Last Updated: 29, Tuesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liberia's second city falls to rebels as fighting in capital escalates
A battle is raging in the Liberian capital Monrovia as the country's second city fell to the rebels. Fighting for two key bridges near the city centre is fierce. Meanwhile the port city of Buchanan has fallen, but government troops are preparing to counter-attack. The UN secretary general Kofi Annan has warned the "reckless" siege of the capital could disqualify the rebels from any role in Liberia's future. "I would appeal to the factions in Liberia to act, honour the ceasefire agreement they signed and particularly the rebel group LURD to heed the appeal also from the US ambassador to stop the siege of the city and stop the shelling," Annan said. Much hope rests on US troops sailing to Liberia, but it is not clear if they will deploy while combat continues. And for many civilians it is already too late. At least a thousand are thought to have died in the assault on Monrovia and thousands more are suffering from dire thirst, hunger and disease. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yukos versus Kremlin row deepens
The political temperature in Moscow is rising. Russian prosecutors have blasted prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov for attacking their probe into the private oil giant Yukos. Kasyanov said the refusal to release core shareholder Platon Lebedev was ruining Russia's investment climate. And in a move likely to inflame the row, prosecutors say they will now charge Lebedev with tax evasion. Natalya Vishnyakova, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General's Office, said"These comments from the prime minister are, to put it mildly,inappropriate. To put it less mildly, they amount to political pressure on the prosecution." Irina Alyoshina, spokeswoman for the department of serious offences at the Office, said:"We totally reject the unfounded accusations that we're reviewing the privatisations of the 1990's." Yukos officials say the aggresive search of the company's
premises and the manner of Lebedev's arrest shows that the Kremlin
is pursuing a political vendetta against businessmen who back liberal
parties opposed to President Putin. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bosnia's "largest mass grave" excavated
Forensic experts have started digging for remains at what they say could be one of the biggest mass graves from Bosnia's 1992 to 1995 war. Amor Masovic is head of the Muslim-led Commission for Missing Persons. He says:"From my experience of excavating mass graves since 1996, I believe it contains the bodies of more than 300 victims. The site is thought to contain the remains of up to 700 people. Some say it could be a "primary" mass grave holding bodies of Muslims killed in nearby Zvornik early on in the war. But many think it is a "secondary" mass grave containing victims of the Serb massacre of up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica, whose bodies were reburied to hide traces of the 1995 crime. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 28, Monday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel : Sharon on Washington peace trip
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has arrived in the United States for meetings that could prove crucial to the Middle East peace process. His trip follows that of his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas last week. Sharon brings with him a pledge to release more than 500 Palestinian prisoners. But he will also have to discuss the controversial security fence Israel is putting up through the West Bank. Israel says it is to stop suicide bombers but Palestinians see it as a bid to take West Bank land, should two separate states finally be created. US President George W. Bush openly criticised the fence during Abbas's visit. Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz focused instead on the prisoner release when he was questioned by journalists. He said the decision to let more than 200 Islamic militants go was a difficult one. Meanwhile, Hizbollah guerrillas are threatening to kidnap more Israelis unless 15 Lebanese detainees are let out of Israeli jails. Hizbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said negotiations would be given one last chance. The group is currently holding three Israeli soldiers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Five Iraqs dead in fruitless US hunt for Saddam
US soldiers hunting Saddam Hussein have killed five Iraqis and wounded eightmore. The deaths came as a special task force, acting on a tip off, searched a villa in the Mansur district of Baghdad. A local policeman said the troops fired on cars driving past the site. Elsewhere in the city, an American soldier was killed, the fifth this weekend and the tenth since the death of Saddam's sons. Although there was no sign of the ousted president at the Mansur villa, Washington's top general Richard Myers, who has been visiting US troops in Tikrit, remains optimistic. "If he is alive, it is just a matter of time and again, our belief is that he is not having a major effect on what is going on right now," said Myers. "He is so concerned with survival. He has been through these survival modes before. He knows how to do that but we will find him. It is a big country but we will find him." But anti-American sentiment spreads beyond Saddam loyalists. Marines opened fire during clashes with stone-throwing crowds in Kerbala. Anger in the Shi'ite holy city errupted after a man was shot dead on Saturday. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former president aide held over Philippine mall siege
While Philippine newspapers headline on the bloodless end to the Makati shopping mall seige by rebel soldiers - there are signs that the drama is far from over. In a new twist this morning, police broke into the home of Ramon Cardenas, an aide to former president, Joseph Estrada. In it they discovered red armbands like those worn by the mutineers, and a considerable arsenal. Cardenas, who was arrested, was a cabinet minister in Estrada's government. He was toppled from power in 2001 by a wave of popular protests that brought the current president, Gloria Arroyo to power. Estrada is now on trial for corruption - just what the soldiers who seized the shopping mall accuse Arroyo's administration of. They insisted their actions, which included booby-trapping the building, were not an attempted coup, just a bid to air their grievances. The men have now returned to barracks where they will be court martialled. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ETA blast damages Spanish airport
Basque separatists appear to have launched a summer bombing campaign aimed at Spain's lucrative tourist industry. The latest attack took place at Santander airport in the north of the country. Within the last week, terrorists have attacked seaside resorts, injuring 13 people, and struck a court building, wounding two. The Santander blast caused no casualties, as police had time to evacuate people after a Basque newspaper received a warning call from ETA, the armed separatist group which has killed hundreds in its struggle for an independent state. "Once again, ETA...has tried to sow terror," said Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebes. Basque regional government leader Juan Jose Ibarretxe wants a semi-independent Basque state which would have its own seat at the European Union. Madrid has rubbished the project as "stupid" and "unworkable." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The European Union says it regrets Cuba's rejection of EU aid but has pledged to support the country's impoverished people. Havana's move is a response to diplomatic sanctions which the EU slapped on the communist island over human rights concerns. Cuban dictator Fidel Castro used the 50th anniversary of his revolution to take a pot shot at the Union. He said: "Several weeks ago, in early June, the European Union adopted an infamous resolution drafted by a small group of bureaucrats without a prior analysis by the ministers of foreign affairs themselves and promoted by an individual of markedly fascist language and ideology - Jose Maria Aznar." To loud cheers, Castro said he would refuse further aid "out of a basic sense of dignity." Despite the rhetoric, Havana's decision is likely to deal a heavy blow to a country already in deep economic crisis. The EU is Cuba's largest trading partner and the source of most of its tourism. The country has received some 145 million euros from the Union in the last ten years. The bloc imposed sanctions after a crackdown on dissent which saw 75 of Castro's critics jailed on harsh terms, and three hijackers trying to reach the US executed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 27, Sunday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadline extended for army rebels in Philippines
A government deadline for surrender by army rebels holed up inside a commercial centre in the Philippine capital Manila has been extended indefinitely. Talks are now underway between the mutineers and officials. Several of the rebels gave themselves up some hours ago, but around 150 men are still thought to be inside the prestigious Glorietta complex, at the heart of the capital's business district. They seized the centre shortly before midnight and wired it with explosives. It is unclear whether any civilians are left inside. Several foreigners were released earlier.The rebels have denied staging a coup. They are demanding the government step down. They are accusing officials of corruption and collusion with Muslim rebels. Hundreds of troops, tanks and armoured vehicles have surrounded the complex. The rest of the city is peaceful although armoured personnel carriers and soldiers have been posted outside the gates of the presidential palace. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has the support of the military command, ordered a manhunt yesterday for junior officers and deserters after days of rumours of a coup plot by a small group of disgruntled soldiers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israeli cabinet votes confidence-buidling steps
The Israeli government has approved a proposal by prime minister Ariel Sharon to release around 100 Palestinian prisoners. The decision was taken despite resistance from some right-wing ministers. It is intended as a confidence-building step to bolster a US-backed road map to peace in the Middle East. Israel has already agreed to release several hundred jailed militants. But government officials have made clear no prisoners who have taken part in attacks against Israelis and had "blood on their hands" would be set free. In another goodwill gesture, Israel has losened its grip on the West Bank town of Ramallah, opening two roadblocks to Palestinian traffic. The moves come ahead of a visit by Ariel Sharon to Washington next Tuesday. In return, Israel is asking Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to do more to halt attacks against Israelis. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Helicopters circle the skies of Iraq as hopes that the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons would reduce attacks on American troops crumble. Yesterday three soldiers were killed when a grenade was flung from the roof of a hospital 50 kilometres north of Baghdad. Another died in an ambush, bringing the total since Uday and Qusay were killed to nine. And, worringly, the attacks are becoming more daring, often carried out in broad daylight. Bulldozers have been at work demolishing the villa in which the ousted president's sons were hiding out. And US military chiefs say the noose around Saddam himself is tightening. But even if they do find him, it is far from certain that will end resistance to the presence of American soldiers. Masked men have appeared on Arab TV channels vowing to avenge the deaths of Uday and Qusay, while in the mosques religious leaders have been urging Iraqis to drive foreign troops out of the country. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Castro rejects EU aid in revolution jubilee address
Cuban President, Fidel Castro, says he will not accept any more European Union aid, in protest at an EU resolution criticising his crackdown on dissidents. He lashed out at Europe during an address celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the revolution that brought the communist dictator to power. The EU spent some 400,000 euro on projects in Cuba last year. Before a crowd outside the symbolic Moncada Barracks, at Santiago de Cuba, Castro singled Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, for particular criticism. "At the beginning of June the EU approved an infamous resolution, drawn up by a bunch of bureaucrats, with no analysis by their own foreign ministers, encouraged by a person of fascist ideology, Jose Maria Aznar," he said. "This constitutes a cowardly and repugnant action." The resolution he was referring to made EU aid dependant on Cuba cleaning up its human rights record, especially towards dissdents. In March, Castro launched a crackdown that resulted in the imprisonment of 75 political opponents. Most were part of a nationwide movement started last year, calling for democratic reforms to the one-party system, and for economic changes.
As the death toll in Liberia's bloody civil war spirals, there seemed little to celebrate at a mass marking the anniversary of the founding of the nation, 156 years ago. Addressing the gathering at a stadium in the capital Monrovia, besieged President, Charles Taylor, could only give an assurance he will not try and hold on to power. "Let me reiterate, let nobody have any concerns about will President Taylor step down. I will step down," he said. "Over the past several days, they have launched thousands of rockets over Monrovia and killed over a thousand people. If I were not here, there would be bodies all over the city." The hopes of most Liberians rest with American naval vessels ordered off the coast of the west African state. But Washington is not prepared to send its troops in until Taylor's gone, while he says he will not leave until peace keepers arrive. Until the standoff is resolved, the killings will carry on.
More than a thousand veterans from all over the world have been gathering in South Korea to mark the 50th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean war. The truce ended three years of war that left up to five million people dead, injured or missing. The ceremony was held near the Military Demarcation Line that seperates the two Koreas. There was no sign of activity on the Northern side.
In the capital Pyonyang, civilians and soldiers gathered at the giant
bronze statue of their so-called "eternal president" Kim
Il Sung. In fact, the Armistice Agreement ended the fighting, but did not bring peace: North and South Korea are still technically at war. Tensions that simmered over decades have been reignated in the past year by a row over North Korea's suspected development of nuclear weapons. The US, which says North Korea has admitted to violating an agreement to freeze its nuclear arms ambitions, has included North Korea in a so-called axis of evil together with Iraq and Iran. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 26, Saturday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parliamentary brawl as Japan prepares to send troops to Iraq
Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi has survived a no-confidence vote paving the way for the country to send troops to Iraq. But the proposed law, which could mean an end to Japan's pacifist constitution, provoked uproar in Parliament as scuffles broke out between coalition and opposition MPs. Polls show more than half the public are against sending soldiers on what would be the nations biggest overseas deployment since the second World War. But Koizumi is determined to keep his promise to help the United States, Japan's most important ally. Under the constitution, the Japanese army is purely a defensive one and is known as the Self-Defence Force, or SDF. Despite its limited role, it is still an extremely well-equipped and highly trained fighting force. Koizumi has stressed the SDF would not take part in combat and would only be sent to areas of Iraq free from conflict. But sceptics say that will be hard to find. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US exposes bodies of Saddam's sons to convince sceptics
The US has shown journalists the bodies of what it insists are Saddam Hussein's sons, in a bid to convince doubting Iraqis and stem anti-American attacks. Uday and Qusay Hussein are thought to have been killed in a firefight in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday. Surgeons removed the metal rod from Uday's leg which had been put in after a 1996 attempt on his life. They said the serial number was proof positive the body was Uday's. Andrew Marshall, a Reuters journalist who saw the bodies, said: "They made the faces look just like the two men were when they were alive. For that reason the bodies look like Uday and Qusay Hussein's, but it could leave doubts in some Iraqis' minds about whether these really are their bodies or whether they've been cosmetically enhanced to look that way." The surgeons also released what they say are perfect matches of dental records and surgical X-rays. Washington hopes the graphic images will help convince Iraqis that Saddam's reign is truly over, but many say the US could have made the two faces look like anybody's.Expressing a common view, one man said: "I won't believe it unless I see it with my own eyes." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abbas leaves Washington with partial victory
Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, rounded off his trip to Washington by meeting US Secretary of State, Colin Powell. During the visit, President George W Bush's administration has been sympathetic to Abbas's demands that Israel halt settlement construction and the building of a so-called security wall. And financial aid for Abbas's people also looks forthcoming. But Ismail Abu Shanab, a spokesman from the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, was not impressed. "This meeting comes as a public relationship (exercise) more than as a meeting which will enforce the release of prisoners or any demand of Palestinians," he said. Militant groups have been demonstrating in the Gaza Strip on the prisoner issue. But Bush, who meets Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, on Tuesday, told reporters he could not support the release of inmates who might commit terrorist acts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One for the road, and no more - that is the message the Russian government is trying to get across to its motorists with a new drink drive law. Although driving under the influence is already illegal in Russia, until now it has been down to policemen to decide whether they think drivers are drunk. Now an actual drink-drive limit of 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood is being introduced. Motorists are not convinced it will work. One man said: "The limit's supposed to be the equivalent of one vodka, a bottle of beer or a glass of wine. But Russians will drink all three of them anyway." But the new law is not just about cutting Russia's horrific accident statistics - it is also about cutting corruption. An actual alcohol test, to be carried out by hospitals, should reduce the amount of bribes paid to policemen who stop suspected drink drivers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 25, Friday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explosives found near Russian capital Moscow
Russian internal security officers have uncoverd a quantity of explosives in a house on the outskirts of Moscow. Authorities say they discovered six suicide belts, similar to the ones worn by the two women at the July 5th bombing of a rock concert in the capital that left 15 dead. The village, 30 kilometers outside Moscow, was cordoned off while bomb disposal experts went to work. Russian police say they received a tip-off from a woman, believed to be Chechen, that a terror cell was at work in the village of Tolstopal'tsevo. The devices wre found in the garage of a summer house rented by a Russian family who are currently being held for questioning. Russia has suffered a series of terror attacks in recent weeks thought to be the work of Chechen sepratists. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- September 11 could have been prevented - Congrassional report
A US congressional report on September 11 has highlighted intelligence and government failures that could have prevented the hijacked plane attacks. It says intelligence agencies did not put a range of information together that could have "greatly enhanced" the chances of uncovering the plans, attributed to Osama Bin Laden, to strike the United States. However it did not pinpoint a single so-called "smoking gun" that could have disrupted the plot. Senator Bob Graham of the Senate Intelligence Committee believes the attacks could have been avoided. "I think there were opportunities for our combined intelligence agencies, including the CIA, and the FBI, and other, who had found out about this plot early enough to have broken it," he said. "It would have required some luck but I think it was within reason that this was an avoidable tragedy." The report notes that there was repeated information, going back to 1994 that Bin Laden's network would like to use aircraft to hit targets ranging from embassies to airports. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hunt for Saddam gathers pace
A house in the town of Falluja west of Bagdhad has been ransacked by US forces on the hunt for diposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.Falluja is considered to be a hot bed of resistance to coalition presence in the country. Amer Diab son of Sheik Younis Al Zoubai who owns the building described events " At 5 am 20 vehicles surrounded our house, they hit it with something from the outside, then charged in. We rushed out to ask them what they were doing..they said they had information that Saddam was hiding out in the house." The Sheik said the Americans arrested and detained two of his sons. But there was no sign of Saddam Hussein. Meanwhile the first pictures of the inside of the villa in the northern town of Mosul where the sons of Saddam, Uday and Qusey, were killed in a hail of American gunfire have been released. It is still not clear who betrayed the brothers but the finger appears to be pointed at Nawaf al-Zaydan Muhammad, the owner of the mansion where the two made their desperate last stand. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suspected ETA blast rocks northern Spain
A bomb has exploded outside a court building in northern Spain, injuring one person.The armed Basque separatist group ETA made a warning call ten minutes before the blast, which happened in the town of Estella, part of Navarra province claimed by ETA as part of a greater Basque homeland.The injured man was parking his delivery van outside the court, and another woman was suffering from shock.The last deadly ETA attack took place in Navarra in May.On Tuesday, bombs ripped through two hotels in the popular Spanish seaside resorts of Alicante and Benidorm.Thirteen people were wounded. ETA has killed over 800 people in a thirty-year struggle for an independent Basque state. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After two decades of immunity, justice is finally catching up with former Argentine leaders accused of crimes against humanity. Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral said the lifting of a previous presidential decree would pave the way for a trial abroad. "If the decree continues to be valid, the extradition cannot take place, and if this happened, they could be released. If the decree is overturned they could be extradited," Corral said.45 officials are wanted by crusading Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon for genocide, terrorism and torture during the military dicatorship between 1976 and 1983. In that period, some 30,000 left-wing opponents of the regime were killed. New President Nestor Kirchner is keen to end "the culture of immunity"that has "stained Argentine democracy." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Korean War vets head for Seoul
In Washington there is a memorial to the 50,000 American soldiers killed in the Korean War. Now 400 survivors and a number of dignatories are heading from the US to Seoul to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of hostilities on Sunday. But tensions between North and South Korea - still technically at war - are higher than ever. International concerns over Pyongyang's nuclear intentions have increased feelings of insecurity among South Koreans. And North Korea tried to have commemoration plans cancelled altogether, saying they were a security threat. Kim Jong-Il laid on his own celebrations for what the North calls the "Great Victory in the Fatherland Liberation War" last week. It was a massive show of strength - at a time when the leader of this Stalinist state knew the rest of the world would be watching. War broke out in 1950 when Communist North Korea invaded the south. A 16-nation coalition went in to defend the south while China backed the north. Korean and Chinese losses are estimated at around half a million. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many happy returns: first ever test tube baby celebrates 25th birthday
Twenty five years after her birth made history, the media spotlight still shines brightly on Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby. Such births are now unremarkable, but researchers warn ethical dilemmas are inevitable as scientific horizons expand. One future avenue for IVF treatment is taking stem cells to reconstruct the equivalent of sperm and eggs - for those who have none in storage.But with stem cell research already controversial, any move to industrialise it in IVF treatment would be likely to whip up a storm. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last Updated: 24, Thursday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- British defence minister avoids questions over Kelly death
Tony Blair is back in Britain after his Asian trip and is facing serious pressure over the suicide of arms expert David Kelly. The British Prime Minister has denied authorising Kelly's name to be leaked in connection with BBC reports that the government allegedly inflated intelligence on Iraq's weapons threat. That has put Defence Minister Geoff Hoon on the back foot. At a press conference following his and foreign minister Jack Straw's meeting in London with members of Iraq's new governing council, the "Kelly affair" inevitably cropped up. Hoon told reporters who raised the issue the press conference was "meant to be about their visit rather than about something which I will give evidence in due course." A British journalist later asked: "All you have to do is make a moral judgement about whether you can square with your conscience that you were in charge of the department that named the dead scientist. Should you not now make that decision and make that clear?" Jack Straw stepped in, insisting questions should be about the Iraqi delegation. Like other government officials, Hoon insists he does not want to pre-empt a judicial enquiry into David Kelly's death. The former weapons inspector killed himself after facing a parliamentary committee when he was named in newspapers as the source for the BBC reports. On Wednesday Hoon held a private meeting with Kelly's widow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, meets American President, George W Bush in Washington today for talks on Middle East peace. This is Abbas's first trip to the States and comes amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to drive the Road Map peace initiative forward. Abbas has already outlined his priorities telling the Council on Foreign Relations: "Of the most strategic importance is ceasing the construction of the separation wall and freezing all settlement activities in accordance with the Mitchell plan and the road map. The vision of two states cannot be realised if Israel continues to grab Palestinian land." The so-called security wall being built by Israelis is unpopular with the White House too. Even as the talks go on there has been more unrest in the Gaza Strip. It is thought the rocket-propelled grenade that hit Gaza City's main prison was intended for the head of Palestinian Military Intelligence, President Yasser Arafat's cousin Musa. Some 10 prisoners were injured and seven were taken to hospital. Local police have arrested three Palestinians in connection with the blast.
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Last Updated: 23, Wednesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saddam sons 'dead'
In pictures: Saddam's sons A US commander in Baghdad said he was "certain" the two had died in the fierce gun battle in Mosul. Reports of the deaths of the two men - among the most influential and most feared in the Saddam regime - were welcomed on the streets of Baghdad where revellers fired shots in the air.
And the BBC's Gordon Corera in Washington says the news of the deaths could not come at a better moment for the Bush administration which is under pressure over daily troops casualties and a row about intelligence. However, attacks continued on Wednesday with a military convoy coming under rocket propelled grenade fire west of Baghdad, just outside the town of Ramadi. Soldiers at the scene have been receiving medical treatment and three bodies have been flown from the scene by helicopter. It is not known if there are any fatalities. Tip-off reward US troops hunting for Saddam's sons came under fire as they approached the villa in the northern part of Mosul. The Americans responded with rocket fire from helicopter gunships in an operation lasting six hours. Four US soldiers were wounded in the fighting. Finally the US military has done something good for the Iraqi people Alu, USA Have your say: End of dynasty? Two other people were killed along with the former Iraqi president's sons. They have not been named but reports say one may be a teenage son of one of the brothers and the other a bodyguard. More details are expected to be released on Wednesday. Correspondents say the Iraqi who apparently tipped off the US military stands to gain at least part of two rewards each worth $15m which Washington placed on the heads of Uday and Qusay. Jubilation The reported deaths triggered a 5% fall in world oil prices as analysts predicted less tension in oil-rich Iraq. The BBC's world affairs correspondent, Mike Wooldridge, says that only the capture or killing of Saddam Hussein himself could be of greater significance then his sons' deaths.
Gunfire erupted across Baghdad on Tuesday evening in what was apparently celebratory fire to greet the news of the deaths. "Uday and Qusay are dead, we saw it on TV," one man, Hassan Zaif, told AFP news agency after emptying the magazine of his Kalashnikov into the air. But Alaa Hamed, a producer at Uday's former television channel was disappointed by the news. "I don't want him dead. I want to torture him first," he told Reuters news agency, recalling how Saddam's son had beaten him with electrical cables when he made mistakes.
Saddam's sons were numbers two and three on America's 55-strong most-wanted list. UK Prime Minister Tony said it was a "great day for the new Iraq". "The celebrations that are taking place are an indication of just how evil they were." Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, described the news as a "great day for the Iraqi people and for the US military who showed their outstanding professionalism". Ahmed al-Haboubi, a former Iraqi cabinet minister from the pre-Saddam years, said the two sons had met "the fate of every tyrant and his associates". Speaking from exile in Cairo, he said that it would have been better had they been captured and brought to trial for their "atrocities and crimes". Qusay, 36, had become Saddam Hussein's heir apparent and controlled key areas of the country's security apparatus, with responsibility for concealing any weapons of mass destruction Uday, 39, controlled much of the media and was centrally involved in the illegal international trade which helped keep the regime in power He had a reputation for brutality which rivalled only that of his father, Saddam Hussein, BBC analyst Magdi Abdelhadi said. He once killed an assistant to his father and ordered corporal punishment for players of the national football team whenever they lost a match. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Double bomb attack on Spanish coast
Two almost simultaneous explosions have rocked the Spanish resort towns of Benidorm and Alicante. Police say the bomb attack at around midday bears all the hallmarks of Basque separatist group ETA. A caller to a Basque newspaper had earlier warned that the devices had been planted and were ready to go off. At least eight people were wounded in total, four in each of the explosions. Both hotels - the Residencia Bahia in Alicante and the Hotel Nadal in Benidorm - had been evacuated several minutes before the devices went off. Spain's Mediterranean coastline is a magnet for tourists from northern Europe. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadly attacks pressure US to reduce Iraq role
Hundreds of supporters of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad on Monday, saying US troops wrongly arrested five of their members. Al-Sadr, who commands strong support in the poor slums of northern Baghdad, has refused to join a US-backed ruling council for Iraq which has 25 members. Today three delegates from the body are addressing the United Nations Security Council in New York during a major debate on post-war reconstruction. Meanwhile a US soldier has been killed and another wounded when their convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire northwest of Baghdad. It was the latest in almost daily attacks which are putting pressure on Washington to scale back its role in Iraq. Thirty-nine Americans have been killed in such incidents since US President George W Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reports Saddam's sons found in raid
The US says there is what it describes as a "decent chance" that Saddam Hussein's sons Qusay and Uday have been found or killed. They may have been involved in a shoot-out at a villa in the northern city of Mosul in which four high ranking Iraqis are reported to have died. Two hundred troops stormed the building after a tip-off that the pair were inside. They are high on Washington's list of most wanted and were lynchpins in the former Iraqi president's regime. If they were killed or captured it would be seen as a major success for US forces. Qusay was a trusted lieutenant to his father, while Uday was famed and feared for his cruelty and playboy lifestyle. It is believed that Saddam is still alive and in Iraq. But despite such apparent successes there remain almost daily attacks on US forces. An American was killed and another wounded when their truck was hit by a rocket-propelled grendade near Fallujah. Thirty-nine soldiers have been killed since US President George W
Bush declared major combat over on May 1. Kofi Annan appeals for Iraqis to run their own affairs
Speaking at a debate focussing on the reconstruction of Iraq, United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, appealed for Iraqis to be allowed to run their own affairs. He urged the United States and Britain to set a clear timetable of events that would lead to their departure from Iraq, warning that democracy could not be imposed from the outside. The three Iraqis charged with running their country for the moment, members of the interim US-backed Governing Council, listened to Annan's words. The Security Council has not yet recognised their administration asrepresentative of Iraq with voting rights in the UN. The Iraqi Governing Council can appoint interim ministers and propose policies but the U.S. led coalition in the country has the right to veto its decisions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 22, Tuesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Domestic crisis clouds Blair's Asian trip
Tackling issues on foreign fields while at home a political storm rages. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Far East trip takes him from China to Hong Kong today but it continues to be overshadowed by the apparent suicide of a government scientist. He was at the centre of claims that Blair's government exaggerated the dangers posed by Saddam Hussein. There is to be an official inquiry into the scientist's death. Blair said he would cooperate fully with the inquiry. The man who will be asking the questions is judge Lord Hutton. He will be trying to find out what pushed Dr David Kelly - a nuclear arms expert - to slash his wrist. Blair's communications chief Alistair Campbell is likely to face another grilling - he and others have already been questiioned by a parliamentary committee. The BBC has admitted Kelly was the source for the story
from which the crisis erupted. Its reporter Andrew Gilligan, who was
also quizzed in the Commons, will, it is expected, give testimony
to Hutton. As the affair rumbles on there have been calls in the UK for Blair to cut short his Asian trip and return home to deal with the crisis. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bush and Berlusconi's "common vision"
Two leaders with a "common vision" - that was the overriding theme of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's visit to George Bush's ranch in Texas. The invitation was partly a thankyou from the US President for Berlusconi's support over Iraq. Bush indicated they had other enemies to confront. "Today Syria and Iran continue to assist and harbour terrorists. This behaviour is completely unacceptable and states that support terror will be held accountable," Bush said. Bush gave Berlusconi his backing as head of the Italian presidency of the EU. He expressed confidence that under Berlusconi's stewardship the US and the EU would improve relations. In what rapidly became a lavish exchange of praise the Italian leader declared his love for the US and thanked Bush for giving him the opportunity to talk about "common concerns of freedom, democracy and justice." The White House hopes to capitalize on Italy's presidency of the EU by securing more support for the reconstruction of Iraq and for its handling of the Middle East peace process. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Saudis foil "terror plot"
Saudi Arabia says it has foiled a terror plot after arresting 16 Islamic militants and seizing huge caches of arms and explosives that were hidden underground. The arrests follow a police crackdown after three bombings blamed on al Qaeda in May killed 35 people, including nine Americans. State television said the detainees were part of a terrorist cell but the identity of the suspects was not revealed. Pictures showed the police weapons haul, including rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and chemicals which, the TV station said, could be made into explosives. It reported that vital Saudi installations would have been targeted but did not specify what those were. The Dubai-based Al Arabiya network said the detainees led police to the weapons hidden in and around the Saudi capital Riyadh. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 21, Monday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq war allies Berlusconi and Bush hold talks in Texas
Silvio Berlusconi received a warm and enthusiastic welcome from AmericanPresident George Bush as he arrived in the US. The Italian Prime Minister perhaps felt relieved to get out of Europe. Berlusconi is holding two days of talks with Bush at his Texas ranch, the two were staunch allies in the war against Iraq and it is thought Bush will try to drum up European support in the reconstruction of the country. Berlusconi was embroiled in controversy back home, when, just two days into Italy's Presidency of the European Union, he compared a German MEP to a Nazi prison guard. Also on the agenda will be Middle East peace, genetically modified foods, and, if Berlusconi is lucky, a traditional tour of the ranch in Bush's picks up truck.
Blair in Beijing, defiant over Iraq intelligence row
British leader Tony Blair has arrived in the Chinese capital Beijing on the last leg of his Asian tour. He now seems more confident of weathering the domestic storm over the suicide of a weapons expert. In Seoul yesterday, Blair called for restraint while the judicial inquiry into the death is underway, so as to allow the judges to do their job properly. Blair said he would not resign over the suicide of Dr. David Kelly, who was identified by the BBC as the source for a story alleging the government-manipulated intelligence to strengthen the case for war on Iraq. The BBC is now under fire for not naming Kelly earlier. Some accuse it of contributing to his suicide by exposing him to pressure from the media and from parliamentary inquiry. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraqi government possible next year: Bremer
The top US official in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, says Iraqis could be ruling themselves next year. The estimate is sharply at odds with a recent one by Tommy Franks, the commander of US forces during the war, who said troops could be in Iraq for four years: "I think it's quite possible, if the Iraqis can write a constitution in six or eight months, and then that can be followed quickly by elections, it's possible, we could indeed have a sovereign government in a year," Bremer said. Meanwhile US soldiers held a memorial service for a colleague killed when insurgents detonated explosives under a convoy in the restive city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad. Earlier on Sunday, two US troops were killed in a guerrilla ambush near Mosul in northern Iraq. The attack brought the American death toll to four in 48 hours. It has also increased the pressure on US President George Bush. According to a recent opinion poll, the number of Americans doubting his leadership qualities has risen to 51 percent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blair stands firm over arms expert death
British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he will not resign over the death of a weapons expert now identified by the BBC as its main source for allegations the government exaggerated the case for war against Iraq. Speaking from South Korea, Blair said he would testify to the judicial inquiry called over Dr David Kelly's apparent suicide. "I think this is a time for respect and restraint, not for recriminations of any sort," he told a press conference. "I think the right and proper process is that I will speak to the judge who's head of the inquiry in the way that other people will, (so) that he is allowed to get on with his job - to establish the facts and then give his judgement. I think that is the best way to proceed after what has been a terrible, terrible tragedy." The BBC only confirmed today that Dr Kelly was the main source for its reports claiming Downing Street had "sexed-up" dossiers on the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. But the government had already named him as the likely 'mole,' and he found himself centre-stage at a parliamentary inquiry about the truth or not of the BBC story. Dr Kelly apparently slit his wrist in woodland near his Oxfordshire home on Thursday, two days after giving evidence. He had admitted talking to a BBC journalist but said, based on the subsequent reports, he doubted he was the main source. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 'Divine force responds to all threats' - Ayatullah
Iran has unveiled a new missile which can go far enough to hit Israel. The Shahab-3 was paraded at a ceremony in the capital, Tehran. Calling it a key moment for the Palestinian cause, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei, going by the title 'Supreme Spritual Leader' said: "Today, our people and our armed forces are ready to defend their objectives." The range of the Shahab-2 is 500km. Earlier this month, Iran confirmed testing the Shahab-3 over a distance of 1,300km. This brings both Israel and U.S. bases in the middle east within Tehran's reach. The Isreali government said it was worried about Iranian ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon. The Guardians of the Islamic Revolution flanked Khamenei at the parade review. Western experts say the Shahab-3 is derived from North Korea's No Dong-1, which can deliver an 800 kilo load, modified with Russian technology. The ideological regime also gave its army - separate from the regular forces - new transport and combat helicopters and Russian-made Sukhoi-25 fighter jets. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corsicans rage against French government as Nice explosion injures 11
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Corsica to protest at what they say is French government repression. The demonstration follows a recent wave of arrests of people linked to France's most wanted man Yvan Colonna, who is accused of murdering Corsica's governor Claude Erignac in 1998. Erignac was killed by Corsican separatists who ended a truce with the French government three days ago. Overnight at least eleven people were injured in two explosions at the treasury building in Nice, southern France. There's suspicion but no confirmation that Corsican extremists are behind the blast. Armed separatists have waged a bitter 30-year war for independence from France. 30 percent of Corsicans back their goal, if not the means to achieve it. Colonna was arrested two weeks ago and has been sent to Paris to face trial for murder. He is believed to be behind the killing of Erignac, who was shot three times in the head in front of his wife. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fighting in Liberia intensifies
The third rebel assault on the Liberian capital, Monrovia,
in the last month has intensified. But they are not there yet and no one seems to know when they will be coming. Civilians dodge the bullets by fleeing one area of the city to the relative peace of another as fierce fighting continues on key bridges out of town. President Charles Taylor says he will not leave until peacekeepers arrive. Washington says it will not send any of its troops in until Taylor has gone. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Banks of the Seine sandy for the summer
It may not have a sea, but it is a beach for thousands. For the second year running, the French capital has driven motorists away from a stretch of the River Seine and handed it over to locals and tourists. Given the record temperature highs this year, 'Paris-Plage' the month-long sun-fest is likely to be even more popular than it was last year. It has sand, sun worshipping, and a range of entertainment to keep young and old occupied. This year there are more deck chairs, more parasols and more water features. The only ones complaining are the would-be road users who have to find an alternative route for the next month. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 20, Sunday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blair feels the heat after scientist's suicide confirmed
British Prime Minister Tony Blair is facing one of the toughest tests of his leadership. It follows the suicide of a scientist embroiled in a row between the BBC and the government over claims that ministers exaggerated intelligence to justify the Iraq war. Dr David Kelly was found dead just miles from his home in Oxfordshire, southern England. Dave Purnell from Thames Valley Police said: "The post mortem has revealed the cause of death as haemorraging from a wound to his left wrist. The injury consisted with having been caused by a bladed object. We've recovered a knife and an open pack of painkilling tablets at the scene." Dr Kelly, a former UN weapons inspector who worked for the Ministry of Defence, went missing on Thursday, just days after facing tough questioning by a parliamentary committee as part of the government's inquiry into the use of intelligence. The committee was probing claims made in a BBC report in May that the government had exaggerated intelligence to justify the Iraq war. Dr Kelly said he had spoken to a BBC journalist but said he did not believe he was the source for the reporter's story. Defence Minister Geoff Hoon said he did not believe Blair should step down over the situation. "Of course not, this is a matter for the inquiry to investigate the tragic circumstances of a particular individual's death. It's not a matter that affects the Prime Minister himself," Hoon said. When asked if he should resign, Hoon said: "I will look very carefully at what the inquiry has to say." During a press conference on his first leg of a Far East tour, a journalist asked Blair if he believed that the death is in some way on his conscience. Blair did not respond, but said: "Let me repeat - there is going to be a full and independent inquiry. I think we should make our judgement after we hear the facts. In the meantime, we should show respect and restraint and let me express once again my deep sorrow for this tragedy which has come about." Dr Kelly's wife and one of his daughters had the difficult task of officially identifying his body today. In a statement, his family said recent events had made his life intolerable and those involved in the affair should think long and hard about how it came to this situation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corsicans rage against French government as Nice explosion injures 11
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Corsica to protest at what they say is French government repression. The demonstration follows a recent wave of arrests of people linked to France's most wanted man Yvan Colonna, who is accused of murdering Corsica's governor Claude Erignac in 1998. Erignac was killed by Corsican separatists who ended a truce with the French government three days ago. Overnight at least eleven people were injured in two explosions at the treasury building in Nice, southern France. There's suspicion but no confirmation that Corsican extremists are behind the blast. Armed separatists have waged a bitter 30-year war for independence from France. 30 percent of Corsicans back their goal, if not the means to achieve it. Colonna was arrested two weeks ago and has been sent to Paris to face trial for murder. He is believed to be behind the killing of Erignac, who was shot three times in the head in front of his wife. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mexican ETA ring seized in police swoop
Police in Mexico have arrested nine people suspected of links with the armed Basque separatist group ETA. Six Spaniards and three Mexicans accused of providing financial and logistical support to ETA were seized, as were assets totalling 87,000 US Dollars. The men are thought to have fled Spain after taking part in a string of bombings over the last two decades. Investigators have uncovered an integrated ETA command structure in Mexico which answers to a coordination committee based in France. In a parallel arrest, a man in northern Spain was seized on suspicion of channeling funds from Mexico to ETA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An American soldier killed when a convoy came under fire on the outskirts of Baghdad is the 35th killed since the war was declared over by President Bush on 1 May. Demonstrations of anti-American sentiment are a regular occurrence in Iraq. In Baghdad, Shi'ites took to the streets to demand the release of a religious leader arrested by American forces. Iraq's Shi'ite majority had welcomed the downfall of
Saddam Hussein and declared opposition to armed attacks on US troops. It was proving an attractive option in a country where poverty and unemployment is widespread.The Pentagon is also hoping that the rapid rebuilding of an Iraqi army will take some of the pressure off US troops. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- fighting in Liberia
Refugees are flooding towards the centre of the Liberian capital Monrovia, away from clashes between government troops and rebels on the outskirts. Rebel forces have launched a fresh attack, pinning back the army of President Charles Taylor and seizing two strategically vital bridges. During a similar assault last month, hundreds of people died and thousands more fled their homes as the government launched a counter-attack. Taylor's Defence Minister Daniel Chea said his troops were holding out against the rebel barrage. "They [Liberian forces] don't want to fight, they want peace now," he said. "But if they [rebels] come and attack, we have to defend ourselves," he said. Nigeria has sent a team of military officers to Liberia to assess the situation ahead of a possible intervention force deployment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heavy traffic chokes Europe's roads in great summer holiday getaway
Europe's roads have been choked by holiday traffic as millions take to their cars for the summer getaways. On the main route to the south of France, near Lyon in central France, there have been long tailbacks. Along with high temperatures, the situation has proved a stern test of nerve for many travellers. "It's horrible," a stressed motorist said, "we've been waiting for it to get better but it's getting worse. I don't know what we'll do." Another said: "There are lots of queues and it's very hot, patience is required." Switzerland's main route into southern Europe was gridlocked near the Gothard tunnel under the Alps. Some vehicles had to wait for hours in the queue - but there was time for some of them to take advantage of the roadside verge to have their first holiday picnic. The tailbacks near Salzburg in Austria were 23 km at one stage. Travellers across Europe are being warned to expect a similar situation next weekend. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Concorde's watery last journey to a German museum
Crowds were out in force to watch as a retired Air France Concorde plane slowly made its way to the Simmheim Transport museum in southern Germany on a specially made raft along the river Rhine.Air France stopped flights at the end of May, and British Airways will follow suit in October.The costs associated with the fuel-guzzling jet had become too high for the only two airlines that fly the plane. Concorde's demise began with a horrific crash near Paris in July 2000 which killed 113 people. After the accident, jets were grounded for a year. When the service resumed, the airline industry was heading into its worst ever downturn following the September 11 attacks. The plane is due to arrive at the Sinnheim museum today, having made the last part of its journey by road. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 19, Saturday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq trouble for Blair after government aide accused of leaking secrets dies
British police have said that a body found in central England matches the description of Dr David Kelly, the ministry of defence adviser who went missing after becoming embrolied in a row over the government's intelligence dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Prime Minister Tony Blair has promised an independent inquiry into the use of intelligence on WMD if the body is confirmed as Dr Kelly's. Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith said: "We welcome the idea of an independent judicial inquiry. We've been calling for one for a very long time. I'm only sad that it takes a tragedy like this to finally get the government to accept that." The British cabinet believes Kelly was the unnamed source who told a BBC journalist that the government "sexed up" a key intelligence dossier on Iraq. The death is likely to turn up the heat on Tony Blair, who is on a visit to Japan. Blair is already under fire for allegedly exaggerating the Iraqi threat to justify war. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Schroeder may visit Italy despite Italian racial gaffes
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder may visit Italy this summer after all, despite cancelling his holiday there after an Italian minister insulted Germans. Schroeder was invited by European Commission President Romano Prodi during talks in Berlin. The German chancellor has visited Italy several times and says he likes the country, despite the recent diplomatic spat. Schroeder told reporters: "Next year I will be back. By the way, President Prodi has invited me to Verona at the end of August where, as you know, they have a great music festival. I will ask the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi whether he has any objections. If not, I do hope I will find the time to go. Relations between Germany and Italy soured when Berlusconi compared a German politician to a Nazi, and deteriorated further when an Italian minister called German tourists "hyper-nationalistic blondes." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Formal handover of final draft of EU constitution
Head of the European Convention Valerie Giscard d'Estaing formally handed over the final draft of the European Union Constitution to the EU's current leader Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi, who will now chair delicate negotiations on the document, has slated October 4th for an intergovernmental conference to begin discussions on the treaty. On condition the constitition is approved, Giscard pin-pointed the 9th of May next year, as the offical day to sign Europe's constitution. He warned reopening negotiations on the contents of the constitution would hold up the whole procedure. Berlusconi vowed he would keep discussions on track. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Government crisis in UK as scientist accused of secrets leak is found dead
Police in the United Kingdom have found a body they believe to be that of a missing scientist caught up in a row over Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction. Although formal identification has yet to take place, police say the body matches that of the description of Dr David Kelly. Kelly, 59, failed to return home after going for a walk in a rainstorm without a coat on Thursday night. A body was found in a wood near Kelly's home in Oxfordshire, southern England, on Friday morning. On Tuesday, Kelly appeared before a parliamentary committee probing claims that the government had exaggerated intelligence to justify the Iraq war. It had earlier emerged that Kelly had met a journalist from the state broadcaster, the BBC, who reported the allegation of doctored intelligence. Kelly told the parliamentary committee that he did not think he was the main source of the BBC's report but the Ministry of Defence, where Kelly worked as a microbiologist, said it believed the scientist might be the only source. The parliamentary committee appeared to suggest that Kelly had been set up by the government to shield top officials from censure over the controversy. Kelly had also worked as part of United Nations weapons inspections operations in Iraq. The softly-spoken scientist was said to be extremely angry about his treatment by MPs on the foreign affairs committee. His discomfort at being thrust unwittingly into the spotlight was evident and he was barely audible as he answered the questions of committee members. Prime Minister Tony Blair was grim-faced as he arrived in Tokyo for talks with his Japanese counterpart. Blair, who said the BBC's allegations constituted a serious attack on his integrity, has promised an independent judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Kelly's death, if it is confirmed as expected on Saturday. As the row over Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction rumbles on, political commentators in the UK say this is the worst crisis to envelop Blair's government since it came to power in 1997. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- White House responds to pressure over UK Guantanamo captives
The United States has agreed to suspend military court proceedings against two British terror suspects held in Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Moazzam Begg, a 35-year-old father-of-four, and Feroz Abbasi, 23, are among six detainees that Washington had wanted to try in military tribunals. British legal officials will travel to America next week for talks that could determine whether the captives are prosecuted in military or civil courts. The decision comes after Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair raised his concerns about the prisoners with President George Bush on Thursday. Blair is under pressure from parliament and the men's relatives to have them repatriated so that they can face trial in a British court. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vents on US forces in Iraq
Yet another American casualty on one of Iraq's dangerous roads; a bomb sent his Humvee off the road, killing the man in the latest of the daily attacks on soldiers in Iraq, where America has now suffered more casualties than in the first Gulf war. In several mosques, new problems bubbled up for the Americans; increased popular pressure for them to get results on security, or get out. In Kufa, south of Baghdad, the Shi'ites' Mouktada al Sadr, the son of an ayatollah killPressure moued by Saddam Hussein four years ago, condemned the US-led government council, calling for an "Iraqi army of volunteers", and a new constitution. Elsewhere there was friction between the Sunni minority, which has more mosques, and the majority Shi'ites. They now have a certain theological control previously held by the Sunnis, who are not happy. There were also anti-American speeches in other mosques, notably the troubled city of Falluja.Many expressed their rejection of the new Iraqi Government Council, and US administrator Paul Bremer's choice of representatives some said was "religiously dividing" the Iraqi people. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraqis vent anger on US in Fallujah
Anti-US feeling is rife in the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Residents chanted anti-American slogans after the killing of a US soldier in the restive city.The man died when his vehicle drove over an explosive device.His death was the 148th in combat since the start of the war - more casualties than America suffered in the first Gulf war.Resistance to the occupation has been especially strong in the so-called triangle north and west of Baghdad, a Baath party stronghold before the war. Daily attacks on US troops have continued in the triangle despite a crackdown on militants. In Fallujah, slogans hailing Saddam Hussein emblazon
walls and some residents openly admit they want their deposed leader
back. Anti-American speeches have been heard in some of the city's
mosques, and many locals believe the new Iraqi government council
is a US puppet. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- Immortal Mandela is 85
Stepping into the limelight again, Nelson Mandela gets knocked up at home by a surprise happy birthday party. Well, hardly. In fact there are several events planned to celebrate the old lion's 85th. winter. With President Mbeki calling the day a "national day of celebration", and that all South Africans were "blessed to have someone like him", Mandela's stature shows no signs of diminishing. With all those candles to accomodate, neither does the cake. Steady on, Nelson, think of the cholesterol. We want you aroundfor many years to come. Happy returns came in from around the globe for the nobel-prize winner , but "Madeba", as millions of South Africans know him, insisted he had lost office and influence, and was now a has-been and should be treated as such. Fat chance. Nelson Mandela is the closest thing to a real hero that humankind hasever produced , and humankind will cherish that until Mandela's dying day, and beyond. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Japan's Takara launches cat translator
If you wish you could communicate with your cat better, do not fret.Japanese toy maker Takara has invented a machine that translates meows. The company plans to launch Meowlingual in November.Kennedy Gitchel, public relations executive at Takara, said: "Initially we had the animal emotion analysis system and we decided to apply it to dogs because it seemed most appropriate, and cats don't express themselves as much as dogs - at least that's what we thought. Now when we have so much demand for a cat version and decided to develop Meowlingual, we have discovered that really cats express themselves in a different way." Unlike Bowlingual, which has a wireless microphone attached to the dog, Meowlingual has to be held up to the cat. The palm-sized electronic console that displays the translated phrase on a screen will be priced at 74 US Dollars. Takara hopes to sell 300,000 units by the end of March 2004. That would certainly be a result to make Takara executives purr. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 18, Friday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blair tells US Congress of an "urgent sense of mission about today's world"
British Prime Prime Minister Tony Blair has addressed a joint session of Congress. He warned America's political elite that this is a key moment in history.: "Members of Congress...I feel a most urgent sense of mission about today's world. Sept 11th was not an isolated event but a tragic prologue. Iraq another act and many further struggles will be set upon this stage before it is over." He continued: "There has never been a time when American power is more necessary....the United Nations should become an instrument of action as well as debate. The Security Council should be reformed. We need a new international regime on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.And we need to say clearly to United Nations members: If you engage in the systematic and gross abuse of human rights in defiance of the UN charter, you cannot expect to enjoy the same privileges as those that conform to it." The threat of terrorism dominated the speech, but Blair also underlined the importance of securing peace in the Middle East and called for further efforts to fight poverty and disease in the developing world. In a press conference after the speech, Bush and Blair closed ranks in defence of their intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Bush pointed to information going back to 1991, according to which Saddam Hussein was close to building a nuclear weapon. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq tense on Ba'ath anniversary
On a day that Iraq previously celebrated with nationwide massive parades a group of Saddam Hussein loyalists have staged a demonsratation in support of the ousted dictator. The protest marking the anniversary of the 1968 coup of Saddam's Ba'ath party was in Fallujah in central Iraq - a stronghold of Saddam supporters. But the occasion was largely ignored in most of the country. Another tape allegedly containing a message from Saddam appeared to have been released to coincide with the anniversary. US authorities in Iraq were braced for an upsurge in attacks in a week of anniverseries linked to Saddam and his regime. Troops tightened security around bases in Baghdad and other areas. With American casualties mounting steadily Washington's top military commander in Iraq has conceded his forces have been drawn into a guerrilla campaign. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His work done Valery Giscard D'Estaing, the chairman of the body that drew up the EU's draft constitution, will hand over the document to the bloc's Italian presidency in a ceremony in Rome today. It has been a long road for Giscard D'Estaing and the 105 members of the Convention on the Future of Europe. Their work on creating a constitution for an expanded EU began sixteen months ago. The text contains proposals for reform of the Union's institutional machinery to allow it to function effectively after enlargement next year. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi will receive the draft-constitution on behalf of the Italian presidency. The next stage is an intergovernmental conference in the Italian capital in October which will attempt to work through the various amendments proposed by member states. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Huge blaze powers on in the south of France
France's biggest fire this summer has devastated over 3,000 hectares of woodland and is still burning ferociously in the southeast of the country. Some 1,000 emergency services personnel are battling the blaze. Water tanker planes are helping efforts to stop the fire progressing into the Var valley, home to 15,000 people. Around 12 firemen and and at least 10 others have been taken to hospital after breathing in smoke. A number of houses and camping sites have been devoured by the blaze. It is not clear how the fire started, but local authorities say it began near a service station on a main road -- leading to speculation that careless holidaymakers could be to blame. The fire has spread rapidly, fanned by a strong wind. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The former South African President Nelson Mandela celebrates his 85th birthday today with the most poignant of accolades. He has been presented with a book containing his speeches and tributes paid to him by world leaders over the past 50 years. It has been described as a profile of Mandela's enduring commitment to freedom. His fellow former anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu was at the presentation in Johannesburg. "He is consumed by the passion to continue working for people because he believes he exists for the sake of others, which is a tremedous thing but one wishes that he could take time off a little bit and relax." Mandela will spend the day with family and friends. A banquet attended by more 1,600 people from around the world will be held in his honour tomorrow. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Blond, noisy" German tourists party in Italy
Noisy blondes from Germany may not be to the liking of Stefano Stefani, the Italian minister who resigned after his anti-German gaffe, but in Rimini they are very welcome. The resort on Italy's Adriatic coast is hosting a group of 160 German tourists to show that the two nations get along just fine despite the recent spats. The trip was organised by Bild, Germany's best-selling tabloid, which invited "noisy, fat, blond" readers to go to Italy. Bild was referring to an article earlier this month by Stefano Stefani, formerly a junior tourism minister, in which he described Germans as "hypernationalistic blondes" who "invade Italian beaches." German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder cancelled his holiday in Italy after the jibe. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 17, Thuresday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abbas to meet Bush in Washington
Tel Aviv The pace of Middle East peacemaking is picking up in a new round of diplomacy, most significantly a planned meeting between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and US President George Bush. It will be Abbas' first talks in Washington although he met Bush at a Middle East summit in Jordan last month. Bush is likely to urge Abbas to follow-up on commitments to crackdown on Palestinians extremists. The difficulty of that task was demonstrated in a rally in the West Bank where an offshoot of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah group warned of breaking a current truce. It has also been reported that Abbas will have talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon next Sunday. However Palestinian officials have denied the claim attributed to Israeli sources. It is expected that Sharon will be meeting Bush at the White House a few days after Abbas' visit on July 25. Sharon was given a mixed reception in Norway - his last stop on a visit to Europe to try to convince leaders there to end contacts with Arafat.
The head of US forces in Iraq has admitted his troops are now facing a guerrilla war. It comes amid increasing frustration among ordinary soldiers, who had been told they would be going home by September, but are now staying indefinitely. The death of another serviceman in an attack blamed on Saddam Hussein loyalists has brought the toll to 147, equalling the number Americans killed in the 1991 Gulf War. The incident saw a a military convoy ambushed with rocket-propelled grenades near Baghdad. To the west a pro-American Iraqi leader was assassinated. And a ground to air missile was fired at, but missed, a transport plane coming in to the capital's airport. It all amounts to fully fledged organised resistance, according to Central Command chief General John Abizaid. The US military had expected a surge in attacks this week to coincide with several anniversaries linked to Saddam, the Ba'ath Party and Iraqi nationalism.
The driver is believed to have been a man in his eighties. His car careered through the stalls for several blocks before coming to a stop. Some reports say he was travelling at up to 100km/h. The road is normally closed to traffic. The local police chief later told reporters it was the most devastating accident he had seen in a 30-year career. Eyewitnesses say the driver was confused and disorientated when his vehicle came to a stop. He apparently said he had had his licence since he was 14-years old, and this was his first accident. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prodi to give evidence in Eurostat probe
It is a scandal that is spreading to the highest levels of Europe's institutions. The question that is being asked, is just what was going on at Eurostat? The European Union's statistics agency is under investigation for alleged irregularities. Now it seems even Commission President Romano Prodi will be called upon to give answers in the probe. His deputy Neil Kinnock is delighted that the inquiry has got off the ground. "When I got that evidence, evidence, last Monday morning, I can't begin to describe my emotions because then I knew we could act." The Eurostat affair is particularly embarrassing for Prodi who took office four years ago pledging zero tolerance of fraud. Disciplinary proceedings have now been launched by the European Commission targetting the former head of the Luxemburg-based bureau and two of his aides. The agency, which provides EU facts and figures to those who need them, stands accused of artificially inflating the value of contracts and syphoning off cash. It is alleged that wrongdoing could date back to 1989. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- French Atlantic coast reeling after ferocious weather
Western France has been counting the cost of severe gales and rainstorms that have left a trail of destruction throughout the region. Four people died and dozens were hurt as trees came crashing to the ground, wrecking caravans, tents and holiday homes. Towns the length of the region were battered by the killer storms, with Angers and Biscarosse the worst-affected. As the bad weather moved east throughout Wednesday, the area around Nimes was on red alert. Around 100,000 homes lost power during and after the storms. The region is especially popular with tourists, though many are reflecting that their annual vacation could have cost them their lives. "My husband saved us," said one woman. "When we saw the trees falling we grabbed the kids and ran for it. It ishorrible." Thousands of tourists staying in campsites and holiday villages had to be evacuated to temporary accommodation - sports centres, schools and other municipal buildings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Salsa Queen Celia Cruz dies
Celia Cruz, one of the brightest stars in Cuban music, has died at her home in the US state of New Jersey. She will be remembered as the undisputed 'Queen of Salsa'. Cruz rose to fame in the 1940's and 1950's - leaving behind a career as a teacher to develop her instinctive, upbeat style. "Salsa is the most popular form of Latin music because it's so lively- people love it," she said in a recent interview. Cruz, who had been ill for some time after having a tumor removed from her brain last November, was a Grammy award winner who had produced hundreds of records over her career. Her death comes as the music world mourns another Cuban star, Compay Segundo, who died last weekend. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 16, Wednesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Runaway schoolgirl safe, ex-Marine arrested
The 12-year-old British schoolgirl who ran away with a former US marine has been found safe and well. Shevaun Pennington has been reunited with her parents at their home near the city of Manchester in northern England. Her 31-year-old companion Toby Studabaker was earlier arrested for abduction by German police in Frankfurt. Shevaun had met the American via an internet chatroom. "She was not with Toby Studabaker (when she was found). Shevaun was en route to this country....they had separated," investigating officer Peter Mason of Greater Manchester Police told reporters. He had led a five-day long international hunt for the pair in a case that has gripped the UK public. The case has heightened concern about so-called "grooming"
by adults who prey on children via the web, especially now that police
sources have revealed that downloaded child pornography has been found
on a computer used by Toby Studabaker. US Marine speaks out over missing schoolgirl A former US Marine who ran off with a 12-year-old British girl has contacted his family to say Shevaun Pennington is safe and well. Toby Studabaker says he only discovered her real age when the couple arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday. Studabaker's brother, Leo, says he has received a phone call from Toby. He says his brother told him Shevaun had claimed she was 19 during conversations in an internet chat room. Once he found out how young she really was he was very angry and has now contacted the FBI, according to Leo. And he also claims the 31-year-old who left the army last month, has a signed letter from Shevaun confirming he never touched her. The concern now is for Shevaun's whereabouts. There has been no trace of her since Saturday. French police had thought she and Studabaker left Paris on separate flights. But British police say an S. Pennington who flew to the UK from Charles de Gaulle on Saturday was not Shevaun. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq council plans Saddam trial
Iraq's new Governing Council has agreed to set up a war crimes tribunal to try Saddam Hussein and his top aides. The American-backed group of 25 Iraqi leaders say the former president is among those that would face charges of mass killings, executions and chemical attacks. Amid daily pro-democracy demonstrations the Council is also spreading its wings internationally by planning to send a delegation to the United Nations to ask for a seat on the General Assembly. Meanwhile there has been bad news for members of the US Third Infantry Division. They have been ordered to stay in Iraq indefinitely, a decision that comes just a week after they were told they would be home by September. Amid ongoing Iraqi resistance the American troops are said to be mentally and physically exhausted. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rome denies connection with Niger-Iraq dossier
The row over discredited claims that Iraq tried to buy nuclear-grade uranium from Niger in Africa has now spread to Italy. It has been reported that Italian intelligence provided the UK and the US with information on such a purchase. Not so, says Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini. Italy and Italian intelligence never produced any type of document about this episode to help other countries, he has insisted. The Niger claims were used by Washington and London to help convince politicians and the public of the need for a pre-emptive strike on Iraq. However, documents relating to the affair are now widely accepted as forged. The Niger issue and the failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are proving a headache for US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Both are under pressure to justify their insistence on war. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a day that has seen fresh bloodshed in the Middle East, Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman paid a visit to the Palestinian Authority - hoping that he can help keep the rocky "road map" peace plan on track. He met President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The Palestinian leaders are now apparently reconciled following a power struggle. At least, that was the message emerging after the pair held crunch talks on Monday night. "Mazen gave a very clear message - I am your Prime Minister. It is your government. Back me or sack me," said Arafat aide Saeb Erekat. "And President Arafat said to him - I will back you," he added. Elsewhere, a knife attack by a Palestinian man in Tel Aviv put fresh strain on peace efforts. One Israeli was killed and another injured in the incident on the city's seaside promenade. The militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades has claimed responsibility. Israel, however, turned attention to Arafat's Palestinian Authority. "The Palestinian Authority is doing very little to disarm and to dismantle the terrorist organisation, which is its obligation under the road map, and we would like to see much more action on the part of the Palestinian Authority in order to make these terrorist actions stop," said Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner. Disarmament is a delicate issue for the Palestinian Authority, with militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad both threatening to call off their ceasefire if attempts to take away their weapons continue. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- China envoys in N Korea talks
The nuclear row between America's and North Korea has moved up a notch after Pyongyang's unofficial spokesman, Kim Myong-Chol, made controversial claims about the country's capabilities. Speaking on Australia's ABC televsion programme, Lateline, he said "If American ships interdict (intercept) North Korean ships, North Korea will retaliate against American mainland launching missile attacks. Kim Myong-Chol went on to claim that hundreds of nuclear warheads are trained on New York, Washington and a host of other American cities. But are his claims truth or fiction? In February, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that if North Korea began reprocessing eight thousands spent fuel rods, it could have enough fissile material for up to six nuclear war-heads in four to six weeks. North Korea has steadily increased the tension since the beginning of the year. It revived its reactor at Yongbyon in February in defiance of an international agreement to end the last nuclear crisis. Pyongyang says the reactor and others under construction are desperately needed to ease its energy shortage. US officials say their intelligence is not perfect, but the situation is worrying. State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher" : "We've always said we'll look at all the available information, not just what they happened to claim or say at any given moment. One sometimes can't figure out why they're saying different things at different times." In 1994, North Korea received fuel aid from the US in return for stopping its nuclear program, but this time China could hold the key to solving the crisis. While Washington remains reluctant to grant North Korea's request for one-to-one talks, China has been increasingly exerting its influence as one of Pyongyang's closest allies. On Tuesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Dai Bingguo, handed a letter from President Hu Jintao to North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il. The pair are said to have held "in-depth" talks on the North's stand-off with the US over its nuclear programme. China is pushing for a compromise format for talks that it hopes will satisfy both Washington and Pyongyang and bring them back to the table. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadly storms hit western France
At least two people were killed during a night of high winds and heavy rain in western France. Around 75 more were injured, ten seriously, as a heatwave came to a dramatic end along the western coastline. The regions of Landes, Charente-Maritime and Maine-et-Loire were the hardest hit. Many of those affected were holidaymakers staying at seaside campsites. Hundreds had been evacuated as the storms began to break. "The campsite manager came and told us to get ourselves together and get out as soon as possible," explained one man. "I think we're going to shelter in a sports centre with the rest of the campers," he said. Winds of more than 150 kilometres an hour have been reported. Emergency services say they have had hundreds of calls, with most injuries sustained from falling branches and flying debris. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope of breakthrough in battle against Aids
Researchers have revealed that treating babies of HIV-infected mothers with anti-retroviral drugs during breast-feeding drastically reduces their risk of contracting the Aids virus. "If you just let them breast-feed, they will continue to transmit the virus to the children. With this intervention, only one per cent of that happens over time," said Dr Joep Lange of the International Aids Society. He says he will recommend the immediate implementation of the study's findings. Its authors believe their work might provide an effective and affordable way to prevent infection of babies through breast feeding, particularly in developing countries where there is little or no alternative to breast milk. The research offers a glimmer of hope, particularly in Africa, the home to nearly three quarters of the total 42 million people infected with HIV.
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Last Updated: 15, Tuesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US considers sending troops to help restore peace to Liberia
US President George W Bush has said he might send a limited number of troops to Liberia. Speaking after talks with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, he said: "Our teams, our military is assessing ECOWAS strength, how soon, how quick, what kind of troops, who they are, to determine what is necessary from our side to fulfil the commitment I made that we will help maintain the cease-fire. By the way, this is conditional upon Mr Taylor leaving." Liberian President Charles Taylor, who has been indicted for war crimes in Sierra Leone, has accepted an offer of asylum from Nigeria. He has insisted that he will only quit Liberia after peacekeepers arrive. Kofi Annan said: "From what I gather, President Taylor will leave Liberia and then the force will be strengthened, hopefully with US participation and additional troops from the West African region. And eventually the UN blue helmets will be set up to stabilise the situation along the lines that we have done in Sierra Leone. And once the situation is calm and stabilised the US would leave and the UN peacekeepers will carry on the operation." After meeting the US president, Annan suggested ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, could send a vanguard of up to 1,500 hundred troops. Liberia's defence minister says his forces have been attacked in three places in recent days. The main rebel faction entered the capital Monrovia last month in battles that killed about 700 civilians --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadly knife attack in Tel Aviv
One person has been killed and two others wounded after a knife attack in Tel Aviv. Officials say a Palestinian man from east Jerusalem stabbed a security guard while trying to get into a seafront restaurant. He then ran away, knifing two passers-by, before being shot in the legs and arrested. It is the first such incident in an Israeli city since the main Palestinian groups called a temporary truce. It comes as British Prime Minister Tony Blair met his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon. Despite this being described as "an intimate meeting between friends", Sharon did not get what he wanted. He was told that the British government would not agree to his appeal to cut ties with the Palestinian president. Israel has accused Arafat of fomenting violence and undermining the efforts of reformist Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. He has been treading a delicate path as he tries to implement the US-backed "road map" peace plan- which envisages the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. After talks with Arafat, Abbas said both men had put their recent differences behind them. But despite his conciliatory tone the demands of militants continue to put a strain on the peace process. Islamic Jihad and Hamas have threatened to call off their truce unless the Palestinian Authority abandons its attempts to disarm them. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Europe's drought takes its toll
The mercury is continuing to rise across Europe, with temperatures in Britain hitting over 30 degrees Celsius. The hot weather has brought thousands out to enjoy the parks and green spaces around the capital London. But on continental Europe the dry weather is a more serious problem. In the Swiss canton of Aargau workers from the fishery authority have been saving smaller fish whose rivers are heating up too much or running dry. Experts say poor water management has exacerbated the problems caused by the lack of rain. In Italy the ongoing drought, which has hit the north hardest, has led to a dilemma for local government officials. One of them, Robert Formigoni, told reporters he had to "decide whether to use reservoirs to develop hydroelectric power, or make the water available for agriculture." Some are calling for Rome to declare a state of emergency. Last month a similar heat wave brought power cuts, and it is feared the same could happen again. In France hundreds of fireworks displays planned for
the 14th of July national holiday had to be cancelled after fire-fighters
said the risk of sparking wildfires was too great. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An estimated 381 hectares of maize in north-western Italy have been ordered to be cleared after they were found to contain genetically modified material. But farmers in the Piedmont region are up in arms, arguing that they should be given compensation. "We did it without knowing they were GM crops," said landowner Santino Grasso. "I'll be out of pocket by 4,500-6,000 euros." Regional authorities demanded the crops were wiped out after checks revealed two seeds in every thousand were from genetically modified stocks. They have not said if the farmers will be given any cash in return. GMOs are banned from use throughout Italy, except for limited trials. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- India refuses US request to send troops to Iraq
Several hundred Italian troops have been deployed in the southern Iraqi town of Nassiriya. They are part of the US-led stabilisation force occupying Iraq after the ousting of President Saddam Hussein and his regime. India has rejected Washington's request for help, after the government of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee failed to build a domestic consensus. New Delhi said it could only consider sending troops if there was a clear UN mandate. Meanwhile the US military says 9,000 soldiers from a key army division will not return home by September as expected and will instead stay in Iraq indefinitely. The decision illustrates the seriousness of the ongoing security problems in Iraq. Hit-and-run attacks have killed an estimated 32 US troops and injured scores more since the end of major combat two and a half months ago. Yesterday an explosion, possibly from a grenade, destroyed a car parked close to buildings used by Iraq's new governing council. There were no casualties. Hours earlier, unknown attackers fired on an American convoy in the central al-Mansour area of Baghdad, killing one soldier and wounding 10 others. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- High security for Bastille Day in France
Fears of another assassination attempt did not appear to affect President Jacques Chirac as he led France's celebrations to mark Bastille Day. The traditional military parade along the Champs Elysees in Paris took place amid heightened security following last year's failed attack in which a neo-Nazi tried to shoot at Chirac. The would-be assassin was wrestled to the ground before he could open fire. This year, 1,000 extra police were on duty. They were also on the look-out for protests from groups who, it was thought, might use the occasion to make their mark. In a break from tradition, pride of place in the parade went to a German officer. General Holger Kammerhoff commanded a contingent of Eurocorps troops who were given the honour of leading the procession. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mandela calls for more cash for AIDS
A travesty of human rights on a global scale." That is how Nelson Mandela termed the international community's failure to tackle the AIDS pandemic. The former South African President was speaking in Paris at the second International AIDS Conference. "We have failed to translate our scientific progress into action where it is most needed in the communities of the developing world," he said. "The single most important step we must now take is to provide access to treatment throughout the developing world." Protesters, angered at the lack of AIDS funding, made it in to the conference hall to personally seek Mandela's help. The scientific programme of the conference is planned to provide new insights into HIV, that can lead to new research directions, help speed research and move advances into clinical practice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cuban music star Segundo dies
Cuba is mourning the loss of one of its most charismatic musical exports, Compay Segundo, frontman of the famous Buena Vista Social Club group, who has died at the age of 95. The guitarist and singer suffered kidney failure at his home in Havana. He will be remembered for making traditional Cuban music known worldwide. "I am a worker in the name of culture and what I like to do is come to people and give them joy," he said in one interview. Segundo gained superstar status following the 1997 release of the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club album, produced by American musician Ry Cooder. He continued to give concerts until May this year when his health deteriorated. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 14, Monday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sharon and Blair discuss road map, try to improve bilateral ties
The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is in London today for talks with his British counterpart Tony Blair aimed at easing tensions between the two countries. Relations have been strained since the UK hosted a conference on Palestinian reform earlier this year, without inviting Israel. The leaders will also discuss progress in the Middle East peace process. The Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov earlier met the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat for talks on the same issue. Russia sees Arafat as a key player in the peace process though Washington has refused to deal with him. Arafat wants international intervention to speed up implementation of the road map. But hundreds of militants gathered in the West Bank town of Nablus to denounce the plan - a worrying sign for Palestinian Prime Minister Mamhoud Abbas. Meanwhile, Israel has arrested a suspected Irish Republican bombmaker in the West Bank and is questioning him about his links to Palestinian radicals. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Optimism over new Iraqi council, but not all convinced
Iraqis are cautiously optimistic about the country's new Governing Council, the first major step towards self-rule. The council faces the crucial tasks of drawing up a constitution, reviving the economy and establishing security. "All the Iraqi classes hope that this committee will maybe change the miserable economic situation in Iraq starting with the political crisis and the economic crisis, " one man in Fallujah said. Other Iraqis are sceptical, as the US still retains final control of the country. "As for the newly formed government, they are all strangers in the council. We don't know them, we want proper patriotic government with stability and security . We want this country to be protected from any foreign invasion, we don't want to remain occupied for the rest of our lives," another man said. The US hopes that attacks on its troops will subside if Iraqis feel the occupying forces are transferring power to local leaders. Meanwhile a group that says it is linked to Al Quaeda has claimed responsibility for anti-US attacks in Iraq and threatened new ones. Al Arabiyah television aired a tape showing a man from the Fallujah Branch of the Armed Islamic Movement for Al Qaeda, a previously unknown group. The man says his organisation was behind strikes on US forces and not Saddam Hussein loyalists, as the US believes. He warns of a new attack in the coming days which would "break the back of America completely." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Third Way conference seeks to rejuvenate centre-left
Tony Blair and other centre-left leaders from around the world are meeting near London in a summit that aims to revitalize the so-called "Third Way". The British Prime Minister is hosting the summit and has long been an advocate of the Third Way, which seeks to blend the best of capitalism and socialism. Heads of government from as far afield as Brazil, South Africa and New Zealand are participating. Many centre-left governments are coming under fire and some champions of the Third Way, including Blair himself, are facing public disillusionment. The conference is aiming to come up with solutions to a resurgence of the centre-right on the global political landscape. But in some countries, immigration and unemployment have acted as obstacles to the Third Way philosophy, while in others, left-wingers are seeking to outflank Third Way advocates. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Developed world slammed for "not doing enough" to fight AIDS
The developed world has been criticised for not providing sufficient funds to fight AIDS worldwide, at the start of a major conference in Paris. Six thousand researchers and scientists are attending the conference which runs until Wednesday - coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the HIV virus. Former South African President Nelson Mandela will be addressing one of the major themes: improving access to cheap drug treatments in developing countries. The Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe said: "It's unacceptable that this 21st century of globalisation should be tainted by the accepted or planned inequality of care, especially with regard to the disease of AIDS." Former Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso urged the world to learn from his country's experience. By setting up education programmes, expanding basic health care and providing anti-retroviral drugs to all infected people, the AIDS death rate has been halved. There is currently no effective AIDS vaccine but scientists have found out how HIV manages to avoid being destroyed by the latest antiretroviral drugs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moscow deluged by torrential rain Unusually heavy storms and gales have hit Moscow, flooding streets and underground passageways and bringing road traffic to a standstill. There are no reports of casualties caused by Sunday's thunderstorm. The sudden downpour, lasting around two hours, took virtually everyone out and about in the Russian capital by surprise. The flood waters stopped everything on four wheels, from the most humble car to the latest models. While municipal workers opened extra drains to allow the water to escape, Muscovites took refuge wherever they could find it. A trolleybus driver said the threat of his electrically-powered vehicle short-circuiting had meant he had to wait for it to be pulled out of the water. The rain was accompanied by winds that uprooted trees in some areas. Several districts were left without electricity after the storm damaged three sub-stations, while flights from Vnukovo airport were diverted. thunderstorm- temporale standstill-blocco sudden downpour-improvviso acquazzone took by surprise-ha colto di sorpresa four wheels-quattro ruote humble car -macchina modesta latest models-ultimi modelli drain-scolo trolleybus-filobus wind-vento to uproote-sradicare, estirpare
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bomb found in Pamplona hotel
An explosive device placed in a hotel in the northern Spanish town of Pamplona has been safely defused. The town is currently hosting thousands of visitors for the San Fermin bull-running festival. Hotel staff reportedly received an anonymous tip-off and eventually found the device in a toilet in the hotel's cafeteria before calling the police. The incident comes after Basque separatist group ETA declared it would attack multinational companies and holiday resorts in a systematic campaign to damage Spain's economy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 13, Sunday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraqi governing council's first meeting
A governing council representing Iraq diverse ethnic mix has met for the first time in Baghdad. It will have limited powers but an Iraqi National Congress spokesman says it is a new beginning: "We are witnessing history, history in the making. This is the first post-Saddam government. This is the first time when Iraqis are participating genuinely in the political process. This is basically the opening of a new Iraqi state that respects human rights and considers democracy", he said. Washington hopes the daily attacks against US and UK troops in the country will diminish If Iraqis feel the occupying forces are starting to transfer authority to local leaders. But those hopes have not been helped by a shooting incident apparently involving Iraqi police and US forces in Baghdad. Witnesses say shots were fired from a police car at a checkpoint. Soldiers returned fire killing those inside. It is not yet known if this was another attack by Saddam loyalists. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Belgium ditches contentious war crimes law
Belgium's new government has decided to abolish a controversial war crimes law that has caused the country international embarrassment. The move came hours after King Albert II swore in Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's new coalition government of Liberals and Socialists. The law, passed in 1993, allowed anyone to file a lawsuit against anyone else for alleged war crimes committed anywhere in the world. Among those who have seen cases launched against them are President George W. Bush, Israel's Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Even Belgium's Foreign Minister Louis Michel, who remains in his post, has had a case filed against him, linked to overseas arms sales. Meanwhile, Verhofstadt has pledged to create 200,000 new jobs, despite economic stagnation in Europe. It took the Liberals and Socialists nearly two months of wrangling after their election victory to agree to form a coalition. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disgraced Italian minister publishes apology in German tabloid
Stefano Stefani, the Italian minister who resigned after a racial jibe at German tourists, has published an apology in Bild, Germany's best-selling newspaper, entitled "I Love Germany." Bild responded with "55 Reasons To Love Italy," including Monica Belluci and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari. A German couple gearing up for their holidays said: "I think Stefani's comments have turned back on himself, I think it is just a pity for Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that he can't now enjoy his holiday...We will naturally continue going to Italy." Many Italians are pleased to see the back of Stefani, who described German tourists as hyper-nationalistic blondes and arrogant beer-guzzlers. "This minister kept going on about the issue of Germans, when he should have kept quiet because Germans come to Italy and spend money as tourists. I am right wing, but I'm critical of the right if they do something wrong," one woman averred. Stefani's apology was a remarkable turn-around. Earlier he insisted he had done nothing wrong. He said he had not attacked the German nation - only certain stereotypes. But the pressure from all sides eventually prompted him to resign. His Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is already in bad odour for comparing a German politician to a Nazi death camp guard last week. Gerhard Schroeder said a German minister who made such comments like those of Stefani would not survive an hour in government, and Berlusconi's coalition partner Gianfranco Fini called Stefani a clown who should go. Italian tourist officials are appealing to Germans not to cancel their holidays despite the spat --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 12, Saturday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Berlusconi scrambles to keep his coalition together
They seemed the best of friends a few months ago, but relations have cooled between Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi and deputy prime minister Gianfranco Fini. Berlusconi is desperate to rally his fractious coalition partners. Fini, who heads the National Alliance, has not made his job any easier by saying he could do without the Northern League. The League's outspoken leader, Umberto Bossi, has threatened to quit the coalition. He has long been at loggerheads with Fini over competing political priorities.Bossi wants more power for Italy's northern regions - Fini says he is obsessed with the issue, to the detriment of others. The Northern League also accuses the Alliance of breaking promises made when the government was formed in 2001. A walkout by the League would plunge the government into crisis and further damage Berlusconi's image as EU president. His credibility already took a battering when he compared a German member of the European parliament to a Nazi. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US rejects WTO steel ruling - EU senses victory
Washington plans to appeal a World Trade Organization ruling that says steel tariffs which the Americans imposed last year broke global trading rules. The experts said the tariffs - up to 30 percent on top of normal duties - championed by President Bush as a measure to protect the ailing US steel industry from imports were not justified. European trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy: "I have always thought they will lose this case in first instance; I think they will lose their appeal, probably sometime this autumn, and then they will be faced with the real decision they have to take, which is to remove these tarrifs... and they'll have to do it." There are seven co-complainants in the case: Japan, Korea, China, switzerland, Norway, New Zealand and Brazil. The panel found no link between imports and the US steel industry's problems. Charting countries' steel sales in the US shows that the EU represents the most, one quarter, ahead of Canada and Japan. Europe's most notable contributors are Germany and France. Sensing total victory, the EU has a list of US export goods to Europe worth around 2 billion euro that could face sanctions if an end-of-the-year appeal ruling does not go Washington's way. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CIA takes blame for Iraq claims
Tenet says the CIA made a mistake
This, he said, was not the level of certainty required for presidential speeches. The statement came as senior Democrats called for an independent inquiry into the way the Bush administration made the case for war. The BBC's Rob Watson in Washington says the White House strategy is now clear - to put an end to what has become an increasingly embarrassing row, the CIA has been assigned the blame. However there are signs that Mr Tenet's admission may not stop the controversy, our correspondent says. Sixteen words President Bush has denied that he knowingly used false information. In his January address, Mr Bush said: "The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." Those 16 words, Mr Tenet said, should never have been included in the text written for the president. American media reports earlier suggested that the CIA advised the White House to remove the claims from the speech.
Earlier this week, the White House acknowledged for the first time that the claim about Iraq seeking to buy uranium from Niger might be wrong. Asked about this during a visit to Uganda, Mr Bush replied: "I gave a speech to the nation that was cleared by the intelligence services." He did not answer when pressed on how the erroneous material came to be included in the address, stressing instead that his government took the right decision to invade Iraq. Changes made Mr Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice insisted the president "did not knowingly say anything that we knew to be false". Putting the onus of responsibility on the intelligence services, she reiterated that the CIA had vetted the speech and cleared it "in its entirety". If anyone had any doubts about the uranium claim, "those doubts were not communicated to the president," Ms Rice told reporters. However, she said the CIA did make some changes to that particular sentence in the speech. "Some specifics about amount and place were taken out," she said. "With the changes in that sentence, the speech was cleared." Senior US Democrats are demanding to know what Mr Bush knew and when he knew about the allegation, and who pressed for the allegation about attempts to buy uranium in Niger to be included in Mr Bush's speech despite the doubts of US intelligence. Our correspondent says that most worryingly of all, perhaps, for President Bush there now appears to be a shift in public opinion with the latest polls showing that a majority of Americans now believe the White House exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Palestinian rifts 'not yet
crisis' By Barbara Plett
Analysts say Yasser Arafat is trying to show he is still relevant
dominated by Fatah. In a fit of pique, Mr Abbas quit the Council earlier this week and threatened to resign as prime minister unless the movement endorsed his handling of contacts with Israel. He had come under heavy criticism for failing to get any significant response from Israel in exchange for a unilateral Palestinian ceasefire declared on 29 June. In particular Fatah officials, like most Palestinians, were incensed that Israel had refused a broad prisoner release, one of the key conditions for maintaining the truce. The Israeli offer of 350 men, most near the end of their sentences and none of them prominent activists, fell far short of the demand that some 6,000 be set free, including members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad movements.
Abu Mazen is seen as the key to US engagement with the conflict These are crucial issues because Abu Mazen's performance reflects on Fatah. The prime minister is one of the old guard of the nationalist movement. If he fails to deliver, Fatah would also be discredited and its leadership on the street further challenged by the rising popularity of the Islamic factions. Hence the sharp criticism from members of the Fatah Central Council that Mr Abbas was failing to co-ordinate with them and bypassing them in making decisions. Not yet a crisis At the moment many Palestinians see the dispute as an internal power play, given that the moody Abu Mazen has a reputation of threatening resignation. Mr Arafat has also expressed criticism at Abu Mazen's negotiating performance. But few Palestinian analysts accept the Israeli charge that he is actively undermining his prime minister. Rather, they say, he is using the spat to demonstrate his indispensability by mediating between Fatah and Mr Abbas, telling the prime minister that he cannot afford to sideline Fatah, but continuing to refuse his resignation, mindful that Mr Abbas is the key to US engagement. The quarrel would become a crisis if the prime minister did insist on resigning, because the US has predicated its involvement in the peace process on a "new and different Palestinian leadership". What the dispute does show is the fundamental contradiction of Abu Mazen's position. His greatest strength is that he is the preferred candidate of Israel, the US and the group of international mediators known as the Quartet. His greatest weakness is that he has little popular support among Palestinians, especially when compared to Mr Arafat. In Palestinian eyes, that contradiction is likely to grow if the diplomatic strategy he has endorsed fails to relax and ultimately end Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 11, Friday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Srebrenica mourns dead - eight years on
Some 20,000 people are expected in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica today to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the massacre of Bosnian Muslims by Serb forces in the closing months of the Balkan war. The ceremony at the cemetery at Potocari will have special significance this year. In March, the remains of 600 victims were finally laid to rest here. Today, another 282 will be buried. Their bodies were moved from a morgue in Sarajevo two days ago. It is thought up to 8,000 people were slaughtered in all. But the bodies were dumped in mass graves and then moved. For some time now, the painstaking work of exhuming the scattered bones, identifying them and then putting them back together has been going on. Srebrenica has been described as the worst slaughter in Europe since the Second World War and the massacre took place in front of United Nations peacekeeping troops who lacked the mandate to stop it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Berlusconi's troubles come home to roost
These are turbulent times for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. While his international standing is still recovering from his suggestion a German politician play a commander in a concentration camp movie, back home his fractious coalition is hovering on the edge of a full-blown crisis. The latest row is over possible devolution. Roberto Maroni, a minister from the junior coalition partner, the federalist-minded Northern League, says the coalition is suffering from a fever and only Berlusconi has the medicine to cool temperatures. But a government collapse is unthinkable, he adds, because there is no alternative. The Northern League, whose ultimate goal is a separate northern Italian state, is pushing for devolution. The League toppled Berlusconi's first coalition government in 1994 and it is causing more waves this time. Recent anti-German comments voiced by its tourism minister are not playing well in the first two weeks of Italy's six-month presidency of the European Union. But Ignazio La Russa, from the anti-devolution National Alliance, another coalition party, says the Northern League may be getting too big for its boots. He says everyone wants the government back on track but some overestimate their worth. The differences are now so great that the matter could be settled by a vote of confidence by Parliament in Berlusconi's ability to lead the country. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- German tourists enjoy Italy despite diplomatic spat
Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has cancelled his holiday in Italy after a racial jibe at German tourists but holidaymakers from his country already enjoying the sunshine in Rome do not seem too bothered. "It's the politicians that are having problems with each other, not the people," said one young German woman. Christiane Kohl, a journalist for the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, added her voice to the debate. "For Berlusconi, the United States and Britain are more important than Germany. He admires Bush and Blair. Maybe that is why he plays tricks on the Germans," she said. Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, recently caused an outcry when he invited a German MEP to play the part of a guard in a forthcoming film about Nazi concentration camps. Later, an Italian tourism minister referred to Germans as "hyper-nationalistic blondes" who "invade" Italy's beaches. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 10, Thursday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Schroeder cancels holiday over German jibe
Relations between Germany and Italy have taken another downturn. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has cancelled his holiday in Italy after a racist slur by one of the country's junior tourism ministers. Schroeder has enjoyed holidays in the Mediterranean country before, but now it looks like that love affair may have turned sour. The decision comes just a week after a major row between the two nations following Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's comparison of a German MEP to a Nazi prison guard. This time minister Stefano Stefani described Germans in a newspaper article as "hyper-nationalistic blondes". He said they "loudly invaded" Italian beaches while criticising Italy for mafia killings. Speaking in German, Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian minister for european affairs, said, "Every nation has a certain number of "madmen". "It's probably the same in all european countries. Italy has them, and we have to tolerate them, we can't just kill them," he said jokingly. He went on to say that it would probably be for the better if Stefani looked for another job. Berlusconi has apparently responded by saying he feels 'sorry' for Schroeder, while Stefani has refused to apologise. Italy's own left-wing opposition says it will seek a formal motion to remove him from his duties. There are concerns that this new row will have serious consequences for Italy's tourism industry. Behind Spain, Italy is the most popular destination for German tourists, with 10 million visiting every year. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EU gets tough after false accounting claims
Yves Franchet, the former head of Brussels's statistics office Eurostat is facing disciplinary proceedings over alleged faulty accounting practices in a scandal that has tarnished his organisation's squeaky-clean image. During his time at the helm of Eurostat the Frenchman is accused of inflating the value of contracts and siphoning off cash, although it is not clear what the money would have been used for. European Commission Vice-President Neil Kinnock says the problems run deeper than previously thought. "These reports provide serious indications that unacceptable and possibly irregular practices appear to have been widespread throughout Eurostat, widespread over a longer period than many had presumed," he said. The case leaves the EU executive vulnerable to criticism. Its president, Romano Prodi, vowed zero tolerance on fraud when he came to office after his predecessor was forced to resign over nepotism and mismanagement. EU Parliament President Pat Cox told the press Prodi was doing a good job. "The European Commission, on receipt of evidence as late as yesterday, acted with commendable vigour, determination and openness today. "And unlike the previous commission we came and offered an immediate explanation to parliament and laid the cards, ugly as they are, face up on the table." Franchet, along with two aides who are also under investigation, has denied any wrongdoing. Eurostat is a highly respected supplier of economic data to financial markets. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hundreds of Iranian riot police have poured onto the streets of Tehran to quell violent clashes between pro-democracy protesters, police and Islamic vigilantes. The disturbances took place on the anniversary of student unrest in 1999. Earlier in the day a group of armed Islamic militants seized three student leaders after they held a news conference announcing they were planning to call their protest off. The whereabouts of the student leaders is still unknown. Government forces had banned the gatherings and closed campuses because of fears of violence. Police did seem to have a firmer grip on security than in June where some 4,000 people were arrested during ten nights of unrest. In those clashes police appeared unable to intervene as vigilantes beat demonstrators with chains cables and clubs. Many ordinary Iranians have lost patience with moderate President Khatami's government. They are weary at the levels of high unemployment, strict Islamic laws and Khatami's failure to advance reforms in the face of hardline opposition. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bush and Mbeki pledge to tackle Zimbabwe and Liberia
On the second leg of his African tour, US President George W.Bush, and his South African counterpart, Thabo Mbeki, presented a united front on resolving Zimbabwe's political and economic problems and finding a solution to the civil war in Liberia. "The United States supports the Liberian ceasefire signed last month. Taylor needs to leave Liberia so that his country can be spared grief and violence," said Bush. Bush has called on Liberian President Charles Taylor to stand down as a first step towards peace, but is hesitating on whether to send US troops to enforce the ceasefire. Taylor has warned of chaos if he quits before peacekeepers arrive. Washington has sent military experts to Liberia to assess whether US troops would be committed to the war-torn nation. Analysts say Washington is moving cautiously after a humanitarian intervention in Somalia a decade ago ended in the death of 18 US troops. On arrival, the reconnaissance team was greeted by hundreds of Liberians who pleaded for US peacekeepers to intervene, "We want peace, no more war", they chanted. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECOWAS leaders pledge troops to Liberia
Following his talks with US President George W.Bush, South African President Thabo Mbeki flew into Mozambique to update leaders from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, on the meeting. ECOWAS has welcomed Nigeria's offer of asylum to Liberian President Charles Taylor, ahead of a two day African Union summit in the capital Maputo. The leaders have requested that Morocco and South Africa send some 2,000 peace-keeping troops to Liberia. The regional body has pledged 3,000 troops to the West African nation, a move welcomed by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. "The immediate challenge has been taken up by ECOWAS with the full support of the African Union. And eventually I am sure we will see African troops from other parts of the continent joining a force to pacify Liberia," he said. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is also attending the African Union talks. Washington has called upon summit delegates to do more to resolve the crisis gripping the troubled nation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heatwave causing havoc across Europe
Firefighters in France fear forest blazes that have been raging in the Alps since Monday may flare up again today. Forecasters are predicting hot weather and thermal winds. The fires are now contained thanks to tons of water dropped by aircraft and a brief spell of rain.They have so far destroyed some 300 hectares of forest. The heatwave is also wreaking havoc in Slovakia. Unseasonal weather is threatening this year's harvest. Some farmers have voiced fears that their crop yield will be half of last year's. Some are anxious they will not even have enough corn to feed their animals. In Bulgaria, waters levels on the river Danube have dropped to 60-year lows. Boats negotiating the Bulgarian section of the river have been coming into difficulty. If levels drop any further river traffic on certain parts of the river may have to be suspended altogether. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 9, Wednesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hundreds feared dead in Bangladesh ferry disaster
Hundreds of people are feared to have drowned after a ferry sank in a river in Bangladesh. A police spokesman said more than 600 people had been on board the boat and that only around 200 have been rescued so far. It is not yet known if the ferry was overloaded. It sank during a crossing between two towns on either side of a river which was said to be heavily swollen be monsoon rains --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bush in Pretoria on second stop of Africa tour
US President George W.Bush's second stop on a five nation African tour to promote closer ties between the US and the world's poorest continent has taken him to South Africa. South African President Thabo Mbeki is to welcome Bush later in the day. The two leaders are expected to hold talks on trade, Aids, and the political crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe. Bush is expected to push Mbeki to take a tougher stance on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. Yesterday, in Senegal the US President pledged his commitment to the continent, particular in terms of trade and the promotion of peace. "We will ensure that the nations of Africa are full partners in the trade and prosperity of the world. Against the waste and violence of civil war we will stand together for peace," said Bush. The extent of Bush's commitment to Africa may be tested in Liberia. Since a rebel advance on the capital last month, the US has faced mounting international pressure to intervene. The American president said he would work with the United Nations and West-African leaders to preserve a shaky ceasefire, but had not yet decided whether to send peacekeepers to the nation torn by 14 years of war. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel Abbas resignation offer rejected
Council workers painted-over anti-Israeli graffiti in Gaza in a symbolic demonstration of the moderate Palestinian leadership's efforts to tackle extremism. The gesture followed hard on the heels of a suicide attack in Israel which killed a 65-year-old woman and the bomber himself. At his home in a village in the northern West Bank his family hurriedly emptied their house fearing an Israeli reprisal. The militants who claimed responsibility said it was in response to Israel's refusal to release more Palestinian prisoners. Against this background a planned meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, has been called off for what were described as "technical reasons". The attack and the stalemate on prisoners has pushed the peace process even closer to collapse. It has also heightened tensions between hardliners in Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah group and Abbas. He offered to resign as prime minister over Fatah's dissatisfaction with his failure to persuade Israel to release more prisoners. The offer was rejected but the row has dealt a heavy blow to the viability of his leadership. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UN nuclear watchdog chief expects Iranian cooperation
United Nations Nuclear Watchdog chief, Mohamed ElBaradei says he thinks Iran will agree to more intrusive nuclear inspections. Baradei is to push President Khatami's government to sign an additional UN protocol during his visit to Tehran today. The additional protocol would give the International Atomic Energy Agency access to virtually any site in Iran and the right to conduct snap inspections Washington believes Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons - a charge Tehran vehemently denies. An exiled Iranian opposition group supports US allegations. It says Tehran had established a new hidden facility to perfect uranium enrichment technology. "This is the pilot facility, where the uranium enrichment will take place. This will be used for their bigger ultimate uranium enrichment facility in Natanz," says Alireza Jafarzadeh of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Iran says it wants an international embargo on the export of nuclear technology lifted before it signs the additional nuclear protocol.
Brazilian workers strike over pensions
Brazil has been hit by a wave of strikes in a protest by public sector workers over pension reform plans. The proposals - a key policy of President Lula da Silva - aim to raise retirement ages, change benefit calculations, and most controversially make the retired pay tax on pensions in a move to compensate for a shortfall in the benefits system. But Lula's reforms have divided Brazil's labour movement between non-striking groups negotiating amendments with the government and striking unions wanting new legislation. Some union leaders vowed to paralyse Brazil's Central Bank and Finance Ministry, but most federal employees made it to to work in the capital Brasilia. The protest comes after Lula won the presidency in 2002 on an ambitious platform promising to overhaul government, repay Brazil's debts, cut interest rates and tackle rising unemployment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold war files could blow cover of thousands of Stasi spies
The CIA has returned to Germany documents it seized in one of the Cold War's last intelligence coups. The move could blow the cover of up to 50,000 Stasi spies who worked for former Communist East Germany. After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 the Stasi secret police destroyed many files detailing its huge spy network. The CIA managed to obtain microfilm copies in 1992. Last month Washington agreed to declassify the information. The German authority that manages the Stasi archive can now use the files for its research. It hopes to gain more details on the workings, goals and methods of the Stasi spy network ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 8, Tuesday, July, 2003 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US President George Bush begins a tour of African nations today aimed at tackling the continent's rampant problems while at the same time boosting American interests. After dismissing Africa as beyond US security interests during his presidential campaign in 2000 the Bush administration now regards it as highly important to US policy. A key part of his mission is to promote a 100 million euro counter-terrorism initiative for Eastern Africa. Washington considers some African countries fertile territory for Al Qaeda and other anti-US militant groups. The money will be used to bolster air and sea port security. Bush will also be showcasing a new 15 billion euro anti-aids programme. The President's trip begins in Senegal where, ahead of his arrival, a small group of demonstrators protested against his visit. They voiced anger over the war in Iraq and what they regard as America's military --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More US military experts in Liberia
In Liberia there is growing evidence that the US is considering military intervention. The Pentagon has despatched a second team of military experts to assess the logistics of sending a peacekeeping force to the country, which has been ravaged by 14 years of violence. President Bush has said such a force would only be sent in when President Charles Taylor stands down and leaves Liberia. The idea has the backing of most Liberians and West African nations have pledged to support a US force. Nigeria is reportedly where Taylor will seek asylum but the country has problems of its own. It has been hit by a general strike and violent demonstrations over fuel prices. Nigeria's top union official said ten protestors had been shot by police during disturbances in the city of Lagos. Nigerians see low petrol prices as the only benefit they get from the state's huge oil wealth. Nigeria is one of the countries Bush will be visiting. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mystery explosion kills two in Israel
A suspicious explosion in Israel has added to the strains on a shaky truce in the Middle East. A man and a woman died in the blast at a house in a village close to Israel's border with the West Bank. Three children in a neighbouring house were injured. Emergency services at first said it was a gas explosion. But investigators later said they were not ruling out the possibility of a Palestinian suicide attack because the identity of the dead man was unknown. The ceasefire is also under pressure from angry Palestinians who claim Israel is not moving fast enough to release prisoners. Israel's commitment to do so helped persuade Palestinian militant groups to declare a temporary halt to violence. They demonstrated their frustration during a protest in the West Bank city of Nablus. The Israeli government says it will free prisoners at the same rate that Palestinian authorities arrest militants and seize their weapons. Despite mutual suspicions both sides are still committed to the peace process. Israeli and Palestinian cabinet ministers held a series of talks yesterday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
US soldiers destroyed a huge arms cache in Fallujah, a Sunni stronghold to the west of Baghdad, where troops have been frequently targeted. In the continuing spiral of hostilities, a further two American soldiers died in guerrilla attacks, bringing to 29 the number killed since President George W. Bush declared major combat over on the 1st of May. Washington has blamed the violence on die-hard supporters of Saddam Hussein. The CIA says it believes an audio recording allegedly of Saddam urging Iraqis to rise up against US troops to be authentic. The recording was aired on the Arabic news network Al Jazeera last week. In a separate development, 37 Iraqi councillors held an inaugural session of a new Baghdad City council. Washington has hailed it as a first major step towards democracy. In his weekly televised address, US administrator Paul Bremner told Iraqis that the Saddam dinar was to be replaced by a new currency. The new notes will begin circulation in mid-October. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Committee clears British government over Iraq war allegations
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government did not mislead parliament to justify the war in Iraq. That is the conclusion from an all party foreign affairs committee, which has been investigating claims that officials exaggerrated intelligence on Iraq's weapons to strenghthen the case for war. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has demanded an apology after allegations made on the BBC. Speaking after the announcement, Straw said: "the central and most damaging allegation against the government, that we inserted the 45 minutes intelligence into the dossier whilst knowing it to be untrue and against the wishes of the intelligence agencies, has been shown to be false. Not a single committee member, having heard all the evidence both publicly and privately has found that the BBC's central and damaging allegation was true." Claims that communications director Alastair Campbell 'sexed up' intelligence were also rejected. On this issue, the committee was deeply divided but said he did not make changes to the evidence. Campbell today hit back at the BBC: "this is about one set of allegations, namely that the government inserted a false piece of evidence into the dossier against the wishes of the intelligence agency, whilst we knew it to be untrue. That is a fundamental attack against the government, and the prime minister. The BBC has not provided a shred of evidence to support this." The committee did conclude however that the claims Iraq could deploy weapons within 45 miniutes were given too much prominence by the government. The BBC is standing by its report, claiming it received the information from an anonymous intelligence source. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heatwave in Italy spells trouble for farmers
Simmering summer temperatures could spell disaster for Italian farmers. The heatwave in the North Eastern Veneto region is already beginning to take its toll. As river levels drop well below seasonal averages, experts predict water supplies already running short, could threaten this year's harvest. The rivers and lakes in the region are used to irrigate farmland. Now farmers can only irrigate their crops on a rotational basis, water that once gushed at 500 litres per second, flows at just 30 per second. Much of the produce is already withering up well before maturation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Successful lift off of Mars probe
"Unlocking the secrets of our neighbouring planet", the words of a NASA scientist as a rocket carrying an exploratory probe successfully blasted off to Mars. Time was running out for NASA after a series of mishaps delayed the launch that had been due on June 24th. A last minute glitch halted the countdown 7 seconds in, but engineers fixed a pressure valve and the shuttle made its second window and blasted off into space in the early hours of this morning. Now the probe carried on the Delta 2 rocket, is speeding off towards the Red Planet. It will hopefully meet up with its twin geological robot some time in January. The two robots will roll across the Martian landscape for three months. They will take photographs, drill into rocks and scoop up samples to discover whether large bodies of water existed on Mars long enough for life to evolve. Future missions will search for evidence of that life. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Buena Vista star calls off tour
He is a living legend in the music world, helping catchy Cuban rhythms reach the top of the planet-wide hit parade. But Compay Segundo, of the famous Buena Vista Social Club, is also 96 and suffering from kidney problems, which means that he has been forced to cancel his forthcoming solo tour. He is philosophical about his age, however, and has joked that he would like to live as long as his grandmother, who survived to 115. The Buena Vista Social Club is a group of musicians, many of them not much younger than Compay Segundo, brought together by blues guitar hero Ry Cooder. They enjoyed phenomenal success with an album that won a prized Grammy award and a film followed, telling the story of their rise to fame and fortune. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 7, Monday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corsica thwarts Paris reform plans --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated: 5, Saturday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I did not apologise" claims Berlusconi
"I did not apologise" claims Berlusconi Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi says he has not apologised for comparing a German MEP to a Nazi death camp guard. This came at a press conference following the customary meeting between the incoming European Union Presidency and the European Commission led by Romano Prodi. Berlusconi was questioned after the president of the European Parliament called for amends to be made to the institution. The Italian premier went over a telephone conversation he had had with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder: "I did not make an apology. I spoke of my sadness over a comment that was interpreted badly, but it was only intended as an ironic comment," he said. Berlusconi said he had been offended by words aimed not only at himself but at Italy as a whole, and suggestions that it was a country lacking in democracy - an authoritarian regime: "I'm sorry if this offended sensitivities but sensitivity is not a one-way street," he added. However, he said that he had "profound appreciation and respect for the European Parliament" but he would tell it "the same thing" as he had told Schroeder. Berlusconi made his controversial comments on Wednesday, one day after Italy took over the presidency of the European Union for the next six months. The Nazi row has completely overshadowed Italy's agenda for the EU, and many notable European newspapers, politicians and analysts have questioned Berlusconi's ability to lead the Union. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sectarian attack on Pakistani mosque causes bloodbath
The strike may have been intended as a suicide operation - witnesses say two of the attackers blew themselves up. The blast happened in the western city of Quetta. It was the latest in a spate of attacks on Pakistan's Shiite minority, usually blamed on radical Sunnis. The bombing brought angry Shiites onto the streets of Quetta. Witnesses say a mob, some firing shots into the air, gathered outside the hospital where the bodies and casualties were taken. Police were deployed to restore order and slapped a curfew on the city. Quetta was the scene of recent violence between Sunnis and Shiites. Nationwide, hundreds have been killed in sectarian attacks in recent years. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fourth of July marred by further violence against US forces in Iraq
One US soldier has been killed and more than 20 have been wounded in a spate of attacks against US forces there. The serviceman who died was shot by a sniper in Baghdad. Nineteen others were injured when a base for logistical support forces came under mortar attack in the city of Balad, 60 kilometres northwest of the capital. Two other soldiers were injured when an explosion targetted a humvee vehicle on the outskirts of Baghdad early this morning. The attacks are the latest in a series of increasingly bold guerrilla-style assaults on US military in Iraq. Twenty four American soldiers and six British troops have been killed since the official end of the war two months ago. The attacks continue despite a crackdown by US forces in the north of the capital, where it is believed die-hard supporters of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein are holed up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Last Updated: 4, Friday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- France's parliament approves plans to overhaul pensions system
The French parliament has adopted plans for controversial pensions reforms. The vote was carried by a convincing majority of 389 votes to 132 and ends months of ructions between right-wingers and Socialists. The plans will see public sector pensions contributions increase to 40 years, in line with the private sector. Francois Fillon, Social Affairs Minister, said: "I feel I have done my duty by pursuing this reform, the most important since the end of the Second World War. These plans are fair because they will see successive generations making sure that our pensions regime survives. Given time, the reform process will seem neither partisan, nor dogmatic, but serving the interests of the whole country." France's upper house will now rubber-stamp the reforms before they're formally adopted at the end of the month. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anti-US attacks multiply in Iraq as Washington offers reward for Saddam's capture
A $25 million reward has been offered by the US for any information leading to the capture of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein or proof of his death. It follows the latest assaults on US troops in Iraq this morning: eight soldiers were wounded in three separate attacks. Another man was killed in a mine-clearing operation overnight, bringing the death toll among US soldiers in Iraq to 23 since Washington declared an end to war two months ago. The hit-and-run attacks have grown increasingly frequent in recent weeks. The grenade this morning was aimed at an army jeep which was then set on fire by a mob of angry Iraqis. US president George W Bush however says his 150,000 troops present in Iraq are well prepared. US officials blame Saddam loyalists believed to be holed up in the north and northeast of the capital for the assaults. Anger at the American presence is growing - many resent the occupation and are demanding their own government to restore law and order. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There seems to be no let-up in the violence in the Middle East, despite the declaration of a ceasefire by leading Palestinian militant groups just four days ago. Today, thousands of people gathered for the funeral of an al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade member who was killed overnight in an Israeli raid in the West Bank. In response, militants belonging to the group - an armed wing of Palestininan Leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction - have vowed to destroy the truce. The group is divided over the ceasefire but has reportedly said it is willing to halt attacks, but only in areas that Israel has withdrawn from. Violence also erupted in the Gaza Strip last night when Palestinian militants fired anti-tank rockets at a Jewish settlement in what appeared to be a breach of their own ceasefire. Israeli forces temporarily closed down a section of the north-south highway in the Gaza Strip after the attack which injured three Israelis. The three leading Islamic militant groups, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah signed a temporary truce on Sunday, which is already being overshadowed by violence. Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, residents woke up to see Palestinian police once again patrolling their streets. Israeli troops handed over security on Wednesday in one of the latest steps in the so-called road map to peace. Now all eyes are on the two sides whose responsibilty it is to end the violence once and for all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russians introduce car insurance
It is a Revolution on Russia's roads: it is now illegal to drive without insurance. From 1st July this year, all motorists must be insured third party. Until now, it was up to the various parties involved in a crash to work out who was responsible or to call on the police do so, in a country where security services are notoriously underpaid and vulnerable to bribes. Now, mobile insurance centres are popping up all over the place to enable motorists to sign up. The cost of insurance is based on the type of vehicle, the driver's age and where they live. For many Russians, it will be the first time they ever sign an insurance form, but analysts are quick to add that the implementation of the law largely depends on the police's determination to enforce it .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Schroeder gambles on more borrowing
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder says an economic reform programme he set out three months ago is proving successful. Speaking in the German Parliament he said: "We are sending a clear signal at a time of weak economy - less taxes for more investment and more jobs." Europe's largest economy is on the brink of recession but Schroeder is prepared to take a gamble by borrowing more to pay for major tax cuts. The government's agreed to accelerate, by a year, tax cuts worth 15.5 billion euros - originally planned for 2005. Schroeder said: "The people of our country want things to change and they understand this is necessary". But the European Bank is worried that Germany's rising borrowing could bring the country in breach of the EU's budget deficit limit for the third year in a row.
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Last Updated: 3, Thursday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Italian premier expresses regret for Nazi slur
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said he regrets the misunderstanding caused by a Nazi slur he made in the European Parliament. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has accepted his comments and after a telephone conversation with Berlusconi said: "I think for the German Government this situation is over." The row erupted during Berlusconi's debut speech before the European Parliament. German Social Democrat Martin Schulz had claimed there was a conflict of interest between Berlusconi's media empire and his political activities. In response, Berlusconi plunged into a speech comparing Schulz to a Nazi concentration camp leader. The remarks stunned colleagues in the parliament and the news was splashed across newspapers throughout Europe. It happened just three days after Italy took over the rotating EU presidency. In a statement, Berlusconi added he had been seriously offended by the criticism levelled at him.
Germany demands apology from Berlusconi over Nazi slur
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has
demanded Silvio Berlusconi make a public apology after the Italian
Prime Minister compared a German politician to a Nazi commander. To applause, he went on to say he expects a full apology. Berlusconi made the comments during his debut speech before the European Parliament on Wednesday, as his country took over the EU's rotating Presidency. The row was sparked after German Social Democrat Martin Schulz launched a personal attack on Italy's richest man, criticizing an alleged conflict of interest between his political role and his huge media empire. Berlusconi was furious with the remarks and responded
by saying: "Mr Schulz, I know there is a man in Italy producing
a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I would like to suggest you
for the role of leader. You'd be perfect," Berlusconi's comments
left colleagues stunned. Berlusconi has faced criticism for his outburst at home and abroad. One Italian newspaper said he was unable to "control his nerves and tongue". It is a rocky start for Berlusconi, whose country has been at the helm of EU for just three days. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Schroeder gambles on more borrowing
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder says an economic reform programme he set out three months ago is proving successful. Speaking in the German Parliament he said: "We are sending a clear signal at a time of weak economy - less taxes for more investment and more jobs." Europe's largest economy is on the brink of recession but Schroeder is prepared to take a gamble by borrowing more to pay for major tax cuts. The government's agreed to accelerate, by a year, tax cuts worth 15.5 billion euros - originally planned for 2005. Schroeder said: "The people of our country want things to change and they understand this is necessary". But the European Bank is worried that Germany's rising borrowing could bring the country in breach of the EU's budget deficit limit for the third year in a row. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another American soldier has been wounded in Baghdad. He is the latest victim of a wave of almost daily attacks on US forces in Iraq since the US declared the end of major combat on 1st May. The soldier is thought to have been injured when a grenade hit the jeep he was travelling in. At least two Iraqi passers-by were also wounded. Iraqis then set the jeep on fire, hurling stones at the burning vehicle. Another US soldier died during a mine-clearing operation on Wednesday night, bringing to 23 the number of deaths among the US military in Iraq since the start of May. US troops have stepped up their search for those behind the deadly guerrilla-style attacks, which they blame on die-hard supporters of former president Saddam Hussein. US President George W Bush has said the assaults will not force his men to leave Iraq before their job of bringing security back to the country is done. The US administrator in Iraq has asked for more troops and civilians to help restore law and order. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The United States says it is considering whether to send a peace force to Liberia to try to end its bloody civil war. The number of people fleeing their homes continues to rise in the West African nation which has been marked by an escalation in conflict in recent weeks. Rebel troops, which now control more than half of the country, are demanding the resignation of President Charles Taylor, who has been indicted for war crimes. Liberians are desperately hoping for a move by the US, which is under growing pressure to act because of its historical ties to a country founded by freed American slaves more than a hundred and fifty years ago. Rumours that the US had agreed to send in peacekeeping forces sparked celebrations in the capital Monrovia on Wednesday. US president George W Bush is due in Liberia next Monday as part of a visit to Africa. He has said the establishment of peace and security on the continent is a priority for the US. But many are questioning whether Washington, whose military is already stretched thin by deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, will deem Liberia worth the investment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Middle East peace moves progress
In what is a small but significant sign of progress in moves to bring peace to the Middle East, Israel has freed a handful of Palestinian prisoners. A bus carrying the group left an army base south of Ramallah in the West Bank. The former detainees headed for freedom on a journey that marks another key step along the United States-backed "road map." US President Bush has declared himself pleased with the way things are going, although for him, a priority remains the dismantling of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. "Hamas is not a peaceful organisation when they are willing to blow people up and destroy innocent life. And so we are making progress but the progress will be ultimately made when the world, particularly that part of the world, firmly and finally rejects terrorist activities," he said. Bethlehem is now back under Palestinian control, in another indication that things on the ground are changing. Palestinian police are patrolling the streets following a pullback by Israeli troops, although the Jewish State's forces will continue to maintain positions around the city. Optimism over peace must be weighed against the reality of ongoing violence however, with a Palestinian militant reportedly killed in a gun battle with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and three Israelis wounded after mortar bombs were fired into a Jewish settlement in Gaza. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Last Updated:2, Wednesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A rough start to the new job
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has presented the Italian European Union Presidency's agenda to the European Parliament. As he began his speech, however, Green party members stood up bearing a message in several languages: 'All equal before the law.' This echoes criticism of the speaker's legal and many say moral quandaries; a corruption trial against him just been suspended, to comply with a new immunity law. Politicians and the news media have publically questioned the billionaire businessman's suitability to represent Europe. With smiles absent from MEPs' faces and the occasional eyebrow raised as he galloped resolutely through page after page of text. For more than thirty minutes Berlusconi stuck to his ambitious programme. He said Rome would focus on a swift completion of Europe's constitutional negotiations: "We will open the intergovernmental conference this October," he said, "and sustain momentum in order to reach a conclusion by December." There was clapping whenever the audience approved. In addition to institutional reform tasks, in preparing for EU enlargement next year, he spoke of increased cooperation dialogue with Russia and other peripheral neighbours of the Union, notably Arab states of the Mediterranean basin. As for EU-United States relations, he underscored Italy's conviction that there were no contradictions between a strong European engagement in world affairs and a transatlantic solidarity equally strong. Following Berlusconi's presentation, he sparked fury in the European Parliament - when he appeared to compare German MEP Martin Schulz with a Nazi concentration camp leader. He was responding to personal remarks made by Schulz, a socialist lawmaker, after he criticised Berlusconi's recent legal problems and commented on his major Italian media interests. Berlusconi had earlier said: "Mr Schulz, I know there is a man in Italy producing a film on the Nazi concentration camps. I would like to suggest you for the role of leader. You'd be perfect." Colleagues were stunned by Berlusconi's comments and showed concerns about his suitability to head the 15-nation-bloc. Berlusconi then launched into a speech defending his words. He said: "Mr Schulz offended me very much in a personal way. I said this sentence with humour, it is your problem if you are unable to understand this." European Parliament President Pat Cox tried to restore order, but Berlusconi refused to withdraw his remarks unless Schulz did.
Berlusconi lashes out at critics
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has struck
back at his international critics as he prepares to address the European
Parliament on Wednesday. "Let this be said politely: Nobody can teach morality lessons to the government elected by the Italian people," he wrote in a newspaper article appearing on Wednesday. Mr Berlusconi is scheduled to lay out his ambitious agenda for the six-month Italian presidency of the EU - but members of the European Parliament are not expected to be a welcoming audience. Green members of the European parliament are planning a protest in which they will hoist banners proclaiming: "The law is equal for all." Mr Berlusconi took over the EU reins at midnight on 1 July, hours after a Milan court suspended his trial on charges of bribery under a controversial new immunity law. The Berliner Zeitung described Mr Berlusconi as "a man whose hand we would not willingly shake" on Tuesday. The French daily Liberation called him a "danger to Europe", while Le Monde voiced concern that his strongly pro-American position put him at odds with some other European leaders. Italy's programme On Monday, the billionaire businessman said he would aim to restore good relations between Europe and the US, which were damaged by the Iraq war. "The West must be united," he told France's Europe 1 radio. "One can be very European... and also be a friend of the biggest democracy in the world, the United States." Italy's other priorities for the next six months include: Opening an inter-governmental conference on the new
EU constitution in October Demonstration They are also expected to criticise the immunity law hastily passed by the Italian parliament to save Mr Berlusconi the embarrassment of court appearances during Italy's EU presidency. Mr Berlusconi will also give a news conference on Wednesday with the president of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, one of his biggest rivals in Italian politics. Mr Prodi said on Tuesday that he and Mr Berlusconi - whom he once compared to Goebbels - would work together during the Italian presidency. "It will be a co-operative presidency. We should work together. There is no problem," he said. In his radio interview on Monday, Mr Berlusconi outraged the Italian left by accusing the country's "leftist" press of inspiring the foreign media criticism of him. "This is a terrible beginning," said former left-wing Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema. "To export our internal rows in such a crude fashion will not win back credibility for our country." Berlusconi tells Europe to drop the "morality lessons" Silvio Berlusconi has kicked off Italy's six-month presidency of the European Union with an attack on his critics. He says his government is not prepared to accept "morality lessons" from anyone. Editorials across Europe have called his credentials into question. Old political rival and European Commission President Romano Prodi told reporters, however, that Berlusconi would be perfectly competent. "I don't react to comment. I see that this will be a co-operative presidency. Institutions are institutions," he said. "The Italian presidency will be as competent and successful as the Greek presidency." An immunity law passed as Berlusconi's corruption trial comes to a head is one of the hot issues. But EU Liberals leader Graham Watson said the Italian prime minister should be given some space. "I feel it would be unhelpful if the European Parliament were to use sessions to attack Mr Berlusconi without giving him a chance to prove himself as president of the council," he said. With rows at home currently threatening to overshadow
Berlusconi's reform agenda for Europe, his government is trying to
keep a lid on the issue. "We respect the concerns and prejudices
that some people have in respect of the Italian government and its
prime minister", said Foreign Minister Franco Frattini. "We
will respond to these issues with concrete facts." Berlusconi
will have his chance to set out his policy objectives, which include
a massive infrastructure spending plan and EU-wide pensions reform,
later on Wednesday. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Israel is fulfilling its commitments as it prepares to withdraw from the West Bank town of Bethlehem. It follows a joint agreement by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas yesterday to end almost three years of Intifada. The hand-over of the holy city to Palestinian control is a key step in the US-backed road map to peace in the Middle East. Under the deal, Israeli forces would stop curfews and patrols in Bethlehem but keep the city encircled, while Palestinian police inside the city would help curb militants responsible for attacks on Israelis. The handover follows an Israeli pullback from much of the Gaza Strip that restored free movement for Palestinians for the first time since the start of the Intifada. On Sunday, leading Palestinian militants declared a temporary halt to attacks.The truce was soon challenged by renewed assaults in which two people were killed, but Abbas voiced optimism that the ceasefire would hold if Israel refrains from retaliating. Former Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres has compared
the current optimistic mood to that which followed the 1993 Oslo agreements.
Bethlehem handover amid optimism for Middle
East peace ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ American soldier killed in Iraq
Another American soldier has died following an attack on US forces in Iraq. His convoy was hit by a bomb on a Baghdad highway. It raises to 23 the number of Americans killed by hostile fire since the US pronounced the end of major combat on May 1st. It is the latest in a wave of attacks against US-led occupation forces blamed on former Saddam loyalists. The US administrator in Iraq says they are a mark of
increased desperation on the part of Saddam's die-hard supporters,
adding that they will be defeated. The American presence is facing
growing anger from the Iraqi people, many of whom want them to leave.
Several hundred unemployed state workers demonstrated outside the
US administration headquarters today demanding to be paid or to get
their jobs back.
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Last Updated:1, Tuesday, July, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Setback for Berlusconi: Italian court examines immunity law
An Italian court trying Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on corruption charges has said a law granting him immunity from prosecution could be illegal. Judges said concerns the law was unconstitutional were not unfounded and asked Italy's Supreme court to investigate the legislation that only made the statute books earlier this month. In the meantime Berlusconi's trial will be suspended
in accordance with the controversial law. This latest twist in Berlusconi's
long running corruption trial comes just one day before Italy takes
over as head of the European Union's rotating presidency. Legal experts
say they do not expect any decision to be made before the end of the
year and that should give the Italian Premier a break from his legal
troubles during his six months at the helm of the EU. Al Aqsa faction joins shaky truce with Israel
The Gaza branch of the Al Aqsa martyrs brigade has joined the truce with Israel which was announced earlier by the three main Palestinian militant factions. But in a sign of how difficult a lasting ceasefire will be, another faction of the Al Aqsa group claimed responsibility for an attack in the West Bank. A foreign worker involved in an Israeli road construction project was shot dead. Meanwhile Palestinians are starting to take control of the northern Gaza strip after Israel withdrew as part of the ceasefire deal. Israeli forces will also evacuate the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday. Diplomacy is also hotting up with Palestinian officials meeting US diplomats who are monitoring implementation of the road map. But it remains to be seen whether all militants comply with the ceasefire to give Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas a chance. While there is room for optimism, a lasting truce is by no means in the bag. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moratinos bids farewell to Middle East
Miguel Angel Moratinos has been one of the principle witness' of the European Union's effort to exercise a common foreign policy. As special envoy to the Middle East, the Spaniard has spent seven years in a region where a diplomat must display all the skills and strength of a tightrope walker. Now, at the end of his mandate, Moratinos tells EuroNews he regrets not having assisted in finding a final peace settlement, but he believes Europe has and continues to play a positive role. EN: On several occasions in the past you've described your job as a "mission impossible". So how would you assess your performance after nearly seven years in the post. MAM: Even if there isn't a definitive solution as we all hoped for and for me personally, I would've loved to have left here by signing a final peace treaty, However, I'm very happy because at least there's a peace plan on the table in which Europe had an active role in devising. It's a window of opportunity for the Palestinians and the Israelis, but also a ray of hope for the people of Libya and Syria. EN: Do u think the Palestinians and the Israelis have gone past the point where they can solve their problmes themselves? And what do u think of the French idea of sending an international peacekeeping force to the occupied territories? MAM: At this moment, we must continue to have confidence in the measures drawn up in the road-map to peace. As for setting up a peacekeeping force, without the consent of Israel or American support, the idea seems somewhat premature. EN: Regarding the road-map, do u think the goal of setting up a Palestinian state by 2005 is realistic? MAM: We must stay fixed on that date, because one of the biggest problems in the Middle East negotiations has been the lack of a firm deadline. The desire to talk or recognise each other positions has always been there, but without any clear objective to concentrate minds - so to renounce the 2005 deadline would be diplomatic suicide. EN: While Clinton's peace plan set out clear land percentages and the status of Jerusalem, the road-map doesn't go into details on such questions which are really crucial issues for both sides. Is this absence a fault in the road-map or is it a new form of negotiation? MAM: The road map is the result of two and a half year breakdown in trust and dialogue between the Palestinians and Israelis. They're not quite ready to sit down around a negotiation table, make peace and resolve all their big problems in one go. First they have to establish a mutual trust, according to a calendar with precise obligations. EN: Israel has often accused Yasser Arafat of wanting to set up a Palestinian state at the expense of Israel and not alongside it. Is that true? MAM: The Palestinian leadership believes that only the creation of a Palestinian state can truly guarantee Israel's existence. We all understand the suffering of the Jewish people while recognising their right to a land of their own. At the same time, the Israelis must accept that the Palestinian people also have a right to their own state or cou EN: Must extremist groups like Hamas still be included in lists of terrorist organisations drawn up by Europe? MAM: If Hamas continues to use violence and send suicide bombers into Israel, then yes - it's totally against European ethics. We can't maintain a dialogue with Hamas if they continue to authorise suicide attacks. EN: The Middle East peace process seems to be the exclusive terrain of the White House. Is this impression true, or is European diplomacy rated the same as Washington's? MAM: When Europe decided to push for reforms to Palestinian institutions, we were responsible for persuading around 90 percent of our Palestinian partners to adopt a Prime Minister. That's just politics. Convince the members of parliament to change their constitution and convince them of the PM's important functions. All that was possible thanks to European engagement. EN: Finally, M Moratinos, do you truly believe that peace is possible with both Sharon and Arafat in power? They've deeply despised one another for more than 20 years. MAM: It's true that Arafat and Sharon are dealing with their own personal arm-wrestling match, but we mustn't forget that they've been chosen and have the support of the majority of their peoples. The Israelis and Palestinians have to put their leaders in a position where they can take important and historic decisions. The most important thing I think is that both societies believe in peace and I'm sure that's the case. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- American troops launch Operation Sidewinder in Iraq
American troops in Iraq have launched a new operation to crack down on armed resistance against their forces. Operation Sidewinder aims to root out die-hard Saddam Hussein supporters who the US blame for almost daily attacks. Backed by aircraft and armoured vehicles, American forces detained 180 peopleand seized weapons and documents during raids in and around Baghdad. The arrests come as Amnesty International expressed concern at the treatment of detainees in Iraq. US officers are said to have been using excessive force. Coalition troops have also come under increasing pressure to halt rampant looting. In a further sign that law and order is still some way from being restablished, some 30 Iraqis died when an ammunition dump they were plunderingblew up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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