2002 CE

The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operations, and human rights concerns arose surrounding the treatment of suspected terrorists. Elsewhere, the Colombian conflict and the Nepalese Civil War represented some of the most severe militant conflicts, while the conflict between India and Pakistan was the only one between two sovereign nations. Religious tensions permeated the year, including violence between Hindus and Muslims in India during violent riots and other attacks and attacks on Jews in response to the Second Intifada. The Catholic Church grappled with scrutiny amid sexual abuse cases.

In the 2000s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 16 – The United Nations and Sierra Leone create a joint Special Court for Sierra Leone to prosecute the Revolutionary United Front.source
January 29 – American president George W. Bush defines an "axis of evil," consisting of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea in his State of the Union Address.source
February 14 – The State of Bahrain is declared a constitutional monarchy and becomes the Kingdom of Bahrain.source
February 15 - Members of the breakaway faction of CPN-UML rejoins the party, while some under the leadership of CP Mainali forms Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist–Leninist) declining to rejoin.Nepal source
March 11 - All Gulf states back up with Saudi Arabia's peace plan for Israel.Saudi Arabia source
15 March – United Nations Security Council resolution 1398 was adopted unanimously and extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) until 15 September 2002.Eritrea source
April 1 – The South West State of Somalia is established as an autonomous territory in Somalia by Hasan Muhammad Nur Shatigadud.source
April 4 – A peace agreement is made to end the Angolan Civil War.source
April 14 – President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela is restored to power following an attempted coup.source
5 May – Burkinabe parliamentary election, 2002Burkina Faso source
May 20 – Timor-Leste independence: East Timor regains its independence as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste after 2.5 years of United Nations administration and 26 years of Indonesian occupation since 1975.source
May 20 - Timor-Leste restores its Republic as proclaimed back in 1975, thus confirming its independence from Portugal in 2002.East Timor source
May 22 – Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba asks King Gyanendra to dissolve the parliament amid escalation of the Nepalese Civil War.source
May 24 – United States President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty.source
May 28 – The NATO-Russia Council is established.source
June 13 – The United States withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.source
June 13 – Afghanistan changes its official longform name to the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan.source
July 1 – The Rome Statute comes into force, thereby establishing the International Criminal Court.source
July 20 – The Machakos Protocol is signed during the Second Sudanese Civil War, establishing a framework for peace talks and possible independence of South Sudan.source
September 6 - Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agree to normalise their relations after four years of the Second Congo War.Democratic Republic of the Congo source
September 27 – East Timor is admitted to the United Nations as the 191st member state; it also changes its official longform name from "Democratic Republic of East Timor" to "Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste".source
October 27 – 2002 Brazilian general election: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is elected President of Brazil.source
31st - President John Kufuor makes an eight-day official visit to China.Ghana source
November 7 – A sovereignty referendum is held in Gibraltar. The people reject Spanish sovereignty.source
November 15 – Hu Jintao becomes General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.source
November 22 – Prague summit: NATO announces seven new countries that intend to join: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.source
November 25 – U.S. President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security, in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947. Following a several month-long transitional period, it commences operations the following year.source
November 25 – The Hague Code of Conduct is signed to regulate intercontinental ballistic missiles internationally.source
December 17 – A peace agreement is made in the Second Congo War, approving the creation of the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.source
December 17 – The International Court of Justice rules in favor of Malaysia in the Ligitan and Sipadan dispute with Indonesia.source
December 27 – 2002 Kenyan general election: Kenya holds its first free elections, ousting the dominant Kenya African National Union Party following a victory of the National Rainbow Coalition.source
The Akanda National Park was set up in the country.Gabon source

Conflict & Security

January 18 – The Sierra Leone Civil War comes to a conclusion with the defeat of the Revolutionary United Front by government forces.source
January 18 - US Secretary of State Colin Powell arrives in Nepal supporting the government efforts against fighting Maoist terrorist.Nepal source
January – Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines: The Philippines and the United States begin a joint operation to combat Jihadist groups in the Philippines.source
February 11 – Several Muslim-majority nations ban an issue of Newsweek International when it depicts Muhammad.source
February 12 – The Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict comes into effect, establishing an international agreement against the use of child soldiers.source
February 23 – A ceasefire ends Eelam War III in Sri Lanka. It stays in effect until January 2008.source
February 27 – A mob attacks a train near Godhra, India, killing approximately 59 people. The state of Gujarat breaks out into riots, including the Gulbarg Society massacre on February 28 that kills approximately 69 people.source
March 2–10 – Afghan and coalition troops carry out Operation Anaconda in the Shah-i-Kot Valley, the largest combat operation against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to that point.source
March 29 – In response to increasingly common attacks by Palestinian militants, Israeli initiates Operation Defensive Shield, a large-scale counter-terrorism operation in the West Bank.source
April 1 – Battle of Jenin: Israeli forces attack Palestinian militants in the Jenin refugee camp.source
April 2 – Siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem: Israeli forces besiege the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem when militants take shelter there. The siege will last for 38 days.source
April 11 – Llaguno Overpass events: a shootout takes place between the Caracas Metropolitan Police and pro-government Bolivarian Circles in central Caracas, Venezuela, near the presidential Miraflores Palace, causing 19 deaths and injuring 127 people. The military high command refuse President Hugo Chávez's order to implement the Plan Ávila as a response to the protests and demands his resignation. President Chávez is subsequently arrested by the military. Chávez's request for asylum in Cuba is denied, and he is ordered to be tried in a Venezuelan court.source
May 2 – Bojayá massacre: A church is struck with a cylinder bomb during a conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, killing an estimated 119 people.source
May 13 – Rebels bombard Arthington, Liberia, with artillery during the Second Liberian Civil War causing panic in the neighboring capital, Monrovia.source
May 14 – Kaluchak massacre: Militants attack a bus and an Indian army camp in Kaluchak, Jammu and Kashmir, killing 31 people and escalating the India–Pakistan standoff.source
June 8 – The Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson boxing fight takes place. Following a scuffle prior to the match, Lennox Lewis defeats Mike Tyson.source
June 29 – Second Battle of Yeonpyeong: During the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan, two North Korean patrol boats cross a contested border in between the two Koreas and attack two South Korean Chamsuri-class patrol boats.source
August 28 - Uganda and Zimbabwe begin pulling their troops out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Democratic Republic of the Congo source
September 19 – General Robert Guéï leads an army mutiny in an attempt to overthrow Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, resulting in civil war.source
September 19 - An attempted coup by disaffected former soldiers of Côte d'Ivoire was put down, with the death of the alleged coup leader, General Robert Guéï, a former military dictator of the country. Guéï was killed when his car refused to stop at a roadblock in downtown Abidjan. Rebels continue in control of the cities of Bouaké and Korhogo.Ivory Coast source
October 5 - 2002 Bosnian general election took place.Bosnia and Herzegovina source
October 11 – The United States Congress approves military action in Iraq should it fail to comply with United Nations requirements for weapons of mass destruction.source
October 12 – Jemaah Islamiyah militants detonate multiple bombs in two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, killing 202 people and injuring over 300 people, making it the worst terrorist act in Indonesia's history.source
October 23–26 – Chechen rebels take control of the Nord-Ost theatre in Moscow and hold the audience hostage. At least 170 people are killed following a Russian attempt to subdue the militants.source
October – Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa: The United States deploys troops to the Horn of Africa to combat Islamist groups and pirates.source
November 8 – The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1441, forcing Iraq to either disarm or face "serious consequences". Iraq agrees to the terms of the resolution on November 13.source
November 28 – 2002 Mombasa attacks: Suicide bombers blow up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, but their colleagues fail in their attempt to bring down an Arkia Israel Airlines charter flight with surface-to-air-missiles.source
November — Religious riots erupt over the Miss World pageant hosted in Abuja; The pageant is subsequently moved to London.Nigeria source
December 3 – The government of Burundi signs a ceasefire with the CNDD-FDD rebel group to end the Burundian Civil War. It holds until February 2003.source
December 5 – A bomb exploded within an inner-city McDonald's restaurant in Makassar. The bombing was conducted by the Islamic group "Laskar Jundullah", which caused death to 3 people, including the bomber himself, and injured 15 others.Indonesia source
Kamppi Car Bomb: On 16 July 2002, a car bomb detonated in the Kamppi district of Helsinki. The blast was linked to a rare contract killing.Finland source
Kuwaiti Premier League 2002–03Kuwait source

Exploration & Expansion

February 5 – NASA launches the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager as part of the Explorers Program.source
14 February – Kilkeel fishing boat The Tullaghmurray Lass is lost with all three crew in the Irish Sea.Northern Ireland source
Interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai arrived at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Karzai was greeted by UAE army chief of staff Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed.Afghanistan source
March 18 – The Monterrey Consensus from the International Conference on Financing for Development begins in Nuevo Leon.Mexico source
13 April – A contact-based card system used for travel, EZ-Link, is launched for sale.Singapore source
15 April – Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad leaves for Morocco on the first leg of a week-long tour which will also take him to Libya and Bahrain.Malaysia source
June 3 – Archaeologists begin uncovering the Liye Qin Slips in Liye, China.source
June 22 – Operation Determined Path begins.Israel source
13 September – The most southern section of the A7 motorway, between the Grünewald and Waldhof, opens.Luxembourg source
Jordan at the 2002 Asian GamesJordan source

Religion & Belief

January 6 – The Boston Globe publishes results of an investigation leading to the criminal prosecutions of five Roman Catholic priests and bringing widespread attention to the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.source
9 January – Holy Cross dispute: Confrontations outside Holy Cross Primary School, a Roman Catholic girls' school in the largely Protestant Ardoyne district, during the afternoon school run, explode into widespread sectarian rioting which spreads across north Belfast and continues on 10 January, when the school is closed.Northern Ireland source
February 11 – The Catholic Church establishes four new dioceses in Russia, prompting backlash from the Russian Orthodox Church.source
25 March – The renaming of Council of Aboriginal Affairs to the Council of Indigenous Peoples.Taiwan source
5 April – At the Council of Australian Governments Meeting in Canberra, Prime Minister John Howard concedes ground to the States on human embryo research.Australia source
8 June – Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad visits Vatican City and meets Pope John Paul II for the first time.Malaysia source
22 June – Ashok Singhal, leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), announces that the VHP is no longer bound by its earlier promise to the government to await a court ruling before embarking on the construction of a temple to the god Rama on the site of the destroyed Babri mosque at Ayodhya.India source
July 9 – The Church of England allows divorcees to remarry.source
October 15 – The Somali Reconciliation Conference begins, initiating peace talks between two factions of the Somali Civil War: the Transitional National Government and the government of Puntland.source
Ismail Khan, Afghan provincial governor of Herat, reimposed a ban on wedding celebrations at restaurants, on the grounds that they encourage men and women to dance together. The ban was based on a decree from Herat's 60-man Council of Scholars and Clerics. The ban was first imposed by Khan four months ago after a young woman burned herself to death when her parents told her they could not afford to hold her wedding party at a restaurant. Khan later reversed this decision after complaints.Afghanistan source
4 December – Xavier Deutsch awarded the Prix Rossel for La Belle Étoile.Belgium source
December 31 – The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends.source
Establishment of the Reykjavík Mosque.Iceland source

Economy & Finance

January 1 – The Euro is introduced as the official physical currency in the Eurozone countries. The first physical transactions are carried out on Réunion. The former currencies of all the countries that use the Euro cease to be legal tender on February 28.source
1 January – The Euro Currency officially became the legal tender for Greece, along with the other European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, replacing the Greek drachma by being introduced physically with the official launch of the currency coins and banknotes. Greece entered a period on the same day where specifically both the Euro Currency and the Greek drachma were in dual circulation until exactly 28 February.Greece source
1 January – The Euro Currency officially became the legal tender for Luxembourg, along with the other European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, replacing the Luxembourgish franc by being introduced physically with the official launch of the currency coins and banknotes. Luxembourg entered a period where specifically both the Euro Currency and the Luxembourgish franc were in dual circulation until specifically 28 February.Luxembourg source
January 1 - The Euro Currency officially became the legal tender for The Netherlands, along with the other European Union (EU) Eurozone member area countries, replacing the Dutch guilder by being introduced physically with the official launch of the currency coins and banknotes. The Netherlands entered an economic period where specifically both the Euro Currency and the Dutch guilder were in dual circulation until specifically February 28.Netherlands source
January 2: President Duhalde announces the end of the 1:1 peso-dollar fixed exchange rate (convertibility) after almost 11 years.Argentina source
9 January – A Passenger Security Service Charge will be introduced for passengers who use Changi Airport from 1 March. This is so as to cover security costs incurred in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In addition, Changi Airport will upgrade Terminal 2 for S$200 million.Singapore source
February 26 – Former President Joseph Estrada admits signing the ₱500 million Jose Velarde bank account in Equitable-PCI Bank.Philippines source
June 25 – The WorldCom scandal breaks and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission begins its investigation into WorldCom.source
July 21 – At the height of the WorldCom scandal, WorldCom files the largest bankruptcy in American history.source
Hamid Karzai met with Nicholas Stern, the World Bank's senior vice-president, at Golkhana Palace. Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Yahya Marufi, minister adviser for international affairs, were also present.Afghanistan source
31 December – The establishment of Mega International Commercial Bank after the merging of International Commercial Bank of China and Chiao T’ung Bank.Taiwan source

Technology & Infrastructure

February 21: SBS Plus is launched.South Korea source
February 25 – Good Morning Afghanistan begins broadcasting over radio in Dari and Pashto, establishing a national news source for Afghanistan.source
The U.S. military finished construction of Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The completion of the camp raised its capacity from 158 to 320, and included three air-conditioned, wooden huts where military intelligence officers and representatives of other U.S. agencies interrogated prisoners, one at a time in shifts that typically lasted about an hour.Afghanistan source
March 11 – The Tribute in Light is installed at the World Trade Center site in New York City.source
5 April – The first recruits of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland graduate.Northern Ireland source
June 4 – The Zeyzoun Dam in Zayzun, Syria, fails.source
4 October – The opening of Daqiao Station in Yongkang City, Tainan County.Taiwan source
First soccer league, B-League started in 2002.Brunei source
Most forests were earmarked for industrial logging: 43.5 million hectares were the subject of 25-year contractsDemocratic Republic of the Congo source
Creation of Iran’s primary nuclear reactor in Bushehr gets under way with the assist of Russian engineers.Iran source
The Peștera cu Oase ("Cave with Bones") located near the city of Anina, is uncovered containing 34,950-year-old human remains.Romania source

Science & Discovery

February 19 – NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.source
March 1 – The Envisat environmental satellite is launched, with its purpose being the recording of information on environmental change.source
15 March – Romanian film Filantropica is released.Romania source
March 25 – Shenzhou 3 is launched from China.source
April 18 – Romanian mathematician Preda Mihăilescu creates a proof for the Catalan's conjecture, which had gone unsolved for 158 years.source
April 25 – South African Mark Shuttleworth blasts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the Soyuz TM-34, becoming the first African space tourist.source
May 4 – NASA launches the Aqua satellite as part of the Earth Observing System.source
22 May – The release of Tomorrow's original soundtrack.Taiwan source
June 4 – The ringed dwarf planet Quaoar is discovered by astronomers Chad Trujillo and Michael Brown at the Palomar Observatory.source
June 10 – British scientist Kevin Warwick carries out first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans.source
July 3 – NASA launches the CONTOUR satellite but loses contact.source
July 11 – The discovery of the early hominid Sahelanthropus is announced.source
August 26–September 4 – Earth Summit 2002 takes places in Johannesburg, South Africa, aimed at discussing sustainable development by the United Nations.source
August 28 – EUMETSAT launches the Meteosat 8 satellite as part of its Meteosat program.source
29 September – 14 October — Malaysia at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.Malaysia source
October 17 – The European Space Agency launches the INTEGRAL observatory.source
October 21 – The discovery of the James Ossuary is announced.source
26 November – SES' 1K satellite fails to deploy properly after launch, requiring it to be deorbited. This is SES's first unintended loss.Luxembourg source
November 29: 2002 Mnet Asian Music AwardsSouth Korea source
A tape of Osama bin Laden was broadcast on by the Arabic-language al-Jazeera satellite television channel based in Qatar. On the tape, he warned U.S. allies that they would be targets of new attacks if they continued to back the United States. He also hailed attacks in Bali, Kuwait, Yemen and Jordan and the Moscow theatre siege a month earlier. The cassette was handed to an Al Jazeera television correspondent in Islamabad by an unidentified man who disappeared immediately.Afghanistan source
December 29 – Shenzhou 4 is launched from China.source
new Mining Code, written with input from the World BankDemocratic Republic of the Congo source
Sri Lanka participates in the 2002 Asian Games held in South Korea, from September 29 to October 14, 2002. The Sri Lankan athletes won 2 gold medals (grand total of 6), and achieved 21st spot in the event.Sri Lanka source

Health & Medicine

1 January – The government of Bangladesh banned the sale of polyethylene bags in the capital, Dhaka, for environmental reasons.Bangladesh source
30 January – Journalist Orlando Sierra Hernández is shot in the head twice while walking with his daughter in Manizales, Caldas. He dies in the hospital the following day.Colombia source
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that 55,000 people at one Spinboldak camp were Kochi.Afghanistan source
April 28 – Two Jewish settlers are arrested attempting to place a bomb at the Maqasid Hospital, Jerusalem.Israel source
May 27 – State of emergency is extended for three months through royal ordinance.Nepal source
July 11 – The first synthetic virus is announced after being successfully created and tested at Stony Brook University.source
8 August – Judge Datuk James Foong of the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Wisma Denmark, Jalan Ampang, decides that seven out of the ten people being sued by 60 residents, relatives and families of the Highland Towers collapse tragedy were negligent.Malaysia source
30 September – ElderShield is launched as an insurance plan for those with severe disabilities. It will pay S$300 over 5 years.Singapore source
October 4 – The genome sequences for malaria carriers anopheles gambiae and plasmodium falciparum are published.source
21 October – The results of the 2001 census are released, showing a 5.0% rise in the national population to 10,356,117 since the last census in 1991.Portugal source
October 31 – Belarus restricts religious activity outside of the Belarusian Orthodox Church with a new law.source
November 16 – 2002–2004 SARS outbreak: The first case of the Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, a zoonosis caused by a coronavirus, is recorded in Guangdong province of south China.source

Crime & Justice

February 12 – The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former president of Yugoslavia, begins at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.source
February 14 – The International Court of Justice rules in favor of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Arrest Warrant of 11 April 2000 case.source
February 23 – The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia kidnap the presidential candidate Íngrid Betancourt, holding her captive for the next six years.source
23 February – Presidential candidate Íngrid Betancourt and her campaign manager Clara Rojas are kidnapped by the FARC near San Vicente del Caguán.Colombia source
Miss Thailand Universe 2002 took place on March 23. Janjira Janchome was the winner of the beauty contest.Thailand source
April 12 – Augustin Bizimungu is arrested for his involvement in the Rwandan genocide.source
April 15 – Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti is captured by the Israel Defense Forces in Palestinian Authority administered city of Ramallah.Palestine source
May 10 – American FBI agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life in prison for espionage.source
June 12 – The ImClone stock trading case begins when ImClone Systems CEO Samuel D. Waksal is arrested for insider trading.source
July 11 – Former Argentine junta leader Leopoldo Galtieri is arrested for the kidnap, torture, and murder of 20 leftist guerillas during the Dirty War.source
July 23 – Salvadoran generals José Guillermo García and Carlos Eugenio Vides Casanova are found liable for torture in an American court.source
September 11 – Yemeni al-Qaeda operative Ramzi bin al-Shibh is arrested in Pakistan for involvement in the September 11, 2001 attacks. He will later be found unfit to stand trial.source
October 2 – Former Republika Srpska president Biljana Plavšić pleads guilty to crimes against humanity for her involvement in the Bosnian genocide.source
12 October – Heshu Yones, murder victim. (b.1986)Iraq source
October 24 – The culprits of the D.C. sniper attacks are arrested after they kill ten people in the United States over the previous three weeks.source
U.S. special forces shot and killed a gunman who fired on them near the central Afghan town of Deh Rawod. The forces were helping an Afghan policeman who had been fired on when two attackers in civilian clothing opened fire on the U.S. forces with AK-47 assault rifles. The soldiers returned fire, killing one man. The other escaped.Afghanistan source
A United Nations panel recommended sanctions against 29 companies, including the George Forrest Group, for the way their operations did business in the DR Congo. The panel also recommended sanctions against 54 individuals.Democratic Republic of the Congo source
Kuwaiti Premier League 2001–02Kuwait source
Benjamin Kimutai wins the Amsterdam MarathonNetherlands source

Disasters & Accidents

January 16 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 from Ampenan to Yogyakarta encountered severe thunderstorm activity during approach to its destination, suffered flameout in both engines, and ditched in a shallow river, resulting in one fatality and several injuries.Indonesia source
12 February – Iran Air Tours Flight 956 crashes in Tehran.Iran source
March 27 – A Palestinian suicide bomber kills 30 people and injures 140 others at a hotel in Netanya, Israel.source
April 15: Air China Flight 129South Korea source
May 30 - The formal nine-month rescue and recovery operation at Ground Zero in New York City officially concluded with a solemn, largely silent ceremony, marking the completion of the removal of approximately 1.8 million tons of debris from the site following the September 11 attacks.source
June 14 – Russia withdraws from the START II nuclear reduction agreement with the United States.source
July 27 – The Sknyliv air show disaster takes place, killing 77, becoming the deadliest air show accident of all time.source
27 July – A Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 piloted by Volodymyr Toponar and co-piloted by Yuriy Yegorov crashed during an aerobatics presentation at Sknyliv airfield near Lviv, killing 77 people and injured 543, 100 of whom were hospitalized, making it the deadliest air show accident in history.Ukraine source
August 19 – 2002 Khankala Mi-26 crash: Chechen separatists shoot down a Russian Mil Mi-26, killing 127 soldiers. It was the worst aviation disaster in the history of the Russian military.source
September 26 - The Senegalese ferry MV Le Joola sinks off the West African coast with 1,863 people killed according to official reports, making it one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history. Only 64 passengers survive.source
October 14 – Youssif, burn victim.Iraq source
November 13 – Prestige oil spill: Greek oil tanker MV Prestige begins spilling oil off the coast of Galicia. It will continue until November 19, spilling 60,000 tonnes of oil in the worst environmental disaster in the history of the Iberian Peninsula.source
U.N. and U.S. researchers reported that women in Afghanistan were dying during childbirth at a staggeringly high rate. In rural Badakhshan Province, the maternity death rate was highest rate ever documented—6,500 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. High death rates for mothers have profound implications for the children.Afghanistan source
6 December - Coordinated bombing of four movie theaters caused in the deaths of 27 people and injured over 200 others in Mymensingh, Bangladesh.Bangladesh source
December 27 – 2002 Grozny truck bombing: Chechen suicide bombers attack the government headquarters in Grozny, Russia, killing over 70 people.source
Myyrmanni Bombing: On 11 October 2002, a bomb exploded at the Myyrmanni shopping centre in Vantaa, near Helsinki. The attack killed seven people and injured around 159 others, including children.Finland source

Climate & Environment

January 17 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.source
January 17 - The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo displaces an estimated 400,000 people.Democratic Republic of the Congo source
February 3 – 2002 Afyon earthquake: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Afyonkarahisar Province, Turkey, killing 41 people and damaging thousands of buildings.source
March 25 – 2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes: A 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Nahrin, Afghanistan, killing 800 people and leaving 10,000 homeless.source
June 22 – 2002 Bou'in-Zahra earthquake: A 6.5 magnitude earthquake strikes north-western Iran, killing over 200 people.source
August 22–September 4 – Typhoon Rusa, the most powerful typhoon to hit South Korea in 43 years, makes landfall, killing at least 236 people.source
September 14–27 – Hurricane Isidore crosses Cuba, the Yucatán Peninsula, and Louisiana.source
September 21–October 4 – Hurricane Lili crosses Cuba and several other Caribbean islands before making landfall in Louisiana.source
October 10 — The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled against Nigeria in favor of Cameroon over the disputed oil-rich Bakassi peninsula territory.Nigeria source
November 2 – An earthquake occurred at 01:26 UTC with a magnitude of 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale with an epicenter just north of Simeulue island and caused three deaths.Indonesia source
November 3 – 2002 Denali earthquake: A 7.9 magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest North American earthquakes recorded, occurs in Alaska.source
21 November - A 6.3 Mw earthquake strikes northern Pakistan, leaving sixteen dead, forty injured, and more than 1,000 buildings damaged.Pakistan source
In a 51-page report titled All Our Hopes Are Crushed: Violence and Repression in Western Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch alleged that the governor of Herat, Ismail Khan, ordered politically motivated arrests and beatings throughout 2002. The report detailed lashings with thorny branches, sticks, cables and rifle butts. In the most serious cases, prisoners were hung upside down, whipped or tortured with electric shocks. The group also reported that there were no independent media in Herat and no public meetings allowed in Herat. Khan's Herat was described in the report as a closed society without room for dissent, independent opinion or personal freedoms. The report called for the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force beyondKabul. It also called for US to exert its influence and adopt a peacekeeping role in the regions.Afghanistan source
December: The government prohibited the killing of turtles by law, per their participation in the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1995 and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).Cape Verde source
In October, Bangladesh toured South Africa for another bi-lateral series of 3 ODIs and 2 test matches. Bangladesh could not win any of these matches either.Bangladesh source
Hikkaduwa National Park is established on 19 September 2002, this was done to protect the aquatic ecosystem. Formerly a wildlife sanctuary, it now serves as a national tourist attraction full of diverse wildlife.Sri Lanka source

Culture & Society

14 January – Bulgaria competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States, winning one silver and two bronze medals.Bulgaria source
January 19 – In American football, Tom Brady's victory in the Tuck Rule Game causes a national controversy.source
Annual New Year school held in University of Ghana, Legon, Accra.Ghana source
February 8–24 – The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City, Utah.source
February 8–24 - Moldova competes in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.Moldova source
March 16 – Sofia Gubaidulina's Johannes-Ostern is premiered, together with her earlier Johannes-Passion, at Hamburg's Michaeliskirche, performed by soloists, choir and orchestra from the Mariinsky Theatre combined with NDR choir and orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev.source
April 5 – The genome sequence for indica rice is published.source
April 26-28 - 2002 Asian Taekwondo ChampionshipsJordan source
May 31 – The 2002 FIFA World Cup begins, taking place in South Korea and Japan.source
June 30 – 2002 FIFA World Cup: Brazil beats Germany 2–0 in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final with Ronaldo scoring the two goals; Brazil's captain Cafu, who becomes the first player to appear in three successive World Cup finals, accepts the trophy on behalf of the team.source
Survivor: Thailand, a reality television series of Survivor, was filmed from June 10 to July 18 on Ko Tarutao. Brian Heidik was the winner.Thailand source
July 5 – The Imperial War Museum North opens in Trafford, England.source
July 25–August 4 – The 2002 Commonwealth Games are held in Manchester, England.source
August 7 – The AKS primality test is published by Manindra Agrawal, Neeraj Kayal, and Nitin Saxena from the Indian Institutes of Technology.source
October 16 – The Bibliotheca Alexandrina opens in Alexandria, Egypt, in a ceremony attended by several heads of state.source
Sporting Praia won the Cape Verdean Football ChampionshipCape Verde source
Rally Finland 2002, part of the World Rally Championship, is held in Jyväskylä and won by Marcus Grönholm.Finland source
The University of Karbala and the University of Thi Qar are established.Iraq source

Births

July 10 – Prince Hridayendra of NepalNepal source
September 14 – Boni Avibus, activist, actress, dramatist, orator, poets and theater performer.Indonesia source
6 October - Jonathan Kuminga, basketball playerDemocratic Republic of the Congo source
October 6 – Cleopatra Stratan, singerMoldova source

Deaths

February 9 – Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, 71, British royal and sister of Queen Elizabeth II, stroke.source
February 22 – UNITA guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi is killed in clashes against government troops led by Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Moxico Province, Angola.source
March 16 – Kid Azteca, 88, Mexican boxer.source
April 5 – Layne Staley, 34, American singer (Alice in Chains), drug overdose.source
April 26 – Erfurt school massacre: An expelled student kills 16 people and commits suicide at a school in Erfurt, Germany.source
May 13 – Valeriy Lobanovskyi, 63, Ukrainian football coach, stroke.source
May 19 – Sir John Gorton, 90, 19th Prime Minister of Australia.source
May 21 – Niki de Saint Phalle, 71, French artist, pulmonary emphysema.source
June 10 – John Gotti, 61, Italian-American gangster and boss of the Gambino crime family, throat cancer.source
July 5 – Ted Williams, 83, American baseball player (Boston Red Sox), manager (Washington Senators/Texas Rangers) and member of the MLB Hall of Fame, heart attack.source
July 6 – John Frankenheimer, 72, American film and television director (Birdman of Alcatraz, The Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May), heart attack, stroke.source
July 9 – Rod Steiger, 77, American actor (In the Heat of the Night, On the Waterfront, Doctor Zhivago), Oscar winner (1968), kidney failure.source
July 14 – The only captive baiji dolphin dies as the species approaches extinction.source
October 15 - Lain Singh Bangdel, artist and novelistNepal source
November 15 – Myra Hindley, 60, British serial killer, cardiovascular disease.source
28 December – Georgi Rikov, Bulgarian linguist and scientist (born 1946)Bulgaria source
Erkki Salmenhaara – Finnish composer and musicologist (died 19 March 2002).Finland source
Valeriy Lobanovskyi, football player and manager (13 May)Ukraine source