TIME EUROPE
June 26, 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 25
World Watch
Berlin
Closure of Germany's nuclear power plants had been a key demand of the Green Party in return for its support in parliament for Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats. But the timetable of the compromise agreement Schröder reached last week with the utility companies was not quick enough for the Greens. Under the deal, nuclear power plants will be shut down after about 32 years of service. A complicated formula measuring output means that some plants may stay open longer. Although Schröder hailed the agreement, some Green Party members were unhappy that nuclear plants will have no fixed time to end production.
Budva
A group of Serbian assassins were arrested in Montenegro after a failed attempt on the life of Vuk Draskovic, Serbia's chief opposition leader. Draskovic was attacked by a burst of automatic weapon fire while he watched television in his Budva apartment, but the bullets only grazed his head. He was released from the hospital hours later. It was the second assassination attempt against Draskovic since October. The incident is likely to increase tensions between the pro-Western government of Montenegro and the hardline regime of Slobodan Milosevic.
Istanbul
After 19 years in an Italian prison, Mehmet Ali Agca — the man who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981 — was deported to his native Turkey. Agca, now 42, was a member of a neo-fascist gang who escaped from jail in 1979 while awaiting trial for his part in the slaying of Abdi Ipekci, a liberal-thinking newspaper editor. Agca described his return home "as a dream come true" but must now serve at least some of his remaining 10-year sentence for the Ipekci murder in an Istanbul prison.
Damascus
After the funeral of his father, Hafez Al-Assad, Bashar Al-Assad was appointed commander in chief of the Syrian armed forces last week, in preparation for the parliament's approval of his nomination for President. The transition raised new questions for the region, but Syrian officials have said their relations with Lebanon will not change, and Bashar informed U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that his father's policies toward Israel will remain in place.
Jerusalem
Prime Minister Ehud Barak's shaky governing coalition was rocked further when the ultra-orthodox party Shas, the second-largest member, announced it would quit this week if its demands were not met. In addition to seeking a financial bailout and greater independence for its scandal-plagued school system, Shas wants legitimacy for its pirate radio stations and a greater say in social issues and the peace process. The upheaval in domestic politics could derail talks in Washington between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on a final, comprehensive peace deal.
Addis Ababa
Both Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to an Organization of African Unity peace deal to end their two-year border war. The deal calls for a cease-fire and the establishment of a 25-km-wide buffer zone between the two countries' forces, monitored by about 2,000 United Nations peacekeepers. But even as peace moved closer, fighting continued around the western town of Teseney. The war between the drought-stricken Horn of Africa neighbors has displaced some 1 million Eritreans, left tens of thousands dead and cost each country an estimated $1 million a day.
Kisangani
Rwanda and Uganda agreed to end their battle in the diamond-rich city of Kisangani, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and resume withdrawing troops as earlier agreed. Heavy fighting broke out two weeks ago between the armies of the two countries, former allies in the war against Congolese President Laurent Kabila. Aid groups in the city said that the fighting had killed hundreds of civilians. Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked the Security Council to consider using military force to compel all foreign troops to withdraw from the D.R.C.
Cape Town
Facing a judicial commission of inquiry, former South African national cricket captain Hansie Cronje admitted receiving almost $100,000 for giving match information to bookmakers over the past five years. A shattered and shamefaced Cronje apologised to his colleagues and countrymen for his involvement in the betting scandal but denied manipulating matches despite being asked to do so several times by Indian bookmakers. Once a national sporting hero, Cronje could face prosecution for corruption in South Africa if the commission refuses him indemnity.
Itanangar
While the monsoon is crucial for South Asia's crop production, it also brings floods and destruction. Soon after the rains hit the subcontinent last week, at least 20 people died in flash floods in northeastern India. The Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh state suddenly went into spate, washing away bridges and roads and marooning more than 10,000 villagers. Officials say the flash floods entered the Siang from its source in Tibet, where they suspect a dam may have collapsed.
Pyongyang
At an unprecedented summit, the leaders of North and South Korea signed a landmark agreement aimed at easing tensions on the long-divided peninsula. North Korea's Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Kim Dae Jung agreed to start reuniting families parted by the Korean War by Aug. 15. They also pledged to boost economic ties, a step that could help the North rebuild its shattered economy. The North Korean leader agreed to visit Seoul "at the earliest appropriate date." Similar agreements have fallen apart in the past, but analysts are cautiously optimistic that this could be the real thing.
Suva
After a standoff lasting more than a week, talks resumed between Fiji's military government and the gang that deposed the previous government and has held 30 M.P.s hostage since May 19. Coup leader George Speight wants the military to let the Great Council of Chiefs, a forum for the indigenous Fijian aristocracy, choose a new civilian government, which he argues should include himself and some of his backers. The chiefs and the military have already agreed to scrap the three-year-old constitution, which gave equal political rights to the country's ethnic-Indian minority. Late last week the military agreed to install some of Speight's nominees as ministers in an interim government.
Honiara
Nine days after armed rebels placed him under house arrest, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu resigned. Ulufa'alu said he was resigning under pressure from the Malaitan Eagle Force militias who captured him, "in the hope that it will pave the way for a lasting solution." Guadalcanal, the largest of the Solomons' several hundred islands, has been racked by fighting since late 1998, when landowners around the capital, Honiara, tried to drive out Malaitan settlers. The mef now controls the capital, while the Isatabu Freedom Movement holds the rest of Guadalcanal.
New York
Using pictures taken from home videos, police identified and arrested 10 men who they believe were involved in attacks on 16 women in Central Park during a weekend Puerto Rican Day parade. Witnesses claim that on the day of the parade police, fearful of a racial confrontation, stood idly by as large groups of men surrounded women, groped them, tore their clothes and, in some cases, robbed them. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani admitted that "there are questions about some cops not responding correctly. If caught, they will be significantly punished for it."
Washington
On May 7, when forest fires threatened Los Alamos National Laboratory, America's nuclear weapons research facility, officials sent to check a security vault found that two computer hard drives, about the size of a deck of cards, containing codes and data on how to disarm nuclear weapons in emergencies, were missing. A more extensive search of the secure facility last week turned up two hard drives, but officials could offer no guarantee of their authenticity, nor explanation of the disappearance. In the meantime, the FBI had opened an investigation and six employees of the laboratory were suspended from their jobs.
Santiago
Chilean Armed Forces and human rights groups last week reached a long-awaited agreement aimed at shedding light on the fate of the estimated 1,100 people who were detained or disappeared after General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte's coup in 1973. The Army agreed to seek information and give it to the government, provided that sources from its ranks remain anonymous, and that those found guilty be absolved. All Chilean political forces praised the agreement.
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June 26, 2000
COVER
The Redesigning of America
High style isn't highbrow. In fact, it's everywhere, for everyone, in everything from can openers to CD racks to cars
EUROPE
The Big Chill
The arrest of one of Russia's most outspoken media moguls casts doubt on Putin's promised "rule of law"
Wit That Hits Home
Puppet on a short string
Identity Crisis
Greek church and state clash as new ID cards drop religious affiliation
Tell — But Don't Show
A new law will change the look of French journalism
AFRICA
"Whatever I Do, It Will Never Be Good Enough"
An interview with King Mohammed VI of Morocco
The Warm Embrace
Europe is showing signs that it's keen to better its often uneasy relations with the Maghreb nations
MIDDLE EAST
Chance for the Son To Shine
Syria's Bashar Assad can better his father's miserable legacy
BUSINESS
The Missing Link
A $4 billion engineering feat fulfils a century-old dream of joining Sweden and Denmark — and business is set to boom
Workers of the World, Speak Up
At last, people on the factory floor have entered the globalism debate
TRENDS
Wheelie Good Fun
Shiny, compact and cool, scooters have become Europe's ubiquitous accessory
THE ARTS
The Talented Mr. Ridley
Gladiator director Ridley Scott, enjoying a long-awaited thumbs-up from the crowds, talks about life, death — and why filmmaking is a blood sport
Déjà View
Some leading contemporary artists offer a fresh take on the old masters
Too Many Variations
A fine performance by Donald Sutherland can't save a flawed work
Irreconcilable Differences
Twins recount their lives on opposite sides of war
DEPARTMENTS
World Watch
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