Portal:Current events/2014 March 13

March 13, 2014 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2014 Crimean crisis:
- Leaders in the Ukrainian Kherson Oblast threaten to shut off all power and water to Crimea if the referendum goes forward. (Fox)
- Russia masses its military near the Ukrainian border again as new military operations are announced. (BBC News)
At least 100 rockets have been fired from Gaza into southern Israel over the last 3 days, with the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine claiming responsibility. The IDF responded by shelling two alleged PIJ targets. (The Jerusalem Post)
Post-coup unrest in Egypt:
- Masked gunmen attack a bus carrying Egyptian Army soldiers in Cairo, killing one. (AP via The Hindu)

Business and economy

An executive board member of the European Central Bank, Benoît Cœuré, says that the ECB is determined to secure the continued decline in real interest rates in the months ahead. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

An intoxicated hit-and-run driver in Austin, Texas, United States, drives into a nighttime crowd at the South by Southwest festival, killing two and injuring 23. (USA Today) (CNN)
A U.S. newspaper report claims Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 flew for hours after vanishing from radars Saturday. (Al Jazeera) (Wall Street Journal)
Rescue crew continue to search for victims in the explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem, which killed 8 and injured more than 70. (NBC)
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs near Japan's Kyushu Island. (Chicago Tribune)
A helicopter crash in Norfolk, United Kingdom, kills Edward Haughey, Baron Ballyedmond. (Eastern Counties Newspapers)

Law and Crime

Murderer and Sex Offender Brett Peter Cowan is sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 20 years after being found guilty of murder, improperly interfering with a corpse and indecently dealing with a child under the age of 16 following the murder of Daniel Morcombe on the Sunshine Coast in December 2003. (Brisbane Times)

Science and technology

David Willetts, the UK science minister, announces £11m of funding for data processing linked to the Square Kilometre Array. (The Register)

Pop Culture

Lady Gaga makes her infamous performance on the #BOLDSTAGE at South by Southwest (SXSW). The ARTPOP performance at SXSW was a completely one-off set and experience. During her performance of "Swine," performance artist Millie Brown repeatedly drank and intentionally vomited neon-coloured fluids onto Gaga while they were riding a mechanical Pig-Bull. While this ARTPOP era was deemed unsuccessful in comparison to her previous work at the time. This Album & performance has now been loved by fans and regarded as one the most artistic, raw and passionate performances of her career. Only now are people understanding & finally appreciating her grief and expressive actions of that era. Once again, Gaga's music and vision was ahead of it's time. ^[1]