March 2008

March 2008

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March 2008 was the third month of the current leap year. It began on a Saturday and ended after 31 days on a Monday.

International holidays

March 2 - Mothering Sunday (Britain)
March 7 - Nyepi (Indonesia)
March 8 - Women's Day (India, Russia, South Africa)
March 10 - Commonwealth Day (Commonwealth of Nations)
March 12 - Arbor Day (China)
March 14 - New Year's Day (Sikh Nanakshahi calendar)
March 14 - Pi Day
March 14 - White Day (Japan and Korea)
March 15 - National Day (Hungary)
March 15 - St Patrick's Day, Hōnen Matsuri (Japan)
March 15 - Ides of March, Roman Calendar
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day U.S.A.
March 19 - Saint Joseph's Day (Western Christianity)
March 19 - Fathers' Day (Bolivia, Honduras, Italy, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Spain)
March 19 - Canberra Day (Australian Capital Territory)
March 20 - Norouz (Iran and Zoroastrianism)
March 21 - Purim (Jewish holiday)

March 21 - Good Friday (Western; Eastern date is April 25)
March 21 - World Poetry Day
March 21 - Equinoctial Earth Day
March 22 - World Day for Water
March 23 - Republic Day (Pakistan)
March 23 - Easter Sunday (Western; Eastern date is April 27)
March 24 - World Tuberculosis Day
March 25 - Independence Day (Greece)
March 25 - Freedom Day (Belarus)
March 25 - Feast of the Annunciation
March 26 - St. Gregory's Day (Malta)
March 28 - Teachers' Day (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
March 30 - Spiritual Baptist Shouter Liberation Day (Trinidad and Tobago)
March 31 - Feast of the Annunciation (Catholicism)
March 31 - César Chávez Day (some U.S. states)
March 31 - Freedom Day (Malta)
March 31 - Mawlid (Islam)

Portal:Current events

March 1, 2008 (Saturday)

Two IDF soldiers and at least 50 Palestinians are killed during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. (Jerusalem Post)
A wind storm in Europe kills four people in Austria, two people in Germany, and two people in the Czech Republic. (AFP)
The President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan declares a state of emergency following anti-government protests in Yerevan. (Reuters)
Raúl Reyes, the second in command of the FARC guerilla organization, is killed in a Colombian military operation in northern Ecuador. (El Tiempo)
Renewed violence erupts in the Abyei region of Sudan. Approximately 70 deaths are reported and analysts warn that further conflict could threaten the peace process. (Reuters Alertnet)

March 2, 2008 (Sunday)

A Lufthansa Airbus 320 nearly crashes while landing in Hamburg, Germany due to high winds. The pilot was able to stabilize the plane and successfully landed on the second try. No one was injured. (Stern)
South American diplomatic crisis: President Hugo Chávez orders the closure of the Venezuelan embassy in Colombia and moves ten battalions to the Colombian-Venezuelan border in response to the killing of FARC leader Raúl Reyes in Ecuador by Colombian armed forces the previous day. Rafael Correa, the President of Ecuador, orders troops to the Colombian border. The Colombian government accuses Correa of having "a relationship and commitments" with FARC. (AP via Google News) (AP via Google News) (BBC News)
Two bombings in quick succession hit a Russian police convoy in the town of Khasavyurt in the Republic of Dagestan. (AP via Fox News)
Eight people are killed in violent protests in Yerevan, Armenia, following protests over the outcome of the latest presidential election. (Reuters via The Sydney Morning Herald)
President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives in Baghdad for the first state visit to Iraq by an Iranian president since the Iran-Iraq War. (AP via The Hindu)
Russian voters go to the polls to decide the country's next president. Dmitry Medvedev of the United Russia wins the election and is expected to succeed Vladimir Putin as the President of Russia. (The Independent)

March 3, 2008 (Monday)

The remains of Padre Pio, the Capuchin monk who died in 1968 after living for decades with inexplicable, bleeding wounds on his hands and feet, are exhumed. (AP via International Herald Tribune)
Iran considers shutting down private access to Internet service during its legislative elections. (International Herald Tribune)
The U.N. Security Council approves a third round of sanctions against Iran with near unanimous support. (AP via Yahoo! News)
A U.S. Navy submarine conducts at least one missile strike using Tomahawk cruise missiles in Somalia. The attack was aimed at Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, an al-Qaeda terrorist. (AFP via Google News) (AP via Yahoo! News) (CNN)
A Pentagon report to the United States Congress states that the Peoples Republic of China's reluctance to explain the extent and purpose of its military buildup poses a risk to stability in Asia. (AP via Google News)
Androulla Vasiliou replaces Markos Kyprianou as European Commissioner for Health. (European Council)
Earth Liberation Front sets fires to five model luxury homes in Woodinville, Washington in an act of eco-terrorism. (CNN) (AP via Yahoo! News) (KIRO-TV)
A gunman opens fire at a Wendy's restaurant in West Palm Beach, Florida, killing one person and critically wounding three others before committing suicide. (ABC News) (AP via Yahoo! News)
Albertans go to the polls in a provincial general election, electing an eleventh straight Progressive Conservative government. (CBC)

March 4, 2008 (Tuesday)

Brett Favre, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers announces his retirement from the NFL after 17 years.
United States presidential election, Super Tuesday II:
- Arizona Senator John McCain wins the Vermont, Texas, Rhode Island, and Ohio Republican primaries, giving him enough delegates to be able to win the Republican Party nomination. (MSNBC)
- Former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee withdraws his candidacy. (CNN)
- Illinois Senator Barack Obama wins the Vermont Democratic primary. (MSNBC)
- New York Senator Hillary Clinton wins the Rhode Island, Ohio, and Texas Democratic primaries.(ABC News)
First Minister of Northern Ireland Ian Paisley announces his intentions to stand down from the post in May 2008 and, at the same time, resign as leader of the DUP, a party he has led for almost 40 years. (RTÉ)
At least four people are killed and 14 injured in a suicide bombing at a naval college in the Pakistani city of Lahore. (BBC News)
United States Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dan Fried estimates that Kosovo will need about $2 billion in foreign aid to become economically viable, and says that the United States will participate in a major donors' conference on Kosovo in June. (Reuters)
India wins cricket's Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia. (BBC Sport)

March 5, 2008 (Wednesday)

The first plenary session of the 11th National People's Congress begins in China. Premier Wen Jiabao delivers the last annual government report in his first term of office. (Xinhua)
Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, is facing allegations that he used the Wikimedia Foundation funds to pay for personal expenses. (The Washington Post)
U.S. Republican presidential nominee John McCain is endorsed by President George W. Bush. (ABC News)
Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is named the richest person in the world by Forbes magazine. (Forbes)
Saudi Arabia announces plans to execute a Canadian man and a Saudi friend convicted of murder by beheading them in public. (Arab News) (Canwest News)
A manmade flood is created in the Grand Canyon in Arizona in an attempt to replenish the ecosystem in the gorge. (CNN)

March 6, 2008 (Thursday)

The discovery of the Rings of the Saturnian moon Rhea, the first known rings around a moon, is announced. (NASA)
The United States Senate passes legislation providing for more rigorous inspection of toys and other playthings imported into the United States. (AP via USA Today)
At least eight people, including four children, are killed and dozens wounded in a shooting attack on the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva in Jerusalem. (AP via WTVJ)
At least 54 people die and 130 are injured as two bombs explode in Baghdad, Iraq. (BBC News)
Viktor Bout, one of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, is arrested at a hotel in Thailand. (The New York Times)
Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's butler, refuses to be questioned about whether he lied to the inquest into her death in 1997. (Reuters)
A bomb causes minor damage to the door of a U.S. military recruiting center in Times Square, New York City. (Reuters)
Philippine authorities arrest three people accused of plotting terrorist attacks on foreign embassies in Manila. (BBC News)

March 7, 2008 (Friday)

Václav Klaus is sworn in for another term as the President of the Czech Republic. (Xinhua)
Eight people are killed in separate attacks in central and western Kenya. (AP via USA Today)
Former Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones reports to a Texas jail to begin a six-month sentence for perjury regarding past steroid use. (BBC News)
Colombia confirms the killing of FARC leader Iván Ríos by his chief of security. (AP via International Herald Tribune)
A United States Department of Labor report shows that the United States economy lost 63,000 jobs in February. (AFP)
The President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez calls for a cooling of tensions with Colombia at a summit of the Rio Group presidents in the Dominican Republic. The Rio Group later approves a declaration aimed at reducing tensions between, Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. (AP via Google News) (The Globe and Mail)
Pakistan's Election Commission announces the completed results of parliamentary election. (Reuters)

March 8, 2008 (Saturday)

United States presidential election, 2008: Illinois Senator Barack Obama wins the Wyoming Democratic caucus. (The New York Times)
Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt becomes the first foreign minister to visit Kosovo since the country declared its independence. (Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
Police in Memphis, Tennessee make an arrest in connection with the killing of four adults and two children. (AP via Google News)
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica resigns, dissolving a coalition too divided over the loss of Kosovo to carry on governing. (AP via Google News) (The Daily Telegraph)
Voters in Malta go to the polls for the Maltese general election, 2008. (AP via International Herald Tribune)
Vietnam bans ownership of pet hamsters. (BBC News)
Malaysians go to the polls for the Malaysian general election, 2008. The Barisan National secures another term in government, but suffers its worst performance since the country's independence in 1957. (AP via CNN) (Xinhua) (Gaulia.com) (CNA)
The United States and Iraq commence talks about the future of relationships between the two nations including a longer term US military presence in Iraq. (AP via Google News)

March 9, 2008 (Sunday)

Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt says that Kosovo may become a European Union member state even if it is not a member of the United Nations. (Xinhua News Agency)
Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi unveils a "Welcome to the Republic of Kosovo" sign (in Albanian, Serbian, and English) at the border with Serbia. (EuroNews)
Venezuela announces that it will reopen its embassy in Colombia and welcome back Colombian diplomats expelled during the regional diplomatic crisis. (AP via Google News)
French voters go to the polls for the municipal elections. (BBC News)
The Socialist Workers' Party wins the Spanish general election, with the People's Party conceding defeat. (BBC News)
An Ariane 5 rocket launches the first Automated Transfer Vehicle, Jules Verne, from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The space will rendezvous with and supplies to the International Space Station on March 29. (ESA)
An Argentine train headed for Mar del Plata from Buenos Aires slams into a bus at a rural rail crossing near Dolores, killing 26 people and leaving at least 60 others injured. (Gaulia.com - Actualidad) (Xinhua News Agency)
An official reports that last week a flight crew prevented an apparent attempt to crash a Chinese jetliner. (Reuters)

March 10, 2008 (Monday)

Eight United States Army soldiers are killed in two bombings in Iraq. (AP via Google News)
The Serbian government adopts a policy to dismiss the National Assembly of Serbia and hold elections later in the year. (Xinhua)
Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer is linked with a criminal investigation of an international online prostitution ring. (The New York Times)
Yahoo! tops the list in the first attempt to quantify the data collected from Web users for Internet marketing. (The New York Times)
The Nationalist Party wins the general election in Malta, by a relative majority of 1,580 vote over the Labour Party. (Department of Information, Malta)
Sri Lankan voters in the Batticaloa district, an area formerly controlled by the Tamil Tigers, go to the polls in local government elections for first time in ten years. (BBC News)

March 11, 2008 (Tuesday)

United States presidential election, 2008: Illinois Senator Barack Obama wins the Mississippi Democratic primary. (The New York Times)
The United States House of Representatives fails to override President Bush's veto of a bill outlawing waterboarding and other interrogation techniques. (AP via Google News)
Admiral William Fallon resigns as Commander of the U.S. Central Command due to reports in Esquire Magazine of disagreement with President George W. Bush over the administration's policy with Iran. (Reuters)
Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board announce that the tour of Pakistan by the Australia national cricket team has been postponed due to security issues. (The Age)
The Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from Kennedy Space Center carrying the crew of STS-123, the Japanese Experiment Module, and Dextre. The ship will rendezvous with the International Space Station. (NASA)
At least 12 people are killed when a bomb explodes at offices of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency in Lahore. (AFP)

March 12, 2008 (Wednesday)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency announces a major expansion of efforts to fight smog in cities and towns throughout the United States. (AP via Google News)
The total amount of digital information is estimated at 281 exabytes in 2007, exceeding available data storage for the first time. (Ars Technica) (IDC via EMC)
Crude oil futures contracts end trading at a new closing high of $109.92 a barrel after earlier topping $110 a barrel for the first time. (MarketWatch)
Israeli commandos kill four militants on the West Bank including three members of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine. (Reuters)
Sweden’s largest lake, the Vänern, which is also the third largest lake in Europe, will be lowered by 15 centimeters, in order to avoid flooding. (Expressen)
Southwest Airlines grounds 41 jets after the FAA discovers the airline failed to inspect its Boeing 737s for structural flaws during 2006 and 2007. (Reuters)
The last French veteran of World War I, Lazare Ponticelli, an Italian immigrant who lied about his age to join the French Foreign Legion and fight in the trenches, dies at 110. (BBC News)
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner and his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt pronounce their support for Serbian membership of the European Union. (Reuters)
Chinese police fire tear gas to disperse protesters during the second day of demonstrations by Buddhist monks in Lhasa, Tibet demanding the region's independence. (AFP)
Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer resigns effective March 17 amid a prostitution ring scandal. He will be replaced by David Paterson, the first African American and legally blind person to hold this position. (Yahoo! Finance)
A gunman opens fire at a bank in McComb, Mississippi, killing two people, before forcing his wife into a car and driving away, later killing her and committing suicide. (WAPT)
A man under investigation for the sexual abuse of children at an orphanage in Sofia, Bulgaria, opens fire on teenage witnesses, killing one and wounding two others before committing suicide. (MSNBC)

March 13, 2008 (Thursday)

Darfur Conflict: Chad's President Idriss Déby and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir meet in Senegal to sign the Dakar Agreement, the sixth peace agreement in five years. (BBC News)
The Canadian House of Commons extends the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan until 2011. (CBC)
The body of Mar Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul who was kidnapped in Iraq on February 29, is found in a shallow grave close to the city. (Reuters)
The price of gold reaches $1000 per troy ounce for the first time. (BBC News)
Serbian President Boris Tadić disbands parliament and calls an early general election for May 11. (BBC News)
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008: Geraldine Ferraro resigns from the Clinton campaign after making comments that "if Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position." (The New York Times)
The U.S. dollar, after repeatedly testing 100 yen in Asian dealings and early European action, breaks through to touch 99.75, its lowest level since November 1995. (Reuters)
Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart experience some of their warmest weather of record for this season as result of an Australian autumn heatwave. (The Age)
Leaders of the European Union meet in Brussels, Belgium with climate change and energy security dominating the agenda. (BBC News)
Turkish prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya asks the Constitutional Court of Turkey to ban the ruling Justice and Development Party for anti-secular activities. (BBC News)

March 14, 2008 (Friday)

Queen Elizabeth officially opens London Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5. (The New York Times)
Colombian Ministry of National Defense Juan Manuel Santos says the government will pay US$2.5 million to Pedro Pablo Montoya, the FARC rebel who killed Iván Ríos. (BBC News)
Muhammed Rahim, an al-Qaeda member who helped Osama bin Laden escape from Tora Bora, Afghanistan in 2001, is taken to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. (BBC News)
After a summit in Brussels, European Union leaders agree to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020. (BBC News)
United States investment bank Bear Stearns gets emergency funding from JPMorgan Chase, with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's backing. (BBC News)
An EF2 tornado hits Atlanta, Georgia, damaging many buildings including the CNN Center, the Georgia Dome, the World Congress Center and the Philips Arena. (BBC News)
Iranian voters go to the polls in legislative election. Nearly 90 percent of reformist candidates have been disqualified from the election. (BBC News)
Seven are reported dead in Lhasa, Tibet as protests turn violent. Protests began Monday on the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising with calls for the release of detained Buddhist monks. Other protests followed calling for Tibetan independence and displaying the banned Tibetan national flag. (CNN) (AP via the Houston Chronicle)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez dares the United States to designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism. (AP via CNN)

March 15, 2008 (Saturday)

Wales achieve the Grand Slam by beating France 29-12 in the final match of Rugby Union's 2008 RBS Six Nations. (BBC News)
Protesting Guatemalan farmers release four Belgian tourists they had taken hostage on Thursday. (AP via Google News)
Michael D. Griffin, the current Administrator of NASA, announces the agency will concentrate more on the outer Solar System and less on Mars exploration, due to cuts to its 2009–2012 budget. (BBC News)
A bomb explodes at a restaurant in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing a Turkish woman and injuring 10 other people. (BBC News)
A construction crane falls on a residential building in Manhattan, New York City, killing four people and injuring at least 17. (Reuters) (AFP via Google News) (BBC News)
The Mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin, declares a state of emergency following the previous night's tornado, while northwest Georgia is hit by more tornadoes, causing at least one death. (Reuters via Canada.com)
Tens of thousands of Italians gather in Bari to march against the mafia and remember its many victims. (Reuters) (EuroNews)
Three former police officers are jailed over the killing of Ukrainian investigative journalist Georgiy R. Gongadze in 2000. (BBC News)
A weapons depot near Tirana, Albania is hit by multiple explosions, killing at least 11 people and injuring around 300. (BBC News)
More then 9,000 people around the world protest against Scientology under the banner of Anonymous. (Tampa Tribune) (Village Voice)
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya's proposal to ban the ruling Justice and Development Party is against the "national will". (BBC News)
At the 11th National People's Congress, Hu Jintao is elected to a second term as the President of China, and Xi Jinping is elected Vice-President. (Xinhua via the People's Daily)
2008 unrest in Tibet:
- In reference to ongoing protests in Tibet, Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Qiangba Puncog threatens to "deal harshly with these criminals who are carrying out activities to split the nation". (AP via Google News)
- Tibet Autonomous Region authorities give protesters until March 17 to surrender. The Central Tibetan Administration government in exile reports 30 confirmed deaths. (BBC News)

March 16, 2008 (Sunday)

2008 unrest in Tibet:
- The Central Tibetan Administration government in exile reports 80 confirmed deaths. (BBC News)
- The Dalai Lama calls for a change in Chinese policies towards Tibet and claims that the death toll could be as high as 100. (BBC News)
- Protests spread to Aba, Sichuan province, where a police station and cars are attacked. Several unconfirmed deaths are reported. (BBC News)
Subprime mortgage crisis:
- JPMorgan Chase announces plans to buy investment bank Bear Stearns for $2 a share following liquidity problems caused by the crisis. (AP via Charlotte.com)
- The U.S. Federal Reserve System becomes a lender to twenty large investment banks, backs JPMorgan Chase in purchasing failed Bear Stearns, and lowers direct lending rate. (The New York Times)
The Australian Government announces that the wreck of the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran has been found off the coast of Western Australia. The ship sank after a battle in 1941. (Sydney Morning Herald)