[Archive 2007-03-30] Wikinews Shorts: March 30, 2007

Historical archive — originally published 2007-03-30. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

A boat carrying around 120 passengers capsized and sank off the coast of Guinea and as many as 60 did not survive. State television called the type of boat a pirogue, which is usually used for fishing. However, many people living in coastal communities in Guinea use open boats to travel between towns due to the poor roads.

Diego Maradona, the Argentinian soccer legend is stable and recovering after being hospitalized on Wednesday. Doctors said that he was given sedatives to curb alcohol cravings. This is not the first health crisis for the 46 year-old Maradona.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has announced that a general election will be held on December 16 or 22. At the same time, he resisted requests from the military for emergency powers as anti-coup protests grow. Surayud was appointed prime minister by the military after the overthrow of his predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup last September.

An Ethiopian helicopter battling rebel forces near Mogadishu in Somalia was hit by a missle and crashed. No survivors were reported. Ethiopian troops are helping Somali government forces against an insurgency. Dozens were killed in fighting on Thursday as a six-day truce was broken.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Wikinews Shorts: March 30, 2007 by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.