NEWS January 2001

George W Bush was sworn in as the 43rd president of the usa on 20 January, following a close election victory in november 2000. He was the first Republican president since his father left office eight years prior, and only the second President’s son to follow his father into office. Bush’s early months in office were relatively quiet, with an approval rating of slightly over 50 per cent typical of his first eight months.

On 24 January, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Mandelson was forced to resign from the cabinet for the second time. Mandelson had contacted Home Office minister Mike O’brien at the behest of Srichand Hinduja, an Indian businessman who was mired in scandal in his home country. Hinduja had been seeking British citizenship, and Mandelson was accused of improperly using his position to influence this decision. A later inquiry ruled that Mandelson had not abused his position and his career continued.

The final day of January saw the verdict handed down in the trial of the Lockerbie bombing suspects. Libyan citizens Lamin Khalifah Fhimah and Abdelbaset al-megrahi stood accused of 270 counts of murder in connection to the 1988 attack. Fhimah was acquitted, but al-megrahi was sentenced to life imprisonment. He stayed in prison until 2009, when he was released on compassionate grounds.