WHAT HAPPENED ON 6th January 2001?

1st January 2001

POPE CLOSES CELEBRATION OF MILLENNIUM

The Pope has closed the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica in Rome ending the Roman Catholic Church's celebration of the second Christian millennium. The heavy bronze door opened on the orders of the Pope a year ago will remain sealed until 2025. Thousands of pilgrims had made their way to Rome during the year to walk through the opening. The Vatican says more than 25m people visited Rome during the celebrations.

6th January 2001

SCHROEDER AND PUTIN ATTEND XMAS SERVICE

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder & Russian President Vladimir Putin have marked the Russian Orthodox Christmas. The leaders & their wives attended a service at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral for a service led by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Earlier they took a stroll in the Kremlin & the Red Square at the start of Mr Schroeder's two-day visit. Tonight the two leaders were due to celebrate Mrs Putin's birthday.

6th January 2001

HUNT GOES AHEAD DESPITE THEFT OF HOUNDS

The Wye Beagles Hunt in Kent has gone ahead as scheduled despite the theft of 46 of the pack's dogs yesterday. More than 100 hunt members gathered at a farm near Dymchurch with the pack reinforced by 25 beagles lent by neighbouring hunts. Although just four hounds were left behind hunt secretary Will Denne said: "We never thought about calling it off" The Animal Liberation Front has claimed it was behind the theft.

1st January 2001

GERMANY Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has agreed to meet French President Jacques Chirac at a special Franco- German summit next month following last weekend's strained summit in Nice. USA man who stalked actress Gwyneth Paltrow for over a year & sent her hundreds of e-mails has been sent to a psychiatric unit in Los Angeles. Dante Soyu also harassed the star's parents. YUGOSLAVIA Bosnia & Yugoslavia have established diplomatic ties eight years after the war which saw Bosnia secede from the federation.

6th January 2001

SCHROEDER AND PUTIN ATTEND XMAS SERVICE

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder & Russian President Vladimir Putin have marked the Russian Orthodox Christmas. The leaders & their wives attended a service at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral for a service led by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Earlier they took a stroll in the Kremlin & the Red Square at the start of Mr Schroeder's two-day visit. Tonight the two leaders were due to celebrate Mrs Putin's birthday.

6th January 2001

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DENIES NUCLEAR CLAIM

Russian president Vladimir Putin has dismissed an American press report that Russia has deployed nuclear weapons at its military base on the Baltic Sea. "That is rubbish " Mr Putin told a German reporter who asked him about the claim attributed to a US official. Mr Putin was speaking as he welcomed German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder & his wife on a private visit to Moscow. The claim that nuclear weapons had been moved to the base in Kaliningrad was also denied by Russian military chiefs.

1st January 2001

US CONGRESS CONFIRMS BUSH ELECTION WIN

The US Congress has confirmed the election of George W Bush as US President under the chairmanship of his defeated rival Vice-President Al Gore. The Senate & House of Representatives convened jointly to read & confirm the votes of the Electoral College. A succession of House members tried to raise points of order alleging election misconduct & fraud. But Mr Gore overruled them because no Senator supported the points of order.

6th January 2001

SCHROEDER AND PUTIN ATTEND XMAS SERVICE

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder & Russian President Vladimir Putin have marked the Russian Orthodox Christmas. The leaders & their wives attended a service at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral for a service led by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Earlier they took a stroll in the Kremlin & the Red Square at the start of Mr Schroeder's two-day visit. Tonight the two leaders were due to celebrate Mrs Putin's birthday.

6th January 2001

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DENIES NUCLEAR CLAIM

Russian president Vladimir Putin has dismissed an American press report that Russia has deployed nuclear weapons at its military base on the Baltic Sea. "That is rubbish " Mr Putin told a German reporter who asked him about the claim attributed to a US official. Mr Putin was speaking as he welcomed German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder & his wife on a private visit to Moscow. The claim that nuclear weapons had been moved to the base in Kaliningrad was also denied by Russian military chiefs.

1st January 2001

NEW YEAR RUNG IN ACROSS THE WORLD

As New Year revellers packed London's Trafalgar Square & the centre of Edinburgh in their thousands the French turned the Eiffel Tower blue. In New York's Times Square 500 000 saw boxer Muhammad Ali open festivities & in Beijing a laser show painted pictures of China's history in the sky. Japan's Buddhist temple bells chimed in time with the sound of ships' horns. In Red Square Russians for the first time sang the new national anthem.

6th January 2001

SCHROEDER AND PUTIN ATTEND XMAS SERVICE

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder & Russian President Vladimir Putin have marked the Russian Orthodox Christmas. The leaders & their wives attended a service at Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral for a service led by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Earlier they took a stroll in the Kremlin & the Red Square at the start of Mr Schroeder's two-day visit. Tonight the two leaders were due to celebrate Mrs Putin's birthday.

6th January 2001

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DENIES NUCLEAR CLAIM

Russian president Vladimir Putin has dismissed an American press report that Russia has deployed nuclear weapons at its military base on the Baltic Sea. "That is rubbish " Mr Putin told a German reporter who asked him about the claim attributed to a US official. Mr Putin was speaking as he welcomed German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder & his wife on a private visit to Moscow. The claim that nuclear weapons had been moved to the base in Kaliningrad was also denied by Russian military chiefs.