Portal:Current events/2008 March 19

{{Current events|year=2008|month=03|day=19|content=

• An audio tape with a voice believed to be Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's is released, criticizing the European Union for allowing publication of cartoons that he claims insulted the Prophet Mohammed and threatening a strong reaction. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080325115546/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0arauyjLz9xhnBdnw6pEEOpKErwD8VGP99G1 (AP via Google News)]
• Early elections are called for May 2008 in Kuwait after a crisis between the cabinet and parliament leads the emir Sabah al-Sabah to dissolve parliament. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7305262.stm (BBC News)]
• Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary and Monaco jointly recognize Kosovo's independence. [http://www.mfa.bg/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8853&Itemid=217 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulgaria)] [https://web.archive.org/web/20110520125019/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jQMQ3pd4KwdjIKCNSuhSp01ZiStw (AFP via Google News)] [http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8741/ (Balkan Insight)]
• Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov states that "the Albanians in Macedonia have already made demands that they be granted such autonomy...which could be seen as a move towards independence." The Foreign Ministry also linked the events in Tibet with the declaration of independence by Kosovo, showing a growing movement of groups seeking independence. [http://makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=105436&NrIssue=611&NrSection=10&search_x=10&search_y=2 (Makfax)]{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} [http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080318/101564953.html (Ria Novosti)]
• The Parliament of Pakistan elects Fahmida Mirza as its first female speaker. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7304499.stm (BBC News)]

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