World Watch

Sunday, Feb. 16, 2003 By ROBIN BANERJI

CHECK-IN: British armored patrols near Heathrow Airport

IAN WALDIE/GETTY IMAGES

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EUROPE
States of High Anxiety
Alert, not alarmed," may be the mantra of certain Western governments, but for their citizens, it's becoming increasingly difficult to stay calm amid ominous warnings, massing police and arrests in the U.K. and Germany.

In the U.S. the terrorism- alert level remained at "orange" — the second-highest — and warnings of possible al-Qaeda attacks sent people on panicky shopping runs to assemble survival kits — and purchase plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal windows in case of a chemical attack.

Most European nations don't color-code their anxiety, but the threat is just as palpable. Last week in the U.K., troops, tanks, a Nimrod surveillance plane and scores of extra police were deployed around several big airports. The show of force was reportedly in response to intelligence that al-Qaeda operatives were planning to shoot down a passenger jet with a surface-to-air missile. Scotland Yard pondered that possibility years ago, when it feared the I.R.A. would get its hands on a sam-7 missile. One way to counter such an attack: identify likely firing points along the flight paths. Says Garth Whitty, homeland-security expert at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies: "It's not impossible to ... determine what positions people would need to use and have them covered."

The sweeps that followed last week's alarm led to nine arrests and the temporary closure of two of London's major airport terminals: on Thursday, thousands of people were evacuated from London Gatwick's North Terminal after a live hand grenade was found in the luggage of a 37-year-old man arriving from South America and traveling on a Venezuelan passport. The man was detained under the Terrorism Act. On Friday, London Heathrow's Terminal 2 was closed for 90 minutes due to a "suspicious package," which was later declared harmless. Police also arrested six men near Heathrow under suspicion of terrorist activity. Two more men were arrested near Leeds Bradford Airport in northern England. They were all released, although five of them were then turned over to the Immigration Service. In Germany, four men were taken into custody after police in five cities raided 11 separate facilities believed to be connected with Islamist terror organizations. The men were later freed; the general sense of alarm continues. — By Jennie James/London. With reporting by Helen Gibson/ London and Steve Zwick/Cologne

SOUTH AMERICA
A Tax Revolt Rips Bolivia
The presidency of Gonzalo "Goni" Sánchez de Lozada was in peril after botched efforts to introduce a new income tax ended in bloodshed and destruction. Sánchez initiated the new tax scheme to reduce Bolivia's soaring deficit, which rose to 8.6% of GDP last year, as required by the International Monetary Fund. But the national police went on strike after he rescinded a promised raise, leaving cities unprotected. Mobs were soon on a rampage of looting and burning. The capital, La Paz, erupted last Wednesday after the military exchanged tear gas and bullets with striking police. Public buildings, including the Vice President's offices, shops, restaurants and cars were ransacked and burned. In desperation, the government deployed sharpshooters onto rooftops to dispel looters. Witnesses claimed that a young nurse, Ana Colque, was shot deliberately as she tended to the wounded. Armored vehicles were rolled out to restore order as the death toll mounted to at least 27, while many more suffered serious bullet wounds. Some police eventually returned to duty and began arresting looters. At a mass rally, opposition leader Evo Morales called for the President's resignation — Morales may not have long to wait. — By Philip Withers Green/La Paz

KOREA
Missile Diplomacy
The U.S. says it won't attack North Korea, despite that country's nuclear saber rattling. One thing could change that: if North Korea began reprocessing plutonium for weapons. So when the North Koreans fired up a steam plant that powers the reprocessing operation at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, the analysts got busy. Does North Korea plan to reactivate the plant, or is it sending up yet another flare to get Washington's attention? If the latter, it doesn't seem to be working. With U.S. support, the International Atomic Energy Agency voted to kick the crisis up to the U.N. Security Council, which could impose sanctions — an act of war, North Korea has said. Such an action isn't imminent. And going to the Security Council could provide cover for the U.S. to negotiate, but that doesn't seem likely, given Washington's refusal to engage in direct talks. So North Korea may well try a new attention-getter, such as test-firing a missile. CIA chief George Tenet said last week that North Korea may be able to hit California with a nuclear payload, though such a missile hasn't been seen. The U.S. may be hoping North Korea's neighbors can negotiate a stand down. But that cause didn't get much help from Japan, whose Defense Minister suggested Tokyo would launch a pre-emptive strike if it thought a North Korean missile was coming its way. — By Donald Macintyre/Seoul

BELGIUM
A Trial for Sharon
A decision by the Supreme Court increases the chance of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon being tried in absentia for war crimes once he leaves office. Sharon was Israel's Defense Minister during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, when Christian Phalangist fighters allied to Israel killed between 800 and 2,000 Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps in Beirut. Israel responded to the landmark ruling by recalling its ambassador from Belgium.

MIDDLE EAST
Aid Starved
A million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip face hunger within "weeks," said Peter Hansen of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. Donor countries are holding back funds designated for feeding programs in case the money will be needed in Iraq. Hansen said that letting the Palestinians go hungry will lead only to rising tensions in an area that hardly needs any.

LIBERIA
Double Trouble
As rebels for the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy movement seized Robertsport, near the capital Monrovia, refugees from the troubled country came under increased threat in nearby Ivory Coast, itself convulsed by revolution. The U.N. refugee agency said that up to 40,000 Liberians were in danger of being massacred after Ivorian security forces burned them out of their homes. The U.N. called for international help after West African leaders refused to take in the refugees.

CONGO
Ebola Breakout
The densely forested Cuvette-Ouest region was put under quarantine as deaths from Ebola mounted to at least 51. The virus causes internal bleeding and is usually fatal. Officials believe people contracted Ebola by eating infected gorillas. Health authorities in neighboring Gabon, which had an outbreak of the disease a year ago, sent health teams to areas near Congo. The government has warned people not to touch animals found dead in forests.

IRAN
We're Nuclear, Too
While the U.S. Administration obsessed about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and North Korea, the third member of President Bush's "axis of evil" dropped its own bombshell. President Mohammed Khatami announced that, following the discovery of uranium in his country, Iran was ready to produce nuclear energy for civilian use, without foreign help. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Washington was concerned that Iran's nuclear energy program was "a pretext for advancing a nuclear weapons program." But Iran has asked Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to inspect its facilities during a visit scheduled for later this month.

PHILIPPINES
Counterstrike
Heavy fighting broke out on the southern island of Mindanao as at least 2,000 soldiers backed by tanks, artillery and planes advanced on positions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The army claimed to have captured the rebel stronghold of Kabasalan and killed at least 60 rebels. The figures could not be confirmed. The army says the attack targeted kidnappers, known as the Pentagon Gang, who are being harbored by the MILF. The rebels vowed to keep fighting until the army withdraws to its earlier positions.

FOR THE RECORD
Accra
Ivory Coast government and rebel representatives met for talks in neighboring Ghana to try to revive a peace deal and prevent the five-month-old civil war from reigniting. Mina Fourteen Muslim pilgrims were crushed to death during a stampede at a notorious bottleneck during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Orissa
India successfully conducted the first naval launch of its Brahmos cruise missile. The test follows a recent diplomatic row with nuclear neighbor and sparring partner Pakistan.

Ramallah
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat bowed to U.S. pressure and agreed to share power with a prime minister. He did not name anyone to the post.

Guangzhou
In south China, a pneumonia-like virus killed at least six and infected 300 others, causing panic-buying of medicines and face masks, below.

MEANWHILE
Going for Bust
Perhaps it's not the most pressing public health issue, but the Thai health ministry wants to encourage women to enlarge their breasts by exercise rather than plastic surgery. And how better to do that than to get a group of women to massage themselves on a busy Bangkok street last week? The point? To prove women could have excellent bodies without surgery, said one official. More demos are planned.