Maastricht Treaty takes effect. After years of often difficult negotiations, the Treaty on European Union, which had been individually ratified by all 12 members of the European Community (EC), officially took effect. It granted special rights and imposed new obligations on the signatories, which had committed themselves to "an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe." The EC included Belgium, Denmark, France, the U.K., Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. The so-called Maastricht Treaty, named after the Dutch city where it was drafted in 1991, was an outgrowth of the Treaty of Rome, which established the Common Market in 1957. During a special meeting in Brussels just three days before the union treaty took effect, certain members of the EC expressed misgivings about some aspects of the complex agreement. There was also a perceptible lack of enthusiasm among ordinary citizens who did not feel that their interests dovetailed with those of other member nations. Some leaders were especially reluctant to accept the notion that domestic policies could, in some instances, be determined by outsiders. During the meeting in Brussels, Frankfurt, Germany, was selected as the site for the European Monetary Institute. One of the goals envisioned by the treaty was the creation of a single European currency by 1999.
Australia offers Chinese permanent home. The Australian government announced that some 19,000 Chinese who had been granted an indefinite extension of their visas following the massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing (Peking) in 1989 would be offered permanent residence. The same privilege would be granted to the 9,500 family members who had joined them since 1989. The government also intended to review the cases of some 20,000 people who had filed applications for political asylum. About 8,000 of that number were expected to meet the government’s new criteria for permanent residence. These included the ability to speak English.
Islamic militants under attack. Algerian officials reported that during the two previous days its security forces had located and killed 17 Islamic militants in an area some 65 km (40 mi) east of Algiers. In five smaller encounters a total of 11 other radical Muslims were shot and killed. During the two years that had elapsed since the Algerian government canceled the second phase of a national election that the fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front was poised to win, an estimated 2,000 people had been killed in terrorist acts of revenge. On November 9 French police arrested 88 persons suspected of being members or supporters of the Islamic Salvation Front. Concerned that the Salvation Front might be having an unwholesome influence on the approximately three million Muslims living in France, the government said it could not accept "the use of religion as cover for political movements aimed at causing disorders."
California battles raging fires. More than 6,500 professional and volunteer firefighters, assisted by planes and helicopters dropping water and fire-retardant chemicals from the air, finally extinguished or contained the last of more than a dozen major fires that had devastated five counties of southern California. At one point various fires were raging along a 320-km (200-mi) long stretch of land reaching to the Mexican border. On October 30, four days after the first fires broke out, the worst appeared to be over. On November 2, however, the dreaded Santa Ana winds, gusting up to 110 km/ h (70 mph), turned scrub vegetation into tinder as they roared into the area through the Santa Monica Mountains. Several new wildfires erupted northwest of Los Angeles, then became an inferno that sped toward the exclusive beach community of Malibu, where some 300 homes were destroyed. The J. Paul Getty Museum, which housed an art collection worth billions of dollars, was spared. According to early estimates, the fires destroyed or severely damaged at least 1,000 homes and displaced about 25,000 people. The total damage was believed to exceed $500 million. Evidence collected by fire inspectors indicated that at least half of the major fires had been set by arsonists.
New Zealanders elect Parliament. In an election so close that the decisive seat in New Zealand’s national legislature was not settled until absentee ballots were tallied on November 17, the ruling National Party (NP) retained power with the barest possible majority in the 99-seat House of Representatives. Polls released just two days before the election indicated that the NP, which had held 63 seats to the Labour Party’s (LP’s) 29, would easily maintain its control of the government. The LP, however, emerged from the election with 45 seats; had it won the pivotal seat decided by absentee ballots, the NP would have been denied a 50th seat and a majority in the legislature. Two relatively minor parties won two seats each. Prime Minister Jim Bolger expressed satisfaction with his party’s "wafer-thin" victory. Political analysts attributed the NP’s decline in popularity to its austerity program, which included reductions in social services and welfare benefits.
UN issues report on refugees. Sadako Ogata, head of the United Nations agency on refugees, released a report entitled The State of the World’s Refugees--the Challenge of Protection. It was the agency’s first report on the status of refugees worldwide. The survey estimated that there were currently 19.7 million refugees living in foreign lands and an additional 24 million who had been uprooted from their homes by violence of one kind or another but remained within their national borders. The agency noted that the massive movement of refugees across international borders had "endangered the time-honoured tradition of granting asylum to those in genuine need of protection." Foreign refugees were facing mounting problems, according to the report, because "beleaguered governments are closing their doors in panic, while racist and xenophobic attitudes are dangerously on the rise." Afghanistan led the world with 4.5 million of its citizens displaced. In 1992, the year covered by the report, there were 7.2 million refugees in Asia, 5.4 million in Africa, and 3.6 million in Europe. Iran had accepted the largest number of refugees, 2.9 million from Afghanistan and 1.2 million from Iraq. Among industrial nations Germany was the most generous, having granted asylum to some 827,000 refugees.
Women’s war memorial dedicated. Vice Pres. Al Gore dedicated a bronze sculpture in Washington, D.C., in honour of the 11,500 women who had served their country during the Vietnam War. Eight of their number had died in uniform. The statue, which portrayed three women assisting a wounded soldier, was placed about 90 m (300 ft) from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall. Gore remarked that it was the nation’s way of thanking the women veterans, who, "in the tense, sometimes confusing peace" that followed the war, had not been fittingly recognized for their military service.
Puerto Ricans prefer status quo. Puerto Ricans, by a narrow margin, voted to retain the island’s status as a U.S. commonwealth rather than seek union with U.S. as its 51st state. The popular vote was approximately 48.4% to 46.2%. Only 4.4% backed total independence. Gov. Pedro Rossello and his ruling New Progressive Party had campaigned for statehood. They argued that any adverse effects statehood might have on the local economy would be more than offset by various forms of federal aid. Miguel Hernández Agosto, leader of the opposition Popular Democratic Party, was among those who urged voters to retain Puerto Rico’s current political status as the best way to protect the local economy, which depended in large measure on businessmen who by and large were exempted from paying U.S. federal taxes. The people were also warned that statehood would gradually erode the heritage of Spanish-speaking Puerto Ricans. In any case, Puerto Ricans were already U.S. citizens but were not obliged to pay federal income taxes. They could not, however, vote in U.S. presidential elections.
House passes NAFTA legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives voted 234-200 in favour of legislation implementing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The vote was crucial because rejection in the House would have killed the bill even though passage in the Senate was assured. The House vote was a major political victory for President Clinton, who began to personally lobby scores of congressmen when it appeared unlikely that the bill would pass. Twelve hours of emotional debate preceded the evening vote. Prominent Democrats, led by Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Majority Whip David Bonier, argued on the side of most labour groups, who felt that many U.S. jobs would be lost to Mexico once tariffs and other trade barriers had been removed. Another vigorous opponent of NAFTA was maverick politician H. Ross Perot. Numerous Republican politicians and businessmen, on the other hand, supported Clinton’s view that more U.S. jobs would be created by NAFTA than would be lost. When the final vote was taken, only 102 of 258 House Democrats voted for NAFTA, but their vote was bolstered by 132 of 175 Republicans. The Senate later approved NAFTA by a vote of 61-38. On November 22 the Mexican Senate approved NAFTA by a vote of 56-2. The pact had earlier passed the Canadian Parliament. On Jan. 1, 1994, Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. would begin the 15-year process of gradually eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers that impeded free trade across their national borders.
Seattle welcomes APEC leaders. Leaders of nations that had subscribed to Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) concluded their first summit in Seattle, Wash., as guests of President Clinton. Since "economies" rather than nations were the focus of attention, Taiwan and Hong Kong were members of APEC, along with Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the U.S. The 15 economies represented nearly two billion people and half of the world’s economic production. They also included the world’s leading exporters. Mexico, Chile, and Papua New Guinea were due to join in 1994. Australia had taken the lead in establishing APEC in 1989, intent on devising a strategy for competing with such formidable trading blocs as the European Community and with the U.S. and Canada, which had entered into a free-trade agreement. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, whose anti-Western remarks often made headlines, was one of three leaders who did not attend. Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating publicly chided Mahathir for boycotting the meeting, saying that he "couldn’t care less" about the prime minister’s absence because "APEC is bigger than all of us."
Brady handgun bill becomes law. President Clinton signed into law the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, which required a five-day waiting period before anyone could purchase a handgun. During that time local law-enforcement authorities were required to check the backgrounds of prospective buyers. Minors, felons, substance abusers, and illegal immigrants would not be allowed to purchase such weapons. The legislation, informally known as the Brady bill, was named after former White House press secretary James S. Brady, who had been permanently crippled and almost killed in the 1981 attempt to assassinate Pres. Ronald Reagan. Since that time Brady and his wife, Sarah, had ceaselessly campaigned for gun control. The strongest opponents of the bill had been the National Rifle Association and its supporters. The House passed the bill on November 23, the Senate on November 24. Although many viewed the bill as little more than a feeble gesture at gun control, Brady saw it as a first step toward bringing about "the end of unchecked madness and the commencement of a heartfelt crusade for a safer and saner country."