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The Ides of March. In the ancient Roman calendar the 15th
day of March, May, July and Oct. or the 13th day of the other
months.
 (HFA, '96, p.26)(AHD, p.654)
World Consumer Rights Day (see 1962)
   (http://www.consumersinternational.org/our-work/wcrd/) For Asia History: https://www.asiaobserver.org/category/news/on-this-day-in-asian-history 44BC     Â
Mar 15, Roman Emperor Julius Caesar (b.100BC) was murdered by
Brutus, Cassius and other conspirators on the Ides of March. Caesar
had defeated Pompey in battle and had Pompey murdered in 48BCE. He
was perceived as a big threat to the Roman Aristocracy and so his
murder was supported by Cicero and most Romans. In 2006 Adrian
Goldsworthy authored “Caesar: Life of a Colossus.”
   (ATC, p.24)(AP, 3/15/97)(WSJ, 10/24/06, p.D6)
493Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Theodoric the Great
beat Odoacer of Italy. Odoacer, German army leader, King of Italy
(476-93), died. [see Mar 3]
   (MC, 3/15/02)
933Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Henry the Fowler
routed the raiding Magyars at Merseburg, Germany.
   (HN, 3/15/99)
963Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Romanus II (25),
Byzantine emperor (959-63), died.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1360Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, French invasion
army landed on English south coast and conquered Winchel.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1382Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Conservative
"Popolo Grasso" regained power in Florence, Italy.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1391Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Jew-hating monk
in Seville, Spain, stirred up a mob to attack Jews.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1493Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Christopher
Columbus returned to Spain, concluding his first voyage to the
Western Hemisphere.
   (AP, 3/15/97)(HN, 3/15/98)
1580Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Spanish king
Philip II put 25,000 gold coins on head of Prince William of Orange.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1626Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Bolivia the
Potosi (San Ildefonso) dam collapsed. It was one of the major
hydraulic disasters in the world with some 4,000 human lives lost.
   (http://tinyurl.com/pgorcx2)
1672Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, England’s King
Charles II enacted a 2nd Declaration of Indulgence.
  Â
(http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1327117)
1713Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Nicolas Louis de
Lacaille, astronomer who mapped the Southern Hemisphere, was born.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1767Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Andrew Jackson
(d.1845), seventh President of the United States known as "Old
Hickory," was born in Waxhaw, South Carolina. The first American
president to be born in a log cabin, Jackson was a hero of the War
of 1812, an Indian fighter and a Tennessee lawyer. Neither a
particularly intelligent man nor a wise one, Jackson became the
symbol of his age by being the right man believing in the right
things at the right time. Success was a race, Jackson believed, and
the government’s primary responsibility was to guarantee that every
man got a fair chance at winning. Jackson’s administration (1829-37)
saw the development of modern-style political parties and changes in
the voting laws that nearly tripled the electorate. He died June 8,
1845. In 1997 Max Byrd wrote “Jackson,” a biographical novel.
   (AP, 3/15/97)(WSJ, 5/14/97, p.A20) (HNPD,
3/15/99)
1778Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In command of two
frigates, the Frenchman la Perouse sailed east from Botany Bay for
the last lap of his voyage around the world.
   (HN, 3/15/99)
1778Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Nootka Sound,
Vancouver Island, was discovered by Captain Cook.
   (HN, 3/15/98)(MC, 3/15/02)
1781Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Gen. Nathanael
Greene engaged British forces under Cornwallis at Guilford
Court-House, North Carolina. Greene retreated after inflicting
severe casualties on Cornwallis’ army.
   (ON, 12/01, p.10)
1808Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Gaetano Gaspari,
composer, was born.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1809Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Joseph Jenkins
Roberts, first president of Liberia, was born.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1813Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, John Snow
(d.1858), obstetrician, was born in York, England. He worked on the
epidemiology of cholera.
   (ON, 5/05,
p.8)(www.johnsnowsociety.org/johnsnow/facts.html)
1820Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Maine, a province
of Massachusetts since 1647, became the 23rd state. Maine entered
the Union as a free state and helped maintain the balance in the US
Senate, that would have been disrupted by the entrance of Missouri
Territory into the Union as a slave state.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1821Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Josef Loschmidt
(d.1895), a pioneer of 19th-century physics and chemistry, was born
in Putschim (Pocerny), Bohemia. In his first publication (1861)
Loschmidt proposed the first structural chemical formulae for many
important molecules, introducing markings for double and triple
carbon bonds. In 1865 he became the first person to use the kinetic
theory of gases to obtain a reasonably good value for the diameter
of a molecule. What we call "Avogadro's number" is, in
German-speaking countries, called "Loschmidt's number."
   (www.physicstoday.org/pt/vol-54/iss-3/p45.html)
1842Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Maria Luigi
Cherubini (81), Italian composer (Dies Irae), died.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1848Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In San Francisco
the Californian newsspaper ran a filler on Page 3 about a horse race
at Mission Dolores. Below it appeared another filler: “Gold Mine
Found,” which described a gold find at Sutter’s Mill on the American
Fork.
   (SFC, 7/12/14, p.C2)
1848Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Hungary an
uprising against Habsburg rule began in front of the national museum
in Budapest. This was later remembered as a national holiday.
   (Reuters, 3/15/07)(Econ, 3/24/12, p.52)
1854Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Emil von Behring,
first recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1901, was born.
   (HN, 3/15/99)
1855Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Louisiana
established the 1st health board to regulate quarantine.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1858Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pope Pius IX
elevated deacon Teodolfo Cardinal Mertel to the status of cardinal.
   (http://tinyurl.com/hy46re2)(Econ, 7/30/16, p.48)
1862Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, General John Hunt
Morgan began four days of raids near the city of Gallatin, Tenn.
"The Yankees will never take me a prisoner again," vowed Confederate
General John Hunt Morgan.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1864Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Red River Campaign
began as the Union forces reached Alexandria, La.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1865Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Lincoln delivered
his Second Inaugural Address. In 2002 Ronald C. White Jr. authored
“Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural.”
   (HFA, ‘96, p.28)(WSJ, 2/8/02, p.W9)
1869Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cincinnati Red
Stockings became the 1st pro baseball team.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1874Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Harold L. Ickes,
New Deal politician, was born.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1875Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, John McCloskey,
Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, was named the first American
cardinal by Pope Pius IX.
   (AP, 3/15/97)  Â
1892Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, New York State
unveiled the new automatic ballot voting machine.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1892Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Jesse W. Reno,
inventor, patented the 1st escalator in NYC.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1895Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bone Mizell, the
famed cowboy of Florida, appeared before a judge for altering cattle
brands.
   (HN, 3/15/00)
1895Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Fridtjof Nansen
and Hjalmar Johansen left their ship Fram in an attempt to reach the
North Pole by dogsled. [see Jun 17, 1896]
   (ON, 7/05, p.5)
1903Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The British
completed the conquest of Nigeria, 500,000 square miles are now
controlled by the United Kingdom.
   (HN, 3/15/99)
1904Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Three hundred
Russians were killed as the Japanese shelled Port Arthur in Korea.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1905Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Berthold Schenck
von Stauffenberg was born. He later attempted to assassinate Hitler.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1907Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15-1907 Mar 16,
Finland held elections and Finnish women became the first in the
world to attain full political rights.
   (http://electionresources.org/fi/)
1907Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Finland became the
1st European country to give women the right to vote. [see Mar 7,
1906]
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1908Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, 1st performance of
Maurice Ravel's "Rhapsodie Espagnole."
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1909Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Italy proposed a
European conference on the Balkans.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1912Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Yuan Shih-kai
succeeded Sun Yat-sen as President of the Republic of China.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1909Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Jonas
Zemaitis was born in Palanga. He was a founder of the Lithuanian
independence movement and served as presidium head. He was shot to
death in Moscow Nov 26, 1954.
   (LHC, 3/15/03)
1913Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, President Wilson
met with reporters for what's been described as the first
presidential press conference. Some sources say Wilson's first
actual press conference was a week later.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1915Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Thomas Robert Bard
(b.1841), US Republican Senator from Ventura, California
(1900-1905), died. In 1871 he laid out the town of Hueneme and built
a wharf there. Bard was born in Chambersburg, Pa., and came to
California in 1864.
   (www.bioguide.congress)
1916Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Harry James
(d.1983), American band leader and trumpet player, was born, He is
best remembered for his hit "You Made Me Love You." He married Betty
Grable
   (HN,
3/15/99)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_James)
1916Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, General Pershing
and his 15,000 troops chased Pancho Villa into Mexico. US troops
pursued the guerillas, killing 50 on US soil and 70 more in Mexico.
General Pershing failed to capture the Villa dead or alive. Villa
was assassinated at Parral in 1923.
   (HN, 3/15/98)(MC, 3/15/02)
1917Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, William D.
Stephens (1859-1944) began serving as the 24th governor of
California and continued to Jan 8, 1923.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephens)
1917Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Nicholas II, last
Russian tsar, said he will abdicate.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1918Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Richard Ellmann,
US literary scholar, writer (Oscar Wilde), was born.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1919Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15-17, The American
Legion was founded in Paris by members of the American Expeditionary
Force.  Â
   (AP, 3/15/97)(www.legion.org/)
1922Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Sultan Fuad I
issued whereby he changed his title from Sultan of Egypt to King of
Egypt.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuad_I_of_Egypt)
1922Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, France was willing
to accept raw material instead of currency for German reparations.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1923Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, An
ambassador's conference set the demarcation line between Lithuania
and Poland as a national border, which Lithuania did not recognize.
   (LHC, 3/15/03)
1923Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Lenin was felled
by his 3rd stroke.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1924Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Sweden recognized
the USSR
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1928Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Nicolas Flagello,
composer, was born.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1928Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Mussolini modified
the Italy electoral system. [see May 12]
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1930Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The USS Nautilus,
the 1st streamlined submarine of US Navy, was launched.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1933Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ruth Bader
Ginsberg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, was born.
   (HN, 3/16/01)
1933Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The NAACP began a
coordinated attack on segregation and discrimination.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1934Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Henry Ford
restored the $5 a day wage.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1935Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Joseph Goebbels,
German Minister of Propaganda banned four Berlin newspapers.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1937Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The 1st state
contraceptive clinic opened in Raleigh, NC.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1937Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, H.P. Lovecraft
(b.1890), author of horror tales whose works included "The Color out
of Space," died in Providence, RI.
   (HN, 8/20/98)(SSFC, 2/27/05, p.B1)
1939Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Germany occupied
Bohemia and Moravia, Czechoslovakia. Slovakia became
independent
   (Voruta #27-28, Jul 1996, p.2)(WSJ, 12/12/96,
p.A13)(HN, 3/15/98)(MC, 3/15/02)
1940Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Reichsmarshal
Herman Goering said 100-200 church bells are enough for Germany and
smelted the rest.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1941Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A blizzard in
North Dakota killed 151. [see Mar 16]
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1941Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Philippine
Airlines maid its maiden flight from Manila to Baguio.
   (SFC, 9/24/98, p.A19)
1942Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Alexander van
Zemlinsky (70), Austrian-US composer (African Dance), died.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1943Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Thessaloniki,
Greece, occupying German forces began founding up the first batch of
Jews in Eleftherias (Freedom) Square. By August 1943, 46,091 Jews
had been deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Of those, 1,950 survived.
   (AP, 3/16/13)
1944Â Â Â Â Â Â March 15, In Algiers, the
provisional government merged the Office Français d'Information and
France-Afrique, thus forming Agence Française de Presse (AFP).
   (www.afp.com)
1944Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Allied bombers
again raided German-held Monte Cassino, Italy.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
1944Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Otto von Below
(86), German commandant (WW I), died.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1945Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bing Cosby and
Ingrid Bergman were winners in the 17th Academy Awards along with
the film "Going my Way."
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1945Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pierre Drieu La
Rochelle (b.1893), a well-known French collaborationist and fascist
writer, committed suicide.
  Â
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Drieu_La_Rochelle)(Econ,
4/26/14, p.84)
1946Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, British premier
Clement Attlee agreed with India's right to independence.
   (https://tinyurl.com/3jtmpt9d)
1949Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Almost four years
after the end of World War II, clothes rationing in Great Britain
ends.
   (HN, 3/15/99)
1950Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, "Consul" opened at
Barrymore Theater in NYC.
   (www.ibdb.com/venue.asp?ID=1147)
1951Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, General de Lattre
demanded that Paris send him more troops for the fight in Indochina
(Vietnam).
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1951Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Persia
nationalized the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1954Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Mar 15, The "CBS Morning Show" premiered with Walter Cronkite
(1916-2009) and Jack Paar (1918-2004).
   (NYT, 3/14/54,
p.x15)(www.imdb.com/title/tt0046627/episodes)
1955Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The U.S. Air Force
unveiled a self-guided missile.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1956Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Lerner and
Loewe musical "My Fair Lady" opened starring Julie Andrews and Rex
Harrison at the Mark Hellinger Theater in NYC for 2,715
performances.
   (AP, 3/15/97)(HN, 3/15/02)
1957Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Burton Abbot was
executed for the 1955 abduction and killing of 14-year-old Stephanie
Bryan.
   (SFEC, 11/17/96, p.C17)
1960Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ten nations met in
Geneva to discuss disarmament.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1961Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In San Francisco a
12-ton statue of St. Francis, created by Benny Bufano, was removed
from the front of St. Francis of Assisi Church at 610 Vallejo St.
and taken to Oakland.
   (SSFC, 3/13/11, DB p.42)
1961Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, South Africa
withdrew from British Commonwealth.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1962Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Richard Rodger's
musical "No Strings," premiered in NYC for 580 performances.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1962Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, US President John
F Kennedy gave an address to Congress in which he formally addressed
the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world leader to do
so. World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) was first observed on March 15,
1983, and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing
citizen action.
  Â
(http://www.consumersinternational.org/our-work/wcrd/)
1962Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A US Lockheed
Super H Constellation disappeared above the Pacific Ocean and 107
people were killed. The aircraft was transporting 93 Army men and 3
South Vietnamese from Travis Air Force Base, California to Saigon,
Vietnam. It was en route to Clark Air Base in the Philippines when
it disappeared.
   (SSFC, 3/11/12,
DBp.42)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tiger_Line_Flight_739)
1964Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Actress Elizabeth
Taylor married actor Richard Burton in Montreal; it was her fifth
marriage, his second.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1964Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, LBJ asked for a
War on Poverty and for Congress to ensure everybody's right to vote.
[see Mar 16]
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1964Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cambodia was
receiving military aid from Communist China.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1965Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Addressing a joint
session of Congress, President Johnson called for new legislation to
guarantee every American's right to vote. His speech was written by
Richard Goodwin. In 2007 Garth E. Pauley authored “LBJ’s American
Promise: the 1965 Voting Rights Address.”
   (AP, 3/15/97)(WSJ, 4/12/08, p.W8)(AH, 10/07,
p.65)
1965Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, T.G.I. Friday's
1st restaurant opened in NYC.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1965Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Gamal Abdel Nasser
was re-elected Egyptian President.
   (HN, 3/15/99)
1966Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Abe Saperstein,
founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, died.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
1967Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, LBJ named
Ellsworth Bunker as the new ambassador to Saigon, South Vietnam.
Bunker replaced Lodge.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1967Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Texas lawyer Herb
Kelleher and businessman Rollin King incorporated Southwest Airlines
initially as "Air Southwest Co." Kelleher and King faced four years
of setbacks and legal challenges from competitors that culminated in
winning key cases before the Supreme Court of the United States in
December 1970 and the Supreme Court of Texas in June 1971. The first
flights finally took off on June 18, 1971.
   (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Kelleher)
1968Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The U.S. mint
halted the practice of buying and selling gold.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1968Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, American
intelligence noted withdrawal of major NVA units from the Khe Sanh
area.
   (www.geocities.com/Pentagon/4867/timeline.html)
1969Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A violent
Chinese-Russian border dispute left 100s dead.
   (www.jstor.org/pss/1957173)
1970Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, "Purlie" opened at
Broadway Theater in NYC. In December it moved to the Winter Garden
Theater and in March 1971 to the ANTA Playhouse where it closed in
November after a total of 688 performances.
   (www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3514)
1970Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Expo '70,
promoting "Progress and Harmony for Mankind," opened in Osaka,
Japan. The ‘70 Expo featured the Multiscreen Corporation production
of the film Tiger Child.
   (Jap. Enc., BLDM, p. 216)(Hem., 3/97, p.81)(AP,
3/15/08)
1974Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Brazil General
Ernesto Geisel (1907-1996) became president and ruled for 5 years.
He gradually ended political repression, lifted press censorship and
allowed political exiles to return. Under his rule the foreign debt
doubled to $43 billion.
   (SFC, 9/13/96,
p.E2)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Geisel)
1975Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ted Bundy victim
Julie Cunningham (26) disappeared from Vail, Colo.
   (www.crimenews2000.com/memorial/00052902pg8.htm)
1975Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Aristotle Onassis
(69) Greek shipping magnate died near Paris.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1977Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The U.S. House of
Representatives began a 90-day test to determine the feasibility of
showing its sessions on television.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1979Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Brazil Gen.
Joao Baptista Figueiredo (d.1999 at 81) began serving as president
and continued to 1985. Aureliano Chaves (d.2003 at 74) served as VP.
Figueiredo was the last of 5 generals to rule during the 1964-1985
dictatorship. He oversaw the transition to democracy begun by his
predecessor Ernesto Geisel. Inflation during his rule rose from 43%
a year to 230% a year when he left office.
  Â
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo%C3%A3o_Baptista_de_Oliveira_Figueiredo)(SFC,
12/25/99, p.B4)(SFC, 5/2/03, p.A26)
1981Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Fernando Belmontes
(19) killed Steacy McConnell (19) during a robbery in Victor, just
east of Lodi, Ca. He hit her 15-20 times with an iron dumbbell. In
2006 the US Supreme Court reinstated his death sentence.
   {California, Murder, USA}
   (SFC, 11/14/06,
p.B3)(www.cjlf.org/releases/06-18.htm)
1981Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Rene Clair
(b.1898), French director (It Happened Tomorrow), died.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Clair)
1982Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Actress Theresa
Saldana (b.1954) was stalked and stabbed by Arthur Jackson. She had
starred in Martin Scorsese’s 1980 film "Raging Bull." Jackson was
convicted of 2nd degree attempted murder and served 12 years. He was
then extradited to England for wounding 2 tellers and killing a man
who tried to stop a bank robbery in the Chelsea section of London in
1966. In 1994 Ronald Markman and Ron Labrecque authored “Obsessed:
The Stalking of Theresa Soldana.”
   (SFC, 6/22/96, p.E3)(http://tinyurl.com/2sz4cq)
1983Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, World Consumer
Rights Day (WCRD) was first observed. US President John F Kennedy
gave an address to Congress on March 15, 1962, in which he formally
addressed the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world
leader to do so.
  Â
(http://www.consumersinternational.org/our-work/wcrd/)
1983Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Rebecca West (born
in 1892 as Cicily Fairfield), British writer, died. Her books
included "The Return of the Soldier" (1918) and "Black Lamb and Grey
Falcon," which was written following a trip through Yugoslavia. She
had a relationship with H.G. Wells that led to the birth of a son,
Anthony. In 1996 Carl Rollyson wrote her biography: "Rebecca West: A
Life." Her pen name came from a character in Ibsen’s play
"Rosmersholm." In 2000 the "Selected Letters of Rebecca West" was
edited by Bonnie Kime Scott. In 2003 Bernard Schweitzer edited and
introduced her work "Survivors in Mexico."
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_West)(WSJ,
3/6/00, p.A28)(SSFC, 6/8/03, p.M3)
1984Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The acquittal of a
Miami police officer on charges of negligently killing a ghetto
youth sparked a rampage by angry blacks in Miami; 550 people were
arrested.
   (http://tinyurl.com/39ow9d)
1986Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The AMA ruled that
euthanasia was ethical on coma patients.
   (HN, 3/15/98)
1987Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, "Starlight
Express" by Andrew Lloyd Weber, opened at Gershwin Theater in NYC
for 761 performances. The initial production had opened at the
Apollo Victoria Theatre in London on March 27 1984.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlight_Express)
1987Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Peggy Say, the
sister of Terry Anderson, the Associated Press correspondent held
hostage in Lebanon, said President Reagan was being "unjustly
castigated" for his arms-for-hostages deal.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1988Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Paul Simon
defeated Jesse Jackson in the Illinois Democratic primary, while
George Bush won a ringing victory over Bob Dole in the Republican
contest.
   (AP, 3/15/98)
1988Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, NFL owners
approved the move of the St Louis Cardinals to Phoenix.
  Â
(www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/az/cardsarizona.html)
1988Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In southern
California Joe Morgan (49), a former baseball star and Hall of
Famer, was roughed up and handcuffed by LA police and a DEA agent,
who mistook him for a drug suspect. A federal appeal court later
reduced Morgan’s $540,000 damage award to between $190,000 and
$340,000.
   (SSFC, 9/10/17 DB p.54)
1989Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Soviet President
Mikhail S. Gorbachev convened a two-day meeting of the Communist
Party's Central Committee to decide on agricultural reforms.
   (AP, 3/15/99)
1990Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Iraq executed
London-based journalist Farzad Bazoft, claiming he was a spy.
   (AP, 3/15/00)
1990Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Israeli
government of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir lost a vote of
confidence in the Knesset after Shamir refused to accept a U.S. plan
for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
   (AP, 3/15/00)
1991Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, An indictment was
unsealed in Los Angeles, charging four police officers with beating
black motorist Rodney King.
   (HN, 3/15/98)(AP, 3/15/01)
1991Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Soviet pole
vaulter Sergei Bubka cleared a record 20 feet during an
international meet in San Sebastian, Spain.
   (AP, 3/15/01)
1992Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Democratic
presidential candidates debated in Chicago, criticizing President
George H.W. Bush's handling of the Persian Gulf War and its
aftermath, and clashing over economic issues.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1992Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The United Nations
officially embarked on its largest peacekeeping operation with the
arrival of a diplomat in Cambodia. The UN peacekeeping mission in
Cambodia soon began running a radio station to disseminate reliable
information before elections.
   (AP, 3/15/97)(Economist, 9/1/12, p.51)
1993Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Searchers found
the body of the sixth and last missing victim of the World Trade
Center bombing in New York.
   (AP, 3/15/98)
1993Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israeli Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin met at the White House with President
Clinton, after which Rabin offered to negotiate the return of part
of the Golan Heights to Syria.
   (AP, 3/15/98)
1994Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Illinois
Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, chairman of the House Ways and Means
Committee, defeated four Democratic primary challengers in his bid
for re-election.
   (AP, 3/15/99)
1995Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, President Clinton
issued an executive order formally blocking a $1 billion contract
between Conoco and Iran to develop a huge offshore oil tract in the
Persian Gulf.
   (AP, 3/15/00)
1996Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Liggett Group
agreed to repay more than $10 million in Medicaid bills for
treatment of smokers, settling lawsuits with five states. The
settlement came two days after Liggett, the nation's fifth-largest
tobacco company, made history by settling a private class-action
lawsuit alleging cigarette makers manipulated nicotine to hook
smokers.
   (AP, 3/15/97)
1996Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Helen Chadwick
(42), British artist, died.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Chadwick)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, An art show that
featured 13 oil paintings by Dr. Kevorkian opened in Royal Oak,
Mich. They depicted severed heads, moldering skulls and rotting
corpses.
   (SFC, 3/17/97, p.A2)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, President Clinton
spent a second day at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, recuperating
from surgery for a partially torn knee tendon.
   (AP, 3/15/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Greek frogmen and
U.S. Marines evacuated hundreds of foreigners trapped in Albania
after that country's descent into anarchy.
   (AP, 3/15/98)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, German soldiers,
while rescuing foreigners, opened fire under hostile conditions in
Albania. This was their first active combat since WW II.
   (SFC, 3/17/97, p.C1)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Moscow paper
Komsomolskaya Pravda reported in an article by Robert Bykov, retired
Russian colonel, that an accidental nuclear launch could happen at
any time due to the aged and unreliability of the command-an-control
equipment.
   (WSJ, 3/28/97, p.A16)
1997Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Zaire rebel
soldiers occupied Kisangani.
   (SFC, 3/17/97, p.A8)
1998Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, CBS' "60 Minutes"
aired an interview with former White House employee Kathleen Willey,
who said President Clinton had made unwelcome sexual advances toward
her in the Oval Office in 1993, a charge denied by the president.
   (AP, 3/15/99)
1998Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Dr. Benjamin Spock
(b.1903), whose child care guidance spanned half a century, died in
San Diego at 94. He was the author of the 1946 “Common Sense Book of
Baby and Child Care.”
   (SFC, 3/17/98, p.A5)(AP, 3/15/99)
1998Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Random drug
testing at all Malaysian schools was to be instituted with urine
testing equipment.
   (SFC, 3/16/98, p.A9)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bruce Springsteen,
Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Dusty Springfield were inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
   (AP, 3/15/00)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US prison
population was reported at 1.8 million with 668 inmates per 100,000
residents.
   (SFC, 3/15/99, p.A2)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Bourbonnais,
Ill., the "City of New Orleans" Amtrak train derailed after hitting
a truck loaded with steel. The truck was driven by John Stokes and
11 people were killed and 119 injured. A witness testified that
Stokes tried to go around the crossing gates to beat the train, but
the testimony was later reported as mistaken.
   (SFC, 3/16/99, p.A3)(SFC, 3/17/99, p.A1)(WSJ,
3/17/99, p.A1)(SFC, 3/17/99, p.A3)(SFC, 3/18/99, p.A3)(SFC, 3/20/99,
p.A10)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Ecuador the
banks reopened as taxi drivers protested the doubling of gas prices.
   (SFC, 3/16/99, p.A9)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Eritrea claimed to
have shot down an Ethiopian MiG-23 and to have destroyed 19 tanks.
Ethiopia denied the claims.
   (SFC, 3/16/99, p.A9)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, All 20 members of
the EU executive body, the European Commission led by Jacques
Santer, resigned in the wake of charges of fraud, corruption and
mismanagement.
   (SFC, 3/16/99, p.A1)(Econ, 9/13/03, p.50)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Haiti a UN
helicopter crashed in the mountains and 13 people were killed. They
included 6 Argentines, 6 Russians and 1 American.
   (SFC, 3/16/99, p.A9)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Indonesia the
government closed 38 banks, took over 7, and agreed to bail out 9 in
an attempt to revitalize the financial system.
   (WSJ, 3/15/99, p.A13)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Kosovar
Albanian delegation to peace talks in Paris said it was ready to
sign an international accord for Kosovo. In Kosovo the ethnic
Albanians gave a written pledge to sign a peace proposal.
   (SFC, 3/16/99, p.A8)(AP,
3/15/00)Â Â Â
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Northern
Ireland Rosemary Nelson (40), a Catholic human rights lawyer, was
killed by a car bomb in Lurgan.
   (SFC, 3/16/99, p.A8)
1999Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pluto again became
the outermost planet.
   (MC, 3/15/02)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Their presidential
nominations secured, Al Gore and George W. Bush dug in for the
eight-month battle to Election Day, with Bush saying he was braced
for Gore’s “politics of personal destruction and distortions,” and
Gore arguing that Bush’s “risky tax scheme” would hurt the economy.
   (AP, 3/15/01)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Paleontologist
Daniel Gebo announced the discovery of bones from 2 tiny primates,
the size of a human thumb, that lived 42 million years ago in
Shanghuang, China.
   (SFC, 3/16/00, p.A1)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Michigan 4
teens beat to death and robbed Willie Jones (66) as he left the
Michigan Lanes Bowling Alley in Grand Rapids. The teens then stuffed
Jones into their car trunk and drove around town to show him off.
   (SFC, 3/20/00, p.A11)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Darrell Keith Rich
(45), serial killer, was executed at San Quentin, Ca. His was the
8th execution in the state since the reinstitution of the death
penalty.
   (SFC, 3/15/00, p.A1)(SFC, 12/13/05, p.A13)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Durward Kirby
(b.1912), TV funnyman ("Candid Camera" and "The Garry Moore Show")
died at age 87 in Fort Myers, Florida.
   (AP, 3/15/01)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A UN Security
Council panel accused governments of Africa and Europe of violating
sanctions against the UNITA rebels in Angola.
   (SFC, 3/16/00, p.A14)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Canada passed the
Clarity Act, which set out a procedure for the government to
negotiate with any province that votes for independence by a clear
majority.
  Â
(www.cric.ca/en_html/guide/clarity/clarity_act.html)(Econ, 1/14/06,
p.18)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 16, Emergency food aid
was planned for Ethiopia after it was learned that 53 children under
age 5 had died of malnutrition in one town.
   (SFC, 3/16/00, p.A16)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iraq US and
British warplanes hit southern targets and Iraq reported that one
civilian was killed and 6 injured.
   (SFC, 3/16/00, p.A15)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Israel the
security cabinet approved a troop pullout from 6.1% of the West Bank
as Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli positions in southern Lebanon
and northern Israel. The areas to be ceded included several
Palestinian villages and towns near Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron.
   (WSJ, 3/16/00, p.A1)(SFC, 3/16/00, p.A14)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Kosovo US
troops raided 5 locations in southeastern Kosovo and seized large
quantities of arms and ammunition from militant Albanians.
   (SFC, 3/16/00, p.A16)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Liberia the
government closed 2 leading independent radio stations saying they
posed a security risk.
   (SFC, 3/16/00, p.A15)
2000Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The IMF announced
that Ukraine had provided false data on its currency reserves
between 1996 and 1998 in order to get 3 loans approved.
   (SFC, 3/16/00, p.A15)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Federal
authorities confirmed that remains found on a Texas ranch were those
of missing atheist leader Madalyn Murray O'Hair and two of her
relatives. David Waters, the key suspect in the slayings, was
sentenced to 20 years in prison on a federal extortion charge in
connection with the case.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ann Sothern (92),
film and TV actress, died in Ketchum, Idaho. Her work included 64
movies and over 175 TV episodes.
   (SFC, 3/17/01, p.A23)(AP, 3/15/02)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Australia’s HIH
Insurance, the country’s 2nd largest insurance firm, was forced into
liquidation. This led to a revision of regulatory oversight.
   (Econ, 5/28/11, SR
p.5)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIH_Insurance)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Brazil a
Petrobras oil-platform explosion killed 1 worker and left 9 missing
at the 40-story offshore facility. The platform was in danger of
sinking.
   (WSJ, 3/16/01, p.A1)(SFC, 3/17/01, p.A11)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Britain announced
plans to slaughter up to 100,000 more animals due to possible
contacts with foot-and-mouth disease virus.
   (SFC, 3/16/01, p.A15)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Chechen men,
wielding knives and claiming to have a bomb, hijacked a Russian
plane carrying 174 people after it left Turkey and forced it to land
in the holy Saudi city of Medina. Saudi special forces stormed the
plane the following day; a flight attendant, a passenger and a
hijacker were killed.
   (SFC, 3/16/01, p.A14)(AP, 3/15/02)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In India defense
minister George Fernandes resigned in a corruption scandal.
   (SFC, 3/16/01, p.A16)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israel arrested 3
members of an elite Palestinian security force who allegedly planned
a bomb attack on Israeli West Bank military headquarters.
   (SFC, 3/16/01, p.A14)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Macedonia Prime
Minister Ljubco Georgievski said that a direct involvement of Nato
troops might be required to stem rebel attacks.
   (SFC, 3/16/01, p.A14)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In the Philippines
10 police officers were sentenced to death for accepting $13,265 in
bribes from alleged drug dealers in 1999.
   (SFC, 3/16/01, p.A16)
2001Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A St. Maarten
registered boat carrying illegal migrants sank near St. Martin and
at least 20 people were killed.
   (SFC, 3/16/01, p.A16)
 2002      Mar 15, Disney
opened its new $532.9 million movie-themed park adjacent to
Disneyland Paris.
   (WSJ, 3/12/02, p.B1)
2002Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Adm. Zinni, US
envoy, met with Yasser Arafat in Ramallah and demanded that he reign
in militants and enforced a cease fire.
   (SFC, 3/16/02, p.A7)
2002Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China allowed 25
North Korean asylum seekers to leave the Spanish Embassy in Beijing
for South Korea by way of the Philippines.
   (WSJ, 3/18/02, p.A1)
2003Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Many thousands of
anti-war demonstrators marched in SF, Washington DC and around the
world against plans for a war with Iraq.
   (SFC, 3/16/03, p.A1)(AP, 3/15/08)
2002Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Houston jury
spared Andrea Yates’ life after prosecutors stopped short of
demanding the death penalty for the tormented mother who’d drowned
her five children in the bathtub. Yates was sentenced to life in
prison; however, she was later acquitted by reason of insanity in a
retrial.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2002Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Lewisville,
Texas, Jackson Carr (6) was killed and buried by his older sister
(15) and brother (10). His body was found the next day.
   (SFC, 4/17/02, p.A5)
2002Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Sylvester “Pat”
Weaver (93), TV pioneer, died in Santa Barbara, Calif. He had
created NBC’s “Today” and “Tonight” shows.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2003Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Chechnya 6
Russian soldiers were killed by rebel fire and mines. Attackers
destroyed 2 polling stations ahead of the Mar 23 constitutional
referendum.
   (SFC, 3/17/03, p.A4)
2003Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Hu Jintao was
chosen to replace Jiang Zemin as the president of China.
   (AP, 3/15/04)
2003Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Pakistan
authorities near Lahore arrested Yassir al-Jaziri, a suspected key
al-Qaeda figure.
   (SFC, 3/16/03, p.A1)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame inducted Prince, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne and George
Harrison along with ZZ Top, Traffic and the Dells.
   (SFC, 3/16/04, p.A2)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Missouri jurors
agreed that vapors from butter flavoring at the microwave popcorn
factory had permanently ruined the lungs of Eric Peoples. The
verdict was against International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. and
its subsidiary Bush Boake Allen Inc. The flavoring manufacturers
were ordered to pay $18 million to Peoples and $2 million to his
wife.
   (AP, 3/16/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ohio police
identified Charles A. McCoy Jr. (28) as the gunman in two dozen
highway shootings that have terrorized motorists for months.
   (AP, 3/16/04)(SFC, 3/18/04, p.A4)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bank of America
and FleetBoston Financial agreed to pay $675 million in fines and
fee cuts to settle improper mutual-fund trading. Some 13,000 job
cuts were expected following the merger of the 2 companies.
   (WSJ, 3/16/04, p.A1)(WSJ, 3/17/04, p.A1)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Bill Gates
Foundation donated $47 million to private agencies carrying out AIDS
prevention programs in India.
   (SFC, 3/16/04, p.A2)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Martha Stewart
resigned from the board of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia 10 days
after being convicted in a stock scandal.
   (AP, 3/15/05)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A new computer
worm, named "Phatbot," began appearing in the Asia-Pacific region.
Most call it a variation of the longstanding Gaobot or Agobot
family, and sometimes as Polybot. When the worm is run, it sets the
system to autostart the worm at boot time; attempts to terminate
security software running on the computer; and probes network shares
in an attempt to spread itself.
   (AP, 3/17/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Scientists
announced the discovery of a new planetoid named Sedna. The frozen,
shiny red world is some 8 billion miles from Earth, the most distant
known object in the solar system. Some placed it in the outer
periphery of a region called the Oort Cloud.
   (AP, 3/16/04)(SFC, 3/16/04, p.A1)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The WHO reported
that drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis had reached troubling
levels in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
   (WSJ, 3/16/04, p.A1)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The U.S. military
said it released 23 Afghan and three Pakistani citizens from the
U.S. Navy prison for terrorist suspects in Cuba, leaving about 610
still in detention.
   (AP, 3/16/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Canadian National
Railway reached a tentative agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers
union that could end a 3½-week-old strike by 5,000 employees.
   (AP, 3/15/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Georgia's
President Mikhail Saakashvili put trade restrictions on Adzharia
after Aslan Abashidze ignored a deadline to accept federal
authority.
   (AP, 3/14/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Iran relented and
decided to allow a visit at the end of this month, after temporarily
freezing out international nuclear inspectors.
   (AP, 3/15/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iraq 4 American
missionary relief workers were killed in a drive-by shooting in
Mosul.
   (SFC, 3/16/04, p.A14)(AP, 3/15/05)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israeli
helicopters attacked two suspected Hamas weapons workshops in Gaza
City and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called off a summit with his
Palestinian counterpart.
   (AP, 3/15/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ousted Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide left his temporary exile in Africa
and flew to Jamaica despite opposition to his presence in the
Caribbean.
   (AP, 3/15/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pakistani police
diffused a large bomb inside a van parked in front of the US
Consulate in Karachi.
   (SFC, 3/16/04, p.A3)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Saudi Arabia
authorities killed Khaled Ali Haj, a Yemeni, and Ibrahim bin
Abdul-Aziz bin Mohammed al-Mezeini, a Saudi. Haj, who also uses the
name Abu Hazim al-Sha'ir, was the "most dangerous" al-Qaeda
operative in the region. Haj was third on the government's list of
Saudi Arabia's 26 most wanted militants.
   (AP, 3/16/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Jose Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero, the leader of Spain's victorious Socialists,
said he will withdraw his nation's support for the U.S.-led
occupation of Iraq.
   (AP, 3/15/04)
2004Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Venezuela
opponents of President Hugo Chavez celebrated a Supreme Court ruling
that signatures on petitions seeking a presidential recall vote were
valid unless citizens disclaim them.
   (AP, 3/16/04)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A US Senate
investigators released a new report that said 9 US banks, including
Citigroup, Bank of America, and Riggs Bank, enabled Augusto
Pinochet, former Chilean dictator, and family members to build a
secret network of accounts to conceal his wealth. DC-based Riggs
Bank merged with PNC Financial following the inquiry, which also
revealed that Pinochet and Obiang Nguema, president of Equatorial
Guinea, had stashed millions in private accounts there.
   (WSJ, 3/16/05,
p.A2)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riggs_Bank)(Econ, 3/14/09, p.63)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US charged 18
people with a scheme to smuggle shoulder-fired missiles and other
military gear from former Soviet states. One person was still at
large.
   (WSJ, 3/16/05, p.A1)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A NY federal jury
found Bernard Ebbers (63), former head of WorldCom, guilty on all 9
counts against him, including securities fraud, conspiracy and lying
to regulators. He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.
   (SFC, 3/16/05, p.C1)(AP, 3/15/06)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, British and
Spanish scientists reported that they have discovered how green tea
helps to prevent certain types of cancer. They showed that a
compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing
by binding to a specific enzyme.
   (AP, 3/15/05)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was noted that
Israeli researchers had found that pomegranate juice, 8 ounces a
day, helps lower cholesterol.
   (WSJ, 3/15/05, p.D4)(WSJ, 4/5/05, p.D4)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bolivia's
embattled President Carlos Mesa asked the country's legislature to
authorize an early presidential election this summer, saying he can
no longer govern among growing protests and road blockades.
   (AP, 3/16/05)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Hong Kong press
reported that Zhang Enzhou was removed as president of China
Construction Bank (CCB), China’s 3rd largest bank, allegedly for
taking bribes.
   (Econ, 3/19/05, p.79)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A French court
gave the maximum 10-year prison sentence to Djamel Beghal (39), the
ringleader of an alleged plot to send a suicide bomber into the US
Embassy in Paris. The court also sentenced 5 other defendants in the
case to 1-9 year prison terms. Beghal testified that his confession
of a plan to send a suicide bomber into the U.S. Embassy was
obtained under torture after his July 2001 arrest in Dubai, United
Arab Emirates. He was extradited to France two months later and
retracted that confession.
   (AP, 3/15/05)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Three car bombs
exploded in Baghdad, killing at least 5 people.
   (AP, 3/15/05)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pres. Berlusconi
announced that Italy would begin pulling its 3,300 troops out of
Iraq in September. The next day he said the withdrawal date was
merely a hope.
   (AP, 3/16/05)(Econ, 3/19/05, p.56)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pakistan issued
release orders for 589 Indian prisoners as a gesture of goodwill
towards New Delhi.
   (Reuters, 3/15/05)
2005Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In the Philippines
some of the country's most hardened terror suspects were killed in a
failed prison uprising that left 28 people dead. The inmates at Camp
Bagong Diwa in suburban Manila had agreed to surrender after their
failed jailbreak a day earlier, but the deal broke down when they
demanded food first.
   (AP, 3/15/05)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US FCC
proposed a record fine of $3.6 million against dozens of CBS
stations and affiliates in a crackdown on indecent television
programming.
   (SFC, 3/16/06, p.A2)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, US federal
authorities announced charges against 27 people in an Int’l.
Internet child-porn scheme.
   (SFC, 3/16/06, p.A7)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Veteran musher
Jeff King drove his dog team into the Bering Sea town of Nome,
Alaska, to capture the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the
world's premier dog-sled event, for the fourth time.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Lawrence Edward
Woods (60), a transient with 2 guns, shot and killed 2 people inside
a Denny’s restaurant in Pismo Beach, Ca. He wounded 2 others and
then killed himself.
   (SFC, 3/16/06, p.B5)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Afghan authorities
said preliminary test results from a U.N. lab left them "99 percent
certain" that the country's first bird flu outbreak was the deadly
H5N1 strain.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Britain's Queen
Elizabeth II was greeted with protests, as well as pomp, when she
arrived in the southern Australian city Melbourne to open the
Commonwealth Games.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Officials in
Azerbaijan said a dog had died of bird flu in Baku on Mar 9. 3 human
victims, who died over the past few weeks, were thought to have been
infected through contact with birds.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A British
serviceman facing his first day of a court martial contended that
the war in Iraq is illegal. Flight Lt. Malcolm Kendall-Smith, a
Royal Air Force medic, is the first British officer accused of
refusing to serve in Iraq.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In China 8
aphorisms by Pres. Hu Jintao were issued on a $1 poster with plain,
black Chinese characters above a photo of the Great Wall: Love, do
not harm the motherland. Serve, don't disserve the people. Uphold
science; don't be ignorant and unenlightened. Work hard; don't be
lazy and hate work. Be united and help each other; don't gain
benefits at the expense of others. Be honest and trustworthy, not
profit-mongering at the expense of your values. Be disciplined and
law-abiding instead of chaotic and lawless. Know plain living and
hard struggle, do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.
   (AP, 3/16/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In southwest China
a boat carrying people home from a fair capsized while crossing a
river leaving at least 27 dead.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that the Dominican Republic is looking to Washington for help
recovering at least $80 million in damages from a US utility it
accuses of dumping thousands of tons of coal ash on the country's
beaches, sickening residents and harming the tourism industry. The
government says 82,000 tons of coal ash were shipped from an AES
plant in Guayama, Puerto Rico, and left on beaches in Manzanillo and
the Samana Bay port town of Arroyo Barril between October 2003 and
March 2004 without proper government permits.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Alfredo Castillo,
Ecuador's interior minister, resigned as protests over a US free
trade plan spread from the Andean highlands to the oil-producing
southeast jungle, where police clashed with demonstrators. His
comments appeared to support the protesters and showed disloyalty to
Pres. Palacio.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In France a
suspected gangland-style car explosion killed one man and injured
another on a highway north of Paris.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Indonesia
protesters, demanding the closure of a US-owned gold mine in Papua,
clashed with police in the second day of violent protests in the
province.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Saddam Hussein,
testifying for the first time in his trial, called on Iraqis to stop
killing each other and instead fight US troops; the judge
reprimanded him for making a rambling, political speech and ordered
the TV cameras switched off. US forces bombed a house during a raid
north of Baghdad, killing 13 people, mostly women and children,
while insurgent attacks elsewhere left four dead. In Baqouba, a
suicide bomber on a bicycle missed a police patrol and killed at
least two civilians. Interior Ministry officials announced another
driving ban, from 8 p.m. Mar 15 to 4 p.m. Mar 16, to protect against
car and suicide bombs while the Iraqi parliament meets for the first
session since the Dec. 15 election. On June 3 the US military said
that it had found no wrongdoing by American troops accused of
intentionally killing civilians during a raid in Ishaqi village
north of Baghdad. In 2011 the Iraqi government revived a probe into
allegations that US forces shot and killed civilians.
   (AP, 3/15/06)(AP, 6/3/06)(AP, 3/15/07)(AP,
9/2/11)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Ivory Coast
Guillaume Soro, a leader of the rebel New Forces, joined a national
unity government as minister of development.
   (SFC, 3/16/06, p.A3)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that Japanese scientists had unveiled a robotic fish that could one
day be used to observe fish in the ocean or survey oil platforms for
damage.
   (Reuters, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Japan 4 people
suspected of committing group suicide were found dead inside a
parked car.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In the Netherlands
2 Bosnian Muslim army commanders were convicted of war crimes for
failing to rein in foreign Muslim volunteers who murdered and
tortured Bosnian Croats and Serbs in a 1990s "holy war."
   (AP, 3/16/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Palestinian
militants released the last four foreigners they had seized a day
earlier to protest an Israeli military raid on a West Bank prison.
Meanwhile, Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas called the raid an
"unforgivable crime."
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, South Korea
formally opened new immigration checkpoints for travelers crossing
the heavily fortified border with North Korea, symbolizing Seoul's
hopes for boosting exchanges with its longtime communist foe.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Gunmen attacked a
compound of the UN refugee agency in the town of Yei in southern
Sudan, killing one person and critically wounding two others.
   (AP, 3/16/06)
2006Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Sweden recorded
its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, saying European
laboratory tests confirm two wild birds found dead in the southeast
were infected with the virus.
   (AP, 3/15/06)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In the US Senate
Republicans easily turned back Democratic legislation requiring a
troop withdrawal from Iraq to begin within 120 days.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A revised
transcript was released by the US military that said suspected 9/11
mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to the beheading of
American journalist Daniel Pearl and a central role in 30 other
attacks and plots in the US and worldwide that killed thousands of
victims.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Standard &
Poor's said an increase in US homes for sale as a result of subprime
loan borrowers defaulting on their mortgages, in addition to less
construction of new homes, is likely to depress gross domestic
product growth.
   (Reuters, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cisco said it has
acquired WebEx Communications for $3.2 billion in cash.
   (SFC, 3/16/07, p.C1)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Sacramento,
Ca., a fire burned hundreds of feet of a railroad trestle at the
American River causing part of the bridge to collapse. This halted
passenger and freight traffic on Amtrak and the Union Pacific lines
on the main east-west route in Northern California.
   (SFC, 3/16/07, p.A2)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Scientists said a
spacecraft orbiting Mars has scanned huge deposits of water ice at
its south pole so plentiful they would blanket the planet in 36 feet
of water if they were liquid.
   (Reuters, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Stuart Rosenberg
(79), a prolific director of series television and theatrical films,
died at his home in Beverly Hills. He had partnered with Paul Newman
on the widely popular prison drama "Cool Hand Luke" and several
other movies.
   (AP, 3/19/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bowie Kuhn (80),
former baseball commissioner died in Jacksonville, Fla.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, US-led coalition
forces mistakenly killed five Afghan police in a clash in a southern
province.
   (AP, 3/16/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Interpol said it
plans to issue international requests for the arrest of five
prominent Iranians and a Lebanese militant in connection with the
1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Argentina.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bulgaria, Russia
and Greece signed a deal in Athens to build a 175-mile pipeline to
transport Russian oil to a port in northern Greece.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Human Rights Watch
released a report that said Children in Burundi suffer serious
abuses in prison, including torture, rape and food shortages, in a
criminal justice system that treats them as adults.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China expressed
"deep regret" over a US decision to punish a Macau bank for
allegedly helping North Korea launder money, foreshadowing the
difficulties of enforcing an international agreement on the North's
nuclear disarmament.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A UN report said
Colombian security forces killed civilians in several states last
year and falsely labeled many as leftist rebels slain in combat.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The EU said it
would put pressure on members of the Southeast Asian regional
grouping ASEAN at talks in Germany to urge Myanmar to improve its
human rights record.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A French court
convicted a doctor in the poisoning death of a terminally ill cancer
patient, in a trial that has raised the issue of euthanasia in
France's presidential race.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that the Pascha brothel in Cologne, Germany, hopes to capitalize on
the growing number of retirees by offering a 50% discount for sex in
the afternoon.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Hungary
thousands of people protested against Socialist PM Ferenc Gyurcsany
at ceremonies to mark the country's national holiday, demanding his
resignation and shouting "traitor."
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Communist rebels
armed with rifles, hand grenades and petrol bombs attacked a police
post in the jungles of eastern India, killing at least 55 officers.
In eastern India farmers angry over plans to build an industrial
park on their land torched a government office in a second day of
unrest that has claimed 14 lives.
   (AP, 3/15/07)(AP, 3/16/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The six world
powers reached an agreement on a draft resolution for a new package
of sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program. It included an
embargo on arms exports and an asset freeze on more individuals and
companies associated with Tehran's nuclear and missile programs.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A suicide car
bomber apparently targeting a senior city official struck an Iraqi
military checkpoint in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad, killing at
least eight people. In Iskandariyah a bomb in a parked car exploded
as a bus packed with workers passed by, killing at least four and
wounding 24. The top official in Baghdad's Sadr City was seriously
wounded when gunmen ambushed his convoy in eastern Baghdad, killing
two of his bodyguards. A US soldier was killed in an explosion in
Salahuddin province.
   (AP, 3/15/07)(AP, 3/16/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Jordan's military
court sentenced to death four Iraqi al-Qaida militants charged with
terror attacks on Jordanians in Iraq. Of the four, only one is in
custody while the other three remain at large and were tried in
absentia.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The European
Commission and the UN Development Program said Malaysia should
empower its forest-dependent indigenous people to alleviate poverty
and safeguard their environment.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Mexican Federal
agents seized the cash, eight luxury vehicles, seven weapons and a
machine to make pills during a raid at a house in Lomas de
Chapultepec. The attorney general later said the $206 million in
cash seized was connected to one of the hemisphere's largest
networks for trafficking pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in
methamphetamines. The ring had been operating since 2004 and was run
by a native of China who had gained Mexican citizenship. A recount
put the cashed seized to over $207 million.
   (AP, 3/17/07)(AP, 3/22/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Montenegro signed
a stabilization and association agreement (SAA), usually the first
step toward EU membership.
   (Econ, 3/24/07, p.60)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Nigeria’s
electoral commission barred Vice President Atiku Abubakar from
crucial elections, omitting his name from the roster of two dozen
approved candidates. In southern Nigeria militants released two
Italian oil workers who were kidnapped more than three months ago.
   (AP, 3/15/07)(AFP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The rival Hamas
and Fatah movements formed a long-elusive unity government, hoping
to end bloody infighting and lead the Palestinians out of yearlong
international isolation. Israel immediately said that it would not
deal with the new government.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In St. Petersburg
Nikolai Zavadsky, the husband of a late curator at Russia's most
famous museum, was convicted in the theft of dozens of art objects
and sentenced to five years in prison. He was also ordered to pay
$283,000 in damages to the Hermitage.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Somalia a bomb
blast destroyed two houses near Mogadishu, killing seven people,
including four children.
   (AP, 3/16/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Spain’s Parliament
passed a gender-equality bill aimed at getting more Spanish women
into elected office and corporate boardrooms, and more men heating
baby bottles and changing diapers.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A rights group
said Mukhammadali Karabayev, an Uzbek opposition activist, has been
sentenced to six years in prison on extortion and fraud charges amid
a sweeping crackdown on dissent in the tightly controlled ex-Soviet
republic.
   (AP, 3/15/07)
2007Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A defiant
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told his critics of his
government to "go hang" themselves in his first response to the
arrest and assault of opposition chief Morgan Tsvangirai. Tanzanian
President Jakaya Kikwete went into talks with Mugabe following
growing international condemnation of the crackdown on opposition
demonstrators.
   (AFP, 3/15/07)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In NYC an
apartment building on Manhattan’s East Side was crushed in a giant
crane collapse that killed 7 people and injured 17.
   (AP, 3/16/08)(SFC, 3/18/08, p.A2)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that spores of Ug99, a wheat killing fungus that emerged in East
Africa nearly 10 years ago, has been spread by winds into the Saudi
Peninsula and South Asia.
   (SFC, 3/15/08, p.B6)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Afghanistan a
suicide car bomb attack near a convoy of international troops killed
a 13-year-old Afghan child and wounded a soldier in Khost province.
3 militants were killed in the former Taliban stronghold of Musa
Qala in Helmand province.
   (AP, 3/15/08)(AFP, 3/16/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Albania 26
people, including several children, were killed and over 250 injured
by a series of large explosions at an army base on the outskirts of
the capital Tirana. The explosions began when workers were moving
stocks of old Chinese and Soviet shells stored at the base. Some
workers were repackaging 40-year-old Chinese-made shells to disguise
their origin. In September Kosta Trebicka, a businessman turned
whistle-blower, was killed when his jeep crashed on a remote
mountain road.
   (Reuters, 3/16/08)(AP, 3/18/08)(Econ, 10/11/08,
p.71)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Azerbaijan warned
it would review relations with France, Russia and the US after they
voted against a UN resolution calling on Armenia to pull out of
Azerbaijani territory.
   (AFP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China's
legislature re-elected Hu Jintao as president, giving him a second
five-year term as leader of the world's most populous country. It
also returned Hu as head of the Central Military Commission, the
body overseeing the armed forces.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China kept
government workers confined to their offices and ordered tourists
out of Tibet's capital while lines of soldiers sealed off streets
where riots had erupted. A Tibetan exile group said at least 30
people were killed in protests a day earlier. Tibet's
government-in-exile demanded the UN intervene to end what it called
"urgent human rights violations" by China in the region following
deadly protests.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Congo’s foreign
debt stood at $12 billion and interest payments consumed a large
chunk of its budget.
   (Econ, 3/15/08, SR p.12)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iran hard-line
allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pulled ahead in Iran's
parliamentary elections, according to partial results, but the
president's conservative critics were making a strong showing that
could unsettle his domination of the legislature.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Iraqi security
forces clashed with a breakaway faction of Shiite cleric Muqtada
al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in Kut, leaving five dead and 15 wounded.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Thousands of
Italians marched in an anti-mafia protest and called on all citizens
to take a public stand against Italy's powerful crime syndicates.
   (Reuters, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Alitalia, Italy’s
state-owned national airline, accepted a takeover offer worth $217
made by air France-KLM, a French-Dutch airline group. The Italian
government accepted the offer on March 17.
   (Econ, 3/22/08, p.73)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Japan Tony
Blair, during a meeting of senior officials from the world's top 20
greenhouse gas emitters, urged the world's heaviest polluters
including the United States, China and India to agree to binding
emissions cuts, saying failure to act on global warming would be
"unforgivably irresponsible."
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Vytautas Kernagis
(57), popular Lithuanian singer, died of cancer.
   (www.lzinios.lt/lt/2008-03-17.html)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Officials said the
main telecom operator in the United Arab Emirates, Etisalat, has
launched mobile services in Nigeria, becoming the fifth operator
there.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Nigeria a Wings
Airline 19-seater aircraft went missing shortly after leaving Lagos
for the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River state. On Aug 30 hunters
found the wreckage of the plane and the bodies of its three crew
members.
   (AFP, 9/3/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Pakistan a bomb
struck an Italian restaurant crowded with foreigners, killing a
Turkish aid worker and wounding at least 12 other people.
   (AP, 3/16/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Qatar-based
investment company IAS International said it was undertaking a
series of development projects in Central African Republic worth 1.6
billion dollars.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Qatar the
consecration of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary was held. This
became Qatar’s first Roman Catholic church, ending decades of
clandestine worship for tens of thousands of foreign workers. The
$15 million, 2,700-seat church was built on land donated by Qatar's
emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani.
   (AP, 3/14/08)(AP, 3/15/08)
2008Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In southern
Thailand a bomb exploded in the parking lot of an upscale hotel,
killing two people and wounding 14 others.
   (AP, 3/15/08)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke said America's recession "probably" will end
this year if the government succeeds in bolstering the banking
system.
   (AP, 3/16/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The space shuttle
Discovery and its crew of 7 launched from the Kennedy Space Center
in Cape Canaveral, Fl., bound for the Int’l. Space Station. It
carried the last set of solar wings to boost the station to full
power.
   (SFC, 3/16/09, p.A7)(SFC, 3/18/09, p.A5)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The History Guild
of Daly City dedicated its new museum located at the former John
Daly Library, 6351 Mission Street, Ca. 94014, (650-757-7177).
   (Opening Day Flyer, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, American
International Group said its executives will receive tens of
millions of dollars in new bonuses, in order to meet a legal
deadline, even though it received a taxpayer bailout of more than
$170 billion dollars. The group of top executives getting bonuses
will receive half of the $9.6 million now, with the average payment
around $112,000. The large bulk of the payments at issue cover AIG
Financial Products, the unit of the company that sold credit default
swaps, the risky contracts that caused massive losses for the
insurer.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Miami, Florida,
a man shot four people to death at a family gathering, then went
home and killed himself.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Richard Masato
Aoki (b.1938), former Japanese-American FBI informant (1961-1977)
and early member of the Black Panthers (1967), died in Oakland, Ca.,
from complications relating to diabetes. He had given the Panthers
some of their first guns.
   (SFC, 8/20/12,
p.A1)(http://tinyurl.com/9g5u4zn)(SFC, 9/8/12, p.C2)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Actor Ron Silver
(62) died in NYC. He had been fighting esophageal cancer for two
years. Silver won a Tony Award as a take-no-prisoners Hollywood
producer in David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" and did a political
about-face from loyal Democrat to Republican activist after the
Sept. 11 attacks.
   (AP, 3/16/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Afghanistan US
soldiers killed 5 militants in an operation about 60 kilometers (40
miles) west of Kandahar city. A blast in Nangarhar province killed
four US soldiers. 3 Afghan civilians died from bombs in Kabul and
Kandahar.
   (AFP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Belarus'
authoritarian Pres. Lukashenko allowed a banned organization of
ethnic Poles to meet for the first time in four years, sending a
tentative signal of his willingness to relax his tight hold in
exchange for warmer ties with the West. The Union of Poles has been
banned since riot police were sent in to take over its headquarters
in March 2005.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Abeche, Chad,
UN forces took over command from EU peacekeepers to protect refugees
and displaced people in Chad and the Central African Republic.
   (AFP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, El Salvador's
entrenched conservatives faced a stiff challenge from the party of
former guerrillas in presidential elections. Mauricio Funes
(b.1959), a leftist television journalist, made history by bringing
the FMLN, a party of former guerrillas, to power for the first time
since the end of a bloody civil war.
   (AP, 3/15/09)(AP, 3/16/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Germany's
chancellor Angela Merkel called for greater government supervision
of gun owners after a school shooting last week that killed 15
people.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A German newspaper
reported that Deutsche Post AG has paid a pension of euro20 million
($26 million) to Klaus Zumwinkel, the former CEO convicted of tax
evasion.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Thirty three
pro-democracy legislators from Hong Kong crossed to Macao to
confront the local government over banned visitors. 5 were
immediately returned over “security reasons” and the rest were
allowed to deliver a letter of protest.
   (Econ, 3/21/09, p.43)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Hungary several
thousand people held right wing, anti-government protests in
Budapest during a national holiday. Police detained 35 people. The
holiday commemorated the unsuccessful 1848 revolution against the
Habsburgs.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Northern Ireland's
police commander said about 300 Irish Republican Army dissidents
backed by "a few nutters and idiots" are trying to tear apart the
peace process, as his detectives interrogated nine people over the
killings of two soldiers and a policeman.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Two Israeli police
officers were shot and killed while traveling near the Jewish
settlement of Massua in the West Bank. A few days later the Martyrs
of Imad Mughniyeh said it was behind the shooting. The group is
named after an assassinated Hezbollah mastermind. Israeli and
Palestinian security officials said there is no such group. They
believe rogue militants have used the fake name as cover to evade
Israeli reprisals.
   (SFC, 3/16/09, p.A2)(AP, 3/16/09)(AP, 3/17/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In northern
Mozambique a mob angered by false rumors that health workers were
spreading cholera killed a Red Cross volunteer, two health workers
and a policeman.
   (AP, 3/17/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pakistan’s
opposition leader Nawaz Sharif defied house arrest to lead
anti-government protests that briefly turned violent before becoming
a jubilant show of force against the country's pro-Western
president. Suspected militants attacked a transport terminal in
northwestern Pakistan used to supply NATO troops in Afghanistan
before dawn and torched dozens of containers and military vehicles.
A suspected US missile strike killed two Arabs and three other
people in northwest Pakistan.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Russia's President
Dmitry Medvedev said that he will publicly declare his income and
encouraged other officials to fight corruption by disclosing
relatives' incomes and assets.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In central Somalia
clashes between rival Islamist militias killed at least 14 people
over the last 2 days. Most of those killed were fighters for the
al-Shabab group or its rival Ahlu-sunah Wal-jamea.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Sri Lanka’s
government forces overran a former Tamil Tiger police post, killing
at least nine rebels and raising to 41 the number killed in weekend
fighting.
   (AFP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Uganda began
withdrawing troops hunting brutal Lord's Resistance Army rebels in
neighboring Congo after the deadline for them to leave expired.
Felix Kulaigye, a Ugandan military spokesman, said the operation had
been a success, with around 100 rebels killed and more than 200
abductees rescued, and that Congo would continue the hunt.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, President Hugo
Chavez dispatched the navy to Venezuela's seaports, warning that
state governors who challenge a new law bringing transportation hubs
under federal control could end up in prison. Chavez also said that
Russian bombers would be welcome in Venezuela, but he denied that
his country would offer Moscow its territory for a military base.
   (AP, 3/15/09)
2009Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Yemen a bomb
killed four South Korean tourists and their Yemeni guide, the latest
attack targeting foreigners visiting this poor Arab country that has
both famed historic sites and a strong al-Qaida presence. 12 Islamic
suspects were soon arrested.
   (AP, 3/16/09)(WSJ, 3/17/09, p.A1)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Honda Motor Co.
notified the NHTSA it will recall 410,000 Odyssey minivans and
Element small trucks, from the 2007-2008 model years, due to braking
system problems.Â
   (SFC, 3/17/10, p.A9)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Afghanistan a
rocket attack on Bagram Air Field killed one person. Afghan
authorities in the eastern Paktika province prevented three would-be
suicide bombers from attacking a security post in Barmal district.
Six suspected Taliban also died after their vehicle hit a roadside
bomb in Shah Wali Kot district in Kandahar province. 3 civilians
were killed and 3 others were wounded when their vehicle hit a mine
while they were moving household goods in Ghazni province. Fire from
insurgents killed an Afghan child outside a NATO base in Kunar
province.
   (AP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Britain Louis
Wainwright (18) and Nicholas Smith (19), both from Scunthorpe, were
found dead at different addresses following a night out. They had
both taken the drug mephedrone, sold online as plant food and also
goes by the names meow meow, mcat and bubble. The deaths come a week
after a secondary school in Leicestershire reported that 180 pupils
had missed school after taking the drug, which can be bought for
less than £10 a gram.
   (AFP, 3/17/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, British and
Italian doctors carried out groundbreaking surgery to rebuild the
windpipe of a 10-year-old boy using stem cells developed within his
own body. Doctors at London's Great Ormond Street children's
hospital implanted the boy with a donor trachea, or windpipe, that
had been stripped of its cells and injected with his own.
   (AFP, 3/20/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China’s state
media said at least 94 people living near a lead factory, most of
them children, have tested positive for lead poisoning, prompting
authorities to order the closure of the Zhongyi Alloy Co. in
Longchang county of Sichuan province's Neijiang city. Hundreds more
people waited for test results.
   (AP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israel’s Haaretz
newspaper said Egyptian security officials have arrested Yotam
Feldman, an Israeli journalist, as he tried to sneak across the
porous Israeli-Egyptian border with African migrants. Feldman told
his investigators he was reporting on African migrants sneaking into
Israel from Egypt. Feldman returned home on March 22, saying he had
been beaten in captivity and that some of his materials had been
confiscated.
   (AP, 3/15/10)(AP, 3/22/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iraq the US
military turned over the Taji prison holding some 2,900 detainees to
Iraqi authorities. A suicide car bomber killed 8 people and wounded
28 others when his vehicle exploded in a busy street during the
morning rush hour in Fallujah. In northern Iraq an American soldier
died in a vehicle accident.
   (AP, 3/15/10)(AFP, 3/15/10)(AP, 3/16/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Irish police
charged two men from Algeria and Libya with minor offenses following
a weeklong investigation into Muslim extremists allegedly involved
in efforts to kill a Swedish artist. Ali Charafe Damache (49) of
Algeria was charged with sending a threatening text message. A
Libyan who used the false name Abdul-Salam Mansour Al-Jehani was
charged with immigration violations.
   (AP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Italian police
arrested the "postmen" of the Mafia's top boss, 19 close aides who
delivered the notes Matteo Messina Denaro writes to impart orders
from his hideout.
   (AP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Mexican marines
and Navy personnel announced they had launched a raid against an
operations base run by the Zeta drug gang near Monterrey. A convoy
of fleeing vehicles opened fire on a Marine helicopter following
them. The Marines chased them down, some on foot, and killed eight
suspects. Elsewhere in Chihuahua state, running gun battles in the
tourist town of Creel left seven people dead and two seriously
wounded. Farther south prosecutors reported the bodies of five men
were found on the side of a highway. In the Gulf Coast town of
Tierra Blanco some 90 city policemen were held for questioning about
the kidnapping of undocumented Central American migrants.
   (AP, 3/16/10)(SFC, 3/17/10, p.A2)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Militants in
Nigeria's oil-producing region detonated two car bombs near a
government building in Warri where officials were discussing an
amnesty deal, showing their resolve to resume attacks after an
agreement to bring peace and economic benefits to the area
unraveled. Nigeria's intelligence agency later accused Henry Okah,
an alleged ex-leader of militant group MEND, of having wired the
bombs.
   (AP, 3/15/10)(AFP, 11/11/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pakistani police
discovered a cache of bomb-making equipment and thousands of pounds
of explosives in an empty Lahore shop where authorities said a
string of attacks on the eastern city may have been plotted.
   (AP, 3/15/10)Â
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, At the CITES
conference in Qatar a top official with the UN wildlife agency said
the world has "failed miserably" at protecting tigers in the wild,
bringing an animal that is a symbol for many cultures and religions
to "the verge of extinction."
   (AP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Somalia's
transitional government (TFG) and a faction of the country's
moderate Ahlu Sunna Sufi sect signed a deal in Addis Ababa to
jointly fight extremist elements in Somalia.
   (AFP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Thailand's PM
Abhisit Vejjajiva, backed by a formidable military force, rejected
an ultimatum to dissolve Parliament as tens of thousands of
red-shirted protesters vowed to splatter the seat of government with
their own blood if their demands weren't met.
   (AP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, in Venezuela
representatives of a leftist party asserted their independence from
President Hugo Chavez, accepting a dissident politician into their
ranks while demanding increased tolerance from their socialist
leader.
   (AP, 3/15/10)
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Yemen launched a
2nd day of strikes against al-Qaida hideouts. As many as 9 people
were killed in the raids including some civilians.
   (AP, 3/15/10)(AFP, 3/16/10)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In California Evan
O’Dorney (17) of Danville beat 39 other finalists to win the Intel
Science Talent Search. His mathematics entry was titled “Continued
Fraction Convergents and Linear fractional transformations.”
   (SFC, 3/16/11, p.C1)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Florida voters
in a recall election ousted Miami Dade Mayor Carlos Álvarez and
Commissioner Natacha Seijas after they supported a budget that
raised taxes and salaries for county employees.
   (SFC, 3/16/11, p.A7)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Minnesota nurse
William Melchert-Dinkel (b.1962) was convicted of two counts of
encouraging suicide while he watched voyeuristically on a webcam. A
judge found that he had intentionally advised two people to take
their own lives. In 2014 the Minnesota Supreme Court struck down a
section of the state’s assisted suicide law that makes it a crime to
encourage someone to commit suicide. It remained a crime to assist
in someone’s suicide.
  Â
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Francis_Melchert-Dinkel)(SFC,
3/20/14, p.A6)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Afghan
interior ministry announced that seven private security companies
are being dissolved. "Based on our commitment to transparency and
the rule of law, the private security companies have been informed
that they have been dissolved because of their connection to
officials of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan." The government
ordered all private security companies to disband by March 21 next
year. Two bombings killed a local legislator in Laghman province and
a school principal in Nangarhar province.
   (AFP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Australia's remote
Christmas Island detention centre was hit by a second night of
riots, with up to 200 asylum seekers destroying closed-circuit
television cameras.
   (AFP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bahrain's king
imposed a three-month state of emergency and gave the country's
military chief wide authority to battle a pro-democracy uprising
that has threatened the ruling monarchy and drawn in forces from
around the Gulf. Saudi Sgt. Ahmed al-Raddadi was shot and killed by
a protester in Manama.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Egypt's interior
minister dissolved the country's widely hated state security agency.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Chancellor Angela
Merkel said Germany will take seven of its 17 reactors offline for
three months while the country reconsiders plans to extend the life
of its nuclear power plants.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Haiti Danny Pye
(29), a Christian pastor who runs an orphanage with his wife in the
southern city of Jacmel, was released from jail held after being
held without charges for five months. Judge Maxon Samdi initially
jailed Pye last October over claims he took property from another
group of missionaries.
   (AP, 3/16/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Indonesia a
small mail bomb addressed to a moderate Muslim leader exploded in
Jakarta as police were trying to defuse it, wounding four people.
   (AP, 3/15/11) Â
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In northern Iraq 2
top Kurdish politicians resigned from local government in what
appeared to be a political maneuver to challenge Arabs for control
of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Israeli navy
intercepted an Egyptian-bound ship carrying a large delivery of
weapons off the Mediterranean coast, saying the arms had been sent
by Syria to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. PM Netanyahu
said the source of the weaponry was Iran.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Ivory Coast
elected leader Alassane Ouattara extended an offer to former Pres.
Laurent Gbagbo a national unity government, a fusion of their armed
forces and a truth and reconciliation committee to avoid civil war.
   (SFC, 3/16/11, p.A2)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Japan faced a
potential catastrophe after a quake-crippled nuclear power plant
exploded and sent low levels of radiation floating toward Tokyo,
prompting some people to flee the capital and others to stock up on
essential supplies.
   (Reuters, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Kazakhstan
several hundred people rallied near the presidential palace to urge
the government to assist homeowners battling repossessions, and a
few dozen were detained by police.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Lebanon's Maronite
bishops elected Archbishop Bechara el-Rai as the new patriarch for
the Middle East's largest Catholic church.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Libya Gadhafi's
military blasted rebels with airstrikes and bombardment from
warships, tanks and artillery in an overwhelming display of
firepower, trying for the first time to take back the city of
Ajdabiya in the opposition's eastern heartland. Rebel fighters
rushed to the front as mosques in the city broadcast pleas for help
defending the city. Four NYT journalists were detained the northern
port city of Ajdabiya where they were covering the retreat of
rebels. The 4 journalists were released on March 21.
   (AP, 3/15/11)(AP, 3/17/11)(Reuters, 3/21/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Group of Eight
(G8) powers shied away from imposing a no-fly zone to protect
Libyans from assault by Kadhafi forces, laying it off to the UN
Security Council. Flight restrictions sought by France and Britain
were blocked by Russia and Germany.
   (AFP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Malaysia's
government agreed to release some 35,000 imported Bibles seized by
customs officials amid a dispute over their use of the word "Allah"
as a translation for God. A statement assured Muslims that the
announcement would not jeopardize their interests in an ongoing
court case on whether non-Muslims have the constitutional right to
use "Allah."
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Mexico a convoy
of gunmen chased their target into a home in the resort city of
Acapulco and sprayed the residence with bullets, killing two small
children and an elderly woman inside. Other attacks in Acapulco
killed a total of eight people. Police in the resort city of Cancun
found four bodies that had been set on fire. The Mexican army
announced that soldiers had seized five metric tons of marijuana in
the northern border city of Miguel Aleman.
   (AP, 3/16/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Oman Sheik
Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili, highest religious authority in the
Persian Gulf kingdom, called for a nationwide alcohol ban and strict
monitoring of health clubs in this Muslim country. Al-Khalili told
state television that "drunk people are unproductive people who sink
into vice."
   (AP, 3/17/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Pakistan Qumar
David (50), a Christian jailed for blasphemy, died of an alleged
heart attack in Karachi Central Jail after complaining of chest
pain. David was serving a 25-year prison term for blasphemy. His
lawyer suspected the man had been murdered.
   (AP, 3/16/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Palestinian
president Mahmud Abbas proposed holding elections "as soon as
possible" in order to end the divide within the national movement.
Thousands of Palestinians thronged major squares in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank to deliver an impassioned appeal to their leaders
to end the long-running feud that has divided the Palestinian people
between two rival governments.
   (AFP, 3/15/11)(AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Somalia 13
people died in mortar attacks in Mogadishu.
   (SFC, 3/16/11, p.A2)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Thailand court
sentenced Thanthawut Taweewarodomkul (38), the administrator of an
anti-government website, to 13 years in prison on charges of
defaming the monarchy and violating the computer crime act.
   (SFC, 3/16/11, p.A2)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Uruguay said it
has joined a string of South American nations in recognizing an
independent Palestinian state.
   (AP, 3/16/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Human Rights Watch
said that it has been forced to close its office in Uzbekistan after
facing years of harassment by the Central Asian nation's
authorities.
   (AP, 3/15/11)
2011Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Yemen thousands
poured onto the streets in the southern provinces of Taiz, Aden and
Hadramawt. Pres. Saleh visited the governor of Marib province, who
was stabbed and wounded by protesters a day earlier. Government
supporters in al-Hudaydah set fire to the headquarters of the
influential opposition Islah party, the main Sunni Islamist party.
   (AP, 3/15/11)(AP, 3/16/11)(Econ, 9/27/14, p.48)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In New Hampshire a
federal judge declared a mistrial in the case of Beatrice
Munyenyezi, a Rwanda woman who became a citizen in 2003. She was
accused of lying to obtain her citizenship by denying her role in
the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
   (SFC, 3/16/12, p.A8)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, New research
reportedly showed a link between an increase in the death of bees
and insecticides, specifically the chemicals used to coat corn
seeds. A study, titled "Assessment of the Environmental Exposure of
Honeybees to Particulate Matter Containing Neonicotinoid
Insecticides Coming from Corn Coated Seeds," was published in the
American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technology
journal, and provided insight into colony collapse disorder.
   (ABCNews, 3/15/12)(Econ, 3/31/12, p.89)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Afghan President
Hamid Karzai demanded NATO troops immediately pull out of rural
areas in the wake of the killing of 16 civilians. The Taliban broke
off talks with the US. Karzai also said he now wants Afghan forces
take the lead for countrywide security in 2013, a year ahead of
schedule.
   (AP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bahrain riot
police fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets at
protesters, who were marking the first anniversary of the deployment
of a Saudi-led military force in Bahrain.
   (AP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Britain jailed 2
men who had posed as good Samaritans to steal from an injured
Malaysian student, Asyraf Haziq Rosli (21), an infamous incident
caught on camera during riots in London last year. Reece Donovan
(22) was sentenced to a total of five years in jail for robbery,
violent disorder and burglary offences. John Kafunda (22) was
sentenced to three and a half years for robbery and nine months for
violent disorder.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Chilean police
used water cannons and tear gas to break up a march by thousands of
students, the first protest this year by student groups whose
demonstrations demanding education reform paralyzed major cities in
2011.
   (AP, 3/16/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In China Bo Xilai
(62), the Communist Party secretary in Chongqing, was removed from
his post. Critics had said his anti-corruption had parallels with
the Cultural Revolution that gripped China from 1966-1976.
   (SFC, 3/16/12, p.A5)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In China Xu Ming,
one of the richest people in China, was detained by a powerful body
which investigates corruption within the ranks of the ruling
Communist party. His company Shide Group sponsors a Chinese football
club.
   (AFP, 4/3/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cuban police
evicted 13 dissidents from a church they had been occupying for two
days demanding that Pope Benedict XVI air a list of grievances
during his upcoming trip to the island. Cuba’s Cardinal Jaime Ortega
called for the ouster.
   (AP, 3/15/12)(SFC, 3/17/12, p.A2)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Egypt's top
prosecutor charged 75 people in connection with the deadly Feb 1
soccer riot last month in the Mediterranean city of Port Said in
which authorities said fans were thrown to their death off the
stadium walls and others killed by explosives as they tried to flee.
   (AP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ethiopian forces
entered archrival Eritrea and carried out what a government
spokesman described as "a successful attack" against military posts.
   (AP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, European Union
nations agreed to ban financial transfers such as SWIFT payments to
hundreds of Iranian firms and individuals blacklisted by the bloc
over Tehran's contested nuclear drive.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, France rejected
weapons requests by the Syrian rebel forces, saying that arming the
Syrian opposition could lead to catastrophic civil war.
   (AP, 3/16/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In southern France
a gunman on a motorbike opened fire on three uniformed paratroopers
at a bank machine in Montauban, killing two and critically wounding
the other. Four days earlier, a gunman on a motorbike shot and
killed another paratrooper in Toulouse, about 50 km (30 miles) away.
The same caliber of weapon was used in both attacks.
   (AP, 3/16/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Gabon students
demanding the payment of scholarships funds and police clashed in
Libreville, leaving three people wounded.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Guinea-Bissau
soldiers and para-military troops were the first to vote in
presidential elections, three days before the rest of the country.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iraq Amir
Sarbut Zaidan al-Batawi (33), the bodyguard of Vice President Tareq
al-Hashemi, died while under government detention. Authorities later
said he died of kidney failure.
   (AP, 3/22/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israeli aircraft
and Gaza rocket squads traded strikes across the border as the
Israeli prime minister blamed Iran for the violence from the
Palestinian territory. A female Israeli soldier was stabbed on
Jerusalem's light rail, and police apprehended a Palestinian suspect
at a Jerusalem crossing into the West Bank.
   (AP, 3/15/12)(AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Kashmir scientists
at Sher-i-Kashmir University said they have cloned a rare Himalayan
goat, hoping to help increase the number of animals famed for their
silky soft undercoats used to make pashmina wool, or cashmere.
   (AP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, CH. Karchang, a
Thailand construction giant, officially began work on the $3.5
billion dam at Xayaburi in northern Laos. A December agreement by
the Mekong River Commission had called for further study on the
environmental impacts of the dam.
   (Econ, 5/5/12, p.43)(Econ, 9/7/13, p.40)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Libya's stock
market opened with a yawn, the first day of trading since the fall
of Moamer Kadhafi, with turnover of less than $10,000. The LSM index
closed at 1,473 points.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Morocco a
minister in the Islamist government called for a change to a law
allowing a rapist to marry his victim after a teenager forced into
such a union committed suicide. Amina al-Filali (16) drank rat
poison last week in Larache, near Tangiers in the north, after being
forced to marry the man who raped her.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Mozambique's
Cahora Bassa dam denied cutting power to Zimbabwe, which had claimed
the state-owned company had pulled the plug over unpaid bills
totaling around $75 million.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Nigeria gunmen
raided a mainly Christian village in Kaduna State, killing 10
people, including a pastor and injuring four others.
   (AFP, 3/17/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Norwegian
military plane crashed killing all five people on board during an
exercise in northern Sweden. Four men and one woman, all Norwegians,
were on board the C-130 heading from Evenes, on Norway's Arctic
coast, to the Swedish city of Kiruna.
   (AP, 3/17/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Pakistan Swiss
couple David Och and Daniela Widmer, held captive for nearly a year
by the Taliban, turned up at an army post close to the Afghan
border, claiming to have escaped from their captors. Taliban
commanders said a ransom was paid in exchange for their release.
   (AP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Puerto Rico a
vintage cargo plane loaded with bread crashed in a lagoon near the
international airport, killing the airline's owner and another crew
member.
   (AP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, South Korean
author Kyung-sook Shin won Asia's most prestigious prize for
literature for her novel "Please Look After Mom," about a family's
guilty soul-searching after the disappearance of their elderly
mother.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, KORUS, a
long-delayed free trade agreement between the United States and
South Korea, took effect. It slashed tariffs, tightened intellectual
property rights and opened up South Korea’s services market. The
agreement won praise from the two countries' leaders and prompting
rallies by supporters and opponents.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)(Econ, 3/18/17, p.75)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Syria 23
mutilated corpses were found near Mazraat Wadi Khaled, west of the
city of Idlib. The regime's bloody crackdown entered its second year
to a rising world outcry. Violent clashes broke out overnight as
rebels attacked army posts in the eastern region of Deir Ezzor (Deir
el-Zour). State television showed tens of thousands of people waving
Syrian flags and Assad's portrait in cities including Damascus, the
second-largest city Aleppo and Latakia. Tanks and snipers besieged
opposition areas, including the southern city of Daraa. At least 34
other people were killed in violence, mostly in Idlib province
bordering Turkey.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)(AP, 3/16/12)(AFP, 3/16/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Turkey’s deputy
prime minister said Syria has planted landmines near its border with
Turkey along routes used by refugees fleeing the regime's deadly
crackdown on dissent. The foreign ministry said Around 1,000 Syrian
refugees, including a defecting general, flocked into Turkey in the
last 24 hours.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)
2012Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Zambian
ex-president Rupiah Banda denounced the dissolution of his former
ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy as an attack on freedom
and accused the new administration of persecuting him. The Movement
for Multiparty Democracy, whose 20-year rule came to an end in
September, was dissolved by the chief registrar of societies for
owing 390 million kwacha ($75,876) in registration fees dating back
to 1993.
   (AFP, 3/15/12)(AFP, 6/26/12)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Defense Secretary
Chuck Hagel said the US is deploying 14 new ground-based missile
interceptors in Alaska to counter renewed nuclear threats from North
Korea and Iran. Hagel also said the US would shift some "resources,"
which he didn't specify, from the delayed Aegis anti-missile program
in Europe.
   (http://tinyurl.com/almlalu)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, SAC Capital agreed
to pay the SEC a record $616 million to settle a long-standing probe
into insider trading.
   (Econ, 3/23/13, p.78)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Florida a small
plane crashed near Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport killing all
three men aboard.
   (SSFC, 3/17/13, p.A8)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Brazil a new
oil law that gives a greater share of royalty revenues from the
country’s oil fields to non-producing states went into effect and
producing states filed appeals against it with the Supreme Court.
   (AP, 3/16/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Three British
Muslims, including a convert who was featured in a documentary about
radical Islam, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in London.
Richard Dart (29), Imran Mahmood (21), and Jahangir Alom (26), were
arrested last July and accused of traveling to Pakistan between 2010
and 2012 with the intention of committing terrorist acts.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Britain Dr.
Davinderjit Bains, arrested last year, admitted 39 charges against
30 victims, including sexual assault, voyeurism and sexual activity
with a child. He had used a Tieex 4GB Waterproof HD Spy Watch DVR,
which has a camera on its face, to record assaults on patients at
his practice in Royal Wootton Bassett in western England.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Canadian joint
venture operating one of the world's largest gold mines and the
government of the Dominican Republic reached an agreement to inspect
the company's exports, ending a standoff that halted a shipment
valued at nearly $12 million.
   (AP, 3/16/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In southwestern
Chad over the last 24 hours at least 86 elephants, including 33
pregnant females, were killed by poachers for the ivory of their
tusks.
   (Econ, 4/20/13, p.47)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In China Li
Keqiang was confirmed as premier.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A snowstorm in
Hungary brought drifts 10 feet (3m) high and violent gusts of wind,
forcing thousands of people to spend the night in their cars or
emergency shelters after being stranded on a major highway.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In India a Swiss
woman (39) on a cycling trip in Madhya Pradesh state with her
husband was gang-raped by eight men. On March 17 police arrested 5
men, who admitted to the attack. At least 2 others remained at
large.
   (AP, 3/16/13)(AP, 3/17/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iraq protesters
clashed with police trying to prevent them from reaching the Abu
Hanifa mosque, the most venerated Sunni mosque in Baghdad, as sect
members again massed for anti-government rallies in several Iraqi
cities. Several people were reported injured.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu signed a coalition deal with rival parties to
form the next government.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In central Lebanon
at least eight Syrians were killed and 29 were injured when the bus
they were traveling in from Syria overturned in the mountains.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In central Mexico
a truck loaded with fireworks exploded during a religious procession
in the rural village of Jesus Tepactepec, killing at least 13 people
and injuring 154.
   (AP, 3/16/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, North Korea blamed
South Korea and the United States for cyber-attacks that temporarily
shut down websites this week at a time of elevated tensions over the
North's nuclear ambitions.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In southern
Pakistan a bomb blast just after midnight killed three people and
wounded four others outside a cable TV office in Karachi.
   (AP, 3/15/13)  Â
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Senegal lawyer
El Hadj Amadou Sall said that his client, the son of Senegal's
ex-president, is being unjustly accused. A special prosecutor
charged with investigating the embezzlement of state funds has asked
Karim Wade to justify a fortune that he estimates is worth up to 694
billion West African francs, equal to more than $1.3 billion.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Senegal 3
students set themselves on fire on the campus of the country’s
largest university to protest changes in the way credits are being
counted in the college's geography department. All 3 survived.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In South Africa 24
people died when a bus veered off a road and rolled over near Cape
Town.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Gen. Salim Idris,
the chief of Syria's main, Western-backed rebel group, marked the
second anniversary of the start of the uprising against President
Bashar Assad by pledging to fight until the "criminal" regime is
gone. Leaders at a European Union summit failed to agree if they
should send arms to the rebels.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2013Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The head of a UN
team investigating casualties from US drone strikes in Pakistan
declared after a secret research trip to the country that the
attacks violate Pakistan's sovereignty.
   (AP, 3/15/13)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Afghan President
Hamid Karzai told the United States its soldiers can leave at the
end of the year because his military, which already protects 93% of
the country, was ready to take over entirely.
   (AP, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Algeria about
100 activists from a new anti-government movement staged a rare
protest against the ailing Pres. Abdelaziz Bouteflika (77) and his
decision to run for a fourth term. 3 men from the Arab community
died in clashes with Mozabite Berbers in Ghardaia. Clashes first
erupted in December and 5 Mozabites were killed before violence was
stopped by a heavy police deployment in late January.
   (AP, 3/15/14)(AP, 3/17/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Egypt gunmen
shot dead six army officers near Cairo, the 2nd attack on Egyptian
security forces in three days that the military has blamed on the
Muslim Brotherhood of deposed Pres. Mohamed Mursi.
   (Reuters, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Guyana
businessman Lennox La Cruz (50) was arrested on suspicion of killing
his wife and four of his five children by locking them inside their
home and setting it on fire the previous evening.
   (AP, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Lebanon 10
people were reported killed in the last 48 hours of clashes in
Tripoli linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
   (Reuters, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Malaysia’s PM
Najib Razak said the missing Malaysian Flight 370 was deliberately
diverted and continued flying for more than six hours after severing
contact with the ground on March 8.
   (AP, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In central Nigeria
some 40 assailants armed with guns and machetes stormed the villages
of Angwan Gata, Chenshyi and Angwan Sankwai, attacking locals in
their sleep and torching their homes on Kaduna state. The overnight
attacks left at least 100 dead. Local residents, mostly Christians,
blamed the bloodshed on Muslim Fulani herdsmen.
   (AFP, 3/16/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Nigeria at
least 20 people were killed and dozens were injured in Abuja after
thousands of panicked job-seekers stampeded during a government
recruitment drive at the national stadium.
   (AFP, 3/15/14)(AFP, 2/23/16)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Pakistani
judicial official reduced the 33-year jail sentence of Dr. Shakil
Afridi, alleged to have helped the US track down Osama bin Laden, to
23 years.
   (AP, 3/15/14)Â
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Gaza Strip's
only power plant shut down due to a lack of fuel from Israel, which
closed a goods crossing after militant rocket attacks.
   (AFP, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Russia tens of
thousands have gathered in downtown Moscow in the largest
anti-government demonstration since 2012, protesting against the
March 16 Kremlin-backed referendum in Crimea on whether to break
away from Ukraine and merge with Russia.
   (AP, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Russian forces
seized a natural gas distribution station in Strelkova, about 10 km
outside Crimea.
   (AP, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Russia vetoed a UN
resolution declaring the March 15 referendum on the future of
Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula illegal, but close ally China abstained
in a show of Moscow's isolation.
   (AP, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Slovaks voted in
the first round of a presidential election, a largely ceremonial
post. PM Robert Fico and businessman-turned philanthropist Andrej
Kiska (51) beat 12 other candidates in the first round of voting.
Turnout was low at 43.4 percent. Both men will compete in a March 29
election.
   (AFP, 3/15/14)(AP, 3/16/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In South Africa
Takalani Tshivhase (59), the executive director of Pinnacle
Holdings, was arrested by the police's elite anti-corruption unit
and released on bail the same day. He was charged with offering a
$460,000 bribe to a senior police official in an attempt to win an
equipment deal for the technology company.
   (Reuters, 3/25/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In South Africa 3
people were killed when their small plane crashed near a landing
strip in KwaZulu Natal province.
   (Reuters, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Syrian soldiers
entered eastern districts of the town of Yabroud, the last rebel
bastion near the Lebanese border north of Damascus, and advanced
towards the main street.
   (Reuters, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ukraine's military
scrambled aircraft and paratroops to repel an attempt by Russian
forces to enter a long spit of land belonging to a region adjacent
to Crimea.
   (Reuters, 3/15/14)
2014Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro urged Washington to join a "high-level
commission" to promote peace after more than a month of deadly
anti-government demonstrations.
   (AFP, 3/16/14)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In eastern
Afghanistan gunmen kidnapped eight ethnic Hazara people from two
cars but later released all but one of the hostages.
   (Reuters, 3/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Brazil an
estimated 1.5-2.2 million people took to the streets across the
country in protest over corruption, with many calling for Pres.
Dilma Rousseff's impeachment.
   (AFP, 3/16/15)(Econ., 3/21/15, p.29)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In China Xu Caihou
(71), the highest-ranking military officer to fall victim to
President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive, died of cancer.
   (AFP, 3/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Islamic State
fighters traded sniper fire and mortar rounds with Iraqi troops and
allied Shi'ite militia forces in the city of Tikrit but no major
advances were made by either side.
   (Reuters, 3/15/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In northern Kenya
Somali Shebab militants killed one man and wounded three others in a
shooting in the town of Mandera.
   (AFP, 3/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Nigerian Boko
Haram leader Abubakar Shekau reportedly addressed his fighters and
told them to return to Gwoza and kill the women they had taken as
wives.
   (AFP, 3/27/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In eastern
Pakistan a pair of suicide bombers attacked two churches in Lahore
as worshippers prayed inside killing 17 people.
   (AP, 3/15/15)(AP, 3/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Philippine
security forces arrested Mohammad Ali Tambako, the head of a small
Islamic militant group, along with five accomplices. Tambako was
involved in protecting Abdul Basit Usman, one of the United States'
"most wanted terrorists," who had escaped a Jan 25 raid.
   (AFP, 3/16/15)
2015Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Syrian government
warplanes pounded a Damascus suburb, killing at least 18 people and
scattering shattered concrete blocks and mangled cars in the
streets.
   (AP, 3/15/15)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The United States
loosened rules in the US trade embargo on Cuba just days ahead of
President Barack Obama's historic visit to the former Cold War
enemy.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)(SFC, 3/16/16, p.A4)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The United States
and its allies carried out 11 air strikes against Islamic State in
Iraq and Syria.
   (Reuters, 3/16/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Flooding caused by
days of heavy rain forced the closure of a section of I-10, a major
east-west US highway on the Louisiana-Texas border along the rising
Sabine River.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A 2nd Pennsylvania
Supreme Court justice, Michael Eakins, quit the bench over a
widening scandal over raunchy and otherwise offensive emails that he
and others exchanged with friends and lawyers.
   (SFC, 3/16/16, p.A6)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Pennsylvania
three leaders of a Franciscan religious order were charged with
allowing a friar who was a known sexual predator to take on jobs
that enabled him to molest more than 100 children.
   (SFC, 3/16/16, p.A6)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Afghanistan's
Pres. Ashraf Ghani said that Islamic State militants are "on the
run" following a massive military operation that included elite
commando units in remote districts on the border with Pakistan.
   (AP, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Bangladesh’s
central bank Gov. Atiur Rahman resigned following the recent theft
of some $100 million allegedly stolen by Chinese hackers from a
Bangladesh account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
   (Econ, 3/19/15, p.76)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Belgian and French
police officers arrived to search a flat in a Brussels suburb in a
raid targeting suspects in the Nov 13 Paris attacks. They came under
a barrage of automatic weapons fire through a door from at least two
people barricaded inside, injuring four officers. A special forces
sniper shot dead Algerian gunman Mohamed Belkaid (35) when he tried
to fire at police from a window. An Islamic State flag was found
next to his body. Two suspects were detained.
   (Reuters, 3/16/16)(AFP, 3/16/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Brazil's Supreme
Court said it had accepted a plea agreement offered by prosecutors
to Senator Delcídio do Amaral, a legislative ally of President Dilma
Rousseff until he was arrested last year in a far-reaching
corruption scandal. Newsmagazine Veja said that Amaral in the plea
agreement accused Rousseff aides of trying to pay him to keep quiet.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China's Foreign
Ministry said water will be released from Jinghong dam in the
southwestern province of Yunnan to help alleviate a drought in parts
of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Beijing-based
journalist Jia Jia, linked with an online petition calling for the
Chinese president's resignation, disappeared from the Beijing
airport on his way to Hong Kong. The petition criticized Xi's
handling of economic and domestic affairs and noted that more and
more factions of the Communist Party oppose the president's
tightening grip over speech, government bureaucracy and dissent
within the party. Jia was reported freed on March 26.
   (AP, 3/19/16)(AP, 3/26/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The last direct
flight carrying stranded Cuban migrants from Costa Rica arrived in
Mexico, ending an effort that transported 6,003 Cubans.
   (SFC, 3/16/16, p.A2)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, European Union
lawmakers and member states agreed on a long-term plan to end over
fishing of cod, sprat and herring stocks in the Baltic Sea, the
first such plan of its kind under the EU's reformed fisheries
policy.
   (Reuters, 3/16/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, German police
opened a homicide probe after a car bomb killed a driver on a
central Berlin street, with authorities saying there was currently
no terrorism link.
   (AFP, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Indonesian police
killed two suspected Chinese Uighur militants in Central Sulawesi
province during a hunt for Abu Wardah Santoso, the country's most
wanted Islamic radical.
   (AP, 3/16/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Iran's annual fire
festival ahead of the Persian New Year claimed three lives and
injured more than 2,500, hundreds of whom remain hospitalized.
   (AFP, 3/16/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iraq terrified
residents fled the town of Hit as security forces closed in and
jihadist fighters hunkered down to defend one of their main bastions
in Anbar province.
   (AFP, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israeli Army Radio
said the government has appropriated 579 acres in the occupied West
Bank near the Dead Sea and the Palestinian city of Jericho.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Macedonia dumped
about 1,500 migrants and refugees back into Greece overnight after
they forced their way across the border, as European nations
continued to pass the buck in a migration crisis that risks tearing
the EU apart.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Mexico City's
government ordered traffic restrictions and recommended people stay
indoors due to serious air pollution, issuing its second-highest
alert warning for ozone levels for the first time in 13 years.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Myanmar's
parliament elected a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate
Aung San Suu Kyi as president, making Htin Kyaw the first head of
state who does not hail from a military background since the 1960s.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Norway's Academy
of Science and Letters said British mathematician Sir Andrew J.
Wiles has won the Abel Prize in math for his stunning proof of
French mathematician Pierre de Fermat's Last Theorem, first
conjectured by Fermat in 1637.
   (AP, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Russian warplanes
began leaving Syria as Moscow started to draw down forces that have
tipped the war President Bashar al-Assad's way. Russian Deputy
Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said the air force will continue
striking targets in Syria linked to Islamic State and other
terrorist groups despite a partial withdrawal.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Spain a person
stumbled across 83 kg (182 pounds) of cocaine on a beach in the
popular Mediterranean tourist island of Formentera.
   (AP, 3/17/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Taiwan’s
President-elect Tsai Ing-wen named Lin Chuan, a former finance
minister, as Taiwan's next premier, tasked with reinvigorating the
island's slowing high-tech economy and stabilizing relations with
neighbor China.
   (AP, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Thailand
Mercedes driver Janepob Verraporn (37), the son of a wealthy Thai
businessman, crashed into a slower car while driving at an estimated
240 km (150 miles) per hour. Two graduate students in their 30s died
at the scene of the accident. Verraporn survived with minor injuries
and refused both alcohol and drug tests.
   (AP, 3/23/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In northern Yemen
Saudi-led warplanes bombed a busy market in the city of Mastaba. 22
children were among at least 119 killed.
   (AP, 3/15/16)(AP, 3/17/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pope Francis
approved sainthood for Mother Teresa, the missionary nun who became
a global if controversial symbol of compassion for her care of the
sick and destitute. The pontiff set September 4 as the date for her
canonization.
   (AFP, 3/15/16)
2016Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Zimbabwe
state-owned newspaper said the number of citizens requiring food aid
has risen to 4 million, up from 3 million initially.
   (Reuters, 3/15/16)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, United States
charged two Russian intelligence agents and two hackers with
masterminding the 2014 theft of 500 million Yahoo accounts, the
first time the U.S. government has criminally charged Russian spies
for cyber offences. The indictment named the FSB officers involved
as Dmitry Dokuchaev and his superior, Igor Sushchin, who are both in
Russia. The alleged criminals involved included Alexsey Belan and
Karim Baratov, who was arrested in Canada a day earlier. Belan was
arrested in Europe in June 2013 but escaped to Russia before he
could be extradited to the US.
   (Reuters, 3/16/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US Federal
Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the 2nd time in three
months. The short-term rate was raised by a quarter point to a range
of 0.75% to 1%.
   (SFC, 3/16/17, p.C1)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A federal jury in
Chicago convicted South Korean CEO Heon Seok Lee of defrauding
municipal governments into using federal money on
wastewater-treatment equipment they were falsely told was made in
America.
   (AP, 3/17/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, US District Judge
Derrick Watson of Hawaii issued a ruling granting a temporary
restraining order on Pres. Trump’s travel ban.
   (SFC, 3/16/17, p.A1)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A group of 17
Republicans in Congress signed a resolution vowing to seek
"economically viable" ways to stave off global warming, possibly
putting them on a collision course with President Donald Trump who
has called climate change a hoax.
   (Reuters, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Former Los Angeles
County Sheriff Lee Baca (74) was convicted of obstructing an FBI
investigation into corrupt and violent guards.
   (SFC, 3/16/17, p.A5)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Louisiana three
people were found shot to death and a fourth fatally stabbed at an
apartment complex in Matairie, a suburb of New Orleans.
   (SFC, 3/16/17, p.A5)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In western Austria
three people were killed when their ski touring group was swept away
by an avalanche in the Tyrol region. A fourth person was missing.
   (AP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Brazilian civil
servants, rural workers and labor confederations staged nationwide
demonstrations against President Michel Temer's pension reform plan,
with hundreds of protesters occupying the premises of the finance
ministry in Brasilia.
   (Reuters, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Cambodia Sok An
(66), a deputy prime minister who was one of PM Hun Sen's closest
political and personal allies, died.
   (AP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cameroon said
regional forces had rescued the hostages, who were held in villages
by the jihadist group, in an operation along the Nigeria-Cameroon
border. On March 17 a man purporting to be Abubakar Shekau, the
leader of Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, denied in a
posted video that 5,000 people held by the group had been freed by
West African forces earlier in the week.
   (Reuters, 3/17/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China wrapped up
its annual National People’s Congress. On its final day it passed
legislation titled the General Principles of Civil Law.
   (Econ, 3/18/17, p.42)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The European Union
gave its blessing to AT&T's proposed $85 billion purchase of
Time Warner, saying that it raises no competition concerns in
Europe. The deal still needs approval from US regulators.
   (AP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Germany three
men and a woman were sentenced to prison terms between three and
five years for forming the so-called Oldschool Society in August
2014, a far-right terrorist group with a plan to bomb refugee homes
as a tactic to scare migrants into leaving the country.
   (AP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Indonesia's
government said that a British-owned cruise ship must pay
compensation for the destruction of coral reefs in a popular tourist
area known for its extensive marine biodiversity. The 4,200-ton
cruise ship M.V. Caledonian Sky ran aground in the waters of Raja
Ampat in West Papua province last week, causing extensive damage to
the coral reefs.
   (AP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Kenya announced
that it will ban all plastic bags, becoming the 2nd African country
to do so after Rwanda. Earlier efforts by Kenya in 2007 and 2011
failed.
   (Econ, 3/25/17, p.41)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Forces loyal to
Libya's UN-backed unity government seized the headquarters of a
rival militia in a third day of intense fighting for control of
Tripoli.
   (AP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Millions of Dutch
flocked to the polls in a test of the "patriotic revolution"
promised by far-right MP Geert Wilders. PM Mark Rutte's conservative
VVD party won the elections with 33 seats. Wilders increased his
bloc from 15 in 2012 to 20. The Denk party, catering to Dutch
Muslims, won three seats.
   (AFP, 3/15/17)(AP, 3/16/17)(Econ, 3/18/17, p.59)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, New Zealand
approved a law that declared the Whanganui River to be a legal
person, in the sense that it can own property, incur debts and
petition the courts. Days later an Indian court declared the Ganges
and Yamuna rivers to be people too.
   (Econ, 3/25/17, p.34)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pakistan launched
a national census, the country's first in 19 years.
   (AP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Eleven Philippine
legislators who voted against a bill to re-introduce capital
punishment lost key posts in the country's Congress, in an apparent
follow through of a threat by the house speaker to purge obstacles
to the draft.
   (Reuters, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Romanian
authorities extradited Chilean fugitive Rafael Garay. He was accused
of embezzling almost a billion dollars.
   (Reuters, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Sierra Leone a
709-carat diamond was presented to President Ernest Bai Koroma.
Pastor Emmanuel Momoh found the diamond in Yakadu village in the
country's diamond-rich eastern Kono District. It was among the 20
largest diamonds ever found. In October the stone was taken by a
sales team from the National Minerals Agency to Antwerp, Belgium, to
meet sales agents, auction houses and potential buyers.
   (AP, 3/16/17)(AP, 10/3/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Syria two
suicide bomb attacks killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens
more in Damascus, in the second such spate of bombings in the Syrian
capital in five days. Sixteen lawyers were among the dozens killed
in the suicide attack that struck the main judicial building in
Damascus.
   (Reuters, 3/15/17)(AP, 3/16/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Turkey said its
red meat association has ordered a consignment of prize Dutch cattle
to be sent back to the Netherlands, saying it no longer wants to
farm the cows due to the diplomatic crisis between the countries.
   (AFP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Human Rights Watch
said 155 people, including 15 children, were killed in fierce
fighting that erupted last Nov 26 in western Uganda between security
forces and a tribal king's palace guards.
   (AFP, 3/15/17)
2017Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ukraine's Security
and Defence Council approved the suspension of all cargo traffic
with separatist-held territory.
   (Reuters, 3/15/17)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US Treasury
Department said sanctions have been slapped on 19 Russian
individuals and five groups, including Moscow's intelligence
services, for meddling in the 2016 US election and malicious cyber
attacks.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The leaders of the
United States, France and Germany joined Britain in blaming Russia
for poisoning a former spy with a powerful nerve agent.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Alabama executed
Michael Wayne Eggers (50) for killing his employer at a traveling
carnival in 2000.
   (SFC, 3/16/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, California
wildlife officials said Richard Parker (67) had shot and killed more
that 130 protected birds of prey in Lassen County. Parker was
reported jailed on charges of taking protected birds of prey and
migratory non-game birds.
   (SFC, 3/16/18, p.D3)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Florida at
least eight cars were trapped when the 950-ton bridge suddenly gave
way in Miami. At least six people were killed.
   (AFP, 3/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US state of
Georgia executed Carlton Gary (67), known as the "stocking
strangler," for raping and killing three elderly women in the
1977-1978. Nine women had been attacked and seven of them died.
   (SFC, 3/16/18, p.A5)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Local media
reported that Bosnia has banned leaders of the Russian Night Wolves
motorcycle club from entering the country next week because of
security concerns. The club is under US sanctions for its role in a
pro-Russian separatist insurgency in Ukraine.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Brazil's troubled
national oil company Petrobras posted net losses of 446 million
reais ($139.7 million) for 2017, reflecting continued fallout from
the "Car Wash" corruption scandal, but sharply improving on the
previous year.
   (AFP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Anglo-Dutch
consumer giant Unilever chose The Netherlands over London to host
its headquarters, dealing a blow to Britain's efforts to keep
multinational companies onside following Brexit.
   (AFP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In western
Cambodia a land mine exploded accidently during clearance training
at a military base, killing two people, including an Australian
trainer, and injuring three others.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cameroon's
octogenarian President Paul Biya, who has ruled the central African
country with an iron grip for decades, held his first cabinet
meeting since 2015.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Beijing WKW
Automotive Parts said it plans to invest about 16 billion yuan
($2.53 billion) in a new energy car project, to cash in on the
increasing popularity of environmentally friendly vehicles as part
of China's efforts to cut pollution.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Members of the
Uighur Muslim ethnic group held demonstrations in cities around the
world to protest a sweeping Chinese surveillance and security
campaign that has sent thousands of their people into detention and
political indoctrination centers.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The European
Commission published an updated draft text of the treaty that will
regulate Britain's exit from the European Union on March 29th, 2019,
but some of the key sticking points remain unresolved.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, French pensioners
and retirement home workers staged protests across the country,
kicking off a series of strikes against Pres. Emmanuel Macron's
reforms.
   (AFP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Greek police said
they have arrested 11 people on suspicion of running a smuggling
ring transporting hundreds of refugees and migrants from the
Greek-Turkish land border to the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki
over the past year.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Greek court
sentenced a university lecturer (46) to two life terms in prison for
fatally poisoning his wife and her grandmother with arsenic. The
court ruled that the geology lecturer at the Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki gradually poisoned his 34-year-old wife and her
85-year-old grandmother in August 2013.
   (AP, 3/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Tens of thousands
of supporters of Hungary's right-wing PM Viktor Orban marched in
Budapest to back his bid for a third term in office in April
elections, many of them hailing his hardline stance on immigration.
They were joined by thousands of supporters of Poland's ruling
conservative PiS party.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Indonesia the
Law on Representative Assemblies, passed last month by the
560-member Parliament, came into force automatically after 30 days
despite President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's refusal to sign it because
of public opposition. Critics say the law could protect legislators
from investigations by the powerful anti-graft commission.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Iraq a US HH-60
Pave Hawk helicopter carrying seven people crashed near al-Qaim,
Anbar province, killing all on board.
   (Reuters, 3/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Malaysia's PM
Najib Razak announced cash handouts on top of bonuses already paid
to staff of the largest government-linked asset management firm, as
he prepared for a general election that must be held by August.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Pakistan a
Taliban-linked Pakistani cleric and six of his family members were
killed in a powerful explosion at the cleric's home in the remote
southwestern town of Qillah Saifullah, Baluchistan province. The
explosion apparently occurred when a bomb or an explosive device was
being loaded in a vehicle.
   (AP, 3/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Peru's congress
voted by a wide margin to allow impeachment proceedings to begin
against Pres. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over his ties to Odebrecht, the
Brazilian construction giant.
   (SFC, 3/16/18, p.A2)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Polish prosecutors
say American authorities are moving ahead with their request to
extradite Michael Karkoc (99) of Minnesota man to be tried on
allegations he was involved in a World War II massacre of civilians.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Slovak PM Robert
Fico and his government resigned as a way out of the political
crisis triggered by the slayings of an investigative journalist and
his fiancée. Pres. Andrej Kiska asked deputy prime minister Peter
Pellegrini to form a new government.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A South African
court granted bail to six police officers charged with murder and
attempted murder in connection with the 2012 killing of striking
mine workers at Lonmin’s Marikana mine.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Spain street
vendor Mbame Ndiaye (35) of Senegal, who had been running away from
police officers, died of cardiorespiratory arrest after he escaped a
police crackdown on informal street sales. Subsequent protests by
hundreds of African migrants and Spanish residents degenerated into
rioting.
   (AP, 3/16/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Sri Lanka's
government ended a weeklong ban on social media that was imposed
because of concerns that it was being used to fan anti-Muslim
violence in the country's central region.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Syrian charities
and rights groups called on Western leaders to threaten a boycott of
the upcoming football World Cup in Russia to protest against
Moscow's support for Syria's regime.
   (AFP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Syria
government and Russian forces blanketed the besieged rebel-held
eastern Ghouta region with airstrikes and rocket fire. Regime forces
captured Hammuriyeh. More than 12,000 people fled the enclave of
Eastern Ghouta. A joint convoy of food supplies for some 26,000
people entered Douma, the largest town in Ghouta and part of a
separate rebel-controlled pocket.
   (AP, 3/15/18)(AFP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In northern Syria
hundreds of residents of the Kurdish enclave under Turkish assault
trickled out of Afrin's center toward neighboring villages amid an
intensifying offensive. Senior Kurdish official Omar Alloush, who
played a key role with the United States in implementing its
post-Islamic State policy in northern Syria, was found dead in his
apartment in northern Syria.
   (AP, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Syria Anna
Campbell (27), a British woman fighting alongside Kurdish forces was
killed in Turkish shelling" on frontlines around Afrin city.
   (AFP, 3/19/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The UN human
rights office said in a report that Mexican authorities had tortured
dozens of people in connection with an investigation into the 2014
disappearance of 43 students, and called for a full inquiry.
   (Reuters, 3/15/18)
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The United Nations
Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution renewing for a
year its peace mission in South Sudan, while also threatening to
later impose an arms embargo if necessary.
   (AFP, 3/15/18)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Pres. Donald Trump
signed the first veto of his presidency, overriding congressional
opposition to secure emergency funds to build more walls on the
US-Mexico border.
   (AFP, 3/16/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US State
Department said that it is eliminating a coveted five-year tourist
visa for Cubans, dealing a heavy blow to entrepreneurs and Cuban
members of divided families, who used the visas to see relatives in
the United States and buy precious supplies for their businesses on
the island.
   (AP, 3/16/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo said the United States will revoke or deny visas
to International Criminal Court personnel who attempt to investigate
or prosecute alleged abuses committed by US forces in Afghanistan or
elsewhere and may do the same with those who try to take action
against Israel.
   (AP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US Special
Counsel's Office asked a court to delay sentencing for US President
Donald Trump's former deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates, amid
"ongoing investigations" stemming from the Russia investigation.
   (Reuters, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US
Environmental Protection Agency banned consumer sales of a paint
stripper following personal appeals by families of men who died
while using the product. The rule does not affect commercial uses.
   (SFC, 3/16/19, p.A5)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, American poet W.S.
Merwin died at his home in Hawaii. Merwin was a two-time winner of
the Pulitzer Prize and the US poet laureate from 2010-2011.
   (SFC, 3/18/19, p.C3)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Minnesota the
body of a child was found inside a blanket along a highway near
Austin. Dariaz Higgins, the father of Noelani Robinson (2), was
accused of killing her mother, Sierra Robinson (24), in Milwaukee
last week.
   (SSFC, 3/17/19, p.A8)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Univ. of
Tennessee said it will begin providing free tuition to state
residents stating in the fall of 2020.
   (SFC, 3/16/19, p.A5)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Washington
state a US District judge granted a temporary restraining order that
let Microsoft take over 99 websites that Iranian hackers had used to
try to steal sensitive information from targets in the US.
   (SSFC, 3/31/19, p.D2)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Afghanistan
Sultan Mahmoud Khirkhowa, a reporter with the local Zhman TV and
radio, was killed when two men on a motorcycle opened fire on his
vehicle in eastern Khost province.
   (AP, 3/17/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Algeria a huge
crowd of demonstrators marched through Algiers for a fourth
consecutive Friday to step up demands for President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika's ouster, rejecting his offer not to seek re-election.
   (AFP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In London Michael
Seed , a 58-year-old man nicknamed "Basil," was found guilty of
being the sixth member of a gang of aging criminals who carried out
the 2015 Easter weekend robbery at the Hatton Garden Safety Deposit
building, one the most audacious in the annals of British crime.
   (Reuters, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In northern China
a landslide knocked down several buildings, killing seven people and
leaving 13 others missing in Xiangning county, Shanxi province.
   (AP, 3/16/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Congo DRC at
least one person was left dead after protests over local elections
turned violent. Members of President Felix Tshisekedi's Union for
Democracy and Social Progress took to the streets in Kinshasa and in
other parts of the country after the party failed to win any senate
seats from Kinshasa in the regional assembly.
   (AP, 3/16/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Catholic
Church in Costa Rica asked for forgiveness following recent
accusations that three of its priests sexually abused minors, amid a
clerical abuse scandal that has ravaged the institution's
credibility around the globe.
   (Reuters, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Czech police said
they have broken up an international ring smuggling migrants from
southeast Asia to western Europe.
   (AP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The EU imposed
sanctions on eight more Russian officials that it says were involved
in the seizure by Russia of Ukrainian ships and crew in November.
   (AP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Greece backed
calls by Bolivia's left-wing President Evo Morales for a negotiated
settlement to the severe political and financial crisis in
Venezuela, in what marks a different approach to that pursued by key
European allies.
   (AP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Iraqi
government started exhuming a mass grave left behind by the Islamic
State group in the northwestern Sinjar region in the presence of
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, whose slain relatives are
believed to have been buried in the area. Over 70 mass graves have
been discovered in Sinjar since it was liberated from IS in November
2015.
   (AP, 3/16/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israel struck
dozens of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight in response to
rockets from the Palestinian enclave, including rare fire toward its
economic capital Tel Aviv.
   (AFP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Kenya nations
meeting at the UN environment assembly in Nairobi announced that
they had agreed to "significantly reduce" single-use plastics over
the next decade.
   (AFP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A court in North
Macedonia sentenced 16 people, including a former interior minister,
from 7 to 18 years in prison for their role in a violent intrusion
in parliament at the height of a political crisis in 2017.
   (AP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Poland
thousands of students marched in rainy Warsaw and other cities to
demand a ban on burning coal, a major source of carbon dioxide. Tens
of thousands of young people skipped school across the globe to
march through the streets for an international day of student
protests aimed at pushing world leaders into action on climate
change.
   (AP, 3/15/19)(AFP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In New Zealand
shootings at two mosques in Christchurch left 50 dead in the
country's worst-ever mass shooting. Video footage by the shooter was
live streamed and widely shared online. Brenton Harrison Tarrant, an
Australian-born man (28), was arrested and charged with murder. He
left behind a 74-page document posted on social media under his name
in which he said he hoped to survive the attack to better spread his
views in the media.
   (Reuters, 3/15/19)(AFP, 3/15/19)(AP, 3/16/19)(AP,
3/17/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Nicaragua released
50 prisoners held for taking part in anti-government protests,
authorities said, giving a fresh impetus to peace talks on ending
the country's long running political crisis.
   (AFP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In eastern Syria
the IS launched three suicide attacks outside Baghouz, killing six
people as they fled the village near the Iraqi border. An SDF
official said IS militants were holding some 300 prisoners, both
civilians and SDF fighters.
   (AFP, 3/16/19)(SFC, 3/16/19, p.A2)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Freeman Mbowe, the
head of Tanzania's main opposition party, condemned what he
described as a climate of fear installed by a "police state" after
he was held in prison for more than three months.
   (AFP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A Turkish court
convicted Neil Prakash (27), an Australian-born Islamic State
militant, of belonging to a terror group and sentenced him to more
than seven years in prison. The court said he could be released in
2½ years under Turkish law.
   (AP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Venezuela
President Nicolas Maduro created a military unit charged with
protecting basic installations and services such as electricity and
water just over a week after the country was hit with a massive
blackout.
   (AFP, 3/15/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Venezuela
German journalist Billy Six, detained by Venezuelan intelligence
services four months ago, was freed in Caracas, but must report to
the court every 15 days. Six was allowed to leave Venezuela if he
chose and soon flew home from Caracas.
   (AFP, 3/15/19)(AP, 3/17/19)
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cyclone Idai hit
Zimbabwe, cutting off power and communications. At least 31 people
died in southeastern Zimbabwe as homes and bridges were swept away
by the tropical storm. The confirmed dead soon rose to 98 with least
217 more missing.
   (Reuters, 3/16/19)(SSFC, 3/17/19, p.A7)(AFP,
3/19/19)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Joe Biden promised
to choose a woman as his vice president should he win the Democratic
presidential nomination. He made the pledge on stage with rival
Bernie Sanders in the first debate held without a live audience
because of concerns over the coronavirus. Sanders said he would also
likely choose a woman.
   (Bloomberg, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, US officials
recorded nearly 3,000 cases of coronavirus with 63 deaths, up from
58 a day earlier. Globally more than 162,000 were infected and over
6,400 have died. The US Navy said a sailor aboard a warship ship has
tested positive for the coronavirus for the first time. The
only state not reporting cases is West Virginia. Cases neared
160,000 worldwide, as deaths top 6,000. Several countries cautioned
that fewer tests are being performed as more people fall ill. A US
Army soldier tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first
US Army case in Europe.
   (NY Times, 3/15/20)(Bloomberg, 3/15/20)(Reuters,
3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US Federal
Reserve slashing its benchmark rate back to a record low slashing it
by a full percentage point to a range between zero and 0.25%. Global
markets slumped. The Fed also said it would buy $700 billion in
Treasury and mortgage bonds.
   (AP, 3/15/20)(AP, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Peace Corps
told its volunteers around the world that it is suspending all
operations globally and evacuating all volunteers in light of the
spread of the new coronavirus.
   (Reuters, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, California's Gov.
Gavin Newsom announced new state measure to combat the coronavirus,
urging that bars close and restaurants reduce capacity. Newsom also
asked all state residents 65 and older to isolate themselves at
home.
   (SFC, 3/16/20, p.A1)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In the SF Bay Area
Santa Clara's health officer confirmed 114 cases of coronavirus, the
most of any county in the state and about 30% of the cases
statewide.
   (SFC, 3/16/20, p.A1)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Georgia seven
people were dead after a shooting incident initially reported as a
murder-suicide in Moncure, Chatham County. The victims included the
suspected shooter.
   (Charlotte Observer, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Missouri 5
people including a police officer and a gunman died in a shooting at
a Springfield gas station after gunman Joaquin Roman (31) went
inside and opened fire.
   (Reuters, 3/16/20)(SFC, 3/17/20, p.A4)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, New Jersey
reported its second death from the coronavirus, The state has 69
positive tests, up from 50 the day before.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, New York's
Governor Andrew Cuomo said two state Assembly members, Helene
Weinstein and Charles Barron, have tested positive for Covid-19. The
state reported 729 confirmed cases, an increase of 69. There have
been three deaths.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)(The Independent, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, NYC Mayor Bill de
Blasio announced a decision to close city schools through at least
April 20. Hours later the mayor also took aim at the city's
nightlife, saying he would sign an order on March 16 limiting the
city's 27,000 restaurants and bars to takeout and delivery only
effective on the morning of March 17.
   (AP, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, US sportswear
giant Nike Inc said it is closing all of its stores in the United
States and several other countries to limit the spread of the
coronavirus.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Several African
countries closed borders, canceled flights and imposed strict entry
and quarantine requirements to contain the spread of the new
coronavirus, which has a foothold in 26 nations on the continent as
cases keep rising. Cases have now been reported in Algeria, Burkina
Faso, Cameroon, Central African Rep., Congo Brazzaville, Congo DRC,
Egypt, and Equatorial Guinea, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana,
Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria,
Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Australia's New
South Wales, the country’s most populous state, reported 22 new
cases taking the totally tally to 134. Eight new cases of
coronavirus were confirmed in the state of Victoria, bringing the
total number of cases in that state to 57. Australia said it will
impose 14-day self-isolation on international travelers arriving
from midnight and ban cruise ships from foreign ports for 30 days.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)(Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Austria the
number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped to 800, from 602 a day
earlier.
   (AP, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Belgium’s health
ministry reported 197 new cases, bringing the total of confirmed
infections to 886.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The British
government announced England will join a growing list of countries
offering HIV-prevention pill to all those at high risk of catching
the virus. More than 100,000 people were estimated to be living with
HIV in the UK in 2018.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Airlines called on
the British government to help ensure their survival during the
coronavirus crisis after the US extended restrictions on European
travelers to include Britain.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, PM Boyko Borissov
said Bulgaria will raise the salaries of all medics involved in
treating coronavirus patients by 1000 levs ($566) per month as it
steps up measures to contain the fast-spreading infection. Confirmed
cases had almost doubled to 43 with two deaths.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Cameroon a
passenger arriving from Brussels was whisked to a hospital and
diagnosed inside four hours as the country's fourth case of
coronavirus.
   (Reuters, 3/17/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Cambodia said
French national travelling from Paris via Singapore to Phnom Penh
has been infected with the coronavirus, bringing the country's tally
of cases to eight.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In the Central
African Rep. a UN peacekeeper from Burundi was killed when troops
were trying to stop an attack in Grimari in the center of the
country that began when anti-Balaka fighters under the command of
Dimitri Ayoloma opened fire on the homes of the mayor and a regional
official.
   (AP, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China reported 16
new confirmed cases of coronavirus bringing its total to 80,860.
Beijing said it will quarantine all travelers from overseas,
including Chinese citizens, at designated locations for 14 days as
the government shifts its focus to limiting imported coronavirus
cases.
   (AP, 3/15/20)(Reuters, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Denmark's
government told private companies struggling with drastic measures
to curb the spread of coronavirus that it would cover 75% of
employees' salaries, if they promised not to cut staff.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Ethiopia has now
recorded four coronavirus cases.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Finland had a
total of 240 coronavirus cases.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, French voters went
to the polls in the first round of elections to choose mayors and
tens of thousands of local officials.
   (SSFC, 3/15/20, p.A3)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Georgia's
government said it will temporarily shut its border with Russia for
travelers from March 16 in a bid to stop the spread of the
coronavirus. Georgia had 30 cases of coronavirus, the highest number
in the South Caucasus region.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Germany's Health
Ministry confirmed a report in newspaper Welt am Sonntag, which said
President Donald Trump had offered funds to lure the company CureVac
to the United States, and the German government was making
counter-offers to tempt it to stay.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Guatemala logged
its first fatality from the coronavirus.
   (Reuters, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Guyana a team
from the 15-nation Caribbean Community arrived to supervise a
recount of the March 2 elections. Incumbent Pres. David Granger had
agreed to the recount. A local court soon blocked the recount.
   (SFC, 3/16/20, p.A2)(SFC, 3/19/20, p.A2)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, India reported
that the number of coronavirus infections had risen to 107, an
increase of 23 from the day before.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Indonesia reported
21 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of
confirmed cases to 117.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Iran's Health
Ministry added another 113 deaths and 1,209 new confirmed cases of
the COVID-19 infection. It said the outbreak has claimed 724. Some
13,938 people have been infected across the country.
   (AFP, 3/15/20)(Bloomberg, 3/15/20)(Reuters,
3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Israel's Pres.
Reuven Rivlin said he has decided to give opposition leader Benny
Gants the first opportunity to form a new government. PM Benjamin
Netanyahu proposed a six-month "emergency government" to confront
the coronavirus crisis and end a political deadlock after the
country's third inconclusive election in less than a year. Israel
delayed PM Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial for two months due
to the coronavirus.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)(Reuters, 3/16/20)(SFC,
3/16/20, p.A4)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Italy recorded 368
more deaths from the coronavirus. It had 24,747 cases and 1,809
deaths.
   (Reuters, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Japan the
number of coronavirus infections rose to 1,484, increasing by a
faster pace than the previous day. The total number of infections
included 697 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and 14 returnees
on charter flights from China.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Jordan confirmed
12 new coronavirus cases.
   (Reuters, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Kenya has now
recorded three coronavirus cases.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Lebanon's Health
Ministry said that it had recorded 99 cases of coronavirus. Pres.
Michel Aoun called for citizens to work from home and avoid
socializing to prevent the spread of the virus.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Libya’s coast
guard intercepted over 400 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s
Mediterranean coast and returned them to the capital of Tripoli over
the past 24 hours.
   (AP, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Malaysia confirmed
190 new coronavirus cases, pushing its overall total to 428, the
most in Southeast Asia.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Mexican officials
said the number of monarch butterflies that reached their winter
resting grounds decreased by about 53% this year. The population
covered only 6.9 acres, down from 15 acres a year earlier.
   (SFC, 3/16/20, p.A2)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In the Netherlands
the number of deaths rose by eight to 20, while confirmed cases
increased by 176 to 1,135.
   (AP, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Niger's army
reportedly killed at least 50 Boko Haram Islamist extremists during
an overnight attack on the eastern Toumour military post.
   (SFC, 3/18/20, p.A2)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Nigeria a
pipeline explosion killed at least 15 people and destroyed about 50
buildings after a fire broke out in a suburb of Lagos.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Peru's Pres.
Martin Vizcarra imposed a lockdown and quarantine as his country
reported 71 cases of the coronavirus.
   (Economist, 4/4/20, p.26)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Philippines
recorded 4 additional coronavirus deaths and 29 new cases, bringing
the domestic tally of infections to 140, as authorities placed the
entire capital Manila under "community quarantine" for about a
month.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)(Reuters, 3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Poland’s
coronavirus cases rose to 111 cases with three deaths. The count was
rising as the nation is now testing all those who are in quarantine.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Singapore
confirmed 14 new cases of the novel coronavirus, marking the biggest
daily increase of the infection in the city-state. Nine of the cases
were imported. Singapore has confirmed a total 226 cases of the
virus so far, with 105 having fully recovered.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Slovakia reported
54 coronavirus cases, an increase of 10.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, South Africa
reported its first local transmission of coronavirus, increasing the
number of cases to 62. President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced
social-distancing and declared a national state of disaster to
combat the spread of the coronavirus as his counterparts in
sub-Saharan Africa took similar steps to curb the threat in a region
that accounts for only 1% of global health-care spending.
   (BBC, 3/16/20)(AP, 3/16/20)(Econ, 4/18/20, p.33)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, South Korea
reported 76 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, an all-time low since
Feb. 20, when the country saw a surge of over 500 in four days. The
country’s total tally stands at 8,162 with a total of 75 deaths.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Spain’s diagnosed
cases of the coronavirus jumped 35% to 7,753 and the death toll rose
by 152 to 288. Ford Motors said it would shut its Spanish plant in
the eastern region of Valencia for one week starting tomorrow after
three employees tested positive for coronavirus.
   (Bloomberg, 3/15/20)(Reuters, 3/15/20)(Reuters,
3/16/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Switzerland
coronavirus infections jumped by nearly 1,000 cases in 24 hours to
2,200 and 14 deaths were recorded from the virus across the country.
   (AFP, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Syria's brutal
conflict entered its 10th year with President Bashar al-Assad's
regime consolidating its hold over a war-wracked country where
foreign powers are flexing their muscle. In the northwest Turkish
and Russian troops began joint patrols on the key M4 highway. Rebel
provocations forced Russia and Turkey to cut short their first joint
patrol.
   (AFP, 3/15/20)(AP, 3/15/20)(Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Thailand reported
32 new cases of the coronavirus in the largest daily jump in
infections since the outbreak began, bringing its total tally to
114.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Turkey said
thousands of Muslims returning to home from a pilgrimage in Saudi
Arabia were being taken into quarantine due to concerns about the
spread of the coronavirus.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Venezuelan
President Nicolás Maduro wrote to the IMF asking for a $5bn loan to
fight COVID-19.
   (Econ, 3/21/20, p.30)
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Vietnam's health
ministry said all passengers coming from or through China, South
Korea, the UK and Schengen countries will be quarantined and tested
for coronavirus. Vietnam reported 37 new coronavirus cases over the
past week, taking the tally to 53.
   (Reuters, 3/15/20)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, President Joe
Biden's administration told the US Supreme Court that it thinks
low-level crack cocaine offenders should be among the beneficiaries
of a federal law that reduced certain prison sentences, reversing
the position taken under his predecessor Donald Trump.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US Senate
confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary, making
her the first Native American to lead a Cabinet department and the
first to lead the federal agency that has wielded influence over the
nation's tribes for nearly two centuries.
   (SFC, 3/16/21, p.A3)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that the US-based branch of the Jesuits has unveiled plans for a
"truth and reconciliation" initiative in partnership with
descendants of people once enslaved by the Roman Catholic order. The
Jesuits planned to raise $1 billion within five years in pursuit of
racial justice and racial healing.
   (NY Times, 3/17/21, p.A4)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The US embassy in
Mozambique said US special operations forces will support
Mozambique's efforts to prevent the spread of terrorism and violent
extremism".
   (BBC, 3/21/21)
2021 Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, California to
date had 3,600,364 cases of coronavirus and 55,815 deaths. The SF
Bay Area had 414,922 cases and 5,656 deaths. Total cases nationwide
reached over 29,492,614 with the death toll at 535,597.
   (sfist.com, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In San Francisco
Stephen Bechtel Jr. (95), philanthropist and retired CEO of the
Bechtel construction company (1960-1990), died at his home in
Pacific Heights.
   (SFC, 3/16/21, p.B1)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Florida the
body of Neil Clark (67), a longtime Ohio lobbyist who had pleaded
not guilty in a sweeping $60 million federal bribery investigation,
was found dead in Collier County.
   (AP, 3/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, County officials
in coastal North Carolina voted on whether to raise property taxes
to help save a main road from rising seas.
   (NY Times, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Eight migrants
died in a car crash in Texas on US Highway 277, about 30 miles north
of the border city Del Rio.
   (NY Times, 3/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Senator Mitt
Romney of Utah in a public letter urged American spectators,
companies and diplomats to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics,
to punish China for its human rights abuses. He favored that
approach over an athlete boycott.
   (NY Times, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that a new feature has appeared at smoke shops in Montana, gas
stations in the Carolinas and delis in far-flung corners of New York
City: a brightly-lit bitcoin ATM, where customers can buy or sell
digital currency, and sometimes extract hard cash. There are now
bitcoin ATMs in every state except Alaska.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Billionaire hedge
fund investor William Ackman said he donated 26.5 million shares in
newly public South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang Inc to three
entities, including his foundation.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Advanced Micro
Devices Inc released a new data center chip aimed at taking away
more market share from rival Intel Corp. California-based AMD
designs the chip but taps Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd
to fabricate the chip using TSMC's 7-nanometer chipmaking process.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, CEO Mark
Zuckerberg said Facebook is adding informational labels to posts
about vaccines as it expands efforts to counter COVID-19-related
misinformation flourishing on its platforms.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, General Motors Co
said that due to the global semiconductor chip shortage the US
automaker is building certain 2021 light-duty full-size pickup
trucks without a fuel management module, hurting those vehicles'
fuel economy performance.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Gilead Sciences
Inc and rival Merck & Co Inc said they will test a combination
of their experimental HIV drugs to develop a long-acting treatment
for the infection that affects millions worldwide.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Moderna Inc said
it had dosed the first patients in an early-stage study of a new
COVID-19 vaccine candidate for evaluation as a next-generation shot.
The new candidate, mRNA-1283, could potentially be stored in
refrigerators instead of freezers.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Purdue Pharma
submitted its bankruptcy restructuring plan just before midnight.
The blueprint requires members of the billionaire Sackler family to
relinquish control of the company and transforms it into a new
corporation with revenue directed exclusively toward abating the
addiction epidemic that its signature painkiller, OxyContin, helped
create.
   (NY Times, 3/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Australia more
than 100,000 people took to the streets in dozens of rallies across
the country to protest violence against women and the government’s
handling of two rape cases involving high-level political figures.
   (The Telegraph, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Britain said it
was imposing new sanctions on Bashar al-Assad’s regime, including
asset freezes and travel bans on the Syrian dictator’s close allies.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Rogers
Communications Inc said it was buying rival Shaw Communications Inc
for about C$20 billion in a deal that would create Canada's
second-largest cellular and cable operator but might attract stiff
regulatory scrutiny.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A regional court
in West Africa ordered the immediate release of a Venezuelan
businessman close to President Nicolás Maduro, finding that his
arrest in Cape Verde on US money laundering charges was unlawful.
The court also instructed Cape Verde to cease all extradition
proceedings against Alex Saab and compensate him $200,000 for
damages. Federal prosecutors in Miami indicted Saab in 2019 on money
laundering charges connected to an alleged bribery scheme that
pocketed more than $350 million from a low-income housing project
for the Venezuelan government that was never built.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that 25% of Chile's population has received at least one shot of the
coronavirus vaccine.
   (SFC, 3/15/21, p.A6)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China said it will
simplify visa applications for foreign nationals who have been
inoculated with Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines, its latest small
step towards normalizing international travel.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, China reported a
new COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. The vaccine, jointly
developed by Anhui Jifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co. and the
Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the fifth coronavirus vaccine
developed and approved in China and the 4th to be given emergency
use approval.
   (SFC, 3/17/21, p.A3)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The largest
sandstorm in a decade swept across northern China and Mongolia,
grounding flights and closing schools. At least 10 people were
killed and nearly 400 left missing.
   (NY Times, 3/15/21)(SSFC, 3/21/21, p.B8)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Attacks on
Chinese-run factories in Myanmar's biggest city drew demands from
Beijing for protection for their property and employees.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, A report by
medical charity MSF has found that nearly 70% of health facilities
in Ethiopia's conflict-hit northern region of Tigray have been
vandalized and equipment looted.
   (BBC, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The European Union
launched legal action against Britain for unilaterally changing
trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach
the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The French
government said it will return a Nazi-looted Gustav Klimt landscape
painting (Rosebushes under the Trees) to the family of Nora Stiasny,
a Holocaust victim who was dispossessed of the 1905 painting in
1938.
   (SFC, 3/16/21, p.A3)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Germany, France,
Italy and Spain said they would stop administering the AstraZeneca
COVID-19 vaccine after several countries reported possible serious
side-effects.
   (AP, 3/15/21)(SFC, 3/16/21, p.A4)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Germany's IDT
Biologica said it would make Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19
vaccine using capacity previously reserved by Japan's Takeda,
helping to ease concerns about the US drugmaker's ability to meet
its production goals.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Hong Kong
authorities said that the city's vaccine scheme would be widened to
include those aged between 30-60 years old and domestic helpers, as
they aim to increase take up amongst residents in the Asian
financial hub.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Hungary
demonstrators in Budapest broke a ban on public gatherings to demand
an end to the country's lockdown restrictions, even as a surge in
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations sweeps the country.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Indonesia said it
will delay the administering of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine due
to reports of blood clots among some recipients in Europe and would
await a review from the World Health Organization (WHO).
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Iran's
paramilitary Revolutionary Guard inaugurated a new underground
facility designated for missile storage.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Iran charged a
French tourist with spying and “spreading propaganda against the
system. Benjamin Berier was arrested some 10 months ago after taking
pictures in a desert area where photography is prohibited.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Italy’s top
administrative court ruled against a conservative think tank
affiliated with former White House adviser Steve Bannon over its use
of a hilltop monastery to train future populist leaders.
   (AP, 3/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Most of Italy
entered a new lockdown today. Cases have risen over the past three
weeks, driven by the spread of the variant first found in Britain
and a slow vaccination campaign.
   (NY Times, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Libya's first
unity government in years was sworn in in the eastern city of
Tobruk, charged with unifying the country after years of violence
and division and overseeing the run-up to national elections.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, The Netherlands
began 3 days of general elections.
   (SFC, 3/16/21, p.A2)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Nigeria gunmen
on motorcycles stormed the primary school in Rama village in Birnin
Gwari local government area as children were arriving for classes.
Three teachers were abducted.
   (BBC, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Yaphet Kotto
(b.1939), African-American actor, died near Manila in the
Philippines. His films included "Nothing But a Man" (1964), "Live
and Let Die" (1973), "Blue Collar" (1978), "Alien" (1979), "Running
Man" (1987) and "Midnight Run" (1988).
   (SFC, 3/17/21, p.A4)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, Russia's RDIF
sovereign wealth fund said Russia has vaccinated 3.5 million people
with both shots of its Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, which
puts it ahead of all countries in Europe in terms of the absolute
number of people fully vaccinated.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, In Thailand six
pedigree cats valued at thousands of dollars were confiscated in a
Thai drug network raid on suspicion they were being used to launder
money.
   (Reuters, 3/16/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine has been arrested while
leading a protest in Kampala.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
 2021      Mar 15, The Vatican
decreed that the Catholic Church won't bless same-sex unions since
God “cannot bless sin”.
   (AP, 3/15/21)
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Mar 15, It was reported
that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is pressing banks to
implement digital payment systems as hyperinflation prompts chronic
shortages of cash in the bolivar currency.
   (Reuters, 3/15/21)