News beyond the farm

A weekly e-mail news summary - WORLD EDITION

For the week preceding this Saturday, April 13th, 1996, here's what made the News Beyond the Farm:

The west African nation of Liberia has turned into chaos. On Apr 6th, authorities attempted to capture warlord Roosevelt Johnson, who had been charged with murder. His followers attacked the militias run by the Transitional Ruling Council which had come to arrest him, and the battles soon became inter-factional and chaotic. Warlord Charles Taylor, a key figure in the nation's government, claims that the battles are necessary to establish order for a long-term return to democracy, while other factions claim Taylor simply wants to eliminate Johnson from the political scene. Up to 400 hostages were taken, then released, by forces loyal to Johnson Apr 8th. The fighting prompted the US to begin evacuating Americans Apr 9th, but the fighting prevented helicopter flights out of the capitol, Monrovia, necessitating a cease-fire Apr 13th to allow the US to finish its evacuations of civilians. Fighting has resumed with no end in sight.

Tension in the middle east is rising as exchanges between Israel and Hizbollah escalate. On Apr 7th, two gas bombs hit an Israeli bus and injured six. On Apr 9th, a series of Katyusha missiles fired from southern Lebanon injured 30 in northern Israel. Hizbollah, the pro-Iranian group, claimed responsibility for both incidents. Israeli responded by bombing southern Lebanon Apr 11th. On Apr 12th, more missiles were fired from southern Lebanon and Israel again bombed Hizbollah positions and injured Syrian troops in the process. The bombing campaign continued Apr 13th, and Israeli bombs hit an ambulance, killing two women and four children; Israel claimed a Hizbollah leader had been in the ambulance. Hamas and Hizbollah promise a bombing campaign in Israel in response; up to 2000 civilians were fleeing Lebanon in anticipation of further Israeli retaliation.

An attempt by a seven year-old girl to become the youngest person to fly a cross-country round-trip ended in tragedy. Jessica Dubroff, her father, and flight instructor Joe Reed were killed as their plane took off in a storm at Cheyenne WY Apr 11th. Jessica had started her flight in the Bay Area Apr 9th and hoped to fly President Clinton around Washington this weekend. The plane was apparently overweight at the time of the accident, and the flight instructor's decision to take off in the thunderstorm is being heavily investigated. Jessica, a product of home schooling, had flight skills which seem to rebuke accusations that she was unqualified, and her parents are not being criticized for pushing her to make the trip, since she seems to have been the driving force behind it. Notably, the Guiness Book of World Records would not have recognized the record had she successfully completed the trip; Guiness felt the feat should not be encouraged and was too dangerous.

They're Talking About It:

OJ Simpson failed a lie detector test two days after the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, according to a report revealed Apr 8th. Simpson reportedly was angry at failing the test, which has a 90% accuracy rate, but was advised by lawyers not to re-take it.

In Shorts:

North Korean truths entered the DMZ again Apr 7th, and have almost nightly since.
Israel announced Apr 7th that it had intercepted a ship with Iranian explosives on board in March in Antwerp, Belgium.
Anthony Biscegile, the lawyer for David Kaczynski, held a press conference describing how David had gradually come to suspect that his brother, Ted, was the Unabomber Apr 7th. Meanwhile, further searches of Ted Kaczynski's cabin revealed claimed to find the typewriter which wrote the manifesto published earlier this year Apr 9th, then claimed they had found a copy of the manifesto itself Apr 11th. FBI officials seem to be convinced that Kaczynski is the Unabomber.
An 8-day prison uprising in Argentina Apr 8th after the government agreed to transfer ring-leaders to different prisons.
Sri Lankan prime minister Chandrika Kumarantunga declared a state of emergency Apr 8th to quash the free movement of Tamil Tiger rebels.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 88 points Apr 8th; it had been down over 100 earlier that morning.
Texas released sex offender Larry Don McQuay Apr 8th, saying he would have to pay for his own castration.
President Clinton signed the law which will give the next president line-item veto authority Apr 9th.
Former powerful House member Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL) agreed to a plea bargain Apr 9th that will require him to spend 17 months in prison and pay a $100,000 fine.
Russia launched a US telecommunications satellite Apr 9th.
The US expelled a Sudanese diplomat in the UN Apr 10th, saying he had supported terrorist activities.
President Clinton vetoed a bill which would ban late-birth abortions Apr 10th, saying that he would have signed it if it had contained an exception for medical emergencies to the mother.
More than 100 were killed and 400 injured in Somalia Apr 10th after inter-clan fighting again broke out.
Fighting in southeast Turkey between Kurdish rebels and the government Apr 10th killed 99 Kurds and 30 Turks.
David Hale, the chief accuser in the Whitewater case, admitted Apr 10th that he had given incorrect testimony in Federal Court in 1994.
A husband and wife surrender from the group of "freemen" holed up in Jordan MT Apr 11th. No other progress has been reported in the standoff.
In South Korean elections Apr 11th, the ruling New Korea Party lost its majority, but still should be able to form a government.
Ford Motor Company took control of the Japanese carmaker Mazda Apr 11th in attempt to save Mazda from bankruptcy. American Frank Wallace will serve as president.
The derailment of a Montana Rail Link train at Alberton MT Apr 11th caused 42 people to be injured; the town may be evacuated for two weeks.
An airport fire in Dusseldorf, Germany killed 17 people Apr 11th.
Mickey Kantor was named the new Commerce Secretary Apr 12th, replacing the late Ron Brown. The current trade representative, Kantor is a "recess appointment" who will not immediately face Senate confirmation. Brown's funeral was held Apr 10th.
A package bomb killed a 38 year-old woman in Plantation, FL Apr 12th.
A house fire in South Fulton TN killed six people Apr 13th.
A demonstration by the Klu Klux Klan in Louisville drew no new recruits and 1000 protestors Apr 13th.
James Rouse, the visionary who came up with the idea of shopping malls, died Apr 10th at the age of 81.

Finally:

Given a list of recent Hollywood movies, which ones would China ban? Most people wouldn't include "Babe" on the list. However, Chinese authorities have banned the film about the cute pig from their nation, reportedly because of fears that it would be too popular and take audiences away from domestic Chinese films. Personally, this reporter thinks "Babe" is just a little too reminiscent of "Animal Farm" for Totalitarian taste.

And that's what made the News Beyond the Farm.

Sources this week included All Things Considered (NPR), the Associated Press newswire, the Christian Science Monitor, Marketplace (PRI), Newsdesk (BBC/PRI), Newsday (BBC/PRI), the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (PBS), the New York TimesFax (WWW), the Reuters newswire, the United Press International newswire, and The World (PRI). Compiled by: Lance Gleich, Stanford CA

News Beyond the Farm is designed to provide a reasonably short summary of a week's events for people who would otherwise have no chance to keep up with current events. It is distrubuted by direct e-mail and is published by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute's student newspaper, "Newspeak," when that institution is in session. It may be distributed, forwarded, or re-posted anywhere. Check "http://www.stanford.edu/~lglitch/btf/btf.html" on the World Wide Web for back issues and further information. Comments, criticisms, and requests for e-mail subscription additions or deletions should be e-mailed to "lance@uhra.com". Congratulations on keeping up with the world around you!