On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
In 2002, the world population was approximately 6,337,730,342 people[â ]
2002Lionel Poilâne, French banker and businessman (born 1945)[â ]
Lionel Poilâne was a French baker and entrepreneur whose commitment to crafting quality bread earned him worldwide renown. His father, Pierre Poilâne started a baking business in 1932, creating bread using stone-ground flour, natural fermentation and a wood-fired oven. Lionel took over the bakery in 1970, continuing the traditional methods.
2002Michail Stasinopoulos, Greek jurist and politician, President of Greece (born 1903)[â ]
Michail Stasinopoulos was a Greek jurist and politician who served as the President of Greece from 18 December 1974 to 19 July 1975. A member of New Democracy, he was the first officeholder under the Third Hellenic Republic.
2002Raf Vallone, Italian footballer and actor (born 1916)[â ]
Raffaele Vallone was an Italian actor and footballer. One of the top male Italian stars of the 1950s and 1960s, he first became known for his association with the neorealist movement, and found success in several international productions. On stage, he was closely associated with the works of Arthur Miller. He played the role of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge several times, including Sidney Lumet's 1962 film adaptation, for which he won the David di Donatello for Best Actor.
2002A federal grand jury in Houston, Texas indicts former Enron chief financial officer Andrew Fastow on 78 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to the collapse of his ex-employer.[â ]
Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat of Harris County, as well as the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second-most populous in Texas after DallasâFort Worth. With a population of 2,314,157 in 2023, Houston is the fourth-most populous city in the United States after New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, and the sixth-most populous city in North America. Houston is the southeast anchor of the greater megaregion known as the Texas Triangle.
Alcatel reports its sixth consecutive quarterly loss; net loss was 1.35 billion euros ($1.33 billion) compared with 558 million euros year earlier (S)
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority destroys grass field at Giants Stadium, signaling official demise of three-year, $7 million grassy tray system; temporarily re-sods field and will decide on longterm replacement; photos (M)
Profile of comedian Bob Newhart, who has been awarded Kennedy Center's fifth annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor during ceremony in Washington, DC; photo (M)
Unilever raises its earnings forecast for 2002 and reports increase in third-quarter earnings that exceed analysts' expectations; profit rose to 780 million euros ($767 million) from 493 million euros; sales of top products rose 5.4 percent compared with year ago; graph (S)
Israel's Labor Party ministers resign from coalition government over their assertion that Prime Min Ariel Sharon's budget favors Israel's settlers at expense of its poor; break is almost certain to drive Israeli government to right; it is first attempt by moderately leftist party to find political voice and present coherent alternative to Sharon since his crushing victory almost two years ago over his predecessor, Labor candidate Ehud Barak; loss of Labor's 25 seats in 120-seat Parliament leaves Sharon with minority government of 55 seats; he faces three basic options: he can try to govern with his remaining, right-of-center minority, which would leave him vulnerable to possible no-confidence vote; he can try to bring in ultra-right factions that would give him bare majority but also heighten risk that his government would appear extremist; or he can ask Pres Moshe Katsav to dissolve Parliament and call elections within 90 days, nine months ahead of schedule; allies say Sharon is likely to pursue first or second option for now; Defense Min Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, explaining his decision to leave government, says it is time to show Palestinians 'diplomatic horizon'; but most likely result of his departure will be to empower hard-line groups most opposed to dealing with Palestinians; photo; chart (M)
Footlights column: League of American Theaters will hold annual Kids Night on Broadway on February 4; adults who buy tickets to any of 14 shows can bring someone age 6 to 18 free; Walters Art Museum in Baltimore will put on view 26 disbounded pages from Medieval Picture Bible; 2002 Whiting Writers' Awards are presented; YMCA of Greater New York, celebrating its 150th anniversary, is restoring mural in Harlem YMCA by Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas; photos (M)
Japanese government unveils proposals to revive nation's ailing financial system by calling on banks to purge half of their bad loans over next two years; several economists say package it little more than vague and watered-down version of tougher plan blocked last week by bankers, bureaucrats and parliamentarians; Bank of Japan increases its purchase of government bonds by 20 percent, to about $10 billion per month; new expansion of money supply is aimed at countering deflation in Japan, where prices have dropped for 37 consecutive months (M)
Making Books article on new books by children of leaders and foot soldiers of American civil rights movement; Dexter Scott King's book, Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir, written with Ralph Wiley, will be published in January; sister, Yolanda King, is working on Content of My Character; Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, has written Growing Up X; other books by Donzaleigh Abernathy and Patricia Stephens Due and daughter Tananarive Due noted; photos (M)
States and universities are increasingly helping students who were once too well off to qualify, in hope that brighter students will attend state schools and out of recognition that college costs are so high that nearly everyone is feeling strain; since Georgia instituted its merit scholarships in 1993, at least 11 states have followed its lead; more than 5 percent of highest-income families got state grants in 2000, and university grants to highest-income students grew twice as fast as awards to lowest-income students in same period; one result is that wealthier families are able to buy cars for their college-bound children with money they would have spent on tuition; growth of awards based solely on merit has fueled national debate over very meaning of scholarships, and who should get them; civil rights groups are trying to challenge new scholarships in court; but state awards programs have become so popular that Tom Golisano, Independence Party candidate for governor of New York, has made them centerpiece of his campaign; photo (M)
Pinault-Printemps-RedoutÂŞ
Foreign banks are bidding for South Korean government's 80 percent stake in Chohung Bank; front-runner appears to be South Korea's Shinhan Financial Holding; Korea First Bank says it still wants to acquire Chohung and has financial capacity; Chohung is valued at more than $2 billion (M)1
Jon Pareles reviews Betty Nansen Theater of Copenhagen production of Georg Buchner play Woyzeck, directed by Robert Wilson with music and lyrics by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan; photo (M)