Bonding in Bonn

At a meeting in Bonn called by the United Nations, rival Afghan factions broadly agreed on the shape of an interim government for Afghanistan. They settled on a council of 42 members, including both the Northern Alliance and supporters of ex-king Mohammed Zahir Shah.

See article: Everybody in


The United States deployed more than 1,000 marines in Afghanistan to set up a forward base south of Kandahar, the only remaining city under Taliban control.

See article: On the ground

Human-rights groups called for an inquiry in to the killing of hundreds of captured Taliban fighters in a fort near Mazar-i-Sharif.

See article: Reports of prisoner massacres

Bomb scare

Norman Mineta, the United States' transport secretary, admitted that his department could not meet a January deadline to screen for bombs the 3m bags checked in daily at American airports. He blamed a shortage of people, equipment and sniffer dogs.

A Massachusetts-based company, Advanced Cell Technology, said it had succeeded in cloning a human embryo. It stressed it simply wanted to advance medicine. George Bush called the achievement “bad public policy and morally wrong”.

See article: Ethics and biotechnology, continued

As Congress continued to squabble about a fiscal stimulus package, Mitchell Daniels, the White House's budget director, admitted that the federal government is likely to run budget deficits for the rest of Mr Bush's term. Doubts also increased about the chances of Mr Bush securing “fast-track” trade negotiating authority from Congress.

See article: The battles over the budget and fast-track

Falling apart

An official study confirmed what every patient knew, that Britain's national health service is underfinanced and falling apart. The government, in power since 1997, promised a sack of extra money for it.

See article: Labour's plans on taxes and spending

Under pressure from Jacques Chirac at a summit in France, Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, refused to sweep aside his government's doubts about buying the proposed Airbus A400M military transporter, seen by some (notably its builders) as crucial to the credibility of the EU's would-be rapid-reaction force.

After years of playing good guy, Denmark plans to slim its foreign-aid budget. Its new prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who took office on November 27th, said his centre-right government would also reduce immigration, do more to help newcomers find jobs and integrate with Danish society, and, among other things, raise the speed limit on motorways from 110kph to 130kph.

Spain's central government and that of its Basque region failed to agree on the renewal of the 20-year-old accord that governs their financial relations. The region runs its own tax system, and its Basque-nationalist government wants a place of its own at EU meetings handling matters that concern it. No, said Madrid.

Iraq under fire

Saddam Hussein rejected a call by George Bush for UN weapons inspectors to be allowed back into Iraq. American aircraft attacked targets in southern Iraq for the first time since the start of the air campaign against Afghanistan.

A demonstration by Zimbabwean students, protesting at the murder of one of their fellows, was broken up by police. Several pro-democracy activists were arrested when they protested at a proposed change to the country's electoral laws. A request by a European Union delegation which asked to be allowed to send observers to next year's election was eventually given approval.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress agreed that the New National Party, which in an earlier incarnation ruled during the apartheid years, should again play a (small) part in government.

See article: South Africa's Nationalists back in government

In the Central African Republic, rebels loyal to a former army chief, General François Bozize, briefly seized two towns before being forced back by CAR troops backed by Libyan forces. President Ange-Félix Patassé promised to take part in talks in Sudan on his country's stability.


Against a background of continuing violence, including the Palestinian killing of three Israeli civilians, William Burns and Anthony Zinni, America's two special envoys, set about trying to arrange an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire.

See article: Hizbullah

Somalia's prime minister, Hassan Abshir Farah, told the United States that American troops would be welcome if they wanted to search for terrorists. But Mr Abshir's control is, at best, limited. America froze the assets of al-Barakat, Somalia's largest company.

Guerrilla deal

Muslim guerrillas in the southern Philippines freed 110 hostages they were holding for ransom. In a deal with the Philippine army, the guerrillas were given safe passage and kept their weapons. In a separate incident, the guerrillas' leader, Nur Misuari, was arrested in Malaysia.

Nepal declared a state of emergency after 100 people died when Maoist rebels attacked police and army posts.

See article: Nepal's insurgency


Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of the former Indonesian president, was arrested in connection with the death of a judge who had earlier convicted him of corruption.

Seven members of the Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China, have died recently in Chinese jails as a result of ill-treatment, according to a support group in the United States.

Party promises

In a presidential election in Honduras, Ricardo Maduro, a businessman from the National Party, defeated the candidate of the ruling Liberal Party. Mr Maduro promised he would crack down on crime and push ahead with privatisation.

See article: Honduras's surprising election

Leaders from 21 Latin American countries and Spain and Portugal pledged to fight “terrorism in all its forms” at an Ibero-American summit in Peru.

A glimmer of hope for peace in Colombia: the government agreed to restart talks this month with the ELN, the smaller of the two main guerrilla groups.

President Vicente Fox of Mexico said he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the forced “disappearance” of hundreds of left-wing activists in the 1970s and 1980s.

See article: A year of Mexico's Fox