Portal:Current events/March 2009

See also: March 2009 in sports

2009

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March

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March 2009 was the third month of that common year. The month, which began on a Sunday, ended on a Tuesday after 31 days.

Portal:Current events

This is an archived version of Wikipedia's Current events Portal from March 2009.

March 1, 2009 (2009-03-01) (Sunday) The Basque Nationalist Party wins a plurality of seats in Spain's Basque Country's parliamentary elections. (CNN) Canada's Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute discovers a new method to create embryonic-like stem cells that could cure spinal-cord injuries and Parkinson's disease. (CTV News) The United States Coast Guard searches Florida's west coast for a fishing vessel carrying National Football League players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith. (Fox News) China's first lunar probe, Chang'e 1, impacts the Moon. (Xinhua News) The United States, Israel, and Canada will boycott the Durban Review Conference. (Jewish News Weekly) (Haaretz) (Forbes) ASEAN concludes its annual summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, and calls for coordinated action against the current recession. (Reuters) March 2, 2009 (2009-03-02) (Monday) United States President Barack Obama nominates Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services. (AP via MSNBC) Late 2000s recession: Consumer spending in the U.S. rose in January after six successive monthly declines. (AP via MSNBC) American International Group announces a loss of US$61.7 billion for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008. (Dow Jones via CNNMoney) The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls below 7,000 for the first time since 1997. (MarketWatch) Sweden's IF Metall trade union agrees to reductions in wages and working time by maximums of 20 percent. (IHT) A winter storm in the eastern United States cancels 1,000 flights and cuts hundreds of thousands of people's electricity. (Reuters via News Daily) President João Bernardo Vieira of Guinea-Bissau is assassinated in Bissau. (BBC) Palestinians accuse Israel of planning ethnic cleansing in Bustan, East Jerusalem. (Sky News) North Korea's and the United Nations' military commands meet in South Korea for the first time since 2002. (Reuters) Two thousand Tamil people have been killed and 5,000 injured in Vanni District during Sri Lanka's civil war. (AP) (BBC) March 3, 2009 (2009-03-03) (Tuesday) National People's Assembly Speaker Raimundo Pereira becomes Guinea-Bissau's interim President following the assassination of João Bernardo Vieira. (Reuters) The European Court of Human Rights rules that Turkey's government violated the property rights of a Greek Orthodox foundation by seizing its land and fines it €105,000. (Reuters) The 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's National Committee begins its annual session with a focus on the global financial crisis. (Xinhua News) Former Yukos businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky again stands trial for alleged financial crimes. (Moscow Times) Seven Sri Lankan cricket players are wounded and six policemen killed in shootings near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. (Sky News) (BBC) United States President Barack Obama and United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown meet at the White House. (BBC) Three people are believed trapped after Cologne's municipal archives building collapses. (Spiegel) German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz foils a Somali pirate attack on a German container ship in the Gulf of Aden. (Deutsche Welle) March 4, 2009 (2009-03-04) (Wednesday) Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez orders the nationalization of United States-based food company Cargill. (CNN) A riot at a prison near Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, kills at least 20 inmates and injures seven others. (AP via IHT) Gordon Brown becomes the United Kingdom's fifth Prime Minister to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. (BBC) President Nicolas Sarkozy and eight other top French politicians receive death threats. (BBC) China plans to increase its military budget by 14.9% in 2009. (Xinhua News) U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet in the West Bank. (BBC) President Asif Ali Zardari says Pakistan will not negotiate with the "extremist Taliban and terrorists." (BBC) The International Committee of the Red Cross warns of an impending humanitarian crisis in northeastern Sri Lanka as civil war continues. (BBC) Independent Television reports a loss of £2.7 billion for 2008 and will cut 600 jobs. (BBC) The International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for a five-year campaign of violence in Darfur. (CNN) Ukraine's Security Service raids Naftogas's headquarters in Kiev. (Sky News) British-Norwegian cruise line Fred Olsen's cruise ship Balmoral escapes a Somali pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden. (USA Today) The Netherlands' Safety Board finds that Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 crash-landed near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport because of a faulty altimeter. (CNN) March 5, 2009 (2009-03-05) (Thursday) Michael Jackson announces This Is It shows in London General Motors acknowledges in its annual report that its survival is in "substantial doubt". (New York Times) Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pardons the 10 remaining convicted murderers involved in the assassination of politician Benigno Aquino Jr. (Inquirer) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers the annual government work report as the 11th National People's Congress's second session begins. (Xinhua News) China emphasizes domestic demand and targets 8% economic growth in 2009. (Xinhua News) The Israel Police kill a Palestinian militant after he rammed a bulldozer into a squad car and a bus in a suspected terror attack in Jerusalem. (Sky News) The Bank of England plans to create £75 billion for the United Kingdom's economy through quantitative easing. (BBC) Somali pirates release Egypt's MV Blue Star. (IHT) March 6, 2009 (2009-03-06) (Friday) The European Union will transfer to Kenya suspected Somali pirates captured during Operation Atalanta. (AFP via Google News) Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is injured and his wife, Susan, killed in a car accident south of Harare. (BBC) A protestor from Plane Stupid throws custard at United Kingdom Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Peter Mandelson during a low-carbon summit in London. (BBC) Swedish writer Lotta Lotass succeeds the late Sten Rudholm at Seat 1 of the Swedish Academy. (Swedish Academy) A Swedish pediatrician at Karolinska University Hospital is remanded on suspicion of manslaughter for injecting a lethal overdose of morphine and sodium thiopental into an infant. (TT via The Local) North Korea threatens the safety of South Korean civilian aircraft flying near its territory, on the eve of annual military exercises involving the United States and the South. (Sky News) Australia's Transport Safety Bureau finds that the autopilot of Qantas Flight 72, which made an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport in October 2008, received inaccurate information, causing a rapid change in altitude. (WA Today) March 7, 2009 (2009-03-07) (Saturday) Morocco terminates diplomatic relations with Iran. (AP via Google News) The United Kingdom's government increases its ownership stake in Lloyds Banking Group from 43% to at least 60%. (BBC) NASA launches its Kepler spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. (CNN) Power Rangers RPM on ABC Kids A car bomb in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills at least eight people. (BBC) Malaysia's Royal Police quell demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur against the use of the English language in schools. (BBC) More than 1,000 people participate in a pro-Tibet protest in London. (AFP) Anti-Israel protestors and Sweden's Police Service clash in Malmö, where the two countries were playing a Davis Cup tennis match. (AP) Palestinian National Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigns. (Telegraph) Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai flies to Botswana for medical treatment following a car accident in Harare in which his wife was killed. (BBC) Afghan President Hamid Karzai accepts the Electoral Commission's decision to hold a presidential election on August 20. (Al Jazeera) Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport holds a memorial ceremony for the nine victims of Turkish Airlines Flight 1951. (Radio Netherlands) March 8, 2009 (2009-03-08) (Sunday) Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav will be charged with rape and indecent assault. (Bloomberg) A gunman kills one person and injures two others at a Baptist church in Maryville, Illinois, United States. (CNN) A suicide attack kills at least 28 people and injures 57 others in Baghdad, Iraq. (BBC) U.S. President Barack Obama announces that Operation Enduring Freedom's forces are "not winning" the war in Afghanistan. (BBC) Two members of the British Army's 38 Engineer Regiment are killed in Antrim, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. (BBC) North Korea holds elections for its Supreme People's Assembly. (AP) March 9, 2009 (2009-03-09) (Monday) A government in the United Kingdom is criticised by churches, politicians and Rowan Atkinson for its proposal to outlaw homophobic hatred. (The Daily Telegraph) Palau officially recognizes Kosovo. (New Kosova Report) A Police Service officer is killed in Craigavon, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. (CNN) The United States government claims five Chinese ships "harass[ed]" the USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea. (BBC) U.S. President Barack Obama lifts George W. Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. (Reuters) Argentina and Chile reject the United Kingdom's claims on Antarctic territory. (Sky News) North Korea says an interception of its upcoming "satellite" launch would "mean a war." (CNN) National Islamic Front founder Hassan al-Turabi is released after seven weeks of incarceration for suggesting that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir should surrender to the International Criminal Court. (AP) Sri Lanka's Armed Forces claim to have killed 180 counterattacking Tamil Tigers. (Reuters) Japan's economy posts a record deficit of 172.8 billion yen. (Press Association) China deploys the People's Armed Police to Tibet to quell possible protests related to Tibetan Uprising Day. (Bloomberg) (Xinhua) Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai rules out foul play in a car accident in Harare that killed his wife. (Guardian) Madagascar's government announces it will employ "military measures" against Army soldiers mutinying near Antananarivo. (Reuters) An Ilyushin Il-76 crashes into Lake Victoria after taking off from Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, likely killing all eleven passengers. (UGpulse) At least 13 people are missing or dead after the cargo ship MV Ibn al-Battuta sinks near Port Safaga, Egypt. (AFP) (CNN) (Xinhua) Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo tells the National People's Congress that China will not adopt Western democracy. (New York Times) March 10, 2009 (2009-03-10) (Tuesday) The United States Senate passes a US$410-billion omnibus spending bill. (CNN) At least ten people are killed during a shooting spree in Geneva County, Alabama, United States. (CNN) The Eurovision Song Contest disallows Georgian pop group Stephane & 3G's "We Don't Wanna Put In." (BBC) A suicide attack kills 33 people in Baghdad, Iraq. (AFP via News Limited) Northern Ireland's Police Service arrests two men in Craigavon for murdering an officer. (AFP via ABC News Australia) Tibet's Central Administration claims that China's accusations of the Dalai Lama's "genocide" are "fabricated." (Xinhua) China disputes that its ships illegally harassed USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea. (Xinhua) North Korea readmits South Koreans into the Kaesong Industrial Region. (Reuters) At least ten people are killed and 25 injured during a suicide attack in Matara, Sri Lanka. (Sky News) (ABC News Australia) The Employee Free Choice Act is introduced into the U.S. Congress. (New York Times) The U.S. stock market rallies, marking the bottom of the Great Recession bear market Wall Street Journal March 11, 2009 (2009-03-11) (Wednesday) The United Nations Children's Fund claims that a meningitis epidemic in Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali has killed 931 people since January 2009. (AFP via Google News) The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration delays the Space Shuttle Discovery's mission to the International Space Station due to a hydrogen gas leak. (AP via Google News) China's exports contract 25.7%, the worst decline since 1993. (Xinhua) (China Daily) The Liberal Democrats claim that more than 1,000 police officers in the United Kingdom have criminal records. (BBC) At least 15 people are killed in a school shooting in Winnenden, Germany. (DW) Former Iraqi Intelligence Service Director Ali Hassan al-Majid and former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz are sentenced to 15 years in jail for crimes against humanity. (Sky News) President Nicolas Sarkozy announces that France will rejoin NATO's military command. (Reuters) March 12, 2009 (2009-03-12) (Thursday) China's retail sales have increased 15.2% in 2009. (Xinhua News) Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi is sentenced to three years in prison for throwing shoes at then-United States President George W. Bush. (AP) National Semiconductor will cut 1,725 jobs. (ZDNet) Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges mistakes in rescinding Bishop Richard Williamson's excommunication for Holocaust denial. (Washington Post) Zimbabwe releases Deputy Agriculture Minister-designate Roy Bennett from government custody. (BBC) American businessman Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to 11 charges surrounding his US$65-billion Ponzi scheme. (BBC) Astronauts aboard the International Space Station briefly evacuate to a Russian escape pod as space debris passes. (Sky News) (National Geographic) One person is killed and 16 are missing after Cougar Helicopters Flight 491 ditches into the Atlantic Ocean near St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. (CBC) An American drone aircraft's missiles kill at least 12 people in Pakistan's Kurram Valley. (BBC) March 13, 2009 (2009-03-13) (Friday) The United States abandons the term "enemy combatant" for detainees at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base's detention camp. (New York Times) Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that three Doctors Without Borders volunteers kidnapped in Darfur, Sudan, have been freed. (AP via Google News) United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay accuses Sri Lanka's Armed Forces and the Tamil Tigers of possible war crimes. (Voice of America) Police are mobilized in Pakistan as thousands of protestors march toward Islamabad. (ABC News Australia) An American demonstrator from the International Solidarity Movement is critically wounded by Israel's Defense Forces at the West Bank barrier. (Jerusalem Post) Japan announces it will intercept North Korea's upcoming satellite launch if the boosters threaten its territory. (The Guardian) Premier Wen Jiabao says China may introduce a new stimulus package if the current financial crisis intensifies and expresses concern for U.S. Treasury Department securities. (Xinhua)(New York Times) Seven people arrested for threatening to destroy several buildings in Amsterdam are released. (Sky News) A gas explosion in Dublin, Ireland, injures five people. (RTÉ) A fire at Bashundhara City in Dhaka, Bangladesh, kills seven people and injures at least 30 others. (Reuters) March 14, 2009 (2009-03-14) (Saturday) The G20 meets in Horsham, West Sussex, England, to discuss the global financial crisis. (BBC) Former Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina demands that Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana resign. (France 24) The 17th annual Pasifika Festival opens in Auckland City, New Zealand. (TVNZ) A Vietnamese cargo ship sinks in the South China Sea, killing three people. (Reuters) Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers Sazanami and Samidare depart Japan to combat piracy in Somalia. (AP) Russia's Air Force says the country may base strategic bombers in Cuba or on a Venezuelan island. (MSNBC) March 15, 2009 (2009-03-15) (Sunday) Space Shuttle Discovery successfully launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (CNN) More than 500 Zenit St. Petersburg fans are arrested in Moscow after a riot during a Russian Premier League match with Spartak Moscow. (AFP via ABC News Australia) Bombs kill 12 people in Nangarhar Province, Kabul, and Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Voice of America) A bomb kills four people and injures three others in Shibam, Yemen. (CNN) Mauricio Funes of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front wins El Salvador's presidential election. (VoA) (AP via Google News) (Xinhua) Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is placed under house arrest to prevent the Pakistani Muslim League's proposed demonstration in Islamabad on March 16. (BBC) An Iraqi footballer is shot and killed during a game in Al Hillah. (BBC) Two hundred protestors are arrested after a riot against police brutality in Montreal, Canada. (CTV) March 16, 2009 (2009-03-16) (Monday) Former Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina demands that Madagascar's military arrest President Marc Ravalomanana, as Army soldiers seize a presidential palace in the capital. (AP via Google News) Josef Fritzl of Austria pleads guilty to charges of rape, incest, sequestration, and grievous bodily harm. (AP via The Melbourne Age) Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cancels the Pakistan Muslim League's proposed demonstration, following the impending reinstatement of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as Chief Justice. (Sky News) March 17, 2009 (2009-03-17) (Tuesday) The New Jersey Devils' Martin Brodeur passes Patrick Roy to becomes the National Hockey League's winningest goaltender. (ESPN) Luxembourg becomes the European Union's third country to legalize euthanasia. (AFP via Google News) Madagascar's military installs former Antananarivo Mayor Andry Rajoelina as the country's new President, replacing Marc Ravalomanana. (BBC) Nokia will cut 1,700 jobs. (Forbes) The Seattle Post-Intelligencer publishes its final print edition and becomes an online newspaper. (Seattle PI) North Korean Premier Kim Yong-il begins a five-day goodwill tour of China in Jinan, Shandong. (Reuters) The European Space Agency's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer launches from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. (AP) At least 11 people are killed and four injured in a bus accident outside Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. (CTV) Saint Patrick's Day: United States President Barack Obama meets Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Northern Irish First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at the White House. (BBC) Twelve people are arrested during a disturbance in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (BBC) March 18, 2009 (2009-03-18) (Wednesday) China's Ministry of Commerce rejects Coca-Cola's bid to acquire the Huiyuan Juice Group. (Xinhua News) Josef Fritzl of Austria changes his plea to guilty on all charges. (BBC) The Office for National Statistics reports that 2.04 million people in the United Kingdom are unemployed. (Sky News) Pope Benedict XVI denounces the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS during a tour of Africa. (RTÉ) Twelve people are discovered dead in police custody in Nampula Province, Mozambique. (BBC) Madagascar's constitutional court supports the installation of Andry Rajoelina as President. (BBC) Governor Bill Richardson signs House Bill 285, repealing capital punishment in New Mexico. (ABQ Journal) Federal Reserve System Chairman Ben Bernanke caps United States Treasury Department yields. (Bloomberg) Somali pirates hijack an Iranian fishing vessel in the Gulf of Aden. (Horseed) March 19, 2009 (2009-03-19) (Thursday) A 7.9-magnitude earthquake occurs and the Hunga Tonga submarine volcano erupts in the Pacific Ocean near Tongatapu, Tonga. (MSNBC) (Sky News) North Korea detains two American Current TV journalists near its border with China. (Guardian) (BBC) The United States House of Representatives votes to levy a 90% tax on executive compensation from companies aided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (New York Times) Josef Fritzl of Austria is sentenced to life imprisonment on all charges. (CNN) Malagasy political crisis: President Andry Rajoelina dissolves Parliament. (AFP) The Southern African Development Community meets in Mbabane, Swaziland, to discuss suspending the country's government. (VOA) Pope Benedict XVI leads a Roman Catholic Mass in Yaoundé, Cameroon. (BBC) Namibia declares a state of emergency after floods kill 92 people and render 25,000 homeless. (BBC) The Civil and Public Services Union protests against Ireland's government. (RTÉ) March 20, 2009 (2009-03-20) (Friday) The United States Navy's USS Hartford and USS New Orleans collide in the Strait of Hormuz. (CNN) (US Navy) Somali pirates hijack the Greek cargo ship MV Titan. (CNN) A bomb severely damages a government building in Athens, Greece. (Reuters) The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory discovers Y(4140), a new subatomic particle. (National Geographic) March 21, 2009 (2009-03-21) (Saturday) At least 21 people are killed during combat in Russia's Dagestan Republic. (Reuters India) Five thousand people are temporarily evacuated from Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, after a tank truck carrying hydrofluoric acid overturns. (AP via ABC News) Ireland defeats Wales in rugby union's Six Nations Championship. (BBC) Anna Bligh of the Labor Party is reelected Premier of Queensland, Australia. (Sydney Morning Herald) Two people are killed and eight injured during a stampede to see Pope Benedict XVI in Luanda, Angola. (RTÉ) Venezuela's military seizes key airports and sea ports throughout the country. (BBC) Emirates Airline Flight EK407 makes an emergency landing in Australia after enduring a tailstrike during takeoff from Melbourne Airport. (BBC) Andry Rajoelina is inaugurated as President of Madagascar. (BBC) One hundred thousand people protest against the Sicilian Mafia and Camorra in Naples, Italy. (BBC) Somali pirates hijack the Indian cargo ship Al Rafiquei. (Reuters) March 22, 2009 (2009-03-22) (Sunday) Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupts. (CNN) A Pilatus PC-12 crashes near Butte, Montana, killing at least 17 people. (CNN) Four police officers are killed in Oakland, California, United States. (CNN) (CNN) India's Board of Control for Cricket will relocate the 2009 Premier League outside the country. (Hindustan Times) India and Pakistan exchange gunfire at the Line of Control. (IHT) England defeats New Zealand to win the Women's Cricket World Cup. (BBC) An Australian motorcycle gang assaults and kills a man at Sydney Airport. (BBC) Ninety-three Tibetan monks are arrested after attacking a police station in Qinghai, China. (AP) Thousands of people assemble for Pope Benedict XVI's Catholic Mass in Luanda, Angola. (BBC) (AP) Somali pirates release the Indian cargo ship Al Rafiquei one day after hijacking it. (Times of India) March 23, 2009 (2009-03-23) (Monday) A car bomb is located and defused near a shopping mall in Haifa, Israel. (BBC) Two suicide attacks in Iraq kill at least 22 people and injure more than 50 others. (Bloomberg) Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupts four more times. (Physorg) The United States Treasury Department announces that it will purchase high-yield debts from banks. (Reuters) Gjorge Ivanov of the VMRO–DPMNE leads the first round of Macedonia's presidential election. (Reuters via The Boston Globe) FedEx Express Flight 80 crashes at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan, killing both pilots. (CNN) (MSNBC) A suicide attack kills one person and injures three others in Islamabad, Pakistan. (Sky News) A Japanese cargo ship escapes Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. (Reuters) March 24, 2009 (2009-03-24) (Tuesday) The Lady Mary, a fishing vessel, sinks off the coast of Cape May Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek resigns after losing a confidence motion in the Chamber of Deputies. (IHT) France will compensate victims of nuclear testing in Algeria and French Polynesia. (Reuters) Japan defeats South Korea to win the World Baseball Classic. (ESPN) Michael Misick resigns as Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, due to alleged corruption. (BBC) South Africa denies Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso a visa to attend a peace conference in Johannesburg. (BBC) The United Kingdom's Retail Prices Index reaches zero percent for the first time since 1960. (BBC) Sixteen militants and eight Indian Army soldiers are killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara District. (BBC) Italy jails Tuninter Flight 1153's two pilots for ten years for praying before ditching into the Mediterranean Sea. (Telegraph) China's government blocks access to the YouTube video-sharing website. (New York Times) The United States' federal government announces a plan to increase security along its border with Mexico. (Reuters) Immaculata University discovers the mass grave of 57 Irish immigrants in East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, United States. (Delaware County Daily Times) March 25, 2009 (2009-03-25) (Wednesday) Sweden's Parliament will abolish the 50-öre coin on September 30, 2010. (Riksbanken) A United States Air Force F-22 Raptor crashes near Edwards AF Base in California, killing its pilot. (AP via Star-Telegram) (BBC) India's Board of Control for Cricket will relocate the 2009 Premier League to South Africa. (BBC) North Korea prepares a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile for a launch between April 4 and 8. (Sky News) March 26, 2009 (2009-03-26) (Thursday) United States President Barack Obama announces a new military strategy for the War in North-West Pakistan and the War in Afghanistan. (CNN) Franco-Russian mathematician Mikhail Gromov receives the 2009 Abel Prize. (MAA) French President Nicolas Sarkozy will renounce his title of Co-Prince of Andorra if the country does not change its banking laws. (Reuters via IHT) Germany admits that the unidentified Phantom of Heilbronn serial killer never existed. (BBC) Sudan alleges that an aircraft attacked an arms trafficking convoy near Port Sudan in January 2009. (YNET) Forty-seven fragments of the meteoroid 2008 TC3 are discovered in Sudan's Nubian Desert. (New Scientist) A car bomb kills at least 16 people and injures 35 others in Baghdad, Iraq. (AFP) International Space Station Expedition 19 launches aboard the Soyuz TMA-14 from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome. (NASA) A Taliban suicide attack kills at least 11 people and injures 20 others in Jandola, Pakistan. (VOA) Two tornadoes injure 24 people and damage 108 homes in Mississippi, United States. (CNN) Somali pirates hijack ships from the Isle of Man, Greece, and the Seychelles, while three other ships escape. (Marine Log) A bus–truck collision kills 14 people and injures four others in Petushki, Russia. (RTÉ) Debris from an Arrow Air McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airplane strikes Manaus, Brazil. (BBC) March 27, 2009 (2009-03-27) (Friday) Serial Shooter Dale Hausner receives six death sentences for six murders committed between 2005 and 2006. (AP via KSWO) All six people in a recent helicopter accident are discovered dead in Turkey. (AP via Fox News) A flash flood and the Situ Gintung dam's failure kill at least 58 people in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia. (BBC) A suicide attack kills at least 50 people and injures 100 others in Jamrud, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera) A radioactive lead ball containing caesium-137 is missing from a deconstructed factory in Tongchaun, Shaanxi, China. (RTÉ) Russia will establish a military force to protect its territorial claims in the Arctic. (BBC) The Lancet accuses Pope Benedict XVI of "distorting...science" in his argument against the use of condoms. (BBC) The United Kingdom's economy contracted by 1.6% in the fourth quarter of 2008. (Sky News) Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna is imprisoned for life for murdering Corse-du-Sud Prefect Claude Érignac in 1998. (France 24) March 28, 2009 (2009-03-28) (Saturday) Millions of people worldwide recognize Earth Hour by deactivating unnecessary lighting. (RTÉ) (BBC) Demonstrators in London, England, demand that the G20 combat poverty, climate change, and unemployment. (BBC) Police and fans of Northern Ireland and Poland battle after a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Belfast. (BBC) Space Shuttle Discovery lands at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, United States. (CNN) Well Armed wins the Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. (AP via Google News) Taliban militants destroy 12 NATO trucks in Peshawar, Pakistan. (AFP via Google News) The Red River rises above 40 feet, causing emergency evacuations in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. (BBC) The Dunfermline Building Society in Scotland will be sold. (BBC) The Munk Centre for International Studies discovers China's GhostNet electronic surveillance operation. (New York Times) Spain's Central Court of Instruction will investigate whether former United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and five other American officials violated international law by justifying torture. (New York Times) March 29, 2009 (2009-03-29) (Sunday) General Motors Chairman/CEO Rick Wagoner resigns. (CNN) PSA Peugeot Citroën's Board of Directors dismisses CEO Christian Streiff. (New York Times) The Coalition for a European Montenegro wins 48 of 81 seats in Montenegro's Parliament. (Earth Times) Mayotte's referendum on becoming an overseas department of France is approved. (AP) Jenson Button of Brawn GP wins Formula One's 2009 Australian Grand Prix. (The Times) A gunman kills at least eight people and injures three others at a nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina, United States. (CNN) Oxford Boat Club defeats Cambridge Boat Club to win the 155th University Boat Race in London, England. (BBC) Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will recompense the United Kingdom's government for her husband's purchase of pornographic films through her expense account. (BBC) A stampede kills 22 people and injures at least 130 during a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. (BBC) March 30, 2009 (2009-03-30) (Monday) A Europe-bound fishing vessel sinks in the Mediterranean Sea with 350 people aboard. (Reuters) At least 18 people are killed and 95 injured in a Taliban attack on a police academy in Lahore, Pakistan. (BBC) At least 15 people are killed as two trains collide in Dodoma, Tanzania. (BBC) China will reopen Tibet to tourists on April 5. (Xinhua) (Bangkok Post) Former Khmer Rouge member Kang Kek Iew's trial begins in Cambodia. (Times Online) March 31, 2009 (2009-03-31) (Tuesday) Likud Party Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu is inaugurated as Prime Minister of Israel. (Xinhua via Reuters) Floods on New South Wales' Mid North Coast in Australia cause an emergency evacuation of Coffs Harbour. (AAP via News Limited) The Taliban's Students' Movement claims responsibility for an attack on a police academy in Lahore, Pakistan. (Sky News) Seven Somali pirates are captured after mistakenly attacking the German Navy's FGS Spessart in the Gulf of Aden. (Sky News)

March 2009 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Ongoing events Automotive industry crisis Diplomatic response to Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence International recognition of Kosovo Global financial crisis French Caribbean general strikes Icelandic financial crisis Irish banking crisis Malagasy protests Nord-Kivu campaign Piracy off the coast of Somalia Russian financial crisis Treaty of Lisbon ratification World food price crisis Zimbabwean cholera outbreak Recent deaths March 22: Jade Goody 18: Natasha Richardson 16: Nicholas Henderson 15: Ron Silver 14: Altovise Davis 14: Alain Bashung 13: Anne Brown 13: Alan W. Livingston 13: William Davidson 13: Andrew Martin 13: James Purdy 12: Leonore Annenberg 11: Tim Kretschmer 9: Joseph Martin 9: Ernest Trova 8: Hank Locklin 8: Ali Bongo 8: Jimmy Boyd 7: Daniel E. Button 6: Jim Bellows 6: Colleen Howe 6: Susan Tsvangirai 6: Henri Pousseur 6: Francis Magalona 4: John Cephas 4: Yvon Cormier 4: Patricia De Martelaere 4: Horton Foote 4: George McAfee 4: Salvatore Samperi 3: Sydney Chaplin 2: Ernest Ashworth 2: Chris Finnegan 2: João Bernardo Vieira Ongoing conflicts War in Afghanistan Balochistan conflict Casamance conflict Chadian Civil War (2005–2010) Second Chechen War Colombian conflict War in Darfur Fatah–Hamas conflict Iran–PJAK conflict Iraq War Israeli–Palestinian conflict Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir Kayin State Conflict Kivu conflict Insurgency in the Maghreb Mexican drug war Ethnic conflict in Nagaland Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Conflict in the Niger Delta Insurgency in Ogaden Communist and Islamic Insurgency in the Philippines The Secret War Somali Civil War Sri Lankan Civil War War on terror South Thailand insurgency Second Tuareg Rebellion Kurdish–Turkish conflict Second Ugandan Civil War Elections Recent 15 February: Venezuela, Constitutional referendum 16 February: Bangladesh, President (by the parliament) Upcoming Trials Upcoming Austria: Josef Fritzl Canada: Larry O'Brien Estonia: Herman Simm Malaysia: Anwar Ibrahim Netherlands: ICTY Radovan Karadžić Singapore: Chee Soon Juan and others Singapore: Peter Lloyd U.S.: Aníbal Acevedo Vilá U.S.: Viktor Bout U.S.: Noshir Gowadia U.S.: William J. Jefferson U.S.: James Charles Kopp U.S.: Bernard L. Madoff U.S.: Ehren Watada U.S.: Sheila Dixon U.S.: Joseph Bruno Ongoing Cambodia: Khmer Rouge Tribunal Iraq: Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal Italy: Raffaele Sollecito, Amanda Knox Netherlands: ICC Thomas Lubanga Netherlands: ICTY Peru: Alberto Fujimori Republic of China (Taiwan): Chen Shui-bian Sierra Leone: SCfSL Charles Taylor Sweden: The Pirate Bay Thailand: Thaksin Shinawatra US: Jena Six US: Phil Spector Holidays and observances March 1: Self Injury Awareness Day 1: Independence Day (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 1: Baba Marta Day (Bulgaria) 1: Yap Day (Federated States of Micronesia) 1: Beer Day (Iceland) 1: Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day (Marshall Islands) (observed March 2) 1: Admission Day (Nebraska) 1: Republic's Day (Neuchâtel) 1: Admission Day (Ohio) 1: Heroes' Day (Paraguay) 1: Mărțișor (Romania) 1: Independence Declaration Day (South Korea) 1: Saint David's Day (Wales) 2: Read Across America (United States) 3: Square Root Day 7: Nyepi (Indonesia) 8: Women's Day (India, Russia, South Africa) 9: Commonwealth Day (Commonwealth of Nations) 12: Arbor Day (China) 14: New Year's Day (Sikh Nanakshahi calendar) 14: Pi Day 14: White Day (Japan and Korea) 15: National Day (Hungary) 15: Hōnen Matsuri (Japan) 15: Ides of March, Roman calendar 17: Saint Patrick's Day 19: Saint Joseph's Day (Western Christianity) 19: Fathers' Day (Bolivia, Honduras, Italy, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Spain) 19: Canberra Day (Australian Capital Territory) 20: Nowruz (Iran and Zoroastrianism) 21: Purim (Jewish holiday) 21: World Poetry Day 21: Equinoctial Earth Day 22: World Water Day March 22: Mothering Sunday, United Kingdom 23: Republic Day (Pakistan) 24: World Tuberculosis Day 25: Independence Day (Greece) 25: Freedom Day (Belarus) 25: Feast of the Annunciation 25: Document Freedom Day 26: St. Gregory's Day (Malta) 28: Teachers' Day (Czech Republic and Slovakia) 30: Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day (Trinidad and Tobago) 31: Feast of the Annunciation (Catholicism) 31: Cesar Chavez Day (some U.S. state]]s) 31: Freedom Day (Malta) 31: Mawlid (Islam)