
HILLARY V. DONALD SHOWDOWN NEARS
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have expanded their respective leads after 14 million voters cast their ballots yesterday in Democratic and Republican primaries in five states, with The Washington Post reporting that it is now increasingly improbable that rivals stand a chance of catching up to the frontrunners in the race for their parties' presidential nomination. Clinton had a particularly strong night in the Democratic contest with big wins over rival Senator Bernie Sanders in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio, while claiming a narrower victory in Illinois. The race in Missouri remains too close to call this morning. Trump won a decisive victory in Florida over the state's junior Senator Marco Rubio who afterwards announced he was dropping out of the race. Trump also won in North Carolina and Illinois, but was defeated by Ohio Governor John Kasich in his home state. Analysts note that Trump must begin to win by bigger margins if he wants to have enough delegates to avoid a contested convention this summer in Cleveland.
NORTH KOREA SENTENCES U.S. CITIZEN TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON
The 21-year-old University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor by North Korea this morning for what was called hostile acts against the country, Bloomberg reports. Warmbier was detained in late February after attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel in Pyongyang. North Korea has detained and convicted U.S. nationals in the past as a way to try to force new negotiations with Washington.
SNAPSHOT
Photo: Tanmoy Bhaduri/Pacific Press/ZUMA
Students of Kolkata's Rabindra Bharati University throw colored powders at each other to celebrate the Hindu spring festival of Holi.
WORLDCRUNCH-TO-GO
It's normal for children to argue and fight. But those identified as bullies are often suspended or expelled far too quickly. For Süddeutsche Zeitung, Christina Berndt asks: Why don't schools intervene earlier? "... teachers often capitulate too easily in the face of difficulty.
Their fear of violence in school has become so pronounced that it paralyzes them as soon as they spot the first signs of it. Instead of utilizing their pedagogical skills, devoting themselves to and guiding these children about how to express their feelings appropriately, they default to disciplinary measures such as suspension and/or getting the police and local prosecutor involved. The idea is to rid themselves of the possibly dangerous students before something worse happens."
Read the full article, How Educators Are Failing Bullies.
15 DEAD IN BUS BOMBING IN PAKISTAN
An explosive device ripped through a bus carrying Pakistani government employees in the northwestern city of Peshawar this morning, killing 15 people, Dawn daily reports.
MY GRAND-PERE'S WORLD
POLICE NAB 2 SUSPECTS IN DEADLY BELGIAN RAID
Two suspects involved in yesterday's shootout on the outskirts of Brussels were apprehended this morning, and the slain suspect has been identified as Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid. Police say two suspects had originally managed to flee from the scene where Belgian and French police exchanged fire with people believed to be linked to November's Islamic terror attacks in Paris. See how Brussels-based daily Le Soirfeatured the shootout on its front page here.
FEMALE SUICIDE MOSQUE BOMBING IN NIGERIA KILLS 20
A suspected Boko Haram suicide bombing killed at least 22 worshippers today at a mosque in the outskirts of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria, The Independentreports. Rescue officials said two women were believed to have carried out the attack. The first bomber blew herself up inside the mosque and the second triggered her bomb outside as survivors of the first blast attempted to flee. The attack was the first since December when Boko Haram killed at least 50 people in an operation involving multiple suicide bombers.
ON THIS DAY
From the Vietnam War to Jerry Lewis, get ready for today's 57-second shot of history.
IRAN CAR CRASH EQUALITY
Tehran daily Shargh reports what may be a small sign of progress in Iran: Senior clerics have ruled that insurance companies must now compensate families of fatal car crash victims equally, regardless of whether the deceased is a man or a woman — Muslim or not. Read more here.
PREGNANT T.REX
North Carolina scientists looking at the femur of a 68 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rexwere able to confirm that the fossil was that of a mother-to-be. They're now trying to contact Steven Spielberg (though it looks like he's busy on another project).