March 12, 2011 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2011 Libyan civil war:
- The three Royal Netherlands Navy personnel captured 12 days ago by armed men loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are released after negotiations after Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Dollis secured their release and oversaw their evacuation to Athens, Greece. The crew was trying to rescue a Dutch citizen from Libya when armed men captured them. (NPR)[permanent dead link]
- Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi take control of the oil port of Ra's Lanuf. (BBC)
- The Arab League calls for a UN imposed no-fly zone on Libya, and also recognizes the National Transitional Council as the government of Libya. (Al Jazeera)
- Ali Hassan al-Jaber, an Al-Jazeera cameraman, is killed in Libya. (Al Jazeera)
- A Palestinian militant armed with a knife infiltrates the West Bank settlement of Itamar and stabs to death two Israeli parents and three of their children. (New York Times)
- Yemeni police storm a protest site in the capital Sana'a resulting in at least one death and dozens of injuries. (Al Jazeera)
- At least 23 people die in an attack on the South Sudan town of Malakal. (Alert Net)
Disasters
- 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
- Analysts believe that a nuclear meltdown may be occurring at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant disabled by the Japanese earthquake with a state of emergency declared at five plants. (Reuters), (AP via MSNBC), (Stratfor via Sydney Morning Herald)
- An explosion is heard at the site of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant with four workers injured and residents warned of radiation leaks. (BBC), (AP via MSNBC), (Kyodo), (Sky News)
- Residents within a six mile radius of the plant are evacuated and residents within 20 miles are warned to stay indoors. (Washington Post), (Irish Examiner)
- Quake survivors flee south from northern Japan describing the situation in their hometowns as "unimaginable." (CNN)
- There are 9,500 people unaccounted for in the town of Minamisanriku in Miyagi prefecture. (CNN)
- Fifty thousand Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel are involved in search and rescue efforts. (CNN)
- Between 300 and 400 bodies are discovered in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. (Daily Mail) (The Jakarta Globe) (Taipei Times)
- One Canadian citizen is confirmed killed in the disaster. (CTV News)
- Fifteen people die in a bus accident in The Bronx, New York, USA. (NBC New York), (MSNBC), (NBC New York)
- 83 people are rescued from a floating restaurant after it drifted away carrying 150 passengers on the flooded Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky, USA, and became lodged under the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. (Dayton Daily News) (CTV Edmonton)
- An estimated 800 motorists are stranded on Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 83 in North Dakota by a blizzard. (Bismarck Tribune)
International relations
- South Sudan accuses Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of attempting to overthrow the southern government. (BBC) (Reuters)
Law and crime
- Up to 80 asylum seekers break out of the Australian detention centre on Christmas Island. (SBS)
- United States aid worker Alan Gross is sentenced to 15 years in a Cuban jail, ostensibly for working to undermine the Government of Cuba. (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Politics
- Tens of thousands of Portuguese young people march in protest at budget cuts. (Washington Examiner)[permanent dead link]
Sport
- National Football League owners in the United States lock out their players in the first labour dispute since 1987. (Reuters via Canada.com)
- Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, buys its main rival Strikeforce. (MMA Fighting)