On November 12 two youths were shot by cops; seven were arrested and sentenced to several months in juvenile prison. Coming on top of 25 percent unemployment and racist abuse by French authorities, this government brutality touched off a bigger revolt, as furious youth chanting "Colonial justice!" poured into the streets. They attacked symbols of power like the prefecture and homes of government officials, sacked stores, barricaded streets, and threw molotov cocktails at the cops. The General Union of Guyanese Workers called a general strike in support of the students. Thousands of workers demonstrated November 13 and 20, according to the pro-independence newspaper Asé Pléré An Nou Lité. They chanted, "Touchez pas a' la jeunesse!" "Don't touch the youth!"

After a three-week student strike, the youth returned to the classrooms November 18 when the government of Jacques Chirac in Paris backed down and promised added funding for Guyanese schools. The international big-business media has largely blacked out the events in Guyane.

Colombian natives score victory
After two years of protests by indigenous Colombians the government conceded to scale down its plans to build river dams that would have flooded 175,000 acres of rain forest and left 6,000 Indians homeless. Environmentalists say the Urra dams, as the project is known, would destroy the balance of the complex ecosystem in the region where the Embera tribe resides. The Colombian government launched the dam project to siphon energy from that country's rivers. Francisco Birry of the Organization of Indigenous Cultures said, "There was little or no study of the environmental impact."

Central Africa troops rebel again
French forces attacked a base held by rebel soldiers in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, on January 5. The soldiers, who are demanding the resignation of President Ange-Felix Patasse and an increase in pay, had held part of the city for six weeks. It is the third such rebellion in less than a year. The Associated Press reports that the week before the French assault, troops loyal to the government dispersed thousands of demonstrators by firing into the air.

The French Defense Ministry, which intervened twice before in 1996 to put down rebellions in the former French colony, said 10 rebel soldiers were killed, 30 were taken prisoner, and the city is now under government control. Residents in the area told the BBC that many more people were killed, and that they have seen some of the rebels regrouping. Paris is sending hundreds more soldiers to supplement the 1,300 already based in the Central African Republic.

19 Tamil rebels killed in attack
Ending January 1, Sri Lankan troops armed with warplanes and artillery,waged a two-day assault on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, killing 19 rebels. In an attempt to clear rebel forces out of the east part of the country, troops seized a camp at Rukam, situated along a military supply route. The Tamil Tigers are fighting for self- determination. They represent an ethnic minority in the north and east regions of the island. The government places the number of casualties from this 14-year struggle at 50,000; the Tigers say it is much higher.

Turkish gov't attacks Kurds
Ankara unleashed an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq on December 30, killing 101. The offensive followed a guerrilla attack on a military outpost in Turkey. No casualties were reported from the Turkish outpost. Jets, helicopter gunships, and ground troops went into Sinath, six miles inside Iraq and leveled three Kurdish bases. The Kurdish people have been fighting for independence for over a decade.

Hundreds die frozen in Europe
At least 228 people in Europe have died in an 11-day cold wave as of January 3. A Siberian cold front set into the continent December 24, causing Europe's deepest freeze in a decade. It is primarily claiming the lives the homeless, elderly, and those with substandard housing. Forecasters say there will be more bitter cold in this region the following week. Countries like France, England, and Spain, where people are dying mostly due to lack of shelter, are among the wealthiest developed nations in the world.

Court considers `no knock' cop searches
The U.S Supreme Court is considering granting cops the blanket power to conduct unannounced searches when the stated object of the search is illegal drugs. Less than two years ago the high court said cops are generally required to identify themselves before barging into homes to serve warrants, but said individual exceptions could be made. The court has now decided to review a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that police "do not have to knock and announce" when serving a drug-related warrant.

F.A.A. cited for hiring too few air traffic controllers in New York
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials have failed to hire the 355 workers necessary to safely control the skies in New York. Instead union officials say workers are being increasingly overworked, causing a serious safety problem. FAA officials deny that safety is an issue. They will say however that they spend too much on overtime pay. Only 281 people work as controllers at present, 51 of whom are trainees. While the FAA says it will be able to meet the 355 employee goal by 1998, union officials contend that that is unlikely at the current pace.

The dramatic shortage is controllers comes from the hole created in 1981 when striking members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization were fired on the orders of the Reagan administration. Workers were demanding better working conditions and higher pay.

Less access means less abortions
Federal health officials reported a 5 percent decrease in the number of legal abortions performed in 1994, the latest year for which figures are available. At 321 abortions for every 1,000 live births, the 1994 rate the lowest since 1976. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of abortions increased annually between 1972 and 1980, then remained basically unchanged for the next ten years, then "peaked in 1990." Since then there has been a steady decline. A Reuters article cites as its first reason "reduced access to abortion services," among other reasons given.

- BRIAN TAYLOR  
 
 
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