Last Updated: 28 February, 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snow brings chaos to parts of Europe
Hundreds of furious lorry drivers are stranded at the French-Spanish border,trapped by heavy snow. They are waiting to enter the Basque Country but many roads have been closed and they are not happy. One driver said: "We have no food, nothing. They haven't given us anything since we've been stranded." By law, most lorries are forbidden from travelling in the Basque Country and in France on Sundays, and so the drivers are anxious to move on so they are not stranded until Monday. There have been similar problems in Italy: the motorway between Bologna and Florence is blocked and lorries are being forced to wait until the roads are cleared. Snow is usually unheard of in this area and even a small amount can cause chaos. Further north, in Britain, a severe weather warning has been issued in the south-east, as other areas hit by bad conditions start to thaw out. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US, rebels breathe down Aristide's neck
Just for how long can Jean-Bertrand Aristide take the pressure ? Rebels are on the doorstep of Haiti's capital. Now Washington has declared the situation is largely of the President's own making - the clearest indication yet it wants him to go. Yesterday his supporters unleashed a wave of terror in Port-au-Prince in which at least three people were killed, but since then they seem to have heeded Aristide's call for calm. Insurgents have been preparing an offensive on the capital. Washington wants them to hold off to give a political solution a chance. Rebel leader Guy Philippe says he will wait until it becomes clear exactly what the US means. Foreigners have continued to flee the chaos. Helicopters from the neighbouring Dominican Republic carried out several airlifts during the day.A French military aircraft flew in equipment and supplies for their security personnel in Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile Haitians who fled the violence by sea and were intercepted by the US navy have been sent back. Their return was greeted with jeers and cries of "did you have a nice trip?" .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 28 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The US is denying reports one of it's most wanted men...Osama Bin Laden...has been captured.
Iranian State Radio claims a 'very reliable source' has revealed the al Qaeda leader has been found. Bin Laden's alleged to have been captured in a tribal area in the northwest of Pakistan, between Islamabad and Wana. Iran's official news agency, the I-R-N-A, was quoting a story from the nation's state radio Pashtun service, but said it was unclear when he was captured. It comes as the US, backed up by key ally, Pakistan, steps up its efforts to prevent al Qaeda fighters from escaping into neighbouring countries. America claims Bin Laden masterminded the 2001 terrorist attacks in America which killed three thousand people. The radio source says Washington's denying reports of bin Laden's capture so that it can time the release of the news to boost President George Bush's chances of being re-elected in November. The US Department of Defence has dismissed the claims. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Haiti: Rebels prepare to attack Port-au-Prince
Violence, looting and death on the streets of Port-au-Prince: loyalists to Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide have been roaming through the chaotic capital. Several bodies have been seen, some with their hands bound, others apparently hacked with machetes. The stage is set for a showdown between the president's supporters and the rebels who have surrounded the capital and are waiting for orders to attack. The opposition which has long accused Aristide of corruption and political thuggery wants him to step down. He refuses and says he will stay until the end of his mandate in 2006. The rebels, who control the north of Haiti, have now taken the strategic town of Mirebalais northeast of Port-au-Prince. Their leader, former police chief Guy Philippe who has returned from exile in the Dominican Republic, has vowed to celebrate his birthday on Sunday in the presidential palace. Aristide has appealed for international help and warned there would be a bloodbath if the rebels enter the capital. Washington has indicated that support for Aristide is wavering and the UN says it is increasingly concerned at the deteriorating situation in Haiti. The US navy is now waiting for orders from the US president to send three war ships based in Virginia to the troubled island. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No breakthrough in North Korean nuclear talks
Talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis have finally come to an end in Beijing after four days of discussions. But reactions to the outcome have been mixed: while the United States declared them successful, China said they had been plagued by differences due to an extreme lack of trust between the different parties. While there was little evidence the deep divide between Washington and Pyongyang had narrowed, consensus was reached on holding another round of talks in June. Diplomatic sources said the North had shown some reluctance to accept a joint statement delaying the end of the talks, but in the end, all sides agreed. The crux of the dispute is a US accusation that North Korea is pursuing a uranium-enriched programme for nuclear weapons, which Pyongyang denies. Washington is demanding a complete dismantling of its nuclear programmes. Pyongyang wants aid and a security guarantee in return for a nuclear freeze. A similar deal was reached between the two powers in 1994 but fell apart in 2002 after Washington said Pyongyang had privately admitted to the enriched uranium programme. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At least five people have been injured in Mosocw after the roof of a supermarket collapsed
Three have been taken to hospital. It's not known what caused the massive steel structure measuring a hundred and eighty metre by ten to come down. It brought back dark memories of a tragic incident two weeks ago when the dome of a nautical centre on the outskirts of the Russian capital came down killing twenty nine people. President Vladimir Putin has pledged an investigation into that tragedy. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Animal rights activists protest over Italian designer's fur collection
At least nine animal rights activists have been arrested during anti-furprotests outside a designer's store in Rome. To cries of "Cavalli, bloodthirsty designer!", activists from the Italian branch of PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - plastered leaflets and splattered fake blood on the designer's shopfront window in Rome's historic centre. PETA president Walter Caporale says: "We ask Italian designers not to use fur because a lot of animals are killed." The protest coincided with a display of Roberto Cavalli's upcoming winter collection on the catwalk in Milan, where models wore opulent fur coats, jackets and trim - a look which has been seen in more than one collection this week. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arlon gears up for Dutroux trial
Belgium's "trial of the century" is happening in a peaceful town not used to the glare of the foreign media. Arlon, tucked away in the southeastern corner of the country, hosts the trial of self-confessed killer and child rapist Marc Dutroux from Monday. The size of the courtroom could be a problem, such is the international interest. One court official said: "We know people will be annoyed because not many will have access." Meanwhile Arlon is getting used to a different pace of life as some 250 media organisations gear up for the big day. Security is tight. Belgian authorities have not forgotten Dutroux's highly embarrassing escape from prison six years ago.Arlon Mayor Guy Arcier said: "It goes without saying I'll be on hand to help in any way that I can on the day. I don't think there'll be violence, but there will be some pushing and shoving." Dutroux's gruesome acts traumatised Belgium and tarnished the nation's image abroad. .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 27 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EU to impose new trade sanctions on US
Just as troubled trade ties between Europe and the United States seemed to be improving after the steel row blew over, a new war looms. On Monday, Brussels will impose 160 million euros in sanctions because of Washington's failure to overturn tax breaks declared illegal by the World Trade Organisation. The WTO has ruled that the tax breaks are unlawful export subsidies. They havebeen of particular benefit to heavyweight exporters such as Boeing and Microsoft. Washington and Brussels have been locked into bitter trade disputes in the past. After the "banana wars" of the late 1990s, relations hit a new low in 2002 when the US imposed tariffs on foreign steel imports. President Bush repealed the measure in December, and the EU lifted its threat of sanctions. .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 26 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moroccan government promises more earthquake relief aid
The Moroccan government says it will pay for the rebuilding of homes destroyed in Tuesday's earthquake which killed almost 600 people and injured another four hundred. As many as 20,000 people have spent a second night in the open, either because their homes were flattened or because they are too afraid to sleep indoors. The 6.5-magnitude quake shook areas near the coastal city of Al Hoceima, between the Rif Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. The city was largely spared, but surrounding villages such as Imzouren were devastated. The death toll was expected to rise as rescuers reached remote rural areas. Dozens of people staged a protest yesterday, demanding more emergency aid from the government. Others have responded differently to the tragedy. One man, who lost his brother, said it was "the will of God." Authorities say they are sending 350 social workers to help counsel survivors in this mainly Berber region of north-east Morocco. But the urgent priority is housing. While many homes were made of mud brick, disregard for building regulations is being blamed for the the collapse of more modern structures. As aid started pouring in from Europe, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an appeal for around two million euros. The money will provide supplies including 1,500 tents, 30,000 blankets and 15,000 mattresses, as well as heaters and food. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Danish Guantanamo prisoner flown home
A Danish man imprisoned at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay has been flown back to Denmark overnight. The Pentagon says the man, believed to be Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane, was released after the Danes said they would ensure he did not pose a threat. Danish police have arranged a place for him and his family to stay "for the next couple of days," and officials say he returned a "free man". Today another former Guantanamo detainee will appear before a judge in Madrid. Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed, a Spanish citizen, was repatriated two weeks ago. He is suspected of belonging to a terrorist group linked to the al-Qaeda network. Meanwhile London is pushing for the release of four Britons held at Guantanamo Bay. Last week Foreign Minister Jack Straw announced five others would soon be returning home, and called for all the British detainees to be given trials that meet international standards or repatriated: "Although the discussions have made progress, the view of the Attorney General is that the military commissions, as presently constituted, would not provide the type of process which we would afford British nationals. " On Tuesday the US charged the first two of around 650 foreigners held at its base in Cuba. Lawyers assigned to represent the pair at military tribunals say the system is fundamentally unfair and antiquated. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- France calls on Haiti's Aristide to step down
Amid reports of looting, armed gangs have set up barricades in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, ahead of an expected rebel advance that is forcing many foreigners to flee the country. Washington has rebuffed an appeal by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide for immediate security assistance. France has called for an international police force to restore order. It also blamed Aristide for the crisis, hinting he should resign, as Haiti's political opposition continues to demand. With the UN Security Council discussing the growing chaos today, many governments are putting emergency procedures in place to get their citizens out of Haiti. Since an uprising started early this month, a coalition of former Aristide supporters and exiled soldiers has captured the northern half of Haiti, including the second city Cap Haitien. Aristide is warning that thousands may die if the rebels reach the capital. His wife has now sent their two daughters abroad. Rebel leader Guy Philippe says his forces are surrounding Port-au-Prince and he is giving the president a last chance to quit. At the moment it is civilians who are on the move, and Washington is warning Haitians not to try to flee to Florida. President Bush says he has ordered the Coast Guard to turn back any migrants trying to reach US shores by sea. On Wednesday, the Coast Guard intercepted a freighter off Miami with more than 20 Haitians on board, some of them armed. Authorities are investigating a possible hijacking. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US promises to press Moscow over Georgia bases
US President George W. Bush has urged Moscow to abandon its two Soviet-era military bases in Georgia. The call came during a meeting with Georgia's newly elected President Mikhail Saakashvili at the White House. Saakashvili, a 36-year-old US-trained lawyer, was elected in January after street protests forced his predecessor Eduard Shevardnadze to resign. He has called the Russian bases a "colonial relic" and President Bush has promised to help resolve the issue: "We expect the Russian government to honour the Istanbul Commitment. The Istanbul Commitment made it very clear that Russia would leave those bases. We will continue to work with the President and President Putin on that commitment." The Russian bases, housing about 8,000 soldiers, have become a contentious issue in relations between Moscow and Tbilisi. The US is training Georgian troops to fight Chechen rebels suspected of using Georgia as a base for attacking Russia. President Saakashvili has linked the crackdown on Islamist militants to the removal of the Russian bases. .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 25 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russian prisoners in hunger strike
Up to 5000 prisoners in jails in the Russian city of St. Petersburg and its surrounding region are reported to have gone on hunger strike. They are said to be protesting against physical abuse and poor conditions. It is believed the action began after an inmate died in unspecified circumstances. A man who was being released from one prison was passed a note. It said: "We've been on strike for three days already. Tell the media. We need to change the system." The man himself described the prisons as "a nightmare." Authorities have launched an investigation into the hunger-strikes and the allegations which have sparked them. They say some detainees have already ended their protests. Prisons across Russia are notoriously harsh but this is the first time inmates have resorted to starving themselves to improve things. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Could Russian revenge explain air traffic murder?
The Swiss agency Skyguide has spoken of its shock after the mystery murder of one of its air traffic controllers - a man on duty the night that dozens of Russian children died in a mid-air crash. Speculation is rife that the killing could be linked to the collision. Police believe revenge may have been on the knifeman's mind. Skyguide's chief executive Alain Rossier described the victim as "very competent and professional." His 36-year-old employee died when a burly, black-clad man speaking broken German stabbed him at his home in a Zurich suburb after a brief exchange of words. The dead controller, who was Danish, was in charge of traffic over Lake Constance late on July 1, 2002 when a holiday charter plane carrying Russian youngsters collided with a cargo jet over southern Germany. In all, 71 people died. Accident investigators found that only one controller was on duty as the other had taken a break, that a collision alert system was out of action for maintenance and that work on the telephones meant a warning from German colleagues never got through. .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 24 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 300 feared dead in Morocco quake
Officials in Morocco fear up to 300 people may have been killed in an earthquake which struck the north of the country. It was felt most strongly along the northern coast, close to the Straits of Gibraltar. A village near Al Hoceima is said to have been razed to the ground and the port city itself was badly shaken. Two other villages were also said to have been extensively damaged. A major rescue operation involving emergency services, the army and navy is continuing in the area. The quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. It is thought the epicentre was in the Straits of Gibraltar. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Haiti rebels set sights on capital
Rebels in Haiti claim they will seize the capital Port-au-Prince within days. Both rebels and opposition politicians want President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to stand down.. Until then insurgents say they will continue to move across the country. At the weekend they took control of Haiti's second largest city, Cap Haitian, they have also captured Go naives and Hinche. The US is pressing rival politicians to accept a power sharing plan. US Secretary of State Colin Powell has given opposition politicians more time to consider the proposal that would see Aristide and his opponents choosing a new cabinet. The embattled President has accepted the plan, but the opposition seems in no mood for negotiation. "We think the sooner the international community realises that there will be no democracy and there will be a worsening of the situation of violence as long as Mr Aristide in power," said Andy A paid, leader of the opposition, Group of 184. About 50 US marines have arrived in Haiti to protect American interests there. The US says it has no plans for a military intervention and is focussing on mediation as a way out of the crisis. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former Cheney company probed
A fraud investigation into a company linked to US Vice President Dick Cheney has given a new twist to the early stages of the race for White House. A subsidiary of oil services company Halliburton is being investigated by the Pentagon on a number of allegations including overcharging for fuel supplied to the US military in Iraq. Cheney ran Halliburton between 1995 and 2000 and Democrats have been highlighting the fact that the company and its offshoots have more than six million euros worth of contracts in Iraq. The firm at the centre of the probe, Kellog, Brown and Root, is the military's single biggest contractor in the country. Halliburton says all its dealings are strictly in line with US law. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two al Qaeda suspects arrested in Spain
Two men accused of helping the Islamic militant group al Qaeda have been arrested in the southern Spanish towns of Torrevieja and Murcia. Police say the two Algerians are accused of forging passports for members of Osama Bin Laden's group. France had already issued an arrest warrant for one of the men. Last month three men were arrested in Spain, accused of helping to finance a synagogue bombing in Tunisia that was claimed by al Qaeda. Since the September 11th attacks, Spanish police have arrested dozens of people on suspicion of having links with the militant group, though many have since been released. .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 23 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Victim to testify in Belgian child sex case
Sabine Dardenne has faced the cameras for the first
time to announce that she will be giving evidence against a man accused
of a series of rapes and child murders in Belgium. The young woman's lawyer says as one of the main witnesses in the case it was accepted that she would have to come into the spotlight. Dardenne was 12 when she and another girl were found alive at Dutroux's house in 1996. He is accused of raping them while they were held captive for 79 days. Dutroux's wife and three other men are also accused
of being involved in the affair. There was also anger over claims of incompetence on
the part of investigators, controversy that lead to mass street demonstrations .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US Marines sent to Haiti
Around 50 Marines have arrived in Port-au-Prince to protect American representatives in the Haitian capital. The troops are a sign of the worsening situation in the Caribbean country, where an armed revolt has been gathering momentum. American officials are continuing to mediate between President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the opposition parties. Meanwhile, the rebels, who have spurned political dialogue in their drive to unseat Aristide, have taken control of Cap Haitien as well as the towns of Gonaives and Hinche. At least 17 people were killed when the guerrillas swept into the city on Haiti's northern coast on Sunday.A band of former soldiers and militia, they say they are just days away from their ultimate goal of taking over Port-au-Prince. Barriers set up by pro-government forces on the road into the capital are designed to deter the rebels, who accuse Aristide of corruption and political violence. The Haitian opposition says just one man is standing in the way of peace. "Our proposition starts from this point," said leader Evans Paul. "Jean-Bertrand Aristide is the problem, the obstacle on the path to democracy and the construction of a state that respects the rule of law." Former colonial power France has joined the US and other countries in advising its citizens to leave. The international community is resisting the idea of a peace-keeping force for the time being, instead hoping for a homegrown solution to Haiti's problems. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chechens recall Stalin deportations
Chechnya and Ingushetia have been marking the 60th anniversary of the deportations of their entire populations by Soviet leader Josef Stalin. A small, unauthorised protest outside the former KGB headquarters in Moscow was broken up by police. Around 450,000 people were expelled to Siberia and central Asia by Soviet authorities who accused them of collaborating with invading German forces. Campaigners have been using the occasion to highlight grievances against Russia's present-day rulers in Chechnya. Their case has been taken up in Brussels by a group of European deputies, one of whom, Olivier Dupuis, has been staging a hunger strike. He said that, like Kosovo, Chechnya needs a provisional UN administration. Russian troops should be withdrawn and Chechen groups disarmed, he believes. He also called for the creation of a special UN administrator who would act like a governor. But some are optimistic about Russian intentions. Solomon Passy is Bulgaria's Foreign Minister. His country is the President of the Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe. "We are encouraged by the readiness of the Russian authorities to establish dialogue on the Chechen question, notably on our concrete proposals," he said. The OSCE has urged Moscow to hold talks with Chechnya's
rebel government but the Russian leadership remains opposed, branding
it a "terrorist" organisation. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bombing overshadows Rumsfeld Iraq visit
A deadly bomb attack which coincided with Donald Rumsfeld's arrival in Iraq gave the US Defence Secretary all the evidence he needed of continuing instability in the country. The purpose of the unannounced visit is to gauge security ahead of June's scheduled handover of power to Iraqi authorities. He met with the US' top administrator Paul Bremer and representatives of Iraq's police force who will be expected to take on more security responsibilities from June onwards. Iraqi police are increasingly in the firing line. The insurgents fighting the US and its allies regard them as collaborators. Thirteen officers in the northern city of Kirkuk were killed in the latest attack. A suicide bomber rammed a car into a police station in a Kurdish neighbourhood. The explosion caused widespread damage and left a further 51 people injured. It comes at a delicate time amid Iraqi Kurds' push for more autonomy ahead of the transfer of power. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 22 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel: the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigades say they were behind a suicide attack in
Jerusalem which left at least seven people and wounded around 60 others. It happened on a bus in the west of the city at the height of the morning rush hour. Police said the bomb was packed with metal shards to make it more deadly. A passenger said a security guard from a team meant to prevent bombings got off one stop before the bomber got on. The bus was close to an hotel where a group of US Jewish leaders where holding a conference but it is not known if any were caught up in the incident. The Palestinian Authority has condemned the bombing and called for increased efforts to resolve the conflict in the region. A Palestinian suicide bomber last struck in Jerusalem on January 29, killing 11 people on a bus. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel: Jerusalem attack highlights security barrier debate
The suicide attack on the Jerusalem bus dominated the regular Sunday meeting of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cabinet. In one early reaction Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom said it showed the construction of a security barrier separating Israel from the West Bank was justified. The controversial wall is coming under intensified scrutiny with the opening of a hearing of the World Court in the Hague tomorrow. It is set to rule on the legality of the project which will eventually run to more than 700 hundred kilometres. Israel say the barrier is necessary to prevent attacks by militants but Palestinians claim it is an attempt to seize parts of their land. Demonstrations like this are a frequent occurrence in Palestinian communities which will be affected. Protestors say the fence will cut many villages off from access to hospitals, schools and places of work. Israel was in the process of dismantling part of the security line as the bomber struck this morning. The government says this has nothing to with the legal proceedings in the Hague and that it was always willing to change the route of the wall to alleviate the plight of Palestinians. Israel is not attending the International Court's hearing brought at the behest of the UN General Assembly. In any case its ruling will not be binding. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Latest Push on for Bin Laden
Amid media speculation that Al Qaeda leader Ossama bin Laden has been tracked down Pakistan has been gearing up for a major operation against the militant group in the West of the country. A British tabloid paper has reported British and American special forces have identified a remote mountainous region as the current hideout of bin Laden and the leader of Afganistan's ousted Taliban regime, Mullah Omar. In response to requests from the US Pakistan has begun building up troops around Wanna which it is thought will be a base for a new initiative against Al Qaeda and other militants. The US has expressed concern that Islamic extremists are using Pakistan's border region to launch attacks inside Afghanistan. Washington has indicated it will launch a new offensive in the Spring against rebels in Afghansitan, in what is being seen a concerted effort to find bin Laden. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- French Cesar awards go to mvie world cream
Just a week before the Oscars, France awarded its own movie accolades, the Cesars. Directed by Franco-Canadian Denys Arcand, The Barbarian Invasions took the gong for best film. Omar Sharif took best actor for his role in Monsieur Ibrahim. Since a controversial decision by the French film academy a decade ago, the best film Cesar can only go to a French language work. Clint Eastwood's Mystic River won best foreign film. Sylvie Testud was named best actress and German film Goodbye Lenin! won the special best movie award for films from EU countries. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq: US allows Red Cross to visit Saddam
Saddam Hussein has been visited in custody by Red Cross officials. The former Iraqi leader is being held by US forces in a secret location in Iraq. Under agreement with the coalition, no details about Saddam, or about the conditions he is being kept in, are being released. The International Committee of the Red Cross said Saddam passed on a letter for his family. It will be checked by US officials before being delivered. The ICRC also said that any observations or questions would be taken up with the US forces, and would not be raised in public. The Red Cross team that visited Saddam included a doctor. Under the terms of the Geneva Convention, which covers prisoners of war, the US was obliged to give Red Cross officials access to the 66-year-old. After being topppled in April last year, Saddam was on the run for eight months before being captured in a hole in the ground near his hometown of Tikrit. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 21 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Euro Greens dream team
Members of Green parties from across Europe have met in Rome to start the first European Green party. It will endorse traditional eco issues for June's European Parliament elections. Italian Green party member Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio: "It is a great event," he said. "It is the first political subject, the first party to transform itself from a federation to a single united party, for the environment, for democracy, for peace and for human rights. Above all, it is the only true political entity ready for the new Europe." The organisers hope it will be a turning point in Green impact on EU policy. Germany Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said it is an exciting time: "It's the first time we have had a Europe-wide election campaign. I am ready, as far as I can be, to contribute to this election campaign. I am not running for the European parliament but as a European I will run for my party." Organisers screened a special promotional film depicting social and environmental battles in the past to music written by Italian film music composer Ennio Morricone ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reformists on the defensive in Iranian elections
Iranians have been voting today in a parliamentary election that's expected to reinforce the power of the country's religious conservatives. President Mohammed Khatami looked subdued as he voted at the Interior Ministry in Teheran. 2 500 of his reformist supporters were banned from standing by an unelected panel of hardline clerics and more than 1000 withdrew in protest. The move clears the way for victory for supporters of Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - and the only real issue in the poll is how many turn out to support him. Early indications are that voting was steady. Murals were there to remind voters who's in charge, while religious leaders urged the population to slap America in the face. Many reformist newspapers were closed down in the run-up to the election, but there's been little mobilisation against the government's actions. With inflation and unemployment at around 15 per cent, the religious authorities have been an able to take advantage of a certain disillusionment with Khatami within the reformist camp. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Latest: Brussels and Belgrade on potential collision course with new government
He helped to oust Slobodan Milosevic, but now he needs the former strongman's party to govern Serbia. Ex-president Vojislav Kostunica is back as prime minister designate - he will be forming a coalition of three moderate parties. But that still leaves him short of a majority in parliament, meaning he will have to rely on the support of Milosevic's Socialists.They have said they will back him if he slows down Western-style economic reforms and stops handing over alleged war criminals to the Hague tribunal. That prospect has deeply worried the European Union, and could affect a key US vote on aid to the fragile Balkan state next month. Bitter wranglings between reformist parties blocked agreement on a pro-democracy coalition after the general election in December produced no clear winner.The Serbian leadership has been in crisis ever since. The situation has not been helped by widespread public disillusionment with three years of economic reform.Poor living standards and a jobless rate of 32 percent have left many Serbs feeling that democracy has been a bitter fruit.
Anarchists" press on with letter bomb campaign in Italy
Suspected anarchists have continued their letter bomb campaign in Italy by targeting a police station. The explosion injured several people.At least one officer was seriously hurt and risks losing several fingers.The blast happened in the central Italian city of Perugia.It is the latest in a wave of explosive packages sent to police stations and to Italian and European politicians in recent months.The highest profile target was EU Commission boss Romano Prodi in December.Rome has place around 40 people under investigation for alleged ties to anarchist groups.
Voting rights for Belgium's non-EU immigrants
Belgium's parliament has given the go-ahead for new election rules that have divided the country. It has approved a bill that grants non-European Union immigrants the right to vote in local elections. It is a delicate subject in a country where the government needs a majority in Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia in order to rule. Most Flemish parties opposed the change, but almost all the francophone parties were in favour. Within Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's coalition government, three of the four language-based parties of liberals and socialists backed the bill, while his own Flemish liberals were against it. Experts say the law is likely to affect about 120-thousand non-EU residents in a country of 10 million. Already in 2000, policies were relaxed to allow thousands of foreigners to take up Belgian citizenship. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 20 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iranians vote in disputed elections
Iran's pro-reform president has cast his ballot in today's parliamentary elections that many experts predict he is going to lose to hardliners. In a last minute attempt to improve his chances, Mohammed Khatami called on people to turn out in force. In polls overshadowed by a ban on most reformist candidates, it is predicted the conservatives will win a majority in parliament. The country's spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was one of the first to vote. He slammed what he called the Islamic republic's "enemies" who have tried to deter young people from voting. Student groups, along with many of the reformist candidates disqualified by the Khamenei-appointed Guardian Council, have led calls for a boycott of the polls. Failing a last minute surge in support, the election could spell the end for the president's efforts to liberalise the country. In what critics say may be a taste of what is to come, the hardline judiciary yesterday sealed off the campaign headquarters of a political party led by the president's brother. Two reformist newspapers were also closed down on Wednesday after giving details about a letter that disqualified reformist candidates sent to Khamenei. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Olive branch to Italy's unions
The Italian government has presented a revised plan to overhaul the country's pension system, after initial ideas were met with mass protest. Instead of bumping up the retirement age from 57 to 65 for men, and 60 for women, the government is now offering to make it 60 for both sexes, until a further review in 2013. It is also backing away from plans to force people to pay into the system for longer than the current 35 years. The government is trying to win over three unions who staged a general strike last October. That may not be easy, however. Already one of the main unions has said it is still not happy, saying it opposes any rise in the retirement age. Some industry bosses have also said while it is a step in the right direction, it is not rigorous enough. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 19 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Train blast brings death and devastation to Iran
A massive train blast has killed close to 200 people in north eastern Iran. For reasons still unclear, the train's deadly cargo of petrol, fertiliser and sulphur exploded. According to reports, the force of the blast was such, it registered at 3.6 on the Richter scale at a local earthquake monitoring bureau. The explosion was felt in the city of Mashhad, some 75 kilometres away. Some 400 people have been injured and five villages have been devastated, while windows were shattered in a 10-kilometre radius. According to state television reports, the wagons came apart from their locomotive after the train had pulled into a station for the night. For reasons as yet unexplained, those wagons then fall from the tracks and small fires broke out. As fire fighters tackled the flames this morning, a build up of gas provoked the first in a series of explosions along the wagons. Most of the victims were firemen caught out as the wagons burst into balls of fire. The disaster is a heavy blow for Iran, coming just weeks after the Bam earthquake ..----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe's 'Big Three' focus on economy
The leaders of Germany, France and Britain have signed a joint letter calling for a new post of Vice-President of the European Commission, whose job would be to help boost the EU's economic performance. But amid the talk of reform, they also had to fend off criticsm that their meeting in Berlin was elitist. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said, "We're not trying to dominate anybody, let alone Europe. This isn't the first time that we've met as a threesome, we also met in September last year. I personally think we're given important initiatives for Europe in the field of foreign and security policy." The bloc's largest states maintain their problems are Europe's problems - namely unemployment and sluggish economic growth. Britain's Tony Blair led the call for more business-friendly regulations from the Commission as Europe aims to meet employment targets set four years ago. And French President Jaques Chirac was happy to get the go-ahead to cut taxes on restaurants, an election promise he has been under pressure to fulfil. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Uncertainty as ETA declares limited truce
A limited truce called by outlawed Basque separatist group ETA has created a political storm in Spain. Two masked men announced ETA had suspended its armed campaign in the region of Catalonia as of the start of this year. The statement raises questions not only over what plans the radicals have as Spain's general election approaches, but also what kind of impact it will have on Catalan politics. The truce digs up the scandal surrounding Josep-Lluis Carod-Roveira, a Catalan nationalist who was thrown out of the Socialist-run coalition heading the regional government last month after he admitted meeting members of ETA. He has denied striking any deal, and called the move a "political trap". The leader of the Spanish Socialist Party Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says the truce in Catalonia is "inadmissible and beyond rapproach"."Without doubt it will have political consequences. There should be a response from Carod-Roveira's party and there are likely to be profound consequences for the Catalan government," he said. For some ETA's statement appears to play into the hands of the ruling centre-right Popular Party, which has pushed a tough anti-terrorism line. Others believe the radical group, which is believed to have been weakened by a series of arrests, was sending a signal that it wants to negotiate. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreigners flee as Haiti situation deteriorates
There are mounting fears that the situation in Haiti is spiralling out of control as police struggle to keep a lid on a violent uprising. The government of the Caribbean country has admitted the 5,000-strong force lacks the resources and manpower to end the violence. The international community is withholding military assistance, calling for a political settlement instead. Rebels control Gonaives and much of the north of the country after driving police out of Hinche. The violent group has spread fear and panic, and prompted many foreigners in the country to flee. "My family already left, most of my friends are leaving this week and I only have probably two families that I know that are stayinbg, but most of them are leaving," said one woman. Rebels say the capital city is their ultimate goal. They want to oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the country's first freely-elected leader who now faces accusation of corruption and political violence. The United Nations Security Council has expressed its concern over the situation, but says regional groups like the Organisation of American States should lead the search for a solution. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraqi town rocked by explosions - locals killed
Fresh explosions have been reported in the Iraqi town of al-Hilla - hours after a double suicide bomb attack killed at least 11 locals. American authorities say children were among the victims of a strike on a military base. Among the injured were 58 foreign troops serving with the Washington-led coalition forces. A Polish journalist based in al-Hilla south of Baghdad, says he heard two more explosions in the early evening. The morning blasts targeted a base where Polish and Hungarian troops are based. The explosions ripped through surrounding houses, tearing off roofs and facades. The two trucks, one of which detonated as it slammed into a barracks wall, were packed with an estimated 700 kilos of dynamite and artillery shells. The bombings are the latest in a string of attacks against those serving with the coalition - and yet another reminder of the major security concerns still dogging Iraq, ahead of US plans to hand over sovereignty by July. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean to quit US presidential campaign
Howard Dean looks set to quit his US presidential campaign following his disappointing third place showing in Wisconsin. The former Vermont Governor is expected to officially announce his plans to drop out of the race to be the Democrat's candidate for the White House. Meanwhile John Edwards made a surprisingly strong showing in Wisconsin. He came in a close second behind John Kerry - the favourite to challenge US President George Bush in November's elections. Kerry has won 14 out of the 16 previous contests. The Super Tuesday contest, the largest so far, is being held in less than two weeks .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 18 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bitterness over "Big Three" summit in Europe
There is anger brewing in Europe as its "Big Three" prepare to hold a summit in Berlin today. Many in the bloc fear the leaders of Britain, Germany and France will try to dictate EU policy when 10 new countries join in May. But Jacques Chirac, Tony Blair and Gerhard Schroeder say this is a regular consulation to discuss economic issues. It is the third such meeting since September. Euronews spoke to Jean-Louis Burlange who is a French member of the European parliament: "What characterises these states and the governments of Schroeder, Chirac and Blair is a deep scepticism not towards Europe but towards European institutions." Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has rejected the summit as a big mess. But that's not a view shared by everyone in his party. "It seems normal that at a time like this Europe's big three in effect guide Europe, because at the moment we don't have a constitution and there's a certain amount of confusion as we wait for the accession of 10 new countries," says Yas Gavronsky, Forza Italia MEP. There is scepticism in Spain too as Enrique Baron Crespo, Spanish MEP explains."We fear these countries will come to conclusions that they'll then try and impose on other nations, and that's unacceptable." .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Italian parliament saves Berlusconi TV channel
Italy's lower house of Parliament has approved a last-minute measure allowing one of the prime minister's television channels to continue broadcasting. Media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, who is Italy's richest man, had called a confidence vote to pass the decree which has saved his Rete 4 channel from almost certain collapse. The measure also allows Italy's third public channel to continue advertising. The Italian leader, whose Mediaset company owns two other national channels, sought the decree because it would give him five more months to try to pass legislation which would lift restrictions on media ownership. Berlusconi's centre-right government, which has a large majority, has used a confidence vote around 30 times to push through motions. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edwards close second to Kerry in Wisconsin
Another state, another victory. A triumphant John Kerry strode onto the podium as election winner in Wisconsin, making it 15 wins out of 17 in the race in the US to find a Democrat challenger to President George Bush. But the result was much closer than in other state votes, with early counting showing he had just held off a surprise challenge from John Edwards. But he still heads into the next round of 10 potentially decisive ballots full of confidence. Whether he will still face a challenge from Howard Dean remains to be seen. The former Vermont governor had been hoping for a strong showing to slow down Kerry's runaway momentum. But instead he finished a distant third behind Edwards. The Wisconsin result almost certainly ensures Edwards continuation in the campaign. He now has gone from being an outsider to Kerry's main challenger. .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 17 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US primaries enter decisive phase
The race for the White House is hotting up as Democratic hopefuls made last ditch pleas for support in the Wisconsin primary being held today. Front-runner John Kerry laid into President Bush's economic policies: "Ladies and Gentlemen, shame on this administration's sense of priorities. We don't have a broken budget at a federal level, we've got a broken values system at the federal level and we need to fix it and that is what this race is about." Kerry is enjoying a big lead in Wisconsin and has so far scooped 14 out of the first 16 contests. Howard Dean is trailing in second place. He attacked Bush for failing middle America. "Middle class people are struggling in this country because the President doesn't care about middle class people. His major interests are the biggest corporations in the world. We need to change that." Dean has vowed to stay in the race even if he loses in Wisconsin. A sentiment echoed by John Edwards who is coming in third. "I've been getting ready for this fight my whole life. I'm so ready for this fight. You have to give me a shot at George Bush." And for his part Bush, was fighting back in Florida: "You'll hear some discussion about what it means for a family when their taxes go up. But from an economic perspective I'm telling you now is not the time to raise the taxes on the American people." Workers at the window and door factory also heard personal stories of how the President's tax cuts were helping their families. They also listened to Bush defend his decision to send American troops into war with Iraq. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israeli visit to boost relations with France
A determination to improve French/Israeli relations - the declared aim of Israel's President Moshe Katsav and his counterpart Jacques Chirac. It is the first time in fifteen years an Israeli president has visited France and in that time ties between the countries have become strained over the Middle East and anti-semitism in France. In recent years there have been increasing attacks on Jewish targets, including synagogues. But Chirac said his government was tackling the problem. He said French authorities had a determination to combat any kind of racism or anti-semitism. He added they were working relentlessly against what he described as "this plague." In an interview ahead of his visit Katsav had expressed concern about attacks on Jews in France. "Everywhere a synagogue burns one can fear that in the future the parliament could be stoned to death. There is a thin line between anti-semitism and a risk to democracy," he said. In another part of Paris a protest against Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories served as a reminder the main cause of tensions between France and Israel. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disney turns down Comcast takeover bid
A takeover bid to buy one of the best known names in entertainment has been flatly refused. The Walt Disney Company was the focus of the bid and America's biggest cable TV operator Comcast the buyer. But Disney says it is worth more than the forty two billion euros offered. Comcast has said it is willing to bide its time and that Disney may well come round to its offer and described its bid as compelling and sound. The Disney board for its part says it will consider any legitimate proposal. It also backed the leadership of CEO Michael Eisner saying it has full confidence in his business, financial and creative direction of the company. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hubble discovery may earn telescope reprieve
The Hubble space telescope has come up with a strong argument to keep it up in orbit despite NASA's doubts over whether shuttle missions will continue to maintain it. Hubble's optics have just discovered the farthest known object from earth, a tiny galaxy 13 billion light years away. The light produced from this galaxy that is now reaching us, say the experts, is very old indeed, and comes from the first billion years of the existence of the universe, after the "big bang". This period, known as the "dark ages", is virtually unknown territory for scientists, and it is believed that it was a period of giant gas clouds prior to the formation of stars, and later solid bodies. This discovery could shed some important light on our origins. .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 16 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Second day of civil service strikes hit Britain
Britain is entering its second day of industrial action by the civil service in what has been described as the largest strike to hit the sector for over ten years. Workers from job centres and benefit agencies are staging a 48-hour walk out in protest over pay and fears over job cuts. The British Finance Minister Gordon Brown has defended plans for curbing public service spending. "We want savings in administration so we can put more money into employing nurses, doctors, teachers and classroom assistants and that is what we intend to do." A leaked government report indicates that up to 80,000 jobs could be lost. For those who have downed tools that only adds up to one thing. "The only way in which you can cut up to 80,000 jobs in the civil service is by dramatically reducing the service we give to the public. Already we are overstretched in the social security and job centres. We don't give the people the service they expect and which they deserve," said one striker.The Department for Work and Pensions said that most job centres stayed open yesterday and has downplayed the strike action. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- French airline out of time
It seems the long-running saga of struggling French airline Air Littoral is about to come to an unhappy end. A court in Montpellier is set to liquidate the company this afternoon after financier Alan Dumenil conceded defeat in his efforts to put together a rescue package. The tribunal had given his consortium until midnight yesterday to come up with a first payment of one million euros - but staff have been informed that will not be happening. Air Littoral went into receivership in August after failing to overcome financial problems. A recent court ruling to ground its planes appears to have been the fatal blow. Bosses and unions say they will keep fighting to the bitter end to save the company and more than four hundred jobs. .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 15 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swimmers killed as pool roof caves in
Authorities in Moscow, where the glass roof of a swimming
pool has collapsed are now saying that at least 15 people have been
killed and nearly 100 wounded in the disaster. The dome collapsed during the evening under the weight of recent heavy snowfalls, although initially it was feared a bomb was to blame. Panicking swimmers, some still in their bathing suits, rushed outside into freezing temperatures shortly after the roof caved in. Rescue workers and police evacuated hundreds of people into the street. At least 40 of those injured were immediately rushed to hospital. The complex, which was built just two years ago in the south west of the Russian capital, has three pools and can hold up to two thousand people. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cycle world shocked at Pantani's death
Marco Pantani, the celebrated Italian cyclist who fought his way back from injury to win both the Giro d'Italia and the gruelling Tour de France has been found dead in a hotel room in Rimini. Pantani was 34 years old and had been suffering from depression. While the cause of death has not been immediately established it is understood there was no violence involved. The Italian news agency Ansa has reported that police have found medicines in his room. Pantani: the great climber's uphill struggle
Pantani's greatest hour came in 1998. It was the year he joined cycling's elite, winning not only the Tour de France but also the Italian Giro. The newcomer was now a star both at home and abroad. It was Pantani's seventh year as a professional. He had already begun to make a name for himself as a climber, taking on the likes of Spain's legendary Miguel Indurain. And he had won admiration for the way he had recovered his form after shattering several bones when he was hit by a jeep in 1995. When he won the Giro, he won fans' hearts. But Pantani had only just begun. He went on to become the first Italian to win the Tour de France in 33 years. It was above all his climbing skills that took him to victory. The man who had been dubbed the 'Little Elephant' for his shaven head and large ears, was now ranked among the all time greats and had a new nickname, The Pirate. But just when he had the world at his feet, Pantani saw his career crumble amid doping scandals, suspensions, appeals, counter appeals. He was still making the headlines but for all the wrong reasons. In 1999 and 2000 he failed doping tests and during the 2001 Giro a syringe containing insulin was found in his hotel. While Pantani would get many of the rulings against him overturned on appeal, his performances suffered badly. In 2003 he checked into a clinic best known for dealing with depression and drug addiction. Last month rumours circulated that Pantani was to retire. A cycling great, or a victim of the sport's lost generation - it's too early to tell yet just how Il Pirata will be remembered. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq: Guerrilla attack kills 22 in Fallujah
Gunfire echoed around Fallujah during a fierce battle which left at least 22 dead and resulted in a break-out by a number of prisoners from a police station. Dozens of anti-US insurgents are thought to have been involved in the attack on an Iraqi security forces compound but it is not clear if the aim was to free prisoners inside. Of those killed, 14 were policemen, four were insurgents and four civilians. In nearby residential areas damaged homes provided evidence of the ferocity of the fighting. The guerrillas blasted the police station with machine guns, mortars and rockets. At least 35 people were wounded The violence in Falluja - a city hardened to conflict - came during one of the bloodiest weeks since Saddam Hussein was toppled. Around 100 Iraqis died in suicide bombings. Saddam loyalists and foreign fighters appear to be trying to discourage Iraqis from supporting occupation forces. But Iraqis continue to sign up to the new security forces, not least to earn a living. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spanish tobacco farmers demonstrate over EC reforms
Thousands of tobacco farmers have taken to the streets of the Spanish capital Madrid to protest against planned European Commission reforms. They want the Spanish government to support their position in Europe. The European Commission wants to change the subsidy programme. Rather than pay producers according to the amount of tobacco they harvest, the EC envisages a fixed annual sum. Quality too will become more important. Growers who make an effort to improve the quality of their tobacco will be rewarded under the new plans. The European Union is the world's fifth biggest producer of raw tobacco and the world's largest importer. In Spain, some 20 thousand households rely on tobacco culture, although money is available to farmers who want to quit the sector. The demonstration, which passed off without incident, started in central Madrid and wound its way towards the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture. .-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 14 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq: 23 killed in Fallujah gun battle
Up to 23 people are said to have been killed in an attack on a police station and a government office in the city of Fallujah in Iraq. The buildings came under a barrage of rocket, mortar and machine gun fire, overwhelming those inside. Fourteen policemen are thought to be among the dead. It is reported that at the height of exchange guerrillas stormed the police station freeing dozens of prisoners being held inside. Fallujah lying in the so-called Sunni-triangle has been the scene of repeated attacks. Increasingly Iraqi security forces have become the targets. US warplanes circled above the gunfight but it is not known if any US troops were involved on the ground. Iraqi civilians were among the casualties, however. Homes and property in the surrounding bore evidence of the ferocity of the battle. In the aftermath, local people began preparing to bury the dead. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A world record sealed with a kiss
Organisers of a kissing marathon in Manilla in the Philipinnes claim to have broken a new world. The mass smooch in which 5,122 couples took part marked St Valentines day. It beat the previous record set in Chile last month by more than 600. The couples clenched lips for ten seconds on the stroke of Midnight. Only married or engaged people were allowed to join in - a concession perhaps to conservative sensibilities in this predominantly Catholic country. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US hands over Spanish prisoner
A Spanish former detainee of Guantamo Bay Cuba has arrived in Madrid after being handed over to Spain by the United States in the first ever transfer of its kind. Spain is currently mounting its own investigation into al Qaeda's activities and is also seeking the extradition of three other men being held at Guantanamo Bay. The man handed over on Friday is from the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta. He is Hamed Abderrahman and he is to face prosecution in Spain on charges of belonging to a "terrorist" organisation. None of the United States prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has yet been charged and some have been held for two years, prompting an outcry from human rights groups around the world. US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld has said the US would be creating a panel to review the status of each prisoner annually. "The US is instituting a process for an annual review that would ensure that the detainee has an opportunity to provide information to a panel and that the judgements about continued detention will be made on the basis of the most current reforms", he said. US authorities say Guantanamo detainees have already revealed al Qaeda's leadership structures and funding. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fifteen million for French flutter
The first ever European lottery has been won by a Frenchman. He has walked with fifteen million Euros. Not surprisingly, the winner has chosen to remain anonymous. The draw for the lottery took place at 9.30 Friday evening in Paris. Dubbed Euromillions, the new lottery involved three countries: Spain, France and Great Britain. The organisers have been unable to say at this early stage exactly what the grand total of receipts for the new lottery or exactly how many people took part. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 13 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kerry campaign hit by scandal rumours
Murky allegations about a mystery woman have cast a cloud over US senator John Kerry's challenge to be the Democrats presidential candidate ahead of another state election in Nevada tomorrow. A right-wing website has claimed that Kerry asked the woman to leave the United States for personal reasons. It is reputedly the same Internet site which first disclosed that former President Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky. The website also claimed that General Wesley Clark, who bowed out of the Democrat race on Wednesday, had said the frontrunner's campaign would implode over what was described as "an intern issue". There has been no official response from Kerry's team
but Democrat sources blamed the allegations on Republican smear tactics. Kerry's other main opponent Senator John Edwards has also declined to rule himself out. It has fuelled speculation that both candidates believe the allegations about Kerry could rekindle their own campaigns. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US gay marriage row reignites in San Francisco
A series of weddings of gay couples in the San Francisco
has reignited a debate in the US about same-sex marriages. San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom said: "We have reignited a fundamental debate that's about discrimination. Whether or not the city and county of San Francisco is going to continue against same gender couples." It opens the possibility of similar unions in other states. US president George Bush is expected soon to endorse a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But that is a difficult task and can take years to push through.
Early elections in Iraq are impossible, according to a UN official who has said a poll cannot be held before the US-led authorities hand over power to an Iraqi government in June. That is contrary to the wishes of Iraq's majority Shi'ites. UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said: "We have agreed that the timing should not be prisoner to any deadlines. That we need to organise elections as early as possible but not earlier than possible." Security is one reason it would be difficult to hold elections soon. Two suicide bombs killed at least 100 Iraqis this week - mostly civilians, looking for work in the new police force or army. And today an American soldier was killed by a bomb while patrolling a Baghdad suburb. Meanwhile, a US National Guardsman has been charged with trying to pass military secrets to the Islamic military group al Qaeda. Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Barger: "Specialist
Andersen will be held at Fort Lewis regional corrections facility,
pending criminal charges of aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting
to communicate and give intelligence to the al Qaeda terrorist network." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Putin accused of violating election law
Just a day after he launched his re-election campaign,
Russian president Vladimir Putin has been accused of breaking electoral
law. Live television debates also began yesterday but Putin has already said he won't take part. Some say he has established control of enough media outlets to ensure his campaigning can be carried out over the airwaves without joining the debates. Opinion polls give the president more than 70 per cent, none of his challengers has more than 5 per cent support. The organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said yesterday it had sent 50 long term election observers to Moscow and regional centres. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel snubs world court
Israel says it will boycott World Court hearings on the legality of its security barrier separating it from the Palestinians. The case, beginning in 11 days time, has been brought by the UN General Assembly , which has come in for rare public criticism from Israel's Secret Services minister ; "We have very bad experiences with bodies of the United Nations, and the Arabshave such influence over there that they can just move and get any decision they wish" he said, expressing for once in public an opinion many Israeli officials had hitherto kept off the record. Special advisor to the Palestinian's Yasser Arafat is Nabil Abu Rdainah. "The Israelis cannot face justice. The Israelis knew from the beginning that they are facing the international court, the world community and they cannot defend their illegal actions in the West Bank and Gaza, especially building the wall on Palestinian land", he said in reaction . The Israelis sent a 150 page document to the court last month setting out the legal arguments for Israel's refusal to recognise the court's jurisdiction. Following the announcement a noisy but peaceful protest was held at Boudrous, one of the many sites where construction work on the wall is cracking on apace under the watchful eye of Israeli military guards. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 12 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cyprus talks run into sand
Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders adjourned their talks in New York on the day UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had said he would like them concluded successfully. They failed to meet for longer than an hour and a half on day two. And with the gulf in their positions seemingly as wide as ever, day three may not last much longer. The stakes could not be higher. The May 1 deadline for Cyprus's Greek half to join the EU rushes towards the negotiators, and reunion with the Turkish north would kill a flock of issues with one stone. It would end 30 years of division, avoid an EU rift with Turkey that could set back the Turks' own EU membership ambitions, improve security in the Aegean region, and much more. It is a looming potential crisis for the EU. If the talks fail, the EU's newest member will join with a UN green line and barbed wire separating it from its nearest neighbour. The UN talks may be one of the .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Al-Qaeda behind Iraq attacks says US
The US army in Baghdad has released details of a document they say is an intercepted letter from a Jordanian alleged to be linked to al-Qaeda. The letter incites the Iraqi resistance to suicide attacks on the Shia community to spark a civil war, like the latest attack on Wednesday when a car bomb targetting a queue of new recruits to the army left 47 dead. However, the letter warns time is running out for the foreign fighters to destabilise Iraq, and in what Washington may read as a sign of hope, says the resistance's future looks "frightening" as newly-trained Iraqi police and soldiers begin to deploy around the country. The letter itself reinforces American opinion, expressed again by national security councillor Condoleezza Rice yesterday, that the violence is mostly due to foreigners. The interim administration has also doubled the bounty money on the letter's author, Abou Moussab al-Zarkaoui, still at large, even though his letter warns the foreign fighters they will find no safe houses or potential bases in Iraq, unlike the friendlier welcome they got in Afghanistan. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clark ends White House bid
It is all over bar the shouting for retired general Wesley Clark and his bid for the US Democratic presidential nomination. "Today, I end my campaign for the presidency, but our party's campaign to change America is just beginning," Clark told supporters in his home town of Little Rock, Arkansas. Clark quit after being soundly beaten in two southern states by Democratic front-runner Senator John Kerry. Pundits see Kerry now as the man most likely to face President George W. Bush in November elections. Only rivals Senator John Edwards and Howard Dean stand in Kerry's way. Both men have vowed to fight on. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bird flu 'stalls' in Vietnam but WHO urges caution
Vietnam's bird flu epidemic appears to have stalled but the World Health Organisation said it is too soon to say the virus is under control. No new provinces have reported cases since Monday. The death toll from the bird flu outbreak among humans stands at 14 in Vietnam and five in Thailand. The WHO's representative said he did not think the outbreak had been contained. Eleven countries have reported bird flu outbreaks although some, such as the United States, have seen much milder forms of the disease. Not mild enough though to stave off a move by the Hong Kong government to temporarily ban imports of live birds and poultry meat from America. A second case was confirmed in Delaware on Tuesday following the first case last week. Officials say the virus found in the state is H7, which is not transmissible to humans and different to the virulent H5N1 strain, that has broken out in Asia. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 11 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq: dozens die in Baghdad job queue bomb
A car bomb has exploded at a recruiting facility of the new Iraqi army in central Baghdad, killing at least 24 people. The US military says the attackers may have also been targetting the offices of a fundamentalist Shi-ite Muslim group which were also nearby. It is the second such devastating attack in less than 24 hours. On Tuesday, 50 people were killed when a car bomb went off outside a police station south of Baghdad. American forces in the country say they have seized a computer disk outlining plans by a wanted militant called Abu Musab Zarqawi to further destabilise the country. A US spokesman said: "The Zarqawi memo makes it clear that he and al Qaeda forces feel threatened by the growing Iraqi security services." The US is counting on the new Iraqi police force to take control after the June transfer of power. The disk - which hasn't been proved genuine - appears to support Washington's argument that foreign fighters are the source of ongoing attacks. However an anti-US demo after the blast indicates some ordinary Iraqis blame the Americans for their current situation. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Senator John Kerry takes two more states; Clark bows out
US presidential hopeful Senator John Kerry continues his winning streak, snatching two more states in his bid for the Democratic nomination. Both Virginia and Tennessee have fallen under the Kerry spell based on the latest vote count. "Americans are voting for change -- East, West, North and now in the South," Kerry said at a victory rally in Fairfax, Virginia. "We will fight for every vote, and we will carry our cause all across this land." The Kerry onslaught has claimed another scalp. Retired General Wesley Clark has reportedly decided to bow out of the race after his poor showing. "We'll leave Tennessee even more full of hope and even more committed to building a better America than when we began this journey five months ago," Clark told supporters in Memphis, Tennessee, less than an hour before pulling out. Kerry's victory has also rattled his other main challenger John Edwards. After all, he hails from the south -- exactly where Kerry has notched up his latest wins. Edwards says however he'll fight on. He immediately flew to Wisconsin to focus on the next test in the nomination race. Kerry's only other serious rival, Howard Dean, once the front-runner but now trailing badly, is also targetting Wisconsin. He has promised to make this his last possible stand against Kerry. With his party's nomination inching closer, Kerry however is already ignoring his Democratic rivals and focussing his energies on George W. Bush. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cypriot leaders give little away as talks continue
Talks to reach a solution for the divided island of Cyprus have broken off until later today, with both sides keeping tight-lipped about any progress that may have been made. The meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York are being billed as a last-ditch attempt to strike a deal before Cyprus joins the European Union at the start of May. Turkish-Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash's camp said things
were moving "in the right direction". Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when troops from Turkey occupied the north in response to a Greek-engineered coup. Previous UN blueprints have got bogged down on how Greeks and Turks would share power. Turkish Cypriots at a recent demonstration said they wanted a settlement to head-off further international isolation. Denktash is also under pressure from Turkey to finalise a deal, as Ankara fears failure could derail its own ambitions to join the EU ..----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Renewing ties - London and Rome hold talks with Libya
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has become the first European leader to visit Libya since Tripoli's shock decision in December to give up weapons of mass destruction. It is a sign that Libya is returning to respectability after decades as a pariah on the world stage. However thorny bilateral issues with Rome remain - notably the question of compensation for Italy's occupation of the country from 1934 to 1945. In another diplomatic breakthrough for Tripoli, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced plans to hold talks with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Foreign minister Jack Straw also praised Libya's WMD move after talks with his counterpart Mohamed Abderrhmane Chalgam. Tripoli's ties with London have improved dramatically since it paid compensation last year for the Lockerbie airliner bombing. Relations with France are also on the up as a result of a similar deal. Washington has yet to lift economic sanctions. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 10 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- French parliament approves headscarf ban amid muslim outrage
French plans to ban overt religious symbols from state schools have successfully passed their first hurdle. An overwhelming majority of deputies in the National Assembly have today voted in favour of the proposal. 494 voted in favour of the ban, 36 against. The controversial plans include barring Muslim headscarves, Jewish scullcaps and large Christian crosses. Any students refusing to take them off could face expulsion. Speaking after the result, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said: "Thanks to your work, the Republic and secularism have been strengthened." The bill will now go to the Senate and then back to the National Assembly for final approval next month. The proposals have outraged leaders of France's five million Muslims who say they are discriminatory. Many have been demonstrating outside parliament. One girl said: "We're fed up with people speaking on our behalf. People are generalising from a few isolated cases. Some people say Muslim woman are enslaved, others that we are mad. For the people who choose to wear headscarves, it's all about our faith - it comes from the heart." But the government says there has been an increase in racism in schools and that the separation of religion and education is a priority. The law could be in place by the start of the new school year in September. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First success for Haitian government in uprising
Government forces in Haiti say they have recaptured St. Marc from rebels still holding a dozen towns in the west and north of the Carribean country. The five-day long armed uprising that has plunged Haiti into chaos is attracting international concerns, with the UN, Organisation of American States, the USA, Canada, and France calling for an immediate end to the violence, which has cost over 40 lives. Barriers across St. Marc's roads are coming down, but the police station is a charred ruin and the container port has been looted of its goods. Prime Minister Yvon Neptune flew in with a conciliatory message to the rebels: "Lay down your arms and work with the government to try and sideline those ready to use violence." In Port au Prince, the capital, things are calmer, but critics of President Aristide say that, far from being the victim of enemies of democracy, Haiti's first elected leader has stirred the trouble himself. Opposition leader Andres Apaid says the chaos is Aristide's fault, and it is likely Aristide's rule will only lead to more fixed elections and a perpetuation of Haiti's flawed democracy. In the confusion one thing seems clear - Haiti's cocktail of superstition, voodoo, violence and corruption shows few signs of becoming less volatile. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Democrat candidates focus on southern states race
After chalking up victory after victory, it was a relaxed Senator John Kerry who took to the hustings on the eve of Democratic primaries in two key southern states. Ignoring his rivals in the race for the presidential nomination, the front-runner focussed his attacks on George W. Bush and his handling of the economy. "This president has the worst jobs record of the last 11 presidents combined," Kerry said. "He has lost three million jobs. Some 2,300 jobs were lost right here in Virginia last month." Kerry's southern rival North Carolina senator John Edwards campaigned in Tennessee in a desperate bid to keep his candidacy alive. Edwards faired badly in weekend contests in Michigan, Washington State and Maine. Retired General Wesley Clark of Arkansas trails both Kerry and Edwards, but kept on smiling regardless as he also sought support in Tennessee. Only former front-runner Howard Dean gave the southern states a wide berth, preferring to concentrate his efforts on a do-or-die stand in Wisconsin next week. It was all too much for President Bush, who decided to do a bit of campaigning of his own. "When (Democrats) say they want to repeal Bush's tax cuts, that means they're gonna raise your taxes and that's wrong," he said. "That's bad economics." .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 9 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Putin rival goes missing
An independent and fierce critic of President Putin who is running in the March presidential election campaign has disappeared. Ivan Rybkin, a former speaker of parliament's lower house and ally of exiled businessman Boris Berezovsky left his home on Thursday evening, and has not been seen since. Earlier this week he had complained of harrassment when officals from the prosecuter general's office raided his offices, seizing computers and detaining a campaign worker. They accuse Rybkin of having falsified signatures on the list of two million needed before entering a presidential contest, a charge Rybkin's campaign headquarters denies. In a separate development on Sunday the electoral commission revealed President Putin will not take part in any televised debates with his challengers, and he will not take up his free airtime either. Some, like the Communist's Gennady Zyuganov, have threatened they may withdraw their candidates from the election if Putin will not face them in debate. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Italy gasps for breath as pollution peaks
A funny thing happened on the way to the Colliseum today ; Rome's normally traffic-choked streets were all but silent, with only buses and emergency vehicles on the roads. The reason was the high pollution levels detected in Rome, Milan, and a hundred districts in the north of Italy after an accumulation of noxious gases was found in the atmosphere. Pollutant levels had been rising for several days before the authorities decided to make everyone take to shank's pony in a bid to improve air quality and, ultimately, save lives. Urban pollution is a big deal in Italy, where car ownership has exploded in the last 30 years, but Italian city design is hampered by the country's history ;roads are narrow, and car park building is held up by the archaeological remains that are inevitably discovered. The very young and very old are the most at risk, but by midday on Sunday the authorities were already reporting that pollution figures were starting to fall. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Swiss deal harsh sentence to sex offenders
A majority of Swiss have voted 'yes' to a change in the law that would mean a true lifetime behind bars for anyone convicted of serious and violent sex crimes who it is thought cannot be rehabilitated. Over 56 per cent backed the controversial changes. The new law has been criticised for failing to be specific enough about the criminals it applies to, and it could face opposition in the European Court of Justice. In the same day of voting the Swiss gave a resounding thumbs down to a government-backed plan to upgrade the country's transport system. Over 62 per cent backed green campaigners' argument that the proposals, which included building a second Gothard tunnel, gave too much weight to road transport to the detriment of the environment. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sharon tries to rally cabinet around controversial plans
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is facing the tough challenge of persuading his coalition partners that his proposals to evacuate Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and redraw the route of a barrier going up in the West Bank are the best way forward. Sharon shocked many of his supporters last week by suggesting that 17 of the 21 settlements in the coastal strip should be removed. It is thought his coalition could collapse over the issue, but the opposition Labour Party backs the ideas, assuring him of a parliamentary majority. Sharon also has to sound-out Washington on the plan that involves setting up a unilateral "security line" with the Palestinians. The US has already criticised the barrier being built in the West Bank, arguing it fails to allow for negotiation of a border between two states as set out under the "road map" peace plan. Crowds of both Israeli and Palestinian activists got together this weekend in a protest to condemn the wall. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 8 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Miracle survivor in Konya
More than five days after the collapse of the 11 storey block in Konya, Turkey, which authorities now say killed 66 people, a survivor has been pulled out of the rubble. A 16 year old boy was saved this morning , in apparently good health, and was immediately rushed to hospital for checks. He was even well enough to tell reporters he had never doubted he would be saved. The boy's father was overcome with joy that his son had been saved , although his wife and other son are still missing. He had already dug their graves.32 people have already been saved from the building, and rescue work continues despite the odds rising daily against any more survivors. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UN team meets Iraqi government council
The nine United Nations experts in Iraq to see if direct elections can be held in the near future have had their first face to face meeting on Sunday with the country's transitional Government Council. The team arrived in Iraq yesterday and is scheduled to stay for between a week to 10 days. It is the UN's first mission in Iraq since it evacuated in September after its headquarters was attacked in Baghdad, killing the UN's top man in Iraq. According to a November agreement an assembly must be formed by indirect election before the 30th. of June, but Iraq's Shia majority is pushing for an earlier, direct vote. Fresh support for a new Iraq arrived on Sunday with the first Japanese soldiers , who entered from Kuwait to set up camp just outside Samawa. For the moment 80 men make up this advance guard for about 1000 Japanese troops who will be deployed in Iraq or nearby , in the first Japanese action in a combat zone since WW II. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kerry wins Washington and Michigan
Democratic front-runner John Kerry remains just that
after rolling home to decisive wins in both Michigan and Washington
last night. "We would like to say a very special thank you to Washington and Michigan for giving us victory today." said Kerry. Apart from Howard Dean, the only other candidate to break into double figures in Michigan was Senator John Edwards. While Michigan and Washington were to be key battle-grounds, both Edwards and retired General Wesley Clarke are instead focusing their efforts on Tuesday's contests in Virginia and Tennessee. But they will have to work hard to catch up with Kerry. His campaign themes of driving out special interests from the White House and providing a more experienced hand at Foreign Policy seem to have struck a note with rank and file democrats. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- G7 at odds over dollar's slide
Finance chiefs wrapping up a two-day meeting of the Group of Seven richest nations in Boca Raton, Florida sought to calm jittery currency markets and Europeans worried their rising Euro could hurt growth. Of major concern was how to manage the falling dollar. The US Treasury Secretary, Jon Snow warned against artificially propping up the green-back. "A strong dollar is and has been the policy of the US for a long time," he said. "It's in our national interest. But the relative values of currencies are best established in open, competitive markets." The meeting noted that while global economic recovery had gathered pace, countries still needed to redouble efforts to boost growth. But the Group of Seven wealthy countries is not without
its detractors and a number of demonstrators gathered outside the
resort where officials were meeting. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 7 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Haitian rebels take key town
An armed group has swept through the streets of the Haitian town Gonaives, taking control. A group of around 300 gunmen burned down the mayor's home and released scores of prisoners. Gonaives is a heavily symbolic target for the forces seeking to overthrow President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It was there that Haiti declared independence from France and freedom from slavery in 1804. The uprising has claimed many victims. The Red Cross says seven people were killed in a shootout on a police post. Civilians were also caught in the crossfire. The gunmen roused a crowd in support of their bid to topple Aristide, a former priest now accused of corruption and human rights violations. The rebels reportedly want to take control of the north west of the island and force Aristide to step aside .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Security boosted in wake of Moscow bombing
Attempts have been made to get back to business as usual
on the Moscow metro today amid mourning for the victims of yesterday's
rush hour bombing. Security has been stepped up in a bid to counter fears of another attack. The underground rail network remains one of the best ways of getting around the Russian capital. "I don't feel safe," said one man. "While our troops are in Chechnya these bombings will just keep happening." Authorities are blaming Chechen separatists for the bloodshed. This would not be the first time Chechen militants had brought their fight for independence to Moscow. And it is not the first time President Vladimir Putin has placed the blame at their door. Some newspapers are calling the blast the opening shot of next month's presidential race. Putin has vowed to continue his popular hard line policy, arguing the bloodshed was designed to upset his campaign. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel: Child dies in Gaza missile strike
A Palestinian child has died after a missile attack on a car in the Gaza Strip. The intended target was believed to have been a leading member of the militant group Islamic Jihad. Aziz Chami and two others travelling in the vehicle were seriously injured in the strike. The Peugeot was reportedly targeted as it drove around the centre of Gaza City, with Isreali helicopters firing directly into the engine bay. The incident appears to be another of the Israeli army's targeted attacks on radical Palestinians. The policy has been widely condemned by the international community. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 6 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No talks with "terrorists" - Putin
As police in Moscow continue the hunt for those responsible for yesterday's metro bomb blast the Russian President Vladimir Putin has underlined he will have no talks with Chechen separatists whom he blames for the attack. The explosion at the Avtosavodskaya station killed at least 39 people. Officials appear divided over how the attack was carried out - a suicide bomber or a device left in a bag or case are the main theories. Police have released an image of a male suspect but they are also examining security footage of a woman seen standing on the platform. Putin has linked the bombing to the fugitive Chechen leader Aslan Mashkhadov. But he has both denied involvement and condemned the incident. The Russian president said it had deepened his opposition to dialogue with the separatists whom he branded terrorists. "Russia destroys terrorists" he said. More than 100 people were injured in the blast on the crowded commuter train. Around 20 are seriously injured and its feared the death toll will rise. But the explosion has also realised Muscovites worst fears. The city's underground network had long been regarded as an easy target for bombers. Security has been stepped up across the metro but it can only go so far to allay travellers concerns. Whether or not Chechens were responsible it is brought Chechnya back on the agenda as next month's presidential election looms. Putin, who is on course for an easy victory, is unlikely to change the hardline stance which won him support in the past. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eurozone's G7 dollar mission
The European Central Bank President Jean Claude Trichet is leading Europe's mission for greater stability of the dollar at this weekend's meeting in Florida of the G7 group of the world's wealthiest nations. The American currency's slide against the euro is hurting Eurozone exports and holding back the region's fragile economic recovery. US Treasury Secretary John Snow has been having talks with European finance ministers over the issue. Japan too is concerned about the weakness of the dollar against the yen. But the slide of the dollar is suiting American manufacturers very nicely. Analysts believe the US is unlikely to make concessions in an election year in which President George W Bush hopes to reap the benefits of an improving economy. The dollar's two year fall of around 20% against the euro accelerated after a G7 meeting in September called for more flexible currency policies. That was apparently aimed at discouraging Asian countries from intervening on the markets to stabilise their currencies. But the effect the policy has had on the dollar has not helped Europe. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 5 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aznar praises US response to 9/11 in Capitol Hill address
panish leader Jose Maria Aznar was received enthusiastically on Capitol Hill during his last visit to the US as prime minister. He addressed a packed joint gathering of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Like Bush, Aznar is under domestic pressure over the Iraq war and the intelligence used to justify it - but that did not stop him praising US foreign policy after September 11.He said: "The American people responded to the terrorists with an admirable lesson in civic-mindedness and responsibility. They penned one of the most beautiful pages of our era." Meanwhile US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld emphasised that there was still no definitive proof that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction do not exist. He defended the quality of pre-war intelligence at a Senate committee meeting, saying it could never be perfect. President Bush is to unveil a commission to investigate the matter this evening. But opposition Democrats have already cried foul as the members are handpicked by Bush. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blair responds to parliamentary critics
Demonstrators threw white paint today at the Downing Street gates accusing the government of a whitewash over the Hutton Report, which cleared it of any blame in the suicide of weapons expert Dr David Kelly. The British parliament met to debate the report, that many believe did not go far enough in establishing whether the government misled the British public over Iraq's weapons capability in order to justify toppling Saddam. "I think we did the right thing." said Blair, "The world is a safer place. We are better able to tackle WMD and this country and the armed forces would be proud of what they have done." But not everyone was convinced. Mid-way through the debate, parliament had to be suspended to hecklers Blair has now called a probe to find out why British intelligence was so wrong our Iraq's weapons.
.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ayatollah moves to defuse crisis
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali-Khamenei has been forced to step in to resolve what some commentators are calling the Islamic Republic's worst political crisis for years. The upheaval all centres on parliamentary elections scheduled for February 20th and the decision by Iran's hardline Guardian Council to disqualify thousands of candidates from running. The reformist government had refused to stage the elections unless the disqualifications were overturned. It is understood that after the Ayatollah's intervention a compromise deal has been thrashed out which, according to a government spokesman, will mean a review of the disqualifications. Reformers say the disqualifications were an attempt by the Guardian Council to fix the elections in favour of conservatives. Hard-liners have denied any political motives, arguing
the candidates, which include 80 incumbent legislators, did not meet
the criteria to stand .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Father of islamic bomb" tries to head off prosecution
Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf is feeling the heat - as the country's top nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan asks him for leniency after leaking technology secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Prosecuting Khan would confirm Musharraf as a pro-western ally in the "war on terrorism." But the man who sold his knowledge to so-called "rogue states" is a national hero. He is especially revered by hardline Islamists who believe he has given Muslims dignity in the face of international oppression. Khan says he was entirely responsible for the leaks in the 1980's and 1990's when he headed Pakistan's main nuclear research organisation. But there is scepticism that he could have acted without the knowledge of senior military officials. .---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 4 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US democrat front-runner Kerry savours victory
In the US John Kerry has won five out of the seven states holding contests on Tuesday to choose the democratic candidate for this year's presidential election. The Massachusetts Senator is the current front-runner. His big win in the 'Super Tuesday' contest has boosted his chances of becoming President George Bush's challenger in November. On the biggest day of voting so far, the celebrated Vietnam war veteran took Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico and North Dakota. North Carolina Senator John Edwards easily won his native South Carolina - he is set to be a prime challenger to Kerry. Former General Wesley Clark scored a narrow victory over Edwards in Oklahoma. The loser of the night was Joe Lieberman. The Connecticut Senator has announced he is dropping out of the race following his poor showing. During a rally near his campaign headquarters in Virginia, Lieberman said it had been a "difficult, but realistic decision". Meanwhile, former Vermont Governor and one time front-runner Howard Dean fared no better than his disappointing defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire. The race now moves onto Michigan and Washington on Saturday, Maine on Sunday and Virginia and Tennessee on Tuesday. Analysts say the contest is by no means over. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former French PM Cresson risks court
The Belgian state prosecutor is requesting that former French Prime Minister Edith Cresson be sent to court over allegations relating to her time at the European Commission. Cresson was caught up in a scandal over claims that money was misused in the hiring of one of her close friends as an expert to write up specialist reports. The affair resulted in the eventual resignation of the entire commission in 1999. The prosecutor is recommending charges that relate to the actual commissioning of reports and requests that charges laid earlier alleging fraud and misuse of funds be dropped. A decision's expected in the next few weeks. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bullying scandal rocks German school
A technical school in the north of Germany is under the spotlight over serious allegations of bullying. Four students are being questioned by the police over claims that a fellow pupil was tortured, beaten and videoed naked. The case has sent shockwaves through the city of Hildesheim. One student said many pupils were worried they would also be targetted. He says it was a vicious circle that was difficult to get out of. It is alleged the 18-year-old victim had often been tortured in front of other classmates. It is claimed he was also forced to eat cigarettes and there were plans to show a video of him naked over the internet. Authorities are investigating how the case could have gone undetected for weeks and whether teachers or students could be held accountable for not intervening. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Dali exhibition opens in Barcelona
Salvador Dali's fascination with the world of mass culture is the focus of a new exhibition that has opened in Barcelona. As part of celebrations this year to mark 100 years since the artist was born, 400 pieces of work have gone on display. Dali was born on the 11th of May 1904 and died in 1989. As well as his paintings, the exhibition includes photos, magazine covers, postcards, film and visual installations. The music of the group Velvet Underground is featured, representing the period when Dali linked up with the likes of Andy Warhol to explore areas once considered taboo. The exhibition at the Caixa Foundation in Barcelona is seen as one of the highlights of events taking place around the world during this official "Year of Dali." After Spain, the show moves on to Florida and then Rotterdam in the Netherlands. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 3 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bush sets up Iraq weapons probe; Blair feels the heat
US President George W Bush has given the green light to an independent probe into apparent intelligence failings on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction. He previously resisted an investigation but was under strong pressure from Congress. Bush told cabinet colleagues he was setting up a bipartisan commission to "see where we stand and what we could do better as we fight the war against terror". He said he would invite David Kay, previously the chief US arms hunter in Iraq, to the White House for a briefing. Kay embarrassed the Bush administration last week by telling Congress that much of the intelligence about the doomsday arsenal used to justify the war was wrong. All of which turns up the heat on Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. A parliamentary report released today says the failure to find weapons of mass destruction undermines US and British credibility in the war on terrorism. The opposition Conservative party is demanding an independent probe. So far Blair has insisted that the Iraq Survey Group, headed by Kay until he resigned 10 days ago, should be left to complete its work. But despite months of searching the group has not found any nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel: Sharon announces settlement shock
With some of his own party expressing shock at his decision Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he will evacuate all 17 Israeli colonies in the mainly Palestinian Gaza Strip. He says in future he would be working on the assumption there would be "no Jews in Gaza". Gaza's Jews immediately reacted to the announcement, promising they would seek to bring the Sharon premiership to a premature end. Foreign minister Silvan Shalom warned the Sharon plan was new and not set in stone, and that it would have to be debated in cabinet. The issue of Jewish settlements, which pepper both Gaza and the West Bank beyond internationally recognised frontiers, is hugely sensitive. Israel says they are often to secure areas vulnerable to attack; the Palestinians counter by saying they are land grabs or ways of geographically dividing their community. Sharon has said if the "road map" peace plan dies, he will unilaterally separate the two communities. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq: arbil death toll rises
The death toll from Sunday's suicide bombing in Iraq has risen to at least 65, according to hospital sources. Around 200 people were injured when two bombers blew themselves up in the offices of the two main Kurdish parties in the northern city of Arbil. The PUK and the KDP both lost several top officials. The Kurdish parliament has declared three days of mourning. There are fears the attack could stir ethnic tensions and strengthen the hand of Kurds who want an independent state in northern Iraq - something that could ignite civil war, analysts say. The US has suggested that Ansar Al-Islam - an extremist group suspected of carrying out previous guerrilla operations - could be behind the attack. Its founder, Mullah Krekar, has been detained in Norway - he is accused of involvement in the murder of PUK officials. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- .-Bird flu menace hits Europe
There are fears the deadly bird flu may have hit Europe - two women are being examined at a tropical diseases clinic in Hamburg in Germany. One had recently visited Thailand - one of countries worst hit by the epidemic - and was showing symptoms of the illness. The woman who accompanied her to hospital is also undergoing checks. Authorities are playing down the risk saying it is unlikely the women are suffering from the disease. Test results should be through tomorrow. So far ten Asian countries have reported an outbreak of the epidemic among poultry, while the 12 human victims all come from Thailand or Vietnam. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation says despite mass culling, the illness is far from under control. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 2 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carnage in Iraq after double suicide bombing
At least 56 people have been killed in twin suicide blasts in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. It is feared the death toll will rise. Officials say that up to 200 people are wounded. The bombers struck two separate Kurdish political party headquarters, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, almost simultaneously. Both were crowded with visitors who were celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Many senior leaders from both groups are among the dead. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Iraq's foreign minister blamed them on the al Qaeda network or its allies. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PUK and PDK fought alongside US soldiers
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP are considered by many as allies of US occupying forces. The traditional rivals recently formed an alliance in what has been a virtually autonomous zone under American protection since the end of the 1991 Gulf War. The PUK was founded over 25 years ago by Jalal Talabani. He may well have made himself, and the PUK, enemies when he took a seat in the US-backed Governing Council. Before the war Talabani welcomed plans for a "regime change" in Iraq, but fell short of backing the US-led invasion. Fighters from the PUK and the PDK battled alongside US soldiers in the war to oust Saddam Hussein. In the past couple of weeks, the PUK and KDP apparently agreed to form a regional administration for the three northern provinces that make up Iraqi Kurdistan. They are thought to have won guarantees to keep hold of their independent status when the US ends its occupation of Iraq in June. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hajj Horror - 244 crushed to death on pilgrimage
Saudi authorities have put at 244 the death toll from a mass stampede at the climax of the annual hajj pilgrimage. Rescue workers struggled to make their way through a human tide to reach those who fell under fellow worshippers at Mina. Almost two million Muslims had gathered there for a devil-stoning ritual. Mina is close to the holy city of Mecca and fatalities are frequent as pilgrims flock to the Jamarat Bridge area. This is the worst disaster in Mina since 1997 when 343 people died in a fire at a pilgrim camp. In 1990 almost one and a half thousand suffocated in a mass crush in a tunnel in Mecca. Officials say this year's Mina stampede occured as a huge crowd pushed towards a stone pillar representing the devil at which the faithful hurl pebbles. It appears a massive number of pilgrims had opted to perform the ritual at the same time although the kingdom had been encouraging them to stagger times. A further 240 people were injured. All able-bodied Muslims are required to make the hajj pilgrimage once in a life time if they can afford it. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Birdflu may be spreading between humans
It is feared two sisters who died of birdflu in Vietnam may have caught the illness from their brother. Tests are being carried out by the World Health Organisation to establish whether the women are the first victims of human-to-human transmission of the illness. If confirmed, it will mark a worrying development in the epidemic which is sweeping Asia. In China, efforts to control the virus are being stepped up. The country is also battling a resurgence of the respiratory illness SARS. Mass slaughter of hens, ducks and other poultry appears the main defence against the birdflu. But the fear now is that the virus could jump to other animals, especially pigs which are often kept in the same pens as hens. As well as the human cost, the flu is having a disastrous effect on Asian economies as country after country closes its doors to poultry imports. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 1 February, 2004 .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transatlantic terror fears ground planes
A third airline has grounded a flight to the United States over security fears. Continental Airlines has cancelled Sunday's Scotland to Los Angeles flight. It comes after British Airways and Air France called off eight US-bound flights on Sunday and Monday amid fears al-Qaeda may be planning another September 11-style attack. Passengers affected had mixed feelings. "I won't mind because I know it has been done in the interest of ensuring our full security," said one man, while a woman said: "I'm sure that the flight that had the most problems recently is likely to be the most careful. So I feel perfectly safe, I just hope it takes off." US officials had reportedly recieved information about al-Qaeda's desire to target five or six specific flights from Europe. The British Airways flights were from London to Washington and Miami while the Air France journeys were from Paris to Washington. It is the second time in recent weeks airlines have resorted to what for a struggling industry amounts to drastic measures. Similar concerns led to the cancellation of several international flights over the Christmas and New Year period. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bush reportedly considering Iraq intelligence probe
US president George Bush is apparently considering an independent panel to investigate pre-war intelligence on Iraq that he used to justify war. Aides are discussing the possibility with congressional officials and say a decision could come in a matter of days, according to sources. Bush had rejected an independent probe but in recent days has appeared to begin to reconsider. On Friday he said he too wants to know the facts about the accuracy of American intelligence into Saddam Hussein's reported weapons of mass destruction. The issue is a political hot potato for Bush as he seeks re-election, with his Democratic challengers accusing him of hyping intelligence to justify war. Democrat front runner Massachusetts senator John Kerry attacked the president, describing him as an arrogrant leader who led America into an unecessary war. Bush also faces censure over the record budget deficit, just days before he is set to unveil his 2005 financial plan. But Kerry is coming in for some criticism from fellow Democrats and has denied reports his votes in the US Senate were influenced by campaign contributions. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq: car bomb kills at least nine in Mosul
A powerful car bomb at a police station in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul has killed at least nine people. More than 40 are wounded. There are no US casualties. Some 300 Iraqi police have been killed since the end of the war to oust Saddam Hussein. Local security forces are increasingly becoming targets of insurgents who are seen as collaborating with the US-led occupation. Three US soldiers were killed in a separate attack in northern Iraq. A roadside bomb was detonated as their convoy travelled between the towns of Kirkuk and Tikrit. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hutton report goes up in flames
Hundreds of anti war protesters have burnt a copy of Lord Hutton's report in London. Campaigners converged on Downing Street - home of British Prime Minister Tony Blair - to demand a public inquiry into why the UK went to war in Iraq. New polls today show the majority of British people want an independent probe into pre-war intelligence about Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. And, appalled by Hutton's strong censure of the BBC and near-total exoneration of the government, thousands of BBC employees have taken out a full-page newspaper advert to vent their feelings. The corporation's Director General Greg Dyke stood down in the wake of the fall-out on Thursday, to the dismay and anger of BBC staff across the country. And on Friday Andrew Gilligan - the journalist whose report sparked the Hutton inquiry - also resigned. Writing in a Sunday newspaper, Gilligan remained defiant claiming most of his story, which accused the government of exaggerating the case for war, was right. Government scientist Doctor David Kelly, who was the anonymous source for Gilligan's story, committed suicide when his name came out. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Take My Eyes' sweeps board at Spain's Oscars
'Take My Eyes' a film about domestic violence has scooped top prize at Spain's equivalent of the Oscars. Iciar Bollain's 'Te Doy Mis Ojos' - particularly appropriate in a country where more than 60 women were killed by their partners last year - took seven awards, including best actor, actress, director and film. German comedy 'Goodbye, Lenin!' won best European film But the awards ceremony was overshadowed by protests against a documentary about the troubled Basque region. Director Julio Medem's film was nominated for best documentary but failed to win. Some 300 protesters gathered outside the venue, chanting slogans against the film, although some 100 supporters staged a rival demonstration. It was always going to be controversial in Spain where Basque separatists ETA have killed some 850 people in their campaign for an independent state.
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