- March 4
- Russian energy company Gazprom cuts gas supplies to the Ukraine by a further 25 percent. [57]
- Platinum hits a record high of US$2273 per ounce on the London spot market. [441.91] [445.50] [452.1]
- Reverend Ian Paisley announces he will stand down in May as Northern Ireland's first minister and leader of Democratic Unionists. [137.64]
- March 5
- Russian energy company Gazprom restores gas supplies to Naftogaz in the Ukraine. [57]
- In Germany, members of the Verdi union stage a work strike, grounding flights at airports. [57]
- A large meteor fireball over southern Ontario, Canada is captured on video by The Physics and Astronomy Department at Western. [521]
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- March 6
- In Baghdad, Iraq, two bomb attacks in a shopping area leave over 50 dead and 130 injured. [57]
- Eight Israeli civilians are killed and 9 wounded when a Palestinian attacker opens fire at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. [310]
- March 7
- The US Federal Reserve promises to provide up to US$200 billion in temporary loans to banks and bond-market dealers. [144.10]
- A dozen tornadoes cause much damage in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Cars are flipped, trees and power poles knocked down, homes and businesses damaged, and two people are killed. [35]
- A summit is held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Nicaragua re-establish diplomatic relations. [144.47]
- March 8
- Elections in Malaysia: the National Front coalition wins election in the federal parliament and 8 of 13 state assemblies, but loses its 2/3 majority in Parliament. [144.17]
- A meteorite (black, 3kg, 40cm diameter) falls in a thunderous crash in Yaka, Turkey. [521]
- March 9
- General elections in Spain, for 350 members of the Cortes, the lower house of parliament: Socialist Party wins 169 seats, with leader José Luis Rodríguez. Popular Party wins 153 seats. [57] [142.63] [144.18]
- At the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, the Automated Transfer Vehicle is launched aboard an Ariane 5 rocket into space. The unmanned European Space Agency cargo freighter is on a mission to resupply the International Space Station. [57] [310]
- The Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz agree to work together to form a government. [144.52]
- March 10
- In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is sworn in as Prime Minister by the King. [57]
- Michael Todd, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, United Kingdom, is found dead on Bwlch Glas mountain in north Wales. [35]
- Great balls of fire are seen falling from the sky over Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. [521]
- March 11
- At the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US space shuttle Endeavour lifts off headed for the International Space Station. Its cargo includes part of a Japanese space laboratory and a Canadian-built robotic system. [35]
- The US Federal Reserve promises to lend up to US$200 billion of Treasury bonds on a monthly basis with mortgage-backed securities as collateral. [144.10]
- Two suicide blasts in Lahore, Pakistan, kill 24, injuring over 100. [144.53]
- March 12
- Oil hits a record US$110 per barrel. [144.117]
- Death of Lazare Ponticelli, at age 110, France's last surviving veteran of World War I. [57] [118.8] [207.98] [310]
- March 13
- The US dollar drops below 100 Japanese yen for the first time in 12 years, and gold rises to US$1000 per ounce. [144.87] [207.83]
- March 14
- Violent riots occur in Lhasa, Tibet, against Chinese presence. [207.27] [310]
- March 15
- A huge gun factory explosion in Gërdec, Albania kills more than 30 people. Over the following week, Albania, Kosovo, and some surrounding countries supply and support Gërdec's population with food, blood, etc. [310]
- In China, Hu Jintao is elected for another five-year term as president. Hu Jintao is also re-elected chairman of the Central Military Commission. Xi Jinping won election as vice-president. [57]
- March 16
- American investment bank Bear Stearns, 5th largest on Wall Street, is bought by JP Morgan Chase for $2 per share, a total of $236 million. In mid-2006, Bear Stearns was worth $200 per share. The Federal Reserve also provides a US$30 billion loan, and announces it will directly loan to other investment banks and brokers. [207.11,79]
- March 17
- The US dollar hits an all-time low of US$1.59 to the euro. [139.100]
- Price of gold hits a record US$1011.25 per ounce on the London market. [436.72]
- Price of an ounce of silver peaks at US$20.92. [470.92]
- Share prices of American investment bank Lehman Brothers lose 20 percent of value on the stock market. [207.8]
- March 18
- The US Federal Reserve cuts the interest rate by a further 0.75, down to 2.25 percent. [35] [207.81]
- The London PM fix for spot price of gold closes at US$1006.75 per ounce. [399.5]
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes 420 points higher than the previous day. [35]
- March 19
- Microsoft releases Service Pack 1 for the Windows Vista operating system. [57]
- An exploding star halfway across the visible universe becomes the farthest known object ever visible to the naked eye. [310]
- March 21
- A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs in the northwest region of Xinjiang province in China, with aftershocks of 5.1 and 5.2 within half an hour. [35]
- French President Nicolas Sarkozy announces France will reduce its number of airborne nuclear weapons by one third, to fewer than 300. [57]
- March 22
- In Taiwan (Republic of China), the presidential election is held. Opposition candidate Ma Ying-jeou, of the Kuomintang party, wins with nearly 17 percentage points ahead of Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Two referendums on joining the United Nations fail due to less than 50 percent voter turnout. [57] [139.54]
- March 23
- US soldier death toll in the Iraq war reaches 4000, after five years of fighting. [35]
- In a bingo hall in Coatbridge, north Lanarkshire, Scotland, a woman wins a record 1,167,795 pounds (US$2.3 million) in the National Bingo Game. [35]
- March 24
- In northern Chile, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes. [57]
- First election in Bhutan, with turnout of 80 percent of 320,000 registered voters. Druk Phuensum Tshogpa party wins 44 of 47 seats, with leader Jigme Thinley. [139.58] [310]
- In Iowa City, Iowa, USA, former bank executive Steven Sueppel, facing trial for embezzlement, beats to death his wife Sheryl Sueppel and the couple's four adopted children, then kills himself by ramming his car into a highway sign post. [35]
- March 25
- Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf swears in new prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. [35]
- A 414 square kilometre (160 square mile) chunk of Antarctica's Wilkins Ice Shelf disintegrates, leaving the entire shelf at risk. [310]
- African Union and Comoros forces invade the rebel-held island of Anjouan. [310]
- In western Austria, over 60 vehicles are involved in a highway accident, caused by poor visibility in a major snowstorm. One person is dead, 30 are injured. [57]
- March 26
- Tata Motors of India announces it will buy Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor of the USA for US$2.3 billion. [35]
- Top commander Pedro Antonio Marín (Manuel Marulanda) of Colombian leftist rebel group FARC dies of a heart attack at age 78. [57] [210.42] [310]
- US space shuttle Endeavour returns to Earth, landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission delivered the first part of the Japanese Kibo research laboratory and a Canadian maintenance robot to the International Space Station. Space station flight engineer Leopold Eyharts returned with the shuttle, after spending seven weeks setting up the Columbus lab. [35]
- Advanced Micro Devices unveils the "Phenom" microprocessor for desktop personal computers. [35]
- March 27
- Terminal 5 opens at Heathrow airport in London, England. [139.89] [141.60]
- March 29
- In Zimbabwe, general elections are held. After recounts, the Zanu-PF party of President Robert Mugabe fails to regain its parliamentary majority. Opposition party MDC and a smaller faction win a combined 109 seats, compared to 97 for the Zanu-PF. Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change receives 47.9 percent of votes for president, Robert Mugabe receives 43.2 percent. [57] [141.8] [142.57] [149.55] [310]
- March 31
- In Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh City's stock market's value is 44 percent lower than the value of January 1. [141.81]
- Pernod Ricard, French drink company, wins an auction to buy Sweden's Vin & Sprit company for 5.6 billion euros (US$8.9 billion). [141.9,68] [363.5]
- April 1
- Namibia's Namdeb diamond company discovers a shipwreck off the coast of Namibia. Three bronze cannons are dated to 16th century Spain; other objects recovered are thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins, and several tonnes of elephant tusks. [57]
- UBS, Switzerland's largest bank and world's biggest wealth manager, announces write-downs on American mortgage-backed securities of US$37 billion, resulting in a first quarter loss of 12 billion Swiss francs. Chairman Marcel Ospel announces his resignation. [141.72] [222.79]
- Death of Pedro Zaragoza Orts, mayor of Benidorm (1950-67), transformed the town to a tourist resort, at age 85. [142.105]
- April 2
- Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahein announces his resignation, effective May 6. [141.54]
- At the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, China, Intel introduces the low-power Atom microprocessor, in speeds up to 1.86 GHz. [35]
- April 3
- ATA Airlines of the USA files for bankruptcy for the second time in 5 years and ceases all operations. [5]
- April 4
- In Geneva, Switzerland, David Feldman conducts an auction of postage stamps. Some highlights:
- British Guiana 1851 2-cent Cotton Reel stamp, error of pale blue paper, on cover: 597,500 euros (US$937,000), a record for a British Guiana postage stamp;
- Schleswig-Holstein Ploen 1850 1-schilling Coat of Arms stamp: 478,000 (US$750,000);
- Baden 1851 9-kreuzer Numeral stamp, error of blue-green paper, unused, only one known: 1,314,500 euros (US$2 million), a record for a Baden postage stamp;
- Norway 1855 4-skilling Coat of Arms stamp, block of 39 cancelled: 1,434,000 euros (US$2.2 million), a record for a Norwegian philatelic item.
[280.8] [778.1] [798.3]
- April 6
- In Argentina, a meteor is witnessed falling in flames of changing colors, crashing in Entre Rios Province. [521]
- April 7
- Child Protective Services of Texas remove 401 children from a ranch in west Texas belonging to jailed polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, and dozens of women leave or are removed in an investigation of sexual and child abuse. [35]
- A British inquiry in to the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed concludes the pair were unlawfully killed by the grossly negligent driving of their chauffeur and paparazzi photographers pursuing them into a Paris road tunnel ten years ago. The inquiry cost 10 million pounds (US$20 million). [35] [57] [145.64]
- The 92nd annual Pullitzer Prize Awards are announced by Columbia University. Some award recipients:
- Breaking News: the Washington Post for its coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre;
- Public Service Journalism: the Washington Post for exposing the poor hospital treatment of US soldiers returning home after being wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan;
- Breaking News Photography: Reuters news agency for its picture of a Japanese videographer killed during last year's demonstrations in Burma;
- National reporting: the Washington Post;
- International Reporting: the Washington Post;
- Feature Writing: the Washington Post;
- Commentary: the Washington Post;
- Investigative Reporting: the New York Times;
- Explanatory Reporting: the New York Times.
[57]
- The International Monetary Fund announces plans to cut costs (380 jobs) and sell 403 tonnes of its gold reserves, to raise about US$17 billion. [145.83]
- April 8
- Privy Council of Sark dismantles its feudal system to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. The first elections under the new law will be held in December 2008. [310]
- April 9
- Kosovo's parliament adopts a new constitution, which is to come into force on June 15. [57]
- The Venezuelan government announces it will re-nationalize the Sidor steel complex. [145.43]
- General elections in South Korea: Lee Myung-bak's Grand National Party wins 153 of 299 seats in the National Assembly. [145.50]
- US intelligences sources report the death of Abu Obaidah al-Masri, the militant chief of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, within the last two months. [57]
- April 10
- In London, England, a 12th century key to Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine in Mecca, sells at Sotheby's auction for £9.2 million (US$18.1 million), a record for the sale of an Islamic work of art. Sotheby's Islamic art sale realises more than £21.5 million in total. [57]
- Nepal general elections: Communist Party of Nepal wins, with leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal. [142.51]
- April 13
- In Montevideo, Uruguay, 1250 people grill 26,400 pounds (12 metric tonnes) of beef, setting a new Guinness world record. [35]
- April 14
- Italian general election: Silvio Berlusconi wins election as prime minister for the third time. His People of Freedom Party wins 413 of 630 seats in the lower chamber. [57] [142.14,61]
- Passenger train service between Calcutta, India, and Dhaka, capital of Banglasdesh, resumes for the first time since service was cut in 1965 due to the war between India and Pakistan. Bangladesh was East Pakistan at the time. [57]
- Delta Air Lines announces it will acquire Northwest Airlines for US$3 billion in stock, creating the world's biggest airline. [35]
- April 15
- Suicide bombings in three cities in Iraq (Baquba, Ramadi, and Mosul) kill over 70. [57]
- Vladimir Putin accepts an invitation to become leader of the ruling United Russia party. [142.64]
- In Goma, Congo, a Hewa Bora Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-9 plane crashes into a market district, killing at least 33 people and injuring 80. [35] [310]
- April 16
- Pope Benedict XVI makes his first official visit to the US, welcomed by President George Bush at Andrews Air Force Base. [35] [57] [141.63]
- A fireball with fluctuating colors is observed over Entre Ríos, Argentina. Vast brush fires reported the following day in Buenos Aires and Entre Ríos may have been caused by the meteor exploding. [521]
- US President George Bush announces an initiative to have American greenhouse gas emissions peak by 2025. [142.42]
- Heritage Auction Galleries auctions the Queller Collection. The Mickley specimen of the Class I US 1804 dollar sells for $3,737,500. [525.78]
- April 17
- European Poker Tour Grand Final at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel Casino Resort in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Winner is Glen Chorny, collecting US$3,193,822. [320.91]
- At the Central States Numismatic Society convention, in Rosemont, Illinois, Heritage Auction Galleries hosts the US Coin Signature Auction. Some highlights:
- USA 1870-S $1, EF-40 NGC: US$805,000,
- USA 1839 25-cent, no drapery, PR-65 NGC: US$517,500,
- USA 1794 $1, AU-58 NGC: US$488,750,
- USA 1802 $1, "Novodel", PR-65 Cameo PCGS: US$920,000,
- USA 1804 Draped Bust $1, Class I, Mickley, PR-62 NGC: US$3,737,500.
[404.1] [406.5] [454.1] [488.60]
- Heritage Auction Galleries sells at auction a USA 1804 Draped Bust dollar coin for US$3,737,500. [404.1] [406.5] [454.1]
- A suicide bomber strikes a funeral in northern Iraq, killing 50 and wounding 55. [35]
- Iran displays its military power at a ceremony to mark the country's annual army day. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is the most powerful nation in the world. [57]
- Raila Odinga becomes the new Prime Minister of Kenya after the formation of a coalition government, ending the political crisis in Kenya. [310]
- April 18
- A 5.2-5.4-magnitude earthquake rocks Illinois, USA, centered near West Salem, the largest in the region in 40 years, and felt 350 miles away. [35] [521]
- April 19
- In Quito, Ecuador, a nightclub fire started by fireworks kills 14. [105]
- A ticket of passenger Lillian Asplund who survived the Titanic sinking sells at auction in England for 33,000 pounds sterling. [204.3]
- Death of Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, head of the Pontifical Council for the Family, at age 72. [148.93]
- April 21
- Bank of America, the largest American retail bank, reports a 77 percent decline in the quarter ending March 31, the third straight quarterly loss. The loss included over US$5 billion in write-downs and credit-related costs. [35]
- In Paris, France, city hall makes visiting Dalai Lama an honorary citizen. [35] [57]
- The Walt Disney Company announces the launch of a new film label, Disneynature, dedicated to producing wildlife and environmental documentaries. [35]
- April 22
- The euro peaks at US$1.60. [211.79] [251.90]
- Surgeons at London's Moorfields Eye Hospital perform the first operations using bionic eyes, implanting them into two blind patients. [310]
- In general and provincial elections in South Africa, winner is Jacob Zuma of the African National Congress party with 66 percent of votes. [426.49]
- April 25
- In Abbortsford, British Columbia, Canada, a church hall packed with 1200 guests collapses during a Christian rock concert, injuring over 40 people. [105]
- April 26
- A fire at a mattress factory in Casablanca, Morocco, kills 55 people. [105]
- April 27
- The Taliban attempts to assassinate Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a military parade in Kabul. [310]
- April 28
- A Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter crashes onto an offshore drilling platform in the Black Sea, killing all 20 people on board. [35]
- Mars Incorporated and Berkshire Hathaway team up to buy chewing gum manufacturer Wm Wrigley Junior Company for US$23 billion, creating the world's largest confectionery company. Warren Buffet will loan US$4.4 billion for 20 percent stake in Wrigley. [35] [148.62]
- Two passenger trains collide in eastern China, killing at least 70 people and injuring hundreds. The crash, the worst in China since 1997, was caused by human error, with one train travelling much faster than the speed limit. [35] [310]
- India sets a world record by sending ten satellites into orbit in a single launch. [310]
- April 29
- Take-Two Interactive Software releases the Grand Theft Auto IV video game for the PlayStation III and Xbox 360 in the USA and UK. First day sales in the UK: 609,000, a record. First week worldwide sales: six million copies, US$500 million. [35] [57]
- April 30
- The skeletal remains of Alexei Nikolaevich and one of his sisters (possibly Anastasia) are found in Ekaterinburg, Russia. [5]
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