March 11, 2011 (Friday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- 2011 Libyan civil war:
- European Union leaders gather in Brussels for an urgent summit. (BBC)
- Clashes continue to take place between rebels and Gaddafi loyalists at Ra's Lanuf. (Al Jazeera)
- 2011 Saudi Arabian protests:
- Protesters take to the streets of Hofuf and al-Ahsa in the east of the country. (Reuters) (Wall Street Journal)
- 2011 Kuwaiti protests:
- 2011 Bahraini protests:
- Security is increased as a large march takes place towards the royal court. (Reuters)
- India and Pakistan successfully conduct missile tests. (Sify India)
Arts and culture
- American actor Mel Gibson is charged with misdemeanor battery for an alleged assault on his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva in January 2010. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Disasters and accidents
- 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
- A 9.0 magnitude earthquake hits offshore of Japan's Miyagi prefecture, producing tsunamis as high as 10 meters near the epicenter and reaching land throughout the Pacific ocean. (Japan Times) (Canadian Press via Google News), (AP via ABC News America)
- At least 1000 people have died in the earthquake and tsunami.(LA Times)
- The Sendai Airport, located near Sendai in the Miyagi Prefecture, is damaged by the earthquake, and is hit by tsunami waves up to 15 meters (50 feet). (BBC) (The Aviation Herald) (Newsfeed via Time)
- The United States Geological Survey estimates that it is the fifth strongest earthquake since 1900. (USGS)
- Japanese television shows footage of flooding along Japan's northeastern coast. (AP via New York Times)
- A tsunami warning is also issued for Russia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the United States. (Market Watch), (Oregon Live)
- The Government of Japan evacuates thousands of residents living near the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant following a radiation leak. (New York Times)
- The cooling system at the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant also experiences problems. (RT)
- The Governor of California Jerry Brown declares a state of emergency in Del Norte, Humboldt, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. (LA Times)
- The Governor of Oklahoma, Mary Fallin, declares a state of emergency in all 77 counties due to wildfires burning out of control in that state and Colorado. (CNN)
- A bus plunges into a ravine in the Xinjiang region in western China killing at least 16 people and with 24 people injured. (AP via MSNBC)
- Mount Karangetang erupts in Sulawesi, Indonesia, forcing local evacuations. (The Hindu)
Law and crime
- A U.S. federal magistrate rules that prosecutors can demand Twitter account information in relation to Wikileaks. (AP)
- Two ex-Blackwater consultants are found guilty in the United States of the involuntary manslaughter of a civilian in the Afghan capital Kabul. (AP via NPR)[permanent dead link]
Politics
- The UNASUR Constitutive Treaty enters into force, making the Union of South American Nations an international legal personality. (Telesur)(Télam)
- Taiwan's opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen launches her presidential bid. (Focus Taiwan) (Straits Times)
- Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai calls for an end to the country's unity government after one of his party members is arrested. (AllAfrica.com)