k4 The Millennium Bridge, a | an 1‘ Two hundre is sworn into office as Russia’s new president in May 2000, succeeding long-time leader Boris Yeltsin. Despite fears of an authoritarian style, Putin's public approval ratings remain high. Koreans separ members sinc Korean war ret four-day visits by both countr for the first tir id Archive Photos Hume Kennerly/Corbis Sygma M\ Gas prices soar across Europe. Heavy taxation policies in France and England cause massive protests and transportation blockades. Both governments eventually promise relief. cat A‘ Former KGB agent Viadimir Putin street artists called “Strange Fruit” perform gravity-defying feats around the world. The performers float above the audience on 15-foot fiberglass poles. A In January earthquake de western India. Causes an esti in damages a 20,000 people >>> A Singapore Airlines jumbo jet crashes during takeoff in Taiwan, killing 81 of the 179 people on board. In a blinding rainstorm the pilot uses the wrong runway and collides with construction equipment. eres ee a ad President Clinton makes a lastditch effort to broker a Middle East peace deal before his term ends in January 2001 by drafting a plan for leaders of both Israel and Palestine to review. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Yasser Arafat agree to review Clinton’s proposal, but no deal is signed before month’s end. as & Australian A Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is ousted from office in October, ending 13 years of violent rule. Vojislav Kostunica becomes Yugoslavia’s first democratically elected president. ah FLASH A A cable car carrying skiers and snowboarders in Austria catches fire inside a tunnel, killing more than 150 people on board. It is the worst Alpine disaster in the country’s history. AFP/€orbis A President Clinton travels to Southeast Asia in November to help mend relations between the United States and Vietnam. He is the first U.S. president to visit Vietnam since the end of the war in 1975. Gregorio Borgia/AP/Wide World Photos A Floods in Southeast Asia are caused by days of pounding rain. Millions are forced to leave their homes and more than a thousand people die in the region’s worst flooding in decades. a GR Pope/Colorific/Newsmakers/Liaison EUROTRABIC Francois Mori/AP/Wide World Photos Super 4|7J gazole 5.04 Peter Vujanic/Nev vsmakers/Liaison sans pDlomb Reuters NewMedia Inc./Corbis footbridge across the River Thames connecting London's St. Paul Cathedral with the Tate Modern Art Gallery, opens in June. It is the first bridge to be built over the Thames in 100 years. NM Canada mourns the death of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who served the country for nearly 16 years. Trudeau, who was 80, is remembered for his flamboyant style and his commitment to keeping Canada a single nation. PN |n July, an, outside Paris, punctured the