Politics This Week September 9th - September 15th 2000 ,
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=09=09 Playing the fuel=20
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=09=09The French government made fuel-tax concessions to pressure groups, i=
ncluding=20
lorry owners and farmers, who had brought much of the country to a standsti=
ll=20
by blockading roads and petrol stations. The cave-in inspired copycat=20
protests across much of the European Union.=20
=09=09See article: Blair=0F's big test [IMAGE]
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=09=09British protesters, following the French example, blockaded refinerie=
s and=20
all but halted fuel deliveries throughout the country. As petrol ran out,=
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Britain=0F's prime minister, Tony Blair, ruled out immediate concessions to=
 the=20
protesters. His early efforts to get fuel deliveries resumed were largely=
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unsuccessful, but in response to appeals by Mr Blair and others, protesters=
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started to lift the blockades.=20
=09=09See article: Euroshambles [IMAGE]
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=09=09Jos, Bov,, leader of France=0F's small farmers and hero of its moveme=
nt against=20
globalisation, said he would appeal against a three-month jail sentence giv=
en=20
to him on September 13th for his role in smashing up a McDonald=0F's restau=
rant=20
site a year ago. =20
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=09=09The 14 countries of the European Union, which had imposed diplomatic=
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sanctions seven months ago against their fellow member, Austria, after a=20
far-right party had joined its ruling coalition, lifted them after a report=
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by =0F"three wise men=0F" said that the country=0F's human-rights record wa=
s up to=20
scratch. =20
=09=09See article: Austria and the EU [IMAGE]
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=09=09Francesco Rutelli, the mayor of Rome, said he would run against Italy=
=0F's prime=20
minister, Giuliano Amato, to be the candidate of the centre-left in the nex=
t=20
general election, due next spring. =20
=09=09See article: A new man to lead Italy=0F's left? [IMAGE]
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=09=09Leaders of a group of countries that had been part of the Soviet Unio=
n,=20
including Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, said they would=20
co-operate more closely to resist Russian influence. Russia said that the=
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citizens of several former Soviet countries would no longer enjoy visa-free=
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travel to Russia.=20
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=09=09 Chaos averted=20
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=09=09More than 2,000 protesters against globalisation disrupted the World =
Economic=20
Forum in Melbourne, Australia. The organisers called off the protest after=
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three days, ending fears that it would be a repetition of the=20
anti-globalisation chaos at the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle=
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in 1999.=20
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=09=09In Myanmar restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi and her opposition Nation=
al=20
League for Democracy were eased by the ruling junta. She had been locked in=
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her house for two weeks.=20
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=09=09With Libyan assistance, four European hostages were freed after being=
 held=20
for 20 weeks in the Philippines by a Muslim gang, the Abu Sayyaf. A Libyan=
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foundation, run by one of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi=0F's sons, again stage-ma=
naged=20
the affair. The Abu Sayyaf then seized three further hostages from a=20
Malaysian resort.=20
=09=09See article: Qaddafi, ruler of Africa? [IMAGE]
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=09=09The trials began in China=0F's Fujian province of at least 200 offici=
als accused=20
of evading tariffs on the import of cars and other luxury goods. Chinese=20
newspapers and television were barred from reporting the trials.=20
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=09=09A bomb exploded in a garage beneath the Jakarta stock exchange, killi=
ng 15=20
people and injuring many more. Police said the blast may have been set off =
by=20
supporters of Suharto, as a protest against putting the former president on=
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trial. =20
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=09=09 Independence day=20
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=09=09Taking its cue from Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organisat=
ion=0F's=20
Central Council side-stepped the long-awaited September 13th deadline for=
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declaring an independent Palestinian state. The declaration has now been=20
postponed at least until November 15th. Syria, condemning Israeli =0F"black=
mail=0F"
, called for an Arab summit.=20
=09=09See article: Sharing Jerusalem [IMAGE]
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=09=09British paratroopers rescued six of their colleagues who had been tak=
en=20
hostage last month by a small Sierra Leonean rebel group, the West Side Boy=
s.=20
In a dawn raid, one Briton and more than 20 rebels were killed.=20
=09=09See article: Sierra Leone=0F's still strong rebels [IMAGE]
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=09=09An advance party of 46 United Nations monitors arrived in the dispute=
d border=20
zone between Ethiopia and Eritrea. A 4,000-strong force will eventually be=
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installed to police the ceasefire.=20
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=09=09A bomb exploded outside a mosque in Cape Town, South Africa. The prem=
ier of=20
Western Cape, Gerald Morkel, said that he believed it to be an attempt to=
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assassinate him. =20
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=09=09Nelson Mandela, South Africa=0F's former president who is brokering p=
eace for=20
Burundi, said that the remaining three Tutsi groups had dropped their refus=
al=20
to sign a peace deal.=20
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=09=09An opposition alliance, led by a former prime minister, Anerood Jugna=
th, won=20
the general election in Mauritius. Politically stable, the Indian Ocean=20
island has had only three prime ministers since its independence in 1968.=
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=09=09 Screen violence=20
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=09=09A Federal Trade Commission report, prominently supported by Al Gore, =
savaged=20
Hollywood for marketing violent entertainment to teenagers. His opponent,=
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George W. Bush, had another bad week preaching =0F"compassionate conservati=
sm=0F"=20
to America=0F's voters.=20
=09=09See article: Lexington on the war against Hollywood [IMAGE]
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=09=09Wen Ho Lee, an Asian-American scientist controversially accused of sp=
ying,=20
agreed to plead guilty to one charge. The other 58 charges against the Los=
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Alamos nuclear-weapons laboratory worker were dropped.=20
=09=09See article: Wen Ho Lee goes free [IMAGE]
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=09=09Stockwell Day and Joe Clark, the leaders of Canada=0F's two rival=20
right-of-centre parties, each won by-elections for seats in the federal=20
parliament. A general election is expected next May. =20
=09=09See article: Canada prepares for an election [IMAGE]
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=09=09Customer Service=20
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Euroshambles=20
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So much for the new Europe? As fuel-price protests spread disruption across=
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the continent and the euro tumbled again, governments were badly embarrasse=
d,=20
and deserved to be
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Leader
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Chaos across the continent
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Europe=0F's economies
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jdasovic@enron.com