Timeline for 2000 to 2002 CE

For Middle East Updates, editorials, news editions, and background articles see our postings atNews from Israel.'

Peace negotiations continue to bring appearance of security but true peace is fleeting at best (see: 1Th 5:3)

g3
CONSUMPTION Spike
Humanity is Exhausting Earth's
Resources at an ever Increasing Pace

2000 CE

Airborne measurements showed that layers of smoggy, ozone-rich air from Asia can reach the United States (SciNews Jan. 1, 157: 4).

Marine iguanas in the Galápagos Islands are the first vertebrates known to reduce their size during a food shortage and then regrow to their original body length (SciNews Jan. 8, 157: 20).
(See WindowView article relating environment to microevolution)

A supposed missing link between dinosaurs and birds turned out to be fossil fakery that combined bones from two different animals (SciNews Jan. 15, 157: 38).

Research on stem cells: significant increase in work on these immature cells that can grow indefinitely and mature into various cell types (SciNews)

To help preserve biodiversity, negotiators from 130 nations crafted rules of conduct for international trade in living, genetically engineered organisms (SciNews Feb. 5, 157: 84).

Preliminary tests supported the notion that the expansion of the universe is accelerating (SciNews: Feb. 12, 157: 106)

People's activities, not volcanoes, proved to be the main source of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere (SciNews Feb. 19, 157: 118).

Physicists combed experimental data for newly predicted signs that extra spatial dimensions exist and
alter gravity (SciNews Feb. 19, 157: 122).

A controversial national survey warned of growing social isolation among frequent Internet users (SciNews: Feb. 26, 157: 135)

Scientists coaxed green algae to produce hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel that could someday power pollution-free cars (SciNews Feb. 26, 157: 134).

Biologists read the full DNA sequence of the fruit fly (SciNews Feb. 26, 157: 132)

Satellite imagery showed that sprawling urban development is disproportionately gobbling up the land best able to support crops (SciNews March 4, 157: 155).

Scientists in the U. S. offered the first confirmation of widespread drug pollution of surface, ground, and tap water (SciNews April 1, 157: 212).

A Connecticut-size iceberg split from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica (SciNews April 1, 157: 215).

The latest inventory of life in the United States turned up an extra 100,000 species of plants, animals, and fungi, but it warned of threats to at least a third of those species (SciNews April 1, 157: 219).

A balloon-borne experiment found that the cosmos is perfectly flat (SciNews: Apr. 29, 157: 276)

New methods of delivering genes promised to help gene therapy reach its potential (SciNews May 13, 157:
309).

Researchers developed detailed maps of the distribution of dark matter, the invisible material believed to make up 90 percent of the universe's mass (SciNews: May 20, 157: 332)

The malicious ILOVEYOU computer virus, spread via an E-mail attachment, shut down thousands of computers and globally caused several billion dollars in damage (SciNews May 27, 157: 351).

Polar stratospheric clouds, which drive ozone loss in Antarctica, turned up in force during the most recent Arctic winter (SciNews June 3, 157: 356).

Two rival groups, one public and one private, announced that each has read most of the 3 billion or so DNA subunits that spell out the human genome (SciNews: July 1, 158: 4)

Public health officials around the world lobbied to preserve DDT for killing malaria-carrying mosquitoes (SciNews July 1, 158: 12).

Up to a quarter of the humanmade structures within 500 feet of America's coastlines may be lost to erosion by 2060 (SciNews July 8, 158: 21).

The massive Permian extinctions 250 million years ago could have occurred within a mere 8,000 years, scientists suggested (SciNews July 15, 158: 39).

NASA studies showed that the vast center of Greenland's ice sheet isn't getting thinner, but most of its margins are, contributing to rising sea levels (SciNews: July 22, 158: 54).

Researchers found that Caudipteryx, a feathered animal that lived 120 million years ago, may have been a flightless bird, not a bird ancestor (SciNews Aug. 19, 158: 119).

New insights into the genetics of body development raised doubts about the statistical method that many anthropologists use to create evolutionary trees (SciNews: Nov. 25, 158: 346)

Global warming talks collapse at Hague conference (Nov. 25). (Info)

Negotiators reach agreement on draft treaty to ban or phase out some of world's most persistent and toxic pollutants (SciNews Dec. 16, 158: 389).

g4
POPULATION Spike
Humanity's Numbers Keep Increasing and DRIVING more Global Change

New Millennium brings an 'Era of Intensifying Terror' soon to growing ever more to a global scale--something is now historically and fundamentally very different.

SW1
Storm Warnings Everywhere

2000 CE

Officials thwart a terrorist plot to disrupt millennium celebrations in U.S.

Reformists win control of Iranian parliament for first time since 1979 Islamic revolution (Feb. 26). (Info)

Mass murder or suicide of hundreds in Ugandan doomsday cult (March 18). (Info)

Acting Russian president Vladimir V. Putin formally chosen for post (March 25). (Info)

Israeli troops withdraw from Lebanese security zone after 22 years of occupation (May 24). (Info)

Iraq believed to resume
missile program (June 30). (Info)

Bashar al-Assad succeeds late father, Hafez al-Assad, as Syrian president (July 10). (Info)

Palestinians and Israelis clash, spurred by visit of right-wing Israeli leader Ariel Sharon to a joint Jewish/Muslim holy site; “Al Aksa intifada” continues unabated (Sept. 30). (Info)

17 U.S. sailors on navy destroyer Cole die in Yemen terrorist explosion (Oct. 12). (Info)

Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak resigns (Dec. 9). (Info)

-----------------

also during this year:

Camp David II Summit ends when Arafat abandons talks even when offered significant concessions by Barak. (P)

2001 CE

Scientists created the first genetically engineered primate, a rhesus monkey (SciNews Jan. 20: 38).

Two teams presented the first analyses of the full human
genome and estimated that it contains only about 30,000
genes (SciNews Feb. 17: 100).

Government agencies began developing joint policies to reduce the huge, seasonal dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico (SciNews Feb. 3: 79). New findings indicated that by using a little less fertilizer, farmers could play a role in limiting the zone (SciNews Nov. 10: 295).

Comparisons of satellite data provide direct evidence that the atmosphere's greenhouse effect increased significantly between 1970 and 1997 (SciNews March 17: 165).

g5
Climate Changes Take Hold!

British livestock epidemic, foot-and-mouth disease, reaches crisis levels (March 23). (Info)

Bush (US) abandons global-warming treaty (Kyoto Protocol), angering European leaders (March 30). (Info)

Microbiologists unexpectedly revealed that bacteria have an internal protein skeleton similar to that of human cells (SciNews March 31: 198).

Scientists found additional evidence that some mysterious force is pushing galaxies apart at an ever-faster rate (SciNews March 31: 196, April 7: 218).

A 4,000-year-old Peruvian site yielded the remains of the oldest known city in the New World (SciNews April 28: 260).

Experiments examining the relic radiation from the Big Bang confirmed cosmologists' basic model of how the universe evolved (SciNews April 28: 261).

A large share of meats and seafood comes from the grocery store bearing bacteria invulnerable to many drugs, could cause serious infections (SciNews May 26: 325; Oct. 20, 160: 246).

Simulating extraterrestrial impacts on Earth, researchers fired away at the question of how life started (SciNews May 19: 317).

Director's Note: There is no end to ideas that play into scenarios for how life originated - if by material means. Yet, as noted in our feature article on chemical origins to life, no scientifically viable scenario has surfaced. Partial answers are numerous but untenable. The continued effort to research life's origin appears motivatred by what's philosophical rather than on science.

A tiny skull found in 195-million-year-old Chinese sediments indicated that crucial features of mammalian anatomy evolved more than 45 million years earlier than scientists had thought (SciNews May 26: 324).

The U. S. and 126 other nations signed a treaty to phase out major persistent, toxic pollutants (SciNews June 2: 343).

Excavations in Egypt unearthed bones of an 80-ton titanosaur, seemingly the second-most-massive dinosaur known (SciNews June 23: 397).

Analysis that includes a forest's moisturizing effect on regional climate indicated that the Amazon rainforest could disappear in the next 3 decades (SciNews July 14:24).

---------------

Global Change issues are highlighted in red text along this time line.

Global Changes are signs of the times

---------------

g6
ACCELERATING Global Changes!

Above-average hurricane activity in the North Atlantic during the past 6 years may signal a threatening weather trend (SciNews July 21: 37).

Without U.S., 178 nations reach agreement on climate accord, which rescues, though dilutes, 1997 Kyoto Protocol (July 23). (Info)

g8
Global Change:
Threats to Human Survival

Negotiators in Bonn, Germany, without input from U.S. representatives, resolved controversies blocking an international treaty to limit greenhouse gases (SciNews July 28: 54).

President Bush decided to permit limited research on human embryonic stem cells (SciNews Aug. 18, 160: 105). Scientists learned how to transform those cells into insulin-secreting and heart cells (SciNews Sept. 1: 143).

Astronomers detected signs of one of the earliest eras in the universe, just before the first stars and quasars flooded the cosmos with light (SciNews Aug. 11: 84 ).

Research suggested that long-range movement of dust can sicken wildlife, crops, and people a continent away (SciNews Sept. 29: 207, Oct. 6, 218).

Discovery of a trove of planets orbiting stars other than the sun suggested that astronomers had finally found a planetary system similar to our own (Aug. 18: 100, Nov. 10: 299).

Damage caused by the Code Red worm and several other viruses focused new attention on rogue computer programs that could bring down the Internet (SciNews Aug. 25: 127).

Several government initiatives aimed to develop computing power in the range of 12 trillion operations per second or more for research use (SciNews Aug. 25: 118).

The first transatlantic surgery took place when physicians in New York electronically manipulated a robot in Strasbourg, France, to remove a woman's gall bladder (SciNews Oct. 6: 216).

Large-scale deforestation in the eastern lowlands of Central America is affecting weather in the mountains downwind and imperiling ecosystems there (SciNews Oct. 20: 245).

A biotech firm's claim to have created the first cloned human embryos reignited scientific and political controversy (SciNews Oct. 20: 250, Dec. 1: 341).

Occasional sediment-rich plumes of fresh water dumped into the ocean by rivers may convey pesticides and nutrients to the seafloor (SciNews Nov. 17: 308).

Radiocarbon data inspired a theory that Middle Eastern farmers rapidly colonized southern Europe 7,400 years ago (SciNews Nov. 17: 308).

Researchers discovered sugars and sugar-related compounds in meteorites, bolstering the view that rocks from space delivered key ingredients for life on Earth (SciNews Dec. 22&29: 388).

SW2
Global Problems - Gathering Storms

2001 CE

Earthquake kills thousands in India (Jan. 26). (Info)

Libyan convicted in Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland (Jan. 31). (Info)

Right-winger Ariel Sharon wins election in Israel (Feb. 6). (Info) Sharon expects to take firm hand in dealing with Palestinians. (P)

After a Palestinian suicide bomber kills 5 and wounds more than 100 in a Netanya shopping mall, Israeli warplanes retaliate by bombing West Bank and Gaza strip (May 18). (Info)

Four are declared guilty in 1998 terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (May 29). (Info)

Mohammad Khatami,
Iran's moderate president, is reelected in a landslide (June 9). (Info)

Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh executed (June 11). (Info)

Syrian forces evacuate Beirut area after decades of occupation (June 19). (Info)

Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is delivered to UN tribunal in The Hague to await war-crimes trial (June 29). (Info)

Repeated terrorism and suicide bombings of Jewish civilians cause Israeli politicians to declare end of Oslo Accords and begin to target Palestinian leaders and destruction of PLO bases in West Bank. (July) (P)

Iraqi "Jerusalem Liberation Army" is formed and 10,000 troops enter Jordan with infiltaration into Palestinian areas of West Bank. (August) (P)

Terrorists attack United
States. Hijackers ram jetliners into twin towers of New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane crashes 80 mi outside of Pittsburgh. Toll of dead and injured in the thousands. Within days, Islamic militant Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network are identified as the parties behind the attacks (Sept. 11). (Info)

U.S. Declares war on terrorism (Sept 12). (P)

U.S. pressures Israel to renew peace negotiations with Palestinians. (Oct. 1-6) (P)

Anthrax scare rivets U.S., as anthrax-laced letters are sent to various media and government officials. Several die after handling the letters (Oct 5). (Info)

In response to Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. and British forces launch bombing campaign against Taliban government and al-Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan. Bombings continue on a daily basis (Oct. 7). (Info)

Afghani factions create a post-Taliban government (Nov. 27). (Info)

Israel condemns the Palestinian Authority as a “terror-supporting entity” and severs ties with leader Yasir Arafat following mounting violence against Israelis. The Israeli Army begins bombing Palestinian areas (Dec. 4). (Info)

Taliban regime in Afghanistan collapses after two months of bombing by American warplanes and fighting by Northern Alliance ground troops (Dec. 9). Hamid Karzai, new interim Afghan leader, is sworn in (Dec. 22). (Info)

SW3
Science to Scripture
Where Are We Headed?

2002 CE

g9
Global Change:
Control of Information

Farm-field runoff containing hormones excreted by steroid-treated livestock appeared capable of harming aquatic life (Jan. 5, 161: 10).

Panel Opposes Cloning of Babies (Jan. 18): Scientific experts call procedure unsafe, but support cloning techniques for treatment of disease. (Info)

Pfiesteria microbes, implicated in fish kills and human illness along the mid-Atlantic U.S. coast, turned up in Norway (Jan. 19, 161: 39). Another study suggested that some types of Pfiesteria don't produce a toxin but kill by eating holes in a fish's skin (Aug. 10, 162: 84).

Bush Offers Antipollution Plan (Feb. 14): Discloses program to slow accumulation of gases linked to climate change and cut pollution from power plants. (Info)

Operation on Fetus Called Success (Feb. 21): Boston surgeons operate on fetus's aortic valve in utero. Baby born healthy although delivered six weeks early. (Info)

Controversial genetic analysis concluded Homo sapiens evolved by leaving Africa in multiple waves beginning at least 600,000 years ago and then interbreeding with Neandertals and other close relatives (SciNews March 9, 161: 149).

Scientists analyzed rainfall patterns in the Indian Ocean and predicted the late-summer return of El Niño, the worldwide weather maker marked by sea-surface warming in the tropical Pacific (SciNews March 2, 161: 142 Aug. 17, 162: 110).

Scientists showed that stem cells derived from cloned mouse and cow embryos can cure some animal diseases and create organs such as kidneys (SciNews March 16, 161: 163, June 8, 356) researchers showed that bone marrow from adults contains cells that can mature into many specialized types (SciNews June 22, 161: 390).

A Rhode Island-size section of the Antarctic's Larsen B ice shelf splintered into thousands of icebergs (SciNews March 30, 161: 197).

Scientists identified a new class of compounds that stops herpes simplex virus from replicating (SciNews April 13, 161: 227).

Two research groups independently described the entire genetic sequence of rice, a first for a crop plant (SciNews April 6, 161: 211).

Government scientists found that stockpiled smallpox vaccine doses can be diluted to one-tenth their original concentration and still be effective (SciNews April 13, 161: 238). And researchers calculated that vaccinating an entire city in response to a smallpox attack would save thousands more lives than would quarantining infected people and vaccinating their contacts (SciNews July 13, 162: 21).

At water concentrations found in the environment, the weed killer atrazine stripped male frogs of their masculinity, suggesting that the chemical is partly responsible for global amphibian declines (SciNews April 20, 161: 243; Nov. 2, 162: 275).

Researchers found reason to suspect that artificial lighting at night disrupts the physiology and behavior of nocturnal animals (April 20, 161: 248).

A catastrophic outpouring of water—in a volume four times that of Lake Tahoe—may have gushed from fissures near the equator on Mars as recently as 10 million years ago (March 9, 161: 157). Yet contrary to a popular model in which ancient Mars was warm, wet, and hospitable to life, the Red Planet may have been cold and dry for most of its history, with only brief episodes of scalding rain and flash flooding (SciNews Dec. 14, 162: 372).

A newly found fossil skull entered an ongoing debate about whether the human ancestor Homo erectus was a single species or several (SciNews March 23, 161: 179).

Analysis of lab-made minerals suggested that the zone of rocks just outside Earth's core could hold enough water to fill the oceans five times (March 30, 161: 205).

Investigators reported that the distinctive looks and thinking styles of people and chimpanzees derive from contrasting actions of their similar DNA sequences (SciNews April 13, 161: 227).

Bush Calls for Total Ban on Human Cloning (April 10): Urges Senate to pass legislation forbidding procedure for both reproductive and research purposes. (Info)

Setting their sights on the galaxy's faintest stars, scientists the universe's age to be between 13 billion and 14 billion years (SciNews May 4, 161: 277).

Weather data gathered during the 3-day shutdown of commercial aviation within the United States after Sept. 11, 2001, suggest that the contrails from high-flying jets have a significant effect on Earth's climate (SciNews May 11, 161: 291).

Hormone Linked to Obesity Identified (May 23): Ghrelin believed to slow metabolism, cause hunger, and limit ability to burn fat. (Info)

Novel microstructures of crisscrossed tungsten rods filtered various wavelengths of radiated heat—a talent that someday might boost the efficiency of lightbulbs (SciNews May 25, 161: 334).

Space Shuttle Endeavor Launched (June 5): Shuttle to deliver a new crew from to the international space station, Alpha, and will bring the outgoing space station crew back to Earth. (Info)

Scientists Discover New Planet (June 14): Astronomers at the University of California-Berkeley discover a planet similar to Jupiter in planetary system similar to the Earth's own solar system. (Info)

Researchers found that antibiotics excreted by people and animals have the potential to poison plants and end up in food (SciNews June 29, 161: 406).

AIDS Deaths Projected to Skyrocket (July 2): UN announces toll could reach an additional 65 million by 2020 if preventative measures are not expanded. (Info)

g7
Global Change:
Surprise Attacks

Study of adolescents suggests widespread environmental pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins, might be delaying young people's sexual development (SciNews July 6, 162: 3).

Early Skull Discovered in Chad (July 11): French scientists report in the journal Nature that they have unearthed a 7-million-year-old member of the human family, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, who has been nicknamed “Toumai.” Fossil combines human and chimpanzee characteristics. (Info)

Scientists Re-create Polio Virus (July 11): Use virus's genome sequence and DNA purchased by mail. Move shows that terrorists may be able to make biological weapons without a live virus. (Info)

Stoking bioterrorism fears, scientists proved they could build the poliovirus from scratch, using the widely known genetic sequence and available chemicals (SciNews July 13, 162: 22).

Data from Arabian Sea sediments suggest that Asian monsoons have been intensifying over the past 400 years, and scientists predict that these storms are slated to get worse (SciNews July 27, 162: 54).

Scientists Identify Hunger Hormone (Aug. 8): London scientists report in journal Nature that the hormone PYY, produced in the small intestine, triggers a feeling of fullness after eating. (Info)

Tests on sunflowers showed that a lab-engineered gene from a crop plant, if introduced into its wild relative, can give the native plant a survival edge over other wild plants (SciNews Aug. 17, 162: 99).

Trace amounts of human-excreted drugs in waterways appeared to work together to deform and kill native microscopic organisms (SciNews Aug. 17, 162: 101).

Sediments laid down on Earth about 3.47 billion years ago contain remnants of what may have been an extraterrestrial object large enough to disperse collision debris over the entire planet (SciNews Aug. 24, 162: 115).

Earth Summit Ends with Pact (Sept. 4): Meeting produces plan to improve sanitation, increase accessibility of clean water, reduce the number of endangered species, and improve safety of chemical production. (Info)

Redwoods and Firs Widely Infected (Sept. 4): Sudden Oak Death Syndrome falling victim to quickly spreading disease, which has claimed tens of thousands of trees in Sonoma County, Calif. (Info)

New observations of the cosmic microwave background provided additional support for the Big Bang (SciNews Sept. 28, 162: 195).

Scientists Report New Type of Black Hole (Sept. 17): Hubble Space Telescope finds evidence of a middleweight class of gravitational sink, adding to earlier identified small and super classifications. (Info)

The WindowView Convergence Feature Area provides examples of driving forces for global change.

The global change 'megaphenomena' described by Ed Ayers of World Watch Institute are iconically represented by the graphic below. Change comes now with a recognition of what must be precipitous events to follow. The four changes Ayers focuses on in his book (entitled: God's Last Offer) are Population Growth, Consumption, Green House Emissions, and Extinction of Species. All of these fit the basic trend illustrated below.

Global Changes are signs of the times

g10
Global Change:
Denail of Change

Minuscule amounts of over-the-counter weed killers impaired reproduction in mice (SciNews Oct. 12, 162: 228).

Atmospheric scientists learned that the Mediterranean Sea is a crossroads for pollution-laden air currents from Europe, Asia, and North America (SciNews Oct. 26, 162: 261).

Scientists Compare Mouse and Human Genome (Dec. 5): First analysis of two complete genomes reveals striking similarities. Scientists hope finding will hasten understanding of genetic diseases. (Info)

Cloning Claim Greeted with Skepticism (Dec. 27): Spokeswoman for Raëlians, a sect that believes space travelers created humans by cloning, says group has created the first human clone, a 7-pound baby girl. President Bush, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, and other leaders condemn the claim, which has not been substantiated. (Info)

The most detailed snapshots of the infant universe ever recorded are providing additional evidence that a mystery material makes up the bulk of the cosmos' energy and is accelerating
the rate at which the universe expands (SciNews Dec. 21&28, 162: 390).

Nine States Challenge Air Pollution Rules (Dec. 31): Northeastern states file suit against EPA's changes to New Source Review, which would allow older coal-fired plants to be improved without requiring installation of expensive antipollution mechanisms. Suit alleges new rules will lead to an increase in acid rain, smog, and asthma. (Info)

Ten years after the World's Scientists signed onto a WARNING concerning global change, the issues of conncern remain the same!

g12
WARNING:
World's Scientists
Warning on Global Change

2002 CE

SW4
Moral Decay & Being Deceived

Marines Secure Taliban Compounds (Jan. 1): Two hundred soldiers leave Kandahar to wage extensive American ground operation. (Info)

Israel Eases West Bank Blockade (Jan. 3). (Info)

Israel Seizes Ship Loaded with Arms (Jan. 3): Says Palestinians are involved. (Info)

Arab Gunman Kills Six Israelis (Jan. 17–18). (Info)

Defrocked Priest Convicted (Jan. 18): guilty of indecent assault and battery for fondling a young boy in 1991. (Info)

Mass Killing in Chechnya Reported (Jan. 22). (Info)

Iraqi Opposition Seeks U.S. Aid (Jan. 31). (Info)

U.S. Says al-Qaeda Able to Strike Again (Feb. 6): CIA reports terrorist group is trying to reassemble and manage another large attack. (Info)

U.S. Believes bin Laden Is Alive (Feb. 23). (Info)

Israelis Keep Arafat Confined (Feb. 25) to West Bank city of Ramallah. (Info)

Bush Welcomes Saudi Peace Offer (Feb. 26). (Info)

Israelis Raid Refugee Camps (Feb. 28). (Info)

Muslim Mob Attacks Trainload of Hindus (Feb. 27). (Info)

Hundreds in India Die in Rioting (March 2): Hindu-Muslim clashes in western India claim almost 400. (Info)

U.S. and Afghan Troops Launch Attack (March 2): Target remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan. (Info)

Afghan Allies Seize Mountain Stronghold (March 12) Shah-i-Kot Valley. (Info)

Pope Speaks Out on Church Scandals (March 21): John Paul II calls wave of pedophile cases
“a dark shadow of suspicion” cast over all clergy.

Bomb Kills at Least 19 in Israel (March 27) in a Netanya hotel during a Passover seder. (Info)

Arab League Approves Saudi Peace Plan (March 28). (Info)

Israel Raids West Bank Towns (March 29). (Info)

Sharon Declares Israel in a War (March 31): Israeli prime minister calls Yasir Arafat the enemy of the entire free world. Speech follows a suicide attack in a Haifa restaurant that killed 15, including bomber. (Info)

Fighting Escalates Between Israelis and Palestinians (April 2). (Info)

More than 400 Israeli tanks enter Nablus, largest city in the West Bank, and Jenin, bulldozing buildings and questioning suspected militants. Palestinians retaliate with gunfire (April 3). (Info)

Palestinians Seek Refuge in Church (April 2): More than 250 Palestinians hole up in the Church of the Nativity from Israeli incursion. (Info)

Church of Nativity occupied by Palestinian rebels (April - May). Church later resumes worship services after peaceful ending to occupation. Events leading up to church occupation include terrorist bombings and conflict in Israel - results in 1,500 Palestinian and about 500 Israeli deaths.

Palestinian Suicide Bomber Strikes in Jerusalem (April 13): Six killed at a bus stop. (Info)

Israel Begins West Bank Withdrawal (April 15) responding to plea by President Bush. (Info)

Pope Summons Cardinals to Rome (April 15) to discuss the sex-abuse scandal. (Info)

In April, 2002, the Temple Institute reports that a red heifer is born in Israel. This is an important part of preparations leading to rebuilding the future Third Temple in Jerusalem.

UN Drops Plans for Jenin Fact-finding Mission (May 2) after
Israel refuses to cooperate. (Info)

Israel Releases Arafat (May 2). (Info)

Suicide Bomber Kills 16 in Tel Aviv (May 7). (Info)

Siege at Bethlehem Church Ends (May 10). (Info)

U.S. and Russia Reach Landmark Arms Agreement (May 13) pact to cut both countries' nuclear arsenals by up to two-thirds over next 10 years. (Info)

Arafat Vows to Reform Regime (May 15). (Info)

Palestinian Militants Deported to Europe (May 22): Italy, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Belgium accept 12 of the 13 who took refuge in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. One will remain in Cyprus. (Info)

Pakistan Tests Ballistic Missiles (May 25 et seq.). (Info)

Russia Joins NATO as Junior Partner (May 28). (Info)

Arafat Outlines Plan to Reform Security Forces (June 4). (Info)

Israeli Troops Attack Arafat's Compound (June 5): Move follows Palestinian suicide attack that kills 17 Israelis, including 13 soldiers, in Galilee. (Info)

Pakistan President Vows to Curb Kashmir Militants (June 6). (Info)

India Moves to Ease Tension in Kashmir (June 10). (Info)

Hamid Karzai Elected President of Afghanistan (June 13). (Info)

Israel Begins Construction of Fence (June 16): Barrier, 217-miles long, will separate Israel from the West Bank and is intended to thwart suicide attacks. (Info)

Israel Announces Plan to Reoccupy West Bank (June 18): Troops enter Jenin after suicide bombing on a bus in Jerusalem claims 20. (Info)

Al-Qaeda Member Arrested (June 18 ): Saudi Arabia announces it has in custody 13 suspects who were believed to be planning attack on U.S. military aircraft. (Info)

Suicide Bomber Strikes Jerusalem (June 19): Six Israelis at a bus stop die in second consecutive day of violence in Jerusalem. (Info)

Palestinian Gunmen Kill Israeli Settlers (June 20): Raid settlement near Nablus, killing five, including a mother and her three children. (Info)

Israeli Soldiers Seize West Bank Towns (June 20. Move follows three consecutive days of violence. (Info)

Israeli Forces Attack Palestinian Authority Office (June 28) in
Hebron. (Info)

Israeli Police Raid Jerusalem Office of Prominent Palestinian (July 9): Isrealis say Sari
Nusseibeh, a moderate college president who has led a drive to condemn suicide bombings by Palestinians, is an agent of Yasir Arafat. (Info)

Islamic Militants Attack Hindus (July 14): Kashmir assault claims 25 and wounds more than
30. (Info)

Spain Arrests al-Qaeda Suspects (July 16). (Info)

Suicide Bombings Resume in Israel (July 16): Militants ambush bus near West Bank settlement, killing 9 people. First attack in nearly a month. (July 17): Two Palestinian suicide bombers kill three in Tel Aviv. (Info)

Sept. 11 Suspect Enters Guilty Plea (July 18): Zacarias Moussaoui pleads guilty to planning terrorist attacks on U.S. and admits belonging to al-Qaeda. (July 25): Withdraws earlier guilty plea and denies he helped to plan the Sept. 11 attacks. (Info)

Israelis Attack Home of Hamas Leader (July 23): Bomb strikes a house in a dense civilian area, killing militant Sheik Salah Shehada and 14 others.

Americans Die in Jerusalem Attack (July 31): Bomb explodes at a Hebrew University cafeteria.
Five of the seven casualties are U.S. citizens. (Info)

Iraq Moves to Resume Inspection Talks (Aug. 1): Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri invites UN inspector Hans Blix to Baghdad to discuss weapons inspections. (Aug. 5): Iraq says it will give members of Congress access to areas believed to be arms-development sites. (Info)

Several Die in String of Palestinian Attacks (Aug. 5): At least 14 people victims in ambushes in Jerusalem, Galilee, and Nablus. (Info)

Suspected Pakistani Militants Attack Christian Sites (Aug. 5). (Info)

UN and U.S. Refuse Inspection Talks in Iraq (Aug. 5): Congress rejects Iraq's offer to have
members personally inspect weapons sites. (Aug. 6): Secretary General Kofi Annan says inspectors will only go if Iraq agrees to follow rules set by UN. (Info)

U.S. and Palestinian Leaders Meet (Aug. 8): Secretary of State Colin Powell, Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat, and other leaders discuss future of Yasir Arafat and timetable for elections and statehood. (Info)

Iraqi Opposition Leaders Meet with U.S Officials (Aug. 9). (Info)

Israel Indicts Palestinian Leader (Aug. 14): Marwan Barghouit, leader in Yasir Arafat's Fatah
organization, charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and working with a terrorist group. He's considered a possible successor to Arafat. (Info)

Israel and Palestinians Agree on Withdrawal Plan (Aug. 18): Agreement, “Gaza, Bethlehem
first,” calls for Israel to pull out of areas if Palestinians agree to rein in militants. Hamas and Islamic Jihad reject the deal. (Info)

Videotapes Support al-Qaeda Weapons Theory (Aug. 19): CNN broadcasts footage of al-Qaeda members giving instructions on how to build bombs and fire surface-to-air missiles and of dogs dying, allegedly from exposure to chemical agents. Network paid $30,000 for 64 tapes. (Info)

Palestinian Terrorist Dies (Aug. 19 ): Abu Nidal, blamed for deaths of 900 people in 20
countries, reportedly killed himself in Iraq. (Info)

Palestinian Cabinet Resigns (Sept. 11): Yasir Arafat's ministers step down to avoid a no-confidence vote by Legislative Council. Arafat sets presidential and parliamentary elections for Jan 20. (Info)

Bush Addresses United Nations (Sept. 12): Citing torture, oppression, and 11 years of defiance by Saddam Hussein's regime, president argues for an attack on Iraq. (Info)

Al-Qaeda Operative Captured in Pakistan (Sept. 13). (Info)

Iraq Says Weapons Inspectors May Return (Sept. 16). (Info)

Suicide Bomber Strikes in Tel Aviv (Sept. 19): Six die in second attack in less than 24 hours. Israel responds by surrounding Yasir Arafat's compound. (Sept. 20): Israeli troops further isolate Arafat, destroying several buildings in his compound. (Info)

Iraq Refuses New Resolution (Sept. 28): Rejects proposed Security Council resolution giving Iraq 30 days to disclose weapons inventory and calling for unfettered access to sites. (Info)

Israeli Troops Withdraw from Arafat's Base (Sept. 29): End 10-day siege in which forces destroyed most of Arafat's Ramallah compound and trapped him inside. (Info)

Church Settles with Abuse Victims (Sept. 18): Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston agrees to pay $10 million to 86 victims of pedophile priest John Geoghan. (Info)

Israel Attacks Gaza Town (Oct. 7): Targets members of militant group Hamas. Missile and gun fire kills 16 people in crowded Khan Yunis. (Info)

European Union Announces New Members (Oct. 9): Ten countries—Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, and Cyprus — expected to join in 2004. (Oct. 20): Irish vote to support expansion. (Info)

Blast in Bali Kills Hundreds (Oct. 12): About 200 people die when car bomb explodes in front of crowded club in a resort area. Three Americans among the victims. (Oct. 14): President Bush links bombing to al-Qaeda. (Info)

North Korea Admits to Developing Nuclear Arms (Oct. 16). (Info)

Chechen Rebels Take Hostages (Oct. 23): Seize crowded Moscow theater and detain 763 people, including 3 Americans. Guerrillas, armed and wired with explosives, demand Russian government end war in Chechnya. (Oct. 24): Rebels kill one hostage. (Oct. 26): Government forces storm the theater after rebels begin to kill other hostages. Russian troops also release a gas into the theater, which kills 116 hostages. (Info)

October, Washington, D.C., metropolitan area terrorized three weeks by dual sniper team shooting from a car trunk. Thirteen shootings, ten fatalities. Elder sniper is recent convert to Islam.

Sharon Conditionally Endorses Palestinian State (Dec. 4): Israeli prime minister accepts U.S. peace plan that includes a Palestinian state in parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip as long as Yasir Arafat is removed from power. (Info)

Iraq Hands Over Weapons Report (Dec. 7): Iraqi officials say it confirms that the country neither possesses weapons of mass destruction nor programs to create them. U.S. says it will review documents before taking further action. (Info)

Missiles Found on North Korean Ship (Dec. 9): Vessel, which was not displaying a flag or other identification, stopped by Spanish warships in Gulf of Aden. Search reveals 15 Scud missiles. (Dec. 11): U.S. Navy releases ship bound for Yemen, which had purchased missiles from North Korea. (Info)

Bush Orders Missile Shield (Dec. 17): within two years. Ground-based interceptors will be located in Alaska and California. (Info)

Iraq Cited for False Statements in Declaration (Dec. 19): U.S. Secretary of State says Iraq in “material breach” of Security Council resolution because of omissions and inconsistencies in weapons declaration. (Info)

SW5
Warning: Psychology of the Times