A review of events and their interpretation.
| Wednesday, 30 September The UN Security Council will meet tomorrow to discuss massacres in Kosovo. Reports of 20 ethnic Albanians killed by Serbs is the final straw, unlike over 12 previous reports of mass killings. As the deputy PM warns that failing train companies will lose their franchises, Central Trains announces a plan to link the Midlands to France via the Chunnel. The service would run from Liverpool and Manchester to Sheffield, Birmingham, London and Lille. Reliability is expected to be higher than that on the eight minute stopper from Wolverhampton to Codsall.
Opening day of the baseball playoffs. A great night for Boston, thumping Cleveland 11-3; Mo Vaughn hits two homers and drives in seven, with Garciaparra hitting a homer for three. San Diego upset Houston 2-1, and the Yankees take out Texas 2-0. The Cubs and Braves start their campaign tomorrow.
In the European Cup, Arsenal beat Panathanaikos 2-1. Bayern Munich come from behind to draw 2-2 with Manchester United. Ajax beat Porto, Olympiakos overcome Zagreb, Juventus draw in Rosenborg, Spartak Moscow overcome defending champs Real Madrid. Helsinki hold Kaiserslauten goalless, Benfica down Eindhoven and Barca batter Brondby.
Harare, one day 3/3: Zimbabwe 259/5 (50 overs), India 222 (47.2 overs). Zimbabwe win by 37 runs but lose the series 2-1.
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| Tuesday, 29 September Malaysia's ousted deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, pleads innocent to nine charges of corruption and illegal sex acts, and counter-claimed that he's been severely beaten in detention. 3 die in Florida and Louisiana as Hurricane Georges strikes the Gulf of Mexico coast. Haiti's death total rises to 64. New Brunswick natives complain to Canada's Human Rights Commission, claiming they're being discriminated against by leaving those who don't live on reservations out of deals to lumber on Crown land.
The magical season of Sammy Sosa and the Chicago Cubs will continue. Gary Gaetti hits a two-run homer and Steve Trachsel pitches 6 1/3 no-hit innings as the Cubs take a 5-3 victory in their wild-card playoff against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field.
A good night for British clubs in the UEFA Cup. Aston Villa beat Stromgodset 3-0 (5-2 on agg), Liverpool slam Kosice 4-0 (7-0), Leeds lose 1-0 to Maritimo of Spain, 1-1 on agg, 1-1 on away goals, Leeds win 4-1 on penalties. Blackburn lose 3-2 to Olympique Lyon after a 2-2 draw on the night. And Celtic beat Guimares 2-0 (4-1). Werder Bremen overcome Brann Bergen 3-0 (3-2), Dinamo Moscow win 3-2 at Skonto Riga (5-4) and Marseille beat Olomuc 3-0 (5-2).
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| Monday, 28 September The German conservatives are out, after 16 years in power. Leaders of the Social Democratic and Green parties meet to discuss forming a new governing centre-left coalition with Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor. Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD) take 41% of the vote, besting the 35% for the Christian Democrats (CDU) of outgoing Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who had been Western Europe's longest-serving leader. A small plane vanishes 150 miles off Goose Bay, en route for Iceland. The two people on board are feared drowned in the wild Atlantic. A priest is murdered in his church near Walsall. Father Paul Orchard, 80, was found stabbed at the foot of some stairs at St Hubert's, Brandhall. A man is helping police with their inquiries.
In his final game of the year, Mark McGwire hits his 69th and 70th home runs of the year to extend his lead over Sammy Sosa to four. Sosa has one last chance to match or eclipse McGwire as his Chicago Cubs will play a one game playoff with the San Francisco Giants to decide the National League wild card team Tuesday morning. The Yankees finish 114-48, notching up the first winning percentage above 70% since the '54 Indians.
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| Sunday, 27 September Texas billionaire Ross Perot lashes out at President Bill Clinton Saturday, saying he is "unfit to be the president of this great country." "This guy's brain's not working correctly," Perot tells a Reform Party convention in Atlanta. Perot, who ran for president in 1992 on the Reform ticket, added, "Right now I wouldn't have (Clinton) third shift in a hamburger stand responsible for cleaning out the sink."
Mark McGwire hits his 67th and 68th home runs of the year against the Montreal Expos. McGwire socks 67 in the 4th off Dustin Hermanson, and 68 in the 7th off Kirk Bullinger. The Cardinal first baseman now two home runs ahead of the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, homerless in his team's victory over the Houston Astros.
The Cubs and Giants win and the Mets lose. The two winners are now tied for the wild card lead; the Mets can join them if they win and the other two both lose.
Bulawayo (2/3) Zimbabwe 235/7 (45 overs), India 236/2 (41.5 overs). India win by eight wickets and lead 2-0.
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| Saturday, 26 September Japan's ruling party and key opposition groups reach outline agreement to nationalize an ailing major bank. The agreement is expected to clear the way for the passage of key financial sector bills in an effort to clean up millions of dollars of bad debt in Japan's banking system.
Sammy Sosa holds the lead in the home run chase for a mere 42 minutes before Mark McGwire pulls even with a shot to left field against the Montreal Expos.
Aston Villa go 5 points clear atop the Premier League, after beating Derby 1-0. Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal draw 1-1 in a match marred by a brawl that saw Wednesday's Paulo di Canio sent off and punching the ref to the ground.
Bulawayo (game 1/3): Zimbabwe 213 (50 overs), India 216/2 (42.2 overs). India win by eight wickets
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| Friday, 25 September The Indian prime minister says his country is prepared to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, but has to complete negotiations first. Atal Bihari Vajpayee tells the UN General Assembly that India wants the treaty to go into force by September '99. India is one of 44 countries that must ratify the treaty for it to go into effect.
The New York Yankees match the American League mark of 111 wins as Shane Spencer hits a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth for a 5-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. New York trails only the 1906 Chicago Cubs (116-36) in the win column.
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| Thursday, 24 September NATO ambassadors agree to prepare air forces for possible strikes against Yugoslavia if president Milosevic continues his offensive against ethnic Albanian rebels in Kosovo province. The action comes 12 hours after a UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire in Kosovo. So far, only Germany and The Netherlands will contribute jet fighters for the mission. Britain and Iran are to restore diplomatic relations after the Iranian government distances itself from the 1989 fatwa against author Salman Rushdie. The death threat was handed down by then Iranian ruler Khomeni for Rushdie's work "Satanic Verses". Two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Chicago lead Milwaukee 7-5. The Brewers' Geoff Jenkins lofts a fly ball into the left field sun where the Cubs' Brant Brown drops it. All three runners -- running with the pitch -- cross the plate and stun the Cubs 8-7. The ninth inning drama overshadows two solo home runs by Sammy Sosa, tying Mark McGwire for the ML lead at 65. The Cubs are now tied with New York, who lost to Montreal 3-0, in the NL wild card race. |
| Wednesday, 23 September The David Suzuki environmental group claims many thousand Atlantic salmon have escaped from off the BC coast and are mixing with the Pacific salmon. They're worried that there may be alien diseases amongst the native fish. But only four baby fish have been spotted, not evidence of a stable population. John Olerud ties the NL record by reaching base for the 15th consecutive time, but falls short of Ted Williams' major league mark by grinding out in his next at-bat. The Cubs and Mets are back tied for the NL wild card lead following the Mets' loss to Montré'al. |
| Tuesday, 22 September 20,000 protest Canada's new National Gun Register on Parliament Hill. The bill, introduced without a massacre, will force owners to register their firearms with the police. The start-up date has already been pushed back from October to December owing to the large scale of the project. A father of four dies off the Avalon peninsula during storms in the annual food fishery. The Fishery Minister rejects claims that the fishery should have been postponed until after the passage of tropical storm Earl.
South African troops cross into Lesotho and storm the royal palace after weeks of opposition unrest. The troops battled Lesotho army soldiers siding with the opposition.
Bill Clinton's popularity is up 6% following release of the Clintern Tapes.
Roger Clemens strikes out 15 to earn his 20th victory of the season as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1. The win marks Clemens' 15th straight decision and pulls Toronto within 3 1/2 games of Boston in the AL wild-card race.
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| Monday, 21 September The Clinton tapes come out. We see a remorseful president make a painful admission of his illicit relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Senator John Kerry (D) says Clinton should appear before the House Judiciary Committee soon "to explain exactly what he did, exactly what he was thinking" so Congress can move ahead quickly. Prime Minister Goran Persson takes victory in the Swedeish general election, although his Social Democratic Party (SDP) shows one of its worst election performances this century as voters swung to the left. "We are going to continue governing," Persson tells 2 cheering supporters. With most of votes counted, the left-wing SDP remains the biggest of seven parliamentary parties with 36.5 percent support.
Baseball's numbers:
Pittsburgh Steelers are shut out for the first time since 1993 as the Miami Dolphins defense stuff the run, harass Kordell Stewart and smother his receivers. Stewart passes for just 82 yards with three interceptions, one for a touchdown as the Dolphins were carried to victory by their defense.
India 256/9 (Tendulchar 77, Mahmood 2/30) Pakistan 258/5 (Anwar 83, Sohail 97*, Joshi 2/36) Pakistan win by 5 wickets with 4 balls to spare and win the series 4-1
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| Sunday, 20 September President Clinton may be facing new legal trouble in the Paula Jones case. Attorneys for Jones say they're likely to file a motion asking Clinton be punished on grounds he was "misleading" in a videotaped question and answer session in the January 17 deposition he gave in response to Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against him. Two British hostages are released after 15 months in Chechnya. The aid workers are suddenly set free by rebel forces in the troubled Russian province. In the clash of last season's top two, Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-0 with goals from Adams, Anelka and Ljungberg. United's Nicky Butt is sent off for the second straight game; he was ejected from Wednesday's European Cup match for another foul. |
| Saturday, 19 September Emergency workers try to rescue passengers who survived more than 12 hours in storm-buffeted seas after a Philippine ferry sinks with 443 people aboard. The coastguard report at least 232 people rescued from the Princess of the Orient by naval ships, helicopters and a passing fishing boat. At least two bodies have been recovered. For the first time this decade, teenagers who are not sexually active are in the majority, reports the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Those who are having sex are being more careful, more teens are using condoms and the number having sex with four or more partners has dropped from when the CDC first started the biannual survey in 1991.
St Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire regains the home run lead with his record 64th round-tripper, a 2-run blast in the 4th inning of the Cards' game with the Milwaukee Brewers. One behind McGwire in the home run race is the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, unable to hit in the Cubs' game with the Cincinnati Reds.
The bizarre Premier League season continues. Newcastle stuff Coventry 5-1, Derby do Leicester 2-0 to go 2nd. Leaders Villa draw 0-0 at Leeds, and newbies Charlton draw 3-3 at Liverpool; the Reds slip to 3rd. Wimbledon beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 to return 4th. Southampton pick up a point in a 1-1 draw with Spurs.
Leicestershire win the County Championship, defeating the other contenders Surrey by an innings. The Oval's side finishes third, behind Lancashire. |
| Friday, 18 September After a day of intense partisan wrangling, the House Judiciary Committee decides to release President Clinton's videotaped testimony on the Lewinsky affair. The tapes will be made public on Monday.
Cleveland's Manny Ramirez hits his sixth homer in three games as the Indians beat Minnesota 9-1. He ties a major league record last reached by Mike Schmidt in 1976. Ramirez, who hit three homers Tuesday and two Wednesday, becomes the seventh player and third American Leaguer to hit six homers in three games with a two-run shot in the fourth. Texas regain the AL West lead by beating Anaheim. The sides play three games next week.
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| Thursday, 17 September A military dinner in Quebec ends in farce with a stripper and a blue movie projected onto the maple leaf flag. The army commander says that this is a distraction and negative publicity they can do without.
Fifteen are killed in a Mexican suburb as gunmen line people up against the wall. The area is notorious for cocaine smuggling.
The EU finally pulls its finger out and sends a delegation to Russia to discuss economic reforms. They don't want to see a Communist command economy return.
Slammin' Sammy gets even in grand fashion, and this year's classic home run
race just gets better and better. Sosa matches Mark McGwire's
record by hitting #63, a grand slam that gives
the Chicago Cubs a 6-3 victory over the San Diego Padres. Sosa
drives in all six runs for the Cubs, helping them hold their
half-game lead over New York in the NL wild-card chase.
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| Wednesday, 16 September President Clinton holds a news conference, his first since the Starr report charged the president with lying under oath and obstructing justice. He's now under pressure to resign or accept censure over his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Starr's report and the possible release by the House of Clinton's videotaped testimony before Starr's grand jury look set to dominate the session.
St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire hits his 63rd home run of the season, breaking a tie with Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa. He connects as a pinch-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader.
The Cubs move a half game clear of New York after the Mets split a double-header in Houston.
The European Cup League Phase starts. Man United draw 3-3 with Barcelona after leading 2-0. Arsenal draw 1-1 at Lens but squander a dozen chances. Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-0. Porto and Olympiakos draw 2-2, as do Juve and Galataseray. Brondby beat Bayern Munich 2-1, and Panathanaikos beat Dinamo Kiev by the same score.
Pakistan 257/5 (Saaed 58, Inzamam 81, Ijaz 43*), India 180 (Mongia 38, Srinath 43, Zahid 2/20) Pakistan win by 77 runs.
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