September 29, 2000
200,000 Yugoslavs Say Milosovic Lost the Election
Yugoslavia’s Federal Election Commission has issued what it calls its “final tally” of votes in last weekend’s presidential election, saying that opposition candidate Vojslav Kostunica failed to win the majority necessary for a first-round victory against Slobodan Milosevic. The government says there will be a runoff, but Democratic Opposition of Serbia says the second round of elections will be used to buy time for election fraud which would keep Milosevic in power. At a massive rally in Belgrade this week, hundreds of thousands of Yugoslavs said they would not accept a second round of voting. Jeremy Scahill reports from Belgrade.
12,000 Demonstrators in Prague Force Early End to IMF Meetings
The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank met stiff opposition from about twelve thousand demonstrators in Prague this week. The protesters argue that the international financial institutions serve the interests of global corporations and undemocratic regimes at the expense of poor people, social services, and the environment. Although the vast majority of demonstrators marched and rallied peacefully, on Tuesday a number of them took part in property destruction and pitched battles with police, who responded with water cannons and tear gas. More than 850 protesters have been detained, including over 300 from outside the Czech Republic. The IMF and World Bank called the meeting a success, but protesters claimed victory when it ended a day early on Wednesday. From the Independent Media Center in Prague, Thatcher Collins has this report from the streets.
The World Bank: Underwriting Environmental Distruction
This week’s clashes between street protesters and police in Prague have often overshadowed the message of activists who came to the Czech Republic to tell the world about the toll World Bank projects have taken on their communities. From Prague, Prathap Chatterjee files this report about the environmental and social impacts of World Bank loans for mining and gas projects.
Kaiser Steelworkers Back on the Job After a Two Year Lock-Out, But 1,000 are Laid Off
After a bitter, two-year lockout, workers have begun to return to work at Kaiser Aluminum plants in three states. Arbitration has ended the lockout, but as Leigh Robartes reports from Spokane, Washington, both the strike and the settlement have left scars on the affected communities.
Corporate Media Consolidation on Display
The National Association of Broadcasters — the broadcast industry’s leading trade and lobby group — just wound up its annual radio conference in San Francisco. Presenters and industry power brokers mingled and displayed the latest high-tech gadgets. Outside the convention hall, several hundred protesters and media activists expressed their concern about corporate domination of the airwaves. Police arrested a dozen demonstrators on charges ranging from jaywalking to property damage. Krissy Clark was there, and has this report.
40,000 in the Boston Common Protest for Marajuana
Earlier this month in Boston, more than forty thousand hemp advocates gathered to celebrate the plant’s many uses and to build a political movement to legalize marijuana. City police subjected the participants to electronic surveillance and what many say were illegal searches. Chuck Rosina reports from Boston.
