Information Related to "World News Review March 1999"
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In Brief... World News Reviewby Darris McNeely, David Palmer, Phil Schafer and John SchroederThe death penalty continues to stir debate in many parts of the world. On February 23 a jury in Texas found John William King guilty of the brutal murder of James Byrd Jr. Byrd, an African American, was dragged to his death behind a vehicle driven by King and two others in a vicious hate crime that shocked the country. The judge sentenced King to death by lethal injection. We feature two reports on the status of the capital punishment in this issue. The Death Penalty: Britain's Dilemma and America's British Home Secretary, Jack Straw, has virtually signed away Parliament's right to restore capital punishment. The hanging penalty was removed from the law books in the United Kingdom over 30 years ago. Mr Straw recently endorsed the Sixth Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights-making it very, very difficult to reverse the Human Rights Act now enshrined in British law. The Daily Mail commented: "Among everything Britain has signed away to Europe, the right to reintroduce the death penalty may be the one that is regretted most, especially by victims of future murderers." Polls over the last 30 years have shown that the vast majority of the British people want hanging reintroduced. Though former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher always voted "yes," the British Parliament consistently refused to do so when the decision was still in its power. This landmark decision comes at a time when the evidence is beginning to show that the reintroduction of capital punishment in some 38 states is working in the United States. The American murder rate has dropped considerably over the past ten years, and some observers feel that the death penalty is primarily responsible. Take New York state: capital punishment was reintroduced in 1995 and the number of murders has fallen by about 50 percent since. Murders in New York City have dropped from 1,200 in 1994 to 500 in 1998. Correspondent Daniel Jeffreys summed up his report from the Big Apple: "It has taken 15 years but the streets of America's big cities are now safer than they have been for generations. All categories of violent crime are down." Of course, this does not mean that America is completely out of the woods. There is still far too much general crime and the murder picture, though much improved, still has a long way to go. (The Daily Mail, January 28, 1999) MANILA AND NEW YORK: (Innovative Media, Inc.) - The year 1999 could prove to be very decisive in the history of human rights if there is success in abolishing the death penalty. Next autumn, the U.N. General Assembly could decide on a moratorium regarding the death penalty. It will be a highly debated issue, as countries are increasingly declaring themselves with clarity in favor of or against execution. The European Union is clearly abolitionist, having overcome Great Britain's reluctance and paid attention to the pope's defense of life. The hard core countries in favor of the death penalty are the U.S., many Islamic countries, and some Asian states like Singapore, China and the Philippines. If the United Nations attempts to have the death penalty abolished on a worldwide scale, would the U.S. use it's veto to overrule such a mandate? And if the United States were successful in their influence, what will be the reaction in Europe and especially in Rome? The Looming World Water Crisis Experts on the world's water situation issued a warning last week that within fifty years two billion people will face a severe water shortage. Actually, if one uses UNDP figures for current water usage and availability, the situation may be even more serious. Using the cutoff point of 2,000 cubic meters per person per annum as indicating a severe shortage, most of Africa and most of Asia will be in dire straits in less than twenty years. Exceptions might be the Congo basin, a few regions along the coast of West Africa, Bangladesh, and some areas of Southeast Asia. Much of Europe as well as Latin America outside the Amazon basin are also included in this situation. Some of the world's most populous nations are already facing looming shortages. In northern China and in much of India the water table is dropping 1 to 2 meters per year due to increasing use of wells. Most of the world's rivers have been tapped for irrigation, and much of the planet's irrigated land is under threat from salinization. Experts on conflict tell us that many of the wars in the new century could be fought over the distribution of water from shared river basins. Some 260 rivers are shared by more that one state. Potential disputes over the sharing of water exist in over half of these. The situation is probably most grave in the region which is often the focus of Bible Prophecies-the Middle East. War could easily break out over shared rivers in the Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, and Jordan valleys. Experts on the Middle East warn that any attempt by Turkey to cut off Euphrates or Tigris river waters to Syria or Iraq would provoke a major war. Both of these down river states are watching Turkey's Southeast Anatolia Project with increasing apprehension. Israel's mining of the groundwater under the West Bank is one of the key issues standing in the way of a final settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. Bangladesh Movement Highlights New Pan-Islamic Identity TEHERAN, IRAN : (SNS) - The recent arrest of a network of terrorists in Bangladesh and India points to an important new pattern emerging among fundamentalist Islamic militancy. Terrorist financier and organizer Osama Bin Laden has rejected the traditional militant hotbeds of Iran and the Levant, and with them the tacit equation of Islamic identity with Arabic or Persian identity, and has instead turned to the Indian Ocean basin. There he has set about forging a new pan-Islamic identity and movement that ignores ethnic, social, and political differences. While there is nothing wrong with religious unity, in this case, forged by a terrorist, it has a distinctly violent underside—one we expect to plague Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia for some time to come. It may not be long before we see the sword of Islam unsheathed again in the hands of a madman with a vengeful hatred for America. Bin Laden's terrorist activities are not finished. They are merely on hold. John Paul II Greets Palestinian President Arafat — Receives Committee of "Bethlehem 2000" International Forum VATICAN CITY: (Innovative Media, Inc.) - The United Nations Conference on the "Bethlehem 2000" project, which ended this week at the FAO headquarters in Rome, was the common denominator of two papal audiences. Yasser Arafat, president of the National Palestinian Authority, came to Rome for the opening of the conference and to address aspects of the "Bethlehem 2000" project, an ambitious program financed by the European Union, the United Nations, and several governments and private entities. The Bethlehem project will build the infrastructure necessary to transform the city of Jesus' birth into an attractive place for the pilgrims of the Jubilee. Arafat expressed his satisfaction with the idea, although he emphasized that Bethlehem is still not a free city; it continues to be surrounded by old and new Jewish settlements. Arafat reiterated his invitation to the pontiff to visit Bethlehem, where the pope's presence is greatly anticipated. John Paul II accepted the invitation, which was first made during the Palestinian president's last visit. This was Arafat's seventh visit to the Holy See. His first was in 1982, and his most recent visit was last June. Patriarch of Jerusalem: Christians' Moral Fiber Being Tested JERUSALEM: (APB) - Patriarch Michael Sabbah of Jerusalem has been among the participants of the "Bethlehem 2000" Conference in Rome. Commenting on the situation in the Middle East, he said: "Our expectations for 'Bethlehem 2000' are for a spiritual life that is more sincere on the part of Christians, who are few, both in Bethlehem itself as well as in the rest of the Holy Land." Referring to King Hussein of Jordan's death, the Patriarch said, "We hope that Jordan's politics will not change, and that the new king will follow in his father's footsteps, doing the same work, and giving the same input for peace." In face of the current standstill in implementing the Peace Agreements, the Patriarch said that "the Palestinian people believe and hope that a new government in Israel will have a new vision, capable of integrating Israel's need for security with the Palestinians' right to liberty. Only with this broader vision can there be hope to achieve peace." Russia Calls on Japan and Germany For Economic Help GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE: (SNS) - The Russians have mounted a full-court press focused on Germany and Japan. They have had no luck pleading with the Americans directly on economic issues. They have now focused their attention on two key American partners who also are extremely vulnerable in their own ways. The Japanese are vulnerable economically, given their lack of recovery from financial problems. The Russians are carrying this message to the Japanese: unless Western help is forthcoming, Russia's economy will continue to worsen, undermining the prospects of a global economic recovery. Therefore, the Japanese have a serious interest in advocating the Russian position to the Americans. Moreover, unless the Japanese succeed in this task, they can forget about recovering Japanese islands occupied by the Russians at the end of World War II. The Russians were delivering a more geopolitical message to the Germans. The Germans badly want stability along the territory running from the Baltics to the Balkans. They are more directly affected by instability in these regions than any other major power. They have made enormous investments in this region as well as huge investments in Russia. Russia is letting Germany know that more than investments are at stake in this region. Russia is in a position to destabilize the entire region. This would lead to increased German dependence on the United States for stability, to Germany being forced to intervene in the region on its own or in concert with other European nations, or to the acceptance of instability and tension in its own back yard. None of these options appeal to the Germans. That is what the Russians are counting on. During this past week recent press reports began to surface to the effect that Russia and its partner Belarus were supplying arms to Iraq. Similar reports have been surfacing for a while, but their frequency and prominence are increasing. There is little doubt in our minds that Russian and Belarussian weaponry is reaching Iraq. On another front Russia has long been worried about Turkish intentions in the Caucuses, particularly among the Moslem nations in the region. Moscow has been increasingly close to Armenia, a non-Moslem antagonist to Turkey. In recent weeks, Russia began delivering S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Armenia, in a dramatic increase in weaponry certain to alarm Armenia's neighbors. Such tactics are reminiscent of the Cold War. This time Russia's emphasis is not only the United States, but Japan and Germany as well. Euro Prompts Talks of Northern American Currency OTTAWA: (CP/BN) - Academics, economists and politicians met last month in Ottawa to discuss the state of the world's economy. One of the key items discussed was the possibility of debate on a common North American currency to compete with the euro. The Canadian center for Policy Alternatives conference heard suggestions of a common currency, the dollar, to be used by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Among those opposed to the idea was Auto Workers Union economist John Stanford. He warns that using the U.S. dollar would be Canada's loss. He says it would mean accepting U.S. leadership not only on currency but on Canada's socio-economic policies. What's interesting is that economists in North America have known for years that the Europeans were working toward a common currency. Like so many things in this world the tendency is to wait...until it's too late. After the fact has become common place today. Although all nations live in a global village, some nations isolate themselves and then wonder what happened when the world doesn't unfold as expected. By the time North American economists even get around to discussing a common currency, whether using the U.S. dollar, or trying to incorporate a system that would include the Canadian dollar (often called the "loonie" due to the image of the bird on the reverse), and the Mexican peso, the European currency will be so entrenched in world economics that our economists would be wasting their time, not to mention tax dollars. Recall the blessings God promised Israel if they followed the way He set out for them. "The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them"(Deuteronomy 28:12-13). Euro to Spark Political Integration FRANKFURT: (Internet/Reuters) - The president of Germany's Bundesbank, Hans Tietmeyer, has said that the introduction of Europe's new single currency, the euro, should be accompanied by more political unity. Tietmeyer wants a "higher degree" of political cooperation. Eleven of the 15 members of the European Union merged their currencies on January 1, forming a close Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Mr. Tietmeyer, one of Europe's most influential central bankers, now says that EMU has to be accompanied by a "high degree of political unity at a European level." Speaking on German radio he warned that "if everyone goes their separate ways, that could lead to conflicts with what will be a supranational monetary policy." He warned that the launch of the euro would intensify the competition between the economies in the eurozone. Until recently, countries with high unemployment were able to increase their competitiveness through currency devaluation. EMU will make that impossible. Mr. Tietmeyer's conclusion is that high unemployment can only be tackled through closer political cooperation. |
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Other Articles by Darris McNeely
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Origin of article "World News Review March 1999"
Keywords: death penalty capital punishment water crisis Bangladesh Osama bin Laden John Paul II Palestinians Russia Euro
Capital punishment:
