| |
| 2003 |
| January 24th |
 |
The
new United States Department of Homeland Security officially
began operation. |
|
| January 25th |
|
An
international group of volunteers left London and headed for
Baghdad to act as voluntary human shields, in the hope their
presence would help to avert a U.S. invasion. |
|
| January 30th |
|
The
leaders of Britain, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland,
Romania, Denmark, and the Czech Republic released a statement
that demonstrated support for the US plan for an invasion of
Iraq. |
|
| February
1st |
|
NASA's
Space shuttle 'Columbia' STS-107 was destroyed killing all astronauts
during its re-entry to Earth. Contact was lost around 9.00am
(2.00pm GMT). |
|
| February
1st |
|
In
Northern Ireland, the protestant UDA Belfast leader John Gregg
was killed by a loyalist faction. |
|
| February
5th |
|
The
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the United Nations
Security Council with spy satellite photographs on Iraq's WMD
(Weapons of Mass Destruction). |
|
| February
15th |
|
Global
protests against the Iraq war erupted with more than ten million
people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest war
protest to take place before the war occurred. |
|
| February
20th |
|
In
the United States, the Station nightclub fire in West Warwick,
Rhode Island claimed the lives of 100 people, the fourth deadliest
nightclub fire in United States history. |
|
| March 1st |
|
The
United Arab Emirates called for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
to step down to avoid war. The sentiment was later echoed by
other Middle Eastern countries, Bahrain and Kuwait. |
|
| March 1st |
|
The
Turkish parliament vetoed the access of the U.S troops to airbases
in Turkey in order to attack Iraq from the north. The Bush administration
started working on the B Plan, namely attacking Iraq from the
south, through the Persian Gulf. |
|
| March 1st |
|
The
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the United States Customs
Service, and the United States Secret Service moved to the United
States Department of Homeland Security. |
|
| March 1st |
|
The
authorities in Pakistan captured Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the
suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
along with money man Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi. |
|
| March 10th |
|
Jacques
Chirac announced that France would veto any United Nations Security
Council resolution. |
|
| March 11th |
|
Iraqi
fighters threatened two U.S. U-2 surveillance planes, flying
missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, which forced them to abort
their mission and they returned to base. |
|
| March 12th |
|
In
Serbia, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was assassinated
in Belgrade. |
|
| March 12th |
|
WHO
(World Health Organisation) issued a global alert on the SARS
disease. |
|
| March 12th |
|
British
prime minister Tony Blair proposed an amendment to the possible
18th U.N. resolution, which would call for Iraq to meet certain
benchmarks to prove that it was disarming. The amendment was
immediately rejected by France, who had promised to veto any
new resolution. |
|
| March 15th |
|
Hu
Jintao replaced Jiang Zemin and became President of the People's
Republic of China. |
|
| March 16th |
|
The
leaders of the United States, Britain, Portugal, and Spain met
at a summit in the Azores Islands. U.S. President Bush Jr. called
Monday, March 17th, the "moment of Truth", meaning
that the "coalition of the willing" would make its
final effort to extract a resolution from the U.N. Security
Council that would give Iraq an ultimatum to disarm immediately
or to be disarmed by force. |
|
| March 17th |
|
U.S.
President George W. Bush Jr. gave an ultimatum to Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face
military action at a time of the U.S.'s choosing. |
|
| March 18th |
|
President
Bush announced that all diplomats and press should leave Iraq.
He warned Saddam Hussien and his sons that they have forty eight
hours to leave Iraq. |
|
| March 19th |
|
The
f irst American bombs were dropped on Baghdad, Iraq. President
Saddam Hussein and his sons did not comply with President Bush's
48 hour mandate which demanded their exit from Iraq. |
|
| March 20th |
|
Gulf
War II. Iraq was invaded by US led coalition including Britain,
supported by other countries including Australia, Poland, Spain
and Portugal. Operation Iraqi Freedom was an operation of regime
change. |
|
| March 22nd |
|
The
United States and the United Kingdom began their 'shock and
awe' campaign with a massive air strike on military targets
in Baghdad. |
|
| March 29th |
|
The
WHO (World Health Organisation) Doctor Carlo Urbani, who first
identified SARS, died of the disease. |
|
| April 3rd |
|
A
passenger bus hit a remote-controlled land mine in the Chechen
capital, which killed 8 people. |
|
| April 3rd |
|
U.S.
forces seized control of Saddam International Airport, and changed
the airport's name to Baghdad International Airport. |
|
| April 9th |
|
U.S.
forces seized control of Baghdad, which ended the regime of
Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Saddam Hussein's power collapsed and
he fled to avoid capture from the advancing US troops. |
|
| April 9th |
|
Saddam
Hussein's statue was pulled down in the centre of Baghdad by
American troops and Iraqi citizens. It symbolised the collapse
of the Hussein regime. |
|
| April 17th |
|
The
Stevens Report concluded that members of the RUC and British
Army cooperated with the UDA in the killings of Catholics in
Northern Ireland. |
|
| April 21st |
|
Retired
U.S. Army General Jay Garner became the Interim Civil Administrator
of Iraq. |
|
| May 1st |
|
US
President George Bush Jr. announced the end of the hostilities
in Iraq on board the US aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln. |
|
| May 12th |
|
Suicide
truck-bomb attack killed 60 people at a government compound
in northern Chechnya. |
|
| May 12th |
|
In
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 26 people were killed in the Riyadh Compound
Bombings. |
|
| May 14th |
|
A
female suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to her waist
in crowd of thousands of Muslim pilgrims in Chechnya. The blast
killed 18 people in. |
|
| May 16th |
|
In
Casablanca, Morocco, North Africa, 33 civilians were killed
and more than 100 people injured in the Casablanca terrorist
attacks. |
|
| May 23rd |
|
In
the United States, the birth of Dewey, the first cloned deer
by scientists at Texas A&M University. |
|
| May 26th |
|
A
draft of the proposed European constitution was unveiled. |
|
| May 28th |
|
In
Italy, the birth of Prometea, the first cloned horse by Italian
scientists. |
|
| May 31st |
|
In
the United States, Eric Rudolph, the suspected person to have
carried out the Centennial Olympic Park bombing was captured
in North Carolina behind a Save-A-Lot store. |
|
| June 4th |
|
In
the United States, Martha Stewart and her broker were indicted
for using privileged investment information and then obstructing
a federal investigation. Stewart also resigned as chairperson
and chief executive officer of Martha Stewart Living. |
|
| June 5th |
|
A
female suicide bomber detonated a bomb near a bus carrying soldiers
and civilians to a military airfield in Mozdok, a major staging
point for Russian troops in Chechnya. 16 people were killed. |
|
| July 5th |
|
SARS
was declared to be contained by WHO (World Health Organisation). |
|
| July 5th |
|
Chechnya
rebels committed a double suicide bombing at a Moscow rock concert.
The attack killed the female attackers and 15 people. |
|
| July 7th |
|
In
England, Canon Jeffrey John, the first would-be gay bishop in
the Church of England, withdrew his acceptance of the post of
The Bishop of Reading after discussions with the church leaders. |
|
| July 10th |
|
A
Russian security agent died in Moscow while trying to defuse
a bomb a woman had tried to carry into a cafe on central Moscow's
main street. |
|
| July 14th |
|
CIA
leak scandal began when U.S. columnist Robert Novak published
the name of Valerie Plame, which blew her cover as a CIA operative. |
|
| July 18th |
|
In
England, the body of Dr. David Kelly, a scientist at the MOD
(Ministry of Defence), was found a few miles from his home.
He had committed suicide. The incident led to the Hutton inquiry. |
|
| July 22nd |
|
American
troops surrounded and killed Uday and Qusay Hussein, sons of
the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. |
|
| July 23rd |
|
'Operation
Warrior Sweep' was the first major military deployment of the
Afghan National Army. |
|
| August 1st |
|
A
Suicide bomber rammed a truck filled with explosives into a
military hospital near Chechnya. The blast killed 50 people,
including Russian troops that were wounded in . |
|
| August 2nd |
|
The
United Nations authorised an international peacekeeping force
for Liberia. |
|
| August 10th |
|
The
highest temperature ever recorded in the Britain - At Heathrow
marked the first spot to reach 100 degrees in the Britain. The
highest temperature was recorded at Brogdale near Faversham
in Kent, 38.5°C (101.3°F). It was the first time that
Britain had recorded a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. |
|
| August 11th |
|
NATO
took over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan,
marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54 year
history. |
|
| August
22nd |
|
In Alcântara 21 people were killed at the Brazilian rocket
complex due to a premature ignition of a solid rocket booster. |
|
| September
5th |
|
A
Roller coaster accident at Disneyland theme park killed one
and injured 10 people. |
|
| September
9th |
|
US
physicist Edward Teller died. Born in 1908 in Hungary. He worked
on the Manhattan
Project during WWII, and was known as the 'Father' of
the Hydrogen bomb. |
|
| September
10th |
|
Swedish
foreign minister Anna Lindh was stabbed in a Stockholm department
store and died the following day. |
|
| September
14th |
|
In
a referendum the people of Estonia approved and voted for joining
the European Union. |
|
| September
16th |
|
Two
suicide bombers drove a truck laden with explosives into a government
security services building near Chechnya. The truck bomb killed
three people and injured 25. |
|
| September
27th |
|
The
European Space Agency probe, Smart 1 was launched. |
|
| October 7th |
|
In
California voters recalled Governor Gray Davis from office and
elected Hollywood film star Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed
him. |
|
| October 14th |
|
The
Florida Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs in Game 6 of Major
League Baseball's National League Championship Series. The game
was remembered for Cubs fan Steve Bartman interfering with a
foul ball which could have helped Chicago win the game and the
series. The Marlins went on to win the World Series. |
|
| October
15th |
|
The
People's Republic of China launched Shenzhou 5, their first
manned space mission. |
|
| October 24th |
|
Concorde
made its last commercial flight, bringing the end of an era
of commercial supersonic travel. |
|
| November
12th |
|
In
Nasiriya, Iraq, 23 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack
on an Italian police base. It was the first Italian casualties
of the 2003 Iraq war. |
|
| November
15th |
|
Al-Qaida
claimed responsibility for two car bombs that exploded simultaneously
in Istanbul, Turkey, targeting two synagogues. The blasts killed
25 people and injured nearly 300. |
|
| November
18th |
|
US
President George W. Bush Jr. made a state visit to London in
the midst of massive demonstrations. |
|
| November
20th |
|
Several
bombs exploded and destroyed the Turkish head office of HSBC
Holdings and the British consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. |
|
| November
20th |
|
The
'King of Pop' Michael Jackson was arrested by police on charges
of child molestation in California, USA. |
|
| November
22nd |
|
England
won the Rugby Union World Cup by defeating Australia 20-17 after
extra time, in Syndey Australia. |
|
| November
23rd |
|
Georgian
Rose Revolution ended with an overwhelming victory. President
Eduard Shevardnadze resigned following weeks of mass protests
by demonstrators over fraudulent elections. |
|
| November
24th |
|
The
High Court in Glasgow imposed a minimum sentence of 27 years
for Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing
Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21st
1988. |
|
| December
1st |
|
In
Britain, the use of hand-held mobile telephones phones while
driving was made illegal. |
|
| December
5th |
|
Suicide
bombing on commuter train in southern Russia killed 44 people.
President Vladimir Putin condemned the attack as bid to destabilise
the country two days before the parliamentary elections. |
|
| December
7th |
|
Parliamentary
elections was held in Russia. |
|
| December
9th |
|
In
Russia, a female suicide bomber killed herself outside Moscow's
National Hotel, across from the Kremlin and Red Square. The
attack killed 5 bystanders. |
|
December
12th - 13th |
|
Deposed
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. 4th Infantry
Division. Hussein was found in a 'spiderhole' on a farmhouse
outside his home town of Tikrit, Iraq, in an operation called
'Red Dawn'. |
|
| December
18th |
|
The
Soham Murder Trial ended at the Old Bailey in London with Ian
Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend,
Maxine Carr was found guilty of perverting the course of justice. |
|
| December
20th |
|
Libya
admited that it was building a nuclear bomb. |
|
| December
24th |
|
A
BSE outbreak in Washington State was announced. Several countries
including Brazil, Australia and Taiwan placed a ban on the import
of American beef. |
|
| December
24th |
|
At
the request of the US Embassy in Paris, the French Government
ordered Air France to cancel several flights between France
and the US in response to terrorist concerns. |
|
| December
24th |
|
The
Spanish police thwarted an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg
of explosives at 3:55 PM on Christmas Eve inside Madrid's busy
Chamartín Station. |
|
| December
25th |
|
Britain's
Beagle 2 probe was scheduled to land on Mars, but went silent.
It was believed that it crashed. |
|
| December
25th |
|
The
President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, escaped the second assassination
attempt in two weeks. |
|
| December
26th |
|
A
massive earthquake devastated south eastern Iran. Over 40,000
people were reported to have been killed in the city of Bam. |
|
| |
|
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