PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
`OK Mugsy, throw out the Kalashnikov, the Uzi, the pump gun, the Magnum, the Mauser, the Luger, the Sten gun, the submachine-gun ' The Government released proposed ground rules for 'all party' talks on North- ern Ireland, scheduled for 10 June; these annoyed most parties, as in effect they gave joint control of the talks to the Irish gov- ernment but ruled out participation by Sinn Fein unless the Irish Republican Army concludes another ceasefire. The Ulster Unionists suggested they would rather bring down the Government than agree to the proposals. The Government then got a committee of the Cabinet to produce slightly different proposals. There are also plans for elections and a referen- dum in Northern Ireland before the talks. The Government came under pressure to introduce new laws on the possession of firearms in response to the killing of 16 primary school children and a teacher in Dunblane by a member of a gun club who then killed himself. Lord Cullen was given the task of inquiring into the murders; the Queen visited the school and a minute's silence was observed. The Government was also invited to consider the compulsory fit- ting of a microchip to televisions, nick- named the V-chip, which would allow par- ents more control over which violent or sexually improper programmes their children watch. The Government was expected to borrow more than its target for the financial year after spending more and collecting less tax than planned in Febru- ary. Yorkshire Water last summer consid- ered evacuating a million people from the Bradford area if reservoirs ran dry, a coun- cil official told an inquiry; the company denied any such plans. Mike Tyson beat Frank Bruno to win a boxing world heavy- weight title. Britons under 26 are tending to end statements with a rising intonation, making them sound more like Australians, according to Miss Barbara Bradford, a lin- guist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
THE LAST of five Serb-controlled suburbs of Sarajevo, Grbavica, came under the rule of the Muslim-Croat federation; departing Serbs set fire to homes and factories. The Bosnian army withdrew from the city. China continued manoeuvres, including a simulated seaborne invasion, off Taiwan in the days leading up to presidential elec- tions on 23 March. Mr William Perry, the United States Defense Secretary, rejected Chinese warnings against the US Navy patrolling near Taiwan. Mr Robert Mugabe was re-elected President of Zim- babwe with 90 per cent of the vote; he was the only candidate. Mr Ahmed Tejan Kab- bah was elected President of Sierra Leone with 59.4 per cent of the vote; he appealed for his countrymen to end their civil war. President Mandela of South Africa told a divorce court that after his release from prison his wife Winnie had not once `entered our bedroom whilst I was awake'; he said he felt 'the loneliest man'. He was granted a divorce, and Mrs Mandela was denied her claim of half his estate when she failed to appear for a court hearing. Archbishop Desmond Tutu commented: `She has more lives than a cat.' General Colin Powell reiterated his determination not to become a candidate for Vice-Presi- dent of the United States as a running mate with Mr Robert Dole, now expected to be the Republican candidate for Presi- dent. The European Community imposed a ban on the import of beef produced with the help of growth-inducing hormones; the ban had been opposed by Britain and the United States. Two hundred died in a fire in a discotheque in Manila. Sri Lanka beat Australia to win the cricket World Cup. CSH
Previous page
