Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic's trial on charges of crimes against humanity opens at The Hague.
US and Afgan forces begin operations in Afghanistan.
Israeli / Palistinian conflict escalates.
International Criminal Court wins UN ratification; U.S. refuses to ratify.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is temporarily ousted in a failed CIA sponsored coup.
Hugo Chavez
U.S. and Russia reach landmark arms agreement to cut both countries' nuclear arsenals by up to two-thirds over the next 10 years.
East Timor gains inependence.
Hundreds are killed in a terroist attack in Bali.
Norther Ireland shaken by IRA Spy ring.
Chechen rebels take 763 hostages in Moscow theater. Russian authorities release a gas into theater, killing 116 hostages and freeing remainder
China's Jiang Zemin officially retires as general secretary; Hu Jintao named as his successor.
UN Security Council passes unanimous resolution calling on Iraq to disarm.
N arms inspectors return to Iraq.
North Korea admits to having a nuclear weapons program.
The Eastern Mediterranean Event occurs : An object with an estimated diameter of 10 metres collides with Earth. It explodes in mid-air with the force of an atomic explosion. However, it exploded in an uninhabited area causing no damage.
US concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay opens amid international criticism.
Guantanamo
Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan government sign a cease-fire agreement, ending 19 years of civil war.
India's worst Hindu-Muslim violence in a decade rocked the state of Gujarat after a Muslim mob fire-bombed a train, killing Hindu activists. Hindus retaliated, and more than 1,000 died in the bloodshed.
Kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is murdered in Karachi, Pakistan. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others are charged.
In Islamabad, Pakistan, the International Protestant Church attack occurs.
In Karachi, Pakistan, a car bomb in front of the U.S. Consulate kills 12 Pakistanis and injures 50.
The government announces that it is laying landmines along the entire length of its 2,800-km border with Pakistan.
Direct flights to China are set to resume for the first time in 40 years after diplomatic talks between the two countries.
Archaeologists announce the discovery of ancient man-made structures off the Gujarati coast which could be as many as 9,500 years old - 5,500 years older than the ancient Harappan civilisation whose remains are found around the same region.
The Cellular Operators Association announces that the ownership of mobile phones in India rocketed by 75% in the previous year. Almost 6 million Indians now own mobile phones.
The New Delhi High Court overturns the October 2000 corruption conviction of former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao.
India signs a deal to buy a $146 million weapon-seeking radar system built by the U.S. company Raytheon. It is the first significant U.S. arms sale to India for a decade.
Pakistani voters approve a referendum granting a 5-year term for Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Devdas" becomes the first commercial Indian film to debut at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London host an exhibition entitled "Cinema India: The Art of Bollywood". This exhibit highlights the history of India's Cinema posters.
The British Film Institute organises "ImaginAsia". This is an eight month festival of South Asian cinema.
Yash Chopra (director/producer) is the recipient of the "Dadasaheb Phalke Award" for lifetime achievement.