- March 15, 2005
March 15 2005 *U.S. Representative
Henry Waxman sends a scathing letter to PresidentGeorge W. Bush , accusing the administration of having withheld until after the election a damaging audit regarding overcharges byHalliburton for services inIraq (such as charging $27,000,000 for transporting $82,000 worth of fuel from Kuwait to Iraq). [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1438694,00.html (Guardian)] [http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/nation/11139371.htm (Philadelphia Daily News)]
*OPEC announces that it's unable to control oil prices. [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7190109/ (MSNBC)]
* The dedication of the newYad Vashem Holocaust museum inJerusalem ,Israel : leaders from 40 states and theGeneral Secretary of theUN Kofi Annan attend inauguration ofHolocaust museum.President of Israel Moshe Katzav said that the new museum serves as "an important signpost to all of humankind, a signpost that warns how short the distance is between hatred and murder, between racism and genocide." [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/552109.html (Haaretz)]
* In thePhilippines , police storm theCamp Bagong Diwa prison . 26 die during the fighting, three of themAbu Sayyaf members. Six police officers are wounded. [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7900407 (Reuters)] [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a0HrSL3NqNY0&refer=top_world_news (Bloomberg)] [http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/net/2005/03/15/death.toll.in.taguig.jail.crisis.26.html (Sun Star, Manila)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4349471.stm (BBC)]
*Japan eseimmigration officials state that they are going to deportBobby Fischer back toUSA , instead of allowing him to move toIceland . [http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20050315p2a00m0dm006000c.html (Mainich Daily News)] [http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7186259/ (MSNBC)]
* InKosovo , an explosion hits the motorcade of presidentIbrahim Rugova in the capitalPristina . [http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7902023 (Reuters)] [http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/03/15/kosovo.rugova/ (CNN)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4349777.stm (BBC)]
* TheInternational Criminal Court will hear its first case, the allegations ofwar crime s during acivil war in theDemocratic Republic of Congo . [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_14-3-2005_pg4_10 (Daily Times)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4349567.stm (BBC)]
* The government ofItaly announces that it will begin to withdraw its troops fromIraq in several months. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4352259.stm (BBC)]
* InNiger , thousands of protesters demonstrate violently outside parliament against rising prices and hightax increases. Some of them call for resignation of the presidentMamadou Tandja [http://allafrica.com/stories/200503150756.html (AllAfrica)] [http://www.reuters.co.za/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp;:423706e0:f275fc5ab7f342b?type=topNews&localeKey=en_ZA&storyID=7907618 (Reuters SA)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4352349.stm (BBC)]
* InZimbabwe , new electoral court rules that jailed opposition politicianRoy Bennett , member of theMovement for Democratic Change , can take part of parliamentary elections onMarch 31 . [http://allafrica.com/stories/200503150570.html (AllAfrica)] [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1580604.htm (Reuters AlertNet)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4351491.stm (BBC)]
* InParis ,France , French-Algerian Djamel Beghal is sentenced to 10 years in jail for plotting to bomb US embassy in2001 . Five others received shorter sentences. [http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-03-15T165756Z_01_HOP547898_RTRUKOC_0_SECURITY-FRANCE-USA.xml (Reuters)] [http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/03/15/europe/web.0315france2.html (IHT)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4350525.stm (BBC)]
* InLebanon ,United Nations team that investigates murder ofRafik Hariri , completes its mission. They will present their findings to secretary generalKofi Annan inNew York [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L15259271.htm (Reuters AlertNet)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4352513.stm (BBC)]
* InItaly , cardinalTarcisio Bertone ,Roman catholic archbishop ofGenoa , speaks against what he describes as "lies" in the popular book "TheDa Vinci Code "; the book effectively claims that, among other things, the church suppresses information aboutJesus ' marriage withMary Magdalene [http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0501484.htm (Catholic News Service)] [http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=35873 (Catholic World News)] [http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2005-03-15T180221Z_01_L15123548_RTRIDST_0_ENTERTAINMENT-ARTS-VATICAN-DAVINCI-DC.XML (Reuters)] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4350625.stm (BBC)]
* InBurbank, California , the last 78General Motors EV1 vehicles were removed byGeneral Motors from the storage lot, temporarily impeded by a group of EV1 activists, and transferred to theGM Desert Proving Grounds inMesa, Arizona for disposal, crushing, and recycling. [http://www.saveev1.org/?Press_Releases:Mar_15%2C_2005]
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