December

Five weeks after election day, George W. Bush took Florida and confirmed himself as the next United States President amid much gnashing of teeth over ancient voting procedures and judicial pressures on politics. But is he just keeping the home fires burning until the new junior senator for New York – despite her protestations to the contrary – is ready to put the Clinton name back in the White House?

More than 40 people died when a passenger train collided with a derailed goods train in the northern Indian state of Punjab. More than 40,000 people were evacuated from their homes as Mt Popocateptl erupted on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Violence continued between Israeli and Palestinian, relieved by the occasional lull and political manoeuvrings including Ehud Barak's calling an early election and another round of negotiations.

In Barcelona, a police officer became the latest victim in the Basque separatist battle, shot when challenging two men positioning a car bomb.

French lawyers went on strike, closing courts with their demands for more pay for providing legal aid to the poor.

In business, Britain wrote off debts it is owed by 20 of the world's poorest nations.

At home the dollar began a climb back from the below-US40c depths, reaching above US43c. The Japanese company Nissui bought out Brierley Investments' share of Sealord in a $207 million deal. Lion Nathan was given the Commerce Commission's go-ahead to buy Montana.

Petrol prices began a downward slide, slashed early in the month to bring the pump charge for premium unleaded 91 below $1.10, the lowest in six months, and then dropped below $1 as some companies went on a Christmas price-cutting war.

The agriculture sector gained the boost it had been looking for, the New Zealand Dairy Group and Kiwi Dairies agreeing to a mega merger. And consumer and business confidence showed signs of a revival – just when the United States economy showed signs of downturn.

Courts were busy. In Manila, President Joseph Estrada faced an impeachment trial, charged with plundering public funds. In Kenya, 17 and 15-year-old sisters won a landmark case challenging the legality of female circumcision.

At home, the High Court ruled that the British Government could not stop a New Zealander who had served with the British SAS from publishing his experiences with that unit in Iraq during the Gulf War.

Witness A in the Marlborough murder trial reverted to his original evidence on the Scott Watson confession in an interview with police while again telling the Herald that his trial evidence was not true.

And the Government referred aspects of the case against David Bain, convicted of killing five members of his family in 1994, to the Appeal Court.

John Hawkesby's payoff came back to haunt TVNZ presenters; what were described as second-tier fronters faced pay cuts that could see them earning as little as $150,000.

Just where Phillida Bunkle calls home landed the Alliance MP and Consumer Affairs Minister in trouble.

Sunline continued the happy time for the country's thoroughbred industry, the mare adding the Hong Kong Mile to her Cox Plate triumph.

The Indian Cricket Board banned the former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin and test batsman Ajay Sharma for life and suspended former test players Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar for five years for their involvement in match-fixing.

And the New Zealand women's cricket team gave the country a Christmas present with their last-over crushing of Australia in the CricInfo Women's World Cup, a month-long tournament that confirmed the Lincoln University complex as a high-class international cricket venue.