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The racist taunts that Boris Becker and his new wife Barbara Feltus suffered as a mixed-race couple led them to house hunt in another country but prejudice towards mixed-race couples exists throughout Europe. The extent of discrimination suffered by mixed-race couples depends on the individuals themselves, but also on their ethnic origins and the country they are living in. In France, marriages between a white French person and someone of Caribbean origin are likely to suffer fewer problems than ones between a white French person and an Algerian.

Ray Hill was already a regular mole for the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight when he stood as British National Party candidate in the 1983 general election, but says that his support, and subsequent rejection of fascism were motivated by self-interest rather than strong beliefs. Hill became involved with the extreme right because he felt that immigrants were receiving preferential treatment over housing, and that the fascists represented his interests. Hill turned against rightwing extremism when he witnessed the human cost of a campaign to evict black settlers from white suburbs in South Africa.

The 20 squatters who have occupied an empty office building in Rue Gerard, Paris, France, have been treated sympathetically not only by the police, but also by the building's owners who have yet to lodge an official complaint. The squatters, all of whom are homeless, have agreed to contribute 20% of their income towards the rent and ask the state to make up the difference. There are 108,000 vacant properties in Paris where a dozen homeless people have died on the streets during the winter of 1993-94. A poll indicates that 25% of the French support the transformation of empty offices into homes.

Events in Northern Ireland hold relatively little news interest for foreign newspaper readers who are not aware of the complexities of the situation and see nothing new in reports of yet another bomb outrage or peace negotiations that seem doomed to failure. Foreign newspapers tend to portray the Northern Ireland troubles as a war between Catholics and Protestants and their readers' sympathy tends to lie with the Catholics. While the Northern Ireland situation is closely followed in Spain because of the parallels with ETA and the Basque country, the Greeks' understanding of the problem is superficial at best.

The importance of voting in Britain, and changing attitudes to voting are examined in detail.

The debate on the lyrics of rap star, Eminem, and popular music lyrics in general is examined in detail.

Issues related to the social position of African Americans, and the significance of the success of Colin Powell, are examined in detail.

The revival of the politics of protest in Britain is examined, after a long period when the political left has been suffering hard times.

There is a need to use electronic mail with care because it is a time consuming system.

Issues related to family life and race in Britain are examined, with a call for work on why black men sometimes do not support their children.

A survey of marriage and ethnicity in Britain has found that Bangaldeshi and Pakistani parents are more likely to be married, and Afro-Caribbean parents are least likely to be married.

Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood was wounded in a drive-by shooting in Kennington, south London, England, on Jul. 18, 1999. Westwood was hit in the arm when one of two men on a motorcycle fired at his Range Rover with an automatic weapon. Westwood was under police guard in St Thomas' Hospital on Jul. 19, 1999, having had a minor operation to clean his wound. Westwood is white but has become a near legendary figure in hip-hop, a predominantly black music scene. The shooting is being referred to detectives investigating a series of killings linked to Yardie-style activity in north and south London.

Two car bombs in three days have shattered Sweden's self-confidence, prompting questions over whether the country's liberal political culture can withstand threats from the far right. The family of the journalist who was seriously injured, together with his young son, when the first bomb exploded on Jun. 28, 1999, had been under police protection because of threats from right-wing extremists. The second bomb exploded on Jul. 1, 1999, seriously injuring two policemen. An editorial in tabloid Aftonbladet suggested that Sweden can no longer afford the luxury of dealing with neo-Nazism by debate.

Millions of South Africans queued for hours on Jun. 2, 1999, to vote in the country's second all-race election. The contrast between the violence of the 1994 election campaign and the peacefulness of the 1999 ballot was evidence of the way in which democracy has taken root in South Africa. The election of Thabo Mbeki as South Africa's new president was virtually assured before the vote, leaving voters to determine whether his African National Congress (ANC) would win the two-thirds majority necessary to alter the constitution at will. Most blacks support the ANC while most whites support opposition parties.

The outcome of the battle for Eastern Cape province in the South African general election on Jun. 2, 1999, is becoming increasingly reliant on two mavericks, Winnie Mandela and Bantu Holomisa, sacked from their posts as deputy ministers in the African National Congress (ANC) government. Winnie Mandela, who has remained in the ANC despite falling out publicly with its leadership, has been sent to campaign in the Eastern Cape in a bid to fight off a challenge from the United Democratic Party (UDM), the breakaway party established by Holomisa. Polls reveal as much as 12% support for the UDM in the Eastern Cape.

Official figures show that the number of people leaving South Africa in 1998 was 7% lower than in 1997, but the government is concerned about the calibre of the people leaving the country. South Africa is losing professional, semi-professional and managerial workers as people seek a more stable and prosperous life elsewhere. A middle-aged man, one of 100 mostly white people who responded to a newspaper advertisement for emigration consultant John Gambarana's 'international migration alliance', is typical in citing growing crime and violence as his reason for wanting to leave South Africa.

Farmers in the banana-growing islands of the Caribbean fear for their future if the US wins its banana war with the European Union (EU). The loss of the preferential treatment the EU gives to bananas from the former colonies would force small banana growers in St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines to compete with American banana giants such as Chiquita. US multinationals grow bananas in Latin America for less money than the small family banana-growing businesses of the Caribbean. Most Caribbean banana growers believe that the removal of EU protection will destroy their industry.

Muhammad Ali and Bono will take to the stage at the Brit Awards on Feb. 16, 1999, to voice their support for the Jubilee 2000 campaign to persuade Western governments to cancel Third World debt. Island records managing director Marc Marot believes that the campaign will benefit from the same kind of energy that made Bob Geldof's Live Aid such a success nearly 15 years ago. However editor of weekly music magazine Melody Maker Mark Sutherland argues that asking people to put pressure on Western governments will be more difficult than persuading them to send in money to help famine victims.

A new BBC documentary investigating whether a white man and a black man are treated differently when seeking accommodation, work and fun in Leeds, England, shows that race issues in the UK have become extremely sophisticated and complex in the 10 years since the BBC last carried out the experiment. The way in which the two men have come to blows by the end of the first episode provides a striking illustration of the gulf between black and white Britons' views of racial prejudice. The documentary, to be screened on Feb. 10, 1999, also shows that the UK has some extremely polite racists.

Pretty, blonde, cheerful female newsreaders and Essex girl Denise Van Outen are among people to avoid in 1999 because they have had their day. The disappearance from view of rugby player Will Carling and ex-UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would be extremely welcome, as would the ousting of Iraqi Pres. Saddam Hussein. Former boyfriends of Diana, Princess of Wales, should show some respect and keep quiet, and Chelsea Clinton should be allowed to have a private life. Labour Member of Parliament Diane Abbott should stop using television appearances to criticise Labour Party members.

A sound background in computing and information technology combined with good creative and social skills can provide an opening to a successful career in the music industry. The ability to get on with people is extremely important in the music industry where word-of-mouth recommendation can carry as much weight as a person's CV. There is also no uniform way to make it in the music industry. Self-confessed computer nerd Jyoti Mishra topped the charts as White Town in 1997 with a record produced in his bedroom using second hand equipment and a four-track tape deck.

Independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr has caught White House advisers unawares with the speed at which he has produced the report of his investigation into US Pres. Bill Clinton's conduct. While some White House advisers are urging Clinton to fight his detractors, others believe that the president should broker a compromise. Congressional Democrats told Clinton on Sep. 9, 1998, that he had to show more contrition over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky if they were to support him in the impending showdown over impeachment. Starr's report will be made public on Sep. 11, 1998.

The House of Representatives' judiciary committee is the key to determining whether special prosecutor Kenneth Starr's report into US Pres. Bill Clinton's conduct leads to impeachment proceedings. The 21 Republican and 15 Democrat congressmen on the committee have to decide whether Starr's report contains sufficient material to prove that Clinton's conduct constituted 'treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanours.' However the meaning of 'high crimes and misdemeanours' can be almost anything the committee decides. Starr lodged his report with Congress on Sep. 9, 1998.

Two men suspected of involvement in the American embassy bombing in Kenya in which 258 people died and more than 5,000 were injured were sent for trial in the US on Aug. 27, 1998. Khalid Salim, believed to be a Yemeni, and Mohammed Saddiq Howaidah, believed to be Jordanian or Palestinian, risk the death penalty. Salim, who has been charged with 12 counts of murder, conspiracy to murder, and possession of weapons of mass destruction, is alleged to have admitted having undergone training in camps run by Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden.

Millionaire Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, the target of US cruise missile attacks on Aug. 20, 1998, was said on Aug. 25, 1998, to have twice instructed his followers to assassinate US Pres. Bill Clinton. Newsday claims that plans to assassinate Clinton during his visit to the Philippines in Nov. 1994 were abandoned because of heavy security. The cancellation of Clinton's trip to Pakistan in Feb. 1998 foiled the second assassination plot. Meanwhile Mohammed Omar, leader of the Taliban, the Islamic regime which controls 90% of Afghanistan, has refused to hand over Bin Laden to the US.

The Tomahawk cruise missile attacks on terrorist targets in Sudan and Afghanistan on Aug. 20, 1998, represented a major shift in US military strategy by switching the emphasis towards surprise attacks. Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Henry Shelton explained that different techniques were needed when the target was a terrorist organisation. At least 10 people were injured in the attack on an alleged chemical weapons plant in Khartoum, Sudan, and 21 people died and 30 were injured in the attack on a terrorist base near Khost, Afghanistan.

Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky reappeared before the grand jury on Aug. 20, 1998, to be questioned about possible inconsistencies between her testimony and that of US Pres. Bill Clinton. Independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr's interrogation will focus on details of the sexual encounters between the president and Lewinsky and on the latter's reasons for returning gifts given to her by Clinton. Lewinsky's testimony could lead to Clinton facing perjury charges. Meanwhile those close to the president commented that his televised address on Aug. 17, 1998, was a gamble that had not paid off.

A Pentagon source confirmed on Aug. 20, 1998, that the final order to bomb terrorist targets in Sudan and Afghanistan had been given by US Pres. Bill Clinton within the 24 preceding hours. Secretary of Defence William Cohen explained that the simultaneous attacks on a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan, and a terrorist complex in Afghanistan, were designed to raze structures responsible for training hundreds, if not thousands, of terrorists. Intelligence reports indicated that the pharmaceutical plant was a chemical weapons factory.

The US launched two simultaneous cruise missile attacks against 'terrorist facilities' in Sudan and Afghanistan on Aug. 20, 1998. The raids were partly in retaliation for the US embassy bombings in east Africa on Aug. 7, 1998, in which at least 263 people died. However US Pres. Bill Clinton declared that the strikes were also part of an ongoing war to prevent further attacks on Americans. Tomahawk missiles were fired at a suspected chemical weapons factory, the Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan, and at the Afghani base of Osama bin Laden, the Saudi millionaire thought to be behind the embassy bombings.

US Pres. Bill Clinton's testimony to the grand jury on Aug. 17, 1998, was reported to be undergoing close scrutiny by independent prosecutor Kenneth Starr on Aug. 19, 1998, for possible evidence of perjury. The American public appears to be losing patience with Clinton, who celebrated his 52nd birthday on Aug. 19, 1998, with a majority believing that he has not told the whole truth. Meanwhile the disgraced mastermind behind Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign Dick Morris revealed that the president had confessed to him on Jan. 21, 1998, that he had slipped up with Monica Lewinsky.

US Pres. Bill Clinton's testimony on Aug. 17, 1998, to the grand jury investigating the Monica Lewinsky allegations put not only his own career and credibility on the line, but that of his many political aides and supporters who have backed his claim that he did not have sexual relations with Lewinsky. The denials issued on Clinton's behalf will collapse if, as expected, the president alters his story. Subpoenas have forced a number of members of the Clinton White House to testify before the grand jury.

US Pres. Bill Clinton has three broad options open to him when he testifies before a grand jury in the Monica Lewinsky case on Aug. 17, 1998. A statement from Clinton's lawyer David Kendall on Aug. 16, 1998, declared that the truth was the truth and that the president would testify accordingly. Majority American public opinion is that Clinton had an affair with Lewinsky and lied about it. Clinton may decide to steer a course between admitting that he had a sexual relationship with Lewinsky and continuing to deny it by attempting to concede that he dissembled rather than lied.

US First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, once one of her husband's biggest liabilities, has become one of his greatest assets as he prepares to testify in the Monica Lewinsky case on Aug. 17, 1998. Hillary Clinton has reinvented the role of first lady to balance her job with her intellect. She has also played a major part in organising a plan of defence against allegations that the president had a sexual affair with Lewinsky, a former White House intern. The first lady is enjoying record approval ratings of 65% and is unlikely to go down in the public's estimation, whatever her husband admits to.

An unprecedented number of simultaneous bomb threats has led to the temporary closure of many US embassies and several are to be relocated. Security at US embassies is being intensified in the wake of the bombings in Kenya and Tanzania on Aug. 7, 1998. Meanwhile details have emerged of a previously suppressed report produced for the Pentagon in 1993 in which experts warned that changing patterns in global terrorism could result in attacks such as the African bombings. The report was originally dismissed as alarmist although the White House acted on several of its recommendations.

A 200-strong Israeli army rescue team arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 8, 1998, to help in the search for survivors of the massive bomb blast that devastated the US embassy on Aug. 7, 1998. Rescue workers kept in contact with a woman, known only as Rose, throughout the night, but hopes that she would be rescued from the rubble alive faded when her cries stopped at around 5 am on Aug. 9, 1998. At least 176 people died and thousands more were injured in the explosion which Israeli blast experts described as one of the largest they have known.

More than 1,000 people have been injured in bomb attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, for which no warning was given. However, some observers believe that the attacks were perpetrated by Middle Eastern Islamic extremists. A Marine Corps anti-terrorism security team is being despatched to assist with the investigation into the bombings, in which up to 80 people died.

Political lobbyist Derek Draper's days as a Labour activist in student politics are recalled. The self-aggrandisement and failure to master the political skill of knowing what he could and could not get away with that have helped put Draper at the centre of a lobbying scandal in Jul. 1998 were already evident in his student days. Draper appeared unrepentant after being expelled from the Labour students conference in 1989 for suggesting that a female delegate should put a paper bag over her head when she was having sex.

Disasters such as the famine in southern Sudan spark intense competition between aid agencies, each of which wants to be the first to alleviate misery in the affected area. Research fellow at the independent Overseas Development Institute Roger Riddell reveals that local governments often allow only one non-governmental organisation to work in a particular area and that the agency that gets there first may not necessarily be the best qualified to do the job. Competition and lack of co-ordination can also result in wasteful duplication of resources.

Koidu, the main city in Sierra Leone's diamond-mining district of Kono, has been left a charred shell by soldiers from the former junta. The rebels looted and burned Koidu when the West African peacekeeping force Ecomog drove them from the town. Koidu's 5,000 inhabitants were sent fleeing into the bush, the rebels abducting or killing those who were unable to escape. Koidu's inhabitants are gradually returning to the town in May 1998, seriously malnourished after two months in the bush eating only mangoes and leaves. However aid agencies have been unable to reach Koidu.

British High Commissioner in Sierra Leone Peter Penfold has overwhelming popular support among the locals for having allegedly taken a risk to restore Present Ahemd Tejan Kabbah to power in Feb 1998. People in Sierra Leone believe they would be suffering at the hands of the military junta without Penfold's interception. The UK Government has called Penfold back to the UK to answer questions on his alleged collusion in allowing arms to reach Sierra Leone via Sandline International despite a United Nations embargo. Lord Avebury, who initiated the inquiry into Sandline, is despised in Sierra Leone.

The question of whether UK-based mercenary group Sandline International sent arms to Sierra Leone in defiance of a United Nations embargo is of no consequence to the people of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Their only concern is that the military junta led by Major Johnny Paul Koroma was driven from power in Feb. 1998 and replaced by the democratically elected government of Pres. Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. Nevertheless, soldiers from the ousted junta are continuing to wage a vicious war against the Nigerian-led forces that support the government, as civilians who have had limbs severed by retreating rebels will testify.

The global financial institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, have moved a long way in their willingness to help relieve debt since the effort to reduce the debt burden of the world's poorest countries was first seriously addressed in 1995. The Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative (HIPC) created in 1996 is a major advance, even though its terms are extremely tough. Countries have to follow an agreed pattern of economic reforms for at least three years, followed by a further three years of austerity in order to qualify for debt forgiveness.

Arsenal and England footballer Ian Wright declares that he is fearless and that if he believes that he can do something, he will be able to do it. He reveals that he would love to have a prime-time network television programme on Christmas Day, arguing that there would be no point in his hosting a new chat show on London Weekend Television if he were not reaching for the stars. Nevertheless he recognises that some of his Arsenal team-mates were probably relieved after watching the first pilot of 'Friday's Night All Wright' in Apr. 1998 and seeing that he had not fallen flat on his face.

Maverick California-based Internet editor Matt Drudge admits that he only gets his facts right 80% of the time, yet he correctly forecast that the Internet would lead the way on the story that US Pres. Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and encouraged her to lie about it. Drudge printed the allegations on his Drudge Report website when they had yet to be substantiated. Drudge's eagerness to put stories on the Web before they have been authenticated proved his strength in the Lewinsky story, but promoted Newsweek reporter Michael Isikoff to condemn him as reckless and irresponsible.

US Pres. Bill Clinton's claim that he did not have a sexual relationship with former White House employee Monica Lewinsky is undermined by tapes of Lewinsky's conservations with her supposed friend Linda Tripp. Lewinsky had told Tripp that keeping her affair with Clinton secret was no problem since she had been lying all her life. Lewinsky told Tripp in Dec. 1997 that she was prepared to lie when questioned under oath by lawyers investigating Paula Jones' sexual harassment case against Clinton. Lewinsky only found out in Jan. 1998 that Tripp had been taping their conversations since Aug. 1997.

The push for potty parity in the US has led a number of US states to pass laws to ensure that new public places have up to twice the number of toilet facilities for women as for men. Anecdotal evidence in the form of long queues outside women's public toilets is supported by research showing that women take an average of 79 seconds to use the toilet, compared with 45 seconds for men. Potty parity nevertheless has its dissenters, with National Coalition of Free Men spokesman Hugh Nations declaring that men will no longer put up with having to urinate at troughs.

Bristol, England, has replaced Manchester, England, as the centre of gravity for British youth culture. Bristol's reputation as the capital of 'Trip Hop' was confirmed in Aug. 1997 when the Mercury Music Prize was unexpectedly awarded to a little-known music collective based in the city, Reprazent. Bristol has three of Britain's four 24-hour club licences and boasts bands such as Portishead, Massive Attack and Tricky. Youth marketing specialist Paul Tully believes that one of the reasons for the emergence of a vibrant music scene in Bristol is that it was long ignored by the mainstream.

RJB Mining, the company that owns most of Britain's privatised coal industry, announced on Aug. 18, 1997, that it was shutting its Asfordby superpit in Leicestershire, England, with the loss of nearly 500 jobs. Mining union officials warned that the closure of Asfordby, Britain's most modern mine, heralded a sharp contraction of the remaining coal industry, with industry sources predicting that more than half of Britain's 23 surviving deep coal mines could be closed in the next two years. Union representatives at Asfordby called on the Labour government to intervene.

The lack of black heroes in Britain is forcing young blacks to look to the US for role models. The US is more likely to produce black role models than the UK simply because African-Americans account for 12% of the US population and have existed as a community for more than 300 years. Young black Britons find it difficult to imagine themselves in positions of power since no senior member of the British government is black. Oscar-nominated black actress Marianne Jean Baptiste was not included among the brightest young talents in British film who paraded at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997.