Becoming a member has percs: Become a Patron!
World full of familiarities this April 19th in 2001.
Starting with the Middle-East – Israel began pulling its forces out of a strip of Palestinian territory in Gaza on Tuesday after holding it less than a day the military said. The withdrawal followed sharp US criticism over the incursion. After a barrage of heavy rocket fire Israel seized nearly a square mile of the Gaza Strip early Tuesday in Retaliation for a mortar attack on an Israeli desert town. It was the first time Israel took over Palestinian-controlled territory since peace accords were signed in 1994. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat denounced the seizure as an “unforgivable crime” and said his people would “not kneel before gangs”. Secretary of State Colin Powell called the action in Gaza “excessive and disproportionate” and said Israel should respect its commitment to the Palestinians “The situation is threatening to escalate further posing the risk of a broader conflict” Powell said.
And from Pretoria, South Africa – The world’s pharmaceutical giants backed away from a landmark legal fight over generic AIDS drugs, postponing a court battle in the face of overwhelming public opinion. Lawyers for 39 drug companies asked a judge to adjourn their long-awaited suit against the South African government so they could try to reach an out-of-court settlement. It was a remarkable turnabout for the manufacturers, who had spent more than three years trying to block a South African law that would override patent protections and allow the government to import or manufacture low-cost AIDS remedies.
And finally, Burundi’s army put down a coup attempt Wednesday by a group of junior officers opposed to President Pierre Buyoya’s peace negotiations with Hutu rebels the defense ministry said In a statement read on the independent Bonesha radio the army said 30 rebellious officers in the Tutsi-dominated military were surrounded in the studios of state-run Radio Burundi by loyal army units The announcement was attributed to Minister of Defense Cyrile Ndayirukiye.
And while the Middle-East kept erupting, that’s just a sampling of what was going on in the rest of the world on April 19, 2001 as reported by The BBC World Service World Briefing.
