Portal:Current events/2006 March 20

March 20, 2006 (Monday)

The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, says it has been ordered to leave Uzbekistan within one month. (BBC)
Belarusian presidential election, 2006: Alexander Lukashenko has been re-elected president of Belarus with 82.6 percent of all votes, in an election which is considered by many to have been rigged.
- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which monitored the election, concluded that the presidential election failed to meet OSCE commitments for democratic elections. (Reuters) (BBC)
- The Commonwealth of Independent States also monitored the election and declared that the election was fair and that the results must be respected. (Monsters and Critics)^{[permanent dead link]}
- The United States and EU condemn the elections. The White House, which has previously labeled Mr Lukashenko a dictator, says it does not accept the results. The EU says it is likely that it will impose sanctions. (BBC)
At 0730 AEST, Tropical Cyclone Larry makes landfall near Innisfail, Queensland, Australia, with wind gusts of 290 km/h (180 mph) recorded, which would make it a Category 5 storm on the Australian scale for severity of cyclones. (AAP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Beijing on energy talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. (Forbes)
Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, begin official visit to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India.
The Northern Hemisphere Vernal Equinox and the Southern Hemisphere Autumnal Equinox occurred at 18:26 UTC.