, Constitutional Assembly March 2: Northern Ireland, Assembly Upcoming March 7: Micronesia, Congress 15: Netherlands, House of Representatives 20: East Timor, President 26: Bulgaria, Parliament edit sidebar

Trials
Recently concluded Australia: Roger Rogerson and Glen McNamara Cambodia: Sam Rainsy China: Wan Qingliang, Ling Jihua, Zhoi Bin, Guo Boxiong Iran: Babak Zanjani Netherlands: Geert Wilders Philippines: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Nur Misuari, Joel Villanueva Romania: Liviu Dragnea, Gheorghe Ștefan, Gabriel Sandu, Dorin Cocoş, Dumitru Nicolae Spain: Lionel Messi United Kingdom: Chris Denning, Ched Evans United States: Bob McDonnell, Paul Anthony Ciancia International ICTY: Radovan Karadžić Ongoing China: Bai Enpei, Pan Yiyang, Yang Weize Germany: Beate Zschäpe Indonesia: Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Mary Jane Veloso Pakistan: Waseem Azeem, Mufti Abdul Qawi Philippines: Andal Ampatuan Jr., Leila de Lima, Rodrigo Duterte, Jovito Palparan Romania: Dan Șova, Elena Udrea, Radu Mazăre, Gheorghe Nichita, Marian Vanghelie Russia: Alexei Navalny South Korea: Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil Spain: Gürtel case, Spanish Royal House, Bárcenas affair United States: Etan Patz United Kingdom: Rolf Harris, Barry Bennell International ICC: Laurent Gbagbo ICTY: Ratko Mladić Upcoming China: Wu Changshun Egypt: Mohamed Morsi Estonia: Edgar Savisaar Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi United States: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Graham Spanier, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Bill Cosby edit sidebar

Ongoing conflicts
Africa Algeria and Tunisia Maghreb insurgency ISIL insurgency in Tunisia Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria Boko Haram insurgency Central African Republic Civil war Democratic Republic of the Congo Kivu conflict ADF insurgency Ituri conflict Lord's Resistance Army insurgency Libya Civil war Mali Northern Mali conflict Somalia Civil war South Sudan Ethnic violence (South Sudanese Civil War) Sudan War in Darfur South Kordofan conflict Sudanese nomadic conflicts Americas Mexico Mexican War on Drugs Peru Internal conflict in Peru Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan War China Xinjiang conflict India Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Insurgency in Northeast India India and Pakistan Kashmir conflict Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines Moro conflict Cross border attacks in Sabah Indonesia and Papua New Guinea Papua conflict Myanmar Internal conflict in Myanmar Pakistan War in North-West Pakistan Balochistan conflict Philippines CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Thailand South Thailand insurgency Europe Armenia and Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Georgia Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Georgian–Ossetian conflict Russia Chechen–Russian conflict North Caucasus insurgency Ukraine War in Donbass Russian military intervention in Ukraine Middle East Egypt Sinai insurgency Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria Arab–Israeli conflict Iran Iran–PJAK conflict Iraq American-led intervention in Iraq Iranian intervention in Iraq Iraq and Syria (map) Military intervention against ISIL Israel and Lebanon Israeli–Lebanese conflict Israel and Palestine Gaza–Israel conflict Israeli–Palestinian conflict Syria American-led intervention in Syria Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War Turkish military intervention in Syria Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict Turkey–ISIL conflict Yemen Yemeni Civil War Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Al-Qaeda insurgency edit sidebar