The Turkish Foreign Ministry has prepared a list of the consequences of execution. If Ocalan is hanged, relations with Europe will be further strained, and EU membership put even farther out of reach. Ocalan’s death may also provoke more violence. Last week in Turkey, five people were shot, reportedly by Kurdish rebels. In Germany a Turk was killed in what police believe was a PKK attack. But Kurdish violence and European disapproval only strengthen most Turks’ resolve to hang Ocalan. As Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said, “Those who try to influence the legal proceedings in Turkey will meet with opposition from Turkish public opinion.”
Death on the MountainSTAR WARSDeal With It
Tired of hearing about “Phantom Menace” this, “Episode I” that? Good, so are we. Our new topic: “Episode II.” Opening day (sometime in May 2002) is still far, far away, but the Web’s already aflutter with rumors about what’s in store.
RELIGIONDivine Tech Support
Instead of cursing the next time your computer crashes unexpectedly, you can try praying. Since the Vatican’s three main Web servers (which are dubbed Gabriel, Michael and Raphael) crashed earlier this year, the church’s Council of Social Communication has been looking for a patron saint of the Internet. The favorite: St. Isidore of Seville, a sixth-century monk who created an early database in the form of a 20-volume encyclopedia set. St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes, and St. Anthony, the saint to whom Catholics pray when they lose something, were also considered for the job. If approved, Isidore will join other high-tech patrons like the levitating Joseph of Cupertino, who intercedes for astronauts and St. Clare, patron saint of sore eyes and television. For a full list of the Vatican’s patron saints, you can go online and check out http://saints.catholic.org/patron.html.
AIR TRAVELRemote Control
“I Love Lucy” or “Seinfeld,” sure. But only trapped at 30,000 feet would you endure warmed-over versions of “Entertainment Tonight.” Now AirTV, a consortium of European and Canadian satellite companies, is hoping to capture the eyeballs of captive air passengers. Using four satellites to provide a seamless worldwide signal, the company says it can offer 30 channels of programming, including pay-per-view sports events and news. By 2002, Boeing hopes to introduce the Internet to seat-back screens. Now how about upgrading those stale sandwiches?
IRELANDA Sort of Deal
It took arm-twisting by prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain and Bertie Ahern of Ireland, plus phone lobbying from Bill Clinton. But in the end, Northern Ireland got something like a deal. At issue has been the formation of a regional cabinet, in which representatives of both unionist and nationalist communities would share power. But the Ulster Unionists refused to endorse a cabinet unless there was tangible progress on “decommissioning”–disarming Northern Ireland’s paramilitary groups, including the IRA. After days of wrangling, Blair issued a last-ditch appeal: “The entire civilized world will not understand why we cannot put this together and make it work.” Finally, the unionists and Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political arm, blinked. The cabinet will be formed, but won’t begin work until after decommissioning starts this summer. The parties have been asked to sign off on the proposal by July 15. Meanwhile, the province braces for the “marching season.” There could still be trouble; this is Northern Ireland.
EXCLUSIVELesser Charge?
The U.S. Justice Department is nearing a decision on whether to prosecute Wen Ho Lee, the Taiwanese scientist suspected of spying for China. The FBI hasn’t produced enough evidence to charge Lee with espionage. But the U.S. attorney in New Mexico has argued that Lee should be charged with a lesser offense: mishandling classified nuclear information. Lee maintains his innocence, and his lawyer is preparing an aggressive “selective prosecution” defense. Meanwhile, the Feds are focusing on Lee’s alleged transfer of nuclear codes from a secure computer at the Los Alamos lab to an unsecured one. FBI cybersleuths suspect Lee deleted the files’ classification markings and created “windows” allowing Chinese operatives to access the information.
