March 31, 2006 (Friday)
- In Ukraine, after days of vote tallying, Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions wins a plurality in the 2006 parliamentary election. Central Election Commission of Ukraine
- Chadian senior army commander Abakar Itno is assassinated by a joint force of Janjaweed, Rally for Democracy and Liberty, and Sudanese military forces. (Reuters)
- Jack Abramoff scandals: Lobbyist Tony C. Rudy, former chief of staff for Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), pleads guilty to conspiracy and agrees to cooperate with the ongoing investigation into the Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal. (Washington Post) Archived 2012-10-19 at the Wayback Machine
- MINOS (the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search) observes neutrino oscillation, implying that neutrinos have mass, which would require a substantial revision to the Standard Model of particle physics. (BBC) (PhysOrg.com) (MINOS)
- A The Nation Group's newspaper critical of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra agrees to stop publishing for five days amid protests about the way it referred to the King of Thailand. (Bangkok Post)[permanent dead link]
- In Brussels, Microsoft claims a breakthrough, as an independent monitor of its hearings with European Union regulators in Brussels has outlined what it can do to avoid paying fines of 2 million euros a day. (IHT)
- 2006 Borujerd earthquake: An early-morning earthquake south of Borujerd, Iran causes 66 deaths and significant damage in the Luristan province in the west of the country.
- An intruder enters a church in Malta during mass and smashes a 200-year-old Jerusalem mother-of-pearl crucifix creating commotion. (Times of Malta)