International Events in May 2000
May 1:
The Austrian far-right politician, Mr. Jorg Haider quits as chairman of the Freedom Party.May 2:
Israel begins pullout from southern Lebanon in preparation for its planned complete withdrawal from the zone by July 7.
May 2:
Rebels of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone take as hostages 300 U.N. peacekeeping forces.
May 4:
The British Government announces an embargo on arms sale to Zimbabwe.
An e-mail virus ``I love you'', causes widespread disruption to computer systems across the world.
May 5:
The Turkish Parliament elects the constitutional court Chief Justice, Mr. Ahmet Necdet Sezer, the 10th President of Turkey in a secret vote.
May 5:
The British and Irish Governments announce a breakthrough in their efforts to resolve the crisis over the Northern Ireland peace agreement and set June 2001 as the deadline for the IRA and other paramilitaries to disarm.
May 7:
Mr. Vladimir Putin vows to unite the nation, uphold, democracy and build a free, rich and strong Russia after being sworn in President.
May 9:
The officials of a Philippine Computer College identify Onel De Guzman, a student as the prime suspect in the love bug virus incident.
May 10:
The Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin formally names Mr. Mikhail Kasyanov as his choice for the next Prime Minister.
May 11:
Chechen rebels ambush a Russian Army convoy and shoot to death 18 federal troops near the villages of Alkhast and Galashki, Ingushetia, some 6 km from the border of Chechnya.
May 12:
Whites and Zimbabwean war veterans reach an agreement on setting up a Land Commission to oversee land transfer.
The Pakistan Supreme Court ``validates'' the military coup of October 12, 1999, while setting a three-year timeframe for the handover of power to an elected Government by October 12, 2002.
May 14:
The Government in Addis Ababa rejects a U.N Security Council ultimatum that Eritrea and Ethiopia should cease fighting.
May 15:
Sierra Leonean rebels free 139 of their captives into Liberian custody.
The Israeli Cabinet approves the transfer of two Palestinian villages (Abu Dis and Eizariyeh) near Jerusalem to full Palestinian control.
May 16:
The former Chief of the Indonesian military forces (TNI), Gen. Wiranto resigns from the Abdurrahman Wahid Cabinet.
May 17:
British troops capture Foday Sankoh, leader of the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone, in Freetown.
The Russian Parliament overwhelmingly approves the appointment of Mr. Mikhail Kasyanov.
The U.S. First Lady, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton official nominee of the Democratic Party to run in November for a U.S. Senate seat from New York State.
May 18:
The U.N. Security Council votes unanimously to impose an arms embargo on Ethiopia and Eritrea.
May 19:
China and the E.U. reach a market access deal that removes the last major hurdle to China's entry to the WTO.
The South Korean Prime Minister, Mr. Park Tae-Joon quits.
Paraguay's Government declares a 30-day state of emergency after soldiers loyal to the former coup plotter Lino Oviedo, take over a barracks and fire shots around the Congress building from armoured vehicles.
A `civil coup' in Fiji ousts the first ethnic Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Mahendra Pal Choudhary and the President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara proclaims a state of emergency.
May 20:
Mr. Chen Shui-bian sworn in Taiwan President.
May 22:
The South Korean President, Mr. Kim Dae-Jung appoints Mr. Lee Han-dong as the Prime Minister.
May 23:
Israel begins pullout from the occupied zone in Southern Lebanon five weeks ahead of the July 7 deadline.
May 25:
The U.S. House of Representatives votes convincingly to give China the Permanent Normal Trading Relations status.
Croatia joins NATO's extended family, becoming the 26th nation to join the alliance's partnership for peace cooperation programme.
A fresh outbreak of violence in Indonesia's North Maluku Islands leaves 32 Christians dead.
May 26:
Israel gets temporary membership in one of the U.N. regional groups, opening the way for its eventual election to key U.N. bodies, after being shut out for the past 40 years.
The Iranian leader, Mr. Ali Akbar Hashem Rafsanjani quits from the new Parliament.
May 27:
Colombia's worst serial killer, Louis Alfredo Garavito gets 835 years in prison for the murder of 189 boys aged between 8 and 16.
The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin signs the global nuclear test ban treaty.
The Fiji President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara dismisses the Prime Minister, Mr. Mahendra Pal Chaudhury.
May 29:
The Chief of Fiji's military force, commodore Frank Bainimarama proclaims martial law and assumes executive powers. The President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara resigns.
May 30:
Ethiopia and Eritrea begin indirect talks in Algeria in a bid to end their two-year border war.