George Bush assumes power on the basis of a questionable election, and is declared to be the 43rd president of the US.
Congo president Laurent Kabila assassinated by his bodyguard. Kabila's his son Joseph assumes power.
Ariel Sharon becomes Israel's prime minister in a period of escalating violence.
There is violence in Macedonia between the majority population and the Albanian minorities.
U.S. spy plane and Chinese jet collide. Relations between the countries deteriorates until US gives a formal statement of regret.
Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is delivered to UN tribunal in The Hague to await war-crime trial.
"The 9-11" incident occurs. Hijackers attack several targets in the US. This is used by the Bush administration to clamp down on civil liberties at home, disregard the US constitution, and abandon all diplomatic norms in relations abroad, thus initiating a seven year reign of terror.
Twin Towers in flames
US begins bombing Taliban sites in Afghanistan.
Irish Republican Army begins to disband.
Hamid Karzai is elected to be president of an Afghan "government in exile", in anticipation of taking over from the Taliban.
Israel severs ties with Yasir Arafat.
Noah, a gaur, is born, the first individual of an endangered species to be cloned.
Wikipedia is founded.
Tropical Storm Allison produces 36 inches (900 mm) of rain in Houston, Texas, killing 22, damaging the Texas Medical Center, and causing more than 5 billion American dollars of damage overall.
The 27th G8 summit takes place in Genoa, Italy. Massive demonstrations are held against the meeting by anti-globalisation groups. One demonstrator, Carlo Giuliani, is shot dead by a carabiniere. Several others are badly injured during a police attack on a school used by the protesters as their headquarters.
Hurricane Michelle hits Cuba, destroying crops and thousands of homes.
Sherpa Temba Tsheri, 16, becomes the youngest person to conquer Mount Everest.
Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal kills his father, the king, his mother and other members of the royal family with an assault rifle and then shoots himself in the Nepalese royal massacre. Dipendra dies June 4, as King of Nepal. His uncle Gyanendra accedes to the throne.
Pervez Musharraf becomes President of Pakistan after the resignation of Muhammad Rafiq Tarar.
Tamil Tigers attack Bandaranaika International Airport in Sri Lanka, causing an estimated $500 million of damages.
The Parliament of India is attacked, killing 14. This brings India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
Calcutta officially becomes Kolkata, reverting to its precolonial name.
More than 100 million people - almost 2% of the world's population - attend the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad, making it the largest gathering of human beings in history. On the festival's most important day an estimated 20 million Hindu pilgrims bathe in the sacred waters of the three rivers which meet near the town. The festival is held every 12 years.
The government announces that it is willing to meet the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) for open negotiations on ending the 20-year insurgency in the northeastern state.
Pakistan reacts angrily to news that the Indian military has successfully test-fired an improved Agni-II intermediate ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to anywhere in Pakistan.
Unrest and clashes in Kashmir continue.
A massive earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, strikes the northwestern state of Gujarat. Estimates of the death toll rise rapidly to 30,000, with some much higher figures being quoted. The epicentre of the quake is some 300 km west of Ahmadabad near the town of Bhuj, which bears the brunt of the destruction. Tremors are felt as far away as Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The government calls for $1.5 billion in international loans to deal with the devastation.
The UK-based human rights group Amnesty International urges the government to crack down on the widespread use of torture by police.
Defence Minister George Fernandes resigns in a bribery scandal which threatens to bring down the government. The leader of the ruling BJP, Bangaru Laxman, has already left his position, but the departures fail to calm opposition parties, who continue to stall the workings of parliament for a third day on March 16. Journalists released secretly filmed footage on the Internet, showing government members from the defense ministry and other senior figures accepting bribes from bogus arms dealers.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, welcomes news that tens of thousands of Dalits (lower-caste Hindus) are to convert to Buddhism on October 14.
The country's space program is brought into a new era with the successful test launch of its geostationary satellite launch vehicle, the GSLV-D1, at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The federal government imposes direct rule in the northeastern state of Manipur after the state government collapsed.
Famed Bandit Queen turned M.P. Phoolan Devi is assassinated by masked gunman at the gate of her New Delhi residence at the age of 37.
India's first police office dedicated specifically to Internet crimes opens in Bangalore.
Actor Akshay Kumar marries marries actress Dimple Kapadia.
"Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai" wins Filmfare Award for "Best Picture".
India makes its first digital film. This is Vishal Bhandari's "Maya - The Reality"
The "film world / underworld nexus" continues. Film financier and diamond merchant Bharat Shah is arrested for alleged underworld links in connection to his financing of "Chori Chori Chupke Chupke".
"Chori Chori Chupke Chupke" is released but a Bombay court orders that profits be turned over to the government of India
Ashutosh Gowarikar's "Lagaan" is nominated for the Academy Awards under the "Best Foreign Picture" category. This is only the second time that an Indian film has been nominated. The first time was Mother India in 1957.
Asha Bhosle (singer) is the recipient of the "Dadasaheb Phalke Award" for lifetime achievement.