BRITAIN AND THE WORLD SINCE 1953
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| Jan1 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt becomes UN Secretary-General succeeding Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru |
| Jan8 | Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina declared their own republic in protest at a decision by Bosnia's Croats and Muslims to seek EC recognition |
| Jan11 | Paul Simon begins his controversial tour of South Africa |
| Jan12 | The second round of Algeria's general elections was cancelled after strong gains by the Islamic Salvation Front in the first round. |
| Jan13 | U.S. serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer pleaded guilty but insane to the murders of 15 young men and boys. |
| Feb7 | The signing of the Maastrich Treaty |
| Feb26 | Irish Supreme Court rules 14 year old rape victim may get an abortion |
| Mar1 | Bosnian Serbs begin sniping in Sarajevo, after Croats and Moslems vote for Bosnian independence. A month later on 6th April the " Siege of Sarajevo" begins |
| Mar26 | Mike Tyson is sentenced to ten years for rape |
| Mar30 | 64th Academy Awards ceremony (Silence of the Lambs sweeps the awards) |
| Apr2 | John Gotti "the Teflon Don" is found guilty in the death of mob boss Paul Castallano |
| Apr8 | After 151 years Britain's "Punch Magazine" publishes its final issue. |
| Apr9 | John Major is elected Prime Minister defeating a resurgent Labour Party under the leadership of Neil Kinnock. Kinnock stands down after the suprise victory and is replaced by John Smith. Kinnock became an EEC Commissioner |
| Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega is convicted by a Miami jury of having assisted Colombia's cocaine cartel. | |
| Apr10 | The Baltic Exchange in the City of London is bombed by the I.R.A. Three people are killed and 91 were injured |
| April14 | The trial of the " Russian Ripper " Andrej Tjikatilo begins and ends on October 15 when he is sentenced to death |
| Apr21 | Robert Alton Harris was sentenced to death in 1979 for the murder of two teenage boys whose car he had stolen.He was executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison in California, the state's first execution for 25 years. Harris's last words, quoting a Keanu Reeves film, were: "You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the grim reaper." A federal judge ordered the execution to be filmed so as to decide whether the gas chamber was a "cruel and unusual punishment". The tapes were later destroyed. |
| Apr29 | A California jury acquits Los Angeles policemen of charges brought in connection with last year's beating of Rodney King. The verdict triggers the worst violence and looting in U.S. urban history; more than 50 are killed. |
| May23 | Giovanni Falcone an anti-mafia Judge is assassinated by a massive bomb planted by the mafia |
| May26 | Charles Geschke, President of Adobe Systems was kidnapped from his company car park in Mountain View, California. His family and business received a ransom demand for $650,000. The kidnappers were apprehended as they attempted to collect the ransom. He was freed soon after |
| June1 | Carlos the Jackal is sentenced to life imprisonment by the French courts |
| July | Twenty-Fifth Olympic Summer games opens in Barcelona, Spain |
| July13 | Thirty seven years to the day after he hung Ruth Ellis, Britain's former executioner Albert Pierepoint dies at the age of 87. In his career he hung a total of 433 men and 17 women |
| Aug7 | Buckingham Palace opened to the public for the first time |
| Aug10 | Ulster Defence Association is banned by the UK government |
| Aug17 | Federal Marshalls start the "Siege of "Ruby Ridge" which resulted in several deaths |
| Sept23 | A large IRA bomb destroys the forensic laboratories in Belfast |
| Nov3 | Bill Clinton (democrat) is elected president of the United States, defeating the incumbent George Bush. |
| Dec4 | US Troops land in Somalia |
| Dec6 | Riots follow Hindu attack on Ayodha Mosque in India |
| Dec9 | Prince Charles and Princess Diana separation is announced by British Prime Minister John Major |
| Dec20 | The Folies Bergere music hall in Paris closes down. It first opened its doors in 1869 |
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Last Updated 28/02/03 09:45