With the rest of the world, we’ve got eyes on the global effort to locate missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 as well as the possible annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Here’s what else is on the Daily Beast’s radar.
Saturday 3/15
Today marks three years since protests in the city of Daraa initiated the uprising against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Well over 100,000 people have been killed and a third of the population has fled the country.
Sunday 3/16
Ukraine's Crimea votes on a referendum to join Russia. The vote itself is illegal, according to Ukraine’s new leadership and its allies in the West; the country’s constitution states that all Ukrainians would need to vote for Crimea to secede.
Serbia holds parliamentary elections. Aleksandar Vucic and his conservative Progressive party are expected to win, mainly because of his positions on EU membership and economic reform.
Monday 3/17
President Obama hosts Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in DC. The meeting follows a violent flare up last week when dozens of rockets were fired from Gaza at southern Israel and the Israeli air force responded with air strikes. Abbas blamed Israel for the violence: “The Israeli occupation forces killed in cold blood three Palestinians in the West Bank and another three in Gaza, and we did not hear any condemnation or any apologies to these acts from the Israeli government," he said.
Congress is on recess until March 24.
We’re watching: The new Dancing With the Stars season premieres on ABC and The Tomorrow People premieres on The CW.
Tuesday 3/18
Fed Chair Janet Yellen will lead her first meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee. In light of the positive economic conditions (unemployment went up, but only because more people came back into the labor market) forecasters expect the Fed to cut monthly bond purchases to $55 billion.
Iran and six world powers--United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany--are meeting in Brussels for the next round of negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program. Last month’s talks were described as “productive.”
Twenty-four mostly Hispanic and Jewish Army veterans--three of them living--will be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama for their combat service during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The ceremony comes after a review of veterans who were awarded the Service Cross, the second highest honor, but denied the Medal of Honor because of discrimination.
We’re watching: Glee’s 100th episode airs. Enrique Iglesias, Foster the People, and an artist by the name of Perfect Pussy all release new albums. American Hustle, Frozen, and Saving Mr. Banks are all released on DVD.
Wednesday 3/19
With her mother and daughters in tow, Michelle Obama heads to China to meet with Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping. She’ll stay through March 26.
We’re watching: The 100 premieres on The CW.
Thursday 3/20
President Obama hosts a Democratic fundraiser at former NBA player Alonzo Mourning’s Miami home.
Friday 3/21
We’re watching: Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley and Kate Winslet, hits theaters. So does Lars Von Trier’s controversial Nymphomaniac and the more family-friendly Muppets Most Wanted, starring Tina Fey, Kermit the Frog, and Miss Piggy.