March 1, 2005 (2005-03-01 ) (Tuesday)
In
Afghanistan , president
Hamid Karzai appoints
Abdul Rashid Dostum as his chief-of-staff. Dostum has been accused of involvement in
human rights abuses.
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-05 at the
Wayback Machine
(Daily Times, Pakistan)
(BBC)
In
Bangladesh , 15 suspected radical leaders of Islamic groups are charged with
sedition
(Reuters)
(Matamat, Bangladesh)
In
Burundi , a
referendum approves the new
constitution , which is intended to end 12 years of
civil war
(Reuters AlertNet)
(IAfrica)
(BBC)
Canada deports
Holocaust denier
Ernst Zündel to Germany, where he is arrested
(CTV)
Archived 2005-09-21 at the
Wayback Machine
(CNews)
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
In the
Democratic Republic of Congo , militia leader
Floribert Ndjabu of
Nationalist and Integrationist Front is reportedly arrested for the killing of nine
Bangladeshi
UN peacekeepers last week
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
A French court in
Angers prepares for a major
child sex trial
(BBC)
In Italy, a court sentences
Laura Proietti , a member of the
Red Brigades , to life in prison for involvement in the murder of
Massimo D'Antona in 1999. A second member,
Cinzia Banelli , receives 20 years
(BBC)
(Newsday)
Protests break out in
Indonesia over
fuel price increases
(Reuters)
(Channel News Asia)
In
Lebanon , opposition leaders call for the protest to continue even when the government has resigned. New protests demand that all
Syrian troops leave the country
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
Malaysia begins to round up
illegal immigrants after a 4-month amnesty
(Channel News Asia)
(ABC Asia)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
David Crane , the chief prosecutor of
Sierra Leone 's
war crimes tribunal, will step down in July after three years
(Reuters AlertNet)
(AllAfrica)
(BBC)
Greenpeace in
Switzerland accuses three chemical firms based in
Basel of failing to clean up
toxic waste
(SwissInfo)
(NZZ)
Syrian president
Bashar al-Assad states that Syria could withdraw all its troops from
Lebanon in a couple of months
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (Jerusalem Post) Lebanese protestors destroy a statue of former Syrian president
Hafez al-Assad in the southern village of
Qana
(Daily Star, Lebanon)
President
Saparmurat Niyazov of
Turkmenistan orders the closure of all the hospitals in the country except those in the capital,
Ashgabat . He also orders the closure of all rural libraries, as he believes that village Turkmen do not read.
(BBC)
The
President of
Ukraine ,
Viktor Yushchenko , announces that suspected killers of a journalist
Georgiy Gongadze have been arrested
(DVC, Ukraine)
(Bloomberg)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
In
Uruguay , Dr.
Tabaré Vázquez , the first
leftist
president in the country's 180-year history, takes office, announces his
cabinet and restores
diplomatic relations with
Cuba .
(Prensa Latina) ,
(Bloomberg) ,
(XinHua) ,
(Globe&Mail) ,
(BBC)
In a major change to
capital punishment in the United States , by a closely-divided vote, the
US Supreme Court rules, in
Roper v. Simmons , that imposition of the
death penalty on persons convicted of
capital crimes committed before they were 18 is unconstitutional.
(BBC)
(CSM)
In the US,
New York
Federal court hears a case of
Vietnamese plaintiffs who demand compensation for effects of the
Agent Orange during the
Vietnam War .
United States Justice Department and companies that manufactured Agent Orange demand that the federal judge dismiss the case.
(Forbes)
(Voice of Viet Nam)
(International Herald Tribune)
(BBC)
March 2, 2005 (2005-03-02 ) (Wednesday)
In
Pakistan , a bill proposing to strengthen the law against "
Honour Killing " is defeated in
Parliament , after the government sides with the
Islamist opposition and deems the bill "un-Islamic".
(BBC)
Unpopular
Chief Executive
Tung Chee-hwa of the former
British colony of
Hong Kong reportedly resigns, with reluctant approval from
Beijing .
(The Standard) ,
(BBC) ,
(CBC) ,
(Globe&Mail) ,
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (CNN) ,
(BBC) .
Banda Sea earthquake : An
earthquake measuring up to 7.5 on the
Richter scale hits
Darwin, Northern Territory in
Australia
(ABC News)
The
Israeli Defence Forces discover a
Hamas bomb-lab near
Jenin in a metal workshop. The lab contains what appeared to be a
Qassam rocket in an initial state of production, and large quantities of other materials used for manufacturing bombs.
(Haaretz) [
permanent dead link ]
US company
Titan Corporation agrees to pay a
fine equivalent to
US$ 28.5 million after they admit attempting
bribery to get a
military communications contract in
Benin . The corporation allegedly gave US$2 million to the re-election campaign of president
Mathieu Kérékou .
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-05 at the
Wayback Machine ,
(Financial Times) ,
(BBC)
Microsoft founder
Bill Gates is awarded the title of
Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen
Elizabeth II (which will entitle him to suffix the letters "KBE" to his name but not use the title of "Sir") for his contribution to enterprise in the United Kingdom and his efforts in
poverty reduction around the world.
(BBC)
March 3, 2005 (2005-03-03 ) (Thursday)
In
Belgium ,
Naïma Amzil , a
Muslim woman leaves her job after her employer is targeted with a seventh death threat, sent by a group named
New Free Flanders (
Dutch : Nieuw Vrij Vlaanderen ). She is targeted because she is Muslim and wears a
headscarf at work.
(BBC)
(Middle East Online) [
permanent dead link ]
Four officers of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police are shot dead while investigating a man suspected of stealing a pickup truck, west of
Edmonton, Alberta . This is the largest single death toll for RCMP officers since the
Northwest Rebellion .
(CBC)
Five men who had been sentenced to death for the
rape of
Mukhtar Mai , who was raped as punishment for another rape falsely attributed to her brother, are acquitted on appeal. A Pakistani
tribal council allegedly ordered the rape of Mukhtar Mai in February 2002.
(BBC)
The
People's Republic of China issues a report condemning the human rights record of the
United States , three days after the United States issued a report condemning China's human rights record.
(BBC)
(People's Daily)
In
Indonesia , Muslim cleric
Abu Bakar Bashir is found guilty of conspiracy for his involvement in the
2002 Bali bombing , but was found not guilty of all charges surrounding the 2003 bombing of the
Marriott hotel in
Jakarta . He received a two and a half year jail sentence.
(BBC)
(Jakarta Post)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-08 at the
Wayback Machine
In China, a
dynamite explosion in a home of a miner kills 20 people, most of them schoolchildren
(Xinhua)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
In Japan,
Yoshiaki Tsutsumi , millionaire and chairman of
Kokudo Corporation , is indicted in
insider trading and false financial reports
(Daily Yomiuri) [
permanent dead link ] (Asahi Shimbun)
(Reuters)
Steve Fossett 's
GlobalFlyer touches down at
Salina, Kansas , completing his nonstop around-the-world flight. Fossett had overcome earlier fuel problems to become the first person to achieve the flight solo.
(CNN)
After 5 months in prison,
Martha Stewart is released from
Camp Cupcake at 12:30 EDT.
(CNN)
In
South Africa , police look for the three killers of
Thulani Zulu , a
Zulu prince and an
ANC official. Thulani Zulu was killed in a
drive-by shooting .
IFP also condemns the act
(SABC
(IOL)
(News24)
(BBC)
Zimbabwe intends to release 62
mercenaries connected to failed
coup attempt in the
Equatorial Guinea last year. Most of the suspected mercenaries are
South African .
(Reuters SA)
(IAfrica)
(BBC)
FBI sends a special agent to
Azerbaijan to help in the investigation of murder
Elmar Huseynov . editor in chief of Monitor magazine. The magazine has often criticized the government of the country.
(Baku Today)
(IJNet)
(BBC)
(CASCFEN) [
permanent dead link ]
World Trade Organization upheld a ruling that orders US to stop
subsidies to its
cotton farmers.
(Bloomberg)
(New York Times)
(BBC)
Mexico allocates equivalent to US$ 2.7 million to compensate relatives of more than 300 women killed in
Ciudad Juárez since 1993.
(UN News Centre)
(KLTV)
(BBC)
In
Angers , France, 66 people go into trial for sexual child abuse and child prostitution of 45 victims of various ages.
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-12 at the
Wayback Machine
(Guardian)
(BBC)
In
Naples , Italy, police has arrested at least 42 people during a large operation against
Camorra .
(AGI)
(News.Com.Au)
(BBC)
Scientists at
Florida State University conclude that
Homo floresiensis is a separate species from
Homo sapiens and belongs in the
Homo
genus through computer mapping of its
brain .
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-08 at the
Wayback Machine ,
(CBC)
At 18:17
Z , a 3500-
tonne
freighter ,
M/V Karen Danielsen , crashes into the Western bridge of the
Great Belt Bridge of
Denmark , 800 m from
Funen . All traffic across the bridge stopped, effectively separating Denmark in two.
(News24)
March 4, 2005 (2005-03-04 ) (Friday)
Abducted
Italian
journalist
Giuliana Sgrena , a reporter for
Il Manifesto , is released in
Iraq . An Italian
secret service agent,
Nicola Calipari , was killed and Sgrena wounded when a
U.S. armored vehicle opened fire on her car after it allegedly failed to slow as it approached a checkpoint.
(ABCNews - AP)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
United Nations warns that about 90 million
Africans could be infected by
HIV in the future without further action against the spread of the disease. See
AIDS in Africa .
(Health24)
(WHO)
[1]
President of
India ,
APJ Kalam meets
Syed Sibte Razi , governor of the northern state
Jharkhand after opposition protests. Despite the hung elections in the assembly, the governor has appointed
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party member
Shibu Soren as a chief minister. JMM is part of a political alliance backed by the
Congress Party
(NDTV)
(BBC)
Former interior minister of
Ukraine ,
Yuri Kravchenko , is found dead in his country house, in an apparent suicide. He had been linked to the murder of journalist
Georgiy Gongadze and was due to give evidence.
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (Scotsman)
(BBC)
The
BSE
Sensex breaches the 6,800-mark for the first time in its history, ending at 6,849, up 65 points over its previous close. The market rally has added about 160 billion
Indian rupees (approx. 3.6 billion US$) to investor wealth with the BSE's
market capitalisation at a record high of 17.65 trillion Indian rupees (approx. 400 billion US$).
(Financial Express, India)
President's rule is imposed in
Goa and the
Goa assembly is placed under suspended animation.
(Deccan Herald)
(Sify, India)
March 5, 2005 (2005-03-05 ) (Saturday)
March 6, 2005 (2005-03-06 ) (Sunday)
March 7, 2005 (2005-03-07 ) (Monday)
Prisoner abuse in Iraq : American troops in
Iraq filmed themselves kicking a gravely wounded prisoner in the face and making the arm of a corpse appear to wave, then titled the effort "
Ramadi Madness" after the city where it was made.
(Reuters via Yahoo)
Former US President
George H. W. Bush has praised his successor
Bill Clinton after Clinton allowed Bush to sleep on the only Bed in the airplane the pair were using on their tour of
tsunami -hit areas.
(BBC)
John R. Bolton is nominated by President
George W. Bush to become the
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations .
(CNN)
(Fox News) .
Hans Bethe , Nobel Laureate in Physics, discoverer of
stellar fusion , key participant in development of atomic and hydrogen bombs, outspoken critic of arms race and nuclear testing, died at age 98.
wikinews
Cornell University News Service
A Vietnamese nurse is confirmed to have contracted the
bird flu , raising the number bird flu patients in Vietnam to 22, since late
2004 .
(Xinhua)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-10 at the
Wayback Machine
(Bloomberg)
Irish singer
Bono , of
rock band
U2 , is nominated for
World Bank presidency.
(Guardian)
(Business World)
(Zaman)
Sony Corporation announces that its current US operations chief, British-born
Howard Stringer , is to become its first-ever non-Japanese Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
(Channelnewsasia)
The People's Republic of China warns that it will not tolerate the United States and Japan including
Taiwan in any security alliance.
(AFP)
In
Moldova , ruling Pro-Western
Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova wins a narrow majority in
parliamentary elections but will be probably unable to elect a
president without further political alliances with other parties
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
(CNN)
3-19 shooting incident : Police in
Taiwan says that they have identified the man who shot at president
Chen Shui-bian last year. Wife of unemployed man Chen Yi-hsiung says he confessed and committed suicide a few days later
(CNA, Taiwan)
(Reuters Alertnet)
(Bloomberg)
(BBC)
Italy prepares a funeral for the agent
Nicola Calipari who died in Iraq protecting released hostage
Giuliana Sgrena . Sgrena disputes US Army account of the shooting
(New York Post)
(BBC)
(BBC Sgrena interview)
In South Korea, finance minister
Lee Hun-jai resigns over allegations that his wife has made illegal property deals
(Korea Times)
(Bloomberg)
(Reuters UK)
German financial company
Deutsche Börse withdraws its takeover of the
London Stock Exchange
(MarketWatch) [
permanent dead link ] (Bloomberg)
(BBC)
Malaysia and
Indonesia agree to talks about the border dispute in
Borneo over
oil resources. Indonesia has deployed military units to the area
(Channel News Asia)
(Reuters)
(Jakarta Post)
Representatives of
European Union meet with those of
Turkey , a prospective new member. They also criticize Turkish police for violent handling of a
demonstration that marked the
International Women's Day in
Istanbul . Turkish officials promise to investigate the case
(Bloomberg)
(IHT)
Momčilo Perišić , former
Yugoslavian army general, hands himself in to the
United Nations
war crimes tribunal in
The Hague . He is charged with complicity of
Serbian
separatist war crimes in
Bosnia and
Croatia during the
Yugoslav Wars .
(Bloomberg)
(B92)
(BBC)
A prison fire in the
Dominican Republic claims 134 lives and injured 25. Fire started during a clash of
prison gangs
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-10 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
In Spain, prosecutors of the case of
Adolfo Scilingo , Argentine naval officers accused of multiple counts of
genocide ,
murder and
terrorism , request a prison sentence of 9138 years
(Prensa Latina)
(BBC)
In Norway, police recovers three paintings of
Edvard Munch the day after they were stolen
(CNN)
(BBC)
In
Sierra Leone , three members of the former
military government ,
Armed Forces Revolutionary Council , go on trial accused of
crimes against humanity during the
civil war .
(Reuters)
(AllAfrica)
(ReliefWeb)
(BBC)
March 8, 2005 (2005-03-08 ) (Tuesday)
In
Lebanon , almost one million people have flooded a
Beirut square, in front of the
United Nations building, in a rally showing their support for
Syria , dwarfing previous anti-Syria demonstrations.
(CNN)
(BBC)
(ABC)
(Daily Star, Lebanon)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-10 at the
Wayback Machine
A very high plume of ash and steam is seen coming from the direction of active volcano
Mount St. Helens in the
U.S.
state of
Washington . The plume is visible as far away as
Portland, Oregon .
(Wikinews)
(ABCnews)
In
Northern Ireland the
IRA issues an unprecedented statement that they made an offer to the family of murder victim
Robert McCartney to shoot the members involved in his
31 January killing. The family made it clear that they wanted the people concerned prosecuted, not physically harmed.
(BBC)
Russian armed forces claim that
Chechen separatist leader
Aslan Maskhadov has been killed in a special forces operation.
(Guardian)
Kosovan Prime Minister
Ramush Haradinaj reports that he has been charged with
war crimes by the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and resigns. He will travel to
The Hague of his own volition, although he maintains his innocence.
(Reuters)
Gianfranco Fini , the
foreign minister of
Italy has demanded that the
U.S. "identify and punish" those responsible for the death of
Nicola Calipari , the Italian intelligence agent killed by US soldiers in
Iraq .
(BBC)
In
Australia , 104-year-old
Chinese widow
Cui Yu Hu , who has lived in the country for 10 years, loses an appeal to receive a permanent
visa . She has asked immigration minister
Amanda Vanstone to intervene.
(The Australian)
(BBC)
South Africa intends to change the name of the capital
Pretoria to
Tshwane
(IOL)
(BBC)
March 9, 2005 (2005-03-09 ) (Wednesday)
Cyclone Ingrid diminishes to a
category 3 storm , and is crossing the
Cape York Peninsula in northern
Queensland , Australia late on March 9, 2005 UTC.
ABOM
In Australia, immigration minister
Amanda Vanstone grants
Cui Yu Hu permanent residency
(News.com.au)
(Australian)
(BBC)
In
Bolivia , Congress refuses to accept resignation of President
Carlos Mesa and he withdraws it
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
Akhmed Zakayev , envoy of the killed
Chechen separatist leader
Aslan Maskhadov , states that Maskhadov's death does not end resistance to Russian rule and that his successor would be chosen in a couple of days
(Bloomberg)
(BBC)
Colombia
extradites captured
FARC leader
Omaira Rojas Cabrera , also known as Sonia , to [US to face
drug trafficking charges
(BBC)
Conflict in Iraq :
Iraqi police discover the bullet-riddled and/or headless bodies of 41 people at two sites, one near the Syrian border, the other just south of
Baghdad .
(AP)
Israeli Defence Minister
Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian head of the PNA
Mahmoud Abbas have not agreed upon giving
Jericho and
Tulkarm to Palestinian security control, as early reports suggested, but talks continue.
(Haaretz)
(BBC)
In Israel, an official report has revealed that Israeli state bodies have been diverting funds from state projects to fund the establishment of illegal
Israeli settlements in the
West Bank . Former state prosecutor
Talia Sasson has recommended that criminal investigations be launched.
(BBC)
Ramush Haradinaj , the former prime minister of
Kosovo , flies to
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in
The Hague to answer for charges for his role as a former commander of
Kosovo Liberation Army in 1998-1999. He goes there voluntarily.
(OneWorld)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-12 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
In the
Philippines , 29 children from San Jose Elementary School die from
food poisoning after eating
cassava balls.
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-12 at the
Wayback Machine
Syria says its troops will leave
Lebanon before parliamentary elections in May
(BBC)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-10 at the
Wayback Machine
In
Costa Rica , bank robbers take
hostages in the western town of
Santa Elena de Monteverde . Three robbers, five hostages and a security agent are killed during the siege. Last robber surrenders
(Reuters AlertNet)
(San Jose Mercury News) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
In
South Africa , 5.3
Richter scale
earthquake collapses
Hartebeestfontein
gold mine south of
Johannesburg and traps 40
miners undersground. One miner is killed and 23 injured. Medics and volunteer miners rescue them in a 12-hour rescue operation
(IOL)
(Reuters)
(BBC)
In
Spain ,
Alfredo Galán , a
serial killer who left
playing cards on the bodies of some of his victims, is sentenced to jail for 142 years
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
In
Guinea , president
Lansana Conté sacks three senior ministers, security minister
Moussa Sampil , foreign affairs minister
Mamadi Condé and mines minister
Alpha Mady Soumah , to replace them with the members of his own
Party of Unity and Progress . Journalists and students welcome sacking of Sampil because of his handling of an alleged
assassination attempt against the president in January.
(Reuters)
(BBC)
World Health Organization issues a warning that cases of
malaria have increased to 500 million- much more than they anticipated
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-06 at the
Wayback Machine
(Scientific American)
(BBC)
March 10, 2005 (2005-03-10 ) (Thursday)
Paul Schäfer , former leader of
Colonia Dignidad community in Chile, is arrested in Argentina accused of child
sexual abuse . He has been on the run for 8 years.
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-13 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
US withdraws from part of the
Vienna Convention on Consular Relations that gave the
International Criminal Court the right to intervene in cases of foreigners held in
death rows in US
jails
(CNN)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-07 at
archive.today
(BBC)
In
Rwanda , traditional
Gacaca
community courts begin to judge cases of people accused of involvement in the
Rwandan genocide in 1994
(Reuters AlertNet)
(ReliefWeb)
(AllAfrica)
In
Djibouti ,
Mohamed Daoud Chehem , the only opposition candidate in the forthcoming
presidential elections , withdraws from the race. The incumbent President
Ismail Omar Guelleh remains the only candidate in the elections of April 8
(BBC)
Conflict in Iraq : At least 47 people have died following an apparent
suicide bombing at a
Shia funeral in the Iraqi city of
Mosul .
(BBC)
A U.S. Judge has dismissed a case brought by
Vietnamese plaintiffs over the use of
Agent Orange during the
Vietnam War .
(BBC)
(Judges Decision in Full)
Lebanese President
Émile Lahoud , reappoints
Omar Karami as
Prime Minister of
Lebanon and asks him to form a new government, less than two weeks after Karami resigned in the face of anti-
Syrian protests.
(BBC)
Israeli troops kill Mohammed Abu Hazneh, a member of
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and an alleged plotter of the recent
Tel Aviv "Stage" nightclub suicide bombing. After he killed a
K9 dog, the troops
bulldozed his house, crushing him to death.
(BBC)
The
Chief Executive of Hong Kong ,
Tung Chee Hwa , announces he is to
resign . He blames his poor health for the decision, while some believe that he may have been dismissed by the Chinese government.
(Yahoo! Hong Kong)
(BBC)
16 people die following an explosion in a mine in the
Shanxi province of China.
(IOL)
A senior
United Nations envoy has said far more people have died in
Darfur during the two-year conflict than previously admitted.
(BBC)
Flags across the nation fly at
half-mast as the largest
police
memorial in
Canadian history is held in
Edmonton , to honour the four
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) victims of the
Mayerthorpe Incident . Attending were about 10,000 officers from North America, Canadian dignitaries and entertainers with songs of reflection and sorrow.
(CBC)
(Toronto Star)
The
Islamic Commission of Spain, that country's largest Muslim group, issues a
fatwa against
al-Qaeda leader
Osama Bin Ladin , ruling that his actions have made him an
apostate , that he should not be regarded as a Muslim, and that his claim that the
Qur'an justifies his
terrorist actions constitutes
istihlal , the sin of making up one's own law. It is claimed to be the first fatwa to be pronounced against Bin Ladin, and to have the tacit support of Muslim leaders in several Islamic countries.
(CBC)
The Mozilla Foundation announces that the development of the
Mozilla Internet Suite will no longer be ongoing.
SeaMonkey will be the replacement.
March 11, 2005 (2005-03-11 ) (Friday)
March 12, 2005 (2005-03-12 ) (Saturday)
March 13, 2005 (2005-03-13 ) (Sunday)
March 14, 2005 (2005-03-14 ) (Monday)
Massive protests take place in
Beirut ,
Lebanon , against the
Syrian presence there. With an estimated turnout of 800,000.
(ABC News)
Cyclone Ingrid is moving away from
Darwin ,
Northern Territory and towards the
Kimberley region of Western Australia as a
Category 4 storm .
(AustBC News) ,
(Aust BOM)
The
Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China , a law aimed at resolving the
issue of Taiwan , is passed and enters into force.
(BBC News)
According to
World Wildlife Fund , melting
glaciers in the
Himalayas could lead first to
floods in
China ,
India and
Nepal and then long
droughts .
(Bloomberg)
(Xinhua)
(BBC)
In
Italy ,
Alessandra Mussolini , granddaughter of
Il Duce
Benito Mussolini , is banned from regional elections for presenting fraudulent signatures. She threatens to go on a
hunger strike .
(Reuters)
(BBC)
In the
Philippines , inmates of a
Camp Bagong Diwa maximum security
prison in
Manila took
hostages during an attempted jailbreak and demand to talk with authorities. At least four guards and one prisoner have been killed. Prisoners claim to hold 100 hostages; police dispute this number. According to the police, the attempt was led by imprisoned members of
Abu Sayyaf .
(Sun Star, Manila)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ]
Bangladesh bans
smoking in public places.
(Reuters)
San Francisco Superior Court Judge
Richard Kramer says that limiting
marriage to between man and woman is
unconstitutional
(San Francisco Chronicle)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-18 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
In
India , Muslim charity
Sunni Waqf Board claims ownership of the
Taj Mahal . They demand opposing evidence from the
Archaeological Survey of India
(Express Newsline)
(New Kerala)
(BBC)
(Hindustan Times)
Archived 2005-03-20 at the
Wayback Machine
500 protesters are arrested in
Nepal
(BBC)
In
Macedonia
Ljube Boskowski , former interior minister, is indicted for war crimes for an alleged role in clashes between ethnic Albanians and security forces in
2001
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (RFE)
(BBC)
According to
International Maritime Bureau , 35
pirates stormed gas tanker MT Tri Samudra in
Malacca Strait last Saturday and captured its captain and chief engineer for
ransom . The ship has been released. In another attack, pirates capture three members of a
Japanese tugboat
(Today Online)
(Channel News Asia)
(ABC)
(BBC)
In
Zambia , former president
Frederick Chiluba protests when government anti-
corruption investigators seize hundred of pieces of clothing from the warehouse he used to store them. Police suspect that the clothes were bought using government funds
(AllAfrica)
(BBC)
The
United States government announces the arrests of 103 members of the violent
street gang
MS-13 . (
AP )
March 15, 2005 (2005-03-15 ) (Tuesday)
U.S. Representative
Henry Waxman sends a scathing letter to President
George W. Bush , accusing the administration of having withheld until after the election a damaging audit regarding overcharges by
Halliburton for services in
Iraq (such as charging $27,000,000 for transporting $82,000 worth of fuel from Kuwait to Iraq).
(Guardian)
(Philadelphia Daily News) [
permanent dead link ]
OPEC announces that it's unable to control
oil prices.
(MSNBC)
The dedication of the new
Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in
Jerusalem ,
Israel : leaders from 40 states and the
UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan attend inauguration of
Holocaust museum.
President of Israel
Moshe Katzav said that the new museum serves as "an important signpost to all of humankind, a signpost that warns how short the distance is between hatred and murder, between racism and genocide."
(Haaretz)
In the
Philippines , police storm the
Camp Bagong Diwa prison . 26 die during the fighting, three of them
Abu Sayyaf members. Six police officers are wounded.
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (Bloomberg)
(Sun Star, Manila)
(BBC)
In
Kosovo , an explosion hits the motorcade of president
Ibrahim Rugova in the capital
Pristina .
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-18 at the
Wayback Machine
(CNN)
(BBC)
The
International Criminal Court will hear its first case, the allegations of
war crimes during a
civil war in the
Democratic Republic of Congo .
(Daily Times)
(BBC)
The government of Italy announces that it will begin to withdraw its troops from
Iraq in several months.
(BBC)
Thousands of protesters demonstrate violently outside parliament in Niger against rising prices and high
tax increases. Some of them call for resignation of the president
Mamadou Tandja
(AllAfrica)
(Reuters SA)
(BBC)
In
Zimbabwe , new electoral court rules that jailed opposition politician
Roy Bennett , member of the
Movement for Democratic Change , can take part of parliamentary elections on
March 31 .
(AllAfrica)
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
In
Paris , France, French-Algerian Djamel Beghal is sentenced to 10 years in jail for plotting to bomb the US embassy in 2001. Five others received shorter sentences.
(Reuters)
(IHT)
(BBC)
In
Lebanon ,
United Nations team that investigates murder of
Rafik Hariri , completes its mission. They will present their findings to secretary-general
Kofi Annan in
New York
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
In
Italy , cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone ,
Roman Catholic
archbishop of
Genoa , speaks against what he describes as "lies" in the popular book "The
Da Vinci Code "; the book effectively claims that, among other things, the church suppresses information about
Jesus ' marriage with
Mary Magdalene
(Catholic News Service)
(Catholic World News)
(Reuters)
(BBC)
March 16, 2005 (2005-03-16 ) (Wednesday)
Israel formally hands
Jericho to
Palestinian Authority control, which is likely to strengthen
Mahmoud Abbas . The PA will resume security control over the city and will have to make sure that wanted militants will remain in check.
(Yahoo!)
(BBC)
Anti-fascist protesters in the center of
Riga ,
Latvia , end up in custody after trying to stop the annual march of
Waffen-SS veterans and young radical nationalists.
(BBC)
Russia announces that it will pay
US$ 10 m to the people who betrayed
Chechen separatist leader
Aslan Maskhadov , who was killed by Russian special forces.
(The Guardian)
President of
Bolivia
Carlos Mesa has asked the country's congress to approve early elections in August to replace him to "prevent bloodbath". There are still widespread opposition protests against his economic policies.
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (Bloomberg)
(BBC)
President of
El Salvador ,
Tony Saca , criticises new inquiries of The
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights into
El Mozote massacre in
1981 .
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
The
United States Senate accuses seven US
banks of complicity of allowing
Augusto Pinochet to set up 100
bank accounts to hide money total to US$15 million.
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-18 at the
Wayback Machine
(CNN)
(BBC)
Amnesty International states that fair elections are "impossible" in
Zimbabwe .
(Amnesty International)
(Reuters AlertNet)
(News24)
In the
Supreme Court of
British Columbia today, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri were found
not guilty in
their trial for the bombing of
Air India
Flight 182 .
(The Globe and Mail)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-18 at the
Wayback Machine
(Bloomberg)
European Union postpones negotiations for
Croatia 's possible membership. Delegates state that
Zagreb has not cooperated with the
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in trying to arrest suspected war criminal
Ante Gotovina .
(EUObserver)
(Bloomberg)
(Reuters)
(World Peace Herald)
A plane crash in
Russia kills 28, some of them employees of
Lukoil oil company.
(Mosnews)
(RIA Novosti)
(Bloomberg)
Zambian government files
corruption charges against ex-president
Frederick Chiluba in a British High Court. He is accused of defrauding the state of the equivalent of US$35 million.
(Reuters SA)
(BBC)
United Nations withdraws its foreign personnel from west of
Darfur after threats from pro-government militias.
(AllAfrica)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-18 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
Iran publicly executes
serial killer
Mohammed Bijeh , nicknamed the "Tehran Desert Vampire".
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
In
Japan ,
Hitachi unveils two examples of its wheeled
robot
Emiew .
(Reuters)
Archived 2015-04-23 at
archive.today
(Slashdot)
In
China ,
smth , the biggest BBS in Chinese campus, announced that IP outside the
Tsinghua University would be blocked off.
(yahoo)
March 17, 2005 (2005-03-17 ) (Thursday)
At the
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
particle accelerator in
Upton, New York ,
physicist
Horatiu Nastase may have created a
black hole .
(BBC)
The
People's Republic of China frees
Uyghur dissident and businesswoman
Rebiya Kadeer on
medical parole .
(BBC)
U.S. Congressman
Rob Portman (
R -
Ohio ) was nominated by President
George W. Bush to be the
United States Trade Representative , replacing
Robert Zoellick . Portman is subject to
Senate confirmation. (
Reuters )
[2]
Transparency International (TI), a nonprofit which works against
corruption , warns about US companies overcharging for the rebuilding of
Iraq . A TI study showed that a multi-million-dollar deal was awarded to a US company only for it to sub-contract the work to an Iraqi firm for a fraction of the cost.
(Zaman)
(Aljazeera)
A number of
non-governmental organizations meet in
Geneva ,
Switzerland in the
World Water Forum . They call for
water to be treated as a common asset instead of being
privatized .
(Swissinfo)
In
China , a
bus explosion kills about 30 people in
Jiangxi province.
(China Daily)
(Reuters AlertNet)
(Channel News Asia)
(BBC)
In
Bolivia , opposition leader
Evo Morales calls off blockades against the government of
Carlos Mesa after it raises
taxes of foreign energy companies.
(Bloomberg)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
London police say they have foiled an attempt to steal £220 million from the London offices of the
Sumitomo Mitsui Bank .
(BBC)
(Reuters UK)
The only remaining
statue in
Madrid of the
Spanish
dictator
Francisco Franco is removed on government orders.
(BBC)
In
Italy , the staff of
Milan 's
La Scala
opera vote for the resignation of the famous
conductor
Riccardo Muti .
(Reuters)
(BBC) .
In
Russia ,
Anatoly Chubais , head of Russia's state power monopoly
RAO UES , survives an apparent
ambush
(Interfax)
(RIA Novosti)
(Reuters)
King of
Thailand ,
Bhumibol Adulyadej , intends to personally direct artificial
rain making project to end
drought in the country. He intends to use his own
cloud seeding technique
(BBC)
In
Zimbabwe , president
Robert Mugabe states in his election campaign that the country is short of food. Local opposition group the
National Constitutional Assembly says that ZANU-PF use food as a political tool
(Reuters AlertNet)
Russian police arrests an
Australian man who threatened to blow up a passenger plane
(Moscow Times)
(Australian)
(Reuters)
St Patrick's Day celebrations take place worldwide
March 18, 2005 (2005-03-18 ) (Friday)
Woman Imam in NYC :
Amina Wadud , an
African American Muslim, and a professor of
Islamic studies at
Virginia Commonwealth University , led a congregation of about 60 women and 40 men in the weekly Muslim Friday, or
Jumu'uah , prayer, despite the disapproval of mainstream Muslim scholars.
(CNN)
(BBC)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict :
South Koreans stand outside the Japanese embassy in
Seoul , protesting over the disputed islands, the
Liancourt Rocks
(CNN)
The government of
Ukraine admits that 18
Kh-55 Granat nuclear-capable
cruise missiles (without warheads) were smuggled to
Iran and
China by arms dealers.
(BBC)
In the
Netherlands , businessman
Frans van Anraat is put on trial for allegedly selling chemicals to
Saddam Hussein to make
poison gas . He is accused of complicity to commit
war crimes and
genocide .
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-13 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
US denies diplomatic
visa to Indian politician
Narendra Modi , chief minister of
Gujarat
(times of India)
(NDTV)
(BBC)
In the
Solomon Islands , militia leader
Harold Keke and two others receive a
life sentence for murdering
Augustine Geve
(Solomon Star)
(Reuters)
(BBC)
The
United Nations fires one employee and suspends six others without pay for allegations of sexual abuse in the
Democratic Republic of Congo .
(Reuters AlertNet)
(UN News Centre)
The
SMTH BBS , the most popular
newsgroup -like
Bulletin Board System among Chinese university students and graduates, is forced by the
PRC government to shut down off-campus access.
(Washington Times)
Private
Johnson Beharry of the
British Army becomes the first person to receive the
Victoria Cross since 1982 and the first living recipient since 1969.
(Reuters)
March 19, 2005 (2005-03-19 ) (Saturday)
March 20, 2005 (2005-03-20 ) (Sunday)
March 21, 2005 (2005-03-21 ) (Monday)
Iceland 's parliament,
Alþingi , votes to grant
fugitive U.S.
chess champion
Bobby Fischer Icelandic
citizenship .
(NDTV)
(Reuters)
Israel has announced plans to add 3,500 homes to the
Ma'ale Adummim
settlement in occupied territories east of
Jerusalem . Chief
Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erekat said this would "sabotage" peace efforts.
(BBC)
Red Lake shootings : In a U.S.
school shooting ,
Jeff Weise opened fire at
Red Lake High School in
Minnesota , killing nine people and then himself.
(Kansas City Star)
(BBC)
UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan proposes to have the
Security Council expanded from 15 members to 24 members.
(ISN)
(CNN)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-21 at the
Wayback Machine
(Wired)
Tulip Revolution : After taking
Jalal-Abad in southern
Kyrgyzstan one day earlier, opposition
protesters against
electoral fraud in the
2005 parliamentary elections take over the northern city of
Osh and seize government buildings. Prime minister states the government does not intend to use force.
(Reuters Alertnet)
(BBC)
(BBC)
Indian politician
Narendra Modi addresses a meeting of
Indian-Americans via satellite. He claims there is a "disinformation campaign" against India.
(Sify)
(Outlook India)
World Wildlife Fund states that
Asian river dolphins are in danger due to
pollution and
damming of rivers.
(BBC)
Tornadoes in northern
Bangladesh kills 27.
(Express Newsline)
(BBC)
Bangladeshi police charge 10 people accused of murder of opposition politician
Shah AMS Kibria , member of
Awami League . They include eight members of the ruling
Bangladesh Nationalist Party . Kibria was killed in a grenade attack
January 27 .
(New Nation, Bangladesh)
(BBC)
In
Haiti , four people, including two
UN
peacekeepers , are killed in a shootout between peacekeepers and former rebels.
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ]
In
Namibia , president
Sam Nujoma retires and is succeeded by
Hifikepunye Pohamba .
(AllAfrica)
(Reuters SA)
(News24)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-21 at the
Wayback Machine
(Bloomberg)
(BBC)
Russia criticises Polish decision to name a square in
Warsaw after dead
Chechen separatist leader
Djokhar Dudayev
(Reuters AlertNet)
(Mosnews)
(BBC)
Dutch lumber merchant
Guus van Kouwenhoven is charged with
war crimes and arms smuggling to then-president
Charles Taylor during civil war in
Liberia
(Reuters SA)
(BBC)
In
Estonia , prime minister
Juhan Parts announces his resignation after
vote of no confidence against justice minister
Ken-Marti Vaher . That also means his government is dissolved
(Bloomberg)
(BBC)
March 22, 2005 (2005-03-22 ) (Tuesday)
The
World Hockey Association announces that a six-team tournament, the "
Bobby Hull Invitational" , will take place in May 2005 in
Vancouver ,
British Columbia ,
Canada .
(ESPN)
Israel hands over control of
Tulkarm to the
Palestinian Authority .
(BBC)
Prince Rainier III of
Monaco , hospitalized for the past two weeks with a
pulmonary
infection , is moved to
intensive care .
(Yahoo! News) (Link dead as of 03:13,
15 January
2007 (UTC))
In
Chile ,
Paul Schäfer , former leader of
Colonia Dignidad , is charged with involvement in the
1976 disappearance of
Juan Maino , activist and opponent of the regime of
Augusto Pinochet .
(Reuters AlertNet)
(Prensa Latina)
(BBC)
In
Kyrgyzstan ,
President
Askar Akayev 's spokesman claims that the
protests are a
coup attempt planned by "
drug mafia ".
(Pravda)
(CNN) (Link dead as of 03:13,
15 January
2007 (UTC))
In the
Democratic Republic of Congo , authorities say they have arrested many senior members of
militia groups in
Ituri , including
Thomas Lubanga of the
Union of Congolese Patriots .
(Reuters AlertNet) (Link dead as of 03:13,
15 January
2007 (UTC)),
(ReliefWeb)
(BBC)
United Nations declares
World Water Day , starting a decade-long
Water for Life campaign for clean
water .
(UN News Centre)
(ABC)
(Reuters AlertNet) (Link dead as of 03:13,
15 January
2007 (UTC)),
(BBC)
Nigerian
President
Olusegun Obasanjo sacks education minister
Fabian Osuji for corruption.
(Vanguard, Nigeria)
(AllAfrica)
(Reuters SA) (Link dead as of 03:13,
15 January
2007 (UTC))
German airline
Lufthansa announces its takeover of
Swiss Airlines .
(Swissinfo)
(Bloomberg)
In
Italy , the Council of State allows
Alessandra Mussolini to stand in elections.
(AGI) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
In
India , numerous
bank workers take part in a one-day
strike to protest government reforms and bank merges they say will lead to job cuts.
(New Kerala)
(Hindustan Times)
Archived 2007-09-30 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
The
Indian government bans veterinary drug
diclofenac because of a connection to the near
extinction of
vultures .
(Indian Express)
(BBC)
Ex-president of
Peru ,
Alberto Fujimori , plans to finance his coming presidential campaign with
Fuji-Cola . Fujimori is in exile in Japan, is wanted for
corruption ,
murder and
kidnapping and is legally banned from holding public office in Peru until 2010
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] 15 January
2007 (UTC)),
(BBC)
In
Angola , at least 96 people have died of
Marburg virus .
(ReliefWeb)
(Reuters SA) (Link dead as of 03:13,
15 January
2007 (UTC)),
(News24)
(CIDRAP)
March 23, 2005 (2005-03-23 ) (Wednesday)
An
explosion occurs at a
BP
oil refinery in
Texas City, Texas . Over 100 are injured, and at least 15 are dead.
(Fox News)
(Globe and Mail)
(BP)
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco reportedly has gone into
renal and
heart failure and is on a
ventilator .
(Yahoo! News)
Conflict in Iraq :
Iraqi Army officials claim that they along with backing from U.S. troops have killed at least 80
insurgents in a raid on a camp near
Tikrit .
(BBC)
Two people die following a bomb in a shopping centre in a
Christian area of North
Beirut ,
Lebanon . The two are believed to have been foreign workers.
(BBC)
In
Lebanon ,
Michel Abu Arraj , a judge investigating the murder of
Rafik Hariri , asks to step down from the case prior to public announcement of the results of the
United Nations investigation.
(Reuters Alertnet)
(BBC)
Israel announces that it will ban
Palestinians from the
West Bank and
Gaza Strip from entering Israel during the upcoming
Purim holiday.
(People's Daily)
(RTE)
In
Brazil , the
Brazilian Army receives permission to set up second emergency field hospital in the park of
Rio de Janeiro to alleviate shortage of medical services.
Mayor
Cesar Maia opposes the move, blaming the situation on lack of government funding.
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
In
Kyrgyzstan ,
riot police break up a protest in the capital
Bishkek .
(Reuters Alertnet)
(BBC)
President
Askar Akayev sacks his
interior minister and
prosecutor general for "poor work" in dealing with the growing
protests against his government.
(Interfax)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-23 at the
Wayback Machine
(RIA Novosti)
(BBC) US and
UN appeal for calm and negotiations.
(Bloomberg)
(Bloomberg)
The College of Bishops of the
Scottish Episcopal Church reiterates that it has no policy that treats being in a same-sex partnership as "a bar to the exercise of an ordained ministry".
(BBC)
In the
Central African Republic , the spokesman of
André Kolingba , former military ruler, says that yesterday's shootout outside his house was an assassination attempt. Kolingba has called for an annulment of the results of the presidential elections.
(BBC)
In
Cambodia , 16 prisoners die during a jailbreak in the province of
Kampong Cham ; 30 others escape.
(Reuters AlertNet)
(BBC)
In
Libya ,
Muammar al-Gaddafi states that he is not going to pardon five
Bulgarian nurses that face a
death penalty accused of injecting children with the
HIV
(Gulf Daily News)
(Bulgarian News Network)
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-05-27 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
March 24, 2005 (2005-03-24 ) (Thursday)
Paleontologists from
North Carolina State University announce the discovery of structures resembling
blood vessels and
red blood cells inside the hindlimb
fossil of a
Tyrannosaurus rex .
(Science Magazine)
(BBC) .
The
Washington Post claims to have obtained documents indicating that "
ghosting ", the use of Army prisons in
Iraq by the
CIA to hold unregistered inmates, is "systematic and known to three senior intelligence officials", contradicting earlier claims by the Army that such incidences were rare and ad hoc.
(Washington Post)
In
Kyrgyzstan ,
protesters and
riot police clash in the
capital ,
Bishkek .
(RIA Novosti)
(ReutersAlertNet)
(BBC) President
Askar Akayev 's presidential palace, the
White House , is overrun and the opposition is planning for a new government.
(BBC) Akayev flees Bishkek by
helicopter . His immediate whereabouts are unclear. Some report him going to Russia, others to
Kazakhstan .
(Fox News) Akayev is reported to have resigned, but this is not confirmed.
(ABC)
(Xinhua)
Bobby Fischer leaves
Japan for
Iceland via
Copenhagen after 8 months in detention.
(Mainichi Daily News) [
permanent dead link ] (Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-24 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
The
World Health Organization states that
tuberculosis cases in some African countries have tripled since 1990. There are also resistant strains of tuberculosis in Russia.
(Reuters)
Archived 2013-06-29 at
archive.today
(RIA Novosti)
(BBC)
France presents a draft resolution to vote at the
United Nations . It would give
war crime cases in
Darfur region of
Sudan to the
International Criminal Court in
the Hague . US resists the idea.
(EUObserver)
(Reuters)
(BBC)
World Expo 2005 opens in
Nagoya , Japan.
(Expo 2005)
(Asahi Shinbun)
(ITAR-TASS) [
permanent dead link ] (SwissInfo)
The
US Supreme Court declines to hear the appeal filed by the parents of
Terri Schiavo to have her feeding tube reinserted. Florida judge George Greer likewise declines to open Schiavo's records to the
Florida Department of Children and Families
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-03-23 at the
Wayback Machine
March 25, 2005 (2005-03-25 ) (Friday)
March 26, 2005 (2005-03-26 ) (Saturday)
March 27, 2005 (2005-03-27 ) (Sunday)
March 28, 2005 (2005-03-28 ) (Monday)
The first arrests are made for
war crimes in
Darfur ,
Sudan : 15 officials in South Darfur are accused of
rape ,
murder , and other crimes related to the
Darfur conflict . Whether they will be tried in a Sudanese or
international court is uncertain at this time.
(BBC)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ]
The
Kuomintang 's 34-member delegation led by KMT Vice Chairman
Chiang Pin-kun arrives on a landmark official visit to
mainland China , the first since the end of
Chinese Civil War in 1949. On their first day, the delegates pay homage at the
Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs in
Huanghuagang (Yellow Flower Knoll),
Guangzhou in the
province of
Guangdong .
(BBC) ,
(Taipei Times) ,
(China Daily)
2005 Sumatran earthquake : An
earthquake of
moment magnitude 8.7 is reported off the west coast of
North Sumatra , likely an
aftershock of the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake . Concerned about the threat of a
tsunami ,
emergency evacuations begin in
Malaysia ,
Thailand , and
Sri Lanka , although no significant tsunami activity is reported.
Indonesia 's vice-president reports up to 2,000 deaths
(Guardian) ,
(USGS) ,
(CNN) ,
(BBC) ,
(CBC)
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict :
Lebanese officials state that 2000
Syrian troops have left the country
(Arabic News) ,
(Reuters AlertNet) ,
(BBC)
Court in
Moscow sentences director
Yuri Samodurov and
Lyudmila Vasilovskaya for fine of 100,000
rubles (about
£ 2,000 or $3,600) for
blasphemy because of their 2003 exhibition
Caution! Religion .
(Mosnews) ,
(Reuters AlertNet) ,
(BBC)
In
Zimbabwe ,
archbishop
Pius Ncube calls for peaceful uprising against the government of
Robert Mugabe . Government denounces his criticism.
(IOL) ,
(ITV) ,
(BBC)
Russian state
prosecutors begin sentencing of former
Yukos
tycoon
Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Yukos
shareholder
Platon Lebedev for
tax evasion and
fraud .
(ITAR_TASS) ,
(Gateway to Russia) ,
(BBC)
Thousands of
Egyptians attend the
funeral of
actor
Ahmad Zaki .
(Al Bawaba) ,
(BBC)
March 29, 2005 (2005-03-29 ) (Tuesday)
Beck 's new album
Guero is released.
At the New York-Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center,
Neil Young has successful surgery for a brain aneurysm using a minimally invasive
neuroradiological procedure.
Neil (CNN)
The
E-mail spammer
Scott Richter of "OptInRealBig.com" has filed for
bankruptcy protection in
Denver . The reason claimed is a costly
legal battle with
Microsoft .
(Denver Post)
MGM Studios v. Grokster , an important
lawsuit regarding the future of
peer-to-peer
file sharing , is heard before the
United States Supreme Court .
(CNN)
Lord
Paddy Ashdown ,
High Representative in
Bosnia and Herzegovina has sacked
Dragan Čović ,
Croat member of the
Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina , after he has been charged (but not tried yet) for financial
corruption .
(BBC)
Three
Romanian
journalists are
kidnapped in
Iraq , the latest in a long series of kidnappings for money or political reasons in the country.
(Guardian) ,
(BBC)
Death toll of
Marburg virus in
Angola rises to 122.
UNICEF support a campaign to stop the spread of the disease
(Medical News Today)
(News24) ,
(BBC)
New
Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan installs
Kurmanbek Bakiyev as the official interim
President of Kyrgyzstan ,
(Reuters) ,
(BBC) , replacing
Askar Akayev who states he is ready to resign.
(ABC)
An independent investigation led by
Paul Volcker cleared the
United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan of involvement in the awarding of a contract in the
Oil-for-Food Programme to a company that employed his son, but found fault with Annan for his failure to oversee the program vigorously.
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-05 at the
Wayback Machine
(BBC)
In the
United States ,
Douglas S. Smith Jr , a former top official of
Boy Scouts of America , is charged with possession of
child pornography .
(CNN)
In
Uganda , thousands of
Muslims demonstrate in the capital
Kampala against the
Domestic Relations Bill that would, among other things, limit
polygamy .
(New Vision, Uganda) ,
(AllAfrica) ,
(BBC) ,
France intends to change law that allows girls to
marry at the age of 15
(Reuters)
(Guardian)
Dam bursts in South-eastern
Afghanistan near the city of
Ghazni . At least 6 people dead.
(Reuters AlertNet) ,
(International Water Power and Dam Construction) ,
(BBC)
British
bullfighter
Frank Evans , known as El Inglés , is about to retire after 40 years.
(Guardian) ,
(BBC)
The leaders of
Brazil ,
Venezuela ,
Colombia and
Spain meet in
Ciudad Guayana , Venezuela. They agree to resist
drug trafficking ,
terrorism and
poverty .
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-05 at the
Wayback Machine
Spanish prime minister
Zapatero signs an agreement with president
Hugo Chávez of
Venezuela on the sale of
warships and military transport planes. Conservative opposition leader
Mariano Rajoy denounces the sale.
(BBC)
Political activists in
Mongolia demonstrate in
Ulan Bator for new elections.
(Taipei Times) ,
(BBC)
Kenya recalls 70
diplomats from its
embassies due to cash shortage; none of them are
ambassadors .
(AllAfrica) ,
(BBC)
March 30, 2005 (2005-03-30 ) (Wednesday)
The island of
Malta is in dispute with
Italy over the transportation of
Chinese
illegal immigrants between
Malta and
Sicily .
(di-ve)
Jean-Claude Juncker and
Olli Rehn confirm the
European Union 's support for
Paul Wolfowitz to become the president of the
World Bank .
(Guardian)
Doron Grossman , the
Israeli
ambassador to
Ethiopia , is to be flown back to Israel after receiving a critical head injury following an apparent failed
suicide attempt.
(BBC)
Osama Mattar , a
Palestinian
Hamas
activist held in
custody in an
Israeli
prison , claims that he received militant training in
Syria , Syria and Hamas claim no such training takes place.
(AP\Yahoo)
In
India , shops and businesses close down in protest of a new tax law.
(BBC)
A
Shanghai online game player stabs a competitor to death for selling his cyber-sword.
(Reuters)
Archived 2005-04-19 at the
Wayback Machine
In
Israel ,
Jerusalem police deny members of
Jewish organization
Revava access to
Temple Mount during
Passover because of danger that they could use the situation to encourage violence. Revava has planned a pilgrimage to the site in
April 10
(Jerusalem Post)
(Arutz Sheva)
In
Guatemala , dozens of disguised
AIDS patients protest government ruling that gives pharmaceutical companies 5-10 years to keep their drug trial data secret, limiting access to cheap generic AIDS drugs
(Reuters AlertNet)
(Washington Post)
European nations has expressed support of
UN secretary general
Kofi Annan after
US probe found no evidence of his involvement with the foul play in
Oil-for-Food Program
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ]
In
India , the state of
Maharashtra closes its dance bars outside the city of
Mumbai as breeding grounds for
prostitution
(Hindustan Times)
Archived 2007-09-30 at the
Wayback Machine
(Rediff)
(BBC)
In
Egypt , thousands of demonstrators protest against the fifth term of president
Hosni Mubarak despite of the ban on protests. There are conflicting reports on the number of protesters police has detained
(Reuters AlertNet)
(Al-Jazeera)
(Reuters SA)
(BBC)
Czech Republic government is in crisis after the coalition partner of the ruling
Civic Democrats party.
Christian Democrats , calls for its three ministers to leave. That would lead into a
minority government . Prime minister
Stanislav Gross also faces a
no confidence vote in Friday over his personal finances
(Bloomberg)
(BBC)
In
Nigeria , anti-corruption group
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission detains former police chief
Tafa Balogun for questioning
(Vanguard, Nigeria)
(Reuters AlertNet)
(AllAfrica)
In
Rwanda , defense minister
Marcel Gatsinzi appears before the traditional
gacaca court accused of failing to stop his troops during the
Rwandan genocide . He says that one of his first orders was to stop the killing.
(AllAfrica)
(Reuters AlertNet)
March 31, 2005 (2005-03-31 ) (Thursday)
The last day to apply for the Sales Tax Amnesty Program from the California State Board of Equalization was March 31, 2005.
The rebel
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda , members of which had participated in the 1994
Rwandan Genocide , announces that it is giving up its armed struggle. The FDLR has been a key source of instability in the aftermath of the
Second Congo War .
(BBC)
Pope John Paul II 's condition has once again worsened. The pontiff, 84, suffers from a drop in
blood pressure and a high
fever . He is reportedly given
Last Rites .
(CNN)
Terri Schiavo dies 13 days after her feeding tube was removed by court order in
Florida , US.
(Reuters)
(BBC)
Two days after surgery to repair a brain aneurysm,
Neil Young collapses on a New York street, bleeding from a rupture in a femoral artery. He cancels a scheduled appearance at the
Juno Awards and reveals his surgery to the press for the first time.
[1]
Matthew Nagle , a 25-year-old paralysed man, has become the first person known to have benefited from a microchip implanted into his brain which can "read" thoughts. He can think his
TV on and off, change channels and alter the volume thanks to the technology and software linked to devices in his home.
(BBC)
A
UN report has stated that
malnutrition rates in Iraqi children under five have almost doubled since the
US-led invasion of Iraq .
(BBC)
The
UN -backed
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment , the most comprehensive survey of the Earth's ecological condition to date, finds that the condition of the world's
ecosystems is deteriorating at a dangerous rate. There has been "substantial and largely irreversible" loss of
biodiversity , the report says. Basic resources like
timber ,
water , and
food are at risk in some areas, and may be put at risk in more.
(BBC)
(Seattle PI)
(Discovery)
(UN News Centre)
The
elections in
Zimbabwe have proceeded with large queues seen at many polling stations. No violence has been reported, and Incumbent president
Robert Mugabe of the
ZANU-PF party has declared the elections to be free and fair. Opposition leader,
Morgan Tsvangirai of the party
MDC , disputes this, but still believes his party will win. The election has already been branded unfair by both the
U.S. and the
EU and their observers have been barred from monitoring the poll. Results are expected in two days.
(Bloomberg)
(CNN)
(News24)
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (BBC)
Israel has allowed people who received non-Orthodox training in Israel but were converted overseas to become
Jews . These people will now be eligible for Israeli citizenship.
(BBC)
Malta commemorates the 26th anniversary of the departure of the last British forces from the island
(di-ve)
Marburg virus death toll in
Angola rises to 127
(AllAfrica)
(IOL)
(Reuters AlertNet)
(Medical News Today)
Canada and
European Union plan to impose a 15% tariff on some US exports because
Washington has not repealed anti-
dumping law the
Byrd Amendment .
World Trade Organization declared the law illegal last August. The products include
paper ,
cigarettes ,
oysters and live
swine
(Reuters) [
permanent dead link ] (Bloomberg)
(Forbes)
In
South Africa ,
Johannesburg 's
Labour Court rules that the mining strike of the 30,000 employees of mining company
Gold Fields is "unlawful and unprotected" and orders them to go back to work. The
National Union of Mineworkers states that it expects its members to obey the ruling
(Reuters SA) [
permanent dead link ] (BusinessWeek, SA)
(SA)
In
Pakistan ,
Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement organizes partial strikes in various cities to protest over
Punjabi influence in the country
(KeralaNext)
(BBC)
In
Ukraine , security service states that the death of former interior minister
Yuri Kravchenko was probably suicide
(Moscos Times)
(BBC)
