Portal:Current events/2007 March 26

March 26, 2007 (Monday)

President of Chile Michelle Bachelet sacks several ministers including the Minister for National Defence Vivianne Blanlot Soza and the Minister for Justice Isidro Solís Palma for perceived poor performance as well as her Chief of Staff. The Minister for Transport Sergio Espejo Yaksic is sacked for problems with Santiago's new transport system Transantiago. (BBC)
A Guatemalan prison riot results in the death of three prisoners. Carlos Vielman, the Interior Minister, resigns over police involvement in the killing of three politicians from El Salvador last month. (AP via the Ottawa Recorder) (Washington Post) Archived 2012-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
Quebec general election: The governing Quebec Liberal Party wins a minority government, with the conservative Action démocratique du Québec a strong second and the separatist Parti Québécois third. (CBC)
Nine United States Army officers including four generals could face disciplinary proceedings as a result of mistakes made in the aftermath of the friendly-fire death of Pat Tillman. (San Francisco Chronicle)
India's DRDO successfully test fires a new version of the Astra air-to-air missile. (Jerusalem Post) (ITAR-TASS) (Washington Times)
Scientists discover how fossilized dung-eating mites can provide vital information on the rise and fall of the Inca civilization in South America. (The Times)
Alan Johnston, a BBC News journalist, begins his third week in captivity, making him the longest-held foreign hostage since kidnappings began in Gaza. Reporters Without Borders urges the Arab League to make an appeal for his release at an upcoming summit. (MidEast Times) (RSF)
Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe apologizes for Japan's use of women as sex slaves in frontline brothels during World War II. (AP via the Daily Comet)
French presidential election: Nicolas Sarkozy resigns as Interior Minister to concentrate on his presidential candidacy. (BBC)
Egyptians go to the polls to vote on 34 amendments to the constitution of Egypt which the government claims will help combat terrorism. Opposition groups are boycotting the referendum claiming that they will erode civil liberties. The amendments achieved approval with 76% of the vote but with only a 27% turnout. (New York Times) (BBC)
Health officials meet in Jakarta to resolve a dispute between Indonesia and the World Health Organisation about access to H5N1 vaccines. (AP via IHT)
President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao begins a three-day tour of Russia to promote trade and energy ties. (BBC)
The military commission process begins for detainees accused by the United States of war crimes, with the first person to face trial being Australian David Hicks. Hicks pleads guilty to providing material support for terrorists.(New York Times) (ABC News Australia)
A 5.3 magnitude aftershock hits the Noto Peninsula of Honshū, 300 km northwest of Tokyo, a day after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hits the same area. (AFP via News Limited)
Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lanka Army claims that an airbase adjacent to Bandaranaike International Airport was subjected to air attack by the Tamil Tigers, making it the first air attack launched by the Tigers. (The Australian)
Northern Ireland Peace Process: Members of the Democratic Unionist Party, led by Ian Paisley, and Sinn Féin, led by Gerry Adams, meet face-to face for the first time, and agree a timetable for implementing the St. Andrews Agreement. (BBC)
The Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan votes against allowing polygamy, maintaining the two-year imprisonment punishment for offenders. (RFE/RL)