current Events/2023 March 20

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
  • Military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War
    • The European Union approves a €2 billion plan to supply 1 million artillery shells to Ukraine. (The Washington Post) (Kyiv Post)
  • Southern Ukraine campaign
    • Ukraine's Ministry of Defence says that a Russian shipment of Kalibr cruise missiles was blown up as it was being transported by rail in Dzhankoi, Crimea. At least one person is reportedly injured. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

• Scientists discover ruins of a pearling town near Umm Al Quwain, United Arab Emirates. The town is considered to be the oldest ever found in the country, dating back to the 6th century. (Khaleej Times)

Health and environment

• Climate change
  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change completes its Sixth Assessment Report, summarizing actions humans must take now for a 50% chance to avoid irreversible climate change by 2030. (The Guardian)

International relations

• China–Russia relations
  • 2023 visit by Xi Jinping to Russia
    • Chinese president Xi Jinping visits Russia in his first international trip since being re-elected, meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow. (Reuters)
• North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
  • North Korea conducts drills simulating a nuclear counterattack in response to joint amphibious landing exercises by the United States and South Korea. (Reuters)

Law and crime

• War crimes in Afghanistan
  • Brereton Report
    • A 41-year-old Australian former soldier is arrested and charged with the murder of an Afghan man while he was deployed in Afghanistan, becoming the first Australian military member to be charged following the release of the report. (CNN)
• XXXTentacion murder trial
  • Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome, and Dedrick Williams are found guilty of first-degree murder for the 2018 shooting of rapper XXXTentacion. (The New York Times)
• More than 100 Sikh separatists are arrested during a three-day hunt by police in Punjab, India. The group's leader Amritpal Singh is still wanted. (Al Jazeera)
• South Africa prepares for a "nationwide shutdown" as the military is deployed ahead of protests by the Economic Freedom Fighters. (The Independent)
• Censorship in the United Kingdom
  • The British government bans far-right Danish activist Rasmus Paludan from entering the United Kingdom over a threat to burn a Quran in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. (BBC News)
• Explosive devices disguised as USB flash drives are sent to least five news organizations in Ecuador; one journalist at Ecuavisa in Guayaquil suffers minor injuries. (The Guardian)