Welcome to the New Millennium: A Collaborative Timeline

September 11, 2001: The primaries for the New York City mayoral elections are held. Kelsey Grammer wins the Republican nomination, narrowly beating out billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg. The Democratic nomination is won by New York Public Advocate Mark Green.

November 6, 2001: Republican Kelsey Grammer is elected to succeed incumbent mayor Rudy Giuliani in that year's mayoral election, defeating Democratic nominee Mark Green by a wide margin after widespread popularity on Grammer's part following the series finale of Frasier as well as missteps made by the Green campaign.
 
12 May 2001: The 2001 Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Manchester Arena in Manchester is won by Russian duo t.A.T.u with their song Nas Ne Dogonyat (Translated to Not Going to get us), giving Russia their first victory in the competition. In their performance it is heavily implied that the two have a relationship and in the final the two share a passionate kiss at the end of their performance, garnering a large amount of international attention (both positive and negative). The song beat Kosheen's total last year, gaining 250 points in the competition.
 
13 July 2001: Istanbul, Turkey has been awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing was the front runner however the coup at the beginning of the year had scared off a lot of voters who instead had changed their bid to Istanbul. Beijing came 2nd with Toronto a distant third in the 2nd round of the bidding.

15 July 2001: East China has joined the World Trade Organisation.

16 July 2001: East China and Russia have signed a free trade agreement and the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship, signifying closer ties.

22 July 2001: Turkey and Russia have both completed the major negotiations to become member states of the European Union and will become official members in 2004 along with Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Malta, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Estonia, Czech Republic and Cyprus. The announcement was on the same day as the last day of the G8 Summit in Genoa in Italy where riots broke out across the city after the killing of several protesters by police.

24 July 2001: Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Simeon II) has been democratically elected as the new Bulgarian Prime Minister, with his centrist National Movement for Stability and Progress party winning 150 out of the 240 seats.

3 September 2001: A protest started by protestants in Belfast leads to rioting across the city along sectarian lines.

23 October 2001: The Ipod is launched by apple, which would begin the wave of MP3s and eventually mp4s and the turnaround for Apple as a company

25 October 2001: Windows XP is launched to mass praise. With the operating system quickly becoming standard across most of the world.

3 November 2001: East China has signed a Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

11 November 2001: West China has joined the World Trade Organisation.

15 November 2001: The Fijian Labour Party has won the 2001 and Mahendra Chaudrey has become the new Prime Minister, winning 36 seats. New Zealand and Australia stated that the democratic result (which was judged to be fair by observers) must be respected and that if their is a military intervention again that they would be forced to intervene themselves.

18 November 2001: The Purchase of Trans World Airlines (TWA) by American Airlines has been rejected, with it being rejected on the basis that it would create less competition in the airline market. TWA said that whilst they were disappointed that they would continue business. They have spoken about plans and talks with the Missouri and Kansas governments to make St Louis International Airport as big of an airport hub as Atlanta.

10 December 2001: Argentina is in massive turmoil as millions protest and riot across the country as a reaction to the government closing all bank accounts across the country.

12 December 2001: Argentinian President Fernando de la Rua has been assassinated by protesters in Buenos Aires. The new interim President Adolfo Rodriguez Saa has now ordered the military to use deadly force against violent protesters across the country if necessary.
 
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6 November 2001: U.S Gubernatorial and Local Elections

The U.S held its Gubernatorial and local elections today, with Democrat Jim McReevey becoming the New Jersey Governor and Mark Warner winning Virginia for the Democrats. In Charlotte the Incumbent Pat McClory won for the Republicans, Independent Orlando Sanchez won against the Incumbent Lee Brown in Houston, Antonio Villaraigosa won the Los Angeles Mayorship in a two candidate race against James Hahn in the run off. Tom Murphy retained Pittsburgh and Charles Meeker was able to win against the incumbent Paul Coble in Raleigh.
 
23 July 2001: Indonesia's Parliament elected Megawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of 1st president Soekarno as president with her vice president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
 
1 January 2002: The new year is brought in across the world with the biggest celebrations in New York, London, Tokyo, Moscow, Paris and Sydney (in terms of expenditure and size). Also the Euro is introduced as a currency, with all of those who have signed on (including the most recent countries to sign on, Russia and Turkey) now legally having the Euro as their legal tender (replacing the Ruble and Lira respectively).

6 February 2002: The Queen holds her Golden Jubilee, however not all is calm in the commonwealths, as 500 Thousand Pro Republicans in Australia march through the cities, holding a rally in support of the establishment of a republic (organised by Liberal Party member Malcolm Turnbull, the member for Wentworth). This has caused tension within the Liberal Party who have shown opposition, opposition in the government has been less obvious, with most supportive of a Republic but Prime Minister Kim Beasley saying 'it wasn't a priority (especially so close after the referendum in 99)', however that official party policy supported the establishment of the republic.

8-24 February 2002: The 2002 Winter Olympics is hosted in Salt Lake City. Norway topped the medal tally followed by Canada, United States and Germany. The olympics were notable for the emergence of extreme sports such as snowboarding, mogul and aerials in the winter olympics as well as China and Australia winning their first and second Winter Olympic gold medals (Australia's coming in spectacular circumstances when Bradbury is able to
 
30 February 2002: Milosevic and his Socialist Party have won 232 out of 250 in an election international observers have stated were full of irregularities, vote rigging, intimidation and election fraud.

2 March 2002: UNITA forces have killed Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos between clashes between the rebel group and government forces.

3 March 2002: UNITA forces stage a coup, taking advantage of the chaos in Luanda and overthrowing the MLPA government, with the MPLA party being outlawed.

7 March 2002: The Human Rights and Democracy Movement have won the election in Tonga.

9 March 2002: The King of Tonga tried to have Akilisi Pohiva arrested, but the police refused, instead turning on the King. The King was placed under house arrest. His son George Tupou V has taken over, and is expected to relinquish most of his power, making Tonga a Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.

11 March 2002: In a shock result, Morgan Tsvangarai has won the Zimbabwean Presidential Election ahead of Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has refused to accept the result, calling for a recount of the results.

13 March 2002: Recounts have shown that Tsvangarai has won 55% of the total vote, 1% more than before. Mugabe has declared martial law, indicating that he would not be changing over.

17 March 2002: South African Troops have moved north into Zimbabwe, for the purpose of forcing Mugabe out of office and to face trial at the hague (where he is wanted on crimes against humanity for his involvement in the killings of the ndebele people.

19 March 2002: Robert Mugabe has been captured in Harare trying to escape the city. Protesters had made movement slow in and out of the city as Harare has remained at a standstill for the last week. He has now been sent to the Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity.

24 March 2002: In the First Hong Kong City Elections since the establishment of East China, Hong Kong Unity has beaten Hong Kong Independence by 2 seats. the only other party to have won seats in Hong Kong was an independent in Kowloon (with other parties not being able to establish themselves in the city or not running due to endorsing one of the two parties).

8 April 2002: The Social Democratic Party of Russia is formed, with a large breakaway from the Communist Party occurring, with many of the more moderate members of the party leaving for the SDP. This is a significant blow to the Communists who had been polling as the main opposition to Yabloko up until the split, how they fall behind United Russia. the SDP have immediately jumped to 12% of the vote. Yabloko are still well ahead on 48%.

14 April 2002: In snap elections called in Turkey, the Democratic Left Party have gained a majority, with them adopting the Euro as a currency and joining the European Union, Common Market and likely to join a customs union if/when one begins, the Turkish economy has rebounded with Turkey now seen as one of the major leaders in Europe (along with Russia, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain).

21 April 2002: Jacques Chirac and Jean Marie Le Pen have advanced to the 2nd round of voting. Socialist Party Candidate Lionel Jospin and Communist Party candidate (and former Socialist Party member) Jean Luc Melanchon missed out by a slim margin, gaining 16% and 15% respectively.

5 May 2002: Jacques Chirac has won the French Presidency, winning 83% of total votes in the second round.

11 May 2002: Bulgaria has voted to restore the Monarchy by 58% to 42%, making the country a constitutional monarchy. Due to the complex nature, Simeon Saxon-Coburg will become Simeon II. Lydia Shuleva will take over as Prime Minister.

15 May 2001: Bayer Leverkusen have defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League Final 4-2 on Penalties at Hampden Park.

17 May 2002: Fianna Fail have won the Irish general election, with Labour becoming the official opposition and Sinn Fein winning 10% of the vote and 13 seats (making them the fourth largest party in the republic).

20 May 2002: East Timor has been granted its independence after two and a half years of UN administration and 26 years of Indonesian occupation. Protests in the Western half of the island as well as Western Papua demanding the right to independence and unification with East Timor and PNG respectively.

25 May 2002: Italy has won the eurovision song contest with Italy In-Grid's 'Tu es foutu' winning the competition by only 3 points (on the back of strong jury voting) with Spain and Asereje's 'The Ketchup Song' being the runners up (winning the public vote). The internal selection has proven to be a summer hit across Europe and the world. the UK would come 3rd with Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Murder on the Dance Floor' also having commercial success. This year was considered one of the strongest on record, with their being 3 commercial successes. Russia was also praised for its hosting (Russia would come 6th, with pop-comedy entry Vitas and his entry '7th Element') which would become a commercial success in Russia and Eastern Europe.

16 June 2002: the UMP have gained 300 seats in France, with the Socialists coming 2nd with 200 and the French Communist Party gaining 130 seats, with the party surging in popularity. National Front failed to win a single seat, despite polls indicating they could win as many as 50.

30 June 2002: South Korea have shocked the world, winning the 2002 world cup, beating Brazil on 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

14 July 2002: Jacques Chirac is assassinated by a lone gunman during Bastille Day Celebrations. The Gun was held in a guitar case. The Gunman (Maxime Brunerie) is associated with far-right group Unite Radical and was a supporter of Jean-Marie Le Pen.

20 July 2002: Jim Bacon and the Labor Party have won the Tasmanian State Election, the highly successful premier has been able to revitalise the Tasmanian economy, with education, safety and health all improving drastically.

27 July 2002: Labour have won the NZ federal election with the National Party being reduced to Third Party status (only winning 15 seats, behind NZ First's 18 seats). Labour won 60 seats with the Greens the other movers on the left, winning 11 seats in total. Alliance faced a complete wipe out at the election, with the newly formed Progressive's also failing to win any seats due to Labour and the Greens.
 
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27 June 2001: The NBA draft is held and Yao Ming is selected as the #1 pick by the Vancouver Grizzlies, with Pau Gasol also being traded to the Grizzlies in the same draft (after being selected #3). Unlike last year (where Dirk Nowtizki and Steve Nash were traded to Toronto, who eventually would go onto the finals, only losing to the Lakers).

The Grizzlies had a fantastic draft, having selected Ming (who would become a HOF calibre player and one of the best center's ever through a 15 year career, winning championships and staying only with Vancouver) and Gasol and Johnson (both multiple time all stars). The lakers as well were able to select two players at the end of the first and second who were all stars themselves (the Arenas-Kobe backcourt putting the fear of god into most teams and Wallace turning into Andrei Kirilenko for them, with Wallace himself doing well defensively for the Jazz). The Spurs were able to land Tony Parker who would become their long term P.G.

The Nets were able to get Jason Richardson at 5th, who would become a key part of their franchise plans, with a backcourt of Kidd and Richardson as well as Kenyon Martin making noise in the east. Seattle were able to take Richard Jefferson, proving their good drafting ability continues to show results. The Pistons themselves were able to get another defensive swingman at 3/4, with the youngsters getting good advice from the vets.

The Wizards, Cavaliers and Clippers had disastrous drafts in hindsight. Kwame Brown proved to be a bust outright but Curry and Griffin showed promise, before both ended out of the league by 2010.

Bold = Multiple Time All star
Underline = All Star
  1. Vancouver Grizzlies - Yao Ming
  2. L.A Clippers - Kwame Brown
  3. Atlanta Hawks - Pau Gasol (Traded to Vancouver for Shareef-Abdul Rahim)
  4. Chicago Bulls - Tyson Chandler
  5. New Jersey Nets - Jason Richardson
  6. Washington Wizards - Eddy Curry
  7. Cleveland Cavaliers - Eddie Griffin
  8. Detroit Pistons - Shane Battier
  9. Boston Celtics - Joe Johnson (traded to Vancouver for 2002 First)
  10. Golden State Warriors - Vladimir Radmanovic
  11. Seattle Supersonics - Richard Jefferson
  12. Golden State Warriors (from Indiana) - Rodney White
  13. Houston Rockets - Desanga Diop
  14. Charlotte Hornets - Kedrick Brown
Other Notable Picks:

  • Troy Murphy - Orlando Magic (15th)
  • Micheal Bradley - Houston Rockets (17th)
  • Zach Randolph - Portland Trailblazers (19th)
  • Brendan Haywood - Orlando Magic (21st)
  • Jamaal Tinsley - Utah Jazz (24th)
  • Gerald Wallace - L.A Lakers (27th) - Traded to Utah for Rights to Andrei Kirilenko
  • Tony Parker - San Antonio Spurs (28th)
  • Gilbert Arenas - L.A Lakers (32nd) - Traded from Nets for 56th Pick + Cash
  • Brian Scalabrine - Cleveland Cavaliers (36th)
  • Mehmet Okur - Detroit Pistons (38th)

26 June 2002: The 2002 NBA Draft

the L.A Lakers were able to win the 2002 NBA finals series on the back of the Shaq and Kobe combination, however they were also able to build through the draft with the addition of Arenas (who was traded from the Nets on draft night) and Andrei Kirilenko. The Raptors were able to push the Lakers to 6, however O'Neal and Bryant proved to be too strong in the end. The Grizzlies, Supersonics and Pistons were able to have good years in their own right.

This draft was rather weak at the top, with the top 5 mostly failing to live up to expectations (however Dunleavy Jr would have a good NBA career as would Gooden), however in hindsight, Butler and Stoudemire as well as Nene would all prove to be very good picks. Outside the lottery, Prince and Boozer in the late first both proved to be shrewd moves for their teams, becoming crucial in their future title runs.

In the second round, Barnes for Vancouver would become a mainstay and eventually veteran leader for the team and Scola would be crucial to their title run in 03/04.

Bold = Multiple Time All Star
Underline = All-Star
  1. Houston Rockets - Jay Williams
  2. Golden State Warriors - Drew Gooden
  3. Denver Nuggets - Mike Dunleavy Jr
  4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Nikoloz Tskitishvili
  5. Chicago Bulls - Caron Butler
  6. L.A Clippers - Dajuan Wagner Jr
  7. New York Knicks - Amare Stoudemire
  8. Phoenix Suns - Nene
  9. Miami Heat - Jarred Jeffries
  10. Washington Wizards - Chris Wilcox
  11. L.A Clippers - Melvin Ely
  12. Milwaukee Bucks - Fred Jones
  13. Indiana Pacers - Marcus Hairslip
  14. Utah Jazz - Juan Dixon
Other Notable Picks:

  • Kareem Rush - Seattle Supersonics (20th)
  • Tayshaun Prince - Detroit Pistons (23th)
  • Nenad Kristic - New Jersey Nets (24th) Traded to Sacramento for 28th Pick + 58th pick + cash
  • Carlos Boozer - L.A Lakers (27th)
  • Roger Mason Jr - Sacramento Kings (28th) Traded to New Jersey as part of the Nenad Kristic trade
  • Dan Gadzuric - Cleveland Cavaliers (35th)
  • David Anderson - L.A Clippers (41st)
  • Matt Barnes - Vancouver Grizzlies (46th)
  • Rasual Butler - Miami Heat (53rd)
  • Luis Scola - Dallas Mavericks (55th) Traded to Detroit Pistons for Cash Considerations
 
February 3, 2002: The Rams defeat the Steelers to win Super Bowl XXVI.

December 30, 2002: Bill Belichick is fired by the Patriots. He is later hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

January 26, 2003:
The Steelers defeat the Buccaneers to win Super Bowl XXVII.
 
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October 16, 2000: Senator Mel Carnahan does not die in a plane crash.

March 5, 2002: President Gore signs a large bipartisan tax package into law. The plan cuts taxes on the middle class, creates new tax credits for low-income families, and cuts domestic spending (but does not impact Medicare or Social Security spending).

April 16, 2002: Senator Ben Nelson is killed when his plane crashes while he returns from a fundraiser. Governor Mike Johanns appoints Lieutenant Governor Dave Heineman to replace him, giving the Republicans control of the Senate.

May 31, 2002: Senator John McCain forms a presidential exploratory committee.

June 20, 2002: Senator Fred Thompson forms a presidential exploratory committee.

November 5, 2002: The midterm elections are held in the United States. The Republicans gain 10 seats in the House, giving them a narrow majority. The Democrats gain a seat and retake the Senate, as they gain Arkansas and the special election in Nebraska, where Bob Kerrey defeats Heineman, while the GOP picks up South Dakota. Senator Paul Wellstone is reelected in Minnesota. In gubernatorial elections, the GOP picks up 4 governorships. Notably, Richard Riordan unseats California Govenor Gray Davis, Greg Walden picks up Oregon for the Republicans, Scott McCallum is reelected in Wisconsin, Steve Largent is elected in Oklahoma, and Matt Salmon wins in Arizona.

November 15, 2002: George W. Bush announces that he will not run for president in 2004.

November 30, 2002: Jack Kemp forms a presidential exploratory committee.

January 1, 2003: President Al Gore announces that he will run for reelection in 2004.
 
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February, 12, 2003: Michael Eisner has announced that The Walt Disney Company will purchase AOL for $4.3 billion.
March, 1, 2003: Michael Eisner announces that Disney will release a new game console called the "Disney Touchstone". The Touchstone comes with a service by AOL, similar to Xbox Live. Launch titles will include ESPN Football `04, Epic Mickey (featuring Clarabelle Cow as the main villain), and ESPN Basketball `04.
April, 2, 2003: Sony announces it will purchase Marvel for $3.5 million.
 
15 June 2002: Miroslav Grebenicek is to become the new PM of the Czech Republic after a shock result, with the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia winning 27% of the vote, being able to take voters away from the new coalition partners, the social democratic party.

20 June 2002: Jean-Pierre Raffarin has officially ascended to become the new President of France (after the assassination of Chirac).

3 August 2002:
The Australian Democrats have come to power in Qld after the collapse of the Labor government, with the corruption proceedings ongoing against Peter Beattie and several Qld government ministers in one of the biggest scandals in the state's history (only 2nd to the downfall of Bjelke-Peterson). The corruption of the Labor government, coupled with most voters still not ready to vote for the Nationals or Liberals after the Bjelke-Peterson era and Bobidge's horror term led to the Democrats becoming the main option Labor voters went too. the Democrats won 53-47 on a TPP basis against the National-Liberal Coalition and won 50 seats (up from 5) in total and 35% of the primary vote against the Coalitions 33% (which is actually up 5%). Labor's vote fell drastically, only winning 12% of the vote in total. Andrew Barlett will become the first Premier not from the Nationals, Liberals or Labor since 1932.

When analysed, the victory by the Australian Democrats was described as 'broadly popular in the south-east with their liberalism and social policies, and palatable enough in Northern Qld due to their moderate economic policy'.

The election result has sent alarms across the Australian political scene, signalling that the third party had come to break the duopoly enjoyed by the Coalition and Labor since WWII.

15 September 2002: Lars Leijonborg has been elected the new PM of Sweden, with the Liberals and the centre-right parties winning enough seats to unseat the ruling social democrats and centre-left coalition. (The Social Democrats do remain the largest party in the Rikstag, with 102 seats, with the Liberals the next biggest with 68 seats).

22 September 2002: Edward Stoiber of the CSU/CDU Coalition is expected to become the new Chancellor of Germany, with the FDP agreeing to enter into government with the Union, which will take them over the halfway mark.

27 September 2002: East Timor is admitted into the UN as the newest nation along with Switzerland.

7 October 2002: In a historically close vote, Quebec has voted for independence (51-49). Giles Duceppe stated this was a monumental moment for Quebec and that it could now stand on its own two feet. The reaction inside of Canada has been of horror, with the result being unexpected, with many thinking their would be less voters for independence now than before. Jean Chretien has resigned as Prime Minister, with Alliance leader Stephen Harper scathing of the Liberal leader, stating that he tried to use the tactics from 1995 that clearly did not work. For the Maritimes, it also causes a new worry, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador are now effectively isolated from the rest of Canada (however Bloc Quebecois have proposed an unrestricted travel area, thus avoiding the issue).

20 October 2002: International Pressure has been placed on Iraq to reform after it was revealed that Saddam Hussein and his family had ordered the killing of thousands in recent years due to dissent.
 
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August 30, 2002: A final push in Badakhshan ends the Afghan Civil War in favor of the Taliban.

December 23, 2002: American Airlines Flight 62, a Boeing 767 en route from Miami to Paris, explodes and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean. All 234 people onboard are killed, including MSNBC anchor Rick Sanchez and MLB player A.J. Burnett. At the same time, passengers stop Wail al-Shehri from detonating plastic explosives aboard American Airlines Flight 38, another 767 bound for London. Flight 38 makes an emergency landing in Charlotte.

Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Nami detonates a suicide bomb in the Miami Airport Hilton. 32 people die as a result of the explosion and subsequent fire, and the hotel is later demolished.

December 24, 2002: It is revealed that al-Shehri’s brother Waleed was a passenger on Flight 62, making it clear that it was a coordinated attack. Al-Qaeda releases a video celebrating the attack, but does not claim direct responsibility.

January 3, 2003: As the 108th Congress is sworn in, President Gore makes a controversial deal with the Taliban government of Afghanistan. The Taliban agrees to hand over senior al-Qaeda officals hiding in the country in exchange for US recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

January 8, 2003: 2000 nominee John McCain officially announces he is running for President again. Jack Kemp and Fred Thompson announce within the next week.

January 20, 2003: The CIA announces that it has discovered that Wail al-Shehri, Waleed al-Shehri, and Ahmed al-Nami were being trained for the plot against US landmarks, but when the plot was stopped, they formed their own cell.

January 21, 2003: Alan Keyes announces that he will run for President.

February 5, 2003: After learning that the Saudi government plans to step up the manhunt for him, Osama bin Laden, unbeknownst to the US or Saudis, secretly flies to Pakistan.

February 17, 2003: Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey Jr., a neoconservative Democrat, announces a primary challenge to President Gore.
 
June 21st 2001: Half-Life is released as an exclusive port for the Dreamcast after various delays of fixing the framerate and online functionality. Its considered a decent port of the game and helps boost sales of the Dreamcast to keep up in the console market, especially with the Sony Playstation 2 and the upcoming Microsoft Xbox (And much later the Disney Touchstone).

September 10th: 2001: Shenmue 2 is released to the Dreamcast to rave reviews. The game quickly became one of the fastest selling games in September, leading to Yu Suzuki considering making a third installment.

September 14th 2001: The Nintendo Gamecube is released to the public. Launch titles include Luigi's mansion, Tony Hawk's Pro skater 3, Wave race: Blue storm among others.

September 16th 2001: Super Monkey Ball is released for the Dreamcast. While considered difficult to complete, it was praised for its unique gameplay and controls. Just like Shenmue 2 and the exclusive Half-Life port, Monkey ball is considered a killer-app for the console.

November 15th 2001: The Microsoft Xbox is released in North America. The console was released with games such as Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Fuzion Frenzy, and the cream of the crop, Halo: Combat Evolved. The console was well received, however sales seem slow for the most part aside from Halo, due to criticisms of the Xbox Live subscription and the "rebirth" of the Dreamcast.
 
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February 4, 2003: Emomali Rahmonov, President of Tajikistan, is assassinated by a car bomb. Minister of Defense Sherali Khayrulloyev seizes control and blames the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan for the attack, saying that he will invade Afghanistan if they do not agree to agree to his demands of "reparations" for the death of Rahmonov, namely ceding land to Tajikistan.

February 20, 2003: Russian President Yavlinsky meets with Khayrulloyev in an attempt to stop him from invading Afghanistan. The meeting is unsuccessful, with Yavlinsky calling Khayrulloyev "a madman" and announcing that he will not assist Tajikistan if war breaks out. This prompts mass protests in Russia by hardliners, who call Yavlinsky a traitor for not helping another CSTO member.

February 28, 2003: Tajikistan declares war on Afghanistan. Tajik soldiers advance to Kunduz, where they are halted by Afghans. The Battle of Kunduz begins, and lasts for about a month.

March 27, 2003: The Afghan army pushes the Tajiks out of Kunduz and across the border into Tajikistan, beginning an invasion of the country.

May 4, 2003: The Afghans reach Dushanbe. Sayid Abdulloh Nuri, with the backing of the Taliban, announces the formation of the Islamic State of Tajikistan. The IST is recognized by only Afghanistan, Pakistan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. The Second Tajik Civil War begin between the IST and government supporters.
 
May 22-24, 2002: E3 2002 is held in California with massive hype. Sony begins the conference by stating that the PS2 has sold 30 million units, making it the winner of the console wars so far. During the conference, they announced the Network Adapter, an online adapter to rival the Dreamcast's modem. There were also games such as Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, My Street, Primal, The Getaway, and the PS2 port of EverQuest. Next to follow Sony's conference was Sega, who announced that thanks to the increased support of the system, the Dreamcast as sold 20 million units, leaving Sega to state that "they will remain in the console business for a 'bit longer." They presented Crazy Taxi 3, a 3D Shinobi title, Toejam & Earl 3, three 2K3 titles, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Gungrave, Super Monkey Ball 2, and even a Sequel to NiGHTS into Dreams. They also announced to expand their relation ship with Valve with Dreamcast ports of Counter Strike and the upcoming Day of Defeat. Microsoft announced a subscription based online service called Xbox Live, along with Blinx the Timesweeper, B.C., Crimson Skies, Mech Assault and more. The Final Console contributor was Nintendo, Who announced a Game boy add-on called the E-reader, which allowed players to use cards to play classic Nintendo titles. The games they announced were major titles such as Animal Crossing, Donkey Kong Racing, Metroid Prime, a new Legend of Zelda title, Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's requiem, Star Fox Adventures, and the long awaited Super Mario Sunshine. 3rd party titles for other systems included Psychonauts, Final Fantasy XI, Myst Online, Rayman 3, The Sims online, Splinter Cell, Tekken 4, and Soul Calibur II. However, the most anticipated title of that event of ID software's long awaited Doom III. Overall, 2002's E3 was a major event that refined the advancement of online gaming, Sega's return to glory, and the ever growing gaming community. Things would get even more Intense in the following years once Disney entered the market.
 
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January 2nd, 2000: Vicente Fox, candidate for the Mexican presidential election of 2000 would end up hospitalized after a strange car accident. While ultimately ruled as an accident, some have considered foul play by the PRI. This along with a series of some concerns over fundraising for Fox led to Fox dropping out of the race to heal and his "Alliance For Change" falling through the cracks and splitting. The Ecological Green Party would support the PRI candidate, causing a massive schism between greens and conservatives within the party, while the PAN would support Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, partially out of spite toward the Green Party for their betrayal, but also just to beat the PRI.

July 2nd, 2000: In a stunning victory, Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas was elected as Mexico's president, many seeing him take his rightful place after being the scandal that occurred 12 years prior. In addition, the increased air time and focused that was placed would allow the PRD and their allies to gain large numbers of seats. Many have attributed the apology of the Pope a couple months prior that led to a growing cultural shift regarding religion, such as the infallibility of the Catholic Church and its influence, especially in Mexico. The PRD would go on to use this to springboard and promote human rights while the success of the Peoples' Parties in Spain also may have helped. Furthermore, the Fox Accident reminded people of the distrust the PRI had earned for itself, especially when one of the higher ups was recorded admitted this was the case, giving Cardenas a massive boost. He is sworn in as President of Mexico and promises to work for the benefit of all Mexicans.

November 7th, 2000: Cardenas congratulates Al Gore on his victory and expresses a desire for collaboration to benefit both nations in regards to the growing problems of drugs while expressing an interest in Gore's green policies. Of note were the ideas of a reformatory approach to drugs, especially as Cardenas would compare the War on Drugs to being similar to Prohibition.
 
24 January 2003: Jack Lyton has been elected the leader of the National Democratic Party of Canada.

5 February 2003: Serbia has officially been sanctioned by the UN after failing to hand over Slobidjan Milosevic to the Hague for a trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Democracy is believed to be breaking down in the country as Serbia is beginning to become more of an authoritarian state.

8 March 2003: Russia Agrees to join the European Union overwhelmingly as does Malta.

20 March 2003:
A massive scandal has engulfed Italy as corruption allegations are levelled against Silviio Beluschoni for being in the pocket of some of the biggest crime families in the country (namely the Camorra), with some suggesting that he may be a ranking member of the organisation as well as other members of parliament, after an anonymous tip was given to an opposition member, the police and a media organisation.

23 March 2003: Slovenia votes to join the EU.

22 March 2003: The Australian Democrats have come into power in NSW after a scandal in the Bob Carr ministry as well as several gaffs and mishaps in projects in and around sydney have led to Labor losing a lot of popularity. The Coalition have been reduced to third party status, only winning 26% of the vote in total (a split of 34 to the Democrats, 32 to Labor and 26% to the Coalition), with the Coalition having preferenced the Democrats.

1 April 2003: The UN, by a vote of 125-63 has recognised Kosovo as an independent nation.

5 April 2003: Now RAI tv in Italy were able to obtain footage of Beluschoni meeting with a well known member that many believe to be an intermediary to the Camorra. Criminal investigations have begun immediately into the conservative faction, the government have called for a crackdown on mafia activities across the country.

10 April 2003: A supposed spokesperson acting on behalf of several mafia families (including the Sicilian Mafia, Camorras and Ndrangheta) have said that they would call a truce, calling for all members involved to rise up and hunt down government members and agents and show them the force in an unprecedented action. It is suspected that they had bribed and threatened several TV workers to get them to air the message on RAI tv (supposedly sending a message to the network to not report on the crime families).

12 April 2003: Hungary votes to join the EU. As does Turkey overwhelmingly.

13 April 2003:
In a surprise result, Keiko Higuchi, who was endorsed by the ruling Democratic Party as well as the Liberal Party, has won the Tokyo Gubernatorial Election, beating out the ruling governor Shintaro Ishihara, who was publicly endorsed by the LDP. Ishihara made many gaffs and controversial statements (particularly around foreigners). These made Higuchi, who was riding on the popularity of the Democratic Party at a national level, to an election victory.

14 April 2003: Giles Ducepe has been elected the first Prime Minister of Quebec, with Parti Quebecois winning 72 seats out of 125. the Right wing Action Democratique won 40 seats, with the UFP winning 8 seats as the Liberals stated they wouldn't run in Quebec (neither would Alliance).

27 April 2003: Economist Ricardo Lopes Murphy has emerged the winner of the Argentinian election.

10 May 2003: At least 25 Italian politicians have been killed since the call from a collective mafia family spokesperson to hunt down Italian members and senators.

12 May 2003: A coup against the Saudi Royal family is held, with Al Qaeda Leader Osama Bin Laden having orchestrated and planned the coup, with the direct line all killed. Osama himself has declared himself as King of the country. It is believed that he does have a degree of support amongst a certain population (especially amongst the more ultra conservative muslims who support the idea of waging Jihad against the West).

24 May 2003: In their debut year in the competition, Moldova win Eurovision, with their entrant from the Band O-Zone and their song Dragostea Din Tei. Prime minister Vasile Tarlev (who was actually in attendance in Bologna) declared a national holiday for the next day to celebrate the occasion and welcome back the band. France where the runners up, sending Alizee and her entrant 'J'en Ai Marre', Turkey coming third with Switzerland and Celine Dion and her song 'I Drove all Night' followed by 'The Rasmus' and 'In the Shadows' from Finland (beginning a string of metal entrants from Finland, including there win in 2006, and two top 5 finishes in the following years with hard rock and metal entrants). The competition was spared of any violence or protests (with Bologna chosen for that very reason, to avoid any of the issues occurring in Naples, Rome, Milan and Sicily).

25 May 2003: Half a million people line the streets of Chisinau, Moldova to welcome back eurovision winners O-Zone, who then held an impromptu concert in the middle of the city.

28 May 2003: Manchester United have won the Champions League, defeating Milan 4-2 after a hattrick from Balon D'Or winner Ronaldo at their home ground of Old Trafford. Celebrations ran long into the night in Manchester as the club recorded their Third Champions League title (completing a complete sweep for the club).

14 June 2003: the Czech Republic overwhelmingly vote to enter the EU 68-32.

15 July 2003: Italian Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini has been assassinated in the official Prime Ministerial residence, an attack believed to be orchestrated by the Sicilian Mafia.

11 August 2003: Charles Taylor is murdered as he tries to escape Liberia, bringing an end to the 4 year civil war. the United States has said that they would be willing to begin its largest foreign aid and investment campaign ever, to help develop the country and help its infrastructure and education system along with training police and military. the UN has agreed to oversee the writing of a new constitution for the country along with the establishment of a new electoral commision and fresh democratic elections held.

27 August 2003: There is an agreement for denuclearisation of the North Korea in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and normalising of relations. In addition, North Korea will also be forced to loosen its more authoritarian practices, with it easing its way to becoming a more traditional communist state. Its been heralded as a good compromise and arrangement to ensure the safety of those in Asia. The countries involved in negotiations included Japan, South Korea, East China, West China, Russia and the United States along with North Korea itself.

14 September 2003: Estonia votes to join the European Union, as does Latvia.

2 October 2003: Howard Hampton and the NDP have won the Ontario Election, due to the unpopularity of the Liberals and an unpopular Alliance government.

6 November 2003: David Davies has won the leadership of the Conservative Party in the UK.

7 December 2003: With no surprises, Yabloko was able to win 240 out of the 450 seats in the legislative. The Communist Party where the runners up on 120 seats with the Social Democrats winning 80 seats.
 
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