TIME EUROPE
September 18, 2000, Vol. 156 No. 12
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London
Prime Minister Tony Blair faced his toughest political test yet as protests gripped Britain, slowing distribution of gasoline and diesel fuel to a trickle. Military vehicles were ordered to stand by near oil depots to guarantee emergency services. Panic buying stripped supermarket shelves. Protesting farmers and truckers agreed to end their standoff before the public, at first supportive, soured as the strike began to cause serious problems in the economy and in daily life. Gasoline retailers said it would be weeks before supplies were back to normal. Protests against the rising price of fuel also spread to Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain.
Madrid
French and Spanish police dealt a severe blow to the political structure of the Basque separatist movement eta with the capture in France of its suspected leader, Ignacio Gracia Arregui, two days after the arrests of 20 other alleged leaders in raids across the Basque Country, the province of Navarre and in Madrid. Gracia Arregui is alleged to have ordered an assassination attempt on King Juan Carlos in 1995. On Saturday, shortly before a visit to the Basque town of Hernani by the King, Prime Minister José María Aznar and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, police discovered eight grenades in the woods nearby. Spanish officials say eta is responsible for the killings of 12 people since January, when the organization broke a 14-month cease-fire.
Mitrovica
In the first serious outbreak of violence in Yugoslavia's federal election campaign, supporters of Serb President Slobodan Milosevic forced his main challenger, Vojislav Kostunica, to abandon a campaign rally in Kosovo. In near-riot scenes, demonstrators pelted Kostunica, a university professor, and his convoy with stones, eggs and fruit. In Macedonia, local elections were marred by five shootings, 20 arrests and widespread voter intimidation, according to international monitors. Results of the first round showed the Socialist opposition running neck-and-neck with Prime Minister Ljubco Georgevski, who vowed to call early national elections if his reformist coalition loses by more than 10 percentage points in the final round of voting on Sept. 24.
Jerusalem
As the date for the declaration of Palestinian statehood passed, tensions rose between Israel's 1 million Arab citizens and the government of Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In Galilee, a leading Arab parliamentarian was put under investigation for allegedly inciting Arabs to riot. Police also arrested 41 Islamists they said had formed a terrorist cell. In Nazareth, Israeli Arabs went on strike to protest lack of police protection. Prime Minister Barak needs the 10 parliamentary seats held by Arab parties to bolster his coalition, but the Arab community has threatened to bring down Barak's government if he doesn't aid local residents.
Freetown
Britain's Ministry of Defence said the commanding officer of a British Army patrol kidnapped in Sierra Leone three weeks ago made "an error of professional judgment" by taking his men into territory controlled by a local militia. British troops freed seven remaining hostages held by a dissident group, the West Side Boys. One rescuer and 25 militia members died in fighting during the action. Britain said its troops would stay in Sierra Leone, and the United Nations promised to send 7,000 more troops to bolster its peacekeeping force there.
Cape Town
South African President Thabo Mbeki described a spate of bomb attacks as "open terrorism" after the ninth bomb blast in the city this year injured seven people. Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel narrowly escaped injury in the latest blast, which followed a string of attacks including the killing of a leading magistrate in a drive-by shooting. Security Minister Steve Tshwete said police would act decisively against Muslim extremists, whom he held responsible for what he called an Algerian-style terror campaign.
Rangoon
Burma's military authorities lifted restrictions confining opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to her home. They allowed diplomats and senior members of her party to visit Suu Kyi at the house where she had been under virtual arrest for two weeks. Authorities announced the lifting of the ban on opposition party movements at a meeting with National League for Democracy chairman, U Aung Shwe. Suu Kyi said she planned to test the ruling by traveling outside the capital in the next 10 days.
Jakarta
Indonesia's President ordered the arrest of former President Suharto's son Tommy in connection with an explosion at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building that left 15 people dead and dozens injured. The blast came a day before Suharto was scheduled to appear in court on corruption charges. Violent protests followed his failure to attend the reopening of the trial, now set to resume on Sept. 28. Police confirmed that plastic explosives had been planted in the parking garage of Jakarta's high-rise Stock Exchange building, located in the heart of the capital's business district. Authorities said nine people were being questioned about the blast, the third to hit the capital in two months.
Xiamen
China executed a senior parliamentary official convicted of taking $5 million in bribes in the country's biggest corruption trials in 50 years. National legislature vice chairman Cheng Kejie was one of up to 200 government officials said to have been involved in a multibillion-dollar smuggling scandal. Trials now under way in four cities of Fujian province have been shrouded in secrecy, but the proceedings are seen as a test of the government's promise that no official, however senior, is above the law.
Jolo
Government troops launched ground, sea and air attacks against Abu Sayyaf rebel bases on this southern Philippine island, causing heavy casualties. Since April the Muslim rebels have been on a kidnapping spree that has resulted in scores of people being taken captive and often held for months. The Abu Sayyaf group has reportedly netted millions of dollars in ransom paid by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. But just as one group of hostages was released, another would be snatched. The latest raid, in which three Malaysians were taken from an island off Borneo, may have been the last straw. President Joseph Estrada said in a televised national address, "Enough is enough."
Melbourne
Thousands of demonstrators besieged the city's Crown Casino to demonstrate against the World Economic Forum's Asia Pacific Economic Summit. The three-day gathering attracted 800 local and international participants, many of whom were prevented by protester blockades from attending the summit's opening day. The largely peaceful demonstration against globalization was marred by 19 arrests and several violent clashes, in which 51 police, 40 protesters and two casino staff members were injured. Some delegates were ferried by helicopter or police boat to the riverside casino, which estimated its losses over the three days at more than $5 million.
Selma
Residents of this Alabama city, a key site during the U.S. civil rights movement, celebrated the election of its first black mayor, businessman James Perkins. Voters turned out in record numbers to elect Perkins to replace Joe Smitherman. A one-time segregationist, Smitherman had served as mayor of the city, which has a population of 24,000, for 36 years. "It's time to put the Civil War and civil rights history into a museum," Perkins told cheering supporters. "I will be a mayor for all of Selma."
Washington
The U.S. government banned Japan from fishing in American waters and threatened economic sanctions if Tokyo resumed hunting two endangered species of whale. The announcement followed Japan's decision to hunt Bryde's and Sperm whales, protected by U.S. law. Japan called the U.S. move "deplorable" and said it would take action under international law if the recommendation was carried through. President Clinton has 60 days to consider whether to impose trade sanctions.
Lima
Opposition parties called for President Alberto Fujimori's resignation after a video showed presidential adviser Vladimiro Montesinos attempting to bribe a Congressman by handing him a wad of dollar bills. Montesinos was said to have handed over $15,000 to the politician to persuade him to switch support to the ruling party.
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September 25, 2000
COVER STORY
Running on Empty
Protests against rising fuel costs should be a wake-up call for European governments that have lost touch with their electorates
Let Them Ride Bikes
European motorists are fed up with ever-higher fuel taxes
EUROPE
Radical Czechs
As thousands of antiglobalization protesters prepare to take to the streets, Prague braces for the worst
The Police
Can cops in Prague keep their cool?
MIDDLE EAST
Miracle Makers
Israel's Shas Party is tapping into mysticism to give its politics more potency
OLYMPICS
The Real Australia
Americans know a lot about the place, most of it wrong. Our art critic evokes its true glories and flaws as only a native son can
DEPARTMENTS
Techwatch
World Watch
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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