A review of events and their interpretation.
| Monday, 30 November The Defence Secretary, George Robertson, makes clear that only the Home Minister would rule on Chile's request that Gen. Augusto Pinochet be allowed to return to Chile rather than be extradited to Spain. No other government ministers would be allowed to intervene. The Chilean foreign minister has now shifted his no-extradition campaign to Spain. Quebec voters choose between an incumbent provincial leader who favors independence and an underdog challenger seeking to end the threat of secession. If Lucien Bouchard's Parti Quebecois wins the election, they will hold a referendum on leaving Canada whenever he calculates that the separatists will prevail. Some militants in his party already have an unofficial motto: "A country for the year 2000."
The New England Patriots beat Buffalo with a go-ahead touchdown on a play that starts after time expired. A penalty against the Bills, called after the clock hit zero, gives the Patriots one last play. Running back Jamal Anderson carries the Falcons into the playoffs with a career-best performance against the Rams. Anderson's 188 yards rushing on 31 carries and touchdown with 3:13 to go clinches the victory for Atlanta.
Dallas remain two clear of Arizona atop the NFCE, Minnesota's lead over Green Bay remains three games, while San Fran can cut Atlanta's lead to one if they beat the Giants tonight. Denver has the AFCW sewn up; the other sides are all within two games of each other. Jacksonville's lead over Pittsburgh is back to two, and Miami and the Jets have come out on top of the East for this week.
Three Tests wrap up today. Peshawar (day 4) Zimbabwe 162/3 to win by seven wickets. |
| Sunday, 29 November The government's sex offenders' register has nearly 6000 names and locations on it. Only around 4% of those convicted of severe sex offences have failed to register their locations. From tomorrow, courts can bar those named on the lists from specific places.
Perth (day 2): Australia collapse from 208/4 to 240. Alex Tudor has 4/88, Gough 3/32. That's a first innings lead of 128. England whittle that down to nothing, with Hick 42* and Ramprakash 26* retrieving a poor start to finish on 126/5. England trail by 2. |
| Saturday, 28 November The Chilean Foreign Minister may have negotiated a deal that would bring Pinochet back to Chile to face trial over his human rights abuses. It's not clear if this would be acceptable to the Spanish judges in charge of the case.
Perth: England are crap. But you knew that even before they were 112 all out an hour after lunch. Fleming takes 5/46. Australia take the lead by the end of day 1, closing on 150/3, Taylor making 61. Australia lead by 38 |
| Friday, 27 November An escalation of attacks on Israeli soldiers in Lebanon forces Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a European trip to deal with the fatalities. The Israeli leader came home after two soldiers were killed in the war of attrition in South Lebanon. In Beirut, the pro-Iranian Hezbollah guerrilla group claimed responsibility for a two bomb attack.
Jo'burg: West Indies 261, South Africa 217/6. Courtney Walsh becomes the Windies all-time top wicket taker. |
| Thursday, 26 November Former Allied prisoners of war are angry after a Japanese court rules they are not entitled to compensation. The group has been campaigning for an apology as well as 13,500 pounds compensation each. One outraged member vents his disgust by spitting on the Diet building. Setting up a high-profile legal battle over euthanasia and assisted suicide, Michigan authorities charge Dr. Jack Kevorkian with first-degree murder over the death of a 52-year-old man with Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian is bailed on a $750,000 bond after promising the judge he would not be involved in any deaths while awaiting trial. He would only have to pay the money if he violated that condition. There may be fewer officers in Newfoundland than anywhere else in Canada, but Justice Minister Chris Decker says there are enough. The police association has claimed that there's a shortfall in their numbers, but both sides are in the middle of pay negotiations. A group proposing to establish a university in Grand Falls / Windsor is crying foul. The provincial and national governments seem to be putting as many roadblocks as they can in the path of establishing a university in central Newfoundland. Most recently, there's no civic money for a feasibility study.
The Maple Leafs organisation will run St John's new civic centre on a day-to-day basis. The Leafs, the Toronto-based NHL side, will name the manager and take responsibility for conference bookings. The Leafs will also play a pre-season game at the new arena every second year.
The Minnesota Vikings just about clinch first place in the NFC Central with a 46-36 win over the Cowboys. Detroit's Jason Hansen kicks a 42-yard field goal in overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers after a bizarre coin toss to start the period mistakenly gave the Lions first possession. During the coin toss at midfield, Jerome Bettis of Pittsburgh called tails, but the official insisted he called heads. Pittsburgh kicked off and never saw the ball again.
Joburg: West Indies 250/7.
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| Wednesday, 25 November General Augusto Pinochet is not immune from prosecution, rules the House of Lords. He now faces extradition to Spain to face charges of genocide, terrorism and torture, and won't be flying home to Chile. Arsenal are out of the European Cup, after losing 1-0 to Lens. Manchester United survive, with another 3-3 draw against Barcelona, who are eliminated. Only Kaiserslauten are assured of progressing to the last eight, where 14 of the other 23 sides could join them. |
| Tuesday, 24 November The deadlock between Iraq and the UN arms inspectors continues as Iraq turn over just two documents requested by chief arms inspector Richard Butler. Iraq claims turning over the documents would jeopardize national security; US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says it's "an excuse" to hide information. The documents in dispute include an air force diary detailing the destruction of munitions used in the Iran-Iraq war. The silence that traditionally greets the Queen's Speech is broken by an unprecedented reaction from peers and MPs. The Queen's forced to pause while confirming a Bill to reform the Lords. The anti-democratic bill looks set to dominate Parliament over the next year, overshadowing 21 other major measures.
The Patriots return to the playoff race. Drew Bledsoe shakes off a jammed finger to lead New England on a furious drive in the final two minutes. He twice converts fourth-and-10, then finds Shawn Jefferson in the end zone with 29 seconds left to give New England a 26-23 win over the Dolphins. Miami is level with Buffalo and the Jets, one clear of the Patriots.
Day 5: Michael Atherton falls early for 28, Stuart MacGill takes Mark Butcher for 40. Alec Stewart fails again with 3. Graham Thorpe goes for 9, Hussain is bowled for 47, and Mark Ramprakash is stumped for 14. But then an electrical storm prevents play for two hours before the umpires call it quits.
Glenn McGrath (6/85 & 1/30) is named man of the match. Australia 485 & 237/3d, England 375 & 179/6. Match drawn.
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| Monday, 23 November Internet browser maker Netscape Communications is in talks to be acquired by America Online in a stock swap worth $4 billion. Netscape says no transaction has been completed. But the negotiations centre around a deal valuing each Netscape share as 0.45 of an AOL share.
Boris Yeltsin meets with visiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin despite being rushed to a Moscow hospital in this week's health crisis. Yeltsin is suffering from a Georgia's anti-sodomy law is overturned as the state's Supreme Court rules it violates the Georgia Constitution's guarantee of a right to privacy. Labrador police warn again about thin ice after two snowmobilers are killed over the weekend. Police are getting p'ed off with people dropping through the frozen concentrate each year.
Minnesota beats the Packers 28-14 to all but clinch the NFC Central. The win leaves the Vikings (10-1) three games ahead of Green Bay (7-4) in the NFC Central with five games left. John Elway is only the second quarterback in history to pass for 50,000 career yards as the Broncos stay unbeaten this season with a 40-14 rout of the Raiders. Elway joins Miami's Dan Marino past 50,000 yards, by passing for 197 yards and three touchdowns as the Broncos become the 10th team in NFL history to go 11-0.
It's been a long time since Washington has scored 42
points and now it's not even enough to win. Arizona (6-5)
scored the most points the team has posted since 1977 as the
Cardinals flew to a 31-0 lead and held off the Redskins 45-42. Two pass interference penalties
against Kansas City's James Hasty sets a 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left
to give San Diego (5-6) a 38-37 victory over the Chiefs. It was
Kansas City's (4-7) sixth straight defeat. Dewayne Washington
returns two interceptions for touchdowns as
Pittsburgh (7-4) beat Jacksonville (8-3) 30-15.
Tables: Dallas stay two clear of Arizona in the NFCE, Minnesota's lead over Green Bay is three in the NFCC, and Atlanta stay one step ahead of SF in the West.
In the test, McGrath takes 5/19 today, leaving England 375 all out, 110 behind. Slater makes a quickfire 113, Langer 74 as Australia declare on 237/3. Requiring 348 to win, England make 27/0 by stumps. The final day tomorrow...
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| Sunday, 22 November A promotional blitz for British beef is in the works. The EU ministers are poised to bring the organisation back within its own rules by lifting the export ban on the substance after three years, and the marketing arm for the product will send thousands of leaflets overseas. They'll persuade foreign customers that British beef is as safe as any.
England's batsmen do their business on a rain-curtailed day 4. Mark Butcher makes 116 and Nasser Hussein 59 in a stand of 134 for the second wicket. Thorpe (70*) and Ramprakash (29*) combine to avoid the follow-on and almost certainly force a draw. England (299/4) trail Australia by 186 runs with six wickets in hand |
| Saturday, 21 November A United States campaign to drive Saddam Hussein from power includes the support of Iranian efforts to oust the Iraqi dictator. In a sign the Clinton administration is willing to perform as many U-turns as it takes, State Department spokesman James Rubin says the US would not object to Iran undermining Hussein. This is the latest twist in the build-em-up-knock-em-down process the US has used for 50 years. Meanwhile, Iraq refuses to hand over documents to UNSCOM. The documents, including senior officer's diaries and intelligence reports, may contain relevant material. Iraq claims that some of the documents don't exist. Is this the latest excuse to test the recent developments in missile technology by the US?
Australia's last five wickets add 307 as they finish 485 all out. Both Waugh (112) and Healey (134) go on to complete centuries, but Damian Fleming further frustrates England's attack with 71* when he runs out of partners. Mullally is the pick of the bowlers, claiming 5/105. England finish at 53/1 at the close. England trail by 432 runs with nine wickets left.
A topsy-turvy day as the top three sides all lose. Liverpool end Villa's undefeated record, winning 4-2 through an Owen hat trick. Man Utd lose 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal go down by the only goal at Wimbledon. Blackburn are now bottom of the league after Southampton get their first away win of the season, and part company from manager Roy Hodgson after the game. |
| Friday, 20 November A handshake between soldiers across a table launches the first handover of Israeli-held West Bank land to Palestinians in nearly two years. The groundbreaking deal is the first step in a land-for-security initiative brokered last month in the United States. Israeli and Palestinian commanders pore over maps designating the 195 square miles of land around the self-rule city of Jenin due to come under full or partial Palestinian control. Prince Charles lodges a formal complaint to press watchdogs over coverage of Prince Harry in a tabloid. The Prince says the paper "sensationalised" a minor sports injury and has asked the press to respect his son's privacy at school. It's exactly the same agreement that the press pledged to when brother William started at the same institute some years back.
Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa wins the National League Most Valuable Player award over home run chase winner Mark McGwire. In a landslide victory, Sosa takes 30 of the 32 first-place votes and 438 total points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Sosa hit .308 with 66 homers and a major league-leading 158 RBIs. Although he finished behind McGwire's 70 home runs, the Cubs made the playoffs as McGwire's Cardinals stumbled to third in the NL Central.
Brisbane: First Test, day 1. Australia win the toss and elect to bat, and make 58/1 by lunch. M Waugh and Taylor depart in the space of three balls, but Ponting and S Waugh go to 141/4 at tea. Five minutes after the break, they're off for bad light; England aren't allowing the lights to be used. Waugh survives a run-out and two drops to end 69*, Healy 46*. Australia 246/5
Gujranwala: Zimbabwe 237 (Johnson 74, Mushtaq 4/36). Pakistan 241/6 (Sohail 91, Moin Khan 35). Pakistan win by 4 wickets with 14 balls left.
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| Thursday, 19 November The Last Bong. News at Ten, the flagship news outlet on commercial channel i t v is to be abolished, in favour of news at 6:30 and 11. The end of a 30 year tradition is a direct result of the nannyish censorship on British television, where many slightly racy films and dramas cannot be aired before 9pm, forcing an interruption for the news after an hour. The Church of England is in retreat across much of the country. The Bishop of Lincoln, Robert Hardy, tells the Church's talking shop that clergy are so streched that some parts of the country are unrecoverable, and are on the verge of returning to paganism. Ashleigh Scott, of Birmingham's Wiccan group, welcomed the honesty and openness of the bishop. Juan Gonzalez is the American League's Most Valuable Player, overwhelming Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter to win the award for the second time in three seasons. Gonzalez, who had the most RBIs in the AL in 49 years and led Texas to its second AL West title in three seasons, takes 21 first-place votes and seven seconds in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. |
| Wednesday, 18 November A US government-commissioned survey finds nearly 18 percent of women in the United States have been raped or the victim of attempted rape at some point during their lives. That's 17.7 million American women. More than half the victims said they were under 17 when first raped, according to a survey commissioned by the Justice and Health and Human Services departments. The nationwide survey also found that more than half of women at one time in their lives have been physically assaulted. The percentage of college students who smoke is rising quickly in all demographic groups, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Researchers surveyed about 15,000 college students at 116 college campuses in 39 states between 1993 and 1997. Smoking increased 28 percent and a quarter of smokers had begun smoking regularly while in college. Former MI5 Intelligence Officer David Shayler is freed by a French court after a judge rejects the British Government's request for his extradition. There are cries of joy in the Paris courtroom from Mr Shayler's brothers and girlfriend as the case falls. Tom Glavine wins his second NL Cy Young Award, edging out reliever Trevor Hoffman. Glavine's award makes it six in eight for an Atlanta Braves pitcher earning the honour. Glavine also becomes the first Cy Young award winner not to get the most first-place votes. Hoffman received more first-place votes but fell 11 points short of Glavine in the closest balloting for the award in 11 years. |
| Tuesday, 17 November - Hecatate Night The sixth APEC summit of Pacific Rim nations opens, with leaders seeking remedies for the region's worst economic crisis in decades. But the two-day meeting is overshadowed by a row with the United States over pro-democracy reforms. Vice President Al Gore enraged the Malaysian political and business community by praising the "brave people of Malaysia" for their political-reform movement -- one of whose goals is to end Mahathir's 17-year leadership. It's not expected that this year's summit will see a repeat of the tear gas and pepper spray used last time in Vancouver. The Newbury bypass, long the site of heated clashes between anti-roads protestors and developers, opens without ceremony in the early hours of the morning. Protests at the bypass set the project back years and brought green issues to prominence.
Roger Clemens wins a record fifth Cy Young Award, receiving all 28 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The Toronto ace is the American League's best pitcher for the second successive year. Clemens won in 1986, also by unanimous vote, and in 1987 and 1991 with the Boston Red Sox. The right hander went 20-6 with a 2.65 ERA, unbeaten in his final 22 starts.
Monica Lewinsky signs a seven-figure deal for a tell-all book and has agreed to terms for a television interview. The former White House intern signs with St. Martin's Press for a book about her affair with President Clinton. It will be co-authored by Princess Diana biographer Andrew Morton. Clearly, Monica is trying to bathe in the same light as the Trollope of Wales (Dead) - that of source material for a tabloid hack.
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| Monday, 16 November Benjamin Netanyahu suspends a further troop withdrawal from the West Bank because of Yasser Arafat's threat to declare Palestinian independence. The pullback is on hold until Arafat, the Palestinian Authority president, rescinds his threat to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state next May. Arafat had threatened to declare independence should the Palestinians find that the limited autonomy accords weren't being implemented as envisaged in the Oslo peace accords. There's a motorcade in Labrador City during a visit by Brian Weenie Tobin, protesting plans to export ore to Quebec for smelting. Workers want guarantees that their jobs won't be affected by the plans.
The Atlanta Falcons take sole possession of first place in the NFC West with a 31-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers, in front of their first sellout crowd in three years. The 8-2 Falcons score twice on defense before clinching victory on Chris Chandler's 78-yard touchdown pass to Terance Mathis. The Falcons had a 24-6 lead in the fourth quarter before two long touchdown passes by Steve Young drag the 49ers (7-3) back to 24-19 with 3:09 remaining. Arizona (5-5) come back from an early 28-0 deficit to a final drive that ends 4 yards short of a tying touchdown as time expired. Dallas (7-3) hold on to win 35-28 and a two-game lead in the NFC East.
San Diego's Natrone Means breaks his left foot in
the second quarter of the 14-13 win over Baltimore. Peyton Manning passes for three TDs, lifting
Indianapolis over the New York Jets, 24-23. The Colts (2-8) drive
80 yards on their final possession to snap a four-game Jets (6-4) winning streak. Al
Del Greco kicks a 22-yard field goal with three seconds left to
lift Tennessee over Pittsburgh 23-14. The Oilers (6-4) tack on
a time expired TD as the Steelers (6-4) try to keep
the ball alive on the kickoff. It's the Oilers' first sweep
of the Steelers since 1993. Miami (7-3) ends a three-game road losing skid with a
13-9 win over Carolina (1-9). Detroit (3-7) downs Chicago (3-7) 26-3, the Lions'
first win on Sunday of the season.
Brett Favre becomes the second fastest to throw 200 career
touchdown passes and makes 25,000 passing
yards in the Green Bay Packers' 37-3 road win over the New York Giants. New Orleans over St Louis, Buffalo down New England, Minnesota bosh Cincinati, Washington score a touchdown in each quarter, beating Philly 28-3. Jacksonville top Tampa Bay, and Oakland slash Seattle.
AFC East is headed by Miami, a game clear of Buffalo and the Jets. Jacksonville's lead in the Central is two games over Pittsburgh and Tennessee, while Denver play tonight atop the West. |
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