Milosevic found dead in jail cell
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was found dead in his detention cell, where he awaited sentencing for genocide and other war crimes, on March 11. Guards found him on his bed and after closer inspection, determined that he had, in fact, died.
An autopsy conducted at the request of the United Nations showed that a heart attack killed Milosevic. It also found that Milosevic had been taking medication not prescribed by his doctors and which may have contributed to his death.
Milosevic’s role in the Balkan wars that split the Yugoslavian nation throughout the ’90s led to his arrest in 2001.
First woman president inaugurated in Chile
Michelle Bachelet was sworn in as Chile’s first female president on March 11, after winning 53.5 percent of the vote in the January elections.
Bachelet ran on a Socialist ticket that promised to uphold the Chilean constitution despite the conflict between her agnosticism and Chile’s Roman Catholic majority. Bachelet has also already begun her campaign promoting gender equality by nominating the same amount of men and women to the cabinet and to the country’s 12 governor positions.
In attendance at the inauguration was the United States Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, who is scheduled to meet with other Latin American leaders.
Bachelet, 54, is a single mother of three and the first of six Latin American women to serve as president and not also be the widow of a political leader.
Dalai Lama prompts China to consider Tibetan self-rule
In a series of meetings between the representatives from the Dalai Lama and China, China is beginning to consider Tibetan self-rule.
The Dalai Lama stated at a conference that he wished for Tibet to be autonomous, not necessarily independent from China, and within the framework of the Chinese constitution. Though talks resumed in 2001, China remains suspicious of the Dalai Lama’s wish.
To forge a friendship between the two powers, the Buddhist leader openly asked China for the permission to visit on the anniversary of the 1959 takeover of Tibet by China and the Dalai Lama’s flee to India.
American aid worker found dead in Iraq
Tim Fox, a 54-year-old member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, was found dead near railroad tracks in Baghdad on Saturday.
Fox was found with his hands tied, bullet wounds to his head and chest, and with signs of torture on his body.
Though there are no leads on the case, one potential suspect may be the Swords of Righteousness Brigades, who claimed responsibility for kidnapping other Christian Peacemaker Team members in November.
American officials have confirmed their possession of the body and plan to send it back to Virginia. Fox was the fifth American hostage killed in Iraq.
-compiled with New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press and
BBC sources
