Portal:Current events/2013 March 23

• War on Terror:
  • Pakistani Taliban threaten to assassinate former President Pervez Musharraf if he returns to the country. (CNN)
  • An Australian man kidnapped in the Philippines by an al-Qaeda-linked group for ransom has been freed following "joint efforts" by the two countries. (Al Jazeera)
• Northern Mali conflict (2012–present):
  • France formally confirms death of Islamist commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, a senior al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in February, after DNA tests. (BBC)
• 2012–13 Central African Republic conflict:
  • All non-essential United Nations staff are removed from Central African Republic, as Seleka rebels move to within 75km of the capital, Bangui. (Al Jazeera)
  • Rebels claims to have entered Bangui with Reuters reporting running battles between the rebels and government forces. (BBC) (Reuters)

• 2012–2013 Cypriot financial crisis: The Cyprus Parliament approves three bills that aim to raise enough money to qualify the country for a broader bailout package and stave off financial collapse. (Al Jazeera)
• Exiled Russian business oligarch Boris Berezovsky is found dead at his home in Surrey, England. (BBC)

• 2013 Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh tornado: At least 20 people are killed and more than 200 injured when a powerful tornado rips through the southeastern district of Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh. (CNN)
• 2013 Thailand refugee camp fire: The death toll from a fire in a Thai refugee camp for Karen refugees from Myanmar rises to 37 with more than a hundred injured. (Bangkok Post)
• 23 people are killed and 30 injured in a road accident in Pakistan's Punjab province. (The Times of India)

• US President Barack Obama concludes his visit to the Middle East with a trip to the famous ruins of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. (BBC) (CBC) (CNN)

• Brazilian police charge 16 people in connection with the Kiss nightclub fire last January including the owner of the club which killed 241 people and injured 168. (The Daily Telegraph)
• Eleven inmates are missing and two guards injured after gunmen attacked a prison in Trikala, Greece, less than a week after a hostage siege at a different jail. (BBC)
• Dominican Republic authorities arrest 35 people including military, police, and custom officials in a drugs bust. (CNN)

• Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir announces he will step down in 2015 after nearly 25 years in power. (The Daily Telegraph) (Daily Mail)
• The US Senate approves its first budget in four years by a margin of 50–49. (Fox News)

• Newly elected Pope Francis meets his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for lunch at the Papal Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the first time the two are meeting since the change of guard. (CNN)

• Kyle Dake of Cornell University defeats David Taylor of Penn State in the final of the 165-pound (75 kg) weight class at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, becoming the first wrestler to win four individual NCAA titles in four different weight classes. (AP via ESPN)