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)
- 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.