ALMATY, Nov 30
(THE GLOBE)
November 1st
US President Bill Clinton approved Congress� decision to abandon obsolete laws regulating banking activity, which had impeded financial conglomerates. The Glass-Stigall Law, which required division of banks� deposit and investment functions, was introduced in 1933 to return public trust in the financial system. The law was abandoned on the 70th anniversary �Black Thursday,� the stock market crash which launched the Great Depression.
November 2nd
The French Minister of Economy and Finance Dominique Strauss-Kahn sent in his resignation. He was implicated in a scandal with forged financial documents. According to Strauss-Kahn�s closest officers, the previous day he had not considered resigning, but following a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister�who made it clear that he refused to support Strauss-Kahn�the dismissal was unavoidable.
November 5th
The merger of pharmaceutical companies American Home Products and Warner-Lambert was announced. The merger value is estimated at US$ 65 billion and will break a world record in the business as the two biggest US producers of pharmaceuticals voluntarily transform into a super-giant. The new company will be named American Warner Inc. Thanks to this deal, the companies will combine their strongest aspects: American Home will get access to the consumable market, while Warner-Lambert will cease to depend on its only bestseller, Lipitor preparation.
November 7th
The presidential election in Tajikistan concluded with an overwhelming victory for incumbent Imomali Rakhmonov. He was supported by 96% of voters. His only competitor, Davlat Usmon, leader of the Party of Islamic Rebirth�the main party of the United Tajik Opposition�received only 2% of votes. Even in the eastern regions of the country which are the traditional territory of the UTO, people voted for Rakhmonov. International observers from Iran, Turkey and the CIS did not notice any serious violations in polling on the basis of which results should have been cancelled. However, OSCE withdrew its observers, considering the election a farce, as the pre-election atmosphere had been deliberately undemocratic.
November 8th
The Pope John Paul II arrived in Georgia. Catholics in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia participated in this meeting, which was the first Papal visit to the Caucasus in Christian history. Although the Pope�s Georgian tour was a sensation, the announcement by John Paul II that he was going to visit Moscow to hold a divine service with the Patriarch Aleksy II in one of the capital�s temples created a even larger stir.
November 9th
The Greek Minister of Justice Evangelos Yannopoulos decided to intervene in the procedure of turning over felon Georgy Miroshnik to Russia. He had been wanted since 1992, when he was accused of misappropriating property belonging to the Western Group of the Army. While Miroshnik, who has four criminal records, lived in Europe and America, he committed a series of other crimes, including receiving Greek citizenship via forged documents.
November 10th
Germany celebrated the ten year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the night from November 9th to 10th, 1989 the GDR leader Egon Krenz ordered frontier troops to open passes in the Wall which surrounded Western Berlin since August 13, 1961. Tens of thousands of people wishing to cross the frontier did so in the first night. Germany decided to celebrate the anniversary of the Wall�s fall solemnly.
November 11th
A prohibition on talking and driving was introduced in Japan: all types of mobile and cellular telephones were banned, except those which are voice-activated. The number of accidents and deaths caused by car phone conversations has grown significantly in Japan every year since 1995. The number of lethal cases totalled 3000 in the last year.
November 12th
Turkey experienced its second serious earthquake this year. According to preliminary estimates, over 300 people died, with about 2,000 wounded. The earthquake epicenter was the same as the epicenter of the earthquake on August 17 that caused 20,000 to 45,000 deaths.
November 13th
The US announced a �serious reorganization� of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The Anti-terrorist Department was separated from the FBI and made an independent organization. FBI director Louis Freeh said: �to defend America from terrorists and to guarantee our security are FBI�s priorities.� Previously, the Infrastructure Defense Center had been separated from the FBI. This center works on preventing electronic assaults to American computer networks.
November 15th
An agreement making Chinese accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) possible was signed in Beijing. This agreement is the most important event for the country�s economy since China declared its �open door policy� in 1978. For 13 years, Beijing fought for Washington�s approval for admittance, which it finally won after six days of negotiations between the US Trade spokeswoman Charlene Barchevsky and top Chinese statesmen.
November 19th
The Chile government officially forbid organizers of the International Congress of Neo-Nazis from holding the congress in the country. The congress was to be held on April 20, 2000, devoted to the 111th birthday of Adolf Hitler.
November 21st
Unprecedented autumn snowfalls hit western Europe. A thick layer of snow covered even those regions where snow seldom falls. The Spanish province of Catalonia, southern France and northern Italy suffered most from the natural calamity, with snowdrifts paralyzing traffic and stopping trains in their tracks.
November 22nd
Iraq officially refused to ratify a UN memorandum to prolong by two weeks the Oil in Exchange for Products program. �This document has no value from a political point of view,� Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammed Said as-Sahhaf said. as a result, the value of the January contract for light oil grew in New York auction by US$ 0.93 (3.5%) to US$ 27.07 per barrel. This is the highest price since January 1991.
November 23rd
Philipp Holtzman Concern, the second largest construction company in Germany, announced bankruptcy. The concern�s creditors, including Deutche Bank categorically refused to prolong terms of repayment for debts accumulated by Holtzman in previous years, which have come to DM 2.4 billion. The concern faced difficulties several years ago, when the construction boom ended in the eastern Germany.
November 24th
US First Lady Hillary Clinton confirmed that she was going to participate in the next election to the US Senate and would be nominated from the New York State. When during one of her speeches in New York she was directly asked �Yes or no?,� Clinton said: �The answer is yes.� She added that she would officially announce her participation in the election campaign in early 2000.
November 26th
The Turkey Appellate Court confirmed a death sentence condemned four months earlier for the Kurdish Working Party leader Abdullah Ojalan. The 51-year-old Kurdish leader is accused of high treason, separatism and indirect responsibilty for the death of 30,000 people. While the Appellate Court judges prepared to announce the sentence, crowds at the court building chanted �to hang!�
November 27th
Yugoslavian Minister of Information Goran Matich made a sensational announcement: that Yugoslavian special services had arrested a group of people who had planned an attempt upon President Slobodan Milochevich�s life. All of the conspirators are Serbs belonging to the Pauk group, Serbian police stated.
November 28th
The Basque terrorist organization ETA announced a decision to cancel the truce announced on September 17, 1998 and to recommence �military struggle� in early December. In response, chairman of the Spanish government Jose Maria Asnar stated that ETA was guilty for the collapsed hopes of the Spanish people for peace, as the Spanish government had done everything possible to settle the problem.
November 29th
In Moldova, the power crisis worsened when the Romanian Ministry of Industry and Trade cut power supplies to Kishinev due to outstanding debt of 16 million Euros. The northern and western regions of Moldova bordering Romania had no electricity. The main reason for the conflict was not Moldova�s financial debt, but its unwillingness to transfer the main shareholding of Tirex, an oil import distributing enterprise, to Bucharest.
All Over the Globe is published by IPA House.
© 1998 IPA House. All Rights Reserved.