March 20, 2016 (Sunday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- March 2016 Istanbul bombing
- Turkish authorities name a Turkish man with alleged ties to the Islamic State responsible for this weekend's suicide bombing in Istanbul. (The Washington Post)
Arts and culture
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah
- Dallin H. Oaks dedicates the Provo City Center Temple, the 150th LDS temple and the second temple converted from an LDS tabernacle. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
Business and economics
- The United States-based Sherwin-Williams Company agrees to acquire rival U.S. paint company Valspar Corporation in an all-cash deal valued at about $9.3 billion (8.2 billion euros). (Reuters)
Disasters and accidents
- Erasmus bus crash
- Thirteen are killed and 34 others injured after a bus carrying Erasmus exchange students returning from the renowned Falles fireworks festival in Valencia, crashes near Freginals, Spain. The regional government of Catalonia said in a statement that, "... according to the latest data, the ill-fated bus had students from Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Italy, Peru, Bulgaria, Poland, Ireland, Japan, Ukraine, Holland, Belgium, France, Palestine, Turkey, (and) Greece." (The Independent) (Euronews) (AP via Bloomberg)
- A 6.6 magnitude earthquake strikes off the eastern coast of Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East. Shaking was felt throughout large parts of the peninsula, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. (BNO News)
- An Indonesian military helicopter crash shortly after takeoff from Poso kills 13 passengers. Their mission was to try to capture Indonesia's most wanted militant, Abu Wardah Santoso, leader of the Islamic State affiliate East Indonesia Mujahidin network. (AP)
International relations
- United States–Cuban Thaw
- U.S. President Barack Obama and the First Family begin their three-day visit to Havana, Cuba, to mark the end of 54 years of tensions in Cuba–United States relations. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. (Havana Times) (Jamaica Observer)
- Before the President's arrival, Cuban authorities arrest more than 50 Ladies in White human rights activists. The group marches after every Sunday Mass at a church in the Miramar suburb of Havana, and usually get arrested and detained for hours or days. They had hoped President Obama's visit would change that routine. (USA Today) (Havana Times)
Law and crime
- A retired Pennsylvania state trooper's attempted robbery of a fare collection vehicle at the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Fort Littleton toll plaza, 65 miles west of the capital Harrisburg, results in three deaths -- a toll collector, a security guard, and himself. (AP via ABC News)
Politics and elections
- Beninese presidential election, 2016
- Voting for the second round of Benin's election begins with current President Thomas Boni Yayi stepping down after completing two terms. (Townhall via Reuters)
- Cape Verdean parliamentary election, 2016
- Voters in Cape Verde go to the polls for an election. (BBC)
- Kazakhstani legislative election, 2016
- Voting is underway in today's parliamentary election in the former Soviet republic. President Nursultan Nazarbayev's Nur Otan party is expected to win easily, and retain control of the 107-seat Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament. The recent crackdown on political activists and media dims chances this election will be the first judged free and fair by Western observers. (AP via Sioux City Journal) (Townhall.com)
- Laotian parliamentary election, 2016
- An election is held in Laos, with voter turnout expected to be low. The only legal party in Laos is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. (Vida Latina)
- Nigerien general election, 2016
- A run-off election begins in Niger with current President Mahamadou Issoufou highly favored to win as his main opponent Hama Amadou, who was earlier jailed, was flown out of the country for medical reasons. (Reuters)
- Philippine presidential election, 2016
- The second leg of the presidential debates was held in Cebu City. (AP via The Japan Times)
- Republic of the Congo presidential election, 2016
- Voters in the Republic of the Congo go to the polls with current President Denis Sassou Nguesso expected to extend his 32-year rule. Telephone, internet and SMS services have been shut down in what has been called a "media blackout." (Al Jazeera)
- Senegalese constitutional referendum, 2016
- A referendum is underway in Senegal where voters will vote on whether or not to reduce presidential term limits from seven to five years. Senegal's referendum also calls for a strengthened National Assembly, better representation for Senegalese abroad, greater rights for the opposition and participation of independent candidates in elections among the 15 changes. (The Daily Star)
- Tanzanian general election, 2015
- A rerun of Zanzibar's presidential election takes place amid an opposition boycott. The election originally occurred at the same time as Tanzania's general election in 2015 but was annulled because of supposed fraud. (Daily Nation)