Weaver's News Spin

October 1999

A review of events and their interpretation. 

Fish (1st) The federal fisheries minister, Herb Dhaliwal, has outlined plans for the introduction of a new framework for the Atlantic fishery. This follows a controversial Supreme Court of Canada decision on native fishing. It allows some bands to fish year-round, without licences. Lengthy consultations are planned to bring the new plans into effect. But Dhaliwal says he's aware that an interim agreement needs to be reached to deal with immediate concerns. Dhaliwal says the plans may impose catch limits and will ensure that conservation is not affected. He says he also wants to ensure that only those bands covered in the treaty will be fishing under the agreement. A spokesman with the Maritime Fishermen's Union says he doesn't think an interim plan will work very well. (3rd) On the New Brunswick coast, non-native fishermen destroy lobster traps belonging to natives, saying the aboriginals are threatening their livelihood. The native fishermen have been allowed to fish during the off-season without licences. On Miramichi Bay off the coast of northeastern New Brunswick, non-native fishermen in about 50 boats cut loose First Nations lobster traps and freed the catches. Later, windows were smashed at fish-processing plants in the community of Burnt Church, and trucks belonging to non-aboriginal people were set ablaze. When native fishermen realized their traps had been disabled, there was an ugly shouting match between angry mobs on shore. New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord asked the federal government to intervene the next morning. Lord says the Atlantic fishery is under federal jurisdiction and the government should do someting to relieve the tension. (6th) In Burnt Church, New Brunswick, a Mi'kmaq sacred structure is burned to the ground. Non-natives living in the area are warned by police that there are threats on their lives. (10th) The Federal Minister sets limits for two bands who choose to keep fishing. The rules apply to Burnt Church in New Brunswick and Indian Brook in Nova Scotia. The fisheries minister says the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will regulate the fishery to comply with conservation standards: the two communities will continue fishing until Oct 31. (14th) The ceasefire comes to a halt after native leaders lose confidence in the Fisheries minister. He's granted lobster licenses to natives, but far fewer than those to non-native workers. (16th) The wharfs and waters of southwestern Nova Scotia are taken over by non-native fishermen and their families. A convoy of 130 boats destroys native lobster traps. The fishermen are demanding Ottawa impose tight limits on the East Coast Native fishery. There's one minor altercation at the protest. A First Nations fisherman manoeuvred his boat alongside the protesters; hundreds of people converged on a nearby house where First Nations people live, forcing the RCMP to move in and form a line to prevent them from going further. (18th) A federal mediator begins the task of sorting out the continuing crisis. James MacKenzie visits key Maritime battlegrounds early in the week, starting with Atlantic chiefs in Ottawa. He will address the demands of Yarmouth fishermen, who want Ottawa to restrict the native fishery. Wayne Spinney, a spokesman for non-native fishermen, is encouraged to hear of plans to visit Nova Scotia. Non-native fishermen appear in provincial court to face charges relating to earlier violence in the fishery dispute.

 

Crash (5th) Thirty people die as two commuter trains full of passengers ran into each other at Ladbroke Grove, near Paddington station in northwestern London. It happened during the morning's rush hour period. Hours after the collision, rescue crews were still trying to free some passengers trapped in wrecked train cars. Several cars were knocked off the tracks and one caught fire. More than 160 people were hurt in the crash, caused by a train running a red light and poor track layout. (9th) Following the crash, Railtrack is stripped of its powers to regulate safety. (18th) Another crash, in Lewes, injures no-one, but is also blamed on a red light pass. (21st) The line into Paddington re-opens, with a number of signals taken out of action and speeds reduced. The go-ahead is given by the same Health and Safety authorities that approved the original layout of tracks behind the crash.

 

Pakistan (12th) A military coup in Pakistan topples the government of Nawaz Sharif. Hardliners assume power, in a move that increases tension in the region. UN leader Kofi Annan "deplores" the coup, and the military doesn't make it clear how the country will be ruled. (15th) Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs demands Pakistan be kicked out of the Commonwealth. Lloyd Axworthy says he'll push for Pakistan's removal at an emergency meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers. Defying international demands for a return to democratic rule, Pakistan's army chief, Gen Pervaiz Musharraf, has declared a state of emergency, ordered soldiers to remove politicians from parliament, and named himself Pakistan's new leader. Ousted government leader Nawaz Sharif is under house arrest. The army has suspended people's rights under the constitution, and says "the whole of Pakistan will come under the control of the Armed Forces of Pakistan." (18th) After the military decides to keep power for the forseeable future, Pakistan is suspended from the Commonwealth. Canada's foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy will lead a delegation to restore normalcy.

 

Unrest (1st) A dozen gunmen invade the Burmese embassy in Bangkok, holding as many as 30 people hostage. They were in the embassy applying for visas for Burma. The hostages are freed within hours, and the gunmen - Burmese students supporting human rights abuses in their home country - end the situation peacefully the next day. (4th) Thousands of French business owners and company directors protest in Paris against the government's plan to impose a shorter work week. The government wants to introduce a 35-hour week. The Socialist government says the law will re-distribute work, and create half a million jobs in a country with around three million unemployed. The government also insists on no cuts in pay. But business leaders say the measure will only increase their costs, frighten away foreign investment, and push French companies to move abroad. (6th) United Nations peacekeepers kill two militia members in East Timor. The peacekeeprs are ambushed during a security operation in a town on the border with West Timor. Four Australian troops were slightly wounded. It was the first clash between the peacekeepers and a pro-Indonesian militia since the UN force arrived in East Timor last month. (20th) There are violent clashes between protesters and Indonesian soldiers in Jakarta. Troops fired into the crowd, but it's not clear whether they were firing live rounds, blanks or rubber bullets. Thousands of supporters of Megawati Sukarnoputri take to the streets after she was defeated in the presidential election. The legislative assembly chose a moderate Muslim leader, Abdurrahman Wahid as its new president over the popular Megawati. She called on her supporters to respect the outcome of the vote. "For the unity of the nation, I call on the people of Indonesia to accept the results of the election." Wahid is the country's first freely chosen president, pledging to restore unity to Indonesia. Megawati is elected vice president the following day.

 

Politicing (10th) Peter Meddlesome Is Back! The man who resigned from the Cabinet last December in a financial scandal comes back as Northern Ireland minister. The Unionists are happy, the Nationalists less so. Mo Mowlam moves to become Minister For Spin, replacing Jack Cunning, who leaves the cabinet. Geoff Hoon becomes Defence Secretary, as George Robertson becomes head of NATO. Frank Dobson leaves Health to be a candidate for London mayor; he's replaced by Alan Milburn, the Treasury minister. Andrew Smith replaces him in turn. (12th) In a US court, cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris admits its products are unsafe. The move opens the way for massive punitive damages. (13th) The US Senate rejects the Nuclear Test Ban treaty. The partisan move fails by a long margin, sending signals to the newly-unstable Pakistan and India that it's OK to renege on your aggreements. It's the first arms control pact that the US has failed to ratify since the Treaty of Versaillies in 1919. (14th) Chile makes a formal request to Britain to free former dictator Augusto Pinochet for health reasons. The 83-year-old was arrested in Britain a year ago and is now appealing a decision by British courts to extradite him to Spain to stand trial on charges of torture. The British government has denied it has received a formal request but has confirmed that Prime Minister Blair received a letter from Chilean President Eduardo Frei last week. Pinochet has diabetes and a pacemaker. (20th) The part of Quebec's legislation that requires French lettering to dominate on bilingual commercial signs is unconstitutional and violates the Charter of Rights, according to a Canadian Supreme Court ruling. The case involves a couple who own an antique store in Knowlton. Their outdoor sign had French on one side and English on the other but in the same size lettering. (22nd) An EU report confirms French farmers feed their animals sewage. The gross revelation, confirming France is violating all known hygeine standards, comes as pressure grows on the nation to resume imports of the safe(r) British beef. In retaliation, a number of British stores are stripping their shelves of French produce. The UK government declines to impose a unilateral ban on French food, but the EU may slap one on next week anyway. (25th) A right-wing populist party wins Switzerland's federal parliamentary election. The People's Party got about 23 percent of the popular vote, vaulting the party to second place in Switzerland's lower house of parliament. The Social Democrats remain the largest group in the assembly, with 51 seats, down from 54. With the huge gains to the SVP, some Swiss financial analysts were predicting a stronger Swiss franc, although opinion is divided. Some political observers say anti-immigration sentiment appears to have fuelled the SVP gain.

 

The Rest Of The News (1st) Japanese authorities investigate the accident Sept 30 at a uranium processing plant. Radiation levels were 15,000 times higher than normal after a chain reaction started inside the plant. An order confining people who live within ten kilometres of the plant to their homes has been lifted. (5th) Telephone company Sprint, accepts a takeover bid from rival MCI WorldCom. The deal, worth $US 115 billion, is the world's largest corporate merger. MCI WorldCom is the United States' second biggest long-distance telephone company; Sprint is the third. The deal is expected to undergo intense regulatory scrutiny. The merger would create a major competitor to AT&T. (11th) Indonesia's top legal officer recommends the case against former President Suharto be dropped. The acting attorney-general says corruption charges should be dropped because of lack of evidence. Suharto is accused of siphoning off millions of dollars of public funds. (18th) The Nissan Motor Co plans to close three assembly plants and lay off about 14 per cent of its workforce. The company sees no choice but to undertake drastic measures. Nissan has lost money in seven of the past eight years. Under a three-year restructuring plan with Renault SA of France, the company will cut its worldwide workforce to 127,000 by April.

 

Cricket (1st, Nairobi Cup Game 6) India 277/6 (Ganguly 139, Whittall 3/55) Zimbabwe 170 (Johnson 52, Flower 38, Chopra 4/29) India win by 107 runs and will meet South Africa in the final. (3rd, Nairobi Cup Final) SA 235/9 (Gibbs 84, Prasad 2/21) India 209 (MSK Prasad 63, Crookes 3/47) SA win by 26 runs Sharjah Trophy (13th) Sri Lanka 178 (Kaluwitharana 36, McLean 2/40) West Indies 181/7 (Adams 74*, Vaas 2/22) WI win by 3 wickets with 4 balls in hand.(14th) Pakistan 260/5 (Saeed 72, Inzamam 71) West Indies 130 (Abdur 2/25, Powell 36) Pak win by 130 runs with 15.2 overs remaining. (15th) Pakistan 196 (Youhana 48, ul-Haq 42) Sri Lanka 196 (Razzaq 5/31, Arnold 61) Match tied (17th) West Indies 145 (Lara 29, Murali 3/22) Sri Lanka 146/1 (Jayasuriya 88) Sri Lanka win with 22 overs in hand. (18th) Pakistan 239/8 (Abdur 59*, Shahid 58) Sri Lanka 121 (Shahid 2/6, Shabbir 2/11, de Silva 35) Pakistan wins by 118 runs with 16.2 overs in hand and make the final. (19th) Pakistan 255/5 (Raza 77, ul-Haq 61, Youhana 71*) West Indies 117 (Mahmood 6/18, Lara 30) Pak win by 138 runs and will face Sri Lanka in the final.(22nd, Final) Pakistan 211/9 (Inzamam 54, Saeed 53, Chandra 3/40) Sri Lanka 123 (Azhar 5/28, Arnold 27*) Pakistan wins by 88 runs. Australia -v- Zimbabwe (21st, Bulawayo) Australia 303/6 (M Waugh 106, Ponting 67, Martyn 57*) Zimbabwe 220 (Johnson 110) Australia wins by 83 runs (23rd, Harare) Zimbabwe 116 (Fleming 3/15, Madondo 29) Australia 117/1 (M Waugh 54*, Ponting 31*) Australia wins with 21.3 overs in hand and takes the series 2-0. (24th, Harare) Zimbabwe 200/9 (Flower 99*) Australia 201/1 (Ponting 87*, Bevan 77*) Australia win again by nine wickets Tests (30 Sep - 4 Oct, Colombo, 3rd Test) Aus 342 (Ponting 105*) Sri Lanka 61/4 (Fleming 3/14) Match drawn; Sri Lanka win series 1-0. (4-6, Dhaka, non-Test) Bangladesh 229 (Khaled 59*, Perry 5/84) and 59/3; West Indies 249 (Lara 87, Hoque 5/57) Match drawn. (10 - 14, Chandigarh) India 83 (Nash 6/27) and 505/3 declared (Dravid 144, Tendulkar 126*) New Zealand 215 (Spearman 51, Srinath 6/45) and 251/7 (Fleming 73, Kumble 3/42) Match drawn (14 - 17, Harare, one-off) Zimbabwe 194 (McGrath 3/44, Johnson 75) and 232 (Goodwin 91, Gripper 60; collapsing from 200/2) Australia 422 (S Waugh 151*, M Waugh 90, Streak 5/93) and 5/0 Australia wins by 10 wickets. (22 - 26, Kanpur) New Zealand 256 (Cairns 53, Nash 41*, Kumble 4/67) India 330 (Ramesh 83, Gandhi 88, Astle 26-12-27-2)

 

Sports (19th) Atlanta and the NY Yankees will fight out this year's World Series. The Yanks have seen off Texas and Boston in short order; Atlanta has been given a rougher ride by Houston and the NY Mets.

 

Football (2 - 4th) Chelsea storm past Man United 5-0, closing the gap at the top by 76 points. West Ham upset Arsenal 2-1. Sheffield Wednesday get their first win of the season, downing Wimbledon 5-1. A bad day for North London, as Spurs fall to Leicester 3-2. Newcastle overcome local rivals Middlesborough 2-1. Sunderland win 4-0 at Bradford. Everton and Coventry; Villa and Liverpool; Derby and Wimbledon draw. Leeds beat Watford. (16 - 17th) Liverpool scores the only goal to defeat Chelsea. Wimbledon defeats fellow strugglers Bradford 3-2. Coventry defeats Newcastle 4-1, adding to the Tynesiders' woes. Leicester picks up a 2-1 win against Southampton, and Tottenham runs out 1-0 winners at Derby. There are formbook wins for Arsenal (4-1 against Everton), Leeds (2-0 against Wednesday) and Man U (4-1 over Watford). Sunderland downs Villa. European (9 - 10th) 1: Italy was held 0-0 in Belarus, but the point gives them the group win; Denmark runners-up. 2: Norway and Slovenia, in that order, had qualified last time. 3: Germany and Turkey draw 0-0, giving Germany the title. 4: It's Russia 1-0 Ukraine, and France 3-1 Iceland. France comes through as champions, with long-time pace-setters Ukraine finishing second. Russia third, Iceland a very strong fourth and one of two revelations of the campaign. 5: Sweden beat Poland 2-0; Sweden was already champs, but this result allows England to scrape into the play-offs. 6: Already-crowned Spain downs Israel 3-0, but Austria takes third place in the group with a 3-1 win over Cyprus, ending the island's hopes of progressing. 7: Romania gets the win over Liechtenstein to wrap up the championship, and Portugal downs Moldova 3-0 to finish second and qualify as the best runners up. 8: Croatia and Yugoslavia draw 2-2; Ireland suffers a late, late equaliser from Macedonia to draw 1-1. Yugoslavia is top, Ireland the play-offs. 9: Watch out for the Czechs; they down the Faroes to finish the qualifiers 10-0-0. Scotland is second. In summary: Qualified: Belgium, Netherlands (hosts), Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Romania, Yugoslavia, Portugal (best runners up) Play-offs: Ukraine -v- Slovakia, Scotland -v- England, Denmark -v- Israel, Ireland -v- Turkey.

 

Passages (3rd) Akio Morita, co-founder of Sony and the man who gave the world the Walkman, dies aged 78. Responsible for some of Sony's most successful innovations and its marketing brains, Morita was a high-profile envoy for Japan at the peak of its global presence in the 1980s. He was born the heir to one of Japan's oldest sake-brewing families. Morita declined to take over the family business and, together with inventor Masaru Ibuka, in 1946 founded the firm that was to become a world electronic and entertainment giant. First called Tokyo Tsushin Denki, the company was rechristened "Sony" - from the Latin "sonus" for sound - in 1958. (15th) Irish tenor Josef Locke dies, aged 83. Locke rose to fame in the 1940s with a strong tenor voice, and remained popular for many decades. A film of his life, Hear My Song, renewed his appeal to an audience in the early 90s. (19th) Communist Chinese leader Jiang Zemin visits the UK. He is royally snubbed when Prince Charles declines an invitation to date his concubine, Camilla Parker-Horse. The British tradition of peaceful protest, aged 784. The tradition, weak for a number of years, is killed in Central London when police snatch banners from protestors of the Communist Chinese visit.

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