International News for March 8 - 21

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from The New York Times International News. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Albania

March 16 - A chain of blasts were set off, killing five people and wounding at least 240, as Albanian workers moved stocks of bombs and bullets stored at a base. Albania was required to dismantle its arsenal as one of the requirements to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

China

March 19 - China called for an international investigation after accusing the Dalai Lama of masterminding the recent, violent anti-Chinese protests in Tibet. The leader denied the claims and threatened to resign from his position as leader of Tibet if things grew "out of control."

Ethiopia

March 14 - Eight people were killed when a bus exploded in the Humera region of Tigray. Ethiopia blamed its neighbor Eritrea for the attack.

India

March 14 - Tibetan exiles in India were arrested after beginning a six-month march protesting Chinese control of Tibet. The protesters had planned to reach Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, when the Summer Olympics begun in August in Beijing.

Iraq

March 18 - Forty-three people were killed after a hidden bomb exploded at a shrine in the Shiite holy city of Karbala. The explosion overshadowed a visit to Baghdad by Vice President Dick Cheney.

Tibet

March 20 - Despite tensions between Tibet and China, China will continue to take the Olympic torch through Tibet and Mount Everest for the 2008 Summer Olympics.