Middle School Boy Murders Gay Peer

Lawrence King, an eighth-grader from Oxnard, Calif., was shot to death inside his junior high school computer lab by 14-year-old Brandon McInerney. King publicly announced that he was gay in the weeks preceding the murder. McInerney is charged as an adult with murder as a “premeditated hate crime” and gun possession. If convicted, he could spend 52 years to life in prison.

Ralph Nader Enters Presidential Race

Yesterday afternoon, Ralph Nader announced his plans to enter the presidential race as an independent. This will be Nader’s fifth attempt at the White House in the past five elections, including his 1992 write-in campaign. Democrats are concerned that Nader will pull votes away from the Democratic nominee.

Facebook Scandal Sends Moroccan to Prison

Fouad Mourtada, a 26-year-old Moroccan engineer, created a fake Facebook profile of Moulay Rachid, the king’s brother. While thousands of fake profiles exist on Facebook (President Bush, Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden, to name a few), Mourtada was sentenced to three years in jail for stealing the prince’s identity and for “villainous practices.”

Uganda Signs Cease-Fire with Rebel Group

The Ugandan government signed a cease-fire with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The cease-fire will not go into effect until both sides sign a peace deal, which is expected to occur by the week’s end. The LRA has been fighting since President Yoweri Museveni’s rise to power in 1986. Since1986, over 1.3 million people have been internally displaced in Uganda.

Iraq Orders Turkish Forces Out of the North

The Iraqi government asked Turkish forces stationed in northern Iraq to get out “as soon as possible.” The Turks recently began a ground operation against the PKK (Kurdish rebels), marking the first Turkish incursion into Iraq since Saddam Hussein’s fall from power. Since the offensive into Iraq began on Feb. 21, 15 Turkish soldiers and 112 PKK rebels have been killed.

Iran Continues to Enrich, Despite U.N. Sanctions

A recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report announced that Iran is continuing to enrich uranium. While the Iranian government insists its nuclear programs are for peaceful civilian energy, the IAEA claims Iran is generating nuclear fuel and the fissile core of nuclear warheads.

Bomb Rips Through Pakistani Wedding Party

A roadside bomb detonated in the northwest region of Swat destroyed a wedding party. The bomb killed 14 people, including the bride, and wounded a dozen others. While once a tourist stronghold, in the past year Swat has turned into a Taliban and al-Qaeda sympathetic area.

Rioters Attack United States Embassy in Serbia

Over 200 Serbian nationalist rioters attacked the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade. The rioters were outraged at the U.S. recognition of Kosovo as an independent state. The attack, which has been condemned by the U.N. Security Council and the European Union, killed one rioter and injured 150 people. The embassies of Britain, Germany, Croatia and Turkey were also attacked.

Spain Prepares for Election, Raises Terrorism Alert

In preparation for its Mar. 9 national elections, the Spanish government increased its terrorism alert to the highest level. The Interior Ministry expects the ETA, a Basque separatist group, to attempt an attack. Aside from a potential rebel attack, the Spanish government must prepare for an Islamist attack. Before the 2004 national elections, Islamist insurgents killed 191 people in Madrid with train bombs.

Sources: CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse