Portal:Current events/2005 March 14

March 14, 2005 (Monday)

Massive protests take place in Beirut, Lebanon, against the Syrian presence there. With an estimated turnout of 800,000. (ABC News)
Cyclone Ingrid is moving away from Darwin, Northern Territory and towards the Kimberley region of Western Australia as a Category 4 storm. (AustBC News), (Aust BOM)
The Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China, a law aimed at resolving the issue of Taiwan, is passed and enters into force. (BBC News)
According to World Wildlife Fund, melting glaciers in the Himalayas could lead first to floods in China, India and Nepal and then long droughts. (Bloomberg) (Xinhua) (BBC)
In Italy, Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of Il Duce Benito Mussolini, is banned from regional elections for presenting fraudulent signatures. She threatens to go on a hunger strike. (Reuters) (BBC)
In the Philippines, inmates of a Camp Bagong Diwa maximum security prison in Manila took hostages during an attempted jailbreak and demand to talk with authorities. At least four guards and one prisoner have been killed. Prisoners claim to hold 100 hostages; police dispute this number. According to the police, the attempt was led by imprisoned members of Abu Sayyaf. (Sun Star, Manila) (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link]}
Bangladesh bans smoking in public places. (Reuters)
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer says that limiting marriage to between man and woman is unconstitutional (San Francisco Chronicle) (Reuters) Archived 2005-03-18 at the Wayback Machine (BBC)
In India, Muslim charity Sunni Waqf Board claims ownership of the Taj Mahal. They demand opposing evidence from the Archaeological Survey of India (Express Newsline) (New Kerala) (BBC) (Hindustan Times) Archived 2005-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
500 protesters are arrested in Nepal (BBC)
In Macedonia Ljube Boskowski, former interior minister, is indicted for war crimes for an alleged role in clashes between ethnic Albanians and security forces in 2001 (Reuters)^{[permanent dead link]} (RFE) (BBC)
According to International Maritime Bureau, 35 pirates stormed gas tanker MT Tri Samudra in Malacca Strait last Saturday and captured its captain and chief engineer for ransom. The ship has been released. In another attack, pirates capture three members of a Japanese tugboat (Today Online) (Channel News Asia) (ABC) (BBC)
In Zambia, former president Frederick Chiluba protests when government anti-corruption investigators seize hundred of pieces of clothing from the warehouse he used to store them. Police suspect that the clothes were bought using government funds (AllAfrica) (BBC)
The United States government announces the arrests of 103 members of the violent street gang MS-13. (AP)