March 13, 2004

• ROC presidential election, 2004: 2 million people march in 24 rallies across Taiwan in support of Lien Chan's bid for the presidency. (Reuters)
• The death toll in the Madrid bombings rises to 200; investigators continue search for perpetrators, with suspicions against ETA complemented by the apprehension of five foreign citizens connected to terror attacks in Morocco. (BBC) (AP)
• U.S. forces launch new offensive aimed at the Taliban and al-Qaeda and the capture of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar in Afghanistan. (AP)
• Fifteen teams that qualified for the DARPA Grand Challenge start on a 150–200 mile robotic race to Las Vegas, Nevada, for a $1 million prize. All of the teams break down within seven miles of the start line; none collect the prize. (The Register) (The Register)
• Nine people, eight of whom are children, are found dead in Fresno, California, USA. A man apparently related to the victims is arrested. The police speculate that the deaths may have been part of a ritual. (CNN) (AOL news)
• Malaysian general election, 2004: Nomination day. Barisan Nasional takes 15 Parliamentary seats uncontested and 7 state assembly seats. The Islamic Party of Malaysia captures one parliamentary seat in the state of Johor.