A review of events and their interpretation.
| Sunday, 16 August Fallout continues from the Omagh bomb. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams leads the condemnation, strongly suggesting it wasn't the work of the Real Provisional IRA, but more likely a Surreal Real IRA. Tony Blair cuts short his holiday in Provence to fly to the scene of the attack and grab some more photo opportunities. Michael Schumaccer wins the Hungarian Grand Prix from David Coulthard and Jacques Villeneuve. Track specialist Damon Hill finishes fourth - the first time he's been outside the top 2 in six drives here. Championship leader Mika Hakkinen limps home 6th with a broken engine. England beat Sri Lanka by 36 runs. In spite of a collapse from 223/3 to 247 all out, England win the middle match of the triangular tournament. Star of the day was Graham Hick 86 and Alec Stewart 51. Best of the Sri Lankan bowlers was Jayasuriya's 3/36. In reply, Sri Lanka were never on the pace, collapsing to 97/6. Top scorers were de Silva (33), Ranatunga (33) and Dharmanesa (33*). Last man Muralitharan pulled a six and a four off consecutive no-balls from Gough in the penultimate over, but it was far too late to make a contest of it. Gough took 3/51, Mullally 2/20. Baseball: Texas make short work of the best team in the AL as the Rangers hand the New York Yankees arare home-field rout, 16-5. A record seven games go into extra innings. Boston takes a step back in its wild card chase, losing 3-2 to Minnesota. Mark McGwire draws three walks to add to his league leading 130 as St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 8-7, in 12 innings.The record for most walks is 170 set by Babe Ruth in 1923. |
| Saturday, 15 August A massive car bomb in Omagh kills 27. The attack came outside a supermarket packed with shoppers. No-one admits the attack, but Unionists suspect that dissident Republican elements are to blame. The inquiry into the sinking of the Gaul is back open. The fishing boat sunk in 1974 - it may have been on a spying mission against Russian elements.
Wolves win 2-0 at Oxford. In other results, Man U come from behind to draw 2-2 with Leicester; Coventry beat Chelsea 2-1, Charlton draw 0-0 at Newcastle, Ian Wright scored on his West Ham debut; they win at Sheffield Wednesday 1-0.
Chris Hoiles becomes the ninth player to hit two grand slams in one game as the Baltimore Orioles inflict the heaviest ever defeat at Jacobs Field, downing the Cleveland Indians 15-3. |
| Friday, 14 August U.S. President Bill Clinton may admit a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, the New York Times reports. It's one plan Clinton and his advisors are reportedly discussing for the taped testimony he'll give Monday for a grand jury. It's either Clintern telling the truth, and finally making a clean breast of it; or further proof that he's a lying, cheating crook.
Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 57 runs in the one day international at Trent Bridge. Sri Lanka 258 all out - Atapattu 40, Ranatunga 58, Pollock 3/54. South Africa 201 all out - Symcox 58, Rhodes 54, Wickranghe 3/24. |
| Thursday, 13 August After two days of heavy fighting, Serbian security forces capture the rebel stronghold of Glodjane in western Kosovo. Five Serb police and two soldiers from the Yugoslav army die in the battle. Reports say the Kosovo Liberation Army lose five rebels. After months of bitter negotiations, Swiss banks and Jewish groups reach a US$1.25 billion agreement on compensation for unreturned Holocaust assets. The deal ends a class action lawsuit on behalf of people who were unable to retrieve their assets from Swiss banks after the Second World War.
Cricket: A rain-affected day as England declare on 326/8 (Britton 167, Cathryn Fitzpatrick 4/91), a lead of 20. Australia reach 123/1 in reply, Clark 54, Keightley 61*, Connor 1/12. Australia lead by 103 runs with nine wickets left.
Baseball: Baltimore's wild-card hopes are reinforcemed as pitcher Scott Erickson bounces back from three poor outings to shut down Tampa Bay 7-0 on five hits. Eric Davis doubled to extend his club-record hitting streak to 27 games. The Orioles are 24-7 since the all-star break, the best in the league. Andy Ashby outpitches Greg Maddux to become the NL's first 16-game winner,and San Diego wins its first home series against Atlanta in 10 years with a 5-1 victory. Former Tigers catcher Phil Nevin's two-run single sent Anaheim to victory number four, 3-2. The win, coupled with Texas' 6-3 loss to Cleveland, moved the Angels within 0.5 games of the Rangers for the AL West lead. Kansas City win at wild-card leading Boston 8-4 to end a five-game losing run.
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| Wednesday, 12 August A scientist is forced to resign after reporting geneticly modified food harms rats. Professor Arpad Puztai had fed modified potatoes to rate, who appeared to suffer damage to their immune systems. But employers Rowett Research Institute suspended the professor, saying he had put out misleading information.
An alligator is causing havoc at Lake Accesa, Tuscany. A German tourist spotted the reptile being walked on a leash near Massa Marittima when it slipped free. The couple then spent some time looking for it before leaving. The mayor of the town has banned swimming in the lake.
Derbyshire beat Leicestershire by 3 runs in the second Trophy semi. Derbys 298/7 - Cork 61*, Weston 56, Spendlove 58. Leics 295/6 - Simmon 90, B Smith 60, Cork 1/47.
Mark McGwire becomes the first NL player to hit 47 home runs before September with a 464-foot drive off Bobby Jones in the St. Louis Cardinals' 8-3 loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday night. Hack Wilson entered September with 46 homers in 1930, finishing with 56 and a record 190 RBIs. Roger Maris hit 51 homers for the AL's New York Yankees before September in his record 61-homer season in 1961. |
| Tuesday, 11 August A vote in the Caribbean to create one of the world's smallest nations falls just short. The island of Nevis was looking at secession from St. Kitts. But a vote last night fails to reach the two-thirds majority needed for independence. Two Arkansas boys - Mitchell Johnson, 14, and Andrew Golden, 12 - are convicted of shooting four classmates and a teacher to death in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Another teacher and nine other students were wounded March 24 when they were drawn from the building by a false fire alarm and ambushed outside Westside Middle School. BP and Amoco are to merge to create the world's biggest company in a $110 billion merger
Women's cricket: Australia declare at 306/3 after Belinda Clark (76) and Lisa Keightley put on 125 for the first wicket. Broadbent 63*, Edwards 2/28. England reach 14/0 by the close. Australia lead by 292 with all England's first innings wickets intact.
Baseball: Sammy Sosa hits his 45th and 46th home runs to pull into a tie for the Major League lead with Mark McGwire as the Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants 8-5. Sosa's first homer came in the fifth and was the first of three straight by the Cubs. His second came in the seventh and travelled an estimated 480 feet. McGwire went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in St. Louis' 4-2 loss to the New York Mets.
Football: League Cup, First Round First Leg. Barnet 2 Wolves 1; Macclesfield 3 Stoke 1; Torquay 1 Crystal Palace 1.
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| Monday, 10 August Police say they've arrested several suspects in the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania. The arrests come after rescuers heard the sound of tapping from beneath the rubble of a nearly simultaneous bombing in the Kenyan capital. Inmates at Canada's federal penitentaries are holding a day of protest. They're refusing to eat or leave their cells to mark what they call Prisoners' Justice Day. The anniversary began as a memorial to an inmate who bled to death in 1974 while in solitary confinement at Ontario's Millhaven jail.
England win the fifth test. Gough takes the two wickets to finish 6/42 in the innings and South Africa 195 all out. Pollock finishes 28*. England win by 23 runs
Baseball: Atlanta's Dennis Martinez becomes the winningest Latin pitcher in major league history as the Braves rally to beat the San Francisco Giants 7-5. Braves reliever Kerry Ligtenberg closes out the series sweep of San Francisco with a 1-2-3 ninth to earn Martinez, also known as "El Presidente," career win No. 244. Martinez (3-4) was the third of four relievers for Atlanta starter John Smoltz, who gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings. |
| Sunday, 9 August The Kenyan government appeals for specialized medical help and supplies to deal with the aftermath of Friday's devastating bomb blast. In a dramatic rescue, rescuers free a man trapped under the rubble of a high-rise building next to the embassy some 36 hours after the blast. But another man dies in the grasp of rescuers just as he was on the verge of coming out. A lone hijacker at Moscow airport demands $100,000 cash and a flight to an un-named destination. He's holding 97 passengers aboard a TU-154 jet on an internal flight from Siberia. The event later turns out to be a sick, sad hoax.
Cricket: England crumble to 240 all out; Hussain makes 94, but Cork (10) is the only other of today's batters to break double figures. Pollock 5/53 and Donald 5/71 split the wickets. Set 219 to win, South Africa collapse to 27/5. But Rhodes (85) and McMillan (54) add 117 for the next wicket. But England's persistance pays off, and they finish at 185/8. South Africa require 34 runs to win the series; England need the last two wickets. The Grand Finale is at 11am tomorrow.
Baseball: St. Louis' Mark McGwire and Chicago's Sammy Sosa play home-run poker, each moving closer to Roger Maris' single-season record with a HR in Busch Stadium. McGwire fires first, hitting his major league-best 46th homer in the fourth inning. Sosa answered with his 44th in the top of the ninth. It tied the game at 5-5, erasing a two-run St. Louis lead. St. Louis win the game 9-8 in the 13th. |
| Saturday, 8 August Rescuers dig through the rubble of a high-rise building next to the American embassy in Nairobi that collapsed after a car bomb attack. At least 61 people died in the blast. Scores of people were missing, and more than 1,400 were injured. In neighboring Tanzania, an almost simultaneous blast at the American embassy in Dar es Salaam killed at least 9 people and injured 57. The UN Security Council appears set for a review of its relations with Baghdad after calling Iraq's decision to stop co-operating with weapons inspectors "totally unacceptable." Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed what he called "a more direct dialogue than has occurred hitherto" between Iraq and the council. "Rather than allowing this situation to deteriorate into a crisis, the Security Council should engage with the Iraqi authorities," Annan said in remarks to the council. US media sources report that these crises have pushed Monica's testimony down to third on the running order.
Opening day of the English soccer season sees Wolves beating Tranmere 2-0. Full coverage of soccer resumes here in five weeks.
In baseball, the Yankees take a double-header over Kansas to stretch their lead atop the AL East to 17 games. Cleveland lead KC and Minnesota by 12.5 games in the AL Central, while a rain-out lets Texas pull 2.5 clear of Anaheim in the West. In the NL East, Atlanta are 14.5 clear of the Mets. Houston head the Chicago Cubs by 5.5 in the Central, while San Diego pull 13 clear of San Fransisco in the West. The Yankees are on course to make a record 116 wins this season.
Cricket: and England are doing alarmingly well. Atherton goes on the first ball of the day, but Butcher makes 37, Stewart 35, Ramprakash 25 and Hussain 83* of the 206/4 closing score. England lead South Africa by 184 runs, with six second innings wickets left
The First Women's Test ends in a predictable draw as Jan Brittin takes the world record for total test runs. Australia declare on 569/6 - Broadbent 200. England make 160/1 - Brittin 59*, Edwards 77. Match drawn
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| Friday, 7 August Over 80 dead as bombs explode outside the US embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. President Clintern pledges to use all means at his disposal to bring those responsible to justice. The initial blame goes to Islamic militants, especially given the double nature of the blasts. The Indonesian army will withdraw from Achei province following the discovery of mass graves in the area. The military was involved in putting down a mass rebellion between 1989 and 1993.
South Africa are all out for 252 in the final test, a first innings lead of 22. Angus Fraser takes 5/42 as the Springbok batting attack is led by Kallis 40, Cronje 57 and Pollock 31. England - 2/0 in reply - are 20 innings behind South Africa with all second innings wickets intact.
In the women's test, Australia close on 393/5 - Broadbent 146*, Jones 131. Australia trail England by 19 runs with five first innings wickets left.
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| Thursday, 6 August After six months of speculation and anticipation, Monica Lewinsky finally answers questions about her relationship with President Clinton. Lewinsky, 25, has agreed to answer all of Independent Counsel Ken Starr's questions, in exchange for blanket, transactional immunity from prosecution. Leading Palestinian negotiator and spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi resigns from the Palestinian Cabinet, citing failure to tackle corruption in the government. Ashrawi's decision comes just a day after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat named her tourism minister in a new Cabinet. Ashrawi was higher education minister in the previous Cabinet. Microsoft is on the attack again as it prepares to respond to a government motion. The message this time: Microsoft had the idea for the Internet browser before Netscape. In its sweeping antitrust suit against Microsoft, the Justice Department and 20 states contend the company used its Windows operating system monopoly and marketing prowess to crush Netscape, which had dominated the Web browser market until Microsoft began offering its own browser for free. The Redmond-based firm is later expected to claim they had the idea of the personal computer before IBM, television before Baird, and the boat before Noah.
It's not happened all summer, so it must be time for an England Batting Collapse. Mark Butcher is the day's hero, making 116, his first Test century. But England lose their last 7 wickets for 49 runs, with only Cork - 24* - putting up any resistance. Ntini takes 4/72 with three wickets for Pollock and Donald. South Africa - 9/0 at the close - trail England by 221 runs with all first innings wickets in hand.
England Women make 414 all out; Magno takes 5/87, Brittin makes a Test record 146. In Australia's 99/1, Keightley is 45*, Broadbent 36*
Australia trail England by 315 runs with 9 first innings wickets left.
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| Bulgaria's former long-time Communist leader Todor Zhivkov dies in a Sofia hospital, at the age of 86. He was the last surviving Soviet-bloc Stalinist leader. |
| Wednesday, 5 August Anglican bishops vote overwhelmingly against the acceptance of homosexuality in their church. Violating all Christian ethics of tolerance and forgiveness, the leading clergy decide to cut themselves off from a significant section of their potential community.
The Iraqi Parliament unanimously adopts a resolution to end cooperation with United Nations weapons inspectors. The UN has said it won't lift sanctions until it's sure Baghdad has destroyed its weapons of mass destruction. While the leaders of the US and UK are really certain that there won't be war this time, it's a fact that both leaders are facing major problems at home.
A US-based human rights group accuses Afghanistan's Islamic movement of conducting a "war on women." "The extent to which the Taliban regime has threatened the freedoms and needs of Afghan women is unparalleled in recent history," said the report by the Physicians for Human Rights. Researcher Zohra Rasekh spent three months questioning 200 women in Afghanistan in face-to-face and written interviews on how their lives had changed since the Taliban took control of the capital, Kabul.
First day of the Women's Test between England and Australia. Jan Brittin anchors the side, scoring 104* as Charlotte Edwards scores her debut half century. England are 255/3 against Australia.
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| Tuesday, 4 August The US Supreme Court deals a blow to President Clintern by refusing a request to keep White House lawyer Lanny Breuer from testifying before the Monica Lewinsky grand jury. The ruling also applies to Bruce Lindsey, deputy White House counsel and President Clinton's confidant, although he has not yet been issued a subpoena. China's state-run media reports that levees along the flood-swollen Yangtze River have started to collapse, wreaking death and destruction on a massive scale. A human rights group says 150 soldiers and hundreds of villagers were swept away when a levee collapsed Saturday in Hubei's Jiayu county. With a tropical storm and another flood tide expected, the threat mounted of further breaches along the levees that protect millions of people and rich farmland from the world's third-longest river. A four day siege in a quiet village in Worcestershire ends peacefully. A pensioner had been holed up in his bungalow after refusing to talk to council officials concerned about payment of property taxes. The police were called, and sealed the place off. He's now been arrested and charged with making the local council and police look like complete loonies. Or something. |
| Puppeteer Shari Lewis dies while being treated for pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital. She was 65, and announced in June that she had uterine cancer. Lewis was best known as the voice and controlling force of Lamb Chop. Her "Shari Lewis Show" premiered on network television in 1960, and by the time of her death Lewis had won 12 Emmys and a George Foster Peabody Award. |
| Monday, 3 August About 100 experts are working off the coast of Newfoundland this week, trying to recover key pieces of the Titanic shipwreck. They plan to raise part of the ship's hull. The scientific team hopes to learn more about the 1912 sinking and the micro-organisms that have been eating away at the wreckage ever since. Talks between Iraq and UN weapons inspectors get off to a rocky start. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz accuses arms inspector Richard Butler of playing "games and tricks" in his efforts to dismantle Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. After concluding a three-hour meeting between Iraqi officials and senior U.N. inspectors, Aziz says Butler is working in concert with the US administration to keep international sanctions in place. It's clear that the Baghdad clique think they'll be able to handle internal dissent by keeping the sanctions in place. Millions of rock fans may be suffering from hearing loss from loud concerts, but Paul McCartney wants no part of the research methods used to find out why. McCartney joins a campaign to ban experiments at the University of California in which monkeys are deliberately deafened to learn why rock music fans suffer hearing damage. McCartney told the People that it's a "gross intrusion into the rights of harmless creatures." He says it's time for society to "show some respect to innocent animals." This, remember, from the bloke who let his wife join Wings. |
| Sunday, 2 August French police detain an ex-MI5 officer in Paris. The former member of the British internal espionage unit may or may not have leaked documents to the press, and may or may not have been planning a web site exposing MI5's activities. His lawyer is fighting an extradition order, and is confident that he's done nothing to breach the UK's stringent secrecy laws. Another Hakkinen - Coulthard 1-2 at the German grand prix. Villeneuve pushes strongly to finish third, with former champion Damon Hill collecting his first points for a year in fourth. Brothers Michael and Ralf Schumaccer round off the points. |
| Saturday, 1 August Police raid the Afro-Carribean centre in Wolverhampton looking for illegal drugs. Warrants, in force for 30 people, lead to 18 arrests. Centre customers call the raid, held just after lunchtime, "heavy handed" and "an abuse of us". Police have not provided a representative. The Irish Government releases six IRA prisoners before their terms are finished. Unionists decry the release as an unneccesary sop to Nationalist sentiment. A small car bomb explodes in Newry; no-one is hurt. Edward Elgar is remembered at the Molineux. The composer used to cycle from Worcester to Wolverhampton to see his favourite side play football in the late 19th century, and incorporated a football chant - bang the leather into the goal into his work. A plaque commemorating his work is unveiled before today's friendly between Wolves and Barcelona, which the Catalans win 3-2. |
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