On Grasswire
Refugees
Macedonia has completely closed its border with Greece to what it says are illegal migrants, following similar restrictions by Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia.
The decision effectively blocks the Balkan route used by refugees to reach Western Europe. Thousands of people have been stranded for weeks at the Idomeni crossing at Greek-Macedonian border; by Tuesday, about 13,000 people were at the makeshift camp.
Islamic State
According to U.S. officials, senior Islamic State group militant Sleiman Daoud al-Afari is now providing information about IS’ ability to make and deploy chemical weapons, as well as information now being used for airstrikes against the group.
A German court ruled that the transfer of data to Facebook by websites via the “Like” button without user consent infringes German and EU privacy laws.
Seattle explosion
Several buildings were leveled and nine firefighters were injured after an explosion rocked Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood Wednesday.
England
For the third time in as many months, junior doctors in England have begun a strike as part of their ongoing protest against government threats to impose a new contract.
Puerto Rico
A federal judge has ruled that Puerto Rico is exempt from applying the United States Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling because the island remains an unincorporated territory rather than a state.
Tech
Google’s Artificial Intelligence DeepMind AlphaGo program beat human Go champion Lee Se-dol in the first of a series of games in Seoul, South Korea.
Obituary
Sir George Martin, the record producer who was known as the “fifth Beatle,” died Tuesday at his home at the age of 90.
Elsewhere
Big if true: Sky News gets USB stick with names and phone numbers of foreign fighters in ISIS, stolen by rebels https://t.co/a7bQh1UMDY
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) March 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/SamTamiz/status/707551483139596289
A visual guide to the war in Syria: what happened and where we are now https://t.co/4hzfyJmEMM
— The Guardian (@guardian) March 9, 2016
In other news
A total solar eclipse seen from the town of Ternate, in the Maluku Islands https://t.co/np1NNRH7kx pic.twitter.com/ToQSaYPHB9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 9, 2016
In case you missed it
The World Health Organization says reports from several countries suggest that sexual transmission of the Zika virus is more common than previously thought.
At least two people were killed and at least two others wounded after eight rockets hit the Turkish town of Kilis near the Syrian border on Tuesday afternoon.
Longreads
An essential read… Notes on the great Syrian exodus: ‘Epic in scale, inconceivable until you witness it’ https://t.co/wP0FCW1Cai
— The Guardian (@guardian) March 5, 2016
Islamic State group: The full story https://t.co/OnQ0jJsI5A
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) March 9, 2016
General interestingness
Ever wondered what it’s like trying to read if you have dyslexia? This website tries to show what it’s like.