Communist rebels intensify fight in Philippines

Ten-year-old Junainah Saref trains to fight on the front lines of the Jihad in Mindanao

In this story: Serbs feel effects of war over Kosovo Drought brings hunger, hardship to Ethiopia Polio leaves scars among Ethiopian children Native tribes share vision of unity Armenian Church mourns Supreme Patriarch In Tibet, older generation maintains religious life RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Kevin Grieves
CNN World Report

Communist guerrillas in the Philippines are stepping up their attacks on government forces following the collapse of peace talks in May. The Philippine military announced it is turning to ideological tactics in return, and has retained the help of former communist rebel leaders to work on its behalf. Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado says he hopes to win over people who sympathize with the communists, but are not hard- line ideologues.

The Philippine army is not shying away from conventional tactics to suppress the rebels. CNN World Report contributor ABS-CBN showed viewers the aftermath of the army's capture of a 17-year-old girl fighting for the communist side. She was imprisoned under heavy guard, but her young comrades were less fortunate. They were killed in the raid.

ABS-CBN's report examined attempts by human rights workers to allow family members to visit the girl and to locate and provide a proper burial for the dead.

On the island of Mindanao in the country's largely Muslim south, rebels are fighting for an independent Islamic state. Members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) continue to fight government soldiers after attempts at peace have failed here as well. The Philippines' GMA-7 News went behind the scenes with some of the youngest separatist fighters.

Reporter Karen Davila introduced viewers to Junainah, who despite her tender age of 10 says she is prepared to fight to the death for what she considers a holy war.

"Did you get scared when you first saw the gun?" Davila asked.

"Not at all," she said. "I like firing."

She and young girls like her are sometimes sent into battle on the front lines, ahead of the men.

Fear of violence is driving Serbs like Milorad Budimir from their homes in Kosovo

The course of a decade's worth of battles has left its mark on the Serb people. ATV of Bosnia-Herzegovina filed several reports from the region, including a glance back to 1989, when large crowds of Serbs gathered in Kosovo to commemorate the 600th anniversary of a battle between the Serbian Army and the forces of the Turkish empire. That historic battle ended in defeat for the Serbs. ATV then showed this year's ceremony marking the occasion of the battle, and observed that no more than 100 Serbs were present. Reporter Predrag Curkovic pointed to this as an example of Serb disillusionment with the actions and policies of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

As ethnic Albanians return to their homes in Kosovo, tensions continue to plague the different populations in the province. Albanians have staged retaliatory attacks on Serbs, and they have increasingly targeted Roma, or Gypsies, whom many Albanians see as Serb allies.

ATV brought CNN World Report viewers a profile of a Serb family in Kosovo. Milorad Budimir and his family had already been forced out of their original home in Bosnia by the war there. The conflict in Kosovo heaped trouble upon trouble. Their apartment in Pristina was ransacked. They'd have to start over again.

But as correspondent Dragan Stanimirovic told viewers, Kosovo's homeless families want nothing more than to be settled in again.

"For them, home is better than a refugee camp," he said.

ATV rounded out its coverage of the Balkan conflict by looking at what has been a primary concern among many Bosnians: that Kosovo's problems could become Bosnia's problems.

Bosnians have enjoyed a period of relative political and economic stability. But that stability rests upon a foundation created by the Dayton peace agreement. The Dayton Accords were signed in 1996, and among other things provide for joint governance of Bosnia-Herzegovina by Muslim, Croat and Serb representatives.

That's a delicate balance easily disrupted.

"The crisis caused by the instability in Yugoslavia has made it clear to politicians in Bosnia that only by working together can they create a brighter future and stability in Bosnia," concluded Curkovic.

Turkish forces are working to bring back stability to Kosovo as part of NATO's peacekeeping operations there. Turkey's TRT covered the deployment of Turkish troops in the province, and ethnic Albanian children were shown cheering the arriving soldiers. Reporter Burcu Duru-Altinyeleklioglu noted that Turkey is returning to an area that was under Ottoman control until the beginning of this century. The soldiers are assisting with medical care alongside other peacekeeping duties.

Children are especially vulnerable to starvation as drought grips Ethiopia once again

Parts of Africa may face a large-scale humanitarian crisis unless emergency care reaches those in need very soon. In Ethiopia, millions are struggling to meet basic needs, including getting enough to eat. The United Nations has issued an urgent warning about the possibility of mass starvation due in large part to drier than usual conditions.

As Ethiopia's ETV told viewers, the severe drought has destroyed crops and livestock, compounding the hardship caused by fighting between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

"In some of the hardest hit areas, people have been seen migrating with their families in search of food ..." reporter Mesfin Alemu told viewers.

UNICEF officials say children are particularly at risk, especially in light of lower levels of aid donations in recent months.

More help from donors is needed to fight another threat to children in regions of Africa, Asia and the Middle East: polio. While cases of polio have dropped dramatically worldwide, health officials say that as long as the disease still exists in some areas, it poses a threat to children all over.

ETV looked at this problem, too, focusing on the after- effects of polio among the country's younger population. Alemu visited the Cheshire Home for Physically Handicapped Children, where children disabled by polio are treated. Thousands of polio victims are given access to surgery and physical therapy at the clinic. But the Cheshire Home is struggling to meet the increasing demand for post-polio care among Ethiopians.

The World Health Organization has set a goal of eradicating polio worldwide by the end of the year 2000.

Phil Fontaine of the National Congress of American Indians addresses delegates to a historic Native American summit in Vancouver

The leaders of Native American and Canadian tribes gathered recently in Vancouver to discuss a goal set forth some 200 years ago: the creation of an alliance among native peoples in North America. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation provided coverage of the conference.

Tribal chiefs proposed cooperating with each other across borders that were originally drawn by white settlers, borders which in some cases cut across tribal lands. The partnership is rooted in a vision expressed by Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief who tried to unite Indians against the spread of white expansion in North America in the early 1800s. The Vancouver meeting was the largest gathering ever of U.S. and Canadian native leaders.

The church plays a central role in the lives of most Armenians, preserving culture and language through the centuries

Armenians around the world are honoring the memory of the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Garegin I. He passed away June 29th.

Garegin I was elected to the leadership post in 1995. As Armenia's MIR TV told viewers of CNN World Report, he was not able to see the fulfillment of a project in which he had been instrumental, the commemoration of the 1700-year anniversary of the Church in 2001.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is widely believed to have been founded in the year 301, when Christianity became the state religion of the Caucasus nation. A number of celebrations, concerts, expositions and scholarly symposia are scheduled leading up to the 2001 anniversary.

MIR reporter Julia Hakobyan explained Garegin's key role in strengthening relations between the Armenian church and the Roman Catholic Church. She added: "Garegin I will be remembered as the first Catholicos elected after Armenia's independence, and for his insight and wisdom."

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CCTV's Han Bin takes a look at religion in Tibet
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The man most commonly associated with Tibetan Buddhism, the exiled Dalai Lama, has been highly critical of Chinese control of Tibet. Supporters of the Dalai Lama around the world have joined in that criticism, arguing that China seeks to destroy Tibetan culture by importing elements of Chinese society into the mountainous region.

The Beijing government has defended its position, declaring that Tibetans are permitted to speak their own language and are free to worship as they choose.

China Central Television has been providing CNN World Report viewers with a series of reports on Tibet's cultural and political life. It most recently examined the role of religion in modern Tibet.