Portal:Current events/2018 March 4

March 4, 2018 (Sunday)

Arts and culture

90th Academy Awards
- The Shape of Water wins a leading four awards, including Best Picture, followed by Dunkirk, which won three awards. (CNBC)
- The ceremony records its lowest U.S. television audience in recorded history, according to Nielsen Holdings. (BBC)

Disasters and incidents

An explosion followed by a building collapse kills four and injures 20 in Poznan, Poland. (Reuters)

Business and economy

Online advertising
- Advertisers remove their ads from InfoWars founder Alex Jones' YouTube channels. Many of the brands say they were not aware their adverts were being shown on the channel until being contacted by CNN. (The Independent) (CNN)

Health and environment

2017–18 South African listeriosis outbreak
- South African officials determine that the country's ongoing listeriosis outbreak—which is already the world's deadliest listeriosis outbreak, killing over 180 people and sickening 1,000 more—was caused by contaminated "Polony" processed meat. The Ministry of Health issues a recall of contaminated products from RCL Foods and from Tiger Brands subsidiary company Enterprise Food and advises the public to avoid all processed meat products that are sold as ready-to-eat. (Reuters)

International relations

Politics and elections

Presidency of Donald Trump
- In a private speech to Republican donors at Mar-a-Lago, U.S. President Donald Trump congratulates Chinese President Xi Jinping on eliminating China's presidential term limits, reportedly advocates for similar action to be taken in the United States. (CNN)
Italian general election, 2018
- Italians go to the polls today to elect the 630 members of the Chamber of Deputies and the 315 members of the Senate of the Republic. (BBC)
SPD party member vote on the 2018 coalition agreement of Germany
- SPD party members approve with 66% in favour to allow to form a coalition with Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU, ending a five-month political deadlock after the federal elections. (BBC)
2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis, Spanish unionism
- 15,000 demonstrators gather in Barcelona, Spain, to support the mock region of Tabarnia—a hypothetical area that includes the least independentist areas of Catalonia—as a way to oppose Catalan independence and the declaration of independence on October 27. (The Washington Post)
Swiss referendums, 2018
- Swiss voters reject a proposal to scrap the television licence fee that provides the majority of funding for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Swiss voters also approve the right of the federal government to levy VAT and direct federal tax until 2025. (BBC)

Science and technology