Portal:Current events/2005 March 8

March 8, 2005 (Tuesday)

In Lebanon, almost one million people have flooded a Beirut square, in front of the United Nations building, in a rally showing their support for Syria, dwarfing previous anti-Syria demonstrations. (CNN) (BBC) (ABC)(Daily Star, Lebanon) (Reuters) Archived 2005-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
A very high plume of ash and steam is seen coming from the direction of active volcano Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington. The plume is visible as far away as Portland, Oregon. (Wikinews) (ABCnews)
In Northern Ireland the IRA issues an unprecedented statement that they made an offer to the family of murder victim Robert McCartney to shoot the members involved in his 31 January killing. The family made it clear that they wanted the people concerned prosecuted, not physically harmed. (BBC)
Russian armed forces claim that Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov has been killed in a special forces operation. (Guardian)
Kosovan Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj reports that he has been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and resigns. He will travel to The Hague of his own volition, although he maintains his innocence. (Reuters)
Gianfranco Fini, the foreign minister of Italy has demanded that the U.S. "identify and punish" those responsible for the death of Nicola Calipari, the Italian intelligence agent killed by US soldiers in Iraq. (BBC)
In Australia, 104-year-old Chinese widow Cui Yu Hu, who has lived in the country for 10 years, loses an appeal to receive a permanent visa. She has asked immigration minister Amanda Vanstone to intervene. (The Australian) (BBC)
South Africa intends to change the name of the capital Pretoria to Tshwane (IOL) (BBC)