News beyond the farm

For the week preceding this Saturday, February 15th, 1997, here's what made the News Beyond the Farm:

Tension between the two Koreas has risen in the wake of an apparent defection from the North. Hwang Jang Yop, a key figure in conceiving the present North Korean governmental and economic struggle, and the tutor of President Kim Jong Il, entered the South Korean embassy in Beijing China Feb 12th and asked for asylum. North Korea, upon hearing the news, claimed that Hwang had been kidnapped, and demanded that China return him. China did seal off the area around the South Korean embassy Feb 13th, but at press time it was still unclear if they would allow Hwang safe passage to South Korea or return him to the North Koreans. Tensions increased further when 1982 defector Lee Han Young was shot dead in Seoul, South Korea Feb 15th. The South blames the North for the assassination.

As expected, Rosalia Arteaga became Ecuador's first female president Feb 9th. She legally took office after an agreement was reached with Congress late Feb 8th in which she would serve as interim president until the constitution would be changed to modify the succession procedure. However, the Congress refused to modify the constitution and instead elected Fabian Alarcon Feb 11th to serve until new elections in 1998, and Arteaga bowed to pressure and left the presidential palace.

They're Talking About It:

In Shorts:

• Jack Kemp stated Feb 9th that he may indeed run for president in 2000.

• Rebels in Zaire started a new offensive Feb 9th, taking the key town of Isiro by Feb 12th.

• Violence broke out during anti-government protests in the Albanian city of Vlora Feb 9th resulting in one death

• Unconfirmed reports out of Bhagdad Iraq Feb 9th had several potential rivals to Saddam Hussein executed after a failed coup attempt.

• Another natural gas pipeline exploded in the northwest Feb 9th, this time in Kalama WA. The same pipeline had exploded hundreds of miles to the north in Everson WA the previous day.

• Muslims interested ingreater autonomy rioted against the Chinese government in the northwest city of Yining Feb 10th. An army crackdown occured the next day.

• The jury ruled Feb 10th that OJ Simpson owed the family of Ronald Goldman and the children of Nicole Brown Simpson (ironically, in his custody) $25 million in punative damages.

• The no-flight zone imposed by the Air Force was extended to the Gulf of Mexico Feb 10th after two more incidents in which F-16s came close to commercial aircraft.

• Walter Leroy Moody Jr. was convicted Feb 10th of a series of 1989 bombings in the southern United States.

• 22 more people were killed in Algiers, Algeria Feb 10th as Ramadan came to a close.

• One Muslim was killed when ethnic violence broke out in Mostar, Bosnia Feb 10th.

• Bill Richardson was confirmed as US ambassador to the UN Feb 11th by a 100-0 margin.

• The Yugoslav parliament finally ordered election results in that nation to be reinstated Feb 11th. Belgrade's city election committee followed suit Feb 13th.

• The Space Shuttle Discovery took off Feb 11th, grabbed the Hubble Space Telescope for modification Feb 13th, and by Feb 15th had found damage on the device which has perplexed scientists.

• Two American fliers died when a F/A-18 fighter crashed off the coast of South Korea Feb 11th.

• Public workers in Colombia went on strike Feb 11th, demanding a 21.5% pay increase. The government has offered 13.5%; no progress had been made by Feb 15th.

• Karen rebels in Burma apparently attempted an offensive Feb 12th, but were soon outnumbered by government forces Feb 13th and chose to burn their buildings and flee. By Feb 14th, 16,000 Karen refugees had fled to Thailand.

• Islamists stoned a church in Egypt Feb 12th.

• Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov took the oath of office Feb 12th even as Moscow's mayor expressed support for Chechen independence, which the Yeltsin administration has rejected.

• Indonesian President Suharto warned the domestic press Feb 12th not to emulate foreign journalism in coverage of domestic affairs.

• 17 people died in an attack in India's Tripura state east of Bangladesh Feb 12th, apparently perpetrated by a new sepratist group.

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average topped the 7000 mark for the first time Feb 13th, closing at 7022.

• The family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. called Feb 13th for James Earl Ray to receive a trial before he passed away. Ray confessed to killing King but later said the confession was coerced.

• The Term Limits Amend ment to the constitution failed to pass the House of Representatives Feb 13th, achieving a 217-211 vote, well short of the required two-thirds majority.

• The Justice Department is investigating the possibility that the Chinese Embassy was used to direct foreign contributions to the Democratic National Committee, the Washington Post reported Feb 13th.

• Tajikistan rebels killed one hostage Feb 13th even as Tajikistan sent helicopters to Afghanistan to allow the safe passage of rebel prisoners back to their nation.

• The Bulgarian parliament dissolved itself Feb 13th.

• Israel refused to re-start talks with Syria in the same state that they left off some months ago Feb 14th.

• The Russian parliament debated the impeachment of President Boris Yeltsin Feb 14th, but no vote took place.

• A 70-nation agreement on telecommunications services, a kind of international deregulation, was reached Feb 15th.

• The Republic of Georgia Feb 15th dropped diplomatic immunity for Gueorgui Makharadze, the diplomat who killed a Washington DC teen while driving drunk, clearing the way for his pros ecution.

Finally:

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