CURRENT EVENTS WORLD MARCH 2008

Colombian Forces Kill Rebel Leader in Ecuador (March 1): Colombian troops cross into Ecuadorean territory and kill FARC's Raúl Reyes and 23 other rebels. In response, Venezuela and Ecuador break off diplomatic relations with Colombia and send troops to the Colombian border.
Fighting Between Israel and Hamas Continues (March 2): More than 100 Palestinians are killed in five days as members of Hamas and the Israeli military trade rocket fire. The violence intensifies after Hamas begins to launch longer-range rockets at Israel and as the fighting enters the West Bank. In response to the mounting civilian deaths, Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas suspends peace talks with Israel.
Putin's Choice for President Is Easily Elected (March 2): As expected, Dmitri A. Medvedev, a former aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin who has never held elected office, wins the presidential election in a landslide. Putin will remain in a position of power, serving as Medvedev's prime minister.
Security Council Imposes Third Round of Sanctions on Iran (March 3): Resolution, the third since December 2006, punishing Iran for refusing to stop uranium enrichment allows inspections of cargo leaving and entering Iran that officials suspect is carrying banned materials, expands monitoring of financial institutions, and bans the travel and freezes the assets of people and businesses involved in Iran's nuclear program.
Eight Students Killed at Jerusalem Seminary (March 6): A Palestinian gunman from East Jerusalem fires hundreds of rounds of automatic weapons fire at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem, killing eight students. The attack is the most deadly on Israeli citizens in two years.
Pakistani Leaders Agree to Limit Musharraf's Power (March 9): The two political parties that dominated February's parliamentary elections, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, agree that once the new Parliament is seated, they will reinstate the Supreme Court justices Musharraf ousted in late 2007 and pass legislation voiding the law that Musharraf passed legalizing the firings. The Supreme Court, once reinstated, could reverse the ruling that legitimized Musharraf's controversial reelection as president when he was still the military chief.
China Cracks Down on Protests by Monks in Tibet (March 10): Some 400 Buddhist monks participate in a protest march in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to commemorate the failed uprising of 1959, that resulted in the Dalai Lama fleeing to India. (March 14): The protests, the largest in two decades, turn violent, with ethnic Tibetans reportedly attacking Chinese citizens and vandalizing public and private property. Chinese police use force to suppress the demonstrations. Tibetan leaders say that more than 100 Tibetans are killed, but Chinese officials say there are only 16 fatalities and deny that police had used lethal force. The demonstrations and violence spill into Gansu, Qinghai, and Sichuan Provinces in western China. Chinese officials accuse the Dalai Lama of masterminding the protests, a charge the spiritual leader denies.
Body of Iraqi Archbishop Is Found (March 13): Paulos Faraj Rahho, who led Mosul's Chaldean Catholic Church, had been kidnapped in February. His remains were recovered in Mosul.
Bush Acknowledges Toll of War on Anniversary of War (March 19): On the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, President Bush insists that the outcome will be worth the sacrifice, yet he admits the cost of war had exceeded expectations in money and loss of life. "Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it," he said. "The answers are clear to me. Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and this is a fight that America can and must win."
Taiwan Elects New President (March 22): Ma Ying-jeou, of the Nationalist Party, prevails over Frank Hsieh, of the Democratic Progressive Party, 58.4% to 41.6%. Ma favors closer ties to mainland China.
Pakistan Leader Nominates a Prime Minister (March 22): Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, selects Yousaf Raza Gilani, who served as speaker of Parliament in the 1990s under Benazir Bhutto, as prime minister. (March 24): On the same day that Parliament approves Gilani as prime minister, Gilani releases the Supreme Court justices that President Pervez Musharraf ousted and detained in late 2007. (March 31): Musharraf swears in the new cabinet, which is comprised of his political opponents.
U.S. Suffers 4,000th Death in Iraq (March 23): A roadside bomb in Baghdad kills four U.S. soldiers, bringing the death toll of American troops to 4,000. President Bush said of the losses, "I have vowed in the past, and I will vow so long as I'm president, to make sure that those lives were not lost in vain, that, in fact, there is an outcome that will merit the sacrifice."
Iraqi Troops Attack Militants in Basra (March 25): About 30,000 Iraqi troops and police, with air support from the U.S. and British military, attempt to oust Shiite militias, primarily the Mahdi Army led by radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr, that control Basra and its lucrative ports in southern Iraq. Sadr declared a cease-fire in August 2007, but has allowed his forces to fight in self defense. (March 29): The Mahdi Army maintains control over much of Basra, despite the assault by Iraqi troops. The operation, ordered by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, is criticized for being poorly planned and executed. Fighting spills into the Sadr city section of Baghdad. (March 31): After negotiations with Iraqi officials, Moktada al-Sadr orders his militia to end military action in exchange for amnesty for his supporters, the release from prison of his followers who have not been convicted of crimes, and the government's help in returning to their homes Sadrists who fled fighting. The compromise is seen as a defeat to Maliki, who is criticized for poorly organizing the invasion. In addition, more than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers either refused to participate in the operation or deserted their posts.
Zimbabwe Votes in Presidential Election (March 29): President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, faces his toughest challenge yet from Morgan Tsvangirai, of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Zimbabwe has been in economic collapse since 1980, with an inflation rate of more than 100,000%.