2000 metres
The 2000 metres or 2000-metre run is a track running event where five laps are completed around an outdoor 400 m track, or ten laps around a 200 m indoor track - the distance is 11.68 meters short of 1¼ miles.


2000 metres
The global governing body World Athletics recognises official world records for the distance, and it is also recorded in continental and national record settings. The men's world record is held by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj, who ran a time of 4:44.79 in 1999, while the women's world record is held by Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba who ran a time of 5:23.75 in 2017.


2000 metres
The distance regularly features on event programmes of professional one-day track and field meetings, serving as a comparatively novel event with greater scope for record-breaking performances. It is also used at lower level competitions, such as school and youth tournaments.


2000 metres
Despite its world record status, it has not yet featured as a world championship level event indoors or outdoors: the event was briefly held at national level in the mid-1960s at the Spanish Indoor and Soviet Indoor Athletics Championships.


2000 metres, All-time top 15, Men, Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 4:51.30:


2000 metres, All-time top 15, Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 5:34.53:


2000 metres steeplechase
The 2000 metres steeplechase or 2000-meter steeplechase is a standard youth athletics event for the steeplechase in track and field. The event is part of the athletics programme for boys and girls at the IAAF World U18 Championships. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 2000 metres, which derives its name from the horse racing steeplechase.


2000 metres steeplechase, All-time top 25, Women, Notes
Below is a list of all other times equal or superior to 6:14.66:


2000 millennium attack plots
On or near January 1, 2000, a series of Islamist terrorist attacks linked to al-Qaeda were planned to occur in the context of millennium celebrations, including bombing plots against four tourist sites in Jordan, the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and USS The Sullivans and the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814.


2000 millennium attack plots
In Lebanon, dozens were killed in clashes in the Dinnieh district between radical Islamists with connections to the Jordan plots and the Lebanese Army. The plots in Jordan and against LAX were foiled by law enforcement agencies, while the attempted bombing of The Sullivans only failed because the boat filled with explosives sank before detonating.


2000 millennium attack plots
The revelation of the plot linked to the LAX "Millennium Bomber" Ahmed Ressam led to unprecedented investigations into other potential terrorist cells in the United States, dubbed Operation "Borderbom", and security measures around millennium celebrations. Other al-Qaeda-linked millennium attack plots may have been planned or foiled around the same time.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Jordan bombing plots
In Jordan, members of the Islamist terror organization al-Qaeda planned to bomb four sites: a fully booked Radisson hotel in Amman, Jordan; the border between Jordan and Israel; Mount Nebo, a Christian holy site; and a site on the Jordan River where John the Baptist is said to have baptized Jesus. These locations were chosen to target tourists from the United States and Israel. The most active participant was a Boston taxi driver named Raed Hijazi.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Jordan bombing plots
On November 30, 1999, Jordanian intelligence intercepted a call between Saudi citizen Abu Zubaydah, the leader of the plot, and Khadr Abu Hoshar, a Palestinian militant terrorist. In the conversation, Zubaydah stated, "The time for training is over." Sensing that the attack was imminent, Jordanian police arrested Hoshar and fifteen others on December 12, 1999.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Jordan bombing plots
The authorities put twenty-eight suspects on trial. Twenty-two of them were quickly found guilty. Six of them, thought to be linked to Osama bin Laden, including Hijazi, were sentenced to death. Abu Zubaydah was sentenced to death in absentia. Luai Sakra and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi were sentenced in absentia in 2002 for their part in the plot, which included using poison gas during the bombing.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, LAX bombing plot
Ahmed Ressam, an Algerian citizen living in Montreal, Canada, confessed after interrogation to having planned to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on New Year's Eve. He was arrested by U.S. Customs Service inspector Diana Dean at Port Angeles, Washington, a U.S. port of entry, on December 14, 1999. Customs officials found a cache of explosives that could have produced "a blast forty times greater than that of a devastating car bomb" and four timing devices hidden in the spare tire well in the trunk of the rented car in which he had traveled from Canada. Ressam later asserted that the plot was facilitated by Zubaydah and known to bin Laden.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, LAX bombing plot
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted door-to-door interviews of up to 50 individuals across the country, made "dozens of arrests" as part of investigations into possible other individuals linked to the case, and reportedly "questioned hundreds of Muslims from Los Angeles to Boston, wiretapped hundreds of conversations, and put hundreds of individuals under surveillance". Abdelghani Meskini, a known criminal was arrested in Brooklyn, New York on December 30 by Joint Terrorism Task Force for his links to Ressam.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, LAX bombing plot
In New York and Boston, nine other Algerians linked to Meskini were arrested by the FBI, as part of the largest counter-terrorism operation ever conducted in the United States, dubbed Operation "Borderbom". Most, including Meskini faced minor charges after no significant terrorism links could be proven, although a main suspected bomb-making accomplice, Abdelmajid Dahoumane had fled the country. Other suspected targets alleged by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sources included the Seattle Space Needle and Disneyland, California, with maps found with circles around "three California airports—Los Angeles International, Long Beach and Ontario—as well as maps with San Francisco's landmark Transamerica building and Seattle's Space Needle."


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, LAX bombing plot
Ressam began cooperating with investigators in 2001. He was initially sentenced to 22 years in prison, but in 2010 an appellate court reversed and remanded the case based on procedural errors and recommended that his sentence be extended. He was re-sentenced to 37 years' imprisonment in 2012. Another Algerian-Canadian, Mokhtar Haouari was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment for assisting Ressam in the plot. Abu Doha was indicted for the plot, but was denied extradition from the United Kingdom.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814
Indian Airlines Flight 814, en route from Nepal to India was hijacked on December 24, 1999 by five militants of the al-Qaeda-linked Harkat-ul-Mujahideen group. The hijackers reportedly told the captain, "Fly slowly, fly carefully, there is no hurry. We have to give India a millennium gift," as a bomb in the cargo room of the plane was timed to go off at midnight, December 31, 1999. The plane eventually landed in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan. On December 31, India agreed to release three captive militants in exchange for the nearly 200 passengers and crew that were being held hostage.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Lebanon and Syria clashes
On December 31, 1999, attacks were launched by a group of up to 300 radical Islamists against Lebanese Army forces in the Dinnieh district in northern Lebanon. The group behind the attack, calling itself after the apocalyptic Takfir wal-Hijra group was led by Bassam Kanj, a close associate of Raed Hijazi who had been indicted for his involvement in the Jordan bombing plots. Kanj had met Hijazi in the Khalden training camp in Afghanistan, and they later worked for the same Boston taxi company in the United States in the 1990s. The fighting lasted for eight days, and killed eleven soldiers, five civilians, and 28 Islamists.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Lebanon and Syria clashes
Lebanon being under Syrian occupation at the time, the Lebanon clashes followed clashes in Syria between Syrian security forces and Islamists, some of whom were accused of infiltrating the country from Jordan and Saudi Arabia, that began on 30 December when several Syrian intelligence agents were ambushed and killed. The clashes lasted for four days in Damascus, Homs and nearby villages, and the Hizb ut-Tahrir group claimed that 1,200 of its members had been arrested by January 2000.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, USS The Sullivans bombing attempt
In Yemen, members of al-Qaeda attempted to bomb the warship USS The Sullivans while it was refueling in Aden with a boat laden with explosives. Terrorists deployed a bomb-laden boat on January 3, 2000, but the over-loaded bomb boat sank before detonating.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, USS The Sullivans bombing attempt
Jamal Ahmad Mohammad Al Badawi and Fahd al-Quso were charged in absentia in 2003 for their alleged roles in several terrorist acts, including the attempted bombing of The Sullivans. In 2011, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, held in Guantanamo, was charged with planning the attack on The Sullivans along with other attacks, facing death penalty.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Other plots
According to National Security Advisor of the Clinton administration, Sandy Berger, terrorist cells had been disrupted in "eight countries" in the weeks before New Year's Eve, which was said to have "almost certainly" prevented additional attacks. The man behind the LAX plot, Ahmed Ressam, claimed there had been plans by other terrorist cells of millennium attacks "in Europe, in the Gulf, against U.S. and Israel." Major security operations were launched to improve security for the millennium celebrations in Times Square, New York, along with several other cities in the United States and Europe.


2000 millennium attack plots, Millennium attack plots, Other plots
In anticipation of the turn to the new millennium, official concerns by the FBI and U.S. authorities had focused on purported Islamic Terrorism by "apocalyptic" Islamic terrorists, Islamic political groups, or radical elements of Islamic militias.


2000 millennium attack plots, Aftermath, Investigation
While in prison, Ressam revealed that al-Qaeda sleeper cells existed within the United States. This information was included in the President's Daily Brief delivered to President George W. Bush on August 6, 2001, entitled Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US.


2000 millennium attack plots, Aftermath, Investigation
FBI special agent and counter-terrorism chief John P. O'Neill, who had been central in the investigation of al-Qaeda in the late 1990s and the millennium plot, and subsequently suspected the existence of sleeper cells in the United States, died in the September 11 attacks in 2001 as head of security of the World Trade Center. O'Neill had started his new job on August 23 less than a month before the attack, after he had been squeezed out of the bureau.


2000 millennium attack plots, Aftermath, Investigation
On July 19, 2004, it was revealed that the U.S. Justice Department was investigating former National Security Advisor of the Clinton administration, Sandy Berger, for unauthorized removal of classified documents in October 2003 from a National Archives reading room prior to testifying before the 9/11 Commission. The documents were five classified copies of a single report commissioned from Richard A. Clarke, covering internal assessments of the Clinton administration's handling of the plots. An associate of Berger said Berger took one copy in September 2003 and four copies in October 2003.


2000 millennium attack plots, Aftermath, Attacks
After the unsuccessful attack on USS The Sullivans, al-Qaeda attempted the same type of attack for a second time, again in Aden, Yemen. They successfully bombed USS Cole on October 12, 2000, in an attack that claimed the lives of seventeen U.S. sailors.


2000 millennium attack plots, Aftermath, Attacks
The Radisson SAS hotel in Amman, Jordan, which was the target of a millennium attack plot, was one of three hotels in the city that were bombed by al-Qaeda in 2005. Thirty-eight people were killed in the bombing, which was the deadliest of the three hotels attacked.


2000 reasons of the Supreme Court of Canada
The table below lists the reasons delivered from the bench by the Supreme Court of Canada during 2000. The table illustrates what reasons were filed by each justice in each case, and which justices joined each reason. This list, however, does not include decisions on motions.


2000 reasons of the Supreme Court of Canada
Of the 65 judgments released in 2000, 9 were oral, and 42 were unanimous, and there were 4 motions.


2000 term opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States
The 2000 term of the Supreme Court of the United States began October 2, 2000, and concluded September 30, 2001. The table illustrates which opinion was filed by each justice in each case and which justices joined each opinion.


2000 term opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, 2000 term membership and statistics
This was the fifteenth term of Chief Justice Rehnquist's tenure, and the seventh consecutive term in which the Court's membership had not changed.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States handed down nine per curiam opinions during its 2000 term, which began October 2, 2000 and concluded September 30, 2001.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States
Because per curiam decisions are issued from the Court as an institution, these opinions all lack the attribution of authorship or joining votes to specific justices. All justices on the Court at the time the decision was handed down are assumed to have participated and concurred unless otherwise noted.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Court membership
Associate Justices: John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Sinkfield v. Kelley
531 U.S. 28 Decided November 27, 2000. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama vacated and remanded.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Sinkfield v. Kelley
The Court held that the appellees lacked standing under Hays because they neither alleged nor produced any evidence that any of them was assigned to his or her district as a direct result of having personally been subjected to a racial classification


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Sinkfield v. Kelley
Alabama voters residing in majority-white districts adjacent to majority-minority districts. All of the districts were created under a state redistricting plan whose purpose was maximizing the number of majority-minority districts. Appellants are a group of African-American voters, whose initial state lawsuit resulted in the adoption of the plan at issue, and state officials. Appellees brought suit in Federal District Court challenging their own districts as the products of unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Bush v. Palm Beach County Canvassing Board
531 U.S. 70 Argued December 1, 2000.Decided December 4, 2000. Supreme Court of Florida vacated and remanded.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Bush v. Gore
531 U.S. 98 Argued December 11, 2000.Decided December 12, 2000. Supreme Court of Florida reversed and remanded.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Bush v. Gore
Rehnquist filed a concurrence, joined by Scalia and Thomas. Stevens filed a dissent, joined by Ginsburg and Breyer. Souter filed a dissent, joined by Breyer in full, and Stevens and Ginsburg as to all but Part III. Ginsburg filed a dissent, joined by Stevens in full, and Souter and Breyer as to Part I. Breyer filed a dissent, joined by Stevens and Ginsburg except as to Part I–A–1, and by Souter as to Part I.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Fiore v. White
531 U.S. 225 Decided January 9, 2001. Third Circuit reversed and remanded.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Ohio v. Reiner
532 U.S. 17 Decided March 19, 2001. Supreme Court of Ohio reversed and remanded.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Ohio v. Reiner
The Court's opinion reiterated that the protection of the Fifth Amendment is for the innocent as well as the wrongdoer from Grunewald v. United States.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Ohio v. Reiner
In Grunewald, we recognized that truthful responses of an innocent witness, as well as those of a wrongdoer, may provide the government with incriminating evidence from the speaker's own mouth.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Clark County School Dist. v. Breeden
532 U.S. 268 Decided April 23, 2001. Ninth Circuit reversed.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Clark County School Dist. v. Breeden
Holding: Plaintiff's complaint about a report of a sex-related comment was not protected. No reasonable person could have believed that this particular single incident would violate Title VII standard.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Major League Baseball Players Assn. v. Garvey
532 U.S. 504 Decided May 14, 2001. Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Major League Baseball Players Assn. v. Garvey
The Court held that the lower court erred when it directed the judgment in favor of Garvey and overruled the arbitrator.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Major League Baseball Players Assn. v. Garvey
Major League Baseball Players Association (Association) filed grievances against the Major League Baseball Clubs (Clubs), claiming the Clubs had colluded in the market for free-agent services, in violation of the industry’s collective-bargaining agreement.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Major League Baseball Players Assn. v. Garvey
Judicial review of a labor-arbitration decision pursuant to such an agreement is very limited. Courts are not authorized to review the arbitrator's decision on the merits despite allegations that the decision rests on factual errors or misinterprets the parties' agreement... It is only when the arbitrator strays from interpretation and application of the agreement and effectively 'dispenses his own brand of industrial justice' that his decision may be unenforceable.


2000 term per curiam opinions of the Supreme Court of the United States, Arkansas v. Sullivan
532 U.S. 769 Decided May 29, 2001. Supreme Court of Arkansas reversed and remanded.


2000 terrorist attack on Red Fort
On 22 December 2000, a terrorist attack took place on the Red Fort in Delhi, India. It was carried out by the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. It killed two soldiers and one civilian, in what was described by the media as an attempt to derail the India-Pakistan peace talks. The Red Fort is an extremely important Indian facility as it hosts the Prime Minister of India annually on 15 August which is the Indian Independence Day. It is also significant historically as it was taken over from British control and is an iconic site in India. As a result of the attack, India as a whole was shaken.


2000 terrorist attack on Red Fort
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Bilal Ahmed Kawa who planned and executed the terror attack was arrested in a joint operation by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police and the Gujarat ATS from Delhi Airport on 10 January 2018. It took 17 years to arrest him. The 37-year-old has been remanded to a Police Special Cell in Delhi for further probing. He was arrested on the basis of a tip-off received by Gujarat ATS regarding his movement from Srinagar to Delhi.


2000 terrorist attack on Red Fort, Attack
On 22 December 2000 starting at approximately 9:00 pm, two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants began firing indiscriminately and gunned down two army jawans belonging to the 7th Rajputana Rifles and a civilian security guard. The troops were placed at the fort due to its extreme importance within Indian history. The Red Fort used to house British army barracks; it was taken over by the Indian Army after Indian independence from the British rule. The intruders received returning fire from the Quick Reaction Team of the battalion. All the intruders escaped the Red Fort by scaling over the boundary wall on the rear side of the complex.


2000 terrorist attack on Red Fort, Casualties
A total of three persons- Abdullah Thakur, a civilian sentry, Rifleman Uma Shankar, and Naik Ashok Kumar- lost their lives as a result of the attack. Naik Ashok Kumar succumbed to his injuries in a Delhi hospital hours after the event occurred.


2000 terrorist attack on Red Fort, Assailants
The attack on Red Fort is believed to have been orchestrated by a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant. The Indian courts convicted six others in October 2005, with sentences of variety of lengths. In September 2007, due to the lack of evidence, the six other assailants were released. The Pakistan-based militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, took responsibility of the attacks. The attacks strained already tense relations between India and Pakistan.


2000 unrest in Kosovo
In 2000, there was unrest in Kosovo, which was under United Nations Interim Administration after the adoption of the Resolution 1244 (10 June 1999) between the Kosovo Force (KFOR), Kosovo Albanians, and Kosovo Serbs.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Background
Resolution 1244 was determined to resolve the serious humanitarian situation and ensure that all refugees could safely return. It condemned violence against the civilian population as well as acts of terrorism, and recalled the jurisdiction and mandate of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). It also recalled the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), at the same time calling for autonomy for Kosovo. The resolution authorised an international civil and security presence in Kosovo.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Background
The Resolution affirmed the need for immediate deployment of international civil and security presences, and authorised the establishment of the Kosovo Force. The responsibilities of the international security presence included deterring new hostilities, monitoring the withdrawal of the Yugoslav Army, demilitarising the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and ensuring a safe environment in which refugees could return.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Background
Kosovska Mitrovica became de facto partitioned, the institutions of the Serb-inhabited north part of the town and North Kosovo being funded by Serbia. UN Special Representative Bernard Kouchner said of the division: "you have to think of the Serb reaction. The only place they feel protected is in the north—that's simply the fact". Violent riots in October 1999 by Albanians led to 184 injured and 1 death after Serb resistance to an attempt in September to escort Albanians over the Ibar bridge. The UNMIK accepted the KLA's transformation into a civil security force numbering 5,000 personnel, the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC), in September 1999.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Events
The Ibar river bridge which divided the town became the site of violent clashes between the KFOR, Albanians and Serbs. A Yugoslav police officer and physician were killed, and three officers and a physician were wounded in February in Kosovska Mitrovica. A UN bus transporting Serb refugees in Mitrovica was hit by an anti-tank missile, and a grenade was thrown into a Serb café the same month. The Serbs rioted, and eight people were killed (7 Albanians were killed in one incident, as reported on 5 February), UNMIK vehicles burned, and French KFOR soldiers injured.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Events
Between 2 and 20 February some 1,700 Albanians, Turks and Bosniaks fled North Mitrovica. On 16 February, Albanians attacked a bus convoy killing 12 Serbs. A prominent Serb medical doctor was murdered in Gnjilane on 26 February. A Russian KFOR soldier died from shot wounds sustained in Srbica on 29 February. Following the February unrest, the KFOR increased its numbers, which up until then was 30,000. Violence continued, however, and UNMIK and KFOR were criticised for failing to protect Serbs.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Events
Meanwhile, the KFOR saw the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UCPMB), an Albanian separatist organization in south Serbia, training in the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ). Some KLA veterans were part of the UCPMB. The UCPMB attacked local police, intending to cede Albanian-inhabited areas to Kosovo.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Events
On 8 March, the FRY complained about the escalation of violence in the region, evidence that according to them, supported that the KLA was still active. On 15 March another FRY complaint protested KFOR establishment of an extended security zone in North Mitrovica, during which 16 Serb civilians were injured by stun grenades and tear gas. The FRY saw KFOR's actions as supporting the Albanians, pressuring Serbs to move out of Kosovo, and expected that they ensure minimum security and normal living in Mitrovica, "the last Serb refuge in Kosovo and Metohija".


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Events
The French KFOR was met with controversy, their risk-averting measures being called "cowardice", straining relations with other KFOR troops and the UNMIK; Danish soldiers complained and UN police felt abandoned. An example of French inaction was an event in June 2000, when a Serbian mob trapped a small group of Albanians and American police officers, then attacked an American colleague trying to reach them, 10 m from a French checkpoint – the French troops withdrawing to their vehicles. Between April and September the FRY issued several documents to the UN Security Council about violence against Serbs and other non-Albanians. On 6 June, a grenade was thrown at a crowd of ethnic Serbs waiting for a bus in the town square of Gračanica, injuring three people, which was followed by some civil unrest.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Events
UNMIK crime statistics on evictions, intimidation and arson in Albanian-majority Pristina and Gnjilane in 2000 are consistent with a strategy of forced expulsion of ethnic Serbs and other non-Albanian minorities.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Aftermath
On 22 January 2001, a group of armed Albanians attacked a police station in northern Macedonia near the border with Kosovo, killing a police officer and injuring three others, thereby starting the insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia. The insurgent NLA was organized from former KLA fighters from Kosovo and Macedonia, UCPMB fighters, young Albanian radicals and nationalists from Macedonia, and foreign mercenaries.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Aftermath
In February 2001, enraged Albanian mobs routed French troops and torched KFOR armoured vehicles after an Albanian child had been killed in northern Mitrovica, believing it was a provocation by the Serbs. The victim was a 15-year-old boy who was killed in a grenade attack, which amidst Serb refusal to allow the return of Albanians in North Mitrovica sparked several days of riots. On 16 February 2001 a Serb convoy escorted by KFOR was attacked in a remote-controlled bomb explosion near Podujevo, leaving 12 dead and 40 wounded. A bomb attack in April 2001 targeting Serbs in Pristina left one dead and four injured (KLA volunteer Roland Bartetzko was later found guilty).


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Aftermath
On 8 April 2002, local Serbs attacked and injured 26 UNMIK police setting up a checkpoint in North Mitrovica. The UNMIK established its administration in northern Mitrovica on 25 November 2002.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Aftermath
Although crime rates decreased in 2003, violence and crimes against minorities were concerning. On 12 April 2003 a bomb exploded on a railway bridge in Northern Kosovo, killing two, including the planter, a KPC officer; an Albanian extremist organization took responsibility. On 17 April the Special Representative defined the group as terrorist. On 19 May a Kosovo Serb politician from Klokot was murdered and two elderly Serbs assaulted. On 4 June three Kosovo Serbs were murdered in Obilić.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Aftermath
In August 2003, explosive devices planted in the Serb enclave of Klokot destroyed five Serb houses, with several injuries, including two American KFOR soldiers. On 13 August two Serb youths were killed and four wounded in a shooting in Goraždevac. On 18 August a Serb male died from wounds sustained from a shooting on 11 August, and another was seriously wounded in a shooting in a returnee site near Klina. On 31 August, four Serbs were injured and one killed in an explosion attack in Cernica near Gnjilane.


2000 unrest in Kosovo, Aftermath
The violent incidents further heightened the feeling of insecurity in the Serb minority, while UNMIK police took security measures in minority areas. Crime against UNMIK increased, with a police officer killed in the north by sniper on 3 August, while a KPS officer was murdered near Djakovica on 6 September, and another KPS officer was shot at in Pristina on 10 September. The violence level increased steadily since late 2003. On 17 March 2004, a violent unrest broke out in Kosovo.


2000 uprising in Egypt
The 2000 uprising in Egypt was massive and popular labour unrest and social protests, initially private then public, against president Hosni Mubarak and the government, demanding Democracy and reforms in Egypt. However, the initial uprising was against the use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Palestine, as part of the Second Intifada. Massive protests erupted in solidarity with the Palestinian protesters, demanding democratic reforms and an end to killings of demonstrators in Palestine and Gaza strip. Pro -Palestine protests became a symbol of Civil disobedience and Disorder movements in Tahrir Square, where protests first took place.


2000 uprising in Egypt
Mass protests then swept the Middle East, inspired by the popular anti-Israel sentiment in Egypt. After 2 weeks of protests in Egypt, president Hosni Mubarak ordered a crackdown on protesters and banned the burning of Flags, due to the burning of the United States of America’s flag and Israel’s flag. Chants was also voiced at national protests and demonstrations in Cairo against War and demanded peace and full independence of Palestine. One of the most famous slogans was ‘أسفل إسرائيل’, meaning ‘Down, Down Israel’. Anti - Hosni Mubarak protests swept Port Said and Suez, led by mostly students.


2000 uprising in Egypt
Massive General strikes and labour protests have been also sweeping Egypt, while increasingly violent demonstrations and growing street opposition snowballed into further escalation. The Military and Tanks was deployed to disperse demonstrators while protests escalated and drew more and more groups to join the movement, calling on reforms, an end to Corruption, Hosni Mubarak to resign and demand full independence of Palestine yet the annexation and defeat of Israel. Protesters used Civil disobedience, peaceful movements, bloodless disturbances and nonviolent boycotts by schoolchildren, students, Refugees and Teachers in downtown areas nationwide.


2000 uprising in Egypt
Mass protests continued, and protesters were adamant to oust the government and close the borders with Israel and see better living conditions, but however, the amount of Police brutality left many shocked and outraged. Protesters also wanted political reforms, police reforms and justice and accountability over the killings of protesters in the Second Intifada and First Intifada. Massive protests occurred on 9 October, when police killed 2 after protesters chanted slogans and pelted rocks at the Security Forces. Once the zenith of the protests became the death of protests after the bloody crackdown in the country's largest square, Tahrir Square which quashed the movement.


2000 world oil market chronology, Sources
Other sources include: Dow Jones (DJ), New York Times (NYT), Wall Street Journal (WSJ), and the Washington Post (WP).


2000 yen note
The ¥2,000 note (二千円紙幣, nisen-en shihei) is a denomination of Japanese yen, that was first issued on July 19, 2000 to commemorate the 26th G8 Summit and the millennium. The banknote is notable for not being a commemorative banknote under Japanese law, and circulates as a regular issue. It is also the only currency using a number 2 denomination.


2000 yen note, History
The  ¥2,000 note was first issued on July 19, 2000 under the "D Series". It was not reissued when notes were rereleased in later series.


2000 yen note, History
The design is similar to that of the other Japanese notes in circulation at the time of issue. The obverse has a serial number and depicts Shureimon, a 16th-century gate at Shuri Castle in Naha, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Cherry blossom and chrysanthemum motifs are part of the linear design work in the background. The reverse side depicts a scene from The Tale of Genji, and a portrait of Murasaki Shikibu, the noblewoman to whom this work of classic literature has been attributed. A copy of a portion of script from the original work is included.


2000 yen note, Rarity
¥2,000 notes are rarely seen in circulation as few vending machines or ATMs accept the denomination, thus they are described as "not convenient" by the public. The bills are also a nuisance to cashiers and business owners as many modern cash registers do not have a slot for the denomination. The Bank of Japan has weighed in by giving factors such as the debut of "Series E" 2004 dated notes which have since entered into circulation. A spokesperson for the bank stated in 2006 that “I think people prefer to hold on to the newer bank notes”, which lowered the demand for the older notes.


2000 yen note, Rarity
It was reported in 2019 that The Bank of Japan continues to hold large amounts of the notes in reserve, and no new notes of this denomination are currently being printed. The note does enjoy some popularity in Okinawa due to the representation of Shureimon on the note's obverse; some ATMs allow users to specifically withdraw ¥2,000 notes in addition to other denominations. Collectors have since taken notice of their rarity in circulation as the notes trade for roughly 1.5x their face value in online sales depending on condition.


2000 Úrvalsdeild
The 2000 season of Úrvalsdeild was the 89th season of league football in Iceland. KR defended their title. Stjarnan and Leiftur were relegated. The competition was known as Símadeild due to its sponsorship by Icelandic telecommunications company, Síminn.


2000 Úrvalsdeild
KR's Andri Sigþórsson was the top scorer with 14 goals.


2000 Úrvalsdeild, Results
Each team played every opponent once home and away for a total of 18 matches.


2000 Ýokary Liga
The 2000 Turkmenistan Higher League (Ýokary Liga) season was the eighth season of Turkmenistan's professional football league. Eleven teams competed in 2000.


2000'e Doğru
2000'e Doğru (English: Towards 2000) was a weekly Turkish news magazine. It was published between 1987 and 1992.


2000'e Doğru, History and profile
2000'e Doğru was established in January 1987 by Doğu Perinçek. The publisher was Sistem Yayıncılık. In 1989 it had a circulation of around 22,000, and was the second-highest circulation news weekly behind Nokta. Contributors included Halil Berktay, Aziz Nesin, Musa Anter, Turan Dursun and Soner Yalçın.


2000'e Doğru, History and profile
In 1987 editor Fatma Yazici was sentenced to one year and four months for "insulting" President Kenan Evren. Within the first two years the magazine had had 28 cases brought against it by the government, and editor Yazici had been sentenced to over eight years in prison. Several 1987 issues repeating statements made by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk about autonomy for Kurds were confiscated before publication.


2000'e Doğru, History and profile
The 2000'e Doğru edition of 16 February 1992 reported that eyewitnesses and sympathizers of Kurdish Hizbollah had informed them that members of the organization were trained in the headquarters of Turkey's rapid deployment force (Çevik Kuvvet) in Diyarbakır. Two days after the article was published, its author, Halit Güngen, was killed by unidentified murderers. The magazine folded in 1992.


2000, Seen By...
2000, Seen By... (French: 2000 vu par...) was a 1998 international film project initiated by the French company Haut et Court to produce films depicting the approaching turn of the millennium seen from the perspectives of 10 different countries.


2000, Seen By...
The idea was conceived by producers Caroline Benjo and Carole Scotta, who took the idea to Pierre Chevalier of the French-German TV station Arte. They envisioned each film to be one hour long, made for the cost of four to five million francs, by promising directors.


2000, Seen By...
Ten films were produced as a result of the project:


2000-series (CTA)
The 2000-series was a series of Chicago "L" car built in 1964 by Pullman-Standard of Chicago, Illinois. 180 cars were built.


2000-series (CTA)
The 2000-series was the first of five series of Chicago "L" cars known as the High-Performance Family. Delivered to the CTA in 1964, they were built as married-pair sets, like the PCC-based 6000-series cars before them. The 2000-series, along with the High-Performance Family in general, were meant as both as a supplement for the 6000-series cars (which were built from discontinued PCC streetcar components) and a replacement for the aging 4000-series cars dating from the early 20th century. The CTA also needed a train car that would meet more modern demands for train service, such as higher speeds and more comfortable interiors.


2000-series (CTA)
The 2000-series' more modern control systems initially prevented them from being used in a train with other system types, until the delivery of the 2200-series and later cars in the High-Performance Family. These cars were the baselines of future CTA cars to come, equipped with a futuristic look and modern technology: they were also extremely reliable, averaging 50,000 miles a year on busy lines such as the Lake-Dan Ryan Line. The cars had a number of modern features for the time, including air conditioning, fluorescent lighting, large windows, and sculptured fiberglass front ends for the car bodies. The car bodies were mainly aluminum. The High-Performance Family of designs would last until 1994 when the 3200-series were built, however even 21st century CTA cars, such as the 5000-series cars, are close relatives of the High Performance Design cars with improvements for technological advances.


2000-series (CTA)
However, the 2000-series cars would have the shortest service life of all the High-Performance Family cars. Over the decades, the completely new advances presented in the 2000-series cars for the time presented maintenance problems in the future; the aluminum bodies rusted quickly in the Chicago winters, while snow caused motors to short out and brakes to become non-functional (especially after the 1979 blizzard). The 2200-series cars, originally meant as complements to the 2000-series cars, were much more durable on the L's busier lines, while the 2000-series cars were moved to the older lines with less frequency.


2000-series (CTA)
The 2200-series construction, with a flat sided stainless steel body, under-car air conditioning units (as opposed to the 2000s interior units), and more capable Budd Pioneer motors all contributed to the much longer lifespan of the 2200-series over the 2000-series; the final blow came when the Green Line closed for renovation, as the 2000-series were not considered capable enough for Red or Blue Line service.


2000-series (CTA)
The last 2000-series cars were scrapped after their final service on the Green Line on December 17, 1993, ending with 29 years of service. One pair of cars is preserved, 2153-2154 is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.


2000-watt society
The 2000-watt society is an environmental vision, first introduced in 1998 by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH Zurich), which pictures the average First World citizen reducing their overall average primary energy usage rate to no more than 2,000 watts (i.e. 2 kWh per hour or 48 kWh per day) by the year 2050, without lowering their standard of living.


2000-watt society
The concept addresses not only personal or household energy use, but the total for the whole society, including embodied energy, divided by the population.


2000-watt society
Two thousand watts is approximately the current world average rate of total primary energy use. This compares to averages of around 6,000 watts in western Europe, 12,000 watts in the United States, 1,500 watts in China, 1,000 watts in India, 500 watts in South Africa and only 300 watts in Bangladesh. Switzerland itself, currently using an average of around 5,000 watts, was last a 2000-watt society in the 1960s.


2000-watt society
It is further envisaged that the use of carbon-based fuels would be ultimately cut to no more than 500 watts per person within 50 to 100 years.


2000-watt society
The vision was developed in response to concerns about climate change, energy security, and the future availability of energy supplies. It is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the Association of Swiss Architects and Engineers, and other bodies.


2000-watt society, Current energy use
Breakdown of average energy consumption of 5.1 kW by a Swiss person as of July 2008:


2000-watt society, Implications
Researchers in Switzerland believe that this vision is achievable, despite a projected 65% increase in economic growth by 2050, by using new low-carbon technologies and techniques.


2000-watt society, Implications
It is envisaged that achieving the aim of a 2000-watt society will require, amongst other measures, a complete reinvestment in the country's capital assets; refurbishment of the nation's building stock to bring it up to low-energy building standards; significant improvements in the efficiency of road transport, aviation and energy-intensive material use; the possible introduction of high-speed maglev trains; the use of renewable energy sources, district heating, microgeneration and related technologies; and a refocusing of research into new priority areas.


2000-watt society, Implications
As a result of the intensified research and development effort required, it is hoped that Switzerland will become a leader in the technologies involved. Indeed, the idea has a great deal of government backing, due to fears about climate change.


2000-watt society, Basel pilot region
Launched in 2001 and located in the metropolitan area of Basel, 'Pilot Region Basel'  aims to  develop and commercialise some of the technologies involved. The pilot is a partnership between industry, universities, research institutes and the authorities, coordinated by Novatlantis. Participation is not restricted to locally based organisations. The city of Zurich joined the project in 2005 and the canton of Geneva declared its interest in 2008.


2000-watt society, Basel pilot region
Within the pilot region, the projects in progress include demonstration buildings constructed to MINERGIE or Passivhaus standards, electricity generation from renewable energy sources, and vehicles using natural gas, hydrogen and biogas. The aim is to put research into practice, seek continuous improvements, and to communicate progress to all interested parties, including the public.


2000-watt society, Fribourg smart living building
The "smart living lab", based in Fribourg, reunites researches from the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg, the Fribourg University and the Lausanne Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL). Together, they designed the smart living building, which will be both a sustainable structure and an evolving building and whose erection is to take place in 2020. It will house the activities of some 100 researchers, offering laboratories, offices, conference rooms and some experimental dwellings. In this multiple-use context, the building will become an experimental field of studies in itself, and aims to find solutions to energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emissions that it generates.


2000-watt society, Fribourg smart living building
This construction is the group's first case study, and research projects have been established to help it meet the lab's ambitious goals: limiting its consumption and emissions to the values set for 2050 by the 2000-watt society vision, while considering the whole life cycle of its components. These goals are to be met by 2021, that is, almost 30 years ahead of the 2000-watt-society vision's deadline.


20000 Varuna
20000 Varuna, provisional designation 2000 WR106, is a large trans-Neptunian object and a possible dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt. It was discovered in December 2000 by American astronomer Robert McMillan during a Spacewatch survey at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. It has an elongated shape due to its rapid rotation. It is named after the Hindu deity Varuna, one of the oldest deities mentioned in the Vedic texts.


20000 Varuna
Calculations from Varuna's light curve indicate that it is a Jacobi ellipsoid, having an elongated shape due to its rapid rotation. Varuna's surface is moderately red in color due to the presence of complex organic compounds on its surface. Water ice is also present on its surface, and is thought to have been exposed by past collisions which may have also caused Varuna's rapid rotation. Although no natural satellites have been found or directly imaged around Varuna, analysis of variations in its light curve in 2019 suggests the presence of a possible satellite orbiting closely around Varuna.


20000 Varuna, History, Discovery
Varuna was discovered by American astronomer Robert McMillan using the Spacewatch 0.9-meter telescope during a routine survey on 28 November 2000. The Spacewatch survey was conducted by McMillan at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona. At the time of discovery, Varuna was located at a moderately dense star field close to the northern galactic equator. Although Varuna was not detected by McMillan's real-time computer software, he was able to identify Varuna moving slowly among the background stars by manually comparing multiple scans of the same region using the blinking technique. After McMillan's observing shift, follow-up observations of Varuna were conducted by astronomer Jeffrey Larsen in order to confirm the object. By the end of Larsen's observing shift, both McMillan and Larsen had made a total of 12 observations that spanned three nights.


20000 Varuna, History, Discovery
The discovery of Varuna was formally announced in a Minor Planet Electronic Circular on 1 December 2000. It was given the provisional designation 2000 WR106, indicating that it was discovered during the second half of November 2000. Varuna was the 2667th object observed in the latter half of November, as indicated by the last letter and numbers in its provisional designation.


20000 Varuna, History, Discovery
At the time, Varuna was thought to be one of the largest and brightest minor planets in the Solar System due to its relatively high apparent magnitude of 20 for a distant object, which implied that it might be around one-fourth the size of Pluto and comparable in size to the dwarf planet Ceres.


20000 Varuna, History, Discovery
Subsequently, after the announcement of Varuna's discovery, precovery images of Varuna were found by German astronomers Andre Knofel and Reiner Stoss at the Palomar Observatory. One particular precovery image, which was taken with the Palomar Observatory's Big Schmidt telescope in 1955, showed that Varuna was located three degrees away from its extrapolated location based on the approximate circular orbit determined in December 2000. The oldest known precovery image of Varuna was taken on 24 November 1954. These precovery images along with additional observations from Japan, Hawaii, and Arizona helped astronomers refine its orbit and determine Varuna's proper classification.


20000 Varuna, History, Discovery
In January 2001, Varuna was assigned the minor planet number 20000 by the Minor Planet Center as its orbit was well determined from precovery images and subsequent observations. The minor planet number 20000 was particularly chosen to commemorate Varuna's large size, being the largest classical Kuiper belt object known at that time and was believed to be as large as Ceres. The number 20000 was also chosen to commemorate the coincidental 200th anniversary of the discovery of Ceres, which occurred in the same month as the numbering of Varuna.


20000 Varuna, History, Name
Varuna is named after the eponymous Hindu deity Varuna, following the International Astronomical Union naming convention for non-resonant Kuiper belt objects after creator deities. The name was proposed by Indian choreographer Mrinalini Sarabhai, and was approved by the IAU in March 2001. Varuna is one of the oldest Vedic deities of Hindu literature, being mentioned in the earliest hymns of the Rigveda. In Hindu literature, Varuna created and presided over the waters of the heaven and of the ocean. Varuna is the king of gods and men and the universe, and has unlimited knowledge.


20000 Varuna, Orbit and classification
Varuna orbits the Sun at an average distance of 42.7 AU (6.39 billion km; 3.97 billion mi), taking 279 years to complete a full orbit. Its orbit is nearly circular, with a low orbital eccentricity of 0.056. Due to its low orbital eccentricity, its distance from the Sun varies slightly over the course of its orbit. Varuna's minimum distance possible (MOID) from Neptune is 12.04 AU. Over the course of its orbit, Varuna's distance from the Sun ranges from 40.3 AU at perihelion (closest distance) to 45.1 AU at aphelion (farthest distance). Varuna's orbit is inclined to the ecliptic by 17 degrees, similar to Pluto's orbital inclination. Varuna had passed its perihelion in 1928 and is currently moving away from the Sun, approaching aphelion by 2071.


20000 Varuna, Orbit and classification
With a nearly circular orbit at around 40 to 50 AU, Varuna is classified as a classical Kuiper belt object (KBO). Varuna's semi-major axis of 42.8 AU is similar to that of other large classical KBOs such as Quaoar (a=43.7 AU) and Makemake (a=45.6 AU), although other orbital characteristics such as inclination widely differ. Varuna is a member of the "dynamically hot" class of classical KBOs, meaning that it has an orbital inclination greater than 4 degrees, the imposed maximum inclination for dynamically cold members of its population. As a classical KBO, Varuna is not in orbital resonance with Neptune and is also free from any significant perturbation by Neptune.


20000 Varuna, Rotation
Varuna has a rapid rotation period of approximately 6.34 hours, derived from a double-peaked solution for Varuna's rotational light curve. Varuna's rotation was first measured January 2001 by astronomer Tony Farnham using the McDonald Observatory's 2.1-meter telescope, as part of a study on the rotation and colors of distant objects. CCD photometry of Varuna's light curve in 2001 revealed that it displays large brightness variations with an amplitude of about 0.5 magnitudes. The measured rotational light curve of Varuna provided two ambiguous rotation periods of 3.17 and 6.34 hours, for a single-peaked and a double-peaked solution, respectively. Additional possible rotation periods of 2.79 and 3.66 hours were also obtained by Farnham, although these values could not be ruled out at the time.


20000 Varuna, Rotation
A single-peaked interpretation of Varuna's rotational light curve (3.17 h) would assume a spherical shape for Varuna, with albedo features on its surface that would account for its brightness variations. However, in order for this interpretation to be valid, Varuna must have a density much greater than 1 g/cm3 (roughly the density of water), otherwise it would deform and break apart as the given rotation period exceeds the critical rotation rate of ~3.3 hours for a body with a density of 1 g/cm3.


20000 Varuna, Rotation
A double-peaked interpretation of Varuna's rotational light curve (6.34 h) would assume that Varuna's shape is an elongated ellipsoid, with an estimated a/b aspect ratio of 1.5–1.6. The rotational light curve of Varuna was later investigated by astronomers David Jewitt and Scott Sheppard during February and April 2001, and concluded that the double-peaked interpretation for Varuna's light curve is the most plausible solution due to the absence of rotational variation in Varuna's color in the visible spectrum.


20000 Varuna, Rotation
Examination of past photometric observations of Varuna's light curve has shown that its light curve amplitude had increased by roughly 0.13 magnitudes from 2001 to 2019. This increase in amplitude is due to the combined effects of Varuna's ellipsoidal shape, rotation, and varying phase angle. Geometric models for Varuna's changing amplitude have provided several possible solutions for the orientation of Varuna's rotational poles in ecliptic coordinates, with the best-fit solution adopting a spin axis right ascension and declination of 54° and −65°, respectively. The best-fit pole orientation of Varuna implies that it is being viewed at a near-edge on configuration, in which Varuna's equator nearly faces directly toward Earth.


20000 Varuna, Rotation
Varuna's rapid rotation is believed to have resulted from disruptive collisions that have sped up its rotation during the formation of the Solar System. The present collision rate in the trans-Neptunian region is minimal, though collisions were more frequent during the formation of the Solar System. However, Jewitt and Sheppard calculated that the rate of disruptive collisions among large trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) during the Solar System's formation is extremely uncommon, contradictory to the current abundance of binary and rapidly rotating TNOs that are believed to have originated from such collisions. To explain the abundance of binary and rapidly rotating TNOs, the rate of collisions among TNOs had likely increased as a result of Neptune's outward migration perturbing the orbits of TNOs, thus increasing the frequency of collisions which may have led to Varuna's rapid rotation.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape
As a result of its rapid rotation, the shape of Varuna is deformed into a triaxial ellipsoid. Given the rapid rotation, rare for objects so large, Varuna's shape is described as a Jacobi ellipsoid, with an a/b aspect ratio of around 1.5–1.6 (in which Varuna's longest semi-axis a is 1.5–1.6 times longer than its b semi-axis). Examination of Varuna's light curve has found that the best-fit model for Varuna's shape is a triaxial ellipsoid with the semi-axes a, b, and c in ratios in the range of b/a = 0.63–0.80, and c/a = 0.45–0.52.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape
Due to Varuna's ellipsoidal shape, multiple observations have provided different estimates for its diameter, ranging from 500–1,000 km (310–620 mi). Most diameter estimates for Varuna were determined by measuring its thermal emission, although size estimates have been constrained to smaller values as a result of higher albedos determined by space-based thermal measurements. Observations of stellar occultations by Varuna have also provided varying size estimates. An occultation by Varuna in February 2010 yielded a chord length of 1,003 km (623 mi), inferred to be across its longest axis. Later occultations in 2013 and 2014 yielded mean diameters of 686 km (426 mi) and 670 km (420 mi) respectively.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape
Since the discovery of Varuna, Haumea, another larger rapidly rotating (3.9 h) object over twice the size of Varuna, has been discovered and is also thought to have an elongated shape, albeit slightly less pronounced (estimated ratios of b/a = 0.76~0.88, and c/a = 0.50~0.55, possibly due to a higher estimated density approximately 1.757–1.965 g/cm3).


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Possible dwarf planet status
The International Astronomical Union has not classified Varuna as a dwarf planet and has not addressed the possibility of officially accepting additional dwarf planets since the acceptance of Makemake and Haumea in 2008. Astronomer Gonzalo Tancredi considers Varuna as a likely candidate as it was thought to have a density greater than or equal to that of water (1 g/cm3) in order for it to be in hydrostatic equilibrium as a Jacobi ellipsoid. However, Tancredi has not made a direct recommendation for its inclusion as a dwarf planet.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Possible dwarf planet status
American astronomer Michael Brown considers Varuna to highly likely be a dwarf planet, placing it at the threshold of "highly likely". Based on a best-fit Jacobi ellipsoid model for Varuna, Lacerda and Jewitt estimate that Varuna has a low density of 0.992 g/cm3, slightly less than Tancredi's minimum density criterion. Despite this, Varuna was assumed to be in hydrostatic equilibrium in their model. Astronomer William Grundy and colleagues proposed that dark, low-density TNOs around the size range of approximately 400–1,000 km (250–620 mi) are likely partially differentiated with porous and rocky interiors. While the interiors of mid-sized TNOs such as Varuna likely had collapsed gravitationally, the surface remained uncompressed, implying that Varuna might not be in hydrostatic equilibrium.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Thermal measurements
Ground observations of Varuna's thermal emission from 2000 to 2005 yielded large diameter estimates ranging from 900 km (560 mi) to 1,060 km (660 mi), making it comparable to the size of Ceres. Contrary to the ground-based estimates, space-based thermal observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope provided a smaller diameter range of 450–750 km (280–470 mi). The discrepancy between ground-based and space-based size estimates are due to the limited observable wavelengths for ground-based observations, as a result of absorption of Earth's atmosphere. Distant trans-Neptunian objects such as Varuna intrinsically emit thermal radiation at longer wavelengths due to their low temperatures. However, at long wavelengths, thermal radiation cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere and ground-based observations could only measure weak thermal emissions from Varuna at near-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths, hindering the accuracy of ground-based thermal measurements.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Thermal measurements
Space-based observations provided more accurate thermal measurements as they are able to measure thermal emissions at a broad range of wavelengths that are normally interfered by Earth's atmosphere. Preliminary thermal measurements with Spitzer in 2005 provided a higher albedo constraint of 0.12 to 0.3, corresponding to a smaller diameter constraint of 450–750 km (280–470 mi). Further Spitzer thermal measurements at multiple wavelength ranges (bands) in 2007 yielded mean diameter estimates around ~502 km and ~621 km for a single-band and two-band solution for the data, respectively. From these results, the adopted mean diameter was 500 km (310 mi). Follow-up multi-band thermal observations from the Herschel Space Observatory in 2013 yielded a mean diameter of 668+154−86 km, consistent with previous constraints on Varuna's diameter.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Occultations
Previous attempted observations of stellar occultations by Varuna in 2005 and 2008 were unsuccessful due to uncertainties in Varuna's proper motion along with undesirable conditions for observing. In 2010, an occultation by Varuna was successfully observed by a team of astronomers led by Bruno Sicardy on the night of 19 February. The occultation was observed from various regions in southern Africa and north-eastern Brazil. Although observations of the occultation from South Africa and Namibia had negative results, observations from Brazil, particularly at São Luís in Maranhão, successfully detected a 52.5-second occultation by Varuna of an 11.1 magnitude star.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Occultations
The occultation yielded a chord length of 1003±9 km, quite large compared to mean diameter estimates from thermal measurements. Because the occultation occurred near Varuna's maximum brightness, the occultation was observing the maximum apparent surface area for an ellipsoidal shape; the longest axis of Varuna's shape was observed during the occultation. São Luís was also located very close to the predicted centerline of Varuna's shadow path, meaning the chord length was close to the longest measurable during the event, closely constraining the possible maximum equatorial diameter.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Occultations
Results from the same event from Camalaú, Paraíba, approximately 450 km (280 mi) south (and on what was predicted to be the very southern extent of the shadow path), showed a 28-second occultation, corresponding to an approximately 535 km (332 mi) chord, much longer than might otherwise have been expected. However, Quixadá, 255 km (158 mi) south of São Luís–between it and Camalaú–paradoxically had a negative result.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Occultations
To account for the negative Quixadá results, the apparent oblateness (flattening) of Varuna was imposed at a minimum value of approximately 0.56 (aspect ratio c/a ≤ 0.44), corresponding to a minimum polar dimension of approximately 441.3 km (274.2 mi), based on the given chord length of 1003±9 km. The resulting lower bound on Varuna's polar dimension is approximately equal to Lacerda and Jewitt's lower bound c/a aspect ratio of 0.45, which they previously calculated in 2007. A preliminary conference presentation, given before the Camalaú results were fully analyzed, concluded that the São Luís and Quixadá results together suggested a significantly elongated shape is required for Varuna.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Size and shape, Occultations
Later occultations in 2013 and 2014 yielded mean diameters of 686 km (426 mi) and 670 km (420 mi), respectively. The mean diameter of 678 km (421 mi), calculated from both chords from the occultations, appears seemingly consistent with the Spitzer and Herschel thermal measurement of 668 km (415 mi). While the apparent oblateness of Varuna could not be determined from the single chord obtained from the 2014 occultation, the 2013 occultation yielded two chords, corresponding to an apparent oblateness of approximately 0.29. The imposed oblateness for the 2013 chord length of 686 km as Varuna's diameter corresponds to a polar dimension of approximately 487 km (303 mi), somewhat consistent with the calculated 2010 minimum polar dimension of 441.3 km.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface
Varuna's spectrum was first analyzed in early 2001 with the Near Infrared Camera Spectrometer (NICS) at the Galileo National Telescope in Spain. Spectral observations of Varuna at near-infrared wavelengths revealed that the surface of Varuna is moderately red and displays a red spectral slope between the wavelength range of 0.9 and 1.8 μm. Varuna's spectrum also exhibits strong absorption bands at wavelengths of 1.5 and 2 μm, indicating the presence of water ice on its surface.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface
The red color of Varuna's surface results from the photolysis of organic compounds being irradiated by sunlight and cosmic rays. The irradiation of organic compounds such as methane on Varuna's surface produces tholins, which are known to reduce its surface reflectivity (albedo) and are expected to cause its spectrum to appear featureless. Compared to Huya, which was observed along with Varuna in 2001, it appears less red and displays more apparent water ice absorption bands, suggesting that Varuna's surface is relatively fresh and had maintained some of its original material in its surface. The fresh appearance of Varuna's surface may have resulted from collisions that have exposed fresh water ice beneath Varuna's layer of tholins above its surface.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface
Another study of Varuna's spectra at near-infrared wavelengths in 2008 yielded a featureless spectrum with a blue spectral slope, contrary to earlier results in 2001. The spectra obtained in 2008 showed no clear indication of water ice, contradictory to the 2001 results. The discrepancy between the two results was interpreted as an indication of surface variation on Varuna, though this possibility was later ruled out by a 2014 study of Varuna's spectra. The 2014 results closely matched the previous spectra obtained in 2001, implying that the featureless spectra obtained in 2008 is likely erroneous.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface
Models for Varuna's spectrum suggest that its surface is most likely formed of a mixture of amorphous silicates (25%), complex organic compounds (35%), amorphous carbon (15%) and water ice (25%), with a possibility of up to 10% methane ice. For an object with a size similar to Varuna, the presence of volatile methane could not be primordial as Varuna is not massive enough to retain volatiles on its surface. An event that had occurred subsequently after Varuna's formation–such as an energetic impact–would likely account for the presence of methane on Varuna's surface.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface
Additional near-infrared observations of Varuna's spectra were conducted at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in 2017 and have identified absorption features between 2.2 and 2.5 μm that might be associated with ethane and ethylene, based on preliminary analysis. For mid-sized bodies such as Varuna, volatiles such as ethane and ethylene are more likely to be retained than lighter volatiles such as methane according to volatile retention theories formulated by astronomers Schaller and Brown in 2007.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface, Brightness
Varuna's apparent magnitude, its brightness as seen from Earth, varies from 19.5 to 20 magnitudes. At opposition, its apparent magnitude can reach up 20.3 magnitudes. Combined thermal measurements from the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory in 2013 obtained a visual absolute magnitude (HV) of 3.76, comparable to that of the similarly-sized Kuiper belt object Ixion (HV=3.83). Varuna is among the twenty brightest trans-Neptunian objects known, despite the Minor Planet Center assuming an absolute magnitude of 3.6.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface, Brightness
The surface of Varuna is dark, with a measured geometric albedo of 0.127 based on thermal observations in 2013. Varuna's geometric albedo is similar to that of the possible dwarf planet Quaoar, which has a geometric albedo of 0.109. Varuna was initially thought to have a much lower geometric albedo, as early ground observations of Varuna's thermal emissions from 2000 to 2005 estimated albedo values ranging from 0.04 to 0.07, around eight times darker than Pluto's albedo. Later thermal measurements of Varuna with space-based telescopes refuted these previous albedo measurements: Spitzer measured a higher geometric albedo of 0.116 while further thermal measurements from Spitzer and Herschel in 2013 estimated a geometric albedo of 0.127.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface, Brightness
Photometric observations of Varuna in 2004 and 2005 were carried out to observe changes in Varuna's light curve caused by opposition surges when the phase angle of Varuna approaches zero degrees at opposition. The photometry results showed that Varuna's light curve amplitude had decreased to 0.2 magnitudes at opposition, less than its overall amplitude of 0.42 magnitudes. The photometry results also showed an increase in asymmetry of Varuna's light curve near opposition, indicating variations of scattering properties over its surface.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Spectra and surface, Brightness
The opposition surge of Varuna differs from those of dark asteroids, which gradually becomes more pronounced near opposition in contrast to Varuna's narrow opposition surge, in which its light curve amplitude sharply changes within a phase angle of 0.5 degrees. The opposition surges of other Solar System bodies with moderate albedos behave similarly to Varuna, indirectly suggesting that Varuna might have a higher albedo in contrast to ground-based albedo estimates. This implication of a higher albedo for Varuna was confirmed in subsequent thermal measurements from Spitzer and Herschel.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Internal structure
Varuna is estimated to have a bulk density of 0.992 g/cm3, marginally less than that of water (1 g/cm3). Varuna's low bulk density is likely due to a porous internal structure composed of a nearly proportional ratio of water ice and rock. To explain its porous internal structure and composition, Lacerda and Jewitt suggested that Varuna may have a granular internal structure. Varuna's granular internal structure is thought to have resulted from fractures caused by past collisions likely responsible for its rapid rotation.


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Internal structure
Other objects including Saturn's moons Tethys and Iapetus are also known to have a similarly low density, with a porous internal structure and a composition that is predominantly water ice and rock. William Grundy and colleagues proposed that dark, low-density TNOs around the size range of approximately 400–1,000 km (250–620 mi) are transitional between smaller, porous (and thus low-density) bodies and larger, denser, brighter and geologically differentiated planetary bodies (such as dwarf planets).


20000 Varuna, Physical characteristics, Internal structure
The internal structures of low-density TNOs, such as Varuna, had only partially differentiated, as their likely rocky interiors had not reached sufficient temperatures to melt and collapse into pore spaces since formation. As a result, most mid-sized TNOs had remained internally porous, thus resulting in low densities. In this case, Varuna may not be in hydrostatic equilibrium.


20000 Varuna, Possible satellite
Photometric observations of Varuna's light curve, led by Valenzuela and colleagues in 2019, indicate that a possible satellite might be orbiting Varuna at a close distance. By using the Fourier analysis method of combining four separate light curves obtained in 2019, they derived a lower quality light curve amplitude with a greater amount of residuals. Their result indicated that Varuna's light curve experiences subtle changes over time. They plotted the residuals of the combined light curve in a Lomb periodogram and derived an orbital period of 11.9819 hours for the possible satellite.


20000 Varuna, Possible satellite
The satellite varies in brightness by 0.04 magnitudes as it orbits Varuna. Under the assumption that Varuna's density is 1.1 g/cm3 and the satellite is tidally locked, the team estimates that it orbits Varuna at a distance of 1,300–2,000 km (810–1,240 mi), just beyond the estimated Roche limit of Varuna (~1000 km). Due to the satellite's close proximity to Varuna, it is not yet possible to resolve it with space-based telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope as the angular distance between Varuna and the satellite is smaller than the resolution of current space-based telescopes. Although direct observations of Varuna's satellite are unfeasible with current telescopes, Varuna's equator is being directly viewed at an edge-on configuration, implying that mutual events between the satellite and Varuna could possibly occur in the future.


20000 Varuna, Exploration
Planetary scientist Amanda Zangari calculated that a flyby mission to Varuna could take just over 12 years using a Jupiter gravity assist, based on a launch date of 2035 or 2038. Alternative trajectories using gravity assists from Jupiter, Saturn, or Uranus have been also considered. A trajectory using gravity assists from Jupiter and Uranus could take just over 13 years, based a launch date of 2034 or 2037, whereas a trajectory using gravity assists from Saturn and Uranus could take under 18 years, based on an earlier launch date of 2025 or 2029. Varuna would be approximately 45 AU from the Sun when the spacecraft arrives before 2050, regardless of the trajectories used.


2000FM (Sydney)
2000FM (call sign 2OOO) is a multilingual community radio station broadcasting to Sydney in languages other than English from studios in the suburb of Burwood. It is a volunteer run organisation and is funded through listener support, grants and limited commercial sponsorship.


2000FM (Sydney)
The mission of 2000FM is to provide a service through dedication to enrich the cohesion of our cultural diversity via tolerance, understanding and respect for each other.


2000FM (Sydney), History
2000FM was established in 1992. It was granted a licence by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and commenced broadcasting in 1994.


2000FM (Sydney), Programming
As of 2008, the station broadcasts in the following languages:


2000FM (Sydney), Programming
2000FM also features other community access broadcasts including specific youth programs in some of the languages above, a weekly fashion and design show and Feathered Friends a program for bird fanciers.


2000FM (Sydney), Programming
HRR 98.5FM is a hard rock/heavy metal program on radio broadcasting from the studio of 2000FM. It first aired on 13 April 2008.


2000X
2000X is a dramatic anthology series released by National Public Radio and produced by the Hollywood Theater of the Ear. There were 49 plays of various lengths in 26 one-hour programs broadcast weekly and later released on the Internet. Plays were adaptations of futuristic stories, novels and plays by noted authors. Producer/director Yuri Rasovsky and host/consultant Harlan Ellison won the 2001 Bradbury Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America for their work on this program.


2000and4Eva
2000and4Eva (stylised in all caps) is the debut mixtape by British rapper and singer-songwriter Bree Runway. It was released on 6 November 2020 via EMI Records and UMG, and was supported by the singles "Apeshit", "Damn Daniel", "Gucci", "Little Nokia" and "ATM". 2000and4Eva features guest appearances from Missy Elliott, Yung Baby Tate, Maliibu Miitch and Rico Nasty, as well as production from musicians such as EasyFun and Raf Riley, among others. The mixtape expands upon the electronic infused hip hop and trap-pop sound of its predecessor Be Runway (2019) while expanding into different genres such as rock, reggae, and dance.


2000and4Eva, Background
Initially referred to as an EP, Runway would disclose in an interview with DIY Magazine in July 2020 that the EP would delve into "unlocking more of herself". When reflecting on the project, Runway states; "I've had to face myself head on during lockdown. A lot of those sad times and moments I’m scared of will pop up here." Runway expressed her challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, having to cancel a video shoot for "Damn Daniel" and later creating "quarantine" music videos for the song as well as the next single "Gucci". Plans for a headlining tour would also be cancelled due to the pandemic. Despite this, sessions for the project would be recorded in isolation at Runway's house.


2000and4Eva, Background
2000and4Eva was first teased on 27 October 2020, where Runway posted a teaser video on her social media accounts, revealing the title of the mixtape. The official cover art and track list were revealed a day later, with the omitting of the feature for the song "ATM". The feature would later be revealed as American musician Missy Elliott.


2000and4Eva, Composition
Musically, 2000and4Eva is primarily a hip hop and trap-pop mixtape that features elements of rock, reggae, dance, as well as music critics from NPR describing the record as "destructive pop-rap".


2000and4Eva, Composition
The opening track and first single, "Apeshit", has been described as "dynamic in its clean and precise ability to conjoin two different sounds" and "ultimately bungee[ing] between climatic build-ups and dancefloor breakdowns". The chorus of the song has been described as "calm, with synthy piano strokes and blaring guitar strums" while the verses of the songs "shift into a high energy vogue-style dance beat".


2000and4Eva, Composition
The second track, "Little Nokia", has been described as a "predominantly rock song with elements of a sci-fi film's soundtrack" and "embellished with roaring guitars that play as a seamless contrast against Bree's slick vocals and seeping harmonies". The third track "ATM", featuring Missy Elliott, is described as an "energetic and bass-heavy collaboration full of confidence and memorable one-liners." "Damn Daniel", a collaboration with Yung Baby Tate, has been described as "90's black-girl pop" with "modern day rap". Lyrically, "Damn Daniel" consists of a back and forth of Runway and Tate rapping from the perspective of "nostalgic sitcom alter egos".


2000and4Eva, Composition
The fifth track, "Rolls Royce" is described as "reggae-infused" and Maliibu Miitch collaboration, "Gucci" is a "powerful yet playful anthem that's celebratory with plenty of cheek." "4 Nicole Thea & Baby Reign" is described as "sombre" and where "hurting and healing find its way to the work". Lyrically, the song is a tribute to late YouTube star Nicole Thea and her unborn child, with Runway promising to see them in the afterlife. The eighth track, "No Sir (Freestyle)" is "halfway between a rap and rock track".


2000and4Eva, Release and promotion
The lead single, "Apeshit", was released on 5 March 2020 and drew immediate comparisons to Missy Elliott, who would later co-sign the track on Twitter.


2000and4Eva, Release and promotion
The second single, "Damn Daniel", a collaboration with American singer and rapper Yung Baby Tate, was released on 30 April 2020 alongside a music video. The song first premiered on DJ Annie Mac's Future Sounds show on BBC Radio 1 as the "Hottest Record in the World".


2000and4Eva, Release and promotion
On 19 July 2020, Bree Runway announced the release of the third single, "Gucci" with American rapper Maliibu Miitch. The single was revealed alongside its cover art by having fans enter the song's title into her website as a password. The song was released on 23 July 2020.


2000and4Eva, Release and promotion
"Little Nokia" was released as the mixtape's fourth single on 23 September 2020, alongside a music video.


2000and4Eva, Release and promotion
"ATM" featuring American rapper Missy Elliott was released as the record's fifth and final single on 5 November 2020, a day before its official release. Runway would perform "ATM" alongside album track "Rolls Royce" for Vevo's DSCVR series on 9 November 2020. A music video for "ATM" was released on 11 January 2021. A solo version subtitled the "Breemix" was released on 25 January 2021, alongside a live performance video.


2000and4Eva, Critical reception
Timi Sotire of NME described the mixtape as a "bold, belligerent yet vulnerable debut from a versatile pop star-in-waiting", while also noting that it "forcefully challenges the white supremacy that has historically underpinned the music industry's manufacturing of the 'popstar'." Aaron Williams of Uproxx noted that Runway's "electro-influenced blend of hip-hop and pop is a sure mood booster for these troubled times," referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. Elle Evans of Clash described the mixtape as a "fiery and undaunted statement" and wrote that by "creating a bold, dynamic and cohesive body of work, [2000and4Eva] only solidifies Bree Runway's rise to fame." Time magazine would later name "Little Nokia" the fourth best song of 2020.


2000s
The 2000s (pronounced "two-thousands"; shortened to the '00s and known as the aughts or noughties) was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 2000, and ended on December 31, 2009.


2000s
The early part of the decade saw the long predicted breakthrough of economic giant China, which had double-digit growth during nearly the whole decade. To a lesser extent, India also benefited from an economic boom, which saw the two most populous countries becoming an increasingly dominant economic force. The rapid catching-up of emerging economies with developed countries sparked some protectionist tensions during the period and was partly responsible for an increase in energy and food prices at the end of the decade.


2000s
The economic developments in the latter third of the decade were dominated by a worldwide economic downturn, which started with the crisis in housing and credit in the United States in late 2007 and led to the bankruptcy of major banks and other financial institutions. The outbreak of this global financial crisis sparked a global recession, beginning in the United States and affecting most of the industrialized world.


2000s
The growth of the Internet contributed to globalization during the decade, which allowed faster communication among people around the world; social networking sites arose as a new way for people to stay in touch no matter where they were, as long as they had an internet connection. The first social networking sites were Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, established in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006, respectively. Myspace was the most popular social networking website until June 2009, when Facebook overtook it in number of American users. E-mail continued to be popular throughout the decade and began to replace "snail mail" as the primary way of sending letters and other messages to people in distant locations, though it had existed since 1971.


2000s
The War on Terror and War in Afghanistan began after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The International Criminal Court was formed in 2002. In 2003, a United States-led coalition invaded Iraq, and the Iraq War led to the end of Saddam Hussein's rule as Iraqi President and the Ba'ath Party in Iraq. Al-Qaeda and affiliated Islamist militant groups performed terrorist acts throughout the decade. The Second Congo War, the deadliest conflict since World War II, ended in July 2003.


2000s
Further wars that ended included the Algerian Civil War, the Angolan Civil War, the Sierra Leone Civil War, the Second Liberian Civil War, the Nepalese Civil War, and the Sri Lankan Civil War. Wars that began included the conflict in the Niger Delta, the Houthi insurgency in Yemen, and the Mexican Drug War.


2000s
Climate change and global warming became common concerns in the 2000s. Prediction tools made significant progress during the decade, UN-sponsored organizations such as the IPCC gained influence, and studies such as the Stern report influenced public support for paying the political and economic costs of countering climate change. The global temperature kept climbing during the decade. In December 2009, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the 2000s may have been the warmest decade since records began in 1850, with four of the five warmest years since 1850 having occurred in this decade. The WMO's findings were later echoed by the NASA and the NOAA.


2000s
Usage of computer-generated imagery became more widespread in films produced during the 2000s, especially with the success of 2001's Shrek. Anime films gained more exposure outside Japan with the release of Spirited Away. December 2009's Avatar became the highest-grossing film. Documentary and mockumentary films, such as March of the Penguins, Super Size Me, Borat and Surf's Up, were popular in the 2000s. 2004's Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore was the highest grossing documentary of all time. Online films became popular, and conversion to digital cinema started.


2000s
Video game consoles released in this decade included the PlayStation 2, the Xbox, the GameCube, the Wii, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360; while portable video game consoles included Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. Wii Sports was the decade's best-selling console video game, while New Super Mario Bros. was the decade's best-selling portable video game.


2000s, Name for the decade
Orthographically, the decade can be written as the "2000s" or the "'00s". In the English-speaking world, a name for the decade wasn't immediately accepted as it had been for other decades ('80s, '90s), but usage eventually settled on "aughts" (US) or "noughties" (UK). Other possibilities included "two-thousands", "twenty-ohs", "ohs", "oh ohs", "double ohs", "zeros", and "double zeros".


2000s, Politics and wars
The War on Terror and War in Afghanistan began after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The International Criminal Court was formed in 2002. In 2003 a United States-led coalition invaded Iraq, and the Iraq War led to the end of Saddam Hussein's rule as Iraqi President and the Ba'ath Party in Iraq. Al-Qaeda and affiliated Islamist militant groups performed terrorist acts throughout the decade. These acts included the 2004 Madrid train bombings, 7/7 London bombings in 2005, and the Mumbai attacks related to al-Qaeda in 2008. The European Union expanded its sanctions amid Iran's failure to comply with its transparency obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and United Nations resolutions.


2000s, Politics and wars
The War on Terror generated extreme controversy around the world, with questions regarding the justification for certain U.S. actions leading to a loss of support for the American government, both in and outside the United States. The additional armed conflict occurred in the Middle East, including between Israel and Hezbollah, then with Israel and Hamas. The most significant loss of life due to natural disasters came from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which caused a tsunami that killed around one quarter-million people and displaced well over a million others.


2000s, Politics and wars, Terrorist attacks
The most prominent terrorist attacks committed against the civilian population during the decade include:


2000s, Politics and wars, Democracy
During this decade, the peaceful transfer of power through elections first occurred in Mexico, Indonesia, Taiwan, Colombia, and several other countries. (See below.)


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters
The 2000s experienced some of the worst and most destructive natural disasters in history.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
Antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing phenomenon in contemporary medicine and has emerged as one of the eminent public health concerns of the 21st century, particularly as it pertains to pathogenic organisms (the term is not especially relevant to organisms which don't cause disease in humans).


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms across most of the British countryside. Over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
Between November 2002 and July 2003, an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in Hong Kong, with 8,273 cases and 775 deaths worldwide (9.6% fatality) according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Within weeks, SARS spread from Hong Kong to infect individuals in 37 countries in early 2003.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: the Office for National Statistics reported 1,629 MRSA-related deaths in England and Wales during 2005, indicating a MRSA-related mortality rate half the rate of that in the United States for 2005, even though the figures from the British source were explained to be high because of "improved levels of reporting, possibly brought about by the continued high public profile of the disease" during the time of the 2005 United Kingdom General Election. MRSA is thought to have caused 1,652 deaths in 2006 in UK up from 51 in 1993.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
The 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) flu pandemic was also considered a natural disaster. On October 25, 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama officially declared H1N1 a national emergency. Despite President Obama's concern, a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll found in October 2009 that an overwhelming majority of New Jerseyans (74%) were not very worried or not at all worried about contracting the H1N1 flu virus.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
A study conducted in coordination with the University of Michigan Health Service is scheduled for publication in the December 2009 American Journal of Roentgenology warning that H1N1 flu can cause pulmonary embolism, surmised as a leading cause of death in this current pandemic. The study authors suggest physician evaluation via contrast enhanced CT scans for the presence of pulmonary emboli when caring for patients diagnosed with respiratory complications from a "severe" case of the H1N1 flu.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
As of May 30, 2010, as stated by the World Health Organization, more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18,138 deaths.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
The Walkerton Tragedy is a series of events that accompanied the contamination of the water supply of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada, by Escherichia coli bacteria in May 2000. Starting May 11, 2000, many residents of the community of about 5,000 people began to simultaneously experience bloody diarrhea, gastrointestinal infections and other symptoms of E. coli infection. Seven people died directly from drinking the E. coli contaminated water, who might have been saved if the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission had admitted to contaminated water sooner, and about 2,500 became ill.


2000s, Disasters, Natural disasters, Epidemics
In 2001 a similar outbreak in North Battleford, Saskatchewan caused by the protozoan Cryptosporidium affected at least 5,800 people.


2000s, Disasters, Non-natural disasters, Stampedes
The 2005 Baghdad bridge stampede occurred on August 31, 2005, when 953 people died following a stampede on Al-Aaimmah bridge, which crosses the Tigris river in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.


2000s, Economics
The most significant evolution of the early 2000s in the economic landscape was the long-time predicted breakthrough of economic giant China, which had double-digit growth during nearly the whole decade. To a lesser extent, India also benefited from an economic boom which saw the two most populous countries becoming an increasingly dominant economic force. The rapid catching-up of emerging economies with developed countries sparked some protectionist tensions during the period and was partly responsible for an increase in energy and food prices at the end of the decade.


2000s, Economics
The economic developments in the latter third of the decade were dominated by a worldwide economic downturn, which started with the crisis in housing and credit in the United States in late 2007, and led to the bankruptcy of major banks and other financial institutions. The outbreak of this global financial crisis sparked a global recession, beginning in the United States and affecting most of the industrialized world.


2000s, Economics
The combined wealth of the "10 million dollar millionaires" grew to nearly $41 trillion in 2008.


2000s, Economics
The period takes its name from Gordon Brown, the then UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (who later became Prime Minister), who decided to sell approximately half of the UK's gold reserves in a series of auctions. At the time, the UK's gold reserves were worth about US$6.5 billion, accounting for about half of the UK's US$13 billion foreign currency net reserves.


2000s, Economics, Economic growth in the world
Between 1999 and 2009, according to the World Bank statistics for GDP:


2000s, Economics, Globalization and its discontents
The removal of trade and investment barriers, the growth of domestic markets, artificially low currencies, the proliferation of education, the rapid development of high tech and information systems industries and the growth of the world economy lead to a significant growth of offshore outsourcing during the decade as many multinational corporations significantly increased subcontracting of manufacturing (and increasingly, services) across national boundaries in developing countries and particularly in China and India, due to many benefits and mainly because the two countries which are the two most populous countries in the world provide huge pools from which to find talent and as because both countries are low cost sourcing countries.


2000s, Economics, Globalization and its discontents
As a result of this growth, many of these developing countries accumulated capital and started investing abroad. Other countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Brazil and Russia, benefited from increased demand for their mineral and energy resources that global growth generated. The hollowing out of manufacturing was felt in Japan and parts of the United States and Europe which had not been able to develop successful innovative industries. Opponents point out that the practice of offshore outsourcing by countries with higher wages leads to the reduction of their own domestic employment and domestic investment. As a result, many customer service jobs as well as jobs in the information technology sectors (data processing, computer programming, and technical support) in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have been or are potentially affected.


2000s, Economics, Globalization and its discontents
While global trade rose in the decade (partially driven by China's entry into the WTO in 2001), there was little progress in the multilateral trading system. International trade continued to expand during the decade as emerging economies and developing countries, in particular China and South-Asian countries, benefited low wages costs and most often undervalued currencies. However, global negotiations to reduce tariffs did not make much progress, as member countries of the World Trade Organization did not succeed in finding agreements to stretch the extent of free trade. The Doha Round of negotiations, launched in 2001 by the WTO to promote development, failed to be completed because of growing tensions between regional areas. Nor did the Cancún Conference in 2003 find a consensus on services trade and agricultural subsidies.


2000s, Economics, Globalization and its discontents
The comparative rise of China, India, and other developing countries also contributed to their growing clout in international fora. In 2009, it was determined that the G20, originally a forum of finance ministers and central bank governors, would replace the G8 as the main economic council.


2000s, Economics, Globalization and its discontents
2007 Chinese export recalls– In 2007, a series of product recalls and import bans were imposed by the product safety institutions of the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand against products manufactured in and exported from the mainland of the People's Republic of China (PRC) because of numerous alleged consumer safety issues.


2000s, Economics, Globalization and its discontents
Events in the confidence crisis included recalls on consumer goods such as pet food, toys, toothpaste, lipstick, and a ban on certain types of seafood. Also included are reports on the poor crash safety of Chinese automobiles, slated to enter the American and European markets in 2008. This created adverse consequences for the confidence in the safety and quality of mainland Chinese manufactured goods in the global economy.


2000s, Economics, The age of turbulence
The decade was marked by two financial and economic crises. In 2001, the Dot-com bubble burst, causing turmoil in financial markets and a decline in economic activity in the developed economies, in particular in the United States. However, the impact of the crisis on the activity was limited thanks to the intervention of the central banks, notably the U.S. Federal Reserve System. Indeed, Alan Greenspan, leader of the Federal Reserve until 2006, cut the interest rates several times to avoid a severe recession, allowing an economic revival in the U.S.


2000s, Economics, The age of turbulence
As the Federal Reserve maintained low interest rates to favor economic growth, a housing bubble began to appear in the United States. In 2007, the rise in interest rates and the collapse of the housing market caused a wave of loan payment failures in the U.S. The subsequent mortgage crisis caused a global financial crisis, because the subprime mortgages had been securitized and sold to international banks and investment funds.


2000s, Economics, The age of turbulence
Despite the extensive intervention of central banks, including partial and total nationalization of major European banks, the crisis of sovereign debt became particularly acute, first in Iceland, though as events of the early 2010s would show, it was not an isolated European example. Economic activity was severely affected around the world in 2008 and 2009, with disastrous consequences for carmakers.


2000s, Economics, The age of turbulence
In 2007, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, delivered his final Mansion House speech as Chancellor before he moved into Number 10. Addressing financiers: "A new world order has been created", Everyone needed to follow the city's "great example", "an era that history will record as the beginning of a new Golden Age".