March 5, 2013 (Tuesday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2013 Lahad Datu standoff:
- The Malaysian Army launches an attack on an armed Filipino group on the island of Borneo in an effort to end the standoff. (BBC)
- Nigerian Sharia conflict:
Business and economy
- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers his final annual address to the National People's Congress. The People's Republic of China sets its economic growth rate for 2013 at 7.5%. (AFP via SBS World News)
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average surpasses pre-financial crisis levels, reaching an all-time high, last set in October 2007, after the release of better than expected economic data from the United States and Europe and the Chinese growth target. (AP via New Jersey Herald)[permanent dead link] (The New York Times) (The Wall Street Journal)
International relations
- Venezuela announces its intention to expel a member of the United States embassy working as a US Air Force military attaché. The U.S. official is accused of spying on the military and meeting with officials to plan destabilizing the country. (AP via The New York Times)
- The UN Security Council holds a closed-door session to discuss new sanctions against North Korea following reports of an agreement on a draft resolution between the United States and China. North Korea announces plans to nullify the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War. (BBC) (Yonhap News) (NHK World)[permanent dead link]
Law and crime
- A black American political candidate "was dragged and set on fire" during his murder in the U.S. state of Mississippi, say his family. The corpse of Marco McMillian was found bruised and burned near a levee on the Mississippi River. (The Daily Telegraph)
- Eddie Maher, who spent almost 20 years as a fugitive in the United States, is jailed for five years for stealing a security van containing £1.2m in Suffolk, England. (BBC)
Politics and elections
- Death of Hugo Chávez:
- Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, dies in office at the age of 58 in the capital, Caracas. (Al Jazeera) (RTÉ News) (CBS News)
- Chávez's death triggers a presidential election to be held within thirty days. (The Guardian)
- Vice President Nicolás Maduro assumes the presidency until an election is held. (BBC)
- Kenyan general election, 2013: Early returns show that Uhuru Kenyatta has taken a lead in the presidential election. (Reuters) (The Guardian)
- The government of Moldova falls in a confidence vote after the government coalition broke down. (Al Jazeera)
- UK Secretary of State for Defence Philip Hammond announces the closure of four Army bases as part of a shake-up to accommodate the return of thousands of British troops stationed in Germany. (BBC)
- Voters in the American city of Los Angeles, California, go to the polls for a mayoral election with Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel to contest a runoff on 21 May 2013. (Los Angeles Times)
Science and technology
- Japanese carrier Willcom announces the Phone Strap 2 WX06A, which weighs only 32 grams. The company advertises it as the world's "smallest and lightest phone". (The Verge)
- Scientists in the United States publish the most detailed scans of the human brain to date as part of a project to understand how the organ works. (BBC)
Sport
- Real Madrid defeat Manchester United by a 2–1 scoreline (3–2 on aggregate) in the second leg of their 2012–13 UEFA Champions League last 16 tie. With the Premier League club leading 1–0, Nani's controversial second half sending off provides the game's main turning point, and Cristiano Ronaldo ultimately scores the winning goal on his first return to Old Trafford since leaving in the summer of 2009. (ESPN) (BBC) (The Guardian)