Yugoslavia

Former president Ivan Stambolic disappeared while jogging. In March 2003 his body was found; he was believed to have been murdered shortly before the fall of Slobodan Milosevic (Reuters).

1 AUGUST 2000

India

Gunmen, probably Kashmiri separatists, killed dozens of civilians in Anantnag and Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir state (Reuters).

2 AUGUST 2000

Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) sponsored a one-day strike to pressure the Mugabe government to restore the rule of law regarding the redistribution of white-owned farmland. The strike was supported by the MDC and the white farmers' association (Reuters).

3 AUGUST 2000

Colombia

The main public sector union FENALTRASE went on strike to protest the government's public sector cutbacks. There were demonstrations, some violent, in Bogota, Cali and two other cities (Reuters).

4 AUGUST 2000

Jordan

Hundreds protested against the US in Amman (Reuters).

Nigeria

The hostage takers in the Niger Delta abandoned the oil rigs (Reuters).

7 AUGUST 2000

Guatemala, Child Abductions

The Archdiocese of Guatemala's Human Rights Office (ODHA) released a report on hundreds of children who disappeared in the western highlands in the early 1980s. Based on interviews with the families of 86 children, it found that, of the 86% actually abducted, virtually all were taken by the army (Reuters).

10 AUGUST 2000

India

The Kashmiri rebel group Hizbul Mujahideen set off a car bomb in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir state, killing 10 (Reuters).

10-11 AUGUST 2000

Diplomatic Affairs

Venuzuelan President Hugo Chavez met Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Bagdad to discuss OPEC affairs (Reuters).

14-17 AUGUST 2000

United States, Politics

The Democratic Party held its nominating convention in Los Angeles. Vice President Al Gore was chosen as the party's nominee for the November Presidential election. Senator Joe Liberman was nominated to be America's first Jewish-American Vice President.

Gore would probably, for the most part, continue existing foreign and defense policies. This would include limited ABM defenses able to handle an attack from a state with a very small ICBM capability.

In domestic affairs he favors continuing existing fiscal and social welfare policies, though he has proposed tax credits for families to take care of educational, health care and other needs. Gore believes Social Security's obligations can be met out of projected federal budget surpluses, and he wants to add a major prescription drug benefit to Medicare. He also advocates increased federal spending on education to help states and localities improve teacher-student ratios and upgrade physical plant.

Both Gore and George W. Bush apparently approve of social welfare policy in the last several years which has cut spending by tightening elegibility and encouraging recipients to enter the low-wage labor market. While this policy is politically popular, its viability in the event of a recession is questionable; it also seems to have had little impact on a persistently high poverty rate. Both candidates are largely relying on initiatives in the tax code and education to tackle poverty.

24 AUGUST 2000

Paraguay, Politics

In a special Vice-Presidential election, the Liberal Party's Julio Cesar Franco defeated Colorado Party candidate Felix Argana by 47.8% to 47.0% of the popular vote (Reuters).

27 AUGUST 2000

Somalia

Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, former deputy prime minister and interior minister under the Siad Barre regime, was named President by a 245-member parliament of Somali tribal, clan and community leaders held in Arta, Djibouti. Hassan received statements of support from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen and the European Union (EU).

However, the self-declared states of Somaliland and Puntland -- formerly part of Somalia -- boycotted the Djibouti conference, as did Osman Ali Atto and Hussein Aideed, Somalia's most prominent warlords. The fledgling government ultimately never controlled more than a small portion of Mogadishu and other parts of the country; its mandate ended in August 2003. (Reuters, CNN.com)

Burundi

Hutu rebels attacked the outskirts of Bujumbura (Reuters).

Lebanon, Politics

Parliamentary elections were held for the 63 seats for the north and Mount Lebanon. Voting for the 65 seats for Beirut, the south and the Bekaa Valley is scheduled for 3 September (Reuters).

28 AUGUST 2000

Burundi, Politics

Representatives from 13 political factions signed a power-sharing agreement in Arusha, Tanzania. It was negotiated by Nelson Mandela and provides for equal representation in the army for the majority Hutus and democratic elections in three years. The three main Hutu rebel groups were not represented at the talks, though they say they support its aims (Reuters).

Colombia

FARC issued a statement saying commander Adan Irjquierdo died in an "unfortunate accident" (Reuters).

29 AUGUST 2000

Spain

A Popular Party official in Zumarraga was murdered by the ETA (Reuters).

30 AUGUST 2000

Bangladesh

An alliance of opposition political parties led a general strike (Reuters).

31 AUGUST-1 SEPTEMBER 2000

South America, Diplomatic Affairs

On the 31st a summit meeting of presidents of states in the region began in Brasilia, Brazil. The following day, they agreed to integrate trade between the Andean Community and Mercosur blocs by January 2002 (Reuters).