In the fictional CW network drama One Tree Hill, this date marks a school shooting which took the lives of two people and drastically changed the dynamic of the show. It has been called one of the most essential and touching episodes in high school drama history.
Business and economy
A member of the board of directors of major German steel manufacturing company ThyssenKrupp AG says the company is "examining all its options," and may not complete its proposed acquisition of Canadian steel company Dofasco. (MSN Money)
Disasters and accidents
A video obtained by the Associated Press shows U.S. President George W. Bush being warned that the levees in New Orleans could break one day before Hurricane Katrina hit. (MSNBC.com)
President George W. Bush, on his first visit to India, issues a joint statement with Indian Prime Minister on their growing strategic partnership, emphasising their agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. An estimated crowd of 100,000 people protest against Bush in Delhi. (Times of India) (Khaleej Times) (Forbes) (Times of India) (CNN)
A shipwreck from the 14th century was found buried in Riddarfjärden Bay in Stockholm, Sweden. If the ship is well preserved, there are plans to remove it from the waters. (ABC)
Traces of a prehistoric, 8,000-year-old civilization are found in Shahrud, Iran. The discoveries included ovens, craft workshops, and other evidence of settlements. (Payvand)
Dubai Ports World controversy: The United States urges the United Arab Emirates to end its boycott of Israel: "The Bush administration said yesterday it is pressing the United Arab Emirates to drop its economic boycott of Israel – a major sticking point in the proposed takeover of key U.S. ports by a UAE-owned firm." (The Washington Times)
Kenya: Masked gunmen, since revealed to be Kenyan police, attack the offices of leading newspaper The Standard and its television station KTN, following their report that PresidentMwai Kibaki held secret meetings with key opposition figure Kalonzo Musyoka. (BBC) (Reuters)
Just two days before U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush is scheduled to visit Pakistan, a car bomb exploded in the Marriott Hotel Karachi parking lot adjacent to a United States consulate in Karachi, killing at least four people including a US diplomat and his driver and injuring at least fifty others. (CNN)
Former Iranian PresidentMohammad Khatami, member of the moderate wing of the regime, describes the Holocaust as a "historical reality," contradicting the current leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an extremist who has described it as a "myth" the previous year. (BBC)
Kenya and Sudan, completing trade talks that have gone on since 2001, announce plans to sign a landmark trade agreement. (AllAfrica) Kenya, which is currently in a drought, is in desperate need of food to feed 3.5 million Kenyans by the end of March, despite the presence of the U.N. food agency. Sudan has had a huge surplus this season. (Reuters)
Three Israelis ignite firecrackers in an attempt to detonate gas canisters smuggled into the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth during prayer services, sparking riots and confrontation between thousands of protestors and Israeli police. (CBC) (YNet)
After four years of legal efforts to get the names of about 490 Guantanamo Bay inmates released, the United States is forced by a federal judge's ruling to release transcripts of hearings of 317 of them. (ABC)
Former U.S. RepresentativeRandy "Duke" Cunningham of California, a Republican, is sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison after pleading guilty to accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes. It is the longest prison term that any former member of Congress has ever been sentenced to. (CNN)
British rock star Gary Glitter is convicted of the molestation of one 11- and one 12-year-old girl in the town of Vung Tau in southern Vietnam. He is sentenced to three years in prison, but may be back in the United Kingdom by December. (BBC News)
An Italian parliamentary commission accuses the former Soviet Union of orchestrating the 1981 attempt to assassinate Pope John Paul II (Telegraph) Archived 2008-01-09 at the Wayback Machine
British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell splits from her husband, David Mills' following allegations of an alleged acceptance of money from Silvio Berlusconi. (BBC)
The 2006 National People's Congress opens in Beijing, beginning a 10-day session of China's parliament. Premier Wen Jiabao makes a Working Report and vows for support for the poor. (CNN) (People's Daily)
Benin presidential election, 2006: Voters in Benin go to the polls to decide who will succeed Mathieu Kérékou as President. Results are expected to be announced by Wednesday. If no single candidate of the 26 wins an outright majority, a runoff election will take place in two weeks. (Scotsman), (VOA), (Reuters)
The United Kingdom government is defeated in the House of Lords over a plan to make biometricID cards compulsory for passport applicants. The government is to seek to overturn the defeat in the House of Commons, and has suggested that it might invoke the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949. (United Press International)
Israeli aircraft fire rockets at a car in Gaza, killing two Islamic Jihad members and three innocent bystanders as well as wounding seven other people, mostly children. Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Air Force, Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Shkedy said: "We are doing everything we can possibly think of to prevent innocent people from being harmed, but this is a war and nothing is certain." (JPost)[permanent dead link]
British Lieutenant General Nick Houghton announces that the UK's 8,000 soldiers in Iraq could begin leaving the country within weeks. Most would be home by 2008, he says. (Guardian Unlimited)
Anibal Ibarra, former mayor of Buenos Aires is removed from office over allegations of poor government safety regulation in last year's club fire. (The Mercury News)[permanent dead link]
The Government of Chad renews accusations of Sudanese support for attacks by the UFDC into eastern Chad, despite the recent signing of the Tripoli Accord and the successful formation of the ministerial committee. Sudan has accused Chad of supporting ARFWS rebels in the past, and Chad is believed to have stepped up support in light of recent attacks. (AlertNet)
Iran threatens 'harm and pain' against the United States for its role in putting Iran before the United Nations Security Council. (Channel 4 News)
The European Union announces that it has lifted a worldwide ban on the export of British beef introduced in 1996 to prevent the spread of BSE (Mad Cow Disease). (BBC)
Astronomers announce that the Cassini–Huygens probe has detected possible geysers of water on Saturn's moon Enceladus, perhaps the first example of naturally occurring liquid water beyond Earth. (AP) (JPL)
More than 250 medical experts sign a letter in The Lancet urging the United States to stop force-feeding of Guantanamo Bay detainees and close down the prison. (BBC)
The World Health Organization announces that the number of people killed by measles declined by 48% between 1999 and 2004, from 871,000 to 454,000. The greatest decline, 60%, was in sub-Saharan Africa. The improvement is attributed to increased vaccination. (BBC)
John Profumo, the man at the centre of Britain's most famous political scandal of the 20th century, has died at the age of 91. (Channel four News)
Schering, a Berlin, Germany, based pharmaceutical firm, announces that it has received a hostile merger bid from Frankfurt-based rival Merck. (MSNBC) (Reuters)
March 13, 2006 (2006-03-13) (Monday)
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A cash-for-honours scandal has erupted around UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. A millionaire donor has revealed that Labour fundraisers had arranged secret loans from businessmen who were then nominated for peerages. (Daily Mail)
A major oil slick, which could contain some 40 tonnes of fuel, has been detected off the coast of Estonia, one week after the Runner-4 cargo vessel sank in the Baltic Sea. Heavy sea ice prevents an accurate estimate of the content of the oil slick that may have killed 35,000 sea birds. (Yahoo News)
German drug and chemical manufacturer Merck KGaA announces plans to buy Schering in a merger of €14.6 billion. Merck and Schering would become Germany's largest pharmaceutical company. – (Telegraph) Archived 2008-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
Israeli troops shell and demolish a Palestinian prison in Jericho, seizing Ahmad Sa'adat, imprisoned for allegedly assassinating an Israeli minister. (BBC)
In retaliation for the Israeli attack in Jericho, Palestinian gunmen kidnap and then release American professor Douglas Johnson. (Forbes)[dead link]
The 2006 National People's Congress concludes in Beijing, China. Premier Wen Jiabao holds annual press conference from Chinese and foreign reporters. Wen reiterates Taiwan issue in serious tone. (People's Daily)
March 15, 2006 (2006-03-15) (Wednesday)
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Two gunmen attacked the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) compound in Yei, Sudan, killing a local guard and leaving two others in critical condition. (Angola Press)
Tens of thousands of Thai anti-government protesters continue their rally against the country's current Thai Prime MinisterThaksin Shinawatra today. They also demand his resignation from the post. The opposition leader, Sondhi Limthongkul, declared he and his party would not stop protesting all day and night until the PM resigns. (Reuters)[permanent dead link]
Near the third anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, U.S. and Iraqi forces on Thursday launch an air assault known as Operation Swarmer into Salahuddin province in what was termed the largest air assault since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. (ABC News), (BBC), (USDoD)
An international child pornography network is discovered using information from an Internet chat room, leading to the worldwide arrests of 4 Australians, 13 Americans, 10 Canadians, and 2 Britons. (National Nine News)
Six people have been charged in connection with Kenya's biggest fraud, which cost the government about $600 million. (BBC)
Following an outbreak of bird flu in Israel, Europe bans imports of Israeli chicken; Ministry of Agriculture halts exports of unprocessed birds; Kibbutzim in the south, heart of Israel put under closure; four people hospitalized in the south are found not to be infected with the disease. (Ynetnews)
The fourth global World Water Forum meets in Mexico City to address problems of water shortages and conflicts. Protesters claim the forum is a platform for further privatization of water supplies. (AP via Forbes)
2006 labor protests in France: In Paris, and other major French cities, hundreds of thousands of people march in protest of the Contrat de première embauche (First Employment Contract), a labor law set to take effect in April that gives employers the right to fire workers under the age of 26 in the first two years of their employment without justification.(BBC)
US Navy warships engage pirates off the coast of Somalia, killing one, capturing 12, after the U.N. Security Council on March 15, encouraged any naval forces near Somalia to take action against suspected piracy. This occurred after an attack on a UN World Food Program-chartered ship bringing drought-relief food supplies on March 13. (AP)(UPI)
The Labor government of South Australia, led by Mike Rann, has been returned with a ten percent swing. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
March 19, 2006 (2006-03-19) (Sunday)
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Three of the six men left seriously ill during a drugs trial (of a monoclonal antibodyTGN 1412) have been taken off organ support. (BBC)
Part of a tunnel in the Moscow Metro collapses on a train setting the train on fire. Russian emergency services were dispatched to the scene, passengers were evacuated, and no one was hurt. (BBC)
Former Prime Minister of IraqIyad Allawi says that he believes that Iraq is engaged in a civil war, although the country has not passed "the point of no return." British and American officials dispute calling the conflict a civil war. (BBC)
The United States and EU condemn the elections. The White House, which has previously labeled Mr Lukashenko a dictator, says it does not accept the results. The EU says it is likely that it will impose sanctions. (BBC)
At 0730 AEST, Tropical CycloneLarry makes landfall near Innisfail, Queensland, Australia, with wind gusts of 290 km/h (180 mph) recorded, which would make it a Category 5 storm on the Australian scale for severity of cyclones. (AAP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Beijing on energy talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. (Forbes)
Over 150 Chadian soldiers are killed in eastern Chad by members of the rebel UFDC. The growing rebel movement seeks to overthrow Chadian president Idriss Deby. (AP via Forbes)
In a major Sino-Russian energy deal, it is announced that Gazprom intends to build two large natural gaspipelines directly to China within the next five years. (Forbes) Russia will also help with the construction of two nuclear power plants in China. (Makfax)
The MV Queen of the North, a 125 metre ferry operated by BC Ferries, strikes a rock in British Columbia's Inside Passage shortly after midnight, and sinks. All passengers and crew are thought to have safely abandoned ship, but two passengers are later declared missing and presumed dead. (CBC)
Basque separatist group ETA announce a permanent ceasefire to their 38-year campaign for independence from Spain, which has cost over 800 lives. (BBC)
Tracy Williams from Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, is ordered to pay £10,000 damages, plus £7,200 legal costs for libelling former parliamentary candidate Michael Keith Smith in a Yahoochat room and in her blog, making history in respect of legal actions involving the Internet. She had accused Smith of being a sex offender and a racist bigot. Williams did not file a defence to the libel writ. (Manchester Evening News), (Times), (BBC)
Ethiopia: Government prosecutors withdrew charges against 18 out of 129 opposition figures and journalists facing charges following last year's violent skirmishes in the country. However, none of the party leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) were included in this action.
March 23, 2006 (2006-03-23) (Thursday)
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Xbox 360 was released in Australia and New Zealand.
EU summit in Brussels: the EU leaders back plans to develop a common energy policy, but the specifics remain vague and difficult (Independent)
Pentagon: It is alleged by a report that Russia gave intelligence information to Saddam Hussein's Iraq regarding American troop movements during the early stages of the Iraq War. (Reuters)
A revolutionary scramjetjet engine designed to fly at seven times sonic speed is successfully tested in Australia. (BBC)
Canada's annual seal hunt has begun, amid international appeals for an end to the controversial cull of up to 325,000 young harp seal pups. The Canadian government says the cull, which reportedly earns C$16.5 million (£8.3 million) in meat and pelt sales, is also necessary to control seal numbers. (BBC)
An explosion at a French university chemical research facility kills one professor. The cause is unknown. (National Nine News)
The CBS television program 60 Minutes airs a story on a lawsuit against the hedge fund SAC, alleging that it orchestrated a fall in the stock price of Canadian drug company Biovail.
Officials in Afghanistan say that Abdul Rahman may be released soon, although the case may have only been temporarily dropped to gather more evidence. (CNN) (BBC)
Scotland becomes the first part of the United Kingdom to introduce a full smoking ban in enclosed public places and workplaces. (BBC)
March 27, 2006 (2006-03-27) (Monday)
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Iraqi security minister Abd al Karim al Enzi accuses American soldiers accompanied by Iraqi troops to have raided the Mustafa Shiitemosque in eastern Baghdad and executed 37 unarmed people who had been tied up. (Palestine Chronicle)[permanent dead link] (Times)
Over a million protesters join large protests in France amid strikes against the new contrat première embauche, which protesters say will harm job stability for workers under the age of 26. Violent clashes with the police in Paris are reported. (Reuters)
More than one million local government workers in the UK strike over cuts to pension schemes, in an action co-ordinated by eight trade unions. (BBC)
Afghan Christian convert Abdul Rahman takes political asylum in Italy. Many Islamic clerics and members of Afghanistan's parliament protest his release. (MSNBC), (BBC)
The chief prosecutor in Austria seeks an arrest warrant for former Refco chairman Phillip Bennett and former Refco client Wolfgang Floettl on suspicion they helped defraud Austria's BAWAG Bank. (NY Post)
An outage of Optus B1 after realignment knocks out Sky TV's pay TV to an estimated 650,000 New Zealanders (NZ Herald)[permanent dead link]. Conflicting reports suggest the outage could be fixed within a few hours (Newswire)[permanent dead link] or could be permanent as the satellite may be missing (National Business Review).
U.S. Representative Jean Schmidt has been claiming a degree in secondary education from the University of Cincinnati she did not receive. Her spokesman said Schmidt earned the degree but did not complete the paperwork to be awarded it. (The Plain Dealer)
In Brussels, Microsoft claims a breakthrough, as an independent monitor of its hearings with European Union regulators in Brussels has outlined what it can do to avoid paying fines of 2 million euros a day. (IHT)