Armed conflicts and attacks
March 2016 Istanbul bombing
An explosion occurs in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, kills five people, including two dual citizenship Israeli-Americans and one Iranian citizen, and injures several dozen others. (Sputnik International) (Al Jazeera) (Hürriyet Daily News) (AP via MuskokaRegion.com)
Syrian Civil War, Palmyra offensive (March 2016)
Airstrikes by Syrian or Russian warplanes on ISIL's de facto capital Al-Raqqah in northern Syria, leaves at least 39 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Airstrikes on the city of Palmyra and nearby villages are said to have killed at least 18 ISIL militants, as the Syrian Army advance on the city. (Reuters)
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
A United States Department of Defense official says a U.S. soldier was killed in the town of Makhmur, Erbil Governorate, by a rocket fired by ISIL. "It was a lucky strike by ISIS," according to the official. (Fox News)
Sinai insurgency
At least 13 Egyptian policemen are killed after a security checkpoint in the city of Arish, North Sinai Governorate, came under attack by militants. Ambulances were reportedly subjected to heavy gunfire as they attempted to reach the wounded. The Islamic State's Sinai branch claimed responsibility for the attack. (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
Nine Cuban migrants die and 18 others are rescued by the Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico, 130 miles west of Marco Island, Florida. The group had been sailing for 22 days in a 30-foot long "rustic" boat. The survivors were severely dehydrated and in poor condition. Those who had died were buried at sea. The cruise ship is taking the migrants to its next stop, the Mexican island of Cozumel. (AP via Portland Press Herald)
Flydubai Flight 981
Flydubai Boeing 737-800 Flight FZ981, en route from Dubai for about four hours, crashes during landing in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, killing all 62 on board. It appears the jet crashed in poor visibility, some 50–100 meters left of the runway, during the second approach. Rostov-on-Don Airport will remain closed until at least 9:00 am Moscow time. (RT') (Airways News) (Reuters)