Paris
Faced with growing public uproar, the French government announced new measures to stem the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse), or "mad cow" disease, which is linked to a fatal human variant. Prime Minister Lionel Jospin extended the prohibition on feed containing animal matter — now thought to have contributed to the spread of bse — from cattle to all livestock. The E.U. is weighing tougher screening policies, and agricultural ministers will meet on Monday to discuss the matter, but by week's end no concerted measure against French beef had been enacted. Italy became the latest European country to restrict the sale of French beef unilaterally, banning the import of adult cows and beef on the bone from France.
Brussels
Echoing a call he voiced last May, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in a speech to the Belgian Parliament expressed support for the direct election of future European Commission presidents. As the E.U. expands, its institutions will need to be strengthened, Fischer said, and a direct election would enhance democratic legitimacy. Although Fischer was careful to avoid the term federal and stressed that Europe is too diverse ever to become a United States of Europe, his remarks prompted swift reaction. In Britain, especially, where the avowed Europhile Fischer has become something of a hate figure for Euro-skeptics, government officials were quick to distance themselves from the proposal.
Belgrade
Yugoslavia's return to the international fold continued apace last week as the newly elected government of Vojislav Kostunica announced the restoration of diplomatic ties with the U.S., Germany, France and Britain. Relations with the four countries had been severed at the beginning of nato's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia last year. Since his election, Kostunica has moved quickly to restore his country's international standing.
Moscow
Russian Space Agency officials announced that their beloved Mir space station must soon perish. The 14-year-old structure, which was launched when Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader of the U.S.S.R., runs the risk of a dangerously uncontrolled descent if left in orbit for much longer. Space Agency director Yuri Koptev announced plans to bring Mir back down to earth with a re-entry that, if all goes as planned, will end with the remnants of the 130-ton station crashing down next February in the Pacific Ocean, 1,500 to 2,000 km off the Australian coast.
Mbabane
Swaziland's Chief Justice ordered that the leader of the main opposition party be released from detention on two charges of sedition. Mario Masuku is alleged to have made obscene remarks against King Mswati and called for a revolution to overthrow the monarchy that controls the small southern African state. The move comes during a period of growing tension in Swaziland. Thousands of Swazi protested the recent eviction of more than 200 rural families and their chiefs so that the King's brother could use the land. The introduction of laws aimed at stifling opposition figures and journalists has also angered many.
Nairobi
At least 110 people died and many of the 400 survivors may go blind after drinking a local moonshine brewed with methanol. The beverage, known locally as chang'aa, or kill-me-quick, because of its potentially lethal alcohol content, causes kidney and liver failure. The owner of one of the two pubs that sold the killer drink died after sampling it herself. Chang'aa, popular with poor Kenyans because it costs less than a third of the price of a bottle of beer, has killed at least 200 people since 1996.
Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak followed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to the White House for talks with President Clinton as U.S. mediators struggled to encourage dialogue between the two sides. But the violence in the West Bank and Gaza showed no sign of abating, and four Israelis died in drive-by shootings in a single night. Barak responded with a ban on the passage of all goods going into the Palestinian areas except food and humanitarian aid. The Palestinian death toll continued to mount as Israel responded with tank shells and helicopter rockets when Palestinian gunmen fired from residential neighborhoods.
Damascus
In a move timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the revolution that brought his late father, Hafez Assad, to power, Syrian President Bashar Assad ordered the release of some 600 political prisoners. Shortly after his inauguration, Assad released about 30 opposition members and his father occasionally amnestied political prisoners, but last week's official order is unprecedented and applies to about half of the country's entire political prisoner population. Many of the prisoners due to be released are members of the Muslim Brotherhood, an outlawed Islamic group that was eviscerated in a 1982 uprising that Hafez Assad ruthlessly crushed, killing an estimated 20,000 people.