March 21, 2012 (2012-03-21) (Wednesday)
Armed conflict
- Syrian uprising:
- Syrian security forces continued to bombard a neighborhood in a neighborhood of Homs and at least 79 people were reported killed across Syria, including 42 in Homs. (CNN)
- The United Nations Security Council adopts a statement supporting Kofi Annan's plan for ending violence in Syria. (Al Jazeera)
- United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warns the Syrian government and President Bashar al-Assad to follow the United Nations peace plan "or face increasing pressure and isolation".(BBC) (CNN)
- Rebelling government troops in Mali storm the state broadcaster in the capital Bamako. (Al Jazeera)
- The annual report of the Jerusalem-based B'Tselem organisation states that in 2011, 105 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip, 37 of whom are listed as non-combatants, and that Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli civilians, among them a couple and three of their children murdered in their home. (Al Jazeera)(Ynet)
- Iraq is terrorised by unconfirmed reports of extremists crushing the skulls of emos with blocks of cement. (BBC)
- A car bomb explodes in central Mogadishu, Somalia, injuring two people. (Al Jazeera)
- French police engage in a shootout with Mohammed Merah, a suspect in recent shootings in Toulouse, with the suspect allegedly linked to al-Qa'ida. (France 24) (Al Jazeera) (AFP via The Australian) (Reuters via MSNBC)
- Nigerian Army soldiers kill nine gunmen suspected of belonging to the Boko Haram Islamist group after they attack a police station and a bank. (Bloomberg)
Business and economy
- The Greek parliament votes in favour of an international bailout deal. (AP via MSN)
Law and crime
- Five former members of right-wing Guatemalan paramilitaries are sentenced to a total of 7,710 years in jail for their role in the 1982 Plan de Sánchez massacre. (BBC) (AFP via France 24)
Politics
- Burma invites observers from ASEAN, the European Union and the United States to monitor next week's series of by-elections. (The Daily Telegraph)
- George Osborne delivers the 2012 British budget cutting the top rate of income tax. (The Guardian) (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Nick Smith resigns as New Zealand's Minister for the Environment, Minister for Climate Change Issues and Minister for Local Government due to improper conduct. (AP via Washington Post)
Sport
- New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is suspended for a year without pay while former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is banned indefinitely from the National Football League for their role in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. (ESPN)