March 31, 2018 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- Terrorism in the United Kingdom
- Police in London announce the arrest on March 29 of a 19-year-old man suspected of the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism. (Time 107.5fm)
- Syrian Civil War, Siege of Eastern Ghouta, Rif Dimashq offensive (February 2018–present)
- The Syrian Army declares that the Eastern Ghouta towns of Arbin, Zamalka, Jobar, and Ein Tarma are vacated of rebel fighters. Except for the town of Douma, which is facing an ultimatum, the government controls most of the area around the capital Damascus. (AP via The New Zealand Herald)
Arts and culture
- General Conference (LDS Church)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announces the elevation of Brazilian Ulisses Soares and Chinese American Gerrit W. Gong to the church's top leadership group, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They are respectively the first Latin American and first man of Asian descent to serve in this role. (AP via Yahoo!)
- LDS President Russell M. Nelson announces that High Priests Quorum will be merged into Elders Quorum. (Daily Herald)
- A man attempts Seppuku at Nankang Software Park in Taiwan, apparently in response to the final public appearance of online celebrity Zhou 'Dora' Yingxin. (Kotaku)
Disasters and accidents
- U.S.-based automobile manufacturer Tesla confirms that one of their Model X cars was placed into Autopilot mode moments before a fatal crash in California, United States. Tesla's Autopilot system is not intended to operate independently and as such the driver is meant to have their hands on the wheel at all times. The recorder of the system logged that the driver did not have their hands on the wheel at the time of the crash. (BBC)
- Updated analysis by the European Space Agency and Aerospace Corporation suggests that the derelict Chinese space station Tiangong-1 will crash on tomorrow evening or the day thereafter in the morning. Although the prediction remains highly uncertain, the station may impact around Africa. (Space.com)
- A fire destroys four World Food Programme warehouses in Hudaydah, Yemen, which contained 50 tonnes of food as well as fuel and mattresses. (BBC)
- Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom reopens after a shuttle bus fire. (The Guardian)
- In Japan, Kyushu Electric Power shuts down their Genkai Nuclear Power Plant because of a steam leak less than a week after being restarted for the first time in seven years. (The Mainichi)
- An explosion at a market in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, kills one person and injures three others. (Tolo News)
- A bulldozer damages a gas line with a subsequent explosion at a construction site in al-Jalala mountain, Egypt, killing two people and wounding nine more. (The Egypt Independent)
- A hotel collapses in Indore, India, killing at least 10 people. (CNBC)
- A fairground ride collapses in Neuville-sur-Saône, central France. Occupied pods attached to the ride fall to the ground, ejecting some riders, with one man dead. (Channel News Asia)
- 2018 Balikpapan oil spill
- As workers attempt to clean up an oil spill, a fire breaks out off the coast of Borneo near Balikpapan, Indonesia, killing at least two fishermen. Search and rescue personnel evacuate all 20 crew from a nearby ship. (AFP via Channel News Asia)
International relations
- Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal
- The United Kingdom Foreign Office considers a consular request from the government of Russia for visitation with Yulia Skripal, the daughter of poisoned ex-spy Sergei Skripal. (The Guardian)
- The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency claims a Vietnamese fishing vessel tried to ram one of their boats when they tried to detain it for illegally entering and fishing from Malaysian waters. (The Sun Daily)
- 2018 Gaza border protests
- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accuses Israel of responsibility for the deaths of 16 protestors at the border with Gaza. Israel accuses Palestinian terrorists of using civilians as human shields. A video begins circulating on social media appearing to show an unarmed teenager being shot. (Bloomberg)
- Israel claims to have identified ten of the dead as members of terrorist organisations, and publishes a list of their names and the groups Israel says they belonged to. (The Times of Israel)
- An unknown source supposedly leaks a report from the German defence ministry which suggests the nation's Tornado fighter jets may not meet NATO requirements for secure encrypted communications and are therefore potentially unsuitable for NATO missions. (Reuters)
- The French ambassador to Italy is summoned to the Italian foreign ministry to explain an incident in which French police cross over the sovereign border of Italy, enter a migrant clinic in Turin, and force a refugee to take a urine test. (BBC)
- In order to make sea room for expanding berthing facilities in Trincomalee Harbour, the Sri Lankan navy raises the SS Sagaing, a British passenger ship sunk when it was bombed in an April 1942 Japanese air strike during World War II. (BBC)
Law and crime
- Crime in Russia
- The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs detains Ziyavudin Magomedov, his brother Magomed Magomedov, and the chief executive of the Summa Group on charges of embezzlement of public funds and criminal association. A Moscow court orders Ziyavudin Magomedov, one of the richest Russians, to remain in pre-trial custody until May 30. (TASS), (Reuters)
- Human rights in Turkey
- The Law Society of England and Wales issues a report claiming that Turkey has prosecuted 1,539 lawyers since the 2016 coup d'état attempt. The report states that 580 people still remain incarcerated with 103 more having received prison sentences. (The Law Gazette)
- In Madarganj Upazila, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a group of between 70 and 80 people from one faith of mosque attack an inauguration ceremony for another faith of mosque, resulting in at least 20 injured. (The Rabwah Times)
Politics and elections
- Sierra Leonean general election, 2018
- The second round of a general election begins in Sierra Leone with a tight race expected between the People's Party and the All People's Congress. Incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office. (The Guardian)
- Botswanan President Ian Khama steps down and hands power over to Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi. (Africa News)
Science and technology
- The current largest cruise ship in the world Royal Caribbean International's $1.35 billion MV Symphony of the Seas commences its maiden voyage. (USA Today)
Sports
- 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
- The Michigan Wolverines and the Villanova Wildcats advance to the National Championship Game after defeating the Loyola Ramblers and Kansas Jayhawks in the Final Four. (CBS Sports)