A review of events and their interpretation.
| Monday, 31 August Speaking to the Russian parliament before a vote on his nomination as prime minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin warned that Russia is on the "brink of economic and political breakdown." The crisis can only be solved if all parties worked together. Warning that the "situation is critical," he said his priority will be to protect average Russians' savings, protect the rouble, and restore Russia's industries. The decision by dismissed Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko to devalue the ruble was "a mistake." North Korea fires a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan between Russia and northwestern Japan. The missile was fired around noon. Japan's Kyodo News quoted unidentified sources as saying the missile may have been a "Daepodong," a new type now under development by the North.
Mark McGwire answers the challenge from Sammy Sosa again. Hours after Sosa connects for his 54th home run, McGwire hits No. 55 to regain the major-league lead in an 8-7 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Ken Griffey Jr hits his 46th and 47th homers of the year Sunday as the Mariners demolish the New York Yankees 13-3. The Seattle slugger has now hit 5 homers in 8 games. Last September Griffey finished the year strongly with 12 home runs in September.
Sri Lanka beat England by 10 wickets. England crumble to 181 all out - Ramprakash 42, Gough 15, Stewart 32, Muralitheran 9/65. Sri Lanka get 37/0 off five overs - Jayasuriya 24*.
Wolves draw 2-2 with Stockport. They're second in the league, behind Sunderland. |
| Sunday, 30 August Prime Minister-elect Chernomerdyn and President Yeltsin reach a settlement for Russia that will entail the President surrendering some of his powers to stabilise the economy. The Communists who control the Parliament decide to block it. A runaway balloon is causing air traffic chaos in the North Atlantic. The weather instrument, the size of a 25-storey office block, is blocking air lanes, and US and Canadian jets have failed to shoot it down. It was last seen somewhere near Iceland.
Damon Hill wins a baffling Belgian Grand Prix. It's his first win since his world championship in 1996, and the first ever win for the Jordan team. Their delight is complete as Ralf Schumacher comes second. The other points are scored by Alesi, Frentzen, Diniz and Trulli - the Prost team's first points of the year. Championship leader Mika Hakkinen spins out after a restart in wet conditions, and Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard have a coming together halfway through that puts both out.
Sri Lanka are finally bowled out for 591 - de Silva 152, Perera 43*, Muralitheran 30, Fraser 3/95. Chasing a deficit of 146, England lose Butcher (15) and Hick (0) but close on 54/2 - James 20*, Muralitheran 2/16. England trail by 92 with eight second innings wickets left
Mark McGwire is thrown out of St Louis' match against Atlanta for arguing a third strike in the opening inning. Fans shower the hapless officials with coins and debris, and the match is suspended for some minutes. The New York Yankees post win 98 - a 9-0 blast over Seattle.
|
| Saturday, 29 August Sammy Sosa hits his 53rd homer in the first inning, and Jose Hernandez and pitcher Steve Trachsel also homer as the Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 10-5. Sosa's solo homer leaves him one behind St. Louis' Mark McGwire, who has 54 in the pursuit of Roger Maris' single-season record of 61. Aston Villa head the Premier League tables, after their defeat of Sheffield Wednesday. Charlton hold Arsenal to a 0-0 draw. Notts Forest go 2nd with their win at Southampton. Wimbledon complete the bizarre top 4. Sri Lanka continue to make excellent progress in the test. Jayasuriya is finally out for 213 - he and de Silva add 243 for the third wicket. de Silva progresses to 125 by the close, in an unbeaten stand of 118 with Ranatunga (50*). Sri Lanka lead by 1 run with 7 wickets in hand. |
| Friday, 28 August Boris Yeltsin goes on national tv to deny rumours that he would resign, instead vowing to serve out his full term to June 2000. Acting Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin vows to take tough steps to resolve the financial crisis. The summit with President Clinton in Moscow next week will go ahead as scheduled. Solar winds reaching speeds of more than one million miles an hour blow into the Earth's magnetic field, causing what scientists report could be a powerful geomagnetic storm. Charged particles from a solar eruption reached the field around 0700 UTC Wednesday and the ensuing fluctuations in the field could cause satellite malfunctions, power losses, disruption in communications and the aurora borealis.
England advance to 445 all out - John Crawley 153*, and a last wicket stand of 89 with Gus Fraser. Hick fails to add to his 107, Fraser 32, Ramprakash 53, Muralitharan 7/155 . Sri Lanka race to 79/1 by the close - Jayasuriya 59*. Sri Lanka trail England by 366 runs with nine first innings wickets in hand.
The New York Yankees match their 1997 win total by beating Anaheim 6-5. Paul Molitor moves past Willie Mays into ninth place on
the career hits list Thursday, getting No 3284 with a
first-inning double in the Minnesota Twins' 10-3 loss to the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Wolves head the football league following their 2-0 defeat of Watford.
|
| Thursday, 27 August Russia's government takes extreme intervention measures to stop the rouble's slide and get the rocky financial situation back on solid ground. Acting Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and parliament plan a return to price controls and a halt to convertibility. Russia's central bank suspends trade of the rouble for the second time in as many days as Russians continue their flight to safety in the dollar. There's freefall on the world's financial markets: 3% off in Tokyo, 3.2% down in London, 3.5% in New York. Toronto loses almost 7% following the Bank of Canada's raise of interest rates to bolster the flagging loonie. It's down to 63.35 cents, down 0.5 cents.
Sri Lanka win the toss, and surprisingly elect to field. England start shakily, making 81/3 - newcomer Steve James 36, Stewart out for just 2. But Hick - 107* - and Ramprakash - 53 - add 128 for the next wicket. The day ends England 228/4.
Mark McGwire moves closer to Roger Maris' home run record and stays two long balls ahead of Chicago's Sammy Sosa. McGwire hits his 54th of the season against the Florida Marlins, after Sosa hit his 52nd homer Wednesday afternoon. McGwire connectes in the eighth off Justin Speier with a drive that lands just above the wall used for background beyond center field at Busch Stadium.
|
| Wednesday, 26 August Roger Clemens is just too much for the Kansas City Royals, striking out 18 and winning his 11th straight decision as he pitches the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-0 victory. Clemens - who struck out 20 in a nine-inning game twice, a record shared with Chicago Cubs rookie Kerry Wood - had 14 strikeouts in the first seven innings. He struck out 15 or more for the ninth time in his career and surpassed the AL strikeout high for the season. San Fransisco beat the Mets to close the gap at the head of the NL wild card chase to 1 game. The Phoenix Mercury will host defending champions Houston Comets in Game 1 of the WNBA finals on Thursday night. Phoenix get into the title series by beating the Cleveland Rockers 71-60 on the road. |
| Tuesday, 25 August Sudan denies claims that a pharmaceutical plant destroyed by US missiles last week had been producing an element that could be used for the production of chemical weapons. Sudan insists the plant was used only to make medicine and again calls for an international investigation into the attack. An intelligence source said the material got into the soil outside the plant "either through airborne emissions or spillage from the manufacturing process." With the Arab League condemning the attack, it's becoming clear that the US made a significant misjudgement. Parliament will be recalled from its summer recess to pass tough anti-terror laws in the wake of the Omagh bombing. Tony Blair made the call for the emergency session during his first visit to Omagh since the car bomb killed 28 people on the 15th. Tom Glavine joins teammate Greg Maddux as the National League's only 17-game winners as the Atlanta Braves rally to beat the LA Dodgers 4-3. Trailing 3-0 in the eighth, catcher Javy Lopez smacks a three-run homer, the 100th of his career. The next batter, Andruw Jones, hit his 22nd of the season. Both homers came off Jeff Shaw, a reliever the Braves tried desperately to acquire in early July from the Cincinnati Reds. |
| Monday, 24 August The United States and Britain agree that two Libyans charged in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland can be tried by a Scottish court in the Netherlands. Robin Cook and Madeline Albright say it's a "take it or leave it" proposition. Colonel Gadaffi is expected to finger with the proposition for the next week and a half, perhaps taking some small nibbles out of the soft underbelly, before throwing it to his dog.
Mark McGwire slugs his sixth homer in five days for a season total of 53 and Sammy Sosa hits nos 50 and 51. McGwire becomes the third NL player to hit 53 homers in a season, joining the Pirates' Ralph Kiner and the Chicago Cubs' Hack Wilson. Despite McGwire's efforts, the Cardinals lose 4-3 to Pittsburgh. Sosa keeps the heat on with two dingers in an 11-3 Cubs loss to Houston. Both McGwire and Sosa have 32 games left to catch Maris' record of 61 in a season.
Australia declare at 427/4 - Clark 136, Rolton 176*. England make 190/6 - Edwards 87, Fitzpatrick 3/58. Match drawn; series tied 0-0.
|
| Sunday, 23 August Polls show that many Americans remain suspicious about the timing of attacks on alleged terrorist facilities in Afghanistan and Sudan. Forty percent of those surveyed by Newsweek felt the action was a diversionary tactic by President Clinton. In polls by both ABC/Washington Post and CBS/New York Times, 27 percent of those surveyed said they felt it was a diversionary tactic. Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo capture the city of Kinsangani, after retreating from the airport under attack from Angolan troops. President Yeltsin sacks his whole government again. Repeating the success of the move in March that lead to Alexander Whotheheckisheov coming to the forefront, Yeltsin gives him the Pushov, and replaces him with the guy he sacked first time round, Victor Chernomerderhurdedeushdushdushdin. Mark McGwire continues his quest for Roger Maris' single season home run record by socking his 52nd of the year in the first inning. The home run gives him 162 dingers in the last three seasons, breaking Babe Ruth's 161 from 1926-28. Maris hit 61 homers for the New York Yankees in 1961. McGwire has 33 games remaining to try and tie or break the record.
No play in the test, owing to rain.
|
| Saturday, 22 August Ireland's 5.2 million people observe one minute of silence to mark Northern Ireland's worst-ever terrorist attack. The people of Ireland - north and south, Protestant and Catholic - observe the moment of silence at 3:10 pm, exactly one week after a car bomb killed 28 people and wounded 330 in the town of Omagh.
Charlton head the nascent English Premier, after beating Southampton 5-0. Title favourites Arsenal and Liverpool play a dull 0-0 draw. Wolves beat Swindon 1-0 to stay 100% with Norwich, Birmingham and Watford.
Sammy Sosa keeps the heat on Mark McGwire in the chase to break Roger Maris' home run record of 61. Sosa hits his 49th homer as the Cubs rally with two ninth-inning runs off Rob Nen to beat San Fran 6-5. The homer puts Sosa within two of McGwire's lead. Sosa's 49 homers tie Andrew Dawson for second most in club history, a mark Dawson set in 1987.
Cricket: England are bowled out for 243; Australia storm to 279/1 - Clart 128*, Rolton 88* have put on 152 for the second wicket. Australia lead by 36 runs with nine first-innings wickets intact.
|
| Judge Juanita Kidd Stout, the first black woman in the US to be elected judge and also the first African-American woman to serve on a state Supreme Court, dies aged 79, after a long battle with leukemia. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports "Judge Stout was a brilliant jurist and a trailblazer, not only for African Americans but for all Americans," an auditor general said. |
| Friday, 21 August Pakistan protests to the USA against presumed violations of its airspace during the missile strike against targets in Afghanistan. One of the missiles aimed at neighboring Afghanistan landed on Pakistani soil. The cruise missile strikes signal what President Clinton said would be a lengthy war on terrorists who bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Officials warn that military action would almost certainly provoke a terrorist response. An official of the Taliban says that at least 21 people died in the attacks near Khost.
Mark McGwire further closes the gap on Roger Maris' record with two more home runs. McGwire hits his 50th and 51st homers to creep nearer to breaking Maris' mark of 61 homers in a season as the St. Louis Cardinals split a doubleheader with the New York Mets. McGwire becomes the first player in history to hit 50 home runs in three consecutive seasons. Cal Ripken Jr. strokes his 2,848 career hit for the Baltimore Orioles, tying Brooks Robinson atop the team's all-time standings. Minnesota sweeps the Yankees, taking advantage of five errors to end the NY side's record of 48 straight games with a lead.
Cricket: England 183/6 versus Australia. A day of slow scoring - Jan Brittin makes 72 as the home side finds it hard going. Fitzpatrick takes 3/70. |
| Thursday, 20 August The Supreme Court rules that Quebec cannot unilaterally secede from Canada under either Canadian or international law. The only way they could leave was by the province voting clearly to leave, then negotiating with the rest of the countries. The court had been thrown the vexed question two years ago, and now lands it slap back in the politicians' hands. In an effort to draw attention away from Monica Lewinsky's second appearance before the grand jury, and that body's receipt of a sample of his DNA, President Clintern announces that he's breaking his holiday, returning to Washington, and ordering attacks on terrorist bases in Sudan and Afghanistan. Commentators point out that it makes a change from threatening to attack Iraq, and draw comparisons with the movie Wag the Dog where a president deep in internal scandal attacks an otherwise untroubled Third World country (or was it Albania. How quickly we forget...)
Dwight Yorke moves from Aston Villa to Manchester United for 12.6 million pounds. He becomes the UK's second most expensive player, after the 15 million transfer of Alan Shearer to Newcastle in summer 96.
Mark McGwire lets Sammy Sosa lead the home run race for all of three innings. Sosa hits his 48th home in the fifth inning but McGwire drills a solo shot onto Waveland Avenue to tie the game in the eighth, then gives the Cards a 7-6 lead over the Cubs with another bases-empty blast in the 10th. McGwire's initial home run is his first in 20 at-bats. His last homer had been August 11, and he now has 12 since the All-Star break. Minnesota go 3-for-3 against
Andy Pettitte this season with a 5-3 win over the New York
Yankees. The Twins' three wins against the Yankees equals the most
by any team this season.
Boston's Mike Stanley homers twice in an
11-1 win over Kansas City, while Toronto hits a season-high seven
homers, including two each by Shawn Green and Carlos Delgado, in
a 16-2 rout of Seattle.
Sri Lanka beat England by 5 wickets with 17 balls remaining in the One Day Triangular Final. England 256/8 - Knight 94, Atherton 64, Muralitharan 5/34. Sri Lanka 260/5 - Atapattu 132*, Kalatharan 68.
|
| Wednesday, 19 August A report into an E-coli outbreak in 1996 criticises the butcher involved. David Barr deliberately deceived health officers about the size of his business, a deception the report links directly to the 21 deaths. There's no criticism of the health officers who are paid to spot these things. Baseball: Boston sweeps Texas in a double-header. The Yankees beat Kansas City in 13 innings, sweeping the season series 10-0. Greg Maddux becomes the 94th pitcher to win 200 games. And the Mets reclaim the NL wild card lead. |
| Tuesday, 18 August Breaking seven months of near silence, President Bill Clinton admits that he did, in fact, have an "inappropriate" and "wrong" relationship with ex-White House intern Monica Lewinsky, but insists he did nothing illegal. "I know that my public comments and my silence about this matter gave a false impression. I misled people, including even my wife." His admission came after more than four hours of grand jury testimony. "I told the grand jury today, and I say to you now, that at no time did I ask anyone to lie." The British and Irish governments will implement new security measures aimed at taking off the streets the kind of terrorists that carried out Saturday's bombing in Omagh. Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam says security will be stepped up along the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. She won't reveal other details, "because it would be stupid" to do so.
David Cone becomes the first 18-game winner in the major leagues, and Tino Martinez, Tim Raines and Bernie Williams homer for New York as the Yankees kept up their torrid winning pace with a 7-1 rout of Kansas City. The Yanks improve to 91-30, on pace to break the 1906 Chicago Cubs' record of 116 wins.
South Africa beat England by 14 runs but miss the final of the one-day triangular tournament. South Africa make 244/7 - Cullinan 70, Symcox 51, Gough 3/43. England require 198 to progress, and are bowled out for 230 - Knight 74, Hick 64, Pollock 2/36, Symcox 2/36. |
| Monday, 17 August Balloonist Steve Fossett is alive in the South Pacific. Fossett climbed into a rescue life raft dropped from a French military plane. The aircraft is to continue circling Fossett until an Australian transport plane arrives at the site.
After an absence of several days, President Laurent Kabila returns to Kinshasa vowing to defeat rebels fighting to overthrow him. "We are here to stay. Whatever happens, the aggressors will fail," Kabila tells state television. The rebels, a coalition of minority Tutsis, Rwandan soldiers and disgruntled members of Kabila's army, say they have captured the western town of Matadi and are fighting to move closer to Kinshasa.
Bernie Williams' solo home run into the upper deck at Yankee Stadium gives the perfect finale to a day full of tributes. New York marks the fiftieth anniversary of Babe Ruth's death by posting its 90th win of the year. Williams's homer with one out in the ninth gives the Yankees a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers and makes them the only team other than the 1944 St. Louis Cardinals to post a 90-30 record after 120 games. Nearest chasers Boston are 19.5 games adrift, while the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are the first team eliminated from league title action this year; they're 42.5 adrift of the Yanks with 41 to play. |
| front | local | mscl | music | news | sport |
| mail me | |||||