"On 23.11.93, Maximilian B., a 19-year-old student, shot three people in a Viennese bank and killed himself with a shot in the head shortly afterwards." "Day and night," "Ghamsakhurdia's supporters attack the city with tracer fire." "Holding handkerchiefs aloft as white flags refugees walk through the firing lines." "More than 100,000 people are still fleeing from the war." "Peace efforts in Somalia have suffered a setback." "The leaders of the two rebel groups," "Aideed and Ali Mahti, have rejected the peace conference in Addis Ababa because they were not consulted." "For the first time since the truce was agreed" "Aideed's supporters have again attacked UN positions in Mogadishu." "From the air, US forces attempt to bring home" "President Clinton's confused policy to the Somali population." "Aircraft thundering overhead, bombs, machine gun fire, threatening gestures." "And psychological warfare:" "Americans and Somalis shaking hands in a gesture of peace." "On the reverse it says:" "The only obstacle to peace is rebel leader Aideed." "The Somalis find this difficult to believe in view of the heavily-armed US soldiers, tanks and combat helicopters." "Ali Mahti, Aideed's rival, is demanding a clear statement of policy from Clinton" "If he doesn't disarm the clans, Somalia will sink back into anarchy and chaos, he said." "However, the Americans are determined to withdraw from the country in 6 months." "The Caribbean state of Haiti is becoming a new crisis point for the UN." "A total of 1,600 military advisers, police instructors, and administrative experts are at hand to help the country return to democracy." "But, as in Somalia, resistance is growing to the American and Canadian soldiers, who form the advance troops." "Ralf Hoogestraat sends us this report:" "The American ship Harland County is still at anchor off the coast by Port-au-Prince." "Armed gangs have occupied the harbour and are protesting against the" " as they call it - foreign invasion." "In a carefully-staged action by Haiti's rulers, diplomats and journalists... 71 FRAGMENTS OF A CHRONOLOGY OF CHANCE" "How is she?" "102.8°." " And by direct manipulation." " What does that mean?" "With the mouse instead of commands." "How long've you got for it?" "End of term." "Talking of time, your minute was up ages ago." "Okay, show me then." "Not so simple, is it?" " So, that'll be 20 schillings, mate." " Okay, okay." "Betting debts are debts of honour." "Which one is she, then?" "The one in the green jersey, isn't she?" "Shall we go in?" "Yes, of course." "This is Mr. and Mrs. Brunner." "They'd like to meet Anni." "Anni, are you coming?" "Hi there, Anni." "Hallo, Anni." "Look, we've brought you something." "Here..." "Look, Anni..." "Don't you like it?" " Can I have it?" " No, Petra, the lady brought it..." "You'll have to be patient." "It's a completely normal reaction." "Are you my new foster mummy?" "'Morning." "Mrs. Thomek, countersignature, please." " Busy today, aren't you?" " It's always like this on pension day." "'Morning." "How are things?" "Fine, thanks." "Good-bye." "Could I use the phone?" "Yes, go ahead." "Excuse me." "One, two, three, four." "Good-bye." "Thank you." "Hello." "Here..." "How are you?" "Thanks for asking." "Fine." "Fine." " Pardon?" " Pardon what?" "I'm sorry, I didn't catch what you said." "You don't need to say sorry." "I said:" "Thanks for asking." "Fine." "Nine thousand, three hundred and seventy-two schillings and forty groschen." "I don't have time just now, Dad." "Call me this evening and we'll talk then, okay?" "All right." "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Miss. 'Bye." "'Bye." "I'll call you." "Good morning." "Good morning." "...to finish building the power station." "In fact, around 4,000 workers are directly or indirectly employed in its construction." "By the middle of 1997, the first turbines should be supplying electricity to the network if everything runs according to plan." "We mustn't have a hard winter or flooding, the Christmas spate must come between 24th December and 6th January and not like last year in November, which was in fact atypical." "If we're delayed by a hard winter then we'll have to increase efforts to catch up." "Work is now proceeding on the left bank of the Danube." "This is where the barrage weir will be built over the next two years." "This island in the Danube is the first part of the dam which will keep the water back from the excavations for the barrage weir." "Shipping on this stretch is confined to single line traffic." "This is what the power station will look like when finished." "This photomontage shows a bird's eye view of the Vienna barrage weir." "From 1998, the power station should be supplying enough electricity for over 270,000 households." "Computer fans gather over the next few days at Vienna's Trade Fair Centre, where the 3rd PC Expo was opened this morning." "We take a look at the newest trends on the computer market." "Frenetic images and fantasy worlds are still market leaders." "Computer games reign supreme." "The ideas of the computer manufacturers seem inexhaustible in the quest for new markets." "This manager has just lost all his appointments." "But this little electronic gadget is much handier." "It converts handwritten input into computer data, processes the information and then transfers it to a computer." "The Engl..." "'Evening." "Vehicle inspection." "When did you leave barracks?" "This morning at 7." "Why?" "Armoury's been broken into." "Were you inspected when you left?" "No." "It was for the medical unit." "Orders." "It's full of medical supplies." "Did you have any private belongings with you?" "Thanks." "Same to you." "Shut up!" "Claire!" "If we don't get out now, I can't..." "No!" "Wait a second!" "Claire!" "Come here!" "Anything happened?" "We can't take anybody else!" "Wait, damn you!" "Claire, come on!" "'Night." "'Night." " A cross?" " Yes." "A hundred schillings?" " One minute?" " Yes." "Off you go." "But there are more bits now." "Too easy otherwise." "Thirty seconds." " Thirty-five." " Shut your face, okay?" "...and sixty!" "And how much time do you need to do it now?" "Sorry." "I no understand." "What you wanting?" "...saw them running away." "The attack is an act of revenge by the radical Ulster Volunteer Force for the IRA bomb attack which killed 10 Protestants on Sunday... according to a statement made by the UVF to a local radio station." "This morning, just a few hours before the shooting, a 70-year-old Catholic was killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force." "The trial of strength between the French government and Air France employees continues." "The strike by ground personnel has now been joined by the pilots." "Yet again, several thousand Air France employees demonstrated at the airport in Paris, joined this time by their colleagues of Air Inter." "As a result, half the flights were cancelled." "Only foreign airlines flew into Paris today." "The striking employees are demanding a written guarantee that the programme of economy measures will be withdrawn." "The government had originally planned to rationalize several thousand jobs but then capitulated in the face of the strike." "The guerilla war being waged by the Kurdish Workers' Party PKK is claiming more and more victims on both sides." "In the past two days, 42 civilians have been killed in PKK attacks, among them children." "In a massacre in eastern Anatolia alone 38 young men lost their lives." "Screams of pain, full of impotent rage." "This man is trying to retrieve his dead brother's shoe from the bloodstained floor of the village café." "The police are dragging him away from the scene of the bloodbath." "In Javi, near the town of Cat, 5 PKK guerillas disguised as soldiers stormed into the bar and opened fire." "The victims are aged between 15 and 25." "A further 10 men were injured, some of them critically." "This young woman has lost her husband in a struggle which he, like the other victims..." "Dear God, give the little one a long life and good health and give me a long life and good health and help Maria to be a happier person and help me to be a better and happier person" "and don't let me have any serious illnesses and don't let there be a third world war or a nuclear disaster not in this generation or the next." "And help all suffering people in the world and I thank thee for everything, dear God." "Amen." " When'll you be back?" " After six." "Punctual as clockwork!" "Hello, Anni." "Good afternoon." " Come in, don't be shy." " Hello there, Anni." "Hello." "Do come on in." "Put your things there." " Did you find it all right?" " Oh, yes." "No problem." "Can I take your jacket?" "Your colleague from the Youth Office had problems finding it." "Do you like it?" "I'm so pleased you wore it today." "Come on, Anni." "Take your jacket off or you'll be too hot." "That's nice of you." "Thank you." "I promise I'll give it back to you afterwards." "So, do come on in." "It's this way." "Do have a seat." "I hope you like the cake." " Do sit down." " Thanks." "Are you coming to me?" "Come here, Anni." "Sit down here." "What is it?" "What did you say?" "I didn't understand." "She wants to see her room." "I'm sorry?" "She'd like to see the room you'll be giving her." "Oh... of course." "But it's not quite ready yet." "Here you are, young lady!" "Well, do you like it?" "You wouldn't have these problems if you kept to the diet." "But I don't like it." "What do you suggest, then?" "Do you prefer the pain?" "Get back!" "Get back from the edge of the platform!" "If you bet that He exists, you win everything." "If He doesn't exist, you don't lose anything." "The other one says:" "But why do I have to bet anything?" "The first one says:" "You have no choice." "You're in the boat." "That's just an assertion." "If I don't want to, I don't have to." "Why?" "If you say you're not betting, you're saying He doesn't exist." "You can't say it's not a political act not to vote..." "Great... now I don't need to lug this around all the time." "You'll get the money tomorrow." " And why did you muck that one up?" " I was..." "You weren't paying attention, were you?" "So, just look at that." "Look, you're standing right, your weight's right, your feet are right." "Look, your basic position's okay." "Now just look at this!" "Look where you're standing, much too near the table!" "And your feet are pointing in the wrong direction!" "Why don't you move back from the table?" "And now it's too late." "And where's the ball?" "Much too far back." "And your balance?" "Up shit creek!" "You can't go for the ball when it gets you so far back." "Just look at the way you're twisting." "The energy's going to the left" " all wrong." "I was..." "You were half asleep!" "Stop making excuses!" "Just slamming the ball isn't enough." "Open your eyes and look at your opponent." "You're not playing by yourself." "And what's that?" "Don't bother getting annoyed." "Stop annoying me and concentrate, will you?" "But he kept..." " And stop making excuses for yourself!" " I'm not making excuses!" "You never stop making excuses!" "You were too far forward, the rest's irrelevant!" "You have to follow the ball, it won't follow you." "I know, I know..." "Well, if that's what you think..." "You don't need to tell me, I know I'm a burden on you..." "No, it doesn't matter." "You don't need to bother pretending I'm not." "I expect you'd be a burden on me if I were in your place..." "All right, all right..." "Why?" "Oh, come off it... that's just a waste of telephone money..." "No, I'm very busy..." "Shall I tell you what I do all day?" "Well, then... yes... so do I..." "All right, then..." "Hey!" "I nearly forgot... what happened about Gebhard's promotion?" "Now that I really don't understand... then how long will it take?" "Perhaps he should..." "Okay, okay, all right..." "I know..." "I won't say another word... yes... just meaning well doesn't count, does it?" "Yes, the old idiot's resentful, I know... otherwise nothing'd be right with the world, would it?" "Well, let him fall on his face then... it's not my job... okay, okay, I'm sorry... but it's true... yes, all right... forget it!" "What am I meant to say?" "If I don't say anything, you think I'm not interested... if I do say something then it's interfering." "So what am I supposed to do..." "I'm sorry for existing..." "Sorry..." "All right, let's stop..." "Hey!" "I wanted to tell you," "Mrs. Wawrik, you know, the one next door with the dog, she's moved out... gone to live with her children, because she couldn't manage any more, cooking and cleaning, and all that - you know." "And now the children have got her with them, because she... she said if she had to go into a home she'd do away with herself." "I didn't believe a word of it, but it worked..." "No, that's all, really," "can't think of anything else..." "Say hello to Gebhard and give Sissi a kiss from me..." "I'm longing to see her... you don't know what you've got in her." "Rubbish... come on... can't you take a joke?" "I meant it nicely." "Yes, of course... all right... kisses... stupid expression..." "I'll never get used to it..." ""Kisses."" "Used to get on my nerves with your mother, too: "Kisses."" "Between grown-up people..." "It probably doesn't matter..." "What?" "Well, it's my phone bill, isn't it?" "What else am I supposed to talk about if not myself?" "It's the only thing a decent person can talk about." "What?" "If it's too much for you, then hang up." "But you'll only have a bad conscience." "See how well I know you..." "Just as if I'd made you..." "Yeah, you're right... when you're bored... you talk a load of rubbish." "All right, then... good night." "Hey!" "Let me speak to Sissi again..." "Okay." "'Bye." "Hi, sweetie-pie... sleep well... sweet dreams..." "No..." "I don't know... what did you dream yesterday, then?" "No!" "Fancy that..." "Good!" "And what did he do then?" "I know, that's just what I'd have done, too..." "Listen, tonight it'll be different... when you..." "What did Mum say?" "Let me speak to her again..." "Come on... sometimes I ask myself, I really do..." "What?" "Oh, really?" "You're a really spiteful person, did you know that?" "What does it do for you?" "Are you trying to hurt me... or..." "My god... just calm down and listen... stop interrupting and screeching at me." "Well hang up, then..." "I told you to before, anyway." "Oh, really?" "That's just fine!" "You'll see what it's like..." "What are you trying to get your own back for anyway?" "What?" "What are you trying to get your own back for?" "You can't really be that nasty..." "I'd like to see you in my situation..." "Yes, that's right... it's the same for everyone..." "Exactly!" "Just you wait!" "'Bye." "Let me speak to Sissi again..." "Just for a second... so your family life isn't disturbed too much." "Sweetie-pie..." "I love you." "What's the matter?" "Are you drunk, or what?" "Yes, why?" "Not very..." "I mean, what are you getting at?" "You don't say "I love you" out of the blue." "And certainly not you." "So, what do you want?" " I thought it would be helpful." " For what?" "Old High German." "Yes... it's a bit strange, more like a foreign language sometimes, but I can't say I don't enjoy it." "Before Christmas." "But I've heard it's not a very difficult exam." "It's relatively harmless." "The only problem is that training takes up so much time." "And how are things your end?" "Have the Gauweilers finished converting their house yet?" "Really?" "It'll be interesting to see it." "And Dad?" "Yes, me too." "Say hello from me." "Nothing much else to tell you, really." "I'm fine." ""How are you" " I'm fine!"" "Ciao, Mum, I'll be in touch." "Come in!" "What's the matter?" "Well, come on - what's up?" "When can I start sleeping there?" "...I bribed the driver." "Where did you get the money from?" "I begged and stole sometimes." "He wanted a lot of money - $200." "And then he said he would only take me as far as the Austrian border." "It was too risky for him to take me across the border." "How long did it take you to get the money together?" "A few months." "I had to eat, too." "I'm not on the game." "You said you crossed the border over two weeks ago." "Why didn't you go to the police or somebody else earlier?" "The driver said if they caught me and I couldn't speak German they'd send me back straight away." "What did you live from, all that time?" "People are very careless here." "It's very easy to steal." "Where did you sleep?" " In empty houses." " Wasn't that cold?" "Yes, it was sometimes." "I've got this jacket." "It's been cold the last few days." "That's why I went to the police." "Can you tell us how you got the idea of running away to Austria?" "I heard that people are nice to children here." "Who did you hear that from?" "From a girlfriend of mine." "And where did she hear that?" "She's on the game, so she talks to a lot of people." "How old is she?" "About the same age as me." "What was your life like in Bucharest?" "Don't you have parents?" "No." "I ran away from a home two years ago." "There was a group of us at the station - older children, too." "They were my family." "It was all right at first, but then it got harder and harder." "Two of my friends died." "I didn't want to stay after that." "Isn't that incredible?" "What do you think will happen to you now?" "He doesn't seem real." " He's like an adult." " I want to stay here." "And where would you like to live in Austria?" "I don't know exactly." "But... they said I'd probably have to go back anyway." "But even if they do send me back, I'll be back here again in a few months." "Whether Marian Radu can stay in Austria depends on the discretionary powers of the immigration authorities." "The legal situation is as follows:" "Foreigners who enter Austria illegally and who could have sought asylum in a so-called secure state are not eligible for asylum here." "All of Austria's neighbouring states are considered secure states." "In addition..." "Can't you sleep?" "No." "Are you thinking about that boy?" "Yes." "And the little girl." "Me too." "Well?" "I don't know." "How can we explain it to her?" "...against the Gaza-Jericho accord." "They shouted "Death to Israel and America."" "The supporters of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah organisation were also grieving for one of their fighters who was killed in an Israeli attack." "In a retaliatory strike, the Israeli air force yesterday bombarded Hezbollah positions." "Previously, Hezbollah fighters had attacked barracks used by the Israeli-supported South Lebanon Army." "They attacked the army base with machine guns and mortar fire." "Later, Hezbollah fighters... captured 12 soldiers of the South Lebanon Army." "Today in the Hague the judges were sworn in on the UN war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia." "The list of alleged war criminals includes Croats and Serbs, among others the Bosnian Serb leader Karadžic and Serbian president Miloševic." "However, proceedings will be difficult since the tribunal is dependent on the accused being extradited by the Serbian or Croatian authorities." "For two years now, pictures of the atrocities in ex-Yugoslavia have shocked the world." "The concept of so-called ethnic cleansing, now part of everyday language, has revived horrifying images from the Second World War." "New massacres are reported with horrifying regularity." "On both sides, soldiers and self-appointed militias kill at random." "Neither women, children nor old people are spared." "Thousands vegetate in prisons and concentration camps, in constant fear of death." "There seem to be no limits to the cruelty in this war." "Mass rape is constantly used by Serbian soldiers to break the resistance and will of the enemy." "The survivors of these atrocities have hoped in vain until now that those guilty of these crimes..." "Click it on with the left-hand button." "Rotate it with the right-hand button." "Exactly... now stick it on." "It fits." "You can do the same with the rest." "That's really clever... it looks really good, too." "No, that doesn't fit there..." "When they go together they change colour." "That's right." "Here, give us the mouse." "So you set the number of puzzle pieces here and here you set the time limit, and there you've got the different symbols you can make." "Let me have a go again." "I think I've nearly got it." "It always gets easier near the end..." "Well, two minutes wasn't that difficult." "If you go over the time, it falls apart again." "That's the last piece..." "Finished..." "Great." "And what does your professor say about it?" " Are you going to market it, or...?" " No way... it's just a child's game, there's masses of stuff that's much more sophisticated." "But next year... the Massachusetts Institute is lending us... the Data Glove." "It's a sort of electronic glove - you've probably seen it on TV." "You put it on and then you can move around in the computer in three dimensions." "Hey!" "Do you know Mikado?" "From years ago." "This is... skill against chance." "Soon the Data Glove'll be on the market." "There'll be a new software sector and you have to start programming for it now." "Do you know how to play?" "More or less." "That's the Mikado... when you get that, you can use it to help you." "That's right." "Let's start." "Go ahead." " What are we playing for?" " Nothing." "Nothing's nothing." "Well?" "Haven't a clue." "Come on!" " What do you mean, come on?" " What are we playing for?" "Come off it." "It moved..." "No, seriously!" "Okay, what do you want to play for?" "Your revolver?" "And what are you betting?" "What do you want, then?" "Haven't a clue." "Here, your turn." "Your watch?" "My parents gave me that when I finished school." "We don't have to play for anything." "It was your idea." "It moved!" "He looks even younger than on TV." " Does he know it's only for a while?" " Yes." "He knows the legal situation." "Shall we go in?" "Come on then." "A peaceful Christmas... is what most people in Sarajevo dream about." "Like seven-year-old Dalida and her friend Boris." "While they decorate the Christmas tree, hundreds of grenades fall on the city." "People run, trying to dodge the snipers' bullets." "In Sarajevo nearly all the black market stands are empty." "Only a few Christmas wreaths are for sale." ""But they're much too expensive", says this young woman." ""We're just glad to have enough food for a small Christmas dinner, at least."" "But many people are desperate, like this mother." "This afternoon she took her baby to hospital." "Her little boy had been hit in the leg by shell splinters." "Is Michael Jackson telling the truth, or was he putting on an act?" "That's what his fans are asking after the superstar's appearance on TV yesterday evening." "After weeks of silence while undergoing withdrawal treatment, in a live TV broadcast from his ranch in California he denied all charges of child abuse." "Ralf Hoogestraat reports:" ""Don't treat me like a criminal," ""I'm innocent." says a tearful Michael Jackson, broadcasting from the privacy of his Neverland ranch." "Visibly moved, he described how police had examined his genitals." "Supposedly, some of the descriptions given by the boy allegedly abused call 0 45 92 99." "The call costs 13.33 schillings per minute during the day, and 8.67 at night and on weekends." "I'm off." " When'll you be back?" " After six." "It's nearly all melted here." "How about with you?" "No skiing, then." "Oh, well, we'll have to see." "Hey, I'll have to get on." "I've got to pick something up for my trainer with his car." "It's too complicated..." "I'll tell you this evening." "I'll have to hurry, or I'll be too late." "What?" "The timetable says it leaves at 13.30." "Yes, so it should arrive between five and six." "Well, then call the station to make sure." "Star." "Christmas star." "Exactly." "Like in the sky." "Do you understand?" "At night - stars everywhere." "Human beings." "You - human being." "Me - human being." "Those - human beings." "...and strong winds in the mountains of 40 kph, increasing during the evening." "Vehicle 7 approaching." "...costs 79 schillings, and 86 schillings for mussels in broth." "This is served with a 'baguette', French white bread." "About 20 metres further west I come upon a stand... that has all the charm of a beach hut." "You can see through the window... and watch the Asiatic chef arranging portions of sushi..." " that's raw fish as eaten in Japan." "A young man is just coming out of the door... and I'm going to ask him what he's just had:" "...I had salmon sushi, they're great." "It's raw fish with rice and underneath there's a green paste which is made of horse-radish, I think." "It's really good, fantastic." "How much was it?" "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I ate two large servings." "Normally you're full after one large helping, it cost 290," "I mean two times 145, that'll do me for the whole day." "Culinary excursions to foreign parts... aren't always so expensive," "I was assured by a student from the Technical University nearby." "He had a Korean soup, then moved on to a Greek restaurant where he had a spinach strudel... and for dessert he bought an Israeli orange from a Turkish grocer's." "42 schillings all in all." "Now we're going to the bank to get the money for our holiday." "Bank!" "Exactly." "To get the money." "Come on." "God, it's crowded." "We'll have to queue here." "Do you take cheque cards?" "I don't have enough cash." "There's a machine over the way." "Where?" "Use your eyes!" "Out of order" "I've got the car outside." "I just need 300 schillings." "Please join the queue." "The machine's out of order!" "I'm blocking the gas station." " What the hell..." " Get back!" "Come on, let's get out." "That's outrageous!" "Can I help you?" "I'm okay, thanks." "You wait here." "I'll be back in a minute, okay?" "Don't go away." "You sit there, okay?" "I'll be back straight away." "'Morning." "Mrs. Tomek, countersignature please." "'Morning." " Right..." "Have a nice holiday." " Thanks, you too." "...Billrothstraße, shortly after the fatal shots." "The bodies of the three victims are being taken away." "Police experts are searching the bank." "They are searching between the pools of blood for a clue to a motive, not to the identity of the perpetrator, he has already killed himself." "After the bloodbath in the bank he ran across the street, got into his car at this gas station and committed suicide with a shot in the head." "The police have identified the killer as Maximilian B., a nineteen-year-old student." "The motive for this senseless murder is still a complete mystery." "However, it is clear that he did not intend to rob the bank." "The gas station attendant, one of the last people to speak to him, has no explanation." "No idea, I dunno." "It's absolutely crazy." "Vienna, the day before Christmas." "People stunned by an act of insanity." "In Brussels today the last attempt to secure peace for Bosnia before Christmas has failed." "Talks between the two sides in the civil war were broken off at midday without result." "In central Bosnia, Bosnian army soldiers abducted three UN soldiers in a tank." "The ceasefire agreed for Christmas is being disregarded on almost all fronts." "A peaceful Christmas is what most people in Sarajevo dream about." "Like seven-year-old Dalida and her friend Boris." "While they decorate the Christmas tree, hundreds of grenades fall on the city." "People run, trying to dodge the snipers' bullets." "In Sarajevo nearly all the black market stands are empty." "Only a few Christmas wreaths are for sale." ""But they're much too expensive", says this young woman." ""We're just glad to have enough food for a small Christmas dinner, at least."" "But many people are desperate, like this mother." "This afternoon she took her baby to hospital." "Her little boy had been hit in the leg by shell splinters." "Is Michael Jackson telling the truth, or was he putting on an act?" "That's what his fans are asking after the superstar's appearance on TV yesterday evening." "After weeks of silence while undergoing withdrawal treatment, in a live TV broadcast from his ranch in California he denied all charges of child abuse." "Ralf Hoogestraat reports:" ""Don't treat me like a criminal, I'm innocent."" "says a tearful Michael Jackson, broadcasting from the privacy of his Neverland ranch." "Visibly moved, he described how police had examined his genitals." "Supposedly, some of the descriptions given by the boy allegedly abused have been confirmed." "Jackson's lawyer, Tommy Cochran, defended the media offensive." ""Michael Jackson thought it appropriate to answer the allegations now."" "According to the Jackson camp, when this is all over" "Jackson will start a world-wide comeback." "His career..."