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		 Playing the fuel 
		
		The French government made fuel-tax concessions to pressure groups, including 
lorry owners and farmers, who had brought much of the country to a standstill 
by blockading roads and petrol stations. The cave-in inspired copycat 
protests across much of the European Union. 
		See article: Blair's big test [IMAGE]
		
		
		
		
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		British protesters, following the French example, blockaded refineries and 
all but halted fuel deliveries throughout the country. As petrol ran out, 
Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, ruled out immediate concessions to the 
protesters. His early efforts to get fuel deliveries resumed were largely 
unsuccessful, but in response to appeals by Mr Blair and others, protesters 
started to lift the blockades. 
		See article: Euroshambles [IMAGE]
		
		
		Jos, Bov,, leader of France's small farmers and hero of its movement against 
globalisation, said he would appeal against a three-month jail sentence given 
to him on September 13th for his role in smashing up a McDonald's restaurant 
site a year ago.  
		
		
		The 14 countries of the European Union, which had imposed diplomatic 
sanctions seven months ago against their fellow member, Austria, after a 
far-right party had joined its ruling coalition, lifted them after a report 
by "three wise men" said that the country's human-rights record was up to 
scratch.  
		See article: Austria and the EU [IMAGE]
		
		
		Francesco Rutelli, the mayor of Rome, said he would run against Italy's prime 
minister, Giuliano Amato, to be the candidate of the centre-left in the next 
general election, due next spring.  
		See article: A new man to lead Italy's left? [IMAGE]
		
		
		Leaders of a group of countries that had been part of the Soviet Union, 
including Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, said they would 
co-operate more closely to resist Russian influence. Russia said that the 
citizens of several former Soviet countries would no longer enjoy visa-free 
travel to Russia. 
	
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		 Chaos averted 
		
		
		
		
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		More than 2,000 protesters against globalisation disrupted the World Economic 
Forum in Melbourne, Australia. The organisers called off the protest after 
three days, ending fears that it would be a repetition of the 
anti-globalisation chaos at the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle 
in 1999. 
		
		
		In Myanmar restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi and her opposition National 
League for Democracy were eased by the ruling junta. She had been locked in 
her house for two weeks. 
		
		
		With Libyan assistance, four European hostages were freed after being held 
for 20 weeks in the Philippines by a Muslim gang, the Abu Sayyaf. A Libyan 
foundation, run by one of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi's sons, again stage-managed 
the affair. The Abu Sayyaf then seized three further hostages from a 
Malaysian resort. 
		See article: Qaddafi, ruler of Africa? [IMAGE]
		
		
		The trials began in China's Fujian province of at least 200 officials accused 
of evading tariffs on the import of cars and other luxury goods. Chinese 
newspapers and television were barred from reporting the trials. 
		
		
		A bomb exploded in a garage beneath the Jakarta stock exchange, killing 15 
people and injuring many more. Police said the blast may have been set off by 
supporters of Suharto, as a protest against putting the former president on 
trial.  
	
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		 Independence day 
		
		
		Taking its cue from Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organisation's 
Central Council side-stepped the long-awaited September 13th deadline for 
declaring an independent Palestinian state. The declaration has now been 
postponed at least until November 15th. Syria, condemning Israeli "blackmail"
, called for an Arab summit. 
		See article: Sharing Jerusalem [IMAGE]
		
		
		British paratroopers rescued six of their colleagues who had been taken 
hostage last month by a small Sierra Leonean rebel group, the West Side Boys. 
In a dawn raid, one Briton and more than 20 rebels were killed. 
		See article: Sierra Leone's still strong rebels [IMAGE]
		
		
		An advance party of 46 United Nations monitors arrived in the disputed border 
zone between Ethiopia and Eritrea. A 4,000-strong force will eventually be 
installed to police the ceasefire. 
		
		
		A bomb exploded outside a mosque in Cape Town, South Africa. The premier of 
Western Cape, Gerald Morkel, said that he believed it to be an attempt to 
assassinate him.  
		
		
		Nelson Mandela, South Africa's former president who is brokering peace for 
Burundi, said that the remaining three Tutsi groups had dropped their refusal 
to sign a peace deal. 
		
		
		An opposition alliance, led by a former prime minister, Anerood Jugnath, won 
the general election in Mauritius. Politically stable, the Indian Ocean 
island has had only three prime ministers since its independence in 1968. 
	
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		 Screen violence 
		
		
		A Federal Trade Commission report, prominently supported by Al Gore, savaged 
Hollywood for marketing violent entertainment to teenagers. His opponent, 
George W. Bush, had another bad week preaching "compassionate conservatism" 
to America's voters. 
		See article: Lexington on the war against Hollywood [IMAGE]
		
		
		
		
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		Wen Ho Lee, an Asian-American scientist controversially accused of spying, 
agreed to plead guilty to one charge. The other 58 charges against the Los 
Alamos nuclear-weapons laboratory worker were dropped. 
		See article: Wen Ho Lee goes free [IMAGE]
		
		
		Stockwell Day and Joe Clark, the leaders of Canada's two rival 
right-of-centre parties, each won by-elections for seats in the federal 
parliament. A general election is expected next May.  
		See article: Canada prepares for an election [IMAGE]
		
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Euroshambles 
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So much for the new Europe? As fuel-price protests spread disruption across 
the continent and the euro tumbled again, governments were badly embarrassed, 
and deserved to be
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Leader
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Chaos across the continent
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Europe's economies
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