International Events in 2001

Jan. 1:

The Commonwealth of Australia turns 100.

In a landmark judgment, the Bangladesh High Court declares fatwa illegal.

Jan. 2:

China, Taiwan begin a 1,000 mile journey thus setting the stage for direct communications, transport links.

Jan. 3:

The U.S. First Lady, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, takes the oath of office as a Senator.

Jan. 4:

Philippine police nab 17 men, mostly Muslims, for the December 30, 2000 blasts in Manila in which 18 died and around 100 received wounds.

Jan. 5:

The Russian Prime Minister, Mr. Mikhail Kasyanov signs a decree to de-orbit the 130-tonne space station, Mir in February-March.

The NATO chief, Mr. George Robertson orders a probe into radiation-linked death of soldiers following use of depleted uranium weapons by planes in attack on Bosnian sites.

Jan. 6:

The Thailand Prime Ministerial aspirant, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai wins an unprecedented landslide in Parliament election.

Jan. 7:

Mr. George W. Bush is officially declared winner of the presidential election after the Congress certifies the electoral college votes.

Genes can be patented, rules the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. John Agyekam Kufour is named Ghana President after Mr. Jerry Rawlings hands over power to the Opposition after 19 years.

Jan. 8:

Security forces in Ivory Coast crush coup by mutinous soldiers.

India, Vietnam sign MoUs on nuclear research, cultural exchange and tourism cooperation. India deserves membership of all South East Asian fora, says the Vietnamese Premier, Mr. Phan Van Khai after talks with the visiting PM, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee.

Jan. 9:

Two prominent German Cabinet Ministers, Ms. Andrea Fischer and Mr.Karl-heinz Funke, quit following allegations that they mishandled the beef crisis.

Jan. 12:

Several European Governments begin mass screening of troops for radiation, even as the U.N. and the IAEA call for a thorough probe.

Scientists announce creation of ANDi (``inserted DNA'' spelt backwards), the world's first genetically-modified monkey, a baby rhesus. The actual birth occurred on October 2, 2000.

Jan. 13:

A 7.6 magnitude quake leaves 400 dead in El Salvador. In Santa Jeela, a mountain side buries a whole neighbourhood, Las Colinas.

Jan. 14:

The Bangladesh Supreme Court stays the HC verdict on fatwa.

Jan. 15:

Cambodia's Senate approves a U.N. Sponsored draft law on creating a tribunal to try Khmer Rouge leaders.

Jan. 16:

Quake toll mounts to 600, aftershocks continue to rock El Salvador.

The Democratic Republic of Congo President, Mr. Laurent Kabila dies after being shot by a security guard in the Presidential Palace, in the capital Kinshasa.

An oil tanker Jessica runs aground in the Galapagos Islands, 965 km off the west coast of Ecuador.

Jan. 17:

Prosecutors in the impeachment trial of the Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, resign over Senate vote to block access to a crucial bank account.

Ninety people, including 52 LTTE rebels die, as Colombo launches fresh military offensive in northern Jaffna peninsula.

Jan. 18:

Major General Joseph Kabila, eldest son of Laurent Kabila is ``given'' the leadership of the Democratic Republic of Congo Government and the military high command.

Jan. 19:

The international sanctions against the Taliban comes into effect.

Jan. 20:

Mr. George W. Bush is sworn in the 43rd U.S. President, Mr. Richard Cheney assumes office as the Vice-President.

The disgraced Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada leaves office and the Vice-President, Ms. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is sworn in in his place.

Jan. 21:

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators begin a 10-day ``peace marathon'' at the Red Sea resort of Taba in Egypt.

The Ivory Coast Government resigns and the President, Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, reappoints outgoing Prime Minister, Mr. Affi n' Guessan.

Jan. 22:

The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, orders cuts in number of troops in Chechnya and shifts command to FSB chief, Mr. Nikolai Patrushev.

British Parliament nod for ``therapeutic cloning'' of human embryos.

Jan. 23:

Ecuador's President, Mr. Gustavo Noboa, declares emergency to contain the 80,000-litre oil spill threatening wildlife in Galapagos Islands.

Jan. 24:

The high-profile British Cabinet Minister, Mr. Peter Mandelson, Secretary, Northern Ireland quits.

Feb. 2:

The Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, denies charges and says he will not quit until his term ends in 2004 despite a humiliating censure by Parliament.

Feb. 6:

The Philippines President, Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, appoints Mr. Teofisto Guingona the new Vice-President.

A Chinese ferry from Xiamen with 90 people on board, arrives in Kinmen island on the first official trip to Taiwan-controlled territory since the end of the 1949 civil war.

Feb. 7:

The Likud party leader, Mr. Ariel Sharon wins a landslide victory in the Israeli special Prime Ministerial elections. The loser, Mr. Ehud Barak resigns from Parliament and quits Labour chairmanship.

The Bangladesh High Court imposes life ban on former military dictator, Gen. H.M. Ershad from contesting in elections, because of his conviction in a corruption case.

Feb. 8:

The U.S. Senate clears $ 582 million U.N. dues.

Feb. 9:

Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, billionaire telecom tycoon, is elected Thailand Prime Minister by Parliament with a whopping majority.

Nine persons die after the 499-tonne Ehime Maru, a training ship of the Japanese Uwajima Fisheries High School sinks on being hit by a surfacing U.S. Submarine, the 360-foot, 6900 tonne USS Greenville, 14.5 km off the Hawaiaan capital, Honolulu.

Feb. 10:

The crews of the space shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station Alpha attach the 13,500 kg $ 1.4 billion science laboratory Destiny to the station during a 7-1/2 hour space walk.

Feb. 11:

Two teams of British and American scientists achieve a ``radical'' breakthrough which contradicts the understanding of human genes and their influence on behaviour.

Feb. 12:

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court confirms the victory of the President, Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga, in the 1999 presidential election, following the withdrawal of a petition by the Opposition UNP questioning the verdict.

The spacecraft Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) launched by the U.S. lands on Eros, an asteroid, some 196 million miles from earth.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit of Appeals Court in California rules that Napster, the popular but controversial music swapping service can no longer knowingly trade in copyrighted material.

Feb. 13:

At least 237 people die as an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale rocks El Salvador, exactly a month after a powerful tremor devastated the country.

Feb. 16:

The U.S. and British planes resort to air strikes over the no-fly zone in Iraq.

Bahrainis overwhelmingly approve a pro-democratic National Action Charter that will give the region its first elected Parliament since 1975, through a referendum. The Emir declares the Gulf State a constitutional monarchy.

Feb. 18:

The FBI arrests one of its agents, Mr. Robert Phillip Hanssen (27), on suspicion of spying for Russia.

Feb. 19:

The U.K.'s new stringent Terrorism Act, 2000 giving the Home Office more powers to crack down on extremist activities, comes into force.

Feb. 20:

The acting Israeli Premier, Mr. Ehud Barak decides not to join the Sharon Cabinet.

Feb. 21:

The Philippines President, Ms. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, announces suspension of military operations against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Feb. 22:

The British and the U.S. warplanes attack Iraqi air defences in a northern no-fly zone.

Feb. 23:

Rape, a war crime, rules the International War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague and in a historic verdict, convicts three Bosnian Serb soldiers to 60 years in prison.

Feb. 25:

Toll in Indonesian ethnic clashes touches 270, even as violence spreads to Palangkaraya, the provincial capital of central Kalimantan.

The Communists cruise to a sweeping victory in the Parliamentary elections in Moldova.

Feb. 26:

Britain begins slaughter of cattle affected by the foot-and-mouth disease.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers declare statues as insulting to Islam and order destruction of all, including the 175-feet high, world's tallest standing Buddha, located in Bamiyan, 150 km West of Kabul.

Feb. 28:

An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale hits Washington.

March 1:

A five-judge bench of Fiji's Court of Appeal, declares the interim Government of Mr.Laisenia Qarase illegal and upholds the validity of the multi-racial democratic Constitution of 1997.

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan begins destruction of statues, including the tallest standing Buddha in Bamiyan province.

March 2:

Taliban militia subjects the giant 2000-year-old Bamiyan Buddha statues to missile and tank attack.

The Philippines Supreme Court votes 13-0 to confirm the legitimacy of the Presdient, Ms.Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and denies her predecessor, Mr.Joseph Estrada, immunity from prosecution.

March 3:

The Thai Premier, Mr.Thaksin Shinawatra, escapes an assassination attempt after an explosion rocks an aircraft at Bangkok airport minutes before he was to board it.

March 4:

At least 70 people die after their bus falls into the Duoro river just outside Castele de Paiva town in Portugal, due to the collapse of an 116-year-old road bridge.

Swiss voters overwhelmingly say `no' to talks on joining the European Union.

March 6:

Israel's Prime Minister-elect, Mr.Ariel Sharon, forms a unity Government comprising an eight-party coalition. Mr.Shimon Peres becomes Foreign Minister and Mr.Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Defence Minister.

March 7:

The Fiji `interim' Prime Minister, Mr.Laisenia Qarase, submits his Government's resignation to the President, Mr.Josefa Iloilo.

March 8:

Ratu Ipeli Ganilau, replaces former Premier, Mr.Sitiveni Rabuka as Chairman of Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs.

March 9:

The Italian President, Mr.Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, dissolves Parliament.

The Anthony Hammond probe into the Hindujas' passport affair, exonerates former British Minister for Northern Ireland, Mr.Peter Mandelson and the Foreign Office Minister, Mr.Keith Vaz.

March 12:

The Ugandan President, Mr.Yoweri Museveni, wins a second five- year term, receiving 69.3 per cent of the valid votes cast.

March 13:

The US slaps ban on meat imports from the EU countries.

Mr.Ratu Tevita Momoedonu, is sworn in Fiji Prime Minister, shortly after the `sacking' of Mr.Mahendra Chaudhry from office by the President, Mr.Josefa Iloilo.

March 15:

Mr.Josefa Iloilo is sworn in Fiji President, orders dissolution of Parliament and fresh elections, while reappointing Mr.Laisenia Qarase as `caretaker' Prime Minister following the resignation of the incumbent Mr.Tevita Momoedonu.

The Chechen rebels hijack a Russian Unukova Airlines plane which took off from Istanbul with 174 on board and force land it in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

March 16:

Saudi security forces storm hijacked Russian plane and free all the hostages. Two passengers and an hijacker lose their lives in the operation.

A series of four explosions in apartments attached to a state-run cotton mill leaves 200 dead in the northern Chinese city of Shijiazhuang.

The International Court of Justice, The Hague, upholds a 1939 decision by the then colonial power, the U.K. awarding the Hawar islands to Bahrain, thus bringing to an end a decade-old case brought forward by Qatar.

March 18:

The Teheran Revolutionary Court, bans Iran's only real Opposition group, Freedom Movement after accusing it of trying to topple the Islamic establishment.

March 19:

Canada lifts diplomatic and economic sanctions against India, imposed after the Pokhran tests in 1998.

March 20:

A 40-storey oil rig billed as the world's largest sinks in the South Atlantic, off the coast of Macae, 195 km northeast of Rio de Janeiro.

March 21:

The U.S. orders the expulsion of 50 Russian diplomats in the wake of the arrest of Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent accused of spying for Moscow.

March 23:

The Russian space station, Mir, ends its glorious 15-year space odyssey with a fiery splashdown into the Pacific Ocean, about 1800 miles east of Wellington, New Zealand in a controlled descent.

Mr.David McTaggart, the Canadian co-founder of the environmental pressure group, Greenpeace dies in a car crash in Italy.

March 25:

The British funded ``Gladiator'' wins the 2001 Oscar for Best Picture; and earns Russel Crowe Best Actor Award; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon bags the Best Foreign Film Award and Mr.Steven Soderbegh gets the Best Director Award for his film ``Traffic.''

March 26:

The South Korean President, Mr.Kim Dae-Jung effects Cabinet shakeup and names Mr.Lim Dong-Won to head the Unification Ministry.

March 27:

Britain traces source of foot-and-mouth epidemic to smuggled infected meat served at a Chinese restaurant.

March 28:

The Russian President, Mr.Vladimir Putin, appoints two civilians, Mr.Sergei Ivanov and Mr.Boris Gryzlov, the Defence and Interior Ministers.

The Bush administration says it is not interested in implementing the Kyoto treaty on global warming and declares the Protocol dead.

March 31:

Mr.Bharat Jagdeo, is sworn in Guyanese President.

April 1:

The former Yugoslav President, Mr. Slobodan Milosevic, surrenders to police.

A U.S. military surveillance plane collides with two Chinese jets over the South China sea, and makes an emergency landing in Hainan island. Beijing dubs it intrusion and detains 24-member crew.

April 3:

The Philippines Supreme Court upholds the presidency of Ms. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and rejects the former President, Mr. Joseph Estrada's appeal that he was still the country's legitimate leader.

April 4:

The former Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, is indicted on graft charges by an anti-corruption ombudsman for allegedly amassing $82 million through payoffs.

Dame Silvia Cartwright, is sworn in New Zealand Governor-General.

Sudan's Deputy Defence Minister, Colonel Ibrahim Shamsaldin, and 15 others, including seven generals, die as their plane overshoots runway at Adar Yiel in Upper Nile State, 500 km south of Khartoum.

April 5:

The Congo President, Mr. Joseph Kabila, dismisses his entire Cabinet.

April 6:

The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Yoshiro Mori, announces decision to quit.

April 7:

The U.N. Commission on Human Rights adopts a resolution upholding Palestinian right to statehood.

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft rockets away on a 460 million-km journey to the Red planet, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

April 8:

The Bangladesh Parliament unanimously adopts The Vested Property Return Bill, 2001, enabling return of listed vested property to Hindus.

April 9:

Mr. Manuel Carrascalao, a East Timor veteran is named Speaker of the National Council.

The twin baby girls, Kimberley and Belinda bought over the Internet by Mr. Alan and Ms. Judith Kilshaw of Britain must be returned to the U.S., rules the British High Court.

April 11:

Dutch Senate passes the euthanasia bill, making Holland the first country in the world to legalise mercy killing.

China frees the 24-member crew of the U.S. EP-3E spy plane after an 11-day standoff.

April 14:

The Putin Government in Russia takes over the private TV channel NTV.

April 16:

Iran and Saudi Arabia, sign a landmark security pact to combat terrorism and drug trafficking.

April 18:

The Pakistan Supreme Court rules that the conviction of the former Prime Minister, Mrs. Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari in a corruption case by a lower court (in April 1999) unfair.

April 21:

Kuwait's highest court rejects a petition to grant full political rights to the emirate's disenfranchised women, in the sixth such ruling in less than a year.

April 22:

The Summit of the Americas agrees on a pact on Free Trade Zone by 2005 reserved only for democracies.

April 25:

The former Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, is arrested from his Manila home on the charge of ``economic plunder'' which carries the death penalty, on the orders of an anti-corruption court.

April 26:

Mr. Junichiro Koizumi is elected the Japanese Prime Minister and he appoints five women, a record in the nation's politics, to his Cabinet.

The Communist-dominated Ukrainian Parliament votes out the reform-oriented Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor Yushchenko and his Government, the most successful Cabinet since the country's independence in 1991.

April 28:

American businessman, Mr. Dennis Tito, blasts off aboard a Russian rocket, heading for the International Space Station and becoming the world's first space toursit.

April 30:

Indonesian MPs vote for a second time in favour of censuring the President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, in Parliament.

May 1:

The U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, says the ABM Treaty is a relic of the Cold War but insists on building space weapons, in a landmark speech at the National Defence University in Washington.

May 3:

The United States loses its seat at the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

May 5:

The Zambian President, Mr. Frederic Chiluba dissolves his Cabinet.

May 6:

The Soyuz capsule carrying the world's first paying space tourist, Mr. Dennis Tito, successfully lands in the Kazak steppe, after undocking from the International Space Station.

Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit the Omayyad mosque in Damascus, built on the site of a church in 705 A.D., which contains the tomb of Saint John the Baptist.

May 9:

About 130 people die in a stampede at a football stadium in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

May 11:

Miss Puerto Rico, Denise Quinones August, wins this year's Miss Universe crown.

May 13:

The Italian media tycoon, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi storms backs to power.

May 15:

Euro-MPs approve draconian anti-smoking laws.

May 17:

A plane carrying Iran's Transport Minister, Mr. Rahman Dadman, a Deputy Minister, and six MPs, crashes in Northern Iran killing all aboard.

May 20:

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan orders Hindus to wear yellow cloth to identify themselves and follow the Shariat or face prosecution.

Mr. Natsagiin Bagabandi, is reelected Mongolian President.

May 21:

The U.S. Government names Mr. William Burns as its special envoy to West Asia.

May 22:

The French National Assembly grants limited autonomy to the troubled island of Corsica racked by 25 years of nationalist violence.

May 23:

Eighty seven countries sign the Pact on Organic Pollutants (POPs), a global treaty banning 12 highly toxic chemicals, widely known as ``the dirty dozen'', in Stockholm.

May 25:

Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan approve the creation of a 1,700 strong joint rapid reaction force to fight Islamic militant groups in Central Asia.

May 29:

A U.S. court convicts four aides of Osama bin Laden of a plot to kill Americans around the world, including the bombing of two embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 which left 224 people dead and thousands injured.

May 31:

The Commonwealth of Independent States members, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan form Eurasian Economic Community, tipped to eventually supersede the CIS.

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission probing grievances from the apartheid era, winds up after five years.

June 1:

Nepal's King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and six other royals are gunned down by Crown Prince Dipendra, in a palace massacre. The latter shoots himself in a suicide bid.

June 3:

Mr.Alejandro Toledo wins Peruvian presidential polls after narrowly beating his rival, Mr.Alan Garcia.

June 4:

The comatose King Dipendra of Nepal dies and riots erupt in Kathmandu.

Rushdie case is closed, says the Iranian President, Mr.Mohammad Khatami.

June 5:

U.S. jets enforcing a `no fly' zone over southern Iraq attack an anti-aircraft artillery site using precision-guided weapons.

June 7:

The Labour party led by the British Prime Minister, Mr.Tony Blair, creates history by re-entering office with an unprecedented majority.

The former Argentina President, Mr.Carlos Menem (70) is arrested and charged with involvement in illegal multi-million pounds arms sale to Ecuador and Croatia in 1992 and 1995 while they were under International embargoes.

June 8:

The Iranian President, Mr.Mohammad Khatami, wins another term in office, winning 80 per cent of the popular vote.

June 9:

Mr.Jack Straw, is appointed the new UK Foreign Secretary in place of Mr.Robin Cook shifted as Leader of the Commons, by the Prime Minister, Mr.Tony Blair in a sweeping post-poll Cabinet reshuffle. Mr.David Blunkett succeeds Mr. Straw as Home Secretary.

June 10:

Leila Pahlavi (31), the youngest child of the late Shah of Iran, is found dead in a London hotel.

June 11:

A Gulf War veteran, Timothy McVeigh (33), is executed by lethal injection in Terre Haute, Indiana for blowing up the Alfred P.Murrah Federal Building, in Oklahama City in 1995 in which 168 persons lost their lives.

Britain's most prominent politician of Asian origin, Mr.Keith Vaz dogged by allegations of financial irregularities, is replaced as Europe Minister, by Mr.Peter Hain.

June 12:

The U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, says the Kyoto Treaty on environment is ``fatally flawed in fundamental ways'' and launches the U.S. Climate Change Research Initiative.

June 14:

By a vote of 420-0, the US House of Representatives rejects the Taliban order forcing Hindus in Afghanistan to wear yellow badges by way of religious identification.

June 15:

China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, formally launch the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Shanghai and reiterate support to the ABM Treaty.

June 17:

The National Movement of Bulgaria's former King Simeon II wins a resounding victory in the general elections.

June 20:

The Pakistan military ruler, Gen.Pervez Musharraf, takes over as the President replacing Mr.Muhammed Rafiq Tarar.

The People's Alliance Government in Sri Lanka is reduced to a minority in Parliament.

June 21:

The first solar eclipse of the millennium is sighted in Angola and it coincides with the shortest day of the year for the first time in 353 years.

Turkey's constitutional Court bans the Opposition Islamic Virtue Party for its anti-secular activities.

June 23:

Over 100 persons die as a 8.1 magnitude earthquake rocks the colonial city of Arequipa, 75 km southeast of the Peruvian capital, Lima.

The fugitive Peruvian spymaster, Mr.Vladimir Montesinos, is captured in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

June 25:

Russia scores its first major success in hunting down Chechen rebel leaders by killing warlord, Arbi Barayev (28) accused of killing 170 people, after a major six day operation in his home town of Alkhan-Kala.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is presented with the Jamnalal Bajaj International Award (for ``promoting Gandhian values outside India'') at a special function in Parliament, at Cape Town.

June 28:

The former Yugoslav President, Mr.Slobodan Milosevic, is extradited to the International War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague in the Netherlands.

June 29:

The United Nations Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan is appointed by acclamation by the General Assembly to a second five year term.

July 1:

The Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr. David Trimble, quits as leader of the joint Catholic-Protestant administration for Northern Ireland.

July 2:

Doctors at a U.S. hospital successfully implant the world's first self-contained mechanical heart on a patient.

July 3:

One hundred and forty three passengers abroad a Russian TU-154 plane die after it crashes and bursts into flames near the Siberian city of Irkutsk (en route from Yekaterinburg to Vladivostok).

July 4:

The former Argentinian President, Mr. Carlos Menem, is indicted and ordered to stand trial.

July 5:

The Sri Lankan Government reimposes the ban on the LTTE under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

July 9:

The Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharraf has a narrow escape when a private car crashes into his convoy near the entrance gate of Islamabad international airport.

July 10:

The ousted Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, is formally charged in an anti-corruption court for economic plunder, a charge that earns the death penalty.

The Sri Lankan President, Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga, prorogues Parliament and notifies a referendum on whether or not to adopt a new Constitution proposed by the Government last year.

July 11:

The Cambodian National Assembly passes a Bill to set up a mixed international-Cambodian tribunal to try former leaders of the Khmer Rouge.

July 12:

The former Bulgarian monarch, King Simeon II accepts the nomination to be the next Prime Minister.

July 13:

The FBI launches probe into the past of the Democratic Congressman from California, Mr. Gary Condit who admits to having an affair with Ms. Chandra Levy, an intern at the Bureau of Prisons, missing since April 30.

The Bangladesh Parliament is dissolved at the end of its five-year term, the first time in the nation's 30-year history when the House had its full tenure.

July 14:

The Northern Ireland peace summit collapses.

July 15:

The Bangladesh caretaker Government under Mr. Justice Latifur Rahman takes office.

July 16:

Russia and China sign a a landmark 20-year friendship treaty, declaring each other ``friends forever, enemies never.''

Russia launches a £ 55 million, two months project to salvage the nuclear submarine Kursk that sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000, killing all the 118 persons on board.

July 17:

In a sensational upset, Mr. Michael Portillo, MP, crashes out of the Tory leadership contest and Mr. Kenneth Clarke, is catapulted to the top of the table.

July 18:

A U.S. Federal appeals court rules that Napster Inc. can resume its song-swapping operations on the Internet, down since July 2.

July 19:

The Napalese Prime Minister, Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala, resigns after 15 months in office.

Best-selling British novelist, Lord Jeffrey Archer, is convicted of perjury and obstructing justice and sentenced to a four-year jail term.

Japanese prosecutors indict U.S. airman, Staff Sgt. Timothy Woodland of raping a woman outside a bar in Okinawa.

July 20:

The Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, sets up the Truth Commission on Ethnic Violence to probe the anti-Tamil riots of 1983.

July 22:

The Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, declares a state of emergency, assuming wide-ranging powers.

Ninetythree miners are killed in an explosion at an illegal coalmine in Xuzhou of Jiangsu province, in eastern China.

Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba, is elected Nepal's Prime Minister for a second time.

July 23:

Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri, takes over as the fifth President of Indonesia, after the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) - Parliament Upper House - votes unanimously to oust the incumbent, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid.

The Kyoto Protocol on global warming is rescued from an impasse when delegates from 178 countries after a marathon all-night meeting agree on measures to operationalise the treaty, in Bonn.

July 24:

The LTTE in a devastating pre-dawn attack on Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport and the adjoining Katunayake military airbase, destroys 11 military and civilian aircraft worth millions of dollars. Thirteen rebels and five others die in the ensuing eight-hour gun battle.

July 26:

Indonesian Parliament elects Mr. Hamzah Haz, a Muslim politician to be the nation's Vice-President.

July 28:

Mr. Mohammad Siddique Khan Kanju, former Pakistan State Minister for Foreign Affairs and a former MP, Mr. Mahmood Aslam Joya, are shot dead by four assailants, in Multan.

July 31:

The European Court of Human Rights, upholds the Turkish Constitutional Court's banning of political organisations that seek to promote a religious agenda.

Aug. 1:

The British and Irish Governments, present a compromise package to save the Northern Ireland peace process.

Calling it `science gone crazy', the U.S. House of Representatives votes to ban all cloning of human embryos.

Aug. 3:

The Thailand Premier, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, is acquitted of the charge of wrongful declaration of assets by the Constitutional Court in Bangkok.

Aug. 7:

Mr. Jorge Quiroga takes oath as Bolivia's President following Mr. Hugo Banzer's resignation and will hold office till August 2002.

Aug. 8:

Mr. Mohammad Khatami is sworn in as Iranian President for a second and last term.

The Philippines Government signs a ceasefire agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Aug. 9:

The Indonesian President, Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri, announces formation of a 30-member Cabinet. Mr. Matori Abdul Djalil gets Defence and Mr. Boediono, Finance.

Aug. 10:

The U.S. President, Mr. George Bush, approves limited Federal funding for medical research on stem cells extracted from human embryos, that have already been destroyed.

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk, signs a law establishing the framework for a U.N.-assisted trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity, in Phnom Penh.

The British Government suspends the Northern Ireland Provincial Assembly, after efforts to break deadlock fail.

Aug. 14:

The Irish Republican Army withdraws its offer to decommission its arms.

Aug. 16:

U.S. Astronomers discover a planetary system with two giant planets around a star 47 Ursae Majoris, that is similar to the sun in chemical composition.

Aug. 18:

Seventy people die as fire sweeps through a six storey budget hotel in Quezon city, the Philippines.

Aug. 23:

In the first operation of its kind, German doctors, patch up a patient's failing heart using stem cells taken from his bone marrow.

Aug. 25:

The Iranian President, Mr. Mohammad Khatami, appoints Mr. Mohammed Raza Aref, a U.S.-educated former Minister as the Vice-President.

Myanmar junta frees the National League for Democracy Chairman, Mr. Aung San Sui and the vice-chairman, Mr. Tin Oo from 11 months of detention.

Aug. 28:

Peru's Congress votes 75 to 0 to lift the former President, Mr. Alberto Fujimori's constitutional immunity so he can face charges of homicide.

Aug. 29:

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Tariq Aziz, resigns after the jailing to 22 years of his son Mr. Zaid Aziz, for corruption and abuse of power.

Aug. 30:

East Timor goes to the polls to elect 88 members to a Constituent Assembly.

Aug. 31:

Non-Whites denied identity, says the South African President, Mr. Thabo Mbeki in his opening address to the first-ever World Conference Against Racism, in Durban.

Distribution of euro bills, in anticipation of the launch of the euro on January 1, 2002, begins in the 12-nation euro-zone region.

Sept. 3:

The Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, cancels a controversial referendum and announces resummoning of the prorogued Parliament ahead of time, to clinch a deal with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.

Seychelles President, Mr. France Albert Rene, secures another five-year term winning the island's closest presidential polls since Independence 25 years ago. He is in power since a 1977 coup.

Sept. 4:

In a mega merger, Hewlett Packard buys Compaq Computer Corp. for $ 25 billion in stock.

Sept. 5:

Sri Lanka's ruling People's Alliance, signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the JVP to seal the agreement under which the latter is to offer outside support to the Government for one year.

Mr. George Speight, accused of treason for leading the May 2000 coup in Fiji, is elected to the Parliament from jail.

Sept. 6:

Bangladesh's former military ruler, Gen. H.M. Irshad, is formally barred from election due to his conviction on corruption charges by a Dhaka criminal court.

Sept.7:

Commonwealth brokers land-reform deal and squatters to leave white-owned forms in Zimbabwe, after crisis talks between the Foreign Minister of the U.K. and its former dominions, in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

A surgical team in New York performs a gall bladder operation on a patient in France by sending high-speed signals to robots, in the first such procedure.

Sept. 8:

The World Conference Against Racism, in Durban, adopts a declaration recognising the injustice of slavery and colonisation and the ``plight'' of Palestinians, after nine days of contentious debate and brinkmanship.

Tajikistan's Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdurrahim Rakhimov, is shot dead by a gunman in the western district of the capital Dushanbe.

Sept. 9:

The Zimbabwean President, Mr. Robert Mugabe, accepts in principle the `land deal' to end the controversial land seizure drive.

The anti-Taliban Northern Alliance leader, Mr. Ahmed Shah Masood, is injured in a landmine blast in the Afghan province of Takhar.

The Belarus President, Mr. Alexander Lukashenko, wins another five-year term.

Sept. 10:

Mr. Laisenia Qarase, is sworn in Fiji Prime Minister.

Norway's Labour Party suffers a jolt in the national parliamentary polls, with its tally falling to 43 seats from 65 in the 165-member Parliament.

Sept. 11:

Terrorists hijack and crash two airliners into the World Trade Centre in New York and bring down the 110-storey twin towers leaving over 3,000 dead. A plane also slams into the Pentagon destroying a portion. Two United Airlines planes are also hijacked and crashlanded leaving 266 people aboard dead.

Sept. 14:

The U.S. Senate approves use of force against those responsible for the terrorist attacks and clears $ 40 billion in emergency aid to help the victims and hunt the perpetrators. The President declares a national emergency.

A new-look Cabinet sworn in in Sri Lanka and the Prime Minister, Mr. Ratnasri Wickramanayake takes oath afresh.

The anti-Taliban military commander, Ahmad Shah Masood dies of injuries sustained in an assassination attempt.

Sept. 15:

After 15 years of negotiations, China gets the nod for admission into the World Trade Organisation.

Sept. 18:

The Palestinian leader, Mr. Yasser Arafat, announces a unilateral ceasefire, and Israel halts offensive military operations, orders troops out of Jenin and Jericho.

Sept. 19:

The WTO agrees to admit Taiwan to the group, giving Taipei a major victory in its 12-year campaign.

Sept. 20:

Mr. Mari Alkatiri, the leader of Fretilin (Revolutionary Front For An Independent East Timor) is appointed to head a new de facto Cabinet that will lead East Timor to independence in 2002.

Sept 21:

The Taliban rejects the U.S. President, Mr. George Bush's demand for handing over Osama bin Laden and access to the hideouts of the Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

The Russian Parliament votes for reversing the revolutionary nationalisation of land and making it legal to privately own real estate. However, the code applies only to ``commercial'' or urban land.

Sept 27:

An armed man goes on a rampage in the State Parliament of the lakeside town of Zug in Switzerland, killing 14 persons before shooting himself dead.

The Palestinian leader, Mr. Yasser Arafat and the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr. Shimon Peres, reach a truce-consolidation deal almost a year after the outbreak of bloody confrontations that has left 700 dead.

In a historic step, Turkey's Parliament repeals ban on broadcasting and education in Kurdish.

Sept 28:

The U.N. Security Council, drafts, debates and approves a U.S.-sponsored resolution that mandates the 189 member-nations to deny support and sanctuary to terrorists and their networks.

Sept. 30:

The Taliban announces that Osama bin Laden is in its ``protective custody'' and it has no intention of handing him over to the U.S. Washington rejects any negotiations over the issue.

Oct. 1:

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party wins a resounding victory in general elections.

The trial of the former Philippines President, Mr. Joseph Estrada by the Sandiganbayan (anti-corruption court) begins.

The Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and the exiled former ruler, Mohammed Zahir Shah reach an agreement.

Oct. 4:

Seventy-six people die after a Siberian airlines plane on a chartered flight from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk in Siberia, bursts into flames and falls in the sea, 180 km off the Russian coast.

Oct. 5:

The U.S. Senate waives temporarily all the sanctions against Pakistan for two years.

Australia lifts bilateral sanctions imposed on Fiji following the July 2000 overthrow of the Mahendra Chaudhry Government.

Oct. 7:

The U.S. and Britain, launch military strikes codenamed Operation Enduring Freedom, against ``carefully selected'' targets in Afghanistan.

Lt. Gen. Eshanul Haq, is posted as Pakistan's new Inter-Services Intelligence Chief, in a significant reshuffle of the army top brass.

Oct. 8:

Over 100 persons die in a runway collision at Milan's Linate airport between a Copenhagen bound Scandinavian Airlines jet and a Cessna plane.

The wreck of the 18,000 tonne nuclear submarine Kursk, which sank in the Barents Sea last year killing all 118 aboard, is hauled off the sea bed.

Oct. 10:

The Sri Lankan President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, dissolves Parliament following the crossing over of eight dissident MPs of the ruling PA to the Opposition UNP, reducing the Government to a minority.

Begum Khaleda Zia, is sworn in Bangladesh Prime Minister, heading a 60-member Council of Members

Oct. 11:

Over 100 persons die as the U.S. unleashes very heavy attacks on the Taliban militia, pounding targets in and around Kabul.

The Trinidad-born British author, Sir V.S. Naipaul wins the Nobel literature prize, for works that ``compel us to see the presence of suppressed histories.''

Oct. 12:

The United Nations and its Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan wins the centenary Nobel Peace prize for promoting global harmony.

Over 200 persons die in Muslim-Christian clashes in the northern Nigerian city of Kono, provoked by the U.S. strikes in Afghanistan.

Oct. 16:

The trial of the former Communist leader of Poland, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski for the 1970 shootings of protesting shipyard workers, gets under way.

Oct. 17:

Israel's Tourism Minister and leader of the fanatic right wing Moledet party, Mr. Rehavam Zee'vi, is shot dead in Jerusalem.

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. House of Representatives, is shut down for an ``environmental sweep'', after 31 persons in Senator Tom Daschle's office test positive for anthrax exposure.

Oct. 18:

The Singapore President, Mr. S.R. Nathan, dissolves Parliament.

The Northern Ireland political crisis deepens after the two main Protestant parties, the Ulster Unionist Party and the Democratic Unionist Party withdraw from the province's ruling coalition.

Oct. 19:

The U.S. and China agree to share intelligence and help interdict financing of terrorist organisations following the first-ever face-to-face talks between the Presidents, Mr. George W. Bush and Mr. Jiang Zemin, at the APEC summit, in Shanghai.

A new Centre-right coalition Government under a Lutheran clergyman, Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik takes office in Norway, after the Labour debacle in September polls.

Over 350 refugees, mostly Iraqis die after their rickety Indonesian boat falls apart in the Java Sea while on their way from Christmas Island off Australia.

Oct. 22:

The U.S. begins attack on Taliban frontlines north of Kabul.

Oct. 23:

Russia begins probe into the blast aboard the nuclear submarine Kursk in August 2000 and its subsequent sinking in the Barents Sea.

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Agency's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft successfully enters the orbit around the red planet, after a six-month, 460 million km journey from earth.

Rampaging soldiers kill over 100 people in central Nigeria after ethnic militiamen murder 19 soldiers near the border of the south central states of Benue and Taraba, two weeks ago.

Oct. 24:

The Irish Republican Army begins arms decommissioning, and the Unionists agree to return to the Provincial Assembly.

Oct. 25:

Singapore's ruling People's Action party is swept back to power nine days before the polls as the Opposition fails to field candidates for more than half the 84 seats.

Oct. 26:

The Taliban captures and executes Mr. Abdul Haq, a former guerrilla leader accused of spying for the U.S. and Britain.

Nepal's king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev proclaims his only son, Paras Bir Bikram Shah as the new Crown Prince of the Himalayan Kingdom.

Oct. 28:

In a significant development, the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, the TULF says it supports the LTTE's ``freedom struggle.''

Oct. 29:

A new Bill empowering Japan to send its armed forces abroad for the first time since World War II, is passed by Parliament.

The former Philippine President, Mr. Joseph Estrada wins a reprieve in his perjury trial.

Nov. 1:

The Georgian President, Mr. Eduard Shevardnadze fires his entire Cabinet.

A transitional government under the President, Mr. Pierre Buyoya, is sworn in in Burundi in which both Hutus and Tutsis share power.

Nov. 2:

The U.S. Justice Department and the Microsoft, announce a settlement to end the long anti-trust case that bars exclusive agreements for the software giant's products.

Nov. 5:

The ASEAN summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, okays a separate ASEAN-India meeting and the leaders reject ``any attempt'' to link terrorism with any ``religion or race''.

Nov. 6:

India and Russia sign a new Moscow delcaration on ``international terrorism'', during the Putin-Vajpayee summit in Kremlin. A deal for construction of a nuclear power plant in Koodankulam, is also signed.

Nov. 7:

India and Russia agree to jointly develop a fifth-generation strike aircraft at the conclusion of the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee's visit to Moscow.

The British Airways' supersonic airliner, Concorde, returns to the skies after last July's Paris crash that left over 100 dead.

Nov. 8:

Indian writer Arundhati Rai is selected as this year's recipient of the $ 68,500 prize of the World Academy of Culture for her commitment to human rights.

Nov. 9:

The U.S. and India make common cause in the fight against terrorism after the Vajpayee-Bush summit, in Washington.

Nov. 10:

The Australian Prime Minister, Mr. John Howard, is swept back to power for a historic third term, in general elections.

Environment and Energy Ministers of 165 countries approve the 1997 Kyoto Protocol aimed at stopping global warming, after 19 hours of haggling, in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Every nation is a potential target of terrorism and civilisation itself is under threat, says the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, at the 56th session of the U.N. General Assembly.

Nov. 11:

China and Taiwan enter WTO, after signing the accession agreement.

Nov. 12:

Two hundred and fifty five people die after an American jetliner Airbus A 300 on its way to the Dominican Republic, crashes moments after takeoff from the John F. Kennedy Airport, in the Rockaway section of the borough of Queens, in the south eastern part of New York City.

Princess Prekhsya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah, wife of Nepali Prince Dhirendra who died in the royal palace massacre, is killed after her helicopter crashes in Rara lake in Mugu district, about 500 km west of Kathmandu.

The Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Mr. Badruddoza Chowdhury is elected the nation's 13th President.

Nov. 13:

Northern Alliance fighters capture Afghanistan's capital Kabul, as the Taliban abandons the city.

The WTO's Doha ministerial conference hammers out an agreement to soften TRIPS provisions.

Nov. 14:

The WTO meet in Doha ends with Ministers from 142 countries drawing the ``Doha Development Agenda'' for new trade liberalisation talks.

The U.S. slaps a $ 7.5 million fine on the SBI for violation of banking laws and failure to maintain accurate records.

Nov. 16:

Ms. Agbani Darego of Nigeria, is named `Miss World 2001' at the beauty pageant in Sun City, South Africa.

Nov. 18:

Mr. Georgi Parvanov, becomes Bulgaria's first leftist President elected by direct vote, defeating the incumbent centre-right President, Mr. Petar Stoyanov.

Nov. 19:

The Philippine Supreme Court deals a serious blow to the ousted President, Mr. Joseph Estrada, ruling that the plunder law he is accused of violating is constitutional.

The Sri Lankan police arrest Pushpakumara, the main coordinator of the attack on the Katunayake airport, from a house in Negombo, a fishing town close to the airport.

Nov. 20:

Britain and Spain resume talks on the future of Gibraltar, a British controlled colony on Spain's southern tip.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell announces a new U.S. peace mission to end the 14 months of violence in West Asia, in a speech at the University of Louisville, Kentucky.

Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, lifts ban on women's employment and the mandatory `burqa', also makes its way out.

Nov. 21:

Denmark's longest-serving social democrat Prime Minister, Mr. Paul Nyrup Rasmussen quits post after losing the general elections and a landslide victory by the centre-right Opposition parties.

The former Argentine President, Mr. Carlos Menem, is freed from house arrest after the Supreme Court clears him of charges he had led an illicit arms smuggling ring while in office.

Nov. 23:

The U.N. War Crimes Tribunal charges the former Yugoslav President, Mr. Slobodan Milosevic with genocide in Bosnia.

Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, head of the military wing of Hamas, is killed after his van is hit by missiles fired by an Israeli Helicopter, in West Bank.

Nov. 25:

A U.S. company based in Worcester, Massachusetts, clones a human embryo in a breakthrough experiment.

Nov. 28:

Mr. Tommy Suharto, fugitive son of the former Indonesian dictator Gen. Suharto on the run since November 2000, is held in Jakarta.

Nov. 30:

Eightyone Maoist rebels are killed by the Nepalese army in Salyan district, 500 km west of Kathmandu.

The Afghan Northern Alliance restores the judicial system developed in the 1970s under former President, Mr. Mohammed Daud Khan.

Dec. 1:

The Taiwanese President, Mr. Chen Shui-bian's Democratic People's Party wins in legislative elections, ending the National Party's five decade control of the law-making body.

The Russian President, Mr. Vladimir Putin, sacks 14 Navy commanders for the loss of nuclear submarine, Kursk last year.

Dec. 2:

Swiss citizens say no to a proposal to scrap the army put forward by the ``Switzerland Without An Army'' coalition.

The Houston-based Enron Corp. files for bankruptcy protection and sues would be suitor Synergy Inc. for wrongful termination of a $ 8.4 billion proposed merger, seeks $ 10 billion in damages.

Dec. 3:

The former first lady of South Africa, Marike de Klerk is strangled to death in her Cape Town apartment.

Dec. 5:

Mr. Hamid Karzai, the southern Pashtun commander is to head the Afghan interim government, after delegations sign a historic agreement after U.N.-brokered talks in Koenigswinter, Germany.

The Sri Lankan Opposition United National Party wins parliamentary polls.

Dec. 6:

The three-week Fifth Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention ends in Geneva with an unprecedented failure to agree on a final declaration.

Dec. 7:

The Taliban surrenders Kandahar, the last city under its control, after two months of U.S. air strikes on Afghanistan.

Dec. 8:

Mr. George Speight, Fiji's coup plotter, loses MP seat for being absent for two successive sessions of the House without permission.

Dec. 9:

Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP leader, is sworn in Sri Lanka's Prime Minister.

Six former Taliban Ministers and senior diplomats float a new outfit, Khudamul Furqan Jamiat.

Eleven prisons die following the outbreak of the contagious Ebola virus in the Central African nation Gabon's capital, Liberville.

Dec. 10:

India and Japan vow to fight global terrorism and side step differences over nuclear issues at the Vajpayee-Junichiro Koizumi summit, in Tokyo.

The U.N. Secretary-General, says ``humanity is indivisible'' as he and the U.N. General Assembly President and South Korean Foreign Minister, Mr. Hang Seung-Soo, accept the centennial Nobel Peace Prize, in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

Dec. 11:

China becomes the 143rd member of the WTO, ending a 15- year battle for accession.

Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent becomes the first person to be charged by a grand jury in Virginia with planning the Sept. 11 attacks.

Syed Sirajuddin, Raja of Perlis, is elected Malaysia's 12th monarch in a secret ballot by traditional leaders sitting in a conference.

Dec. 12:

A 25-member United National Front Government is sworn in in Sri Lanka following a decision by the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, to shed all portfolios. Mr. Tilak Marapone gets Defence and Mr. Tyronne Fernando Foreign Affairs.

South Korean biotechnologists breed the first `human-gene' laboratory mouse.

Dec. 13:

The U.S. withdraws from the ABM Treaty.

Israel bans the Palestinian leader, Mr. Yasser Arafat from leaving the West Bank town of Ramallah.

The U.S. House of Representatives approve a sweeping poll reform Bill, in more than a generation.

Dec. 14:

The British Government assumes emergency power to detain without trial foreign nationals suspected of terrorism.

Dec. 16:

China, Myanmar sign a border security pact at the conclusion of a visit by the Chinese President, Mr. Jiang Zemin.

Dec. 19:

Mr. Joseph Michael Perera, is elected Sri Lankan Speaker.

The Argentine President, Mr. Fernando de la Rua declares a state of siege as the economy crumbles leading to rioting on the streets that claim 22 lives.

Scientists decipher largest human chromosome.

Dec. 20:

Pakistan, China sign seven agreements after Jiang-Musharraf summit, in Beijing.

The Argentinian President, Mr. Fernando de la Rua, quits.

Dec. 21:

Commonwealth readmits Fiji.

Dec. 22:

Mr. Hamid Karzai, is sworn in leader of a 30-member interim Afghanistan Government, in Kabul.

Dec. 23:

Mr. Adolfo Rodrigues Saa, is sworn in Argentine President.

Passengers foil bid to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, and overpower suspect.

Dec. 24:

The Nigerian Justice Minister, Mr. Bola Ige, is shot dead by attackers who gate crash into his house, in the city of Ibadan.

The first reciprocal ceasefire by the Government and the LTTE since 1994, begins in Sri Lanka.

The LeT chief, Prof. Hafeez Mohammad Saeed, quits, after Pakistan freezes the outfit's assets.

Events 2001