2002
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1 January 2002 The European single currency, the Euro, goes into circulation in notes and coins in the twelve participating nations. It replaces the currencies of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.
Senator Eduardo Alberto Duhalde Maldonado of the Justicialista Party becomes President of Argentina by order of Congress. He replaces Eduardo Oscar Camaño.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva replaces Fernando Henrique Silva Cardoso as President of Brazil.
2 January 2002 Indian troops kill two members of the militant Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
A US air attack in Gardez, Afghanistan kills Qari Ahmadullah, chief of intelligence for the Taliban.
4 January 2002 Israeli forces raid a ship in the Red Sea carrying 50 tons of weapons from Iran to the Palestine National Authority. The weapons are prohibited under the 1993 Oslo agreement.
8 January 2002 When two Pakistani militants open fire on an Indian army base in Kashmir, Indian troops kill them.
9 January 2002 Two Arabs are killed when they attack a security checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. Four Israeli soldiers are also killed.
The US Justice Department begins a criminal investigation of Enron.
10 January 2002 Arthur Anderson LLP, accounting firm for Enron, discloses that it shredded a significant number of documents relating to Enron.
The Shadow of Night for orchestra by Harrison Birtwistle (67) is performed for the first time, in Severance Hall, Cleveland.
11 January 2002 Twenty prisoners from the war in Afghanistan arrive at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They are the first of hundreds.
12 January 2002 President Pervez Musharaff of Pakistan bans five militant Moslem groups but iterates his continued support of the Moslem Kashmiris.
13 January 2002 The longest running show in New York, The Fantasticks, closes after 17,162 performances over 42 years.
14 January 2002 Arab terrorist leader Raed al-Karmi is killed by a bomb in the West Bank.
15 January 2002 Two Israeli civilians are killed by Arab gunmen in separate incidents in the West Bank.
17 January 2002 An Arab gunman opens fire in a reception hall in Hadera, Israel, killing six people and inuring 25. His gun jams and surviving guests beat him. He is killed by police. A group tied to Yasir Arafat claims responsibility.
The Nyiragongo volcano in eastern Congo erupts causing thousands to flee and destroying part of the city of Goma.
Buttons and Bows or Superparticular Variations for cello and accordion by Charles Wuorinen (63) is performed for the first time, in Christ and St. Stephen’s Church, New York.
18 January 2002 President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah hosts a ceremony during which the civil war in Sierra Leone is pronounced ended. Over 50,000 people have died in ten years of war.
Nurse Maria do Ceu Ribeiro is convicted of running an abortion clinic in Maia, Portugal. She receives sentences of three years for the clinic and five-and-a-half years for stealing drugs for it.
19 January 2002 Reports surface of a 2000 internal inquiry showing the Northern Ireland Police Service completely bungled the investigation into the 1998 bombing in Omagh. It cites 357 documents which were either recreations of “lost” documents or complete fabrications by police.
21 January 2002 A court in Moscow orders the government to close TV-6, the last independent television network in Russia. They do so almost immediately.
22 January 2002 At a conference in Tokyo, international donors pledge $4,500,000,000 in aid to Afghanistan.
Pakistani militants attack police in Calcutta. Five people are killed, 20 injured, including nine passersby.
Israeli forces kill four Arab terrorists in a bomb factory in Nablus.
An Arab gunman opens fire in a market in Jerusalem killing two people and injuring 20 others before he is killed by Israeli police.
Georgi Sedefchov Purvanov replaces Petur Stefanov Stoyanov as President of Bulgaria.
The Millennium Wing of the National Gallery of Ireland opens to the public in Dublin.
The third largest retailer in the US, Kmart Corp., files for bankruptcy protection.
Aria/Ariadne, a “Szenarie” for soprano and chamber orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (49) to words of Nietzsche, is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
23 January 2002 Moslem militants kidnap Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi. They demand the release of all Pakistani nationals held by the US.
Kenneth Lay, Chairman and CEO of Enron Corp. resigns under pressure from the firm’s creditors. Lay sold Enron stock worth millions of dollars in the months before the company declared bankruptcy last December.
The US military suspends transfers of prisoners from Afghanistan to Guantanamo to prevent overcrowding. 158 people are detained there. It has a capacity of 160.
Astralis for chorus, cello, and two timpani by Wolfgang Rihm (49) to words of Novalis, is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
24 January 2002 US forces attack two Taliban strongholds 100 km north of Kandahar. 15 people are killed and 27 captured.
25 January 2002 India tests an intermediate range ballistic missile. Pakistan sees it as a provocation.
An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in Tel Aviv, killing himself and injuring 25 others.
Former Enron Vice Chairman J. Clifford Baxter is found dead near his home near Houston, the victim of a suicide.
27 January 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in Jerusalem killing herself and one other person, and injuring over 100.
An ammunition dump in Lagos, Nigeria explodes. Around 1,000 people are killed trying to flee the shrapnel and fire.
28 January 2002 Siim Kallas replaces Mart Laar as Prime Minister of Estonia.
29 January 2002 Nine Episodes for Four Players for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Ned Rorem (78) is performed for the first time, in Merkin Hall, New York.
30 January 2002 The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland agrees to pay $110,000,000 to victims of sexual abuse by clergy.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston releases the names of 38 priests accused of sexual abuse of children.
31 January 2002 Lamentations and Praise for chorus and orchestra by John Tavener (58) is performed for the first time, in Stanford Memorial Church, California.
1 February 2002 Quirinus Liebeskuss by Mauricio Kagel (70) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
Episodes for Orchestra by Olly Wilson (64) is performed for the first time, in Detroit.
2 February 2002 Five days of riots begin in Lagos, Nigeria between Hausa and Yoruba.
A board appointed to investigate the collapse of Enron Corp. makes its report to federal bankruptcy court in New York. It blames the entire company at every level, its outside accountants, and attorneys. It especially cites the creative accounting which allowed Enron to claim earnings far higher than what should have been reported.
Rilke: Vier Gedichte for tenor and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (49) is performed for the first time, in Stuttgart.
3 February 2002 Symphony no.6 for soprano and orchestra by Philip Glass (65) to words of Ginsberg is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
4 February 2002 US President George Bush proposes a budget with the largest military buildup since the Reagan administration. Large cuts in domestic spending are included.
6 February 2002 An Arab gunman kills three Israeli civilians and injures four at Hamra before being shot dead by Israeli soldiers. In retaliation, Israeli war planes attack a PNA facility in Nablus. Eight are injured.
7 February 2002 US President Bush announces that Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo, previously referred to as “illegal combatants”, will now be treated according to the Geneva Convention. His decision does not apply to members of al-Qaeda.
The Roman Catholic Archiocese of Boston releases the names of 49 more priests accused of sexual abuse of children.
8 February 2002 A group of Arab youths stab an Israeli woman to death in Jerusalem.
Algerian security forces kill Antar Zouabri, the leader of the militant Armed Islamic Group, and two other leaders of the organization.
The 19th Winter Olympic Games open in Salt Lake City in the United States.
9 February 2002 Arab gunmen kill an Israeli woman on the West Bank.
Concerto for Double Orchestra by Kevin Volans (52) is performed for the first time, in the Barbican Center, London.
10 February 2002 Arab terrorists launch two rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Israeli war planes retaliate by attacking PNA buildings and other targets in Gaza.
Two Arab gunmen open fire on an Israeli army post in Be’er Sheva, killing two soldiers. Israelis return fire killing the Arabs.
11 February 2002 An Arab mob raids a jail in Hebron and frees 16 terrorists held there.
Thieves make off with £4,600,000 in currency being transferred from one plane to another at Heathrow Airport in London. It raises serious concerns about airport security.
12 February 2002 An agreement is signed between Moslems and Christians designed to bring peace to the Molucca Islands is signed in Malingo, Sulawesi. Militias are to be disbanded and 750,000 refugees allowed to return home. Three years of violence have cost 5,000 lives.
The trial of Slobodan Milosevic for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity begins in The Hague.
Kenneth Lay, former Chairman and CEO of Enron Corp., cites his constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination before a committee of the US Senate.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell tells a Senate committee that the Bush administration is “examining options with respect to regime change” in Iraq.
Canto Olympico by Mikis Theodorakis (76) is performed at the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. The name of the composer is not announced, nor does it appear in any official documents.
13 February 2002 The Scottish Parliament bans all fox hunting, fox baiting, and hare coursing.
14 February 2002 Bahrain adopts a new constitution creating the Kingdom of Bahrain. Emir Sheikh Hamad ibn `Isa Al Khalifah changes his title to King. The country is now a consititutional monarchy with a bicameral legislature, one chamber of which is elected. Women are allowed to vote.
Beriz Belkic replaces Jozo Krizanovic as Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Hercegovina.
The Wall Street Journal reports that scientists at Texas A&M University have successfully cloned a cat.
Sherron Watkins, a vice president of Enron Corp., tells a committee of the US House of Representatives that she warned Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay of improper business practices months before the company collapsed.
15 February 2002 Arab gunman kill an Israeli soldier near Ramallah.
In a decision which awards custody of three children to their father over their lesbian mother, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore writes that homosexuality is “an inherent evil…abhorrent, immoral, detestable, a crime against nature and a violation of the laws of nature…”
Veni Creator Spiritus for organ by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, in Rochester Cathedral.
16 February 2002 An Arab explodes a bomb in Karnei Shomron killing two Israelis and himself and injuring 20 others.
A bomb kills a local Arab terrorist leader in Jenin.
17 February 2002 Two Arabs are killed when bombs in their car explode near Hadera.
Federal agents take over security checkpoints at all commercial airports in the United States.
18 February 2002 George Speight pleads guilty to leading a revolt against the government of Fiji in 2000. He is sentenced to life in prison.
Arabs kill one Israeli in the Gaza Strip and one Israeli on the West Bank. Two Arabs attack Jews near Khan Yunis. One of them is killed by Israeli troops.
The European Union votes sanctions targeted at President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Mugabe has expelled the head of the EU observer team at the upcoming presidential elections.
Veni Creator Spiritus for flute and bass clarinet by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
19 February 2002 Ten participants in the failed coup against the government of Fiji in 2000 are sentenced to terms of from 18 months to three years.
Arab terrorists attack an Israeli army checkpoint near Ramallah killing six people. Israel responds with air attacks on PNA buildings in Rafah and Ramallah. An Arab bomber is prevented from boarding a bus in the West Bank and explodes his bomb, killing only himself.
Italian security forces raid an apartment near Rome seizing weapons, chemicals, and other materials related to terrorism. They arrest four Moroccans.
A federal appeals court in Washington overturns two FCC rules placing limits on the size of media companies.
20 February 2002 Israeli forces respond to yesterday’s attack with air attacks on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
When FARC rebels hijack a commercial airplane containing a prominent senator, President Andres Pastrana Arango breaks off peace talks with the leftist group.
Life on a String, a film with music by Laurie Anderson (54), is released in Germany.
21 February 2002 Officials of the US and Pakistan announce that they have received a videotape showing the execution of kidnapped journalist Daniel Pearl by Moslem militants.
Sudanese government helicopters attack civilians waiting for food from the UN in southern Sudan. 17 people are killed.
Israeli forces occupy Gaza City.
Colombian forces begin a new offensive into rebel held areas south of Bogotá.
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admits that those killed or captured in the 24 January raids included no Taliban or al-Qaeda, but were innocent civilians. However he refused to call the raid a mistake.
September Canticle for organ, brass, percussion, amplified piano, and strings by Joseph Schwantner (58) is performed for the first time, in Eugene McDermott Concert Hall, Dallas.
22 February 2002 Leaders of the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels sign a cease-fire agreement in Oslo brokered by Norway.
Pandeli Sotir Majko replaces Ilir Rexhep Meta as Prime Minister of Albania.
Four Tunisians, suspected of links to al-Qaeda, are convicted in a Milan court of crimes related to terrorism. They are sentenced to up to five years in prison.
Angolan government officials announce that rebel leader Jonas Savimbi has been killed by their forces in Moxico Province.
The General Accounting Office sues the Executive Branch in federal court to obtain certain records of a 2001 energy task force chaired by Vice President Cheney. It has been trying to obtain the records for ten months, but the Bush administration has refused to disclose them.
Two Songs for Firth School for unison voices and piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, at the opening of the new Firth School at Finstown, Orkney. The words were created as a collaboration by the composer, the headmaster of the school, John Moar, and the children of the school, who perform the premiere.
23 February 2002 In Memory for string quartet by Joan Tower (63) is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.
24 February 2002 The 19th Winter Olympic Games close in Salt Lake City in the United States. In 16 days of competition, 2,399 athletes from 77 countries took part.
25 February 2002 Opposition presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is arrested and charged with treason just weeks before the Zimbabwe elections.
American Berserk for piano by John Adams (55) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
26 February 2002 Sunni gunmen attack a Shia mosque in Rawalpindi killing at least ten people.
Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling appears before a committee of the US Senate. Under a barrage of attacks from Senators, Skilling maintains his innocence in the company’s demise.
27 February 2002 A mob of Moslems sets fire to a train in Godhra, Gujarat containing Hindus returning from Ayodhya. At least 58 people are killed including 14 children.
Saraband: The King’s Farewell for piano by Harrison Birtwistle (67) is performed for the first time, at King’s College, London.
String Quartet no.10 “Quartet d’amore” by Ralph Shapey (80) is performed for the first time, in Perelman Theatre at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia.
28 February 2002 After the events of yesterday, Hindus riot throughout Gujarat, attacking Moslems and their property. 60 people are killed. The Indian government sends troops to the area.
Israelis begin five days of attacks on Arab strongholds in Nablus and Jenin. 32 people are killed.
US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Pierre-Richard Prosper testifies before Congress that the Bush administration favors the elimination of the war crimes courts for Rwanda and Yugoslavia.
1 March 2002 Police announce that they have intercepted two packages containing potentially dangerous chemicals mailed to British politicians. One was to Mike Rumbles, a member of the Scottish Parliament, and the other was to Prime Minister Tony Blair. Responsibility was taken by the Scottish National Liberation Army who demand the separation of Scotland from Great Britain.
2 March 2002 US and Afghan government troops attack al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters southeast of Gardez.
An Arab bomber kills ten people, including himself, and injures 40 in a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Nine Bagatelles for piano by George Perle (86) is performed for the first time, in Rockford, Illinois.
K'in Sventa Ch'ul Me'tik Kwadalupe for string quartet, marimba and tape by Osvaldo Golijov (41) is performed for the first time, in Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, Iowa.
3 March 2002 An Arab gunman kills several Jews at a checkpoint on the West Bank.
Swiss voters decide in favor of membership in the United Nations, 55-45%.
4 March 2002 An Arab gunman fires into a nightclub in Tel Aviv. He kills three and injures 30 before he is shot to death. Israeli aircraft attack Arab targets in Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Hebron.
Rebel leader Foday Sankoh is charged with murder by a UN war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone.
100,000 opponents of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi stage a mass protest in Rome against a conflict-of-interest law which they say is not strong enough.
Norbert Ruether, head of the Social Democratic Party in Cologne, resigns amid allegations of illegal fundraising and tax offenses.
The parliament of Kosovo elects Ibrahim Rugova as President of the Serbian province.
5 March 2002 Twelve Arabs and Israelis are killed in separate incidents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Social Democratic Party of Germany opens an investigation into bribery, illegal fundraising, and tax offenses by the party.
Critical Moments for flute/alto flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion by George Perle (86) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
6 March 2002 Twelve Arabs and Israelis are killed in separate incidents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Crossing Kings Reach for instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London conducted by the composer.
7 March 2002 Indonesian police arrest the speaker of Parliament, Akbr Tandjung on corruption charges. They also charge Hutomo Mandala Putra, son of former President Suharto, with the murder of the judge who sentenced him to prison.
Religious violence in Gujarat has killed 600 people since it began on 27 February.
Israeli troops invade refugee camps in the West Bank in a move against the recent wave of terrorism. Over 100 people are killed and 2,500 arrested.
Crossworlds for flute, piano, and orchestra by Michael Colgrass (69) is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.
8 March 2002 Roman Catholic Bishop Anthony O’Connell resigns as leader of the diocese of Palm Beach, Florida after admitting he sexually abused a teenaged student in the 1970s.
9 March 2002 Arab gunmen open fire on civilians in Netanya killing three people before they are killed by Israeli security forces.
An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in Jerusalem killing eleven people and himself.
Peter Maxwell Davies (67) receives the 2002 Distinguished Musician Award from the Incorporated Society of Musicians.
12 March 2002 US and allied forces take control of strategic positions in the Shahikot Mountains in the east of Afghanistan.
Arab gunmen open fire on civilians near the Lebanon border. They kill six people before they are killed by Israeli troops.
Israeli forces occupy Ramallah.
Sphäre nach Studie for two percussionists, harp, piano, and two double basses by Wolfgang Rihm is performed for the first time, in Karlsruhe on the eve of the composer’s 50th birthday.
13 March 2002 Zimbabwean officials name Robert Mugabe as the winner of recent presidential elections. The vote is considered fraudulent by international observers.
The government of Angola announces a unilateral cease-fire in its war with UNITA rebels.
14 March 2002 The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States is established.
Representatives of Serbia and Montenegro sign an agreement to end Yugoslavia and set up a new federation between the two republics.
The accounting firm of Arthur Anderson LLP is indicted by the US Justice Department for shredding documents related to the Enron collapse.
15 March 2002 Six Arabs, including four senior members of the Fatah faction, are killed in an explosion near Tulkarm.
Dragan Mikerevic replaces Zlatko Lagumdzija as Prime Minister of Bosnia and Hercegovina.
16 March 2002 Isaias Duarte Cancino, Archbishop of Cali, is shot to death by two gunmen in that city. Cancino has been outspoken against drug traffickers and leftist guerrillas.
Das Lesen der Schrift, four pieces for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (50), is performed for the first time, in Berlin.
St. John Easter for solo voices, two choruses, organ and orchestra by Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is performed for the first time, in Hamburg.
17 March 2002 Pakistanis attack a Protestant church in Islamabad, killing five people and injuring 40.
An Arab gunman opens fire in Kfar Saba, Israel killing one person and injuring several others before being killed by Israeli security forces. Later, an Arab detonates a bomb at a bus stop in Jerusalem. There are several injuries but only the bomber is killed. Two Arabs are killed by Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip as they plant a bomb.
In parliamentary elections in Portugal, the right-wing Social Democratic Party wins a plurality of seats over the ruling Socialist Party.
Slavery Documents 2, a cantata by TJ Anderson (73), is performed for the first time, in Symphony Hall, Boston.
18 March 2002 The US-led operation in the Shahikot Mountains, Afghanistan ends. Its commander declares it an “unqualified and absolute success.”
19 March 2002 The Commonwealth announces that the membership of Zimbabwe will be suspended for one year after the recent tainted elections.
British scientists announce that a 3,250 sq km section of the ice shelf has separated from Antarctica.
20 March 2002 An Arab terrorist detonates a bomb on a bus in Umm el-Fahm, Israel killing seven people and himself. 30 others are injured. Most of the victims are Arabs.
Zimbabwean opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai is indicted on charges of treason, accused of trying to kill President Mugabe.
After spending eight years and $64,000,000, an independent counsel issues a 2,000-page report which concludes there was not enough evidence to prosecute former President Bill Clinton or Senator Hillary Clinton in the Whitewater affair.
21 March 2002 John Corigliano (64) is honored with the National Arts Club Gold Medal Music Award in New York.
22 March 2002 Meeting in Monterrey, Mexico, representatives of 171 nations sign the Monterrey Consensus which commits them to reach the goal of cutting extreme poverty in half and granting universal primary education by 2015.
23 March 2002 The Italian Federation of Labor holds a rally in Rome to protest weakening of employee protection by Prime Minister Berlusconi. Estimates of participation range from 300,000 to ten times that number.
24 March 2002 Viola Concerto no.2 by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in Pester Redoute, Budapest.
25 March 2002 An earthquake and several aftershocks in northern Afghanistan kills at least 2,000 people.
The US Department of Energy releases thousands of documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act. Although heavily censored, they reveal the Bush Administration’s heavy reliance on the oil and other energy industries in developing energy policy. Environmental and consumer groups were not contacted frequently.
27 March 2002 An Arab terrorist detonates a bomb in a hotel in Netanya, killing 26 people and himself. Over 100 are injured.
An unemployed man with a history of psychiatric problems opens fire at a city council meeting in Nanterre, near Paris. He kills eight people and injures about 20 others before being overpowered by city officials.
Billy Wilder dies in Beverly Hills at the age of 95.
...around Stravinsky op.72 for violin, oboe, english horn, clarinet in A, and bassoon by Alexander Goehr (69) is performed for the first time, in the Purcell Room, London.
28 March 2002 Pakistani and US security forces raid Faisalabad and Lahore, capturing 40 Pakistanis and 20 Arab al-Qaeda suspects. Among them is a high al-Qaeda leader, Abu Zubaydah.
Archbishop Juliusz Paetz of Poznan resigns after charges he made sexual advances to young seminarians. He denies the charges.
Richard Durn, who carried out the mass murder of yesterday, flees police custody out a window and after crossing a roof, jumps to his death.
29 March 2002 An Arab terrorist detonates a bomb in a Jerusalem market killing two people and injuring over 30.
Israeli forces enter Ramallah and surround the compound of Yasir Arafat.
30 March 2002 An Arab terrorist detonates a bomb in Tel Aviv killing himself and injuring over 30 people. Every day for the next two weeks, Arab terrorists attack Israelis on the Lebanon-Israel border. Israel responds with artillery fire.
31 March 2002 An Arab terrorist detonates a bomb in Haifa killing 15 people and himself.
Elections for Parliament take place in Ukraine. The pro-western Our Ukraine Party wins about a quarter of the votes with 112 of 450 seats. United Ukraine wins 102 seats and the Communists win 66.
Swiss, the new national airline of Switzerland, begins operations. It replaces Swissair and Crossair.
1 April 2002 In separate incidents, two Arab terrorists blow up their cars at Israeli checkpoints, killing themselves. One Israeli policeman is killed.
Arabs kill eleven other Arabs whom they accuse of collaborating with Israel.
Heavy fighting begins between Israeli forces and hundreds of Arab gunmen in the Preventive Security Service building near Ramallah.
A new law allowing euthanasia under certain conditions goes into effect in the Netherlands.
Irish Bishop Brendan Comiskey resigns over mishandling a sexual abuse case.
The Roman Catholic diocese of Orange County, California and the archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay $1,200,000 to a woman to settle her lawsuit against them. The woman claims a priest sexually abused her and then paid for her to get an abortion.
Xerox Corp. agrees to pay a $10,000,000 fine for misstating its revenues since 1997.
2 April 2002 Arab terrorists fire rockets and mortars into Israel from Lebanon. No one is injured.
Israeli forces enter Bethlehem in pursuit of about 200 Arab terrorists who take refuge in the Church of the Nativity.
3 April 2002 Israeli forces invade Nablus, Rulkarm, and Qalqilya in search of Arab terrorists.
4 April 2002 Israeli forces occupy Hebron.
354 opposition activists are arrested in Harare, Zimbabwe as they plan demonstrations against the recent election victory of President Robert Mugabe. The opposition claims fraud in the voting.
The government of Angola and UNITA rebels sign a cease-fire agreement in Luanda.
5 April 2002 Six days of battles begin in Nablus and Jenin between Arabs and Israeli troops. In Tubas, Israeli troops kill six Arab terrorists, including terrorist leader Qais Odwan.
6 April 2002 José Manuel Durão Barroso replaces António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres as Prime Minister of Portugal at the head of a two party center-right coalition.
7 April 2002 Twelve people are killed by two bombs in Villavicencio, Colombia. Police blame leftist rebels.
In Memory for chorus by John Tavener (58) to words of Mother Thekla and the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, at The Rivers Music School, Weston, Massachusetts.
8 April 2002 A bomb intended for the Afghan Defense Minister goes off in Jalalabad. Five people are killed. The minister is unhurt.
The second decommissioning of weapons by the Provisional IRA is confirmed by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.
Henry Brant (88) is awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his orchestral work Ice Field. See 12 December 2001.
9 April 2002 David Duncan, a partner at the accounting firm Arthur Anderson who was in charge of the audit of Enron, pleads guilty to obstruction of justice. He ordered the destruction of documents sought by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
10 April 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in a bus near Haifa killing eight people and himself.
11 April 2002 A court in Victoria, Australia awards A$700,000 to Rolah Ann McCabe to be paid by British American Tobacco Industries PLC. McCabe is dying of lung cancer caused by BAT’s product. The ruling is based on the fact that BAT destroyed documents relating to the case.
Moslem terrorists explode a gas truck outside the Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba, Tunisia. 17 people are killed or mortally wounded.
With the number of ratifying nations reaching the required 60, the International Criminal Court is established at UN headquarters in New York. It is intended for the prosecution of war criminals.
Hours after the Yugoslav Parliament passes a law allowing for the extradition of war crimes suspects to The Hague, former Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic shoots himself in the head on the steps outside. Stojiljkovic, who is under indictment by the war crimes tribunal, will die on 13 April.
12 April 2002 President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela is removed in a coup by a coalition of military, labor, and business leaders.
Toy Symphony for hyperviolin, children’s chorus, orchestra, and electronics by Tod Machover (48) is performed for the first time, in the National Concert Hall, Dublin.
13 April 2002 Dracula, for tape by Pierre Henry (74) is performed for the first time, in Paris until 27 April. As an introduction, Sonate d’ondes courtes for tape is premiered.
14 April 2002 The first presidential election in East Timor is won by José Alexandre Gusmao.
Some of the military who participated in the 12 April coup change their minds and return Hugo Chávez to the presidency of Venezuela.
A bomb explodes in Barranquilla as the motorcade of presidential candidate Álvaro Uribe Vélez passes. Three people are killed but Uribe is unhurt. Leftist rebels are suspected.
Lysistrati, an opera by Mikis Theodorakis (76), is performed for the first time.
Six American Painters in the version for flute, violin, viola, and cello by John Harbison (63) is performed for the first time, in Cincinnati. See 26 October 2001.
Piano Sonata no.2 by Richard Wernick (68) is performed for the first time, at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia.
15 April 2002 A ruling announced today by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague defines the 1,000 km border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The dispute had caused war between the two countries in 1998-2000.
16 April 2002 The three largest trade unions in Italy stage a one-day general strike for the first time since 1982. 25% of the country’s workers stay home. The strikes are a protest against moves by Prime Minister Berlusconi to weaken employee protection.
Netherlands Prime Minister Wim Kok and his coalition government resign after a report is issued blaming the Dutch government and the UN for failing to protect the 7,500 people who were murdered by Serbs in Srebrenica in 1995.
18 April 2002 Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi accuses a news commentator, a talk show host, and a comedian of “criminal use of public television” to criticize the government.
Millennium Designs for violin and piano by Ralph Shapey (81) is performed for the first time, at the Library of Congress, Washington.
19 April 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb at an Israeli checkpoint in the Gaza Strip killing only himself.
21 April 2002 Moslem rebels set off three bombs in General Santos, Philippines. 14 people are killed, 55 injured.
In a second round of voting in the Hungarian general election, the Socialist Party defeats the ruling center-right Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Party. The Socialists and their partner, the Alliance of Free Democrats, win 198 of 386 seats.
In the first round of voting for the French presidency, Jacques Chirac of the Rally for the Republic, and Jean-Marie Le Pen of the far right National Front secure places in the final. The good showing of Le Pen brings condemnation from other European leaders.
The Parco della Musica, a concert hall complex, opens in Rome at a cost of €150,000,000. Heading the project is Luciano Berio (76) and architect Renzo Piano.
22 April 2002 Four Moslem militants go on trial in Karachi for the abduction and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl.
Arabs in Ramallah kill three other Arabs whom they accuse of collaboration with Israel.
23 April 2002 Three Arab terrorists, all under 16 years of age, are killed as they attack the Israeli settltement of Netzarim on the West Bank.
25 April 2002 Israeli forces invade Qalqilya, killing two Arabs and arresting at least eleven. They will withdraw tomorrow.
General Dragoljub Ojdanic, former commander of the Yugoslav army, turns himself in to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
26 April 2002 A teenager runs amok in a high school in Erfurt, Germany, shooting 17 people to death, including himself.
Escalas for orchestra by Jean-Claude Risset (64) is performed for the first time, in Munich.
The Mother of God for chorus by John Tavener (58) to words of Yeats is performed for the first time, at the First Derry Presbyterian Church.
Tibetan Swing for orchestra by Bright Sheng (46) is performed for the first time, in Brooklyn, New York.
27 April 2002 Arabs attack a Jewish settlement near Hebron, killing four people.
Four Heartfelt Anthems for chorus by David Del Tredici (65) to words of Stevenson, Burns and others are performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.
28 April 2002 Sequenza XIV for cello by Luciano Berio (76) is performed for the first time, in Witten.
29 April 2002 Israeli forces invade Hebron, killing eight Arabs and arresting 150. They will withdraw tomorrow.
Old Addresses, a cycle for voice and piano by William Bolcom (63), is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
2 May 2002 Israeli troops withdraw from Ramallah in an agreement brokered by the US.
Nikola Sainovic, former Deputy Prime Minister of Yugoslavia, and Momcilo Gruban surrender to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
Two Songs on Poetry of Elizabeth Bishop for soprano and chamber ensemble by John Harbison (63) is performed for the first time, in New York.
3 May 2002 The Mocking-Bird, an opera by Thea Musgrave (73) for baritone and chamber orchestra to her own words, is performed for the first time, in Boston.
4 May 2002 Indonesian authorities announce they have arrested Laskar Jihad, the leader of the country’s largest militant Moslem group. He is charged with inciting violence in the sectarian battles between Moslems and Christians in the Molucca Islands which has killed 6,000 people since 1999.
Another Sleep, for baritone and piano by Ned Rorem (78) is performed for the first time, at Fairfield University, Connecticut.
5 May 2002 French President Jacques Chirac is reelected with 82% of the vote over far-right challenger Jean-Marie Le Pen.
The official premiere of Another Sleep for baritone and piano by Ned Rorem (78) takes place in Lincoln Center, New York.
6 May 2002 Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is released from house arrest by the government of Myanmar.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin replaces Lionel Jospin as Prime Minister of France. He is appointed by President Chirac to hold the office until elections in June. Jospin resigns after losing the first round of the recent presidential voting.
Dutch far-right leader Pim Fortuyn is shot to death in Hilversum by Volkert van der Graaf, a supporter of extreme leftist organizations. Van der Graaf will be arrested by tomorrow.
The Bush administration informs the UN that its signature on the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court is nonbinding.
Memoranda released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the US shows that Enron artificially increased electricity demand during the 2000-2001 power shortages in California, which forced the state to pay higher prices.
7 May 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in a club near Tel Aviv killing 15 people and himself. Over 50 people are wounded.
8 May 2002 Moslem militants explode a bomb outside the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi. 14 people are killed, mostly French engineers, and the bomber.
Christian militants from Uganda destroy six villages in southern Sudan killing about 470 people.
9 May 2002 A remote control bomb is exploded during a Victory Day parade in Kaspiisk, Dagestan, Russia. 42 people are killed and over 150 injured. No one takes responsibility but several officials blame Chechen rebels.
Elections are held in Bahrain for the first time in 27 years. Women are allowed to vote and run for office for the first time.
Governor Parris Glendenning of Maryland orders a moratorium on executions. The state is studying whether racial bias affected any death penalty decisions.
Concerto for piano and orchestra “Resurrection” by Krzysztof Penderecki (68) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
10 May 2002 The standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ends after an agreement is reached between Israel and the Arabs inside. After 39 days, 123 Arabs are allowed to leave the church, but 13 terrorists will be exiled to Europe.
De Assumtione Beatae Mariae Virginis for instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, at the Royal Library, Copenhagen.
Mirage: the Dancing Sun for eight cellos by Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is performed for the first time, in Beauvais.
11 May 2002 Pachelbel’s Key for youth orchestra by Michael Daugherty (48) is performed for the first time, in Power Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
12 May 2002 Three Tales for five singers, ten players and recordings by Steve Reich (65) is performed completely for the first time, in Vienna. Accompanying video projections are by Reich’s wife, Beryl Korot.
13 May 2002 Russia and the US announce an agreement to cut their stockpiles of nuclear weapons by two-thirds over the next ten years.
14 May 2002 Three Moslem gunmen open fire on the family quarters at an Indian army base outside Jammu killing 34 people and injuring 50 before being killed. Two-thirds of those killed are women and children.
The UN Security Council votes unanimously to allow Iraq to import food and other humanitarian goods.
Voters in Sierra Leone reelect President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in the first free and fair elections since the end of a bloody eleven-year civil war. The results will be announced 19 May.
15 May 2002 The center-right Christian Democratic Appeal places first in the Dutch general election. The ruling Labor Party places fourth.
17 May 2002 The ruling Fianna Fáil increases its seat total by eight in voting for the Dail Éireann. This makes Bertie Ahern the first Prime Minister of Ireland to win reelection since 1969.
The Belgian Parliament passes a law legalizing euthanasia in some cases.
A one-page draft of the Symphony no.9 by Ludwig van Beethoven (†175), dating from 1818, is auctioned in London for £1,300,000.
Canzona per sonare for alto trombone and two orchestral groups by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in the Rokokotheater, Schwetzingen.
Fetzen 2 for string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in Insel Hombroich.
Times Square, a sound installation by Max Neuhaus (62), is reinstalled under Times Square in New York. It was first installed in 1977, then dismantled in 1992.
18 May 2002 In response to the terrorist attack of 14 May, India expels the Pakistani ambassador.
19 May 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in Netanya killing three people and himself. 50 people are injured.
Pentecostal Mass for chorus and organ by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, in Westminster Cathedral, London.
Seventh Symphony: A Symphonic Concerto by William Bolcom (63) is performed for the first time, in Carnegie Hall, New York.
20 May 2002 The United Nations formally transfers sovereignty to the Democratic Republic of East Timor in ceremonies in Dili. The newly independent country is led by President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão (José Alexandre Gusmão) and Prime Minister Mari Bim Amude Alkatiri.
Linguae Ignis: For Pentecost for instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, in Florence.
21 May 2002 Kashmiri separatist Abdul Ghani Lone is shot to death by masked gunmen in Srinagar. Lone recently called for dialogue and a cease-fire with India. Moslem militants are suspected.
Salve Regina for chorus and organ by Arvo Pärt (66) is performed for the first time, in Essen Cathedral.
22 May 2002 Mahmoud Tit, a leading Arab terrorist, is killed in Nablus by Israeli tanks.
An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in Rishon Le Zion near Tel Aviv killing two people and himself and injuring 30.
Bobby Frank Cherry, a former Ku Klux Klansman, is found guilty of the 1963 murder of four black girls in the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama. He is sentenced to four life terms in prison.
23 May 2002 US President George Bush rejects demands by opposition Democrats for an independent commission to investigate persistent news reports that his administration bungled warnings about the terrorist attacks of last September.
Tri-IX for piano by Jean-Claude Risset (64) is performed for the first time, at Radio-France, Paris.
Tan Dun (44) wins the Classical Brit Contemporary Music Award for his score to the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
24 May 2002 Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President George Bush sign an arms reduction agreement in Moscow. The treaty calls on both countries to reduce their nuclear stockpiles by two-thirds over the next ten years.
Over the next week, Israel raids several West Bank cities arresting dozens of suspected terrorists.
Rembert Weakland, Archbishop of Milwaukee, resigns after admitting that his archdiocese paid $450,000 to a man who accused Weakland of sexually abusing him in 1979.
Resonant Sound Spaces for computerized sounds by Jean-Claude Risset (64) is performed for the first time, in Théâtre de la Criée, Marseille.
25 May 2002 Over the next four days, Pakistan tests three missiles, an act seen as provocative by India.
Two works are performed for the first time, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge: Economies of Scale for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (67), and Symmetry disorders reach op.73 for piano by Alexander Goehr (69).
26 May 2002 Ghosts and Gargoyles by Henry Brant (88), a concerto for flute and flute orchestra, is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
27 May 2002 Socialist Péter Medgyessy replaces conservative Viktor Orbán as Prime Minister of Hungary.
An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in a shopping area near Tel Aviv killing two people and himself, and injuring 40 others. The dead are a grandmother and her infant grandchild.
Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is awarded the Polar Music Prize by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in Stockholm.
28 May 2002 NATO institutes a new arrangement with Russia which includes greater cooperation but not membership.
An Arab gunman kills three students at a Jewish settlement in the West Bank before being killed by a security guard.
For the first time, the Bush administration admits there is a link between human activity and climate change.
30 May 2002 New York City marks the end of the cleanup after the terrorist attacks of last September.
31 May 2002 Israeli forces begin daily raids on Nablus and other West Bank towns, arresting suspected terrorists and destroying bomb factories.
The Danish Folketing votes to make the country’s immigration laws more restrictive. It is now more difficult to obtain residency permits and welfare services.
About a thousand citizens of Belfast engage in sectarian street battles. Riots ensue for two weeks.
Sonata for solo cello op.91 by Robin Holloway (58) is performed for the first time, in Troldhaugen, Bergen, Norway.
Benedictus for children’s chorus by Krzysztof Penderecki (68) is performed for the first time, in Toronto.
1 June 2002 Tenebrae for soprano, clarinet, and string quartet by Osvaldo Golijov (41) is performed for the first time, in Dock Theatre, Charleston, South Carolina.
2 June 2002 Voters in Switzerland decide overwhelmingly to allow abortion during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy.
3 June 2002 L. Dennis Kozlowski resigns as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Tyco Industries Ltd. He told the board four days ago that he is being investigated for tax evasion.
5 June 2002 An Arab terrorist detonates a car bomb in Meggido Junction, Israel.
Popular music entertainer R. Kelly is indicted in Chicago on 21 counts of child pornography.
6 June 2002 In retaliation for yesterday’s bombing, Israeli forces raid the compound of Yasir Arafat in Ramallah. Six people are killed.
7 June 2002 The Ontario legislature adopts same-sex civil unions on an equal basis with marriage.
8 June 2002 Arab terrorists attack a Jewish settlement north of Hebron killing three people.
Piano Quintet op.69 by Alexander Goehr (69) is performed for the first time, in Aldeburgh.
10 June 2002 India begins making steps to lessen tension with Pakistan. Indian airspace is reopened to Pakistani traffic, Indian warships are withdrawn from the Pakistani coast, and a new ambassador to Islamabad is named.
Israeli forces enter Ramallah again and surround the compound of Yasir Arafat. They arrest over 80 suspected terrorists.
The US government announces it has foiled an al-Qaeda plot to detonate a dirty bomb.
11 June 2002 Roman Catholic Bishop J. Kendrick Williams of Lexington, Kentucky resigns after allegations that he sexually assaulted three boys. Williams denies the charges.
A Florida court awards $37,500,000 to John Lukacs to be paid by three tobacco companies. The court found that the tobacco companies gave Lukacs oral and bladder cancer.
12 June 2002 Au Quai for orchestra by Elliott Carter (93) is performed for the first time, in Queen Elizabeth Hall, London. Also premiered is Two Notes for Ollie op.74 for eleven players by Alexander Goehr (69).
13 June 2002 The loya jirga, the traditional grand council of Afghanistan, chooses Hamid Karzai to lead the transitional government.
The Bush administration withdraws from the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty.
Ralph Shapey dies in a Chicago hospital of heart and kidney failure, aged 81 years, three months, and one day.
14 June 2002 Russia withdraws from the 1993 START II strategic arms treaty.
A car bomb explodes outside the US consulate in Karachi. Twelve people are killed, all Pakistanis. 50 people are injured.
15 June 2002 The center-left Social Democratic Party wins 30% of the vote and 70 of 200 seats in balloting for the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The center-right Civic Democratic Party comes in second with 58 seats. The Communist Party does well with 41 seats.
Meeting in Dallas, the US Council of Bishops adopts a charter on how to handle sexual abuse charges in the future.
The accounting firm of Arthur Anderson LLP is convicted of obstructing justice by a federal jury in Houston. They shredded numerous documents related to the Enron Corp. investigation.
The Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, British Columbia votes to allow priests to bless same sex unions.
16 June 2002 Israel begins to build a fence in the West Bank to deter terrorists.
Elections for the twelfth National Assembly of the Fifth French Republic result in a convincing win for the right-wing Union for a Popular Movement. They win 399 of 577 seats. The second-place Socialists win 140 seats.
18 June 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb on a Jerusalem bus killing 19 people and himself.
19 June 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb at a bus stop in Jerusalem killing six people and himself. Over 40 people are injured. In response, Israeli forces enter Jenin, Qalqilya, and Ramallah.
Hamid Karzai becomes President of Afghanistan.
Mrs. Johnson’s Tunes for recorders and piano by Peter Maxwell Davies (69) is performed for the first time, in Community Hall, Sanday, Orkney.
20 June 2002 The US Supreme Court rules that executing mentally retarded people is a violation of the constitution.
21 June 2002 Jamiruddin Sircar replaces AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury as President of Bangladesh. Chowdhury resigns under pressure from the ruling Bangladesh National Party.
Incidental music to Plater’s play Barriers by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, in St. Magnus Cathedral, Orkney.
23 June 2002 String Quartet no.12 by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in Reggio Emilia.
24 June 2002 Beatitudines for chorus and organ by Arvo Pärt (66) is performed for the first time, in the Church of San Pietro Martire, Monza.
Six Sanday Tunes for children’s fiddle group by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, in the Community Hall, Sanday, Orkney.
Galileo Galilei, an opera by Philip Glass (65) to words of Mary and Arnold Weinstein, is performed for the first time, in Chicago.
25 June 2002 The telecommunication giant WorldCom Inc. admits that it inflated its cash flow by $3,800,000,000 over the last five quarters.
26 June 2002 Six men, five of them army officers, are acquitted in a Moscow court of the murder of investigative reporter Dmitri Kholodov in 1994.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission sues WorldCom Inc. for fraud.
A Glass of Shiraz for instrumental ensemble by Peter Maxwell Davies (67) is performed for the first time, in St. Magnus Cathedral, Orkney.
27 June 2002 The US Supreme Court rules that public funds may be used to pay for vouchers to be used by parents to send their children to private religious schools.
Popular music entertainer John Entwistle dies in a Las Vegas hotel room of a cocaine-induced heart attack.
28 June 2002 Xerox Corp. announces that it overstated its revenue by $6,400,000,000 between 1997 and 2001.
29 June 2002 Mikis Theodorakis (76) receives the Erich W. Korngold Prize for life-achievement in film music, in Bonn.
30 June 2002 Brazil defeats Germany 2-0 to win the 17th FIFA World Cup™ in Yokohama, Japan.
1 July 2002 US aircraft mistakenly kill 40 Afghan civilians in an attack on Oruzgan province.
The Statute of the International Criminal Court comes into force.
A new legal code goes into effect in Russia replacing one from the 1960s. It sets limits on law enforcement and protects defendants.
2 July 2002 21:38 Balloonist Steve Fossett crosses 117° east longitude, thus completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth in a balloon. He will land in Queensland two days from now.
Earle Appleton Brown dies of cancer at his home in Rye, New York, aged 75 years, six months, and seven days.
3 July 2002 Theatre director Paul Kelleher removes the head from a statue of Margaret Thatcher by means of a cricket bat. The incident occurs at the Guildhall art gallery in London. Kelleher is protesting Thatcher’s support of global capitalism.
4 July 2002 An Egyptian immigrant attacks the El Al ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport with two handguns and a knife. He kills two people and injures several others before being shot to death by El Al security.
Former dictator Augusto Pinochet is found incompetent to stand trial by the Supreme Court of Chile. He resigns his seat of Senator for Life.
5 July 2002 49 people are killed when Moslem fundamentalists explode a bomb at a market in Larba, 25 km southeast of Algiers.
6 July 2002 Haji Abdul Qadir, Vice President and Minister of Public Works for Afghanistan, is shot to death by persons unknown outside his office in Kabul.
Sydney Singing for oboe and piano by Peter Sculthorpe (73) is performed for the first time, in Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham, Great Britain.
7 July 2002 Protestants riot in Portadown, Northern Ireland when police prevent them from marching into a Catholic neighborhood. 24 police are injured.
8 July 2002 The Dutch Parliament begins an investigation into how Islam is practiced in the country, especially how mosques are funded and how many fundamentalists there are.
About 150 women occupy the Chevron Texaco Corp. oil pipeline terminal in Escravos, Nigeria. They demand that the company hire their children and set up electricity in their villages. They trap 700 workers inside.
Referring to Iraq, US President Bush announces “It is the stated intention of this government to have regime change…We’ll use all of the tools at our disposal to do so.”
9 July 2002 The Organization of African Unity becomes the African Union at a meeting in Durban, South Africa.
Israeli forces begin to withdraw from Qalqilya and Tulkarm.
In a virtual surrender to the government, Russian tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky sells his stock in the NTV television station.
A Polish inquiry finds that the murder of 1,600 Jews in Jedwabne in 1941 was actually carried out by Poles, not Germans.
11 July 2002 Chang Sang becomes the first woman to hold the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea.
Amnesty International reports that Arab suicide bombings against Israelis are “crimes against humanity.”
The British journal Nature reports on the discovery by a team led by Michel Brunet of France, of a nearly intact skull in the Djurab Desert in Chad. It belongs to the species Sahelanthropus tchadensis and is the oldest human ancestor yet found, dating to 6,000,000 to 7,000,000 years ago.
12 July 2002 Vladimir Spidla of the Social Democratic Party replaces Milos Zeman as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic at the head of a two-party, center-left coalition.
The Ontario Superior Court rules that Canada’s definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It then suspends its ruling for two years to give the government time to revise the law.
13 July 2002 Moslem terrorists attack a low-income area of Jammu killing 29 people.
Yosuf Karsh dies in Boston at the age of 93.
14 July 2002 Maxime Brunerie fires one shot at French President Jacques Chirac as the President rides in an open jeep during a Bastille Day parade in Paris. Brunerie, who has ties to neo-Nazi groups, is arrested and taken to a psychiatric facility.
15 July 2002 Four men are convicted in a Hyderabad, Pakistan court of the murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl. The leader is sentenced to death. Three others receive life sentences.
The 150 women occupying the Chevron Texaco oil pipeline terminal in Escravos, Nigeria end their protest (begun 8 July) when the company agrees to hire at least 25 villagers and provide water and electricity for their communities.
Pfizer Inc. announces it will buy Pharmacia Corp. for $60,000,000,000 in stock thus creating the largest drug company in the world.
16 July 2002 Arab terrorists attack a bus on the West Bank and kill nine people.
The Irish Republican Army apologizes for the noncombatants it killed over the last 30 years.
17 July 2002 Arab terrorists explode bombs in Tel Aviv killing three people and two bombers.
Greek police arrest Alexandros Giotopoulos, leader of an urban guerrilla group responsible for at least 23 killings over the last 25 years.
19 July 2002 Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy of Hungary admits that he was a counterintelligence officer for the communist regime from 1977-1982.
A High Court judge announces the results of an inquiry into the activities of Dr. Harold Shipman, already convicted of killing 15 of his patients. The inquiry finds that Shipman killed 215 people between 1975 and 1998 and probably killed 45 more, making him the worst serial killer in British history.
20 July 2002 The government of Sudan and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army sign a tentative peace agreement in Nairobi.
21 July 2002 WorldCom Inc. files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a federal court in New York. It is the largest US company ever to file for bankruptcy.
The human rights group Global Exchange finds that 812 Afghan civilians died in eleven US air strikes over a period of six months.
Life Eternal for soprano, bass, alto flute, percussion, and strings by John Tavener (58) is performed for the first time, in Cheltenham.
22 July 2002 Jan Peter Balkenende of the Christian Democratic Appeal replaces Willem Kok as Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the head of a three-party center-right coalition.
The Bush administration announces that it will withhold $34,000,000 in authorized funding for the UN Population Fund because it claims the Fund condones abortions in China.
23 July 2002 An Israeli war plane drops one bomb on Gaza City killing Arab terrorist leader Salah Shehada and 14 others.
24 July 2002 Alfred Spirou Moisiu replaces Rexhep Kemal Mejdani as President of Albania.
The former president and CEO of the bankrupt Adelphia Communications Corp., along with four other high officials, are arrested in the largest case of insider dealing on record.
25 July 2002 Aavul Pakkiri Jainulabidin Abdul Kalam replaces Kocheril Raman Narayanan as President of India.
26 July 2002 Hutomo Mandala Putra (Tommy Suharto), son of former President Suharto, is convicted in Jakarta of hiring hit men to kill the Supreme Court justice who convicted him of fraud two years ago. He is sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Terrorist leader Nikos Papanastasiou is arrested by Greek police.
The Amazon Surveillance System (SIVAM) is put into operation by the government of Brazil. It will monitor the status of the Amazon rain forest.
27 July 2002 Elections in New Zealand result in the ruling Labour Party of Prime Minister Helen Clark gaining most seats, but not a majority. Labour will form an alliance with United Future.
Popular music entertainer John Entwistle is found dead in a Las Vegas hotel room from a heart stoppage induced by cocaine.
Aftermath, a cycle for voice, violin, cello, and piano by Ned Rorem (78), is performed for the first time, in Bennett-Gordon Hall, Chicago.
28 July 2002 Qwest Communications International Inc. admits that it overstated its revenue between 1999 and 2001 by $1,160,000,000.
29 July 2002 Riots break out in Belfast when Protestants march into a Catholic neighborhood.
30 July 2002 Presidents Joseph Kabila of the Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda sign a peace agreement designed to end the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An estimated 2,500,000 people have died in the fighting.
The British Special Immigration Appeals Commission rules that the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 is unlawful because it discriminates against foreigners.
31 July 2002 Fatos Thanas Nano of the Socialist Party replaces Pandeli Sotir Majko as Prime Minister of Albania.
Arab terrorists explode a bomb at Hebrew University in Jerusalem killing seven people and injuring 80 others.
1 August 2002 A UN report released today refutes charges that Israeli forces massacred Arab civilians in Jenin in April. It blamed both sides for endangering Arab civilians.
Scott Sullivan, former CFO of WorldCom, and David Myers, former Controller of the company, are arrested by federal agents in New York. They are charged with securities fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to the SEC.
2 August 2002 Israeli forces enter Nablus killing three and arresting 50 suspected terrorists.
A federal judge in Washington orders the Bush administration to release the names of all those detained by the government since the attacks of last September.
3 August 2002 The Turkish Parliament passes a number of reforms aimed at bettering their chances for inclusion in the European Union including the abolition of the death penalty in peace time and greater rights for the Kurds in Turkey.
Josquiniana for string quartet by Charles Wuorinen (64) is performed for the first time, in Taos, New Mexico.
4 August 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb on a bus in Safed, Israel killing nine people and himself.
5 August 2002 Moslems attack a Christian school in Murree, 55 km north of Islamabad. They kill six people and injure three, all Pakistanis.
6 August 2002 Moslems attack Hindu pilgrims heading for the Amarnath cave in Kashmir. They kill nine and injure 28.
Pas de trois for oboe, violin, and piano by Ned Rorem (78) is performed for the first time, in Saratoga Springs, New York.
7 August 2002 Twelve guerrillas attack an Afghan army base ten km south of Kabul and kill three soldiers before being wiped out.
Samuel Waksal, former CEO of ImClone Sytems Inc., is indicted in federal court in New York on insider trading charges.
8 August 2002 New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark forms a minority government following elections on 27 July.
WorldCom Inc. announces it has found $3,300,000,000 worth of more accounting errors dating back to 1999.
9 August 2002 Moslems attack a Christian-run hospital 40 km west of Islamabad. They kill four nurses and injure 25 others.
Sulayman Balal Zain-ul-Abidin, a British citizen, is acquitted in a London court of running a website that recruits terrorists.
10 August 2002 The Indonesian Parliament approves reforms allowing for the direct election of the President and remove reserved seats in that body for the military.
Sonnet 64 (In memoriam 9/11/01), a motet for chorus by Dominick Argento (64) to words of Shakespeare, is performed for the first time, in Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis.
11 August 2002 US Airways files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the fall in commercial airline traffic after the attacks of last September.
13 August 2002 The government of Angola announces the arrest of General Augustin Bizimungu, head of Rwanda’s armed forces during the 1994 genocide. He will be turned over to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania.
14 August 2002 A court in Jakarta convicts the former governor of East Timor for crimes against humanity for not preventing the killing of over 1,000 people in the province in 1999. He is sentenced to three years in prison. However, six other high Indonesian officers are acquitted.
French conglomerate Vivendi Universal SA announces a loss of €12,300,000,000 over the first half of this year.
The Supreme Court of Venezuela dismisses charges against four high military officers accused of plotting the overthrow of President Chávez last April. The ruling causes rioting between followers and opponents of the President.
15 August 2002 Police in Zimbabwe begin arresting white farmers who have defied an order to leave their farms by 8 August.
16 August 2002 Over the last two months, monsoon flooding has killed 900 people in Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. 25,000,000 are homeless.
17 August 2002 German citizen Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kiel.
Symphony no.10 by Hans Werner Henze (76) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne.
18 August 2002 Leaders of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia meet in Berlin to discuss aid to victims of massive floods in central and eastern Europe over the last week. The European Investment Bank pledges €1,000,000,000 in low interest loans.
19 August 2002 Israeli forces withdraw from Bethlehem.
President Eduard Shevardnadze of Georgia announces that his troops will enter Pankisi Gorge to root out Chechen rebels who use it as a sanctuary.
Chechen rebels shoot down a Russian helicopter near Grozny killing 118 of the 147 people aboard.
20 August 2002 Five members of the Iraqi opposition take over the Iraqi embassy in Berlin and hold the staff hostage. Within hours, German forces storm the embassy, free the hostages, and arrest the attackers.
21 August 2002 President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan decrees increased powers for himself at the expense of Parliament, to be elected in October.
Michael Kopper, a former high executive of Enron Corp., pleads guilty in federal court in Houston to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
22 August 2002 The Yugoslav government takes about 45 kg of weapons-grade uranium from a disused reactor and puts it on a plane for Russia. The Russians will convert it to commercial use.
British authorities announce that Titian’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt, stolen in 1995, has been found in a plastic shopping bag at a bus stop near London.
26 August 2002 A Spanish High Court judge suspends the Batasuna party for its links to the Basque separatist group ETA.
US Vice President Dick Cheney calls for military action to overthrow the government of Iraq. He says arms inspections are not enough to ensure the absence of weapons programs.
27 August 2002 Shareholders and former employees of Enron Corp. reach a settlement of their claims against Enron’s accounting firm Andersen Worldwide SC.
Strip-Weave for orchestra by Kevin Volans (53) is performed for the first time, in Waterfront Hall, Belfast.
28 August 2002 The Bhopal High Court upholds the charge of culpable homicide against Warren Anderson, the former chairman of Union Carbide Corp for the 1984 gas leak. Anderson is presently living in the US. Over 14,000 people have died of the gas leak and its after effects.
29 August 2002 A Russian government report released today shows that the explosion aboard the submarine Kursk in 2000 was caused by leaking torpedo propellant. It further states that the rescue effort was unsuccessful due to dilapidated equipment, poor training, and bungling leadership.
31 August 2002 Chechen rebels shoot down another Russian helicopter killing two men aboard.
Fetzen 3 for accordion and string quartet by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in Agathenburg.
2 September 2002 Naqoyqatsi, a film with music by Philip Glass (65), is shown for the first time, at the Telluride Film Festival in Telluride, Colorado.
3 September 2002 The International Criminal Court convenes for the first time.
4 September 2002 Akbar Tandjung, speaker of the parliament of Indonesia, is convicted in a Jakarta court of abuse of power and corruption. He is sentenced to three years in prison. He will appeal.
Delegates from 190 countries at the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg approve a Plan of Implementation for the promises of the 1992 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
5 September 2002 A gunman opens fire on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kandahar. The President is unhurt. US Special Forces kill the gunman, an Afghan bodyguard, and a bystander who tackled the gunman.
A car bomb explodes in a shopping area of Kabul killing 30 people and injuring 170.
Dimitris Koufodinas, the most wanted terrorist in Greece, surrenders in Athens.
6 September 2002 Iajuddin Ahmed replaces Jamiruddin Sircar as President of Bangladesh.
President Joseph Kabila of the Congo and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda sign an agreement wherein Uganda will remove all its remaining troops from the Congo.
8 September 2002 The Baroness and the Pig, a film with music by Philip Glass (65), is shown for the first time, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
9 September 2002 The Austrian People’s Party ends its coalition with the far right Freedom Party and calls for early elections.
173 people, mostly civilians, are killed by uniformed gunmen in Gitega Province, Burundi. It is unclear which side in the Hutu-Tutsi violence is at fault.
11 September 2002 A High Court judge rules that the British Home Office acted illegally in deporting a family of four Afghan refugees on 14 August.
12 September 2002 In a speech before the UN General Assembly, US President George Bush says the organization must halt Iraq’s development of weapons of mass destruction or war would be “unavoidable.”
14 September 2002 Verwandlung for orchestra by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in the Alte Oper, Frankfurt.
A completed version of Dérive 2 for chamber ensemble by Pierre Boulez (77) is performed for the first time, in Lucerne.
Openings for orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (63) is performed for the first time.
Game Play for flute, viola, cello, and harp by TJ Anderson (74) is performed for the first time, in St. Francis Auditorium, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
15 September 2002 The coalition Together for Macedonia, led by the leftist Social Democratic Union, wins a majority in Macedonian parliamentary elections.
The ruling Social Democratic Party of Prime Minister Göran Persson gains 13 seats in Swedish national elections and will retain power
The Rider on the White Horse for orchestra and organ by Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is performed for the first time, in Rotterdam.
16 September 2002 The Iraqi government says it will allow UN weapons inspectors back into the country without conditions. The Bush administration calls it a ruse.
Two men suspected of being senior military leaders of the terrorist organization ETA are arrested in Talence near Bordeaux.
The Pinakothek der Moderne is inaugurated in Munich.
17 September 2002 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, the first such meeting. In an agreement, Japan apologizes for its occupation of Korean from 1910-1945 and pledges compensation. Kim acknowledges the kidnapping of twelve Japanese citizens.
Rwanda begins removing its 30,000 troops from eastern Congo.
Ukranian security forces destroy an opposition tent city in Kiev, forcing about 1,000 people out. Television stations were taken off the air yesterday.
The government of Canada warns its citizens born in Syria, Sudan, Libya, Iran, and Iraq to think twice about traveling to the United States because of new travel restrictions there.
18 September 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb in Umm el-Fahm, Israel killing a policeman and himself.
19 September 2002 An Arab terrorist explodes a bomb on a bus in Tel Aviv killing six people and himself, and injuring 60 others. Over the next four days, Israeli forces destroy every building in the Ramallah compound of Yasir Arafat, except the one which houses Arafat.
US President Bush asks Congress for authority to use force to overthrow the Iraqi government.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston settles with 86 people who say they suffered from the sexual abuse of Father John Geoghan. The Archdiocese is required to pay $10,000,000.
On the Transmigration of Souls for chorus, orchestra, and electronics by John Adams (55) is performed for the first time, in Avery Fisher Hall, New York. The texts are from missing persons posters found in New York after the destruction of the World Trade Center. Recorded voices and ambient sounds of the city are employed. It will win the Pulitzer Prize. See 7 April 2003.
20 September 2002 Israel demands the surrender of about 20 Arab terrorists believed hiding in the compound of Palestinian President Yasir Arafat in Ramallah.
21 September 2002 Parliamentary elections in Slovakia result in the nationalist Movement for a Democratic Slovakia winning the most seats, but a coalition will be formed led by the center-right Slovak Democratic and Christian Union.
String Quartet no.4 by Gunther Schuller (76) is performed for the first time, in Detroit.
Concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra by Philip Glass (65) is performed for the first time, in Seattle.
22 September 2002 The Social Democratic/Green coalition of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder retains power in German national elections. They win a total of 306 of 603 seats in the Bundestag.
23 September 2002 About 200 opposition demonstrators invade a television station in Kiev demanding that their grievances be broadcast. The station management refuse.
A judge at the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rules that El Paso Corp., the largest natural gas company in the country, illegally drove up prices during the California energy crisis of 2000-2001.
24 September 2002 Moslem militants attack a Hindu temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, killing 30 people and injuring 74. They battle Indian troops through the day and will be killed tomorrow.
Israeli troops raid two places in Gaza City, destroying weapons factories and killing nine people.
50 members of Parliament, including leaders of three opposition parties, occupy part of the presidential administration building in Kiev. They declare a hunger strike to last until President Leonid Kuchma agrees to meet with them.
25 September 2002 Moslem gunmen kill seven aid workers at a Christian charity in Karachi.
Several scientists testify before a Senate committee that the Bush Administration’s restrictions on stem-cell research is holding back important research and forcing many of their colleagues to move abroad.
Broken Chords by Mauricio Kagel (70) is performed for the first time, in Duisburg.
26 September 2002 A Senegalese ferry capsizes in a storm off Gambia. Over 1,800 people are killed.
Four days of fighting begin between Russian security forces and rebels in Ingushetia.
28 September 2002 Venetian Blinds for piano by Michael Daugherty (48) is performed for the first time, in Venice.
29 September 2002 Zweite Trio in einem Satz for violin, cello, and piano by Mauricio Kagel (70) is performed for the first time, in Venice.
30 September 2002 A seventh movement for the Hamburg Concerto for horn and orchestra by György Ligeti (79) is performed for the first time, in Utrecht. See 20 January 2001.
2 October 2002 Reflections on the Theme BACH for string quartet by Sofia Gubaidulina (70) is performed for the first time, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
Bells for Stokowski for wind band by Michael Daugherty (48) is performed for the first time, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
3 October 2002 ALAP, a prelude to Contrapunctus IX of the Art of Fugue for string quartet by Charles Wuorinen (64) is performed for the first time, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
5 October 2002 E si fussi pisci for chorus by Luciano Berio (76) to an Italian folk song is performed for the first time, in Siena.
Requiem profane for tape by Pierre Henry (74) is performed for the first time, in Paris.
Unto the Hills for soprano, piano, and percussion by George Crumb (72) to words of Appalachian folk songs is performed for the first time, in Trinity Center, Philadelphia.
6 October 2002 Orchestral Theatre 0 for orchestra by Tan Dun (45) is performed for the first time, in Brisbane, Australia.
13 October 2002 The Haroun Songbook, selections from the opera by voice and piano by Charles Wuorinen (64) to words of Rushdie, is performed for the first time, in New York.
16 October 2002 Concerto for orchestra: Yi0 by Tan Dun (45) is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.
19 October 2002 Trumpet and String Quartet 2 by Kevin Volans (53) is performed for the first time, in Philips Hall, Eindhoven.
20 October 2002 Concerto for clarinet and chamber orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (63) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln Center, New York. See 22 November 2002.
22 October 2002 Tea: a Mirror of the Soul, an opera by Tan Dun (45) to words of Xu Ying and the composer, is performed for the first time, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo the composer conducting.
23 October 2002 Sechs Gedichte von Friedrich Nietzsche for baritone and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in Cologne.
Quasi una fantasia op.78 for orchestra by Henryk Górecki (68) is performed for the first time, in Auditorio Nacional, Madrid. See 27 October 1991.
Naxos Quartet no.1 for string quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (68) is performed for the first time, in Wigmore Hall, London.
25 October 2002 The Second Coming for chorus and organ by John Tavener (58) to words of Yeats is performed for the first time, in Glenn Memorial Auditorium of Emory University, Atlanta.
30 October 2002 Two Studies for Large Orchestra by Stefan Wolpe (†30) is performed for the first time, in Alice Tully Hall, New York.
2 November 2002 Concerto for clarinet and orchestra by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (63) is performed for the first time, in Buffalo. See 20 October 2002.
8 November 2002 Angelfire for amplified violin and orchestra by Joseph Schwantner (59) is performed for the first time, in the Kennedy Center, Washington.
9 November 2002 Praeludium for orchestra by Robin Holloway (59) is performed for the first time, in West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge.
Grand Trio for piano, violin, and cello by David Del Tredici (65) is performed for the first time, in College Park, Maryland.
10 November 2002 Pentecost for tenor and harp by Charles Wuorinen (64) to words of Wolcott is performed for the first time, in New York.
13 November 2002 Ikon of Eros for soprano, violin, chorus, and orchestra by John Tavener (58) is performed for the first time, in Minneapolis.
15 November 2002 Two works by Roger Reynolds (68) are performed for the first time, in Dijon: A Crimson Path for cello and piano, and Process and Passion for violin, cello, and electronic sound generators. See 29 September 2000.
21 November 2002 Interscriptum for string quartet and piano by Wolfgang Rihm (50) is performed for the first time, in the Konzerthaus, Neuer Saal, Vienna.
22 November 2002 Music for Organ by Leslie Bassett (79) is performed for the first time.
23 November 2002 Seven Desires for guitar by Tan Dun (45) is performed for the first time, at the 92nd Street Y, New York.
30 November 2002 A Calendar of Kings for vocal quartet by Peter Maxwell Davies (68) is performed for the first time, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
3 December 2002 Retracing for bassoon by Elliott Carter (93) is performed for the first time, in Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York.
4 December 2002 Viola Concerto by Robin Holloway (59) is performed for the first time, in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco.
7 December 2002 Awed by the Beauty for male chorus by John Tavener (58) to words of the Orthodox liturgy is performed for the first time, at First Congregational Church, Harvard University.
18 December 2002 The Hours, a film with music by Philip Glass (65), is shown for the first time.
26 December 2002 The 170th and last broadcast of the complete music of Mikis Theodorakis (77) is given by Guy Wagner over the airwaves of Radio socio-culturelle, Luxembourg. He has been at it since 6 May 1999.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
26 August 2012
Last Updated (Sunday, 26 August 2012 06:40)