Portal:Current events/2017 March 29

• Turkish military intervention in Syria
  • Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announces an end to the operation Euphrates Shield, which was part of international military operations against ISIL. He adds: "Any operation following this one will have a different name." (Deutsche Welle) (Al Jazeera)
• Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)
  • A car bomb attack on a police checkpoint in Baghdad kills at least 15 people and injures 40 others. (BBC)

• The Swedish Academy announces that American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has agreed to accept his Nobel Prize in Literature this weekend at a private location in Stockholm. (BBC)

• The European Commission blocks the third attempt of the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse at a merger, citing the danger of a "de facto monopoly in the crucial area of fixed income instruments". (The Guardian)

• A head on crash between a pickup truck and a church bus outside Garner State Park in the American state of Texas kills at least 12 people and injures 3 others. (Fox News)

• United States immigration ban
  • In response to a federal appeal, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson (Hawaii), who on March 15 issued a temporary, national restraining order on implementation of the revised federal immigration/refugee rules, upgrades his earlier ruling to a preliminary injunction until Hawaii's lawsuit is resolved. (Los Angeles Times) (AP via Chicago Tribune)

• Brexit
  • The United Kingdom formally notifies the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community. There is not yet agreement on a negotiations roadmap. (ARD) (Business Green)
• French presidential election, 2017
  • Former candidate Manuel Valls (PS) announces his support for Emmanuel Macron (En Marche!) rather than for his own party's nominee, Benoît Hamon. (Bloomberg)