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It’s Kylie Minogue versus Kylie Jenner in a battle for who owns their name –
Kylie Minogue is trying to stop Kylie Jenner from using “Kylie” as a trademark in America. And the singer’s lawyers aren’t pulling any punches. They’ve filed documents describing the Keeping up with the Kardashians star as a “secondary reality television personality” who participates in “photo exhibitionism”. They also say giving Kylie J the trademark could damage Kylie M and her other trademarks. The legal papers from KDB refer to her as a “home-schooled graduate,” saying her “photographic exhibitionism and controversial posts have drawn criticism from, for example, the disability rights and African-American communities”. [BBC Newsbeat]
Kylie Minogue (L) and Kylie Jenner (R)

Sam Smith ‘taking a break from Twitter’ after Oscars row with Dustin Lance Black –
Sam Smith says he’s taking a break from social media. It’s after Dustin Lance Black criticised him on Twitter for claiming that he was the first openly gay man to win a prize at the Oscars. Sam Smith made the comment during his acceptance speech after winning the Academy Award for best song for the theme tune to James Bond movie Spectre. “I read an article… by Sir Ian McKellen and he said no openly gay man had ever won an Oscar,” he said. “I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world. “I stand here tonight as a proud gay man and I hope we can all stand together as equals one day.” But the comments didn’t go down well with director Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar in 2009 for his film Milk. After all the online drama, the British singer said it was time to “log off for a while”.
Sam Smith tweet

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• War in Donbass
  • Three soldiers are killed and two others are injured after a Ukrainian military truck was blown up in the eastern part of Luhansk Oblast. (Ukraine Today)
• Iraqi Civil War (2014–present), American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
  • The United States Army‘s elite Delta Force captures their first suspected ISIL operative during a raid in northern Iraq. The detainee is being interrogated by the U.S. and is expected to be turned over to Iraqi officials in the coming days. (CNN)
• Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • Faulty readings from a GPS system apparently resulted in two Israeli soldiers driving into the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Israeli forces sent in on a rescue mission, engaged armedPalestinians. One 22-year-old Palestinian man was killed with 10 others wounded, one seriously, in the ensuing gun battle. At least 10 Israeli soldiers were wounded. (The Washington Post) (The Daily Telegraph)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 18 people are killed and 16 others injured in a multi-vehicle accident involving a bus near Nahdah in northwestern Oman. Six of the dead were from Oman, four from Saudi Arabia, two from Pakistan, and one from Yemen. Five others are unidentified. (AP via ABC News)
• The Peruvian Army is deployed on the country’s northern and southern coasts to help cope with El Niño-related floods that have killed at least two people and left thousands homeless. (Euronews)

Health

• Zika virus outbreak (2015–present)
  • The first Zika virus case is confirmed in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. (WMUR)

International relations

• 2016 North Korean nuclear test
  • The United Nations Security Council vote on the United States–China draft resolution on North Korea is rescheduled to 10:00 a.m. EST Wednesday. Russia requests more time to review the text. (Reuters)
• Libyan Crisis (2011–present)
  • The United Kingdom is to send troops to Tunisia to help the Tunisian Army prevent ISIL militants from moving into the country from Libya. (Reuters)
• European migrant crisis
  • United Nations refugee agency spokesperson Adrian Edwards warns that Europe is on the verge, “… of a largely self-induced humanitarian crisis, …” if the rapid build-up of migrants continues at thenorthern borders of an already over-stretched Greece. There are at least 24,000 there now, including 8,500 at Idomeni, the site of yesterday’s incident. (Business Standard) (Kathimerini)
• South China Sea disputes
  • Filipino fishermen say China has deployed up to five ships around the disputed Quirino Atoll, also known as Jackson Atoll, in the South China Sea, preventing them from accessing traditional fishing grounds. (Reuters via Channel News Asia)

Law and crime

• A grand jury in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania reports that hundreds of children were sexually abused by about 50 priests in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese over four decades. (Reuters)
• Ukraine bans government officials from publicly criticizing the work of state institutions and their colleagues, after damaging disclosures last month that highlighted slow progress in fighting corruption.(Reuters)
• Transgender and schools, LGBT rights in South Dakota
  • In the United States, South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard vetoes House Bill 1008 that would have required transgender students use bathrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities based on their gender at birth in state public schools. The bill would have been law at midnight if the governor had not acted. (Chicago Sun-Times) (NPR)
  • The primary sponsor of the legislation asks fellow lawmakers not to override the governor’s veto. (The Washington Post)
• Two current and one former San Francisco, California, sheriff deputies, are charged with organizing an inmate “fight club” on the seventh floor of the city’s Hall of Justice jail. (Los Angeles Times) (AP via Fox News)

Politics and elections

• United States presidential election, 2016
  • Voters in the U.S. states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and the overseas territory of American Samoa go to the polls to vote on Super Tuesday. (CNN) (BBC)
  • The results show Hillary Clinton winning the Democratic Party races in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, American Samoa. Massachusetts and Virginia while Bernie Sanders has won Vermont, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Colorado. (Oregon Live), (New York Post), New York Times), (New York Times)
  • Voting returns show that Donald Trump wins the Republican Party races in Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, Virginia, Vermont, Arkansas and Tennessee while Ted Cruz wins Texas, Alaska and Oklahoma and Marco Rubio wins Minnesota. (New York Times) (The Washington Post), [(Vox), (Alaska)
• Corruption in South Africa
  • President Jacob Zuma survives a no-confidence vote in the South African Parliament in response to corruption allegations against him. (BBC)
• Irish general election, 2016
  • Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who rejected suggestions he should resign, says he will “fully and inclusively” engage with other parties, groups and Independents, including Fianna Fáil, as he forms the country’s government. Sinn Féin says it is not interested in forming a coalition government with Kenny’s Fine Gael party. (Irish Independent) (Irish Examiner)

Science and technology

• ISS year long mission
  • U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko return to Earth after 340 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). (BBC)

Sport

• Cuba–United States relations
  • MLB announces the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball team will play an exhibition game with the Cuban National Team on March 22, 2016, in Havana. United States President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to visit the island nation then, is expected to attend. (ESPN) (Tampa Bay Times)

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