International Events in 1998
1st Jan
Mr. Mohammed Rafiq Tarar is sworn in President of Pakistan.
Hutu rebels attack a village and a military camp near the Bujumbura airport in Burundi, killing about 190 persons.
5th Jan
Mr. Daniel Arap Moi is sworn in President of Kenya for a fifth term.
8th Jan
An Islamic terrorist, Ramzi Yousef, is sentenced to life for masterminding the bombing of the World Trade Centre in Manhattan, New York, in 1993.
11th Jan
The Sri Lankan army captures Kangarayankulam, near Mankulam, in its ongoing battle with the LTTE.
12th Jan
Armed assailants mow down 103 persons in an overnight attack at Sidi Hameed village near the Algerian Capital Algiers. Seventy others are injured.
13th Jan
Nineteen European nations sign, at a ceremony in Paris, an agreement banning human cloning. Britain and Germany are cool to the plan.
14th Jan
The Prime Ministers of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh come together for a three-nation business summit in Dhaka.
The Economist, Prof. Amartya Kumar Sen, is sworn in new Master of the Trinity College. He is the first Asian to head a Cambridge College.
15th Jan
The Indonesian President, Mr. Suharto, signs a Letter of Intent with the IMF to hasten economic reforms.
16th Jan
A 5,300-year-old mummy, known as Oetzi, is found.
Turkey's highest court bans the Islamic-oriented Welfare Party, while ruling that its leader and former Prime Minister, Mr. Necmettin Erbakan, could not participate in politics for the next five years.
18th Jan
Sinn Fein, political wing of the outlawed Irish Republican Army, rejects a new Anglo-Irish initiative aimed at ending the conflict over Northern Ireland.
22nd Jan
Space shuttle Endeavour with a crew of seven blasts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. It is on a nine-day mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
25th Jan
At least 14 persons are killed in a bomb explosion in the Sri Lankan hill resort of Kandy.
27th Jan
The former Norwegian Prime Minister, Ms. Gro Harlem Brundtland, is elected Director-General of the World Health Organisation. She is the first woman to head the organisation.
1st Feb
Over 300 LTTE fighters and 20 Sri Lankan soldiers are killed in a major flare-up east of Paranthan in Kilinochchi.
4th Feb
Iraq proposes that U.N. inspectors can have access to eight disputed ``presidential sites.''
At least 3,600 people are killed in an earthquake, in the northern Afghan province of Takhar.
5th Feb
The U.S. rejects the Iraqi offer which allowed a U.N. inspection team access to eight presidential sites, and demands unfettered access to all the sites.
6th Feb
The U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, denies in White House that he had an improper relationship with the former White House intern, Ms. Monica Lewinsky.
7th Feb
Further tremors in North Afghanistan kill 150 people.
8th Feb
Two hundred and fifty more die in another earthquake in the northern Afghan province Takhar.
The U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, and the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, chalk out a battle plan in case the Iraqi President, Mr. Saddam Hussein, refuses to bow to diplomatic pressure over U.N. weapons inspections.
14th Feb
Riots in Indonesia, as hundreds go on the rampage in the streets. The protest is caused by spiralling prices.
16th Feb
Two hundred are killed as a Chinese airliner hits residential buildings while landing at the Taipei international airport.
20th Feb
The Security Council raises Iraq's oil sale quota from $2 billion.
22nd Feb
Sri Lankan troops are closing in on Mankulam, controlled by the LTTE.
23rd Feb
The LTTE sinks a Sri Lankan naval vessel and another naval craft goes missing off Point Pedro. Fifty sailors and 58 soldiers are missing.
The U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, signs a deal with the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Tariq Aziz, to end the impasse over the U.N. weapons inspections.
The U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, extends support to the accord, but warns Mr. Saddam Hussein of military action if he breaks his word.
The British creators of Dolly, cloned sheep, announce that scientists in the U.S. have produced a first cloned calf, named Mr. Jefferson.
25th Feb
Mr. Kim Dae-jung has been sworn in President of South Korea.
27th Feb
The U.S. lifts a 35-year-old arms embargo against South Africa.
2nd Mar
The Security Council adopts a resolution seeking ``immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access'' to U.N. inspectors in their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
4th Mar
Cambodia's ousted First Prime Minister, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, has been sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by a military court on charges of illegally importing weapons.
5th Mar
Students of many universities in Indonesia launch a demonstration demanding political reforms and asking the President, Mr. Suharto, to step down.
Thirtytwo persons are killed as a bomb-laden vehicle driven by an LTTE suicide bomber explodes near a railway station in Colombo.
7th Mar
Seventy persons are killed in an avalanche in Salang area, north of Kabul in Afghanistan.
10th Mar
Mr. Suharto has been elected Indonesian President for the seventh consecutive five-year team.
16th Mar
The Chinese President, Mr. Jiang Zemin, is re-elected head of state and Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Mr. Li Peng is elected Chairman of Parliament.
17th Mar
Mr. Zhu Rongji is elected Chinese Prime Minister as successor to Mr. Li Peng.
18th Mar
Cambodia's ousted co-Prime Minister, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, is sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment by a military court for ``conspiring'' to overthrow the Government.
21st Mar
King Norodom Sihanouk grants royal pardon to his son and Cambodia's First Prime Minister, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, to enable him to run in the July elections.
23rd Mar
The Russian President, Mr. Boris Yeltsin, dismisses his entire Government, including the Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Chernomyrdin, in a new reforms impulse.
24th Mar
Titanic wins 11 Oscars including for the best picture, director and song.
30th Mar
Prince Norodom Ranariddh returns to Cambodia after a nine- month self-exile.
1st Apr
The U.N. votes overwhelmingly in favour of slapping an arms embargo on Yugoslavia to force it to grant more concessions and autonomy to the Kosovo province, where ethnic Albanians are in a majority.
2nd Apr
A U.S. federal judge throws out Ms. Paula Jones' civil lawsuit against the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, saying her evidence fell far short ``of proving sexual harassment''.
5th Apr
Taiwan test-fires the Hsiung Fang III supersonic anti-ship missile to strengthen its defence against China.
6th Apr
Pakistan officially claims that it has carried out a successful flight test of the Hatf-V or Ghauri surface-to-surface missile with a range of 1,500 km and a payload of 100 kg over land.
France and Britain become the first of the five nuclear powers to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which was signed on September 24, 1996.
9th Apr
One hundred and eighteen pilgrims, including 31 Indians, are killed in a stampede during the ritual of ``stoning the devil'' near Mena in Saudi Arabia on the last day of the Haj.
10th Apr
The warring factions reach a historic Northern Ireland peace accord after the intervention of the U.S. President. The accord paves the way for polls to a new Assembly.
The Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Surya Bahadur Thapa, resigns as part of a power-sharing arrangement with his main coalition partner.
12th Apr
Nepal's King Birendra appoints the chief of the centrist Nepali Congress Party, Mr. Girija Prasad Koiralea, Prime Minister.
15th Apr
Staff of The New York Times win the 1998 Pulitzer prize for international reporting for a series profiling the effects of drug corruption in Mexico. The NYT wins three Pulitzers and the Los Angeles Times two.
16th Apr
The former Venezuelan President, Mr. Carlos Andres Perez, turns himself in to authorities and is placed under house arrest on charges of illegal enrichment.
The Russian President, Mr. Boris Yeltsin, signs a law banning the return to Germany of treasures looted during World War II.
18th Apr
The Nepali Prime Minister, Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala, wins a crucial vote of confidence in the Lower House of Parliament.
The week-long high-level talks between North and South Korea over aid to impoverished Pyongyang collapses in Beijing with both sides blaming each other for the breakdown.
19th Apr
China releases its most prominent dissident leader, Mr. Wang Dan, on medical parole and allows him to go to the U.S.
20th Apr
The embattled Khmer Rouge guerilla movement breaks off talks with the Cambodian Government.
27th Apr
Two special benches of the Lahore and Rawalpindi High Courts order the freezing of all movable and immovable property, agricultural land, lockers and other property worth $300 million belonging to the former Prime Minister, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, her jailed husband, Mr. Asif Zardari, and their associates.
28th Apr
The Security Council decides to retain the sanction regime imposed on Iraq in 1990 in the wake of its invasion of Kuwait.
29th Apr
The Taliban and the Northern Alliance salvage their four-day- long peace talks by agreeing to the formation of a Ulema Commission to resolve disputes.
30th Apr
The IRA gives a cautious welcome to the Northern Ireland peace deal but refuses to lay down weapons.
France ships first of three submarines to Pakistan.
2nd May
Mr. Suharto, Indonesian President, sues for peace as student protests grow shrill.
Mr. Gohar Ayub Khan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, seeks reassignment of portfolio.
3rd May
Afghan peace talks break down.
Roosevelt prize for freedom is awarded to Ms. Mary Robinson, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, and to Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
7th May
Mr. Hun Sen rules out amnesty to Khmer Rouge leaders.
8th May
U.S. denies putting pressure on Israel on troop pull out.
10th May
China tests a new air-to-air missile.
G-8 countries target Afghanistan for ``appalling'' human rights abuses.
13th May
The CIA launches a probe into intelligence lapses on the Indian nuclear tests.
Japanese emperor Akihito has no apology for war atrocities.
15th May
Ms. Madeleine Albright, U.S. Secretary of State, fails to achieve a breakthrough in West Asia peace talks.
Cambodia peace talks collapse.
16th May
Pakistan rules out giving up the nuclear option.
17th May
Pakistan denies nuclear test reports.
21st May
Mr. Suharto bows to pressure, resigns as Indonesia's President.
22nd May
Pressure mounting for nuclear test, says Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif.
Indonesia's new President, Mr. J. B. Habibie, unveils a ``reform'' Cabinet.
24th May
Saudi Arabia has absolved Iran of the charge of bombing the Khobar tower barracks in 1996.
25th May
The Indonesian President, Mr. Habibie, promises early polls, releases political prisoners.
26th May
Iraq demands that U.S. and British forces pull out from the Gulf.
28th May
Pakistan detonates five nuclear devices.
The U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, and the U.N. Security Council deplore the conduct of the tests.
An Emergency is declared in Pakistan.
29th May
The U.S. asks India and Pakistan to defuse tension following their nuclear tests.
The U.S. says Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for its nuclear tests.
Japan slaps sanctions on Pakistan.
Russia, NATO express concern over Pakistan's tests.
Mr. Joseph Estrada, Vice-President of the Philippines, has been proclaimed as President.
30th May
Pakistan conducts one more nuclear test.
No more nuclear tests, says Mr. Nawaz Sharif.
Over 5,000 people die in north-east Afghanistan in an earthquake. About 4,000 people died in the same area in the February earthquake.
1st Jun
The Prime Minister of Georgia's separatist region of South Ossetia, Mr. Valery Khubulov, is shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
Japan's ruling coalition led by the Liberal Demoratic Party loses majority in the Upper House with two allies breaking away.
2nd Jun
Russia, Germany and France sign a plutonium pact which provides for conversion of Russian weapons-grade plutonium into commercial nuclear fuel.
Space shuttle Discovery takes off on the last U.S. mission to the Russian space station, Mir.
4th Jun
Discovery docks with Mir.
5th Jun
The Sri Lankan Government imposes an indefinite ban on `sensitive' military news coverage by the international and local media.
7th Jun
Twentytwo persons are killed in a bomb blast on the Peshawar- bound Khyber Express near Khairpur in Pakistan's Sindh province.
9th Jun
East Timorese reject a ``special status'' offer made by the Indonesian President, Mr. J.B. Habibie. They want only a referendum on autonomy.
10th Jun
Astronomers discover 143 galaxies previously obscured by the Milky Way through radio telescopes, one in The Netherlands and the other in Australia.
11th Jun
Pakistan announces a `unilateral moratorium' on nuclear testing.
An attempt is made on the life of the Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Qadhafi, in which 16 bodyguards get killed.
Pakistan announces austerity measures in the wake of the sanctions imposed on it for its nuclear tests.
15th Jun
NATO launches air exercises over Albania and Macedonia in the wake of fighting between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
19th Jun
Turkey sends six F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus as tensions between Ankara and Athens increase.
25th Jun
Indonesia and the International Monetary Fund agree to restart a $43-billion economic bailout.
Nothern Ireland province goes to polls to elect an Assembly which provides for sharing of power by the Catholics and the Protestants.
26th Jun
The visiting U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, raises a human rights issue with China saying he is concerned at reports of detentions of dissidents. He also says there would be no change in the U.S. stance on Taiwan.
28th Jun
The Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party and Sinn Fein get majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections.
1st Jul
Austria takes over European Union presidency.
8th Jul
The PLO's status is enhanced in the U.N. General Assembly, and it is unofficially described as ``Observer Plus.''
9th Jul
Taliban bans television in Afghanistan.
Australia ratifies CTBT.
10th Jul
Russia successfully launches six satellites.
11th Jul
The Pakistan rupee plunges to Rs. 60 a dollar, a new low.
Beijing releases four dissidents.
12th Jul
Hutu rebels kill 34 prisons in Tare, near Kigali.
13th Jul
The PLO chief, Mr. Yasser Arafat, voices support to Pakistan's nuclear programme.
The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Ryutaro Hashimoto, quits.
The former Italian Premiers, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi and Mr. Bertino Craxi, are sentenced on bribery charges.
16th Jul
The FBI unearths a plot to kill the President, Mr. Bill Clinton, by a Texas-based separatist group.
17th Jul
Russia's last emperor, Czar Nicholas II, and his family are laid to rest at St. Petersburg, 80 years after they were killed by Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918.
18th Jul
Pakistan rejects India's plan for `no-first-use'' of nuclear weapons.
The South African President, Mr. Nelson Mandela, on his 80th birthday, marries his companion, Ms. Grace Machel.
One hundred and twenty countries adopt a statute to set up an international court to try war crimes, genocidal crimes against humanity and aggression.
About 1,500 persons are killed as a 10-metre tidal wave hits Aitape, a village in Papua New Guinea.
20th Jul
A Thailand business executive, Mr. Sophon Suphapong, gets the 1998 Ramon Magsaysay award for public service.
Afghanistan's Taliban militia shuts down international aid organisations, ordering them to move out of Kabul.
21st Jul
Communist party leaders of China and Japan meet in Beijing for the first time in 32 years.
The Italian Premier, Mr. Romanov Prodi, wins a trust vote in the Senate.
23rd Jul
The Teheran Mayor, Mr. Gholam Hussein Karbaschi, is convicted for embezzlement and misuse of public funds.
24th Jul
Mr. Keizo Obuchi is elected president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The way is paved for his becoming the next Prime Minister.
27th Jul
A new ``non-discriminatory'' Constitution comes into force on the Fiji Islands.
28th Jul
The Pakistan Supreme Court strikes down the Presidential order which suspends the fundamental rights of the citizens.
The Cambodian Opposition rejects results of the July 26 elections, saying its defeat was ``caused by fraud.''
30th Jul
The Myanmarese Opposition leader, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, is forced to end a six-day stir in Yangon.
Mr. Joseph Estrada is sworn in the Philippines President.
A U.S. plane fires at an Iraqi surface-to air missile site at Basira.
3rd Aug
Taiwan test-fires a locally developed anti-missile system, an Anti-Tactical Ballistic Missile, thereby technically surpassing China.
4th Aug
The Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, extends the emergency, already in force in the disturbed areas, to the whole of the country.
Mrs. Corazon Aquino, who played a pivotal role in restoring democracy to the Philippines, is named winner of the 1998 Ramon Magsaysay award for international understanding.
5th Aug
Cambodia's strongman, Mr. Hun Sen, emerges a clear winner in the country's latest general election.
6th Aug
The Pakistan Finance Minister, Mr. Sartaj Aziz, is appointed Foreign Minister. He replaces Mr. Gohar Ayub Khan.
7th Aug
At least 90 are killed and 1,200 injured in twin bomb explosions in Kenya and Tanzania. The bombs also damage the U.S. embassies there.
8th Aug
Taliban forces seize Mazhar-i-Sharif flushing out opposition fighters.
11th Aug
The South African President, Mr. Nelson Mandela, presents the country's highest honour for foreigners to the Palestinian leader, Mr. Yasser Arafat.
13th Aug
A Russian crew blasts off for the Mir space station from the former Soviet Cosmodrome in Baikonur.
A Pakistani court formally indicts the former Premier, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, and her husband, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, for their alleged involvement in a gold import scandal.
15th Aug
Twenty five persons are killed as a car bomb rips through the Northern Ireland town of Omagh.
The Congo President, Mr. Laurent Kabila, flees Kinshasa as rebel forces push towards the capital.
16th Aug
South Africa joins Western Countries in evacuating its nationals from Congo as the rebel forces continue their advance towards Kinshasa.
17th Aug
The U.S. orders all its citizens and hundreds of its non- essential employees and their dependents in Pakistan to leave the country.
Mr. Clinton gives his testimony in the Monica Lewinsky case in the Map Room of the White House and admits to liaison with Ms. Lewinsky.
The Russian Government sharply devalues the rouble in a move to defend the currency.
In a bid to shed the perception of Albania as being part of the Muslim world, the socialist Prime Minister, Mr. Fatos Nano, withdraws from OIC membership.
18th Aug
The Nepalese Government bans all bottled drinks from the Everest region to minimise littering on the slopes of the world's highest peak.
19th Aug
The Taliban rejects a U.S. call to hand over Saudi terrorist, Osama bin Laden, and vows to protect him ``at all costs''.
A Swiss judge issues an indictment order against Ms. Benazir Bhutto on money laundering charges related to kickbacks from two Swiss firms.
20th Aug
Mr. Bill Clinton orders air strikes on ``terrorist bases'' in Afghanistan and Sudan in retaliation for the bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
21st Aug
The Security Council decides to continue the eight-year-old economic sanctions against Iraq.
22nd Aug
Mr. Clinton blocks all financial transactions between U.S. companies and Osama bin Laden.
23rd Aug
The Russian President, Mr. Boris Yeltsin, fires the Prime Minister, Mr. Sergei Kiriyenko, and the rest of the Government and says he is reappointing Mr. Viktor Chernomyrdin.
The South African President, Mr. Nelson Mandela, announces a ceasefire agreement aimed at ending hostilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
24th Aug
The overall commander of the Indonesian military forces, General Wiranto, dismisses Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto, son-in-law of the former ruler, Mr. Suharto. Lt. Gen. Prabowo was the head of Army's Special Forces Unit.
25th Aug
The longest-serving U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, Mr. Scott Pitter, quits charging that the U.N. Secretary-General, the Security Council and the Clinton administration have stymied the inspectors ``on the doorstep'' of uncovering Iraq's hidden weapons programmes.
28th Aug
Mr. Nawaz Sharif announces his intention to make the Quran and the ``Sunnah'' (sayings of the Prophet) the law of Pakistan.
31st Aug
North Korea test-fires a missile, the second stage of which flew over the main Japanese island of Honshu that includes Tokyo.
1st Sep
The de facto ruler, Mr. Hun Sen, wins 41.5 per cent of the popular vote in the July 26 election, but his Cambodia People's Party could not secure a two-thirds majority.
2nd Sep
Russia and the U.S. at their summit in Moscow, vow to exert pressure on India and Pakistan over their arms rivalry. Russia rejects the U.S. suggestion that Moscow stop military cooperation with India.
The high-profile Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, is sacked in the wake of the Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohammad's tough new economic measures.
3rd Sep
A Swissair jetliner bound for Geneva from New York, MD-11 jet, crashes off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 on board. Among the victims is a Saudi Arabian prince, Prince Bandar Bin Saud Bin Saad Abdul Rehman al- Saud (45).
4th Sep
North Korea launches the first artificial satellite aboard a multi-stage rocket into orbit to promote ``scientific research for peaceful use of outer space.''
5th Sep
A financial collapse sends the rouble crashing against the dollar and spells catastrophe for millions of Russians who depended heavily on imports to meet their basic needs.
North Korea's Parliament re-elects de facto leader, Mr. Kim Jong- II Chairman of the Defence Commission.
A photo has been released of an unidentified type of North Korean rocket, which blasted off at a launch site on August 31. The rocket was claimed by North Korea's Central Broadcasting Service as the country's first satellite rocket launched-ever. It denied the earlier report of a test launch of a ballistic missile which cruised across Northern Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
7th Sep
The Duma refuses to confirm Mr. Viktor Chernomyrdin as Russia's new Prime Minister for the second time.
9th Sep
The Independent Counsel, Mr. Kenneth Starr, sends in his report to the U.S. Congress, spelling out the grounds for the impeachment of Mr. Clinton.
10th Sep
Mr. Yeltsin nominates Mr. Yevgeny Primakov as Prime Minister.
11th Sep
The Jaffna Mayor, Mr. P. Sivapalan, and 11 others are killed in a bomb blast during a meeting at the Municipal Council building.
The Duma confirms Mr. Primakov as Prime Minister.
Mr. Clinton apologises to Ms. Monica Lewinsky and her family, for having had an ``inappropriate relationship'' with her and lying about it.
12th Sep
The Starr report, which faults Mr. Bill Clinton on 11 counts, is made public.
13th Sep
Taliban claims to have captured the Central Afghan town of Bamiyan from the opposition forces.
18th Sep
Russian rouble dives to 18.11 to the dollar.
21st Sep
The deposed Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, is arrested.
24th Sep
The nine-year-old death sentence on Mr. Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, passed by Iran's spiritual leader, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, is lifted following an agreement between the Iranian and British Governments.
25th Sep
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Alexander Shokhin, quits.
26th Sep
The U.S. conducts non-explosive nuclear tests in the desert of Nevada. It says the tests are fully consistent with the CTBT.
27th Sep
Mr. Gerhard Schroeder scores over the Chancellor, Mr. Helmut Kohl, in the German elections.
3rd Oct
In the Australian national elections, the Prime Minister, Mr. John Howard, claims victory, saying he would have a working majority.
7th Oct
The Pakistani Army Chief, Gen. Jehangir Karamat, steps down in the face of a controversy over his remarks, calling for a National Security Council to institutionalise decision-making. Gen. Pervaiz Mushraf is appointed the new Army Chief.
8th Oct
The Portuguese novelist, Mr. Jose Saramago, 75, is named winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature.
9th Oct
The Italian Government, headed by Mr. Romano Prodi, collapses after losing a trust vote in Parliament. Hardline communists earlier withdrew support to him citing differences over his budget proposals.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, names Mr. Ariel Sharon, a hardliner, new Foreign Minister.
12th Oct
The 1998 Nobel Prize for Medicine is jointly awarded to Dr. Robert F. Furchgott, Dr. Louis J. Jagnarro and Dr. Ferid Murad, all of the U.S.
The 1998 Nobel Prize for Chemistry is shared by Prof. Walter Kohn and Prof. John A. Pople. The Physics prize is shared by Prof. Robert B. Laughlin, Prof. Horst L. Stormer and Prof. Daniel T. Tsui.
Sri Lankan diplomat, Mr. Nihal Rodrigo, is appointed the next SAARC Secretary-General.
14th Oct
Prof. Amartya Sen is awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize for Economics. He becomes the sixth Indian, by birth or citizenship, to win a Nobel.
Malaysian authorities order the release of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim. But he will continue to be in prison, facing charges of corruption and sodomy.
16th Oct
Two of the principal architects of the Northern Ireland peace agreement, Mr. David Trimble and Mr. John Hume, one a Protestant and the other a Catholic, are jointly awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Bangladesh devalues its currency, pegging the taka at 48.50 to the dollar up from 47.10.
Mrs. Fatima Bi, who helped transform an obscure Andhra Pradesh village - Kalva in Kurnool district - into a dynamic self-reliant one is honoured with the U.N.'s ``Race against poverty'' award at the U.N. headquarters.
17th Oct
The Former Chilean dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, is arrested by the London police on a request from Spain. Spain has alleged that he murdered Spanish citizens while in power between 1973 and 1990.
18th Oct
Over 500 persons are killed as a burst fuel pipeline catches fire in Warri, southern Nigeria. The victims rushed to gather petrol when suddenly there was a fire and they were roasted alive.
21st Oct
A new Italian Centre-Left Government headed by Mr. Massimo D'Alema, an ex-communist, is sworn in. This is the 56th post- World War II Cabinet in the country.
23rd Oct
After nine days of talks, Israelis and Palestinians strike a deal on the interim peace agreement. The Wye River Memorandum was clinched with extensive help from the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, and King Hussein of Jordan.
The U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, receives the Seoul Peace Prize 1998. He is the fourth recipient of the prize instituted in 1990.
27th Oct
Mr. Gerhard Schroeder is elected Chancellor of Germany by the Lower House of Parliament, Bundestag.
4th Nov
The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, says he will not convene his Cabinet to approve the Wye river land-for-security agreement until he receives in writing a Palestinian commitment to fight terrorism.
In a major surprise in the U.S. mid-term elections, Democrats make impressive gains.
7th Nov
The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Newt Gingrich, drops plans to seek re-election.
8th Nov
The District and Sessions Court of Dhaka sentences to death - by an open firing squad - 15 of the 19 accused in the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case. The murder took place on August 15, 1975.
11th Nov
The U.N. orders withdrawal of 103 arms inspectors from Iraq.
Mr. Clinton warns Mr. Saddam Hussein, asking him to end his defiance of the U.N. arms inspectors. The U.S. will be ``prepared to act'' if Baghdad fails to reverse course.
Defying China, Mr. Clinton meets the Dalai Lama at the White House to discuss his efforts at encouraging a dialogue between Beijing and Tibet's exiled spiritual leader over the Himalayan region.
13th Nov
Pakistan decides to sign both the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty unconditionally.
14th Nov
Mr. Clinton and Ms. Paula Jones, a one-time government clerk in Arkansas, reach an out-of-court settlement in the sexual harassment case she brought against him.
15th Nov
The U.S. agrees to `test' the latest Iraqi offer of allowing the U.N. weapons inspectors back into the country and demands full compliance with the Security Council resolutions and unfettered access to `all sites.'
18th Nov
The U.S. Special Commissions for Iraqi disarmament resumes its inspection.
19th Nov
The Israeli Cabinet approves troop pullback from West Bank under a peace deal with the Palestinians.
22nd Nov
The United Nations weapons inspectors make surprise visits to suspected arms production sites in Iraq.
A new form of violence rocks the Indonesian capital. Clashes between a section of the predominant Muslim majority and a sect of minority Christians.
26th Nov
Miss Israel Linor Abagril (19) wins the Miss World contest.
Discord and diplomatic misadjustment mark the first-ever state visit to Japan by a Chinese head of State. Mr. Jiang Zemin refuses to sign a joint declaration which does not satisfy Beijing's demands for an apology for the atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army against the Chinese.
27th Nov
Mr. Tony Blair becomes the first British Prime Minister to address both Houses of the Irish Parliament, thus strengthening the relations between the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.
3rd Dec
Mr. Bulent Ecevit, Turkey's veteran centre-left politician, is asked to form government, a week after Mr. Messut Yilmaz's government fell in a corruption scandal.
At least 28 persons, mostly children, are killed in a predawn fire that raged through an orphanage in a Manila squatter area.
4th Dec
Space shuttle Endeavour with six astronauts on board blasts off from the Kennedy Space Centre on a 11-day mission to add a second module to the orbiting international space station.
The Polish President, Mr. Aleksander Kwasniewski, votes a law passed by Parliament which will allow victims of the communist- era repression to see their secret police files.
Anatoly Onopriekno, thought to be history's worst serial killer, goes on trial in an iron cage. He shows no remorse about his trial for the terror he spread across the Ukraine. He allegedly killed 52 persons in seven years.
Iraqi officials deny access for U.N. weapons inspectors to a suspected weapons site.
7th Dec
Venezuelans celebrate the victory of Mr. Hugo Chavez in a historic vote which delivered the former coup leader the presidency he failed to seize by force six years ago.
Mr. Yelstin sacks the head of the Kremlin administration and most deputies in an attempt to reassert his slipping hold on power.
The U.S. appears willing to go along with a consensus on the U.N. Security Council and grants a comprehensive review of the sanctions against the Iraq.
8th Dec
The Chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Mr. Henry Hyde, says there is ``compelling evidence'' to impeach the President, Mr. Bill Clinton, but he has not ruled out censure.
Russia calls on the Security Council to review Iraq's compliance with U.N. resolutions on the destruction of its weapons of annihilation to clear the way for an early lifting of the sanctions.
9th Dec
The IRA rules out surrender of any of its weapons after holding a ``General Army Convention'', a meeting of its supreme decision making body.
10th Dec
The process' of impeachment of Mr. Clinton moves into yet another phase with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee drawing up four articles of impeachment.
Chile recalls its Ambassador in London, Mr. Mario Artaza, as the British Government has decided that the former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet, will have to face trial for extradition to Spain on charges of torture and murder.
11th Dec
The Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives starts the historic final session and Mr. Bill Clinton apologies and pleads for a lesser punishment of ``censure and rebuke'' than impeachment.
12th Dec
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee approve three articles of impeachment against Mr. Clinton.
13th Dec
The House Judiciary Committee approves the fourth Article of Impeachment against Mr. Clinton, on abuse of power.
14th Dec
Palestinians revoke those clauses of their National Covenant which called for destruction of Israel.
17th Dec
Angry and sceptical Republicans in the U.S. agree to a brief postponement of the impeachment proceedings against Mr. Bill Clinton.
The U.S. and Britain launch a ``strong and sustained'' series of military strikes against Iraq for its failure to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.
18th Dec
The U.S. and Britain launch another wave of attack on Iraq even as Mr. Saddam Hussein says ``there will be no compromise.''
19th Dec
The U.S. and Britain launch their fourth wave of attacks against targets in Iraq.
Mr. Clinton becomes the second U.S. President to be impeached by the House of Representatives on two counts - perjury and obstruction of justice.
20th Dec
After four days of strikes against targets in Iraq, the U.S. and Britain call off their operations, but Mr. Saddam Hussein claims victory for his people.
Mr. Clinton rejects the Republican calls for his resignation.
The Israeli Cabinet votes to suspend the U.S. broked peace deal with Palestinians.
21st Dec
Iraq says 62 military personnel were killed and 180 injured in the U.S. and U.K. attacks. The number of civilian casualties is much higher.
Opposition from both foes and friends of the new peace accord brings the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu's Government to the brink of collapse.
23rd Dec
As Moscow's Ambassador heads back to Washington, the Kremlin warns of a cold war backlash unless the West changes its attitude to international relations.
The British Trade Secretary, Mr. Peter Mandelson, resigns after criticism involving a loan of $373,000 he accepted in 1996 from a Labour Party colleague.
24th Dec
The Clinton administration says it will continue with its policy of containment of Iraq, by force if necessary, and at the same time work for a new Government in Baghdad.
A disagreement between Russia and the U.S. on the role of the U.N. chief prevents the Security Council from reaching a consensus on a draft statement on Iraq. The Russian draft also criticises the air strikes on Iraq.
25th Dec
The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), armed group fighting for Kosovo's independence from Belgrade, announces that it was breaking a truce it unilaterally declared in the province on October 8.
26th Dec
Two key Democrats in the U.S. Senate - Mr. Robert Byrd and Mr. Daniel Patrick Moynihan - come out in favour of a censure of Mr. Clinton.
27th Dec
Iraq vows to shoot down allied war planes patrolling the `no- fly' zones over the country, but the U.S. and Britain warn that they will hit back if attacked. Iraq's Parliament also confirms that U.N. weapons inspectors would not be allowed to return.
28th Dec
Arab Parliamentarians ask the U.N. Security Council to punish the U.S. and Britain for their air strikes against Iraq and call for an end to economic sanctions on Baghdad.
The Chinese Opposition Party activist, Mr. Zhu Zhengming is missing from his home in the eastern city of Hangzhou for the past two weeks.
The Pakistani Opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Ms. Benazir Bhutto, prevented from proceeding abroad by immigration officials at the Karachi airport in view of the pending corruption cases against her.
The U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton says the `no-fly' zones in Iraq will be maintained as part of the ongoing containment policy and that American pilots have done the ``appropriate'' thing returning Iraqi fire in an incident that took place near Mosul.