But in the EU matters are never quite so simple. Some governments still find the reforms too modest. Spending will actually increase in the short term thanks to a farmers’ compensation package. Others say the changes are too radical. France has warned that it may want the whole agriculture debate reopened when government leaders meet in Berlin at the end of the month. As for the farmers, the head of France’s powerful agricultural lobby has already called the deal “unacceptable” and hinted at heading back to the streets.

BRITAIN’Home’ at Last?

It looks as if Mohamed Al Fayed, father of the late Dodi, may be poised to get something that has long evaded him: a British passport. Last week the British Home Office said a 1988 report on the Fayeds’ purchase of Harrods was not an obstacle to granting citizenship to Mohamed’s brother Ali. A government agency had previously cited the report–which alleged that Al Fayed and his brothers had misrepresented their wealth and background–in ruling that they were unacceptable as British citizens. That seems to pave the way for Mohamed, unless some public uproar persuades the government to change course.

MALAYSIAGet Ready for a Surprise Party

Former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim may be in jail, but he’s far from giving up. A network of the ousted politician’s aides and supporters is secretly laying plans for a new political party to be headed by their former boss. In an effort to outsmart the government, which might not approve their charter for a new party, Anwar supporters plan to amend the constitution of an existing but inactive political group. The activists behind the “reformasi,” or reform, movement hope to challenge Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in general elections, which must be held by the end of next year. If Anwar isn’t around to run–his trial will conclude in the next few weeks, and few people expect him to be acquitted–his wife may run instead. Wan Azizah Ismail, who has emerged as a popular symbol for the movement, has hinted she might run against Mahathir in his own hometown.

HYMNSA Blast From the Past

Who says the U.S.S.R. is dead? Last week the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of Parliament, voted overwhelmingly to reinstate the plodding melody of the Soviet national anthem. “The melody… doesn’t carry any ideological insinuations,” said one communist deputy (communists are the majority in the Duma). “We can’t destroy great music,” declared another. If Yeltsin were to listen to the hymn, “his health would improve,” announced a third. Deputies greeted vote results with ovations. Some started belting out the tune. What’s next–the hammer and sickle?

MOVIESCameron: How About ‘Titanic 2’?

Titanic" director James Cameron, erstwhile King of the World, is still dithering about what his next directing gig will be. Sony Pictures won a four-way battle for the rights to the movie Cameron most wants to make: a screen version of the “Spiderman” comic books. But Cameron’s beloved Spidey–he wrote the script years ago–may have to wait. Execs at Twentieth Century Fox, the studio behind “Titanic,” says Cameron owes them a picture. Arnold Schwarzenegger, desperate for a box-office kill, is pushing hard to lock the director in to “Terminator 3,” but the studio is still wrangling for the rights to that script. Cameron keeps busy producing movies for others to direct, and late last year he agreed to make a pilot and a mini-series, both with sci-fi themes, for Fox Broadcasting.

GAMESScrabble Babble

The scramble for Scrabble is on. Hasbro sold 2 million boards worldwide last year and added an addictive e-mail version. “When my department started playing, all productivity stopped,” says Nickelodeon’s Kevin Fitzpatrick. Hollywood screen writers have Scrabble clubs, and Gen-Xers prefer it to TV. Schoolkids are hooked, too–a Massachusetts school replaced the spelling bee with a Scrabble tourney. Why the triple-score interest now? “It’s like a drug,” says Scrabble spokesman John Williams.