• On Monday, Iraq launched an air and ground operation to take back the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State militant group, which took the city in June. The campaign consists of about 20,000 volunteer fighters, as well as airstrikes from Iraqi fighter jets.
• The North Korean military fired two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan on Monday, just as an annual U.S.-South Korean defensive military drills began. Prior to the launch, military officials in Pyongyang called the joint military exercises an encroachment on North Korean sovereignty.
• On Sunday night, Three Los Angeles police shot dead a homeless man in the Skid Row area of the city after an apparent struggle with the man, which was caught on video by a bystander. Officers said they opened fire after the man attempted to wrestle their weapons from them.
• Actor Leonard Nimoy, known for his portrayal of the “Star Trek” character Spock, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at age 83 on Friday in his home Bel Air, California. Friends and family laid the actor to rest at a funeral in Los Angeles on Sunday morning.
• Bangladeshi-American blogger and Fulton County resident Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed were attacked by a group of men with cleavers during a trip to Bangladesh’s capital, police said Friday. Roy, who like his wife is an American citizen, was known for speaking out against religious extremism online. Roy died of his wounds, while Ahmed survived her injuries.
• For the first in a series of events to celebrating the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma and the passage of the voting rights act, Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, the Rev. C. T. Vivian and city council members commemorated the iconic march at City Hall on Monday afternoon. The event opened a week-long photography exhibit featuring locals, such as current U.S. Congressman John Lewis, who took part in the march.
— Compiled by Asst. News Editor Lydia O’Neal
News Roundup | 3.3.15
Courtesy of Marjory Collins / Wikimedia Commons.
