By

aris

Following the example of striking Air France pilots, thousands of rail and utility workers walked off the job over salary complaints. The pilots' action--protesting a proposed 15% cut in salaries ranging from $58,000 to as high as $200,000--drastically reduced air traffic into France as well as on domestic flights. A one-day protest by workers at the state rail company seriously interrupted train traffic and heightened worries that travel within the country may grind to a halt if disruptions continue until World Cup play starts on June 10. Additional stoppages--by airport employees, workers for the state electric company and Paris Metro staff--heightened concern that notoriously ruthless French labor interests may take the Cup hostage. The likelihood that the Air France strike would seriously impede movement of the 2.5 million spectators following World Cup play increased at week's end, as both sides called a halt to unproductive negotiations.

Rome

The Parliamentary Commission for Constitutional Reforms has called it quits after more than a year spent drafting a plan to overhaul Italy's cumbersome 1948 constitution. Work at the commission came to an end when Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party withdrew its support for a reform of presidential powers. Forza Italia is the biggest party in the center-right opposition. "The country is losing credibility in the eyes of our partners and foreign observers," complained Interior Minister Giorgio Napolitano. The Parliamentary Commission is expected to declare failure officially on June 10. The head of the group, Democratic Left leader Massimo D'Alema, said it would take a miracle to salvage the reform process.

Ankara

Turkish outrage grew over a brief sentence passed unanimously by the French National Assembly saying that "France publicly recognizes the 1915 Armenian genocide." The bill still awaits a vote in the Senate, but Turkish President Suleyman Demirel has already called it "a distortion of history." Turkey denies that the deaths of some 1.5 million Armenians (Ankara claims only 300,000 died) was genocidal and the city of Izmir reportedly moved to bar French firms from bidding for a construction project. Speaking for some of the estimated 55,000 Armenians still living in Turkey, Mesrob Mutafyan, acting Patriarch, said "Even the Armenians here are angry."

George

Ex-President P.W. Botha's battle with South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission continued with Botha's resumed trial for refusing to testify before the Commission on his role as head of the State Security Councilwhich authorised security operations against the outlawed African National Congress. Botha listened impassively as Eugene de Kock, a former security police colonel, serving a 212-year sentence for murders and other crimes committed while he was a "hit-squad" commander, said Botha had ordered the 1987 bombing of Khotso House, the headquarters of the South African Council of Churches. Denying that the trial was a witch-huntagainst the 82 year old Botha, T.R.C. Chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu said the commission wanted only to determine to what degree Botha, and others who carried out the the government's apartheid policies, were involved in "gross human rights violations."

Asmara

Ethiopia and Eritrea seemed headed for all-out war as Ethiopian planes twice bombed an air base in the Eritrean capital. Troops had already exchanged fire over the disputed border. Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi and Eritrea's Prime Minister Isaias Afwerki were allies against dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam who fell in 1991, two years before the breakaway province gained its independence from Ethiopia. But relations between the two countries frayed in a trade war triggered by Eritrea's introduction of its own currency last November. On Thursday Zenawi agreed to a peace proposal offered by the U.S. and Rwanda, but the bombings led to fears that the two battle-hardened armies could soon be fully mobilized against each other. The U.S. ordered all government dependents to leave and "strongly advised" Americans to either leave or stay away.

Faizabad

An estimated 5,000 people were killed in Afghanistan after an earthquake struck a remote northern region that had been hit by another quake last February. Aid workers struggled throughout the week to bring much needed supplies to hundreds of hard-to-reach villages destroyed by the quake, which measured 7 on the Richter scale. Though helicopters were able to lift food and medical supplies to some of the surviving families, it is expected that several thousand tons of food are needed to tide over about 100 damaged villages until the summer harvest.

Beijing

The Chinese government's tolerance of dissent was tested both in Hong Kong and in the capital on the ninth anniversary of the June 4 crackdown in Tiananmen Square. The first commemoration in Hong Kong since the former British colony was returned to mainland sovereignty last July saw some 40,000 people gather for a candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the massacre. In Beijing, Bao Tong, a 65-year-old former party official released last week after almost eight years in prison, promptly called upon China's leaders to democratize and accept blame for the events in Tiananmen. Bao was then ordered by police not to speak to foreign reporters.

Los Angeles

California voters chose a career politician over two less experienced millionaire rivals in the Democratic primary for governor. Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis won the nomination easily, beating an airline tycoon and a U.S. representative who together spent as much as $45 million--much of it from personal funds--against his $12 million. Davis will face Republican state Attorney General Dan Lungren in November. California also overwhelmingly rejected bilingual education, a feature of state schools for 30 years. More than 60% of voters, including sizable numbers of Hispanics, agreed to limit English lessons to one year for the 1.4 million students who are not fluent. Opponents promised to appeal.

Washington

A new report from the U.S. State Department shows how Nazi Germany was able to buy material vital to sustain its war machine from neutral countries--Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey--with Swiss francs derived from looted gold. Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Turkey, according to the study, received more than $300 million ($2.6 billion in today's value) in Nazi gold during the war, three-quarters of it through the Swiss National Bank. In exchange, Turkey is said to have supplied up to 100% of chromate, used in hardening steel to make armor. Spain and Portugal together contributed a comparable amount of wolfram, another steel hardening substance. Sweden provided up to 100% of Germany's iron ore needs. The countries involved responded coolly, with an outright rejection of the claims from Spain. The Swiss central bank said that it would not join negotiations to compensate Holocaust survivors for gold deposited with it.

Bogota

In a tight race to choose a successor to embattled Colombian President Ernesto Samper, Horacio Serpa, the ruling Liberal Party's candidate came from behind to gain 34.6% of the vote, a whisker ahead of the opposition Conservative Party's Andres Pastrana. Although only these two will contest a runoff on June 21, independent candidate Noemi Sanin--who campaigned against corruption and sought to break the traditional parties' hold on power--made a surprisingly strong showing with 27% of the vote. That result made her a serious political force and indicated public disenchantment with the prevailing political culture. President Samper has said that, because of death threats against him, he plans to leave Colombia after the inauguration of his successor.

Ottawa

Canada's Supreme Court ruled that a Sri Lankan should be granted a hearing by a refugee board despite his being a convicted drug trafficker. Veluppillai Pushpanathan--who spent eight years in Canadian jails for heroin trafficking in the 1980s--appealed to the Court after a refugee board rejected his application because he "was guilty of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations." The Court ruled that Pushpanathan has a right to a hearing because his crimes are not a sustained violation of human rights. It is the first time a high court in any country has ruled on what counts in a refugee case as an act contrary to U.N. principles. The ruling doesn't guarantee Pushpanathan asylum, and even if his claim is successful he can be deported because of his criminal record.