TIME EUROPE
October 2, 2000, Vol. 156 No. 14
World Watch
Get the World Watch newsletter by email! Click Here!
South Antrim
A fresh crisis gripped the Northern Ireland peace process with an election victory by the Democratic Unionist Party, staunch opponent of 1998 Good Friday agreement. The d.u.p., led by the fiery Rev. Ian Paisley, rode a Protestant backlash against the accord to snatch a seat in Britain's Parliament, which had long been a stronghold of their rivals in the pro-agreement Ulster Unionist Party (u.u.p.). The win threatened to undermine First Minister David Trimble's leadership of the u.u.p. and paralyze negotiations over policing and the decommissioning of weapons.
London
A small missile struck the headquarters of Britain's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, causing minimal damage but creating commuter chaos as police sealed off roads and temporarily halted Eurostar train service. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion focused on the Real i.r.a, a splinter group opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process. Police found part of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher in a park near the landmark building on the River Thames.
Frankfurt
The European Central Bank intervened for the first time to boost the value of its fledgling currency, the euro. The U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan joined with the E.C.B. to buy euros with dollars and yen, catching foreign exchange traders off guard. Although the euro rose several U.S. cents after the central banks entered the market, foreign exchange analysts could not agree on whether the currency, which had lost more than 27% of its value since its debut in January 1999, would now stabilize.
Belgrade
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and his rival Vojislav Kostunica ended their campaign for the Yugoslav federal election in an atmosphere saturated with threats and accusations of vote rigging. Polls showed that Kostunica had a considerable lead over Milosevic, despite the government's systematic harrassment of opposition activities and Kostunica's almost total lack of access to the broadcast media throughout the campaign.
Abidjan
Troops loyal to Ivory Coast's military ruler General Robert Gueï arrested at least 14 soldiers they claimed were involved in an assassination attempt on the junta leader. Gueï said that a small group of soldiers had attacked his home but had been repelled. Security forces searched the home of the government's second-in-command, General Lassana Palenfo, and authorities banned political rallies until shortly before the Oct 22 presidential elections.
Cape Town
South African President Thabo Mbeki sought to clarify his position on aids, saying the government's program to combat the disease acknowledged a link between HIV and AIDS. Addressing Parliament in response to mounting criticism of the government's AIDS policy, Mbeki said he stood by his view that the HIV virus was not the sole cause of AIDS. "But I have no problem that this virus contributes to the collapse of the immune system," he said. His comments supported a document drawn up by the a.n.c.'s health committee and came after criticism from the country's powerful trade union federation cosatu, the Human Rights Commission, the Treatment Action Campaign and the Anglican Church.
Amman
A military court sentenced six men to death for planning attacks against Israeli and U.S. targets during millennium celebrations in the Jordanian capital. Four of the defendants remain at large and were tried in absentia. The three-man State Security Council acquitted six others and imposed prison terms ranging from seven-and-a-half years to life on another 16 defendants. The court cleared the 28 men of charges of belonging to an illegal organization linked to Saudi militant Osama bin Laden. Defense lawyers said they would appeal the verdicts.
Baghdad
A private plane carrying some 80 doctors, artists and activists contravened the international embargo on Iraq by flying to Baghdad. The group intended to distribute medicines and participate in cultural or sporting activities. Britain and the U.S. said the flight violated United Nations sanctions, while France maintained the embargo applied to freight and commercial flights only. The venture was organized by a French anti-embargo group, the Council for Development and Cooperation. A Russian company recently sent a plane carrying 11 oil experts and five tons of medicine to Baghdad with permission from the U.N. sanctions commitee.
Shiraz
An appeals court reduced the prison sentences of 10 Iranian Jews convicted in July of spying for Israel in proceedings criticized by Western governments as unfair. The court overturned two of the three charges on which the defendants had originally been sentenced, but upheld the charge of collaboration with Israel. Their prison sentences were reduced from a range of four to 13 years to terms of two to nine years. The defense team intends to lodge a final appeal to the national supreme court.
Islamabad
A bomb ripped through a crowded market on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital, killing 16 people and wounding at least 80. The explosion was the deadliest of more than three dozen that have occurred this year in major Pakistani cities. Two days after the attack, a previously unknown group, the Hindu Sena Rashtriya Sang Party, claimed responsibility in a phone call to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. The bomb was believed to have been hidden in a crate of grapes delivered by truck from the Afghan border.
Calcutta
As many as 10 million people fled their homes after torrential monsoon rains caused massive flooding in eastern India. The state of West Bengal called out army helicopters to drop food and soldiers equipped with boats to rescue tens of thousands of people sheltering on trains and at railway staions. In Cambodia, the Red Cross issued an urgent appeal for aid to assist more than 4 million people affected by severe flooding along the Mekong River. Early rains swept 235 people to their deaths as areas of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand were hit by the worst floods in 30 years.
Jakarta
Indonesian authorities detained six suspects and set out a timetable for the disarmament of militia groups said to be responsible for the recent killings of three U.N. relief workers in East Timor. But Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono refused to accept a U.N. Security Council mission to the territory to monitor the progress of investigations. Officials said those arrested, including another seven held in connection with the death of a militia leader, might include rogue elements of the military. The government gave pro-Jakarta militia groups until Sept. 24 to give up their weapons, after which they would be forcibly disarmed.
Jolo
Two French journalists escaped their captors during a military operation to rescue hostages held by separatist group Abu Sayyaf. An American hostage asked that Philippine soldiers halt their attack, which he said was causing civilian casualties. Jeffrey Schilling issued a telephone plea that Manila end the miltary operation to free him and 16 remaining Malaysian and Philippine hostages.
Washington
The U.S. Senate gave final approval to a bill granting permanent normal trade relations with China. Passage of the legislation will bring to an end the 20-year-old annual review of China's trade status and guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to U.S. markets as products from most other countries. In return, and following China's now likely accession to the Word Trade Organization, U.S. businesses expect to gain vastly increased access to China's markets. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi described the overwhelming 83-15 Senate vote as "conducive to creating a long-term and stable environment for Sino-U.S. economic and trade cooperation."
Lima
Peru's military leaders said they would continue to back President Fujimori, ending speculation that a coup may follow his announcement to step down next year. The President's surprise decision to call elections and end his 10-year rule came after intelligence chief Vlamiro Montesinos was caught attempting to bribe an opposition congressman. Army and police chiefs said they stood by Fujimori and supported his intention to dismantle the intelligence service.
This edition's table of contents
TIME Europe home
More stories from TIME Europe and related links
E-mail us at mail@timeatlantic.com
|
|
|
|
October 2, 2000
EUROPE
To the Last Drop
As blockades threaten to clog still more of the Continent's arteries, European politicians are starting to feel the pain
A Rationale for Murder
Police arrest 36 people suspected of links to the Basque separatist movement ETA, but triumph is overshadowed by more violence
Terrorism
License to kill
MIDDLE EAST
Shalom to All That Gravity
TIME's Jerusalem bureau chief bids farewell to Israel, a land burdened by its history and lightened by its humanity
New Blood to Shed
A rising generation of young Palestinians rallies to fan the flames of opposition to Israeli occupation
OLYMPICS
Europe's Grabbing the Gold
No amount of Yankee brashness and Aussie hometown hype could steal the thunder of the Continent's swimming sensations
Olympic Innovations
When still waters run fast
FINANCE
Doing Well By Doing Good
After a tumultuous first decade, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development searches for new approaches to fulfill its conflicting mandates
Paying the Price
For most of the '90s Czech governments delayed the necessary restructuring of the country's banking system. Now the bill has come due
A League of Their Own
German women — and some financial firms — have learned that investing is not necessarily man's work
THE ARTS
The Girls' Night Out
The dominant theme at Toronto's festival was women's problems and glories — and frequent superiority to men
DEPARTMENTS
On Your Own Time
Sophia Antipolis, France
World Watch
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
E-mail us at mail@timeatlantic.com
|
|
