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Grasswire Weekly: March 25

A look at the past week's stories and a look forward to what's happening next week.

Top Stories of the Week

Tourists pass by images of U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in a banner that reads "Welcome to Cuba" at the entrance of a restaurant in downtown Havana, March 17, 2016. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Obama in Cuba

President Obama landed in Cuba to become the first sitting American president to visit the country in nearly 90 years. The event was however marred by protests from anti-Castro groups, with dozens arrested in the hours before his arrival.

During the visit, Obama discussed trade and political reform with Cuban President Raul Castro, watched a baseball game between the Cuban national team and the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, and delivered a televised address to the Cuban people.

Terrorism in Turkey

Forensic experts inspect the area after a suicide bombing in central Istanbul/Reuters/Twitter.

A suicide bomber blew himself up on a busy shopping street popular with tourists in Istanbul, Turkey on March 19, killing four people and injuring dozens. The dead included three Israelis, two of whom had dual US/Israeli citizenship and one Iranian. On Sunday, Turkish interior minister Icisleri Bakanligi said the bomber had been identified through DNA testing and claimed he was linked to Islamic state.

On Monday, the number killed in the suicide attack in Ankara on March 13 rose to 37 after one person died in hospital.

Brussels bombings
The interior of Brussels' Zaventem International Airport shortly after the suicide attacks on March 22, 2015.
The interior of Brussels’ Zaventem International Airport shortly after the suicide attacks on March 22, 2015.

At least 28 people were killed and around 340 were injured after two explosions at Belgium Zaventem International Airport and a third at on an underground train at the Maalbeek metro station on Tuesday. Of the injured,101 of these are still being treated in 33 hospital sites. 62 are in intensive care, and 32 in a burns center. The injured are from 19 countries.

Zaventem International Airport will remain closed to passenger flights until at least Tuesday.

All the latest news and a round-up of what we know so far

All our news stories about the Brussels attacks

The Week Ahead

  • Thursday: The iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro go on sale.

What Got Us Thinking

Longreads

The New Yorker’s John Cassidy looks back on the legacy of Johan Cruyff, who passed away Thursday at the age of 68.

Fortune’s Adam Lashinsky explores the growing influence of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

BuzzFeed’s Alex Kantrowitz reports on how Twitter turned Microsoft’s AI chatbot Tay into a rascist.

In Lieu of Text

The Last Word

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