Weaver's News Spin

July 1999

A review of events and their interpretation. 

Northern Ireland (2nd) A tentative agreement in Northern Ireland ends the deadlock in the peace process. The IRA will disarm in the near future, and Sinn Fein will be allowed to take its seats in the provicial cabinet. This follows almost a week of non-stop negotiations at Stormont Castle. (4th) The annual confrontation at Drumcree doesn't take place. Orangemen, unable to take their traditional route back from church through a Catholic area, hand a note of protest to the police, then disperse. (12th) British security forces made sure Protestant marches are peaceful by preventing marchers from parading through a Catholic part of Belfast. Police put up huge steel walls to block a bridge and keep an Orange parade from crossing. In spite of the blockade, 20,000 marched onto the bridge. They delivered a letter of protest to the police and held a short religious ceremony before marching back from where they came. (14th) Concessions on decomissioning: Groups that don't hand in their weapons on time may lose the right to early prisoner releases, and General de Chastelain, head of the Decomissioning Process, will be asked to set down a "reasonable progress" timetable for all concerned to adhere to. (14th) Unionists Say No The Ulster Unionist Party formally rejects the compromise reached just twelve days ago. (15th) The UUP refuses to nominate ministers for the provincial administration, throwing years of peacemaking efforts into disarray. Their unexpectedly stubborn stand dealt a severe blow to hopes of forming an administration of Protestants and Catholics after a year of deadlock. In response, the British and Irish governments would meet next week to plan a comprehensive summit with Northern Ireland's key parties, designed to salvage last year's Good Friday peace accord. Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon Resigns his post, and asks First Minister David Trimble to consider his position carefully.

 

Unrest (5th) Quebec's 47,000 nurses vote on their union's decision to continue their illegal strike. Nurses have been off the job since June 26. (8th) Action by Air Canada cabin crew is abandoned just minutes before a midnight deadline. The dispute, over pension rights for the world's surliest trolly dollies, will be settled amicably. (12th) Student rallies in Iran take a violent turn. For the first time since protests began five days ago, police clash with pro-government demonstrators. Many were injured in the clashes outside Tehran university, the worst since the Islamic revolution in 1979. (12th) Disillusioned members of the army joined protests against Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic over the weekend. The protests are intensifying and there's concern the unrest could turn violent. (12th) Striking loggers from Corner Brook paper mill take their picket to the water. The paper mill had used its tug boat to take some guests on a tour of the Bay of Islands. The striking loggers used the opportunity to embarrass the company, unhappy that the tug is being used during the strike. (15th) The Serbian parliament expels an opposition party and another walked out in a stormy session at which a deputy warned the leadership was pushing the country toward a civil war. The New Democracy party, whose five deputies lost their seats at the session, said the move was in revenge for their calls for Slobodan Milosevic, president of Serb-dominated Yugoslavia, to step down.

 

Peace, Reconciliation and Normalcy (6th) Israel's new prime minister, Ehud Barak, takes office. He calls on Arab leaders to make a "brave peace" with Israel. The Labour leader who last month beat Benjamin Netanyahu in general elections, leads a coalition government of seven parties. Barak says he wants to end the 100-year conflict in the Middle East, a priority he places above the declining economy and infighting among Israeli Jews. (7th) Lybia offers settlement over a murder in London. In 1984, a policewoman was killed after being shot from inside the Lybian Embassy in Britain; the two countries have not had diplomatic relations since. Leader Gadaffi offers an unconditional apology, some compensation, and co-operation in the stalled police investigation. (14th) The illegal ban on British beef exports is finally lifted by the EU. The bar, imposed in 1996, breached all the rules on free trade within Europe, and has cost an estimated 3.5 billion pounds.

 

This Is Also News (1st) 20 are killed as a cable car to an astronomical observatory crashes 85m to the ground in the French Alps. (3rd) Nick Leeson is freed from prison in Singapore. He's served two-thirds of a six year sentence for a massive fraud that brought down Baring's Bank in 1995. (5th) Senior NATO officials clinch a deal with the Russian military, ending a dispute over Russian peacekeeping operations in Kosovo. NATO said it was best not to add to the Russian presence in Kosovo until final details of Russian participation in peacekeeping efforts are hammered out. (10th) A man is arrested after plotting to poison British drinking water. A series of letters was sent by the "Republican Revenge Group", claiming they would drop nasty stuff into resevoirs. The water industry says the threat was credible, but would have caused little damage. (13th) A US court dismisses seven brokerage firms as defendants in a class-action lawsuit brought by shareholders in the failed Bre-X gold mining venture. The main lawsuit against Canada's bankrupt Bre-X Minerals Ltd will go ahead. The suit was filed in the wake of the spectacular collapse of Bre-X in 1997 after it revealed it had faked a gold find in Busang, Indonesia that had been touted as the biggest of the century. Shareholders are seeking damages for $2.6 billion against Bre-X and holding company Bresea as well as eight former Bre-X officers.

 

Cricket (1st - 5th, Test 1455) Edgbaston, Birmingham: Eng -v- NZ. A wild, rollercoaster test. New Zealand elect to bat, and are tottering at 104/6 shortly after lunch. Parore makes 73 as the side is dismissed at the end of day 1. Caddick and Tufnell take three apiece. On day 2, England plummet away to 54/7 by lunch, before Caddick and Tudor score 70, taking the total towards respectibility. Three wickets for Nash and Cairns. New Zealand plummet away as well, in a race to see who can score fewest runs in a complete innings. Doull saves the day with 46, Caddick 5/32. Nightwatchman Tudor scores his first-class best, and the best ever by an England nightwatchman, as the home side cruises to victory. Tudor makes 99* as the game ends before tea on the third day. NZ 226 and 107; England 126 & 209/3 - England win by 7 wickets.

 

Tennis and Other Sports (2nd) The Wimbledon Quarter-Finals: Women: Alexandra Stephenson defeats Jelena Dokic in three sets; both were qualifiers, Alex becomes the first qualifier to make the semis here since John McEnroe in 1977. She'll face Lindsay Davenport, who downs Natalie Tauziat. Marjana Lucic's progression continues, defeating defending champion Jana Novotna; she'll meet Steffi Graf. Pete Sampras moves on as Todd Woodbridge pulls out with an injury. Tim Henman is taken to four sets by Cedric Pioline. Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter set up an intriguing semi. (3rd) Davenport takes Stephenson 1&1; Graf comes from a set down to defeat Lucic. This all means Davenport will return to the world #1 position. Sampras also loses the first set, but defeats Henman for the second straight year. Agassi blows Rafer off the court, and will be the men's #1. (4th) Lindsay Davenport wins her first ladies' singles title, defeating Steffi Graf 6-4, 6-4. Graf announces her retirement after the match. Pete Sampras downs Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the men's final, to win his sixth men's title in seven years, and cement his claim to be the greatest grass court player of all time. (10th) Mario Cippolini ties a 69 year old record by winning his fourth consecutive Tour de France stage.

 

Passages (1st) Lord Whitelaw, the former Home Secretary, 81. Willie Whitelaw was a defeated candidate in the 1975 Conservative leadership elections, and spend 1979-83 as Home Secretary during a turbulent period in Britain's history. (3rd) Tyrell Dueck, a 13-year-old Saskatchewan boy who became a cause celebre when he refused conventional cancer treatments and sought alternative therapies at a hospital in Mexico. The Saskatchewan government twice took the Duecks to court this winter to control Tyrell's medical care after the devoutly Christian family from Martensville, Sask, decided to forgo chemotherapy in favour of alternative therapies. The case pitted the medical establishment and provincial authorities against religious groups, advocates of alternative medicine and politicians who believe the state should stay out of family matters. (4th) Married: Victoria Aadams and David Beckham. Posh Spice and Floppy-fringed MUN midfielder get hitched in a ceremony in an Irish castle. Suggestions that they've timed it to distract from the #32 failure of fellow Spice Mel G's new single cannot be confirmed. (6th) Retiring: Boris Yeltsgin. The Russian president says he is prepared to step down when his term expires next summer. Yeltsgin says that new politicians must emerge, and hopes for new ideas in leadership for the post-communist nation. (10th) Recovering: Sir Elton John. The flamboyant singer is fitted with a heart pacemaker after collapsing en route to Posh and Beck's wedding. (12th) Bill Owen, Compo in the BBC's long-running Last of the Summer Wine, dies aged 79. The tales of four old men up to high jinks in the Yorkshire Dales has been a massive hit since debuting in 1975. Owen had previously made his name as a performer of comic songs.

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