World Watch

THE HAGUE
Milosevic’s Day in Court
Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic made a sullen appearance before the U.N. war-crimes tribunal after his dramatic extradition from Belgrade. Milosevic announced that he would represent himself and then refused to enter a plea on charges of crimes against humanity and violating the rules of war. Instead, he questioned the legitimacy of the court and argued that the charges were an attempt to justify NATO’s actions in Yugoslavia. Presiding judge Richard May entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf and scheduled a pretrial hearing for late August. Milosevic’s extradition prompted a crisis in the federal government of Yugoslavia when the protest resignation of Prime Minister Zoran Zizic brought down his cabinet. Coalition partners now have three months to form a new government or call elections. Meanwhile, the Bosnian Serb parliament prepared to enact legislation calling for the arrest of other war-crimes suspects, including fugitive former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic and his military commander, Ratko Mladic.

FRANCE
Secrets of the Cussac Caves
Archaeologists announced the discovery of what may be Europe’s most exceptional cave engravings, at a site near Cussac, southern Dordogne. The dramatic stone etchings of humans and animals, including the largest rock-art bison ever seen, are thought to date back 27,000 years. The bones of seven humans were also found. French scientists have kept the fragile site secret since its discovery by an amateur explorer last September.

CHINA
Who Killed the Falun Gong Women?
Beijing admitted that 14 female members of the banned Falun Gong sect died in a prison camp last month but denied reports that they were tortured to death. The government said the women hanged themselves from their bunk beds, using ropes made of twisted sheets. But a Falun Gong spokeswoman in Hong Kong said the inmates slept without bedding, and another statement detailed signs of torture from relatives who saw the bodies. Falun Gong says as many as 200 of its followers have died in police custody since China outlawed the group two years ago.

FRANCE
Racism Warning
A report from the Council of Europe condemned Germany’s lack of action against racist and anti-Semitic violence. The report said that attacks had increased by 60% over the past year and represented “one of the most pressing and dangerous expressions of racism and intolerance in Germany.” Days later a government-appointed commission recommended that Germany admit up to 50,000 immigrants annually to help overcome labor shortages.

ITALY
Illegals Rescued
An Italian warship rescued 642 illegal immigrants from an unregistered freighter, which had run out of fuel and was taking on water off the Calabrian coast. Italian navy mechanics declared the Ammoil unseaworthy as the passengers — Turkish and Iraqi Kurds — were transferred to the warship and taken to the port of Crotone. More than 77,000 people have been caught trying to enter Italy illegally by sea in the past 10 years according to official Italian figures.

RUSSIA
Siberian Crash
A Russian commercial airliner crashed near the Siberian city of Irkutsk, killing all 145 people on board. The jet, a Soviet-made Tupolev 154 recently purchased from China by a private airline, VladivostokAvia, had departed Yekaterinburg in the Urals and was en route to the far eastern city of Vladivostok. It had twice attempted to land for scheduled refueling in Irkutsk before suddenly falling from 2,800 m. President Vladimir Putin declared a day of national mourning and ordered an investigation into the cause.

CYPRUS
Radio Protest
An angry crowd of Greek Cypriots attacked a police station and a British air force base after a local legislator was arrested trying to break in to the military compound. The M.P., Marios Matsakis, was released after 500 stone-throwing protesters attacked policemen and set fire to vehicles. Matsakis had led a protest against the erection of communications masts at the base.

ISRAEL
Ceasefire Totters
As Ariel Sharon visited Germany and France to try to secure European support for Israel’s policy toward the Palestinians, fears grew that the U.S.-brokered cease-fire was on the point of collapse. Palestinians shot dead two Israeli civilians and an Israeli helicopter gunship firing missiles killed three Palestinian militants. After a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet, newspapers reported that the policy of targeting Palestinian militants in pre-emptive strikes would continue.

CONGO
Witchhunt
In the past three weeks about 200 villagers suspected of being witches have been beaten or hacked to death in northeastern Congo. Villagers accused the victims of casting spells and blamed them for outbreaks of diseases that are endemic to the region. The “witches” were forced to hand over charms and potions before being killed.

INDIA
Bitter Revenge
In an act of vengeance, Tamil Nadu opposition leader and ex-chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi was pulled from his bed and carted to jail on orders of Jayaram Jayalalitha, the state’s current chief minister. The opposition figure was held on suspicion of corruption. Five years ago Jayalalitha suffered the same fate at the hands of Karunanidhi. But the arrest caused a government crisis in New Delhi, where Karunanidhi’s party is part of the country’s governing coalition. He was set free after five days, but 25,000 party workers remained behind bars.

NEPAL
Maoists Attack
Still in shock following last month’s massacre of the royal family, apparently by Crown Prince Dipendra, Katmandu was rocked last week by bomb explosions. Two large bombs, together with a number of smaller devices defused by police, were thought to be the work of Maoist rebels fighting to replace the constitutional monarchy with a communist republic. Outside the capital the rebels attacked police stations with guns and bombs in three remote villages, killing at least 38 policemen.

JAPAN
Rape Case Standoff
After days of high-level negotiations, American military authorities agreed to surrender a 24-year-old Air Force sergeant, suspected of raping a Japanese woman, to local authorities. The police had questioned Timothy Woodland for seven days about the alleged rape close to the Kadena air base in Okinawa. The prolonged standoff fanned local resentment of the U.S. military in Okinawa. “This has been a very difficult experience,” said Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka.

HONG KONG
Killer Storm
More than 115 people died as a typhoon lashed Southeast Asia. Typhoon Utor, with winds up to 170 km/h, ripped through the northern Philippines, claiming at least 112 lives before it weakened to a tropical storm, but was still strong enough to shut down schools, businesses and the stock exchange in Hong Kong. Chinese authorities mobilized 10,000 soldiers and 100,000 civilians to battle floods as the storm then swept through southeastern China.