current Events/2017 March 31
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March 31, 2017 (Friday)
Armed conflict and attacks
- War in North-West Pakistan
- A bomb targets a mosque in the city of Parachinar near the border with Afghanistan killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens more. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- Cyclone Debbie
- Authorities find a woman's body near the town of Murwillumbah, New South Wales, bringing the number of confirmed storm fatalities to at least two people. There are fears that more people could be missing in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. (The Australian)
- Interstate 85 bridge collapse
- Officials state that repairs will take months following a fire that collapsed a bridge on Interstate 85 in Atlanta, Georgia. Police arrest three individuals in connection with the disaster, charging two with criminal trespass and one with first degree criminal damage. (WSB TV)
International relations
- At a NATO meeting, German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel rejects as "quite unrealistic" the belief that Germany would spend 2% of GDP on the military. He says other spending such as development aid should be taken into account. (BBC)
- A Japanese fleet returns home after hunting 333 whales in the Antarctic. The Japanese government states that the purpose was for research. (New York Magazine)
Law and crime
- The Indian state of Gujarat passes a law which makes the slaughter of a cow punishable by life imprisonment. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- 2017 dissolution of Venezuelan National Assembly
- Luisa Ortega Díaz, Venezuela's attorney general, denounces a rupture of the constitutional order. Some protesters hold banners reading: "No To Dictatorship". (Reuters)
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces that he is developing a plan to close the Rikers Island prison within 10 years. (BBC)
- President of South Africa Jacob Zuma fires finance minister Pravin Gordhan amid a major cabinet reshuffle. The South African rand plunges. (CNN)
- 2017 Paraguay protests
- Some individuals set the Congress of Paraguay on fire. The attack occurs during a protest against a bill that would let the president seek re-election. (BBC)
Sports
- 2017 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament
- Women's basketball Mississippi State defeats four-time defending national champion Connecticut 66–64, ending the Huskies' NCAA-record winning streak at 111 games. (AP via ESPN)
- The MSU Bulldogs advance to the title game against fellow Southeastern Conference team South Carolina, which defeated Stanford 62–53 in the evening's other semifinal. (AP via ESPN)
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