Foreign Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Fiji Military Stages Coup
SUVA, Fiji — The military seized control of Fiji yesterday after weeks of threats, locking down the capital with armed troops and isolating at home the elected leader whose last-minute pleas for help from foreign forces were rejected. The coup was the fourth armed takeover in the South Pacific country in 19 years, and had its roots in the same ethnic divide that produced the previous three.
— Associated Press
Musharraf Pledges To End Bride Sales
The president of Pakistan pledged yesterday to ban the sale of brides along with other customs that deny women basic human rights. President Musharraf announced that his government would shortly push through legislation that would also insure women’s rights to their inheritance. He said the legislation would ban the sale of women in marriage and end the age-old practice of marrying women to the Koran. The practice is used in some rural areas by families who symbolically condemn their daughters to a spartan life dedicated to the religious book, without a partner or material possessions. Women married in this way lose their right to inherit property.
— The Daily Telegraph
Chess Champion Loses Match to Computer
BONN, Germany — World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik lost the sixth and decisive game against computer program Deep Fritz yesterday, ceding a hard-fought Man vs. Machine match 4–2. The Russian takes $500,000 — half of what he would have received if he had won against Deep Fritz, a commercially available chess program that runs on a powerful personal computer. Mr. Kramnik said he was “a bit disappointed” and expressed hope that a rematch could be arranged in a year or two. “With more time to prepare, I still have a chance.”
— Associated Press
Hepburn Gown Sold At Auction in London
LONDON — Audrey Hepburn’s iconic black dress fetched a Tiffany price at auction. The garment she wore in the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” went for $807,000 on Tuesday. The price, paid by a telephone bidder, was almost six times the highest pre-sale estimate. Proceeds from the sale will go to the charity City of Joy Aid, which helps India’s poor. The founders of the charity had received the dress as a gift from designer Hubert de Givenchy.
— Associated Press