1. Ammunition Depot Explodes, Killing Over 200. A fire in an army ammunition depot in the Congo caused a massive explosion, killing over 200 people. Video of the aftermath showed significant damage to nearby buildings, many with exterior walls damaged, roofs blown off and windows shattered. Though the country has been largely peaceful since the 1990s, the explosion initially sparked fears that the Congolese military may have been staging a coup d’état, or mutiny, against the government. The fire was believed to have been an accident, though there is no precise cause. The munitions explosion is one of the worst since 2002, when rockets stored in Nigeria caught fire flew haphazardly across the area, leading to over 1,000 deaths. (Source: BBC)

2. Top U.N. Official Visits Syria. Valerie Amos, the United Nations humanitarian chief, visited Syria on March 7. She described the situation in the city of Homs, which has been under a sustained assault by the Syrian military, as one of “complete devastation.” Anti-government activists say that aid has been denied to parts of the city still in revolt against the government, and that soldiers loyal to the incumbent government have committed massacres. The current Syrian leadership claims that it is combating terrorist groups who are trying to destabilize the government. (Source: BBC)

3. Over 100 Rockets Fired Into Israel after Deadly Airstrikes. Militants in Gaza have fired dozens of rockets into southern Israel after the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) carried out airstrikes that killed at least 14 Palestinian fighters. Hamas, which currently controls the Gaza Strip and has been listed as a terrorist organization, has not claimed responsibility for the attacks. Israel, however, still holds Hamas responsible for any attacks launched out of Gaza. Tensions between Israel and Hamashave been at the highest since the Gaza War in 2008, in which Israel invaded the Gaza Strip after a heavy barrage of rocket fire broke an earlier cease-fire. (Source: AP)

4. China to Increase Defense Spending. For the first time, Chinese military spending will exceed US$100 billion. The increase comes as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launches an aircraft carrier and pursues a stealth aircraft program. China is generally considered to be the region’s strongest military power, and is seen as the greatest challenge to U.S. naval superiority in the Pacific. China’s military spending still falls far short of the United States’ $707 billion appropriated to defense, the largest defense budget in the world. Even so, China still maintains a strong presence in the Pacific, and longtime U.S. allies, such as the Philippines, have appealed for a stronger American presence in the region. (Source: The Washington Post)

5. President Obama: Nuclear Iran “Unacceptable.” In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Barack Obama stated that any Iranian development of nuclear weapons would be an “unacceptable development.” Despite this, the president reaffirmed that both countries seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis and criticized other politicians for their “loose talk” of war. Netanyahu stated that Israel “reserves the right to defend itself,” and that a nuclear Iran threatens the security of Israel. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said that Israel was likely to attack Iran in the spring of this year if Iran’s nuclear program continued to make progress. (Source: BBC)