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Cuban President Fulgencio Batista is forced to flee the country because of the success of the revolution led by Fidel Castro.

British steel workers call a national strike for the first time in more than fifty years in an attempt to increase their pay.

The world first learns about Israel’s 'Operation Moses', in which thousands of Jewish Ethiopian refugees have been airlifted out of Sudan, fleeing the famine in Ethiopia.

In one of the closest fought American Presidential elections in history, Vice President Al Gore presides over a joint session of Congress that certifies George W. Bush as the winner of the 2000 election.

Disgraced former Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken is released from jail after serving less than half of his 18 month sentence.

Aitken had been convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice after his libel case against the Guardian Newspaper and Granda Television collapsed.

The largest passenger ship ever built, RMS Queen Mary 2, is named by Queen Elizabeth II.

Voting in the Palestinian Presidential Elections draws to a close. Early exit polls indicate that Mahmoud Abbas has won a significant majority.

British Airways is forced into an embarrassing climb-down in relation to a campaign of 'dirty tricks' it launched against rival airline Virgin Atlantic. BA is forced to pay damages to both Virgin Atlantic and its boss Richard Branson.

In Italy, Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who tried to kill Pope John Paul II, is released from prison. He served nearly 20 years in jail.

San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, is hit by a huge earthquake, leaving over 1,000 people feared dead.

American President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin sign the Kremlin Accords.

After losing his seat at the 1983 British General Election, Tony Benn wins Labour's nomination for the Chesterfield by-election. Benn subsequently won the by-election and retained his seat until he retired from the House of Commons in 2001.

South African police use strong arm tactics to disperse demonstrations against rebel cricketers who are defying a ban on playing in segregated South Africa.

Photographs of prisoners being held at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay by the U.S. military are published. The photographs heighten speculation that the prisoner’s human rights are being abused.

The United Nations orders Libya to hand over the intelligence agents accused of the Lockerbie and French airliner bombings.

In Britain, the government launches a three million pound campaign to convince parents to immunise their children with the MMR jab - measles, mumps and rubella – amid fears that the job could trigger autism in some children.

Reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan. He is subsequently murdered.

In Britain, Peter Mandelson, the Northern Ireland Secretary, resigns from the cabinet over a row concerning a passport application from an Indian billionaire. It the second time Mandelson has had to reign from the Cabinet.

Pope John Paul II calls for reform in Cuba. The Pope urged for the release of political prisoners, but also condemned American attempts to isolate the country.

At a Whitehouse news conference, Bill Clinton denies having an affair with Monica Lewinsky, stating that ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman..’

In Somali, dictator Muhammad Siyad Barre flees the capital Mogadishu as rebels overrun his palace and take control of the capital.

In Britain, the Hutton Report – an enquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly – is published.

Philippine President Corazon Aquino surprises a rebel uprising in Manila.

The Gulf War: The Allies suffer their first casualties of the war as twelve American soldiers are killed when Iraqi troops take control of the Saudi Arabian border town Al Khafji.

Robert McCartney dies from stab wounds in Belfast. McCartney’s family, who blame the IRA for the killing, subsequently launch a high profile campaign to obtain justice for Robert.

During the Italian general election campaign, Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi causes controversy by comparing himself to Jesus Christ.

In Glasgow, Stephen Kelly goes on trial for knowingly infecting a woman with the HIV virus in a case believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland. Kelly is found guilty.

The Philippines is hit but three separate bomb attacks, believed to have been carried out by al-Qaida linked militants.

The singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, wins damages from two UK newspapers which falsely claimed he supported terrorism.

Following Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian elections, Ismail Haniya is chosen to be the new Prime Minister.

Seven people are arrested and more than £2 million is recovered by Irish police investigating the £26 million Northern Bank robbery, which touch place in Belfast in December 2004.

Writer Gerd Heidemann meets in secret with the directors of German publishing conglomerate Gruner + Jahr, to sell them what Heidemann claims are Adolph Hitler's diaries. The dairies are later proved to be fakes and Hediemann is sentenced to four years in jail.

In London, supporters of the deposed Prime Minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba clash with police outside the Belgium embassy.

Britain and France announce plans to build a Channel Tunnel.

Jimmy Swaggart, America's leading television evangelist, is forced to reign after it emerges that he has being seeing a prostitute.

In Iraq, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, the Al Askari Mosque, is severely damaged in a bomb attack.

Uganda holds its first multi-party parliamentary and presidential elections for the first time in twenty five years.

In America, the Supreme Court votes 8-0 to overturn the $200,000 settlement awarded to the Reverend Jerry Falwell for his emotional distress at being parodied in Hustler, a pornographic magazine.

In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni is re-elected for a third term.

In Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller is elected leader of the governing People's National Party. She becomes the countries first female leader.

In the High Court of Justice in London the authors of the 1982 book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, sue Random House, publishers of the Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code, claiming that Brown’s book contains ideas stolen from them.

In Selby, North Yorkshire a train crashes into a car which had veered off the motorway, killing ten people.

The jewels of the late Duchess of Windsor, the former Mrs Wallis Simpson who married Edward VI of England after his abdication in 1936, fetch more than £30million at auction.

In a referendum the People of Northern Ireland vote in favour of accepting the Good Friday peace agreement.

As a precondition to the restoration of diplomatic relations with Britain, the Iranian government states that it will no longer seek to harm author Salman Rushdie.

In Northern Ireland, General John de Chastelain, the head of the arms decommissioning body, announces that the IRA has put all of its weapons beyond use.

British Home Secretary Michael Howard announces stringent new gun controls following the mass shooting of children at a school in Dunblane, Scotland.

In a re-run of the Presidential election in Ukraine after electoral fraud had annulled the first result Viktor Yushchenko wins the election and the so-called “Orange Revolution” is victorious.

Following threats of attacks on Western targets, the British Government expel eight Iraqi embassy officials from the country.