EVENTS
GERMANY TO SEND TROOPS TO SOMALIA
Chancellor Helmut Kohl said yesterday in Bonn that he plans to send more than 1,500 troops to Somalia to help with food distribution, a historic reversal for the German military. Germany has previously chosen to stay out of international military missions, saying its constitution prevents its armed forces from deploying on non-NATO turf. Vote on India's leader
Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao faced a no-confidence vote in India's Parliament yesterday in the wake of nationwide Hindu-Muslim riots that left more than 1,200 people dead and some 5,000 injured. Some opposition lawmakers have accused Rao of indecisiveness in dealing with the violence that erupted after Hindu fanatics destroyed a mosque Dec. 6. Israel cracks down
In a sweeping retaliation for attacks on Israeli security officers, Israel ordered the expulsion of 418 suspected Muslim fundamentalists today and bused them to the Lebanese border handcuffed and blindfolded. The Supreme Court temporarily suspended the order, which was unprecedented in its scope and swiftness, and began hearing a human rights group's appeal to block the expulsion. It was not known when the court would rule. Lebanon appealed to President Bush to stop Israel's deportation of Palestinians. Khmer Rouge detains 46
Khmer Rouge guerrillas detained 46 United Nations peacekeepers in central Cambodia yesterday, just hours after releasing a group of 21 UN personnel held in the same embattled province of Kompong Thom. The 46 men, all Indonesian paratroopers, were being held against their will. Royalty references deleted
As if Queen Elizabeth II didn't already have enough problems, the Australian government announced yesterday that it wants to drop all references to the British monarch from its national oath of allegiance. Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating has said in the past that he wants to move Australia toward becoming a republic, severing its royal ties with Britain. US offers aircraft
The United States Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger made an offer of US "air assets" yesterday to enforce a ban on Serbian aircraft over Bosnia-Herzegovina, but he failed to rally support from other foreign ministers attending the 16-member NATO meeting in Brussels. Concern reportedly was expressed about taking measures that could lead to escalation and possible ground retaliation. Attica lawsuit unsettled
Negotiators have failed to settle a lawsuit filed by former inmates over the 1971 Attica (N.Y.) prison riot, meaning the case will probably go to trial for a second time. Attorneys for the inmates said Wednesday they would ask for a new judge in the 18-year-old lawsuit, which was filed by 1,281 former inmates who said they were subject to violent reprisals after the riot.
Evers trial, part III
In Mississippi, the state's supreme court has cleared the way for a third trial for aging white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith in the ambush slaying of civil rights leader Medgar Evers 29 years ago. In 1964, all-white juries failed to reach verdicts.
