International Events in October 1998
3rd Oct
In the Australian national elections, the Prime Minister, Mr. John Howard, claims victory, saying he would have a working majority.
7th Oct
The Pakistani Army Chief, Gen. Jehangir Karamat, steps down in the face of a controversy over his remarks, calling for a National Security Council to institutionalise decision-making. Gen. Pervaiz Mushraf is appointed the new Army Chief.
8th Oct
The Portuguese novelist, Mr. Jose Saramago, 75, is named winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature.
9th Oct
The Italian Government, headed by Mr. Romano Prodi, collapses after losing a trust vote in Parliament. Hardline communists earlier withdrew support to him citing differences over his budget proposals.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, names Mr. Ariel Sharon, a hardliner, new Foreign Minister.
12th Oct
The 1998 Nobel Prize for Medicine is jointly awarded to Dr. Robert F. Furchgott, Dr. Louis J. Jagnarro and Dr. Ferid Murad, all of the U.S.
The 1998 Nobel Prize for Chemistry is shared by Prof. Walter Kohn and Prof. John A. Pople. The Physics prize is shared by Prof. Robert B. Laughlin, Prof. Horst L. Stormer and Prof. Daniel T. Tsui.
Sri Lankan diplomat, Mr. Nihal Rodrigo, is appointed the next SAARC Secretary-General.
14th Oct
Prof. Amartya Sen is awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize for Economics. He becomes the sixth Indian, by birth or citizenship, to win a Nobel.
Malaysian authorities order the release of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim. But he will continue to be in prison, facing charges of corruption and sodomy.
16th Oct
Two of the principal architects of the Northern Ireland peace agreement, Mr. David Trimble and Mr. John Hume, one a Protestant and the other a Catholic, are jointly awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Bangladesh devalues its currency, pegging the taka at 48.50 to the dollar up from 47.10.
Mrs. Fatima Bi, who helped transform an obscure Andhra Pradesh village - Kalva in Kurnool district - into a dynamic self-reliant one is honoured with the U.N.'s ``Race against poverty'' award at the U.N. headquarters.
17th Oct
The Former Chilean dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet, is arrested by the London police on a request from Spain. Spain has alleged that he murdered Spanish citizens while in power between 1973 and 1990.
18th Oct
Over 500 persons are killed as a burst fuel pipeline catches fire in Warri, southern Nigeria. The victims rushed to gather petrol when suddenly there was a fire and they were roasted alive.
21st Oct
A new Italian Centre-Left Government headed by Mr. Massimo D'Alema, an ex-communist, is sworn in. This is the 56th post- World War II Cabinet in the country.
23rd Oct
After nine days of talks, Israelis and Palestinians strike a deal on the interim peace agreement. The Wye River Memorandum was clinched with extensive help from the U.S. President, Mr. Bill Clinton, and King Hussein of Jordan.
The U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, receives the Seoul Peace Prize 1998. He is the fourth recipient of the prize instituted in 1990.
27th Oct
Mr. Gerhard Schroeder is elected Chancellor of Germany by the Lower House of Parliament, Bundestag.