31 January 2002
Bush
speach draws a cool reaction abrod
Thursday, January 31, 2002
Cool and Cooler
Outside the U.S., little praise for Bush’s State of the Union speech
Jan. 30 — George W. Bush’s first State of the Union Message may have played well domestically, but it has not won the same acclaim abroad.
State of union 'never stronger'CNN
January 30, 2002 Posted: 10:45 AM EST (1545 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After seeking to rally Americans with his State of the Union address, President Bush set out Wednesday to push his agenda in a two-day tour of three Southeastern states.
World Economic Forum to open in New York 
An unprecedented police presence around the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York tells a tale. Security is all as top business, political and religious leaders gather for the World Economic Forum. The five-day meeting which starts today is being wrapped in a safety blanket, in an attempt to prevent violent street clashes that have disrupted the annual forum in recent years. New York wants to avoid trouble at almost any cost. Anti-globalisation groups planning demonstrations have accused the police of exaggerating the threat of violence. The cordon around the hotel went up early yesterday. The FBI, the US secret service and the diplomatic service were involved. US citizens need to show their passports to get to the pavement in front of the hotel.
Anti-globalisation activists hold their own
counter-summit in Brazil 
Timed to coincide with and counterpoint the World Economic Forum in New York, The World Scoial Forum of anti globalisation is kicking off today in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The event will welcome 13 thousand delegates from non-governmental organisations and civic action groups. For many of the forty thousand conference-goers expected the idea of the forum is to discuss alternatives to capitalism and globalisation which some believe are being imposed on people by the world's ruling elite.
U.S and Philippines forge a new alliance in
"war on terrorism" 
American and Filipino troops paraded together at the start of joint military exercises to combat muslim extremists The two countries have founded common cause. The U.S believes Abu Sayaff rebels in the south of the country are linked to Ossama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. For the next six months a military base in Zamboanga will be the centre of operations of the joint exercises. Almost four thousand local troops will be joined by around six hundred American soldiers. But the cooperative effort does not enjoy the support of all Filipinos. Some believe the U.S. presence violates the constitution which bars foreign combat forces from operating in the Philippines. But for the government of President Gloria Arroyo the initiative provides vital military and diplomatic support for a long-running counter-insurgency campaign.
Politicians targetted in Argentinian protests
There has been no let-up in Argentina's economic woes and no respite for its politicians. One congressman was forced to take refuge in a cafe when an angry crowd confronted him following a protest in Buenos Aires. He eventually escaped under a police escort. The political chaos which claimed the heads of several presidents in the space of a few short weeks may have subsided but Argentinians are still not happy about how the economy's being run. President Eduardo Duhalde's decision to devalue the peso is hitting many ordinary people hard. Mortgage debts have soared since the peso and the dollar were uncoupled.Years of budget deficits are blamed for the financial crisis which culminated last month in riots which lift dozens of people dead,.
Further fallout from Enron collapse. 
An unprecedented move in the United States, but after the biggest collapse in corporate history, these are unprecedented times. The watchdog of the United States Congress has decided to take the White House to court in a bid to try and find out what role Enron Corp. and others played in developing the government's energy plan. In a letter to the White House, the General Accounting Office said it would have, "strongly preferred to avoid litigation in connection with this matter. It is the first time we have filed suit to enforce access rights against a federal official, and we hope it's the last". The White House has refused to hand over records of the government's energy task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, arguing it would stop the administration from getting candid advice from outside experts. Eron and its chief executive Kenneth Lay were generous donors to the election campaign of President George W Bush, although the firm showered money on Senators and Representatives from both parties. However critics have accused the government of being too close to industry interests when it formulated its federal energy plan in the Spring of last year.
The Netherlands prepares for royal wedding.
The last touches are being brought the Golden Coach which will carry Crown Prince Wilhelm-Alexander and his wife Maxima Zorreguietta after they tie the knot on Saturday. It is the latest in a long line of of controversial royal unions in the Netherlands. The bride is none other than the daughter of Jorgue Zorreguieta, a former minister of Argentina's military dictatorship under which 30,000 people vanished or were killed. After an outcry when the engagement was announced last year, the Dutch have now warmed to the elegant, energetic Maxima, a former New York investment banker. But the bride's parents, who announced they would not attend the wedding following the scandal, will have to watch the event on TV along with millions of other viewers.
London's millennium bridge now "wobble free."
The wobble it seems has been fixed. London's Millennium bridge has been cured of the shakes and thousands of architects, engineers and other professionals took a stroll across to prove it. It follows two years of remedial work, prompted by criticism and safety concerns. Scores of giant shock absorbers have been installed to minimise swaying. Local authorities shut the bridge down two days after it was opened in June 2000 after pedestrians reported that it swayed so much it made some people feel seasick. It was just one in a series of expensive embarrassments which marred Britain's millennium celebrations.
30 January 2002
30 January 200230
War 2on terror top of agenda in Bush's big
speech
A rapturous reception was given to George W.Bush as he arrived at Washington's House of Representatives Chamber to make his debut State of the Union speech. The much-anticipated address was delivered in the presence of Afghanistan's new interim leader, Hamid Karzai. And, not surprisingly, the United States so-called "war on terrorism" was top of the agenda. "Our nation is at war, our economy is in recession and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers. Yet the state of our union has never been stronger," he said. Bush said diagrams of American nuclear power plants and public water facilities had been discovered during the military campaign as well as surveillance maps of US cities. "What we have found in Afghanistan confirms that, far from ending there, our war against terror is only beginning," he said. Bush identified states that he said constitute an "axis of evil" including North Korea, Iran and Iraq which he said was run by "a regime that has something to hide from the civilized world." The President outlined measures to boost homeland security and tackled the issue of America's recession-bound economy, outlining a stimulus plan which includes business tax breaks to help create new jobs. There was warm applause at the end of the 48 minute speech for George Bush, whose efforts in combatting Osama bin-Laden have helped make him the most popular US president in history.
EC issues warning to Germany and Portugal
over budgets 
In an unprecedented move the European Commission has recommended issuing a warning to Portugal and Germany over their failure to meet the budgetary requirements of the EU's stability and convergence pact. The deficits of both countries rose by around one percent of GDP more than had been forecast. Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pedro Solbes said Germany and Portugal needed to pursue additional measures to rectify the situation. He said the credibility of the stability agreement was at stake. However Solbes added the warning should not be over-dramatised and was not necessarily criticism. It is the first time the Commission has resorted to its so-called "early-warning" procedure, which can ultimately lead to hefty fines if the budget deficit ceiling is breached. EU Finance Ministers meeting next month will decide whether to endorse or rejected the warning.
Milosevic wants to stand trial a free man
With less than two weeks to go before the scheduled start of the war crimes trial of Slobodan Milosevic, prosecuters are still pushing for all charges against the former Yugoslav president to be heard in one case. The War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague decided last month that three indictments relating to war crimes in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo should be considered separately. Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte is appealing that ruling. She argues that the alleged offences had one common aim - to drive non-Serbs out of the three states and create a Greater Serbia. The judges hearing the appeal could make their decision within days, clearing the way for the start of the biggest war crimes trial since Nuremburg after World War Two. Milosevic, who has never recognised the tribunal, is asking to be allowed to stand trial as a free man, promising he will not try to flee and will return for the scheduled hearings.
State of Union message for US kids
America's children have received their own State of the Union message from President Bush, courtesy of the White House website! A special section aimed at youngsters poses trivia questions on US history. But the internet message is also a simply-worded rallying call for the US led war on terror. "I particularly want you to understand that the war we are fighting against terrorism is about your future and the future of our country," writes the President. The site has, though, stirred up controversy. George Bush's team claims its the first live White House webcast of a State of the Union speech. But Bill Clinton's office disagrees, arguing that his 1996 address was also broadcast over the Internet.
Seven civilians killed in shelling in Kashmir
Seven Pakistani civilians have been killed in one of the bloodiest incidents in the current bout of hostilities between India and Pakistan. It happened when Indian troops fired mortar bombs and artillery shells across the so-called Line of Control which divides the disputed region of Kashmir. Three of the victims were children, fourteen other people were wounded in the attack. In recent weeks dozens of people, military and civilian, have been killed in almost daily exchanges between the Indian and Pakistani armies. Both sides have been facing off across their border since a raid in mid-December on the Indian parliament. New Delhi accuses Pakistan of backing Kashmiri militants who were behind the assault. The Pakistanis deny any involvement in the incident. The Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf has again warned that his country is ready to go to war. But diplomatic efforts to ease tensions are continuing and both parties say they are willing to enter some form of dialogue.
Wreckage of doomed plane found on Columbian
Volcano
The scattered remains of a missing Boeing 727 have been found on the upper slopes of the Columbian volcano Cumbal. All 92 people on board were killed. The plane took off from the Ecuadorian capital Quito on Monday morning but radio contact was lost as it flew into Columbian territory. It slammed into the upper reaches of the volcano in rain and fog. One local farmer described what he found "Debris and body parts strewn all over. Some of the bodies were burnt." he said. The Columbian Air Force Chief, General Hector Velasco confirmed there were no survivors and said the crash caused a fire and the impact caused rocks to fall and cover much of the debris. Friends and relatives of those travelling on the TAME Airlines Flight 120 had been expecting the worst. Fog and rugged terrain had prevented the wreckage from being located for a full day. Two infants and five older children were on board.
Asterix film hits the screens 
The most expensive film ever made by France hits french cinemas today and what could be more appropriate than an Asterix epic. Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra cost 50 million euros, and it stars big French names like Gerard Depardieu. It comes three years after the first Asterix film, Asterix and Obelix against Caesar which also starred Depardieu and French model Laetitia Casta. The new film is directed by Alain Chabat who also plays the role of Caesar. He says here "I enjoyed playing Julius Caesar, because he was such a pain, such a megalomaniac. "
The Egyptian pharaos secrets uncovered
Hundreds of Egyptian tombs discovered last century on the Giza plateau are finally being given a spring clean after years of neglect. Their importance was only recently discovered. They were long left undocumented and covered with sand. Some were so deep underground that they were being driven over by cars in recent times. The largest of the tombs, the tomb of Lymery, is the only burial site open to the public for the moment. Drawings inside reveal details about the lives of the ancient pharaohs. Once they are all uncovered and cleaned up, the tombs will be numbered and recorded in a book for visitors to identify them easily and learn the secrets of each one.
29 January 2002
'Three goals for America'
cnn--
Riding high approval ratings, President Bush will seek to transfer the popularity gained from the war on terrorism to domestic issues -- chiefly restoring the economy -- during his first State of the Union address Tuesday, according to his advisers.
English farming 'unsustainable'
bcc--
Bush speech to focus on war
bcc--
President Bush's first State of the Union speech later on Tuesday will focus on the war against terrorism and the US economic recession.
Counting the costs after severe storms batter Britain.
euronews--
A huge clean up operation is underway, after the worst storms in over a decade battered the U.K. overnight, leaving a trail of devastation, and seven people dead...
Israel moves in on militants
euronews--
Moving in to do the job that Israel claims the Palestinian Authority is clearly failing to, Israeli tanks and troops raided a small village near the West Bank town of Bethlehem to arrest three militants.
US to start training exercises in Philippines.
euronews--
White House rolls out red carpet for Karzai
euronews--
Missing airliner may have hit volcano
euronews--
Fearing the worst, relatives have gathered at Cali airport in Colombia in the hope of hearing news of an Ecuadorean airliner missing on the Colombian border.
27 January 2002
Palestinian suicide bomb attack
Moving ever further from peace in the Middle East, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up this morning in downtown Jerusalem, wounding more than fifty people, a number of them seriously. Dazed and bleeding passers-by were taken by ambulance to hospital, many needing treatment for shock. The blast happened on Jaffa Road, the scene of a Palestinian shooting attack in which two Israeli women were killed on Tuesday and near to a pizzeria where a suicide bomber caused 16 deaths in August. This latest attack also came two days after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and wounded 15 people in Tel Aviv. The violence raised the spectre of fresh Israeli retaliation and is likely to increase Israeli and U.S. pressure on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to do more to rein in militants. Yesterday the Palestinian Authority, urged extremists to stop a wave of attacks on Israelis. However Israel said it wanted action, not words.
Afghan leader heads for the United States
History in the making as Hamid Kazai makes his way to Washington. He will be the first Afghan leader to visit America in nearly 40 years. He is expected to thank the U.S for its support. He will be guest of honour at President George W. Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday, before travelling on to New York to attend a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Kazai is expected to urge the United States to continue in its campaign against terrorism, until all traces of the al-Qaeda network have been removed from Afghanistan. On the talks adgenda will be the grand council. The former Afghan king Zahir Shah has been invited to open it. It will then be up to the council to decide if they want the 87 year old to play a part in the transitional government.
Islamists use snuff video in recruitment drive
Images of death and brutality to recruit Muslims to a life of terrorism- that is the claim of Britain's Sunday Observer newspaper, which says a video is being distributed in mosques around the country as part of a radical recruitment drive. The video, called Algeria, shows footage of an attack on an Algerian government convoy. The full version shows mutilated corpses and shots of a wounded conscript having his throat cut. It is being sold for around ten pounds. The paper claims it is being used by Algerian extremist groups linked to Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. It was said to have arrived in the U.K. shortly before the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington.
New British air traffic control centre operational
It is up, up and away for Britain's new air traffic control system. All systems are go for the National Air Traffic Services new centre in southern England. With an operations room the size of half a football pitch, it is billed as the world's most advanced air traffic control centre. However it is not all good news for travellers, at least in the beginning. Paul Noon from the Air Traffic Controllers' union said, "It will inevitably mean some delays for passengers over the next week or so. Air traffic controllers are working hard to ensure that it will be in minutes rather than hours". It is not the only delays associated with the project. It was due to open in 1996, but major computer problems and rising costs means it is six years late. Thousands of computer bugs resulted in 650,000 hours of extra testing.
Rodrigues pledges to take lead Portuguese
Socialists to a third term in power
Portugal's caretaker Prime Minister Antonio Guterres congratulated Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues on Saturday evening on taking control of the ruling Socialist Party. Guterres stepped down last month and hopes Rodrigues will keep the Party in power for a third term. Elections are set for March seventeenth. Rodrigues is a popular choice for Prime Minister among leftists. He designed one of the party's main policies, the guaranteed minimum wage. Opinion poles show the Socialists to be neck and neck with the centre-right opposition Social Democrats.
Aznar re-elected head of Spain's Popular Party
The Spanish Prime Minister was reappointed leader of his party at its conference in Madrid this weekend. Jose Maria Aznar was unopposed and delegates from the centre right Popular Party gave him a ringing endorsement with 99.6 of the vote. However he also repeated he would be retiring at the next election. Before the vote he told supporters "I am standing for the leadership of the party for a fifth time but I will not be a candidate next time". He added he didn't believe in political leaders hanging on to power. Under Aznar's leadership the party has won the last two elections and the next vote is scheduled for 2004. The party will have to find a new leader in time.
Dramatic protests at Australian refugee camp
Protests by asylum seekers at a detention camp in Australia's outback have taken another ugly turn. One protester climbed to the top of a fence encircled by barbed wire and then hurled himself off in front of stunned onlookers and security guards. He was severely injured as have many others at the camp who have swallowed large quantities of painkillers and in some cases gone on extreme hunger strikes by sewing their lips together. There have been frequent clashes between guards and the detainees. One guard was struck on the head on Saturday. The camp in the desert is highly controversial. The asylum seekers, many from southern Asia are being kept there for months while their residency applications are examined. The camp has been criticised by the UN refugee agency but the tough stand by the government on illegal immigration is supported by most Australians.
26 Gennaio 2002
Air delays likely as control centre opens
bbc--
Passengers are being warned of days of disruption as air traffic control across England and Wales switches to a new hi-tech centre.
Annan thanks Iran for Afghan support
bbc--
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan praises Iran for backing the UN peace process in its close neighbour, Afghanistan.
Tight security for Republic Day in India
euronews--
Amid unprecedented security, India has been celebrating its birth as a republic...
Israeli warplanes attack West Bank and Gaza
euronews--
Israel has attacked targets in the West Bank and Gaza, in apparent retaliation for Friday's Palestinian suicide strike in Tel Aviv which injured more than 20 people.
Funeral of assassinated Lebanese warlord
euronews--
Family and friends of notorious Lebanese Christian militia leader, Elie Hobeika, have paid their last respects, two days after he was killed in a car bomb explosion.
Mont Blanc Tunnel could reopen
euronews--
Final checks are being carried out this weekend on the Mont Blanc Tunnel linking Italy and France ahead of a possible reopening early next month.Rome and Paris have been locked in a debate over the crucial Alpine route.
"Cacerolazos" take to streets in Argentina
euronews--
Tens of thousands of Argentinians took to the streets on Friday in the biggest protests yet against the new government and the country's deepening economic crisis.
25 Gennaio 2002
'Hockey dad' gets 6 to 10
cnn--
A Massachusetts judge sentenced Thomas Junta to six to 10 years in state prison for the beating death of Michael Costin, 40, in a fight after a youth hockey practice in which the sons of both men participated.
US backs airline alliance
bbc--
Dissident jailed over Omagh bomb plot
bbc--
The only person to be convicted in connection with the Omagh bombing has been sentenced to 14 years in jail in the Irish Republic.
Many injured in new suicide bombing in Israel
euronews--
There has been another suicide bomb attack in Israel, this time in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.The bomber died on the scene torn to pieces. 14 others were injured...
Far-right Italian chosen for EU
euronews--
Italy's far-right deputy prime minister, Gianfranco Fini, has been chosen as his country's second representative on a key body charged with European Union reform...
France uses airwaves to break silence of sex abuse
euronews--
Pakistan says India missile test threatens stability
euronews--
India's testing of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile has provoked an angry response from its arch-rival Pakistan, which says the move threatens stability in the region.
A400Ms purchase has benefits for European Defence and aviation industry.
euronews--
Plans for closer European military cooperation were given a major boost on Thursday thanks to a decision by Germany's parliament to support the purchase of Airbus aircraft.
24 January 2002
Car bomb brings violence back to Beirut
A former Lebanese minister and militia leader has been killed in a car bomb blast in Beirut. Elie Hobeika died as he was leaving his home this morning. At least three other people were wounded in the blast - two were his bodyguards. The explosion knocked out windows in nearby buildings. Fire crews had to be called in to put out the flames. Hobeika commanded the Christian Lebanese Forces militia, which carried out the massacre of hundreds of Palestinian refugees during the Israeli invasion of Beirut in 1982. He was a hated figure in many of Lebanon's political circles, including among his one-time allies who regarded him as a traitor for switching his allegiance to their enemy Syria during the Lebanese civil war. He always denied responsibility for the killing of Palestinian refugees at Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps after Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Israeli troops were encircling the camps at the time of the massacres. A group of Palestinians is now trying to bring charges of war crimes against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who led Israel's invasion of Lebanon as defence minister at the time. Hobeika had said he was willing to testify against Sharon.
American al Qaeda fighter back in the US 
The caputred American taliban, John Walker Lindh, is back on US soil. Flanked by FBI officials, Walker was bound and shackled as he was taken away to a detention centre in Virginia. Shortly after his arrival, Walker's parents went to the jail but they were not allowed to see their son. "We are disappointed but the guards did tell us he was in good health and we are very glad to hear that," said his father, Frank Lindh. Mr Lindh and Marilyn Walker have portrayed their son as a misguided idealist rather than a Muslim extremist. The 20-year-old is charged with conspiring to kill Americans abroad, providing support to terrorist groups. Under US law, the most severe penalty for terrorism and sedition charges is execution.
Bush proposes a huge increase in military
spending 
The US President George W.Bush has said he will propose a huge increase in military spending next year, to buy precision weapons and high tech equipment for a wider war on terrorism following the September 11th attacks. He said: "My 2003 budget calls for more than 48 billion dollars in new defence spending. This will be the largest increase in defence spending in the last 20 years, and it includes another pay rise for the men and women who wear the uniform." The proposed rise in spending will be the largest since the massive defence build up of former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980's.
Enron chief Ken Lay resigns
A captain of industry abandons ship: Ken Lay has resigned
as chairman and chief executive of the Enron Corporation.
The 59-year-old says he wants to make way for someone dedicated to restructuring the bankrupt Texan energy trader. But his role is under the spotlight. Evidence suggests Lay knew about Enron's massive debts even as he was recommending its stock to employees. Thousands of Enron staff lost their jobs and their life savings in the energy firm's downfall. The FBI is now trying to piece together the extent of its hidden debt from documents shredded by Enron or its accountants. For Ken Lay all roads now lead to Washington. He is dealing with multiple criminal, congressional and US regulatory investigations, and is due to testify to a Senate committe early next month. Even his 500,000 euro per year pension payouts are unlikely to smooth his way into retirement.
Shorter flight delays in Europe 
Flight delays in Europe should become shorter from today with the introduction of a new system enabling more planes to use the airspace at once. The minimum vertical cruising distance between planes is being halved from 600to 300 metres. The air traffic authority Eurocontrol says the reform will mean overall capacity will grow by 20% and the air industry will save nearly 4 billion euros a year. It is hoped the reform will reduce flight delays, which stand at about five minutes on average. But expanding routes horizontally in the most crowded airspace - between Belgium, Germany and Switzerland - is impossible as a large chunk is retained for military exercises. Eurocontrol also points out the environmental benefits: carbon dioxide emissions will be cut by 900,000 tonnes. But this will only partly solve the problem of delays, many of which are caused by congestion on the ground and technical problems. Passengers should expect flight restrictions over the next few days, in a measure introduced to ease the changeover.
Legendary warrior inspires Malay ironman event
The search is on in Malaysia to the find the country's strongest person. The Ironman competition has been devised by sports authorities to encourage a healthy lifestyle for the 23 million population. It was inspired by legendary Malay warrior Badang, who, tradition has it,gained his strength from eating a spirit's vomit. Competitors, both male and female, try their hand at various events including:throwing logs, carrying sandbags and even holding one's breath under water. The crowd favourite is the truck pulling event with each person required to pull the vehicle for 50 metres.
23 January 2002
Enron posts guards to stop shredding
January 23, 2002 Posted: 6:59 AM EST (1159 GMT
HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Enron security guards were stationed on the 19th and 20th floors of the company's building here Tuesday to prevent further shredding of documents, company lawyers said during a federal court hearing.
New evidence possible at Lockerbie appeal
Lawyers for the former Libyan secret service agent convicted of the Lockerbie bombing are beginning his appeal by making an application for new evidence to be heard. It is the first day of the hearing at the Scottish court set up at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands. The legal grounds for the appeal have not been made public. But attention has been focused on the reliability of a key identification witness and allegations of a security breach at Heathrow airport the night before the bombing. Forty nine year old Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi was jailed for life at the end of January last year following a nine-month trial. Fellow Libyan Al Amin Khalifa Fahima was acquitted. Pan Am flight 103 exploded in the skies over Lockerbie, killing all 259 passengers and crew on board and 11 people on the ground. A suitcase bomb had gone off inside the hold as the flight climbed over Scotland from London to New York. Many of those on board were Americans on their way home for Christmas.
Families plan inquiry after criminal case
For Abdel Basset al-Megrahi the Lockerbie trial appeal hearing may be a last- ditch bid to clear his name, but for the families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing it is the start of a new chapter, unravelling the reasons why it happened. A year since al-Megrahi was convicted they are back at Camp Zeist. Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora died in the disaster, says new questions must be asked: "When the criminal process is complete it will be the opportunity for us to launch our campaign for an immediate inquiry into why in 1988 much of the intelligence warnings were wasted and why British aviation security did not even meet the minimum international standards of the day". Al-Megrahi's Libyan family are calling for justice and peace. But an inquiry is likely to reopen old wounds by uncovering the rogue states and organisations behind the bombing.
France's health system in chaos as GPs stage
strike
France is bracing itself for what could be its worst ever health workers strike by GPs demanding higher wages and more recognition. Several thousand nurses took to the streets of France's main cities yesterday, demanding higher fees for self-employed nurses. The past months have seen a growing number of strikes by hospital workers protesting over staff shortages caused by the introduction of the 35-hour week. The series of strikes is expected to culminate today when GPs stage a so-called "No Doctor Day". Three out of four are expected to close their surgeries for the day. Many will be joined by chemists, dentists, and physiotherapists. They are asking for an increase in the price of consultations from 20 to 30euros.
Italian lorry drivers vent their anger on
Alpine borders 
Hundreds of lorries have blocked traffic on Italian borders with France and Switzerland in protest at delays in the reopening of the Mont Blanc tunnel. The barricades were organised by Italian haulage drivers union members. More than 200 trucks blocked the Italian entrance to the Fréjus tunnel, themain Alpine artery since the fatal Mont Blanc inferno in 1999, which killed 39 people. "Huge traffic congestion has plagued the Fréjus tunnel since the Mont Blanc disaster," said one union member. "And then we have these idiotic proposals to set up alternate traffic flow periods for each tunnel," he said. "Our protest is aimed at saving the Italian economy." Hauliers say it is essential to reopen the Mont Blanc tunnel but French authorities will not give the go-ahead until final tests have been carried out next month.
Austria's coalition on the verge of collapse
The petition which could mark the beginning of the end of Austria's coalition government: former leader of the far-right Freedom Party Joerg Haider and its president Susanna Riess-Passer say they are ready to end a two-year coalition with the conservatives following a row over EU enlargement. 15% of Austrians signed the infamous petition backed by the Freedom Party demanding that their country veto the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union, unless it shuts down a controversial nuclear plant. The issue has further driven a stake into the heart of a rowing coalition. Conservative leader and committed European Wolfgang Schuessel has categorically ruled out an Austrian veto, saying EU enlargement is at the core of government policy. He says he will strongly insist on following the government programme, which contains a commitment to support the admission of new members to the EU. Many believe the Temelin plant, which Haider argues is dangerous, is just a smokescreen for the Freedom Party's real agenda to block the entry of eastern European countries into the EU.
Sleepy Italian island wakes up to euro
Four weeks after the euro hit the rest of Europe the single currency has washed up at the Italian island of Ginostra off the coast of Calabria. Climbing out of the tiny ferry clutching a bag of shiny new notes and coins is a real life 'Il Postino', Sergio Loreta. As he arrives at the post office there does not appear to be any rush to get the coins in circulation, the postmaster instead taking time to count out each little piece in turn. The locals have little enthusiasm to leave the lira behind, and with only one shop there is nothing much to buy with their new euros. Asked about the single currency one ageing islander said, "Yes, they've brought it. I just don't understand it". "What are we going to do with the euro here?", asked another man. "We have everything here and there's nothing much on offer to buy". The euro will do little to change normal life on an island where mules are still used instead of cars.
Paris pays tribute to YSL 
Surrounded by models and two of his muses, Catherine Deneuve and Laetitia Casta, Yves St Laurent kisses goodbye to the world of haute couture. The master French designer's final show was a retrospective covering 40 years at the height of fashion. There were the 1960's Mondrian dresses, and all the other hallmark gowns and trend-setting clothes that made his name. St Laurent also drew inspiration from other artists, like Van Gogh and Picasso. There was the colourful flower power of the 1970s, and ethnic chic, gowns reminiscent of African tribal garments that showed off the beading and attention to detail so characteristic of haute couture, and so much a part of its price tag. There were also the Yves St Laurent classics, clothes that were once revolutionary and which have now become fashion icons. There was above all the tuxedo, the symbol of the designer's approach to women's liberation; quite simply the signature of Yves Saint Laurent.
22 January 2002
Chemistry in the War Cabinet
Reports of rivalry are overblown. Bush’s team works via consensus—and cutting up. Exhibit A: The new plan for Iraq
By Evan Thomas NEWSWEEK
Jan. 28 issue — Secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld had been reading, with mounting irritation, newspaper articles pitting him against Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Attack against US facility in India. 
At least four policemen have been shot dead and more than twenty people have been injured in a dawn shooting outside a US information centre in Calcutta, India. The US consulate is in a separate building just a few blocks away. A militant Islamic group from Pakistan has claimed responsibity, saying it is part of the battle for Pakistan to take control of the rebel torn region of Kashmir. City police say the attack seemed to be aimed at US interests. But a US embassy spokesman said it was not clear if that was the case. No American citizens were hurt. Police in New Delhi and Calcutta are now on high alert.
Kremlin accused of gagging TV6 
The corridors are empty at Russia's only independent television station, TV6. The screens remain blank at after the plug was pulled - the government enforcing a court order revoking its licence. Officially the station was closed because it failed to make money. But critics say it is another attempt to curb the freedom of the press. Director Yevgeny Kiselyov is watching and waiting, telling a radio interviewer, 'Last week President Putin said the State would do everything possible to support the TV6 journalists. So we will see now how we are supported by the President, Prime Minister, Government and State in the current situation.' The last few seconds of TV6 were a subdued affair. But after months of criticising Russian military tactics in Chechnya and drawing attention to corruption scandals in the Kremlin the station's employees are unlikely to go away quietly
Tokyo conference hailed as success
The smile of success on Hamid Karzai's face: the leader of Afghanistan's interim government has every reason to celebrate after his country secured more than four and a half billion dollars to help rebuild its shattered economy. The two-day fund-raising conference in the Japanese capital Tokyo has been hailed a success by all. Japan's representative at the summit, Sadako Ogata, said: "The conference also reaffirms the participants firm intent to remain engaged in humanitarian assistance and stressed the need for strong complementarity between humanitarian assistance, recovery, reconstruction and development." The biggest donors are the United States, Japan, the European Union and Saudi Arabia. Priority areas include education, especially for girls and women, health, infrastructure and agriculture. Donors will also be demanding proof that farmers are not tempted back into growing poppies for the world drug trade and that women, oppressed under the Taliban, are given equal rights.
Media slammed for publicising Cuba pictures
It is not just the US that is being criticised over the now infamous pictures of Afghan war prisoners held in Cuba, but also the world's media. The images are in the public domain now, but according to non-governmental organisations like the International Red Cross they should never have been shown. It says that to publish them is in violation of the Geneva Convention on war prisoners, as it fails to respect their rights. The US meanwhile insists that the prisoners are being well treated. This assurance has been supported by independent monitors from the Red Cross who have interviewed the captives. They are being kept in cage-like cells most of the time, and are being given basics like sleeping mats, towels and the Koran. Military Policewoman Courtney Sletten, who works at the prison in Cuba, told reporters that people in New York would think their treatment was too kind. Photographs published on Monday sparked the controversy. Capturing one still moment when the prisoners were kneeling and shackled, they provoked outrage from human rights groups and some politicians. But the US says they were taken shortly after the prisoners arrived, before they were settled in, and that they did not stay there for long. But concern about the treatment of Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners is not liklely to go away. The controversy has taught the US that it cannot be blase about the photographs it releases, unless it is prepared to lose the moral high ground.
Joerg Haider cries victory More than 15% of Austria's voters
have signed a petition backed by Haider'sfar-right
Freedom Party demanding their country veto the Czech Republic's membership of the European Union. The demand will only be withdrawn if Prague shuts down its controversial Temelinnuclear plant, 60 kilometres from the border with Austria, which Haider claims is unsafe: "I believe we are doing the Czech people a favour by demanding Temelin be closed, because there is a growing number of people there who are opposed to it. But we need to talk about possible alternatives and we will have to help the Czech people to deal with the problem." But there is no chance for the petition, which is not legally binding, to ever be enshrined in law, according to the Freedom Party's coalition partners the pro-EU conservatives. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman says the referendum won't have a good influence on otherwise amicable relations between the two countries. He says the issue of the plant, which is on Czech territory, is none of the Austrians' business. The debate is likely to provoke increased public squabbling within Austria's two-year-old coalition and could in time trigger early elections. It will most certainly ensure that EU enlargement, expected in 2004, remains a contentious political issue in Austria.
Controversy over paedophile interview
Flemish TV channel VTM may be able to claim it has something of an exclusive interview, but it has caused more than a few red faces in Belgian's prison service. The subject was Belgium's most reviled figure, convicted paedophile Marc Dutroux who is currently awaiting trial for the abduction, torture, rape and murder of four girls, including two eight year olds. According to comments on the tape Dutroux admitted he was guilty of locking up two young girls who starved to death in his cellar. However he stopped short of accepting responsibility for their murders. However it is not the comments that have caused the controversy, but the way they were obtained. The fact a journalist was able to gain unauthorised access to one of the country's highest security prisoners has provoked outrage. The journalist told how, when arriving at the jail with a visiting senator, the guard wrongly assumed that he was the driver. When asked if he was, he had to make a quick decision, and said yes. VTM has not said whether Dutroux was aware he was being recorded. In the interview, Dutroux repeated that he was part of a huge paedophile ring involving people in important positions in Belgian society.
Argentinians protest over government's latest austerity measure
There have been violent protests once again on the streets of Argentina's main cities as the new government breaks its first promise: US dollar bank accounts will all be turned into the local currency the peso, at the official rate of 1.40 pesos to the dollar. A nightmare come true for millions of Argentines who have bank savings in dollars, a currency safe-haven in Latin America. It follows a government decision earlier this month to end a decade-long peg of one peso to the dollar, days after the country defaulted on its 141 billion dollar debt. Many have criticised the move saying it will only bring further instability and social unrest to Argentina and widen the gap between rich and poor. The move, which marks a sudden U-turn in the government's policy, is the latest in a series of tough measures taken by president Eduardo Duhalde, the country's fifth president in a month. Argentina is hoping to secure billions of dollars in aid from the International Monetary Fund by going ahead with strict spending cuts to reduce it budget deficit. Meanwhile, Argentines are still being restricted to 1,500 pesos per month in cash withdrawals from their accounts, in an effort to stabilise the currency.
Peggy Lee bows out at 81 
The jazz singer Peggy Lee has died at the age of 81. Renowned for her ability to belt out blues, jazz and ballads, Peggy Lee was one of the best-loved female singers in America. During her career she recorded more than 60 albums containing over 600 songs, including evergreen classics like Fever, Amana and Big Spender. Her 1989 album, "Peggy Sings the Blues," was a Grammy Award nominee. She wowed audiences, singing everywhere from lavish night clubs to the White House, prompting renowned Los Angeles Times jazz critic Leonard Feather to dub her, "Miss Standing Ovation." Off-stage Peggy Lee was also a great songwriter, composing for jazz greats like Duke Ellington. Lee also made her mark in Hollywood as an actress, winning an Academy Award nomination for her role as the hard-drinking singer in the 1955 jazz saga, "Pete Kelly's Blues." She died of a heart attack at home with her daughter and granchildren by her side.
21 January 2002
Running scared but where do volcano victims
go ?
Many of the half a million people who fled the town of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo when Mount Nyiragongo erupted are now heading back, despite the fact that their homes have disappeared under a sea of molten lava. Having fled to towns in neighbouring Rwanda many people found there was little shelter or food on offer so they headed back home. But while some do the return part of the journey others are only now leaving. Chaos seems to be the only rule in the aftermath of the disaster which killed 45 and left countless without homes. Experts say there is no guarantee the volcano won't erupt again. Those who have chosen to stay are living with the pungent smell of sulphur, and more crucially very little water. Aid agencies have highlighted the potential for outbreaks of dysentry or cholera. They are encouraging refugees to gather at two sites in Rwanda where they say it will be easier to provide shelter, supplies and sanitation once aid promised by the International Community starts to arrive. The first batch from the British based Charity Oxfam has touched down in kigali, basics to keep people alive.
Car ban in Italy to control pollution 
There has been a ban on cars across most of northern Italy in a bid to bring pollution levels down. It is the second "car free day" in the country in as many weeks. In Milan and forty other zones in the region driving was been banned from seven in the morning until seven in the evening. Other towns which took similar measures include Turin, Parma, Bologne and Mestre. In some areas there has been no rain since the end of November and this added to the cold snap over the past few weeks has led to unusually high pollution levels. If the pollution situation does not improve soon, more car free days are envisaged to keep levels down until the weather changes.
Portugese parties elect who they want to go into election
battle Portugal's political parties are preparing to do battle.
Up for grabs is the chance to run the country, and the socialists are hoping Eduardo Rodrigues will be elected to do it. He has been declared the winner of the vote to lead the embattled party into the general election in March. Founder of a leftist militant movement following the overthrow of a right wing dictatorship in 1974, Rodrigues succeeds Antino Guterres, who resigned as prime minister last month after the Party's poor results in local elections. With over two thirds of party members' votes counted, Rodrigues had an unbeatable lead of 96 percent. When the Portugese go to the polls, one of his challengers will be Paulo Portas, who has been selected by the conservative Popular Party to lead the charge. The Popular Party is a strong critic of the socialists, however in an interview Rodrigues says he is willing to form a coalition with them, in order to bring stable government to the country. That has surprised many. It has always been thought the Socialists would only look left to the Communists for support in forming a government.
US helicopter crash in Afghanistan leaves
two dead
There have been further casualities in America's so called war on terrorism, and once again, according to the U.S., mechanical error is to blame. A military helicopter crashed in the mountains of north eastern Afghanistan, killing two of the seven marines on board, and injuring the other five. It was flying from Bagram airbase about 50 kilometres north of the capital Kabul, to take supplies to U.S. forces. Witnesses reported the aircraft flying strangely, shortly before it plunged to the ground. Earlier this month a U.S. military refueling plane came down in Pakistan killing seven, while in November and December there were two other separate U.S. helicopter crashes in Afghanistan.
Donor conference for Afghanistan 
The crunch time has come for countries that have said they will help rebuild Afghanistan. At a conference in Tokyo, they are being pushed for action to match their words. Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid Karzai said after he arrived in Tokyo "I am very very happy to be in this ancient but modern land of Japan to be with the Japanese people, and to be in a country that has helped Afghansitan in the past and that the Afghan people have respect for." The conference comes as part of Karzai's first international tour since he took office in December. He wants assurances that the world won't turn its back on Afghanistan now. Officials from more than 60 governments and international organisations are taking part. They all agree that financial support for Afghanistan will be key to ensuring the country does not breed radical movements like the Taliban and the Al Qaeda network.
Palestinians show their support for Arafat
Vowing to defend and protect Yasser Arafat at all costs, thousands have marched through the streets of Gaza city in support of the Palestinian leader. The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was a target of their anger. The majority of the demonstrators were from Arafat's Fatah movement. The leader of the Palestinian Authority has been under siege at his Ramallah office for more than seven weeks, since Israel banned him from leaving the city, until he arrests the assassins of the Israeli tourism minister, who was killed in a Jerusalem hotel on October 16th. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the vice like grip on Ramallah to be tightened even more on Saturday, after a militant from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade stormed into a Jewish party celebration, and shot dead six. The renewed violence has battered international efforts to end more than fifteen months of bloodshed in the region.
20 January 2002
Reports: Chinese premier plane buggedJanuary
19, 2002 Posted: 4:32 PM EST (2132 GMT) Chinese President Jiang Zemin --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Chinese analysts and government officials said Saturday they could neither confirm nor deny reports in two Western newspapers that a Boeing jet, delivered to China for use as the presidential plane, was bugged.
September 11 a wake-up callUpdated:
01:07 p.m. EST (1807 GMT) -- 17 January 2002
Which cities are best prepared to respond to a terrorist attack? A CNN.com panel of emergency management experts assessed the nation's 30 largest cities and found that although most cities are more prepared today than they were before September 11, there is room to improve in public health, emergency response, evacuation planning and interagency communication
Voice of Palestine back on air 
Street clashes broke out on the streets of Ramallah on Saturday between Isreali security forces and Palestinian stone throwers incensed at the destruction of the Voice of Palestine radio station. The station was blown up on Friday night by the Israeli army but was back on air later in the day apparently broadcasting from private buildings. Israel accuses the service of fuelling the Intifada with provocative statements. The Palestinians deny that saying the Israeli government is trying to silence Palestinian media. Much of the five-storey "Voice of Palestine" building was brought to the ground as part of the Israeli response to the killing on Thursday of six people at a bat mitzvah in Herada in north Israel. The shoooting is the most deadly incident since Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ordered an end to violence in mid-December. The attack and counter-attack put added pressure on current efforts by the European Union and United States to try and broker a truce between the two sides.
Battle against Congo volcanoe continues
The fight against central Africa's most destructive volcanic eruption in twenty five years goes on in the Democratic republic of Congo, but almost everyone knows it is a battle that they simply can not win. The flow of hot steaming lava from the Nyiragongo continues to push forward, and continues to destroy everything in its path. The town of Goma has been worst hit with up to eighty percent of it gone. It was home to half a million people, almost all of whom had fled. But with nowhere to go, and with no food or water, many are reported to be trying to return to their town. Goma stands on the edge of Lake Kivu, an important crossroads for rival armies, refugees and rebels on the border with Rwanda. Some 300,000 people have fled into Rwanda, taking refuge in the town of Gisenyi. But they may be forced to move again. The lava is hot on their heels, and threatens the Rwandan town itself. Meanwhile aid agencies said thousands of refugees including children, have been without food or drink since the start of the eruption on Thursday, and they warned a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions was unfolding rapidly.
Shoe bombers e-mails found on Paris computer
Investigators in France have reportedly discovered an e-mail written by the accused shoe bomber Richard Reid. In it he writes of his plans to blow up an airliner. The Marseille based newspaper "La Provence" claims in an article on Satrurday that Reid used computers at a Cyber-café in Paris to contact various other parties who encouraged his actions. According to the report Reid described himself as a "martyr of Islam".On December 22 Reid was overpowered by staff on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami as he apparently tried to detonate an explosive device in his shoes. One French anti-terror investigator believes Reid may have been backed by suspected terrorists in England, Belgium and Germany.
Afghanistan's Karzai drops in on Saudi Arabia
Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid Karzai has begun his first official visit abroad in Saudi Arabia. Karzai is expected to ask Prince Abdulla bin Abdul Aziz for help to rebuild his war-torn country. In 1998 the kingdom froze ties with the Taliban to protest at Osama bin Laden's presence in Afghanistan. It cut all ties after September 11th.Now Saudi Arabia along with the United States could become major contributors in the reconstruction of the country. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in Tokyo for Monday's international donors' conference. Over fifty countries are expected to pledge funds with the hope that Afghanistan can never again become a breeding ground for fundamentalism and terrorism.
Bulgaria's new president pledges to work for
his people 
Bulgaria's new President Georgi Parvanov has marked his swearing in ceremony with a promise to improve the lives of ordinary people. In a country where the average monthly wage is around 100 euros, the President has warned that poverty could lead people to question the benefits of the fall of Communism. Parvanov reiterated his intention to speed up Bulgaria's entry into the European Union and NATO. The EU's flag was clearly visible at the ceremony but the Balkan nation is lagging behind other candidate countries for accession to the bloc. Socialist Parvanov will take power on Tuesday from the former centre-right President Petar Stoyanov. He will be responsible mainly for foreign affairs leaving the domestic issues to the Prime Minister, Bulgaria's former King, Simeon Saxe-Coburg.
Second space tourist in training for big trip
South African internet millionaire, Mark Shuttleworth, is in training to become only the second ever tourist in space! Packing the sun tan lotion and remembering the camera is enough for most of us to worry about, but this 28 year old faces far more gruelling holiday preparations, including a long stint at Star City near to Moscow. Learning docking procedures and simulating emergency situations are just two of the challenges he faces before his big trip in April, when he will blast offto the International Space Station, in a journey that will make his life-long dream come true. But this kind of holiday does not come cheap. Like Dennis Tito before him, Mark Shuttleworth is said to have paid the Russian Space Agency more than 20 million euros.
January 18 2002
Israel moves in on Palestinian targets Ceasefire,
what ceasefire? 
A question many are once again asking about the Middle East peace process. Friday morning Israeli tanks surrounded Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah. Israel has kept Arafat confined there since December, after a series of Palestinian attacks against Israelis, but has said it has no intention of toppling or harming him. During the night an Israeli missile also hit the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank town of Tulkarm. One policeman was killed and at least 40 people were wounded. Both moves were in response to a fatal suicide attack on Israeli civilians on Thursday. Seven people were killed including the Palestinian gunman who stormed into a packed hall in the Israeli town of Hadera north of Tel Aviv in the evening. More than twenty people were wounded. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, has claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the first on civilians in Israel since Arafat called for an end to violence on December 16th.
Anger over plight of Bosnian six
The Bosnian supreme court had said release them, America then said it would keep them, and now the people are saying free them. Around 100 angry demonstrators turned up the heat in sub-zero temperatures, protesting over the U.S. decision to take control of six Arabs who had been detained in Bosnia on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. The six, five Algerians and a Yemeni, were arrested in October, but a supreme court ruling yesterday said there was no justification for prolonging their detention. One protester said, "These people are innocent. This isn't a war against terrorism, it's a war against Islam". The protesters sat in the road attempting to block the path of prison vans driven by Bosnian special forces police. The suspects were eventually handed over to American authorities. It is thought they may now be flown to Cuba to join other terrorist suspects being held at Guantanamo bay. However this has angered human rights groups who claim the U.S. has so far failed to provide any hard evidence needed to charge the six.
Antibiotic at centre of food scare 
After Foot and Mouth Disease and BSE, there are fresh food safety fears in Europe, with a banned antibiotic at the centre of the latest scare. The substance, chloramphenicol, has been found in veal meat exported from the Netherlands to Germany, France and Austria. With its use restricted to combating life-threatening diseases such as anthrax and typhoid, it can also cause a potentially lethal form of anaemia. And, though the meat in question has been recalled, fears remain that some of the contaminated produce may have already reached supermarket shelves. While the source of the antibiotic found in the veal meat is not yet clear, it has been revealed that the same substance, chloramphenicol, has also been found in fish scraps imported to Europe from the Far East for use as animal feed.
Corsican self-government "unconstitutional"
France's highest court has ruled that plans to give the troubled Mediterranean island of Corsica limited self-government are unconstitutional. In what is a major setback to French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who brokered the reforms, the Constitutional Council has thrown out controversial legal moves to give Corsica greater political power. Jose Rossi, the President of the Corsican Assembly, has not been disheartened by the decision and says the reform process will still be able to continue. But, three months before France's Presidential election, Corsican nationalist Jean-Guy Talamoni has accused politicians in France of using Corsica as a political football and settling scores on the backs of the Corsican people. The Constitutional Council has, however, allowed part of the reforms, which will put the Corsican language on the curriculum in primary schools.
January 17 2002
Rumours abound over Mladic, Karadzic arrests.
There were conflicting reports on Thursday that the former Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic had been arrested. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica has denied the reports. He was earlier quoted as saying the two had been seized by US special forces in Belgrade. Mladic and Karadic have been indicted by the UN War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague for crimes against humanity including genocide. They are accused of responsibility for atrocities such as the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War 1992-1995. Pressure has been mounting on authorites to hand them over since their ally and former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was delivered to the Hague Tribunal last year.
Al Qaeda director appears before court in
England. 
An Algerian man appeared in court on charges of directing Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network on Thursday in the English city of Leicester. The thirty-seven year old is accused of "planning an act of terrorism overseas .... and financing terrorism." Another Algerian also appeared in front of Leicestershire Magistrates Court on suspicion of being an Al Qaede member and possesing an unspecified article for the purposes of terrorism. Police officials were unwilling to say when the men were arrested. On Thursday morning eleven people were taken into custody in raids across Leicester as part of a pan-European anti-terror investigation. Some of the detainees are thought to be French and may have been planning attacks by Islamic militants against France. There have been numerous arrests across Britain in line with the country's tough new anti-terrorism laws brought in following the September 11th attacks.
Video sheds new light on Al Qaeda plans An amateur
video apparently showing 
Al Qaeda fighters training to kill world leaders, discovered in a village north of Kabul, is to be viewed by the US military intelligence. The Arab, Pakistani and African fighters in the film are heard shouting orders in English as they practise storming a building, shooting guards and taking hostages. They also learn how to attack a motorcade in what appears to be a reconstruction of a Washington street. In another scene the terrorists rehearse assassinating an international political figure at a golf tournament by concealing weapons in a golf bag. The cassette was found in an abandoned school apparently used as a training camp by Osama bin Laden's followers, along with maps of Western style traffic systems and bomb making manuals.
Powell promises U.S. commitment to Afghanistan
Before arriving in
India Powell had been in Afghanistan where he sought to reassure interim leader Hamid Karzai of America's long-term commitment to reconstruction of the country. He said Washington would be a major contributor at a donor conference next week. "In keeping with American tradition, as the collection plate is passed, the United States will make a significant contribution but I think I'll wait until Monday before I announce the size of that contribution because work is still going on in Washington to make it as significant a contribution as we possibly can." After their meeting Karzai said "it is something in all our meetings with the Afghan people, they ask us, they ask, 'Is the United States committed, will they stay with us?' And now I can tell them, 'Yes, the US will stay with us.'" The United Nations has been tightening the diplomatic screws against Ossama bin Laden and the Taliban. The Security Council adopted a new resolution requiring countries to impose arms embargoes and freeze the assets of the ousted regime and bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. The United Nations has been tightening the diplomatic screws against Ossama bin Laden and the Taliban. The Security Council adopted a new resolution requiring countries to impose arms embargoes and freeze the assets of the ousted regime and bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. The measure also places restrictions on other groups associated with terrorism.
Argentina receives debt relief 
The International Monetary Fund has thrown the Argentine government a lifeline as it battles rising unrest over the country's economic crisis. The IMF is postponing more than 930 million euros in loan repayments due today for a year. The decision may also reduce inflationary pressures by shoring up Argentina's struggling currency. But on the streets of the capital, Buenos Aires, thousands continue to call for their immediate needs to be met. With public anger flaring into violence, President Eduardo Duhalde gathered his ministers and issued a decree to create an emergency food program. Following Duhalde's warning that the country could slide into chaos, they also discussed plans to use troops to support the police. Meanwhile, the unpopular curbs on cash withdrawals have come under threat in the Supreme court. The government's warned that the creaking financial system could collapse entirely if it overturns the limits and freeze on savings.
Spanish writer Cela dies at 85
Camilia Jose Cela, one of the greatest writers of his generation in Europe has died. The Spaniard, who was eighty-five, died in a clinic in Madrid where he'd been admitted a few days earlier with breathing problems. Cela, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1989, was the prolific author of works such as "Lamilia de Pascual Duarte" and "La Colmena". "I began to write before I learnt to write", he exlpained in an interview. "I had someone who looked after me who would write down the words for me. My father, didn't like it - he tried to get me to play with toys instead". Cela was from rural Galicia in the north west of Spain. His early career was dominated by poetry. He gradually turned to writing novels as the years went by.
Ice melts between Poland and Russia.
Poland and Russia have hailed a new opening in relations troubled by the collapse of communism over a decade ago. Ties between the two chilled when Warsaw turned to the West after shaking off Soviet rule in 1989. Vladimir Putin, on his first ever visit to Poland as Russian president, has been laying flowers at a memorial to Poland's resistance. But he avoided major historical sites commemorating mass deportations and the Soviet-assisted Nazi crackdown on a 1944 uprising. He also ruled out financial compensation for Polish victims of Stalinist repression similar to that given to Poles by Germany. But he suggested Poles could seek rehabilitation under Russian law. Putin's two-day visit has been billed as an effort to build a personal rapport with his Polish counterpart Alexander Kwasniewski in order to revive economic ties between the two countries. Putin gave his blessing to the European Union's push to enlarge eastward saying Moscow wanted to work constructively with NATO, which Poland joined in 1999. Poland hopes to join the EU in 2004.
US student takes law in own hands 
There has been another fatal shooting in the United States. A suspended student has shot and killed three people and wounded three others at a law school in southwest Virginia. 43-year-old Peter Odighizuma had been suspended from the Appalachian School of Law in the small town of Grundy on Wednesday morning. He apparently entered a student lounge just after midday and opened fire. He is now being held in jail in connection with the shooting. Police and ambulances are at the scene and the campus has been evacuated. A trauma team has been set up to counsel students. The dead are three faculty members including the school's dean, Anthony Sutin, a former Justice Department official under president Clinton. The three wounded students had to be airlifted and are said to be in a critical condition. Only 24 hours earlier, two people were injured in a shooting at a New York school.
Welding work begins on world's largest liner
Work has begun on what will be the world's biggest ocean liner - the Queen Mary 2. It's a titanic undertaking, which harks back to the past in more ways than one. Bearing the famous name of the passenger liner that made its debut 65-years ago, the massive vessel will measure up to 345 metres and be 23-storeys tall. The main dining room will soar three decks high, recalling the classic dining salons of yesteryear with a central grand staircase for passengers wanting to make a entrance. The lucrative task of constructing the 800-million euro luxury liner has fallen to France's Alstom's Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire. The spectacular ship is due to enter service for Carnival Corporation's Cunard Line in late 2003.
16 January 2002
Questions for Enron auditorWASHINGTON
(CNN) --
The auditor for the Andersen accounting firm who oversaw the destruction of sensitive documents related to the collapse of Enron Corp. is set to meet today with congressional officials investigating the energy giant's bankruptcy. David Duncan was fired by Andersen on Tuesday, based on a preliminary investigation.
European directions in 2002 - the Spanish
plan for the community 
In Strasbourg the head of the the Spanish EU presidency, centre-right prime minister José María Aznar, has presented the next six months' programme.The European Parliament is in plenary session, the first under new president Pat Cox. The members of the European Commission were also there. Aznar identified three main work areas; countering terrorism, economic liberalisation and enlargement. Spain's first priority will be to apply community measures taken to fight terrorism, cooperation including police and justice matters. It wants to promote prosperity through increased economic liberalisation, while preserving the European social model.As for enlargment, the Spanish intend to work towards concluding negotiations with the bulk of candidate countries by the end of the year.Madrid has adopted the motto 'More Europe.' Aznar took up the reins on the same day the euro entered circulation; he said consolidating anti-terrorist plans would further necessitate the success of the single currency.Two European Council summits are scheduled, one in Barcelona in March and the other in Seville in June.
Putin visit casts Polish/Russian relations
in a new light 
Relations between Russia and Poland are being viewed from a new perspective following a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Warsaw. He was greeted by his Polish counterpart, Aleksander Kwasunist. The new leftist administration is keen to revive ties between the countries which were often tense during four years of rule by right wingers. Putin's visit has been carefully stage-managed to keep public appearances to a minimum and avoid any resurfacing of grievances linked to the two nations bloody past.In more recent years ties have been strained by Poland's drift towards the West and aspirations of Nato membership.But Putin has also aligned Russia closer to the United States by offering wide-ranging support for its campaign in Afghanistan, and moving towards closer cooperation with Nato.
Revival of Cyprus talks 
The rival leaders of Cyprus have agreed in Nicosia to meet three times a week to work towards ending decades of bitter differences. The prospect of European Union membership in part prompted this morning's first formal face-to-face meeting of Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash in more than four years.UN peacekeepers have stood guard on the eastern Mediterranean island ever since it was split along ethnic lines in 1974. Turkish forces invaded the northern third of Cyprus in response to a brief Greek-backed coup.The EU has said it will accept the internationally recognised Greek part without a settlement, if necessary. But Turkey warns it might annex the northern third if Cyprus is admitted divided. EU member Greece, meanwhile, says it would block any EU expansion which didn't include its protege.
Palestinians protest PFLP arrest
Over a hundred Palestinians have taken to the streets carrying pictures of Ahmed Sadaat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. They are angry at his arrest by the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday in response to demands from the Isrealis, who blame his supporters for the assassination of an Israeli minister in October. On Wednesday supporters of the PFLP and militant group Hamas marched on the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, calling for Sadaat's immediate release. They claim his arrest is creating conflict within the Palestinian people.It is thought the Authority arrested Sadaat in the hope Isreal would lift its blokade of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah. But Israel says three more PFLP members must be detained before Arafat is allowed to travel freely.
European Union lists what Israel destroys
in Palestinian territories. 
Spain's Foreign Minister, who is also the current EU diplomatic representative due to Spain's six month Presidency of the Union, met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday as part of his Middle Eastern tour. Josep Piqué presented Sharon with some new euro coins. "Pocket money for Spain"joked Sharon's entourage but Piqué was quick to remind them the coins can be used in twelve EU countries. But the laughs soon gave way to some tough talking on financial issues. The European Union has informed Isreal it's drawing up a list of Palestinian infrastructure and buildings constructed with EU funding and destroyed by Sharon's army. The Palestinian Authorities Central Statistics Office, for example, was targetted during Isreali strikes on Ramallah. The runway at Gaza International Airport has also been torn up by Israeli tanks and bulldozers. The airport was built with funds from Spain and Germany. Israeli missiles have also damaged Gaza's seaport, built with French and Dutch money. Sharon argues the action is to protect Israel. It may be a defensive policy in his eyes, but the EU sees it as a very expensive one.
France fights brain bug outbreak
A massive vaccination programme is underway in central France after an outbreak of meningitisSeventy three thousand children living in the Puy de Dome area will be given the vaccine. The region has seen 18 cases of meningitis and four deaths in the last year. The injections will bring a few tears, but one worried mother says it is worth it, "Its been a long week without much information but we are reassured now".Thirty five medical teams will carry out the unprecedented campaign to stamp out meningitis, visiting 279 schools in 84 towns over the next three weeks
Greece wants Elgin marbles returned to Athens.
Still making headlines two thousand five hundred years after they were created, the director of the British Museum insisted on Wednesday the Elgin Marbles would never be returned to Greece. The stunning 160 metre frieze was obtained by Lord Elgin from the Ottomans in the nineteenth century. The marbles are now in a purpose built gallery. Now the Greek culture minister Evangelos Veniyelos has called again for them to be given back. He says he is not interested in the legal aspects of the dispute, but simply wants the marbles put back in their place. He said the Museum of the Acropolis will be ready before the olympic games in 2004 and the marbles should be back in Athens by then. Supporters of the British Museum fear that putting them back here would set a precedent and mean many valuable objects in its massive collection may have to be returned to their country of origin.
Rain brings end to Australian crisis Heavy
Rain over
Sydney brought an end to Australia's "Black Christmas fires" on Tuesday. The Rural Fire Commissioner for New South Wales said he believed the fires had finally been quenched. "The crisis nature of what we have been dealing with in the last 23 days has abated considerably" he said. At the height of the crisis over 100 fires blazed their way through the state destroying half a million hectares of land and razing over 150 homes.The bushfires were the country's worst in almost eight years. Police have arrested over twenty suspected arsonists, most of whom are juveniles, including a 9 year old boy.
America to try its first Taliban 
The Taliban's own American, John Walker Lindh, is to face three charges of aiding and abetting a terrorist organisation, for which he could get life imprisonment. Investigation into the young californian's activities in Afghanistan continue, and the US justice department says further charges could be brought. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced to the public why Walker Lindh is the first of America's prisoners taken in Afghanistan to be tried ;despite his youth, Ashcroft insisted, he chose and chose again to follow a path that would set him on a collision course with his own country, opting to fight alongside men who had vowed the destruction of the United States. Back in Afghanistan a non-governmental organisation's organised a meeting between a small group of relatives of the victims of the September 11th. hijackings, and families who've suffered in the US aerial bombardment of Afghanistan. The Americans brought some baby clothes for one mother, and will spend a total of three days in the country.
Duhalde decides : back the bankers or the
barrios? 
Violent reactions agianst Argentina's financial plight have spread to the provinces, where thousands of people were reported taking part in attacks on banks in at least three different cities. The people are sending President Duhalde a warning as he decides who best to support , the banks or the people; that they are not prepared to pay any more for their leader's follies. Duhalde and the nation's in a bind. He's already said Argentina will move to a fully floating peso in around six months. In between now and then, he must try to save the banking system without rendering peoples wages or their savings worthless by a devaluation of the peso agaist the dollar from it's fixed one to one exchange rate. "If the people, not only bank customers but businessmen as well, are so worried about their frozen accounts, the only thing we cannot do is proceed lightly. We have to find the solution, and this week we will", Duhalde said. People are already being stopped withdrawing large sums from their banks as the government tries to stop capital flight, and a run on the peso as people scramble to buy dollars with them before they lose value. The money they can withdraw's been raised in a bid to calm nerves, but it doesn't seem to have shortened the queues of nervous depositors. In the absence of leadership, the market is driving Argentina right now.
15 January 2002
Weapons found near Kandahar airport
Marines watch the perimeter at the Kandahar airport
(CNN) -- U.S. Marines Tuesday uncovered a cache of weapons hidden in caves and tunnels near the airport in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where the Marines have been holding al Qaeda and Taliban detainees.
Scandal hits France's second largest bank.
France's second largest bank, the Société Generale, says it doesn't believe any of its employees knowlingly took part in any money laundering after three senior executives were detained by police for questioning. Chairman Daniel Bouton is one of those under investigation, in a scandal that is rapidly spreading through the firm's highest echelons.They are suspected of clearing several thousand cheques drawn on bank accounts in France and deposited in Israel. Detectives believe the cheques were either stolen or written in the name of fictitious companies by clothing industry bosses who allegedly obtained the money by swindling insurance companies and issuing false invoices. Dozens of people have been taken into custody.Société Generale claims it is being singled out for what may be a much bigger problem, with a number of other leading financial houses also named in the affair.The bank says it handles some three million cheques deposited abroad each year and doesn't have the resources to investigate every one that is suspicious.
Negotiations to resume in Colombia after peace
process rescued
After the relief of the eleventh hour rescue of Colombia's peace process it is back to business for negotiators. The deal, brokered by the U.N. and international envoys, gives the Marxist rebels of Farc a new six day deadline to committ a ceasefire or face a government offensive.A FARC spokesman acknowledged it was just a breathing space. "I accept the terms of the agreement facilitated by the United Nations and its special representative, who has contributed so much to this process" he said.But Colombia's President Andres Pastrana is determined to keep the pressure on the guerrillas. He has said he wants a clear timetable worked for ceasefire talks before he agrees to extend the life of the rebel's safe haven. "The nation has spoken very clearly as never before. Every Colombian without shame or indifference has conveyed their solidarity to the government, expressing how far all Colombians can go to obtain the right to peace".FARC's enclave in the south of the country was established 1998 as part of ongoing negotiations. But the talks process has deteriorated in the intervening months. The government claims the rebels have used the area to hide kidnap victims and run cocaine-smuggling operations. The militants accuse the government of violating the enclave with ground and aerial patrols. Yesterday's breakthrough gives both sides a chance to stand back from the brink, but analysts say there is still a lot of progress to be made on the underlying issues of the conflict.
Four months on, the search continues in New
York.
Home to one of the largest crime scenes in history: the former landfill site of Fresh Kills on Staten Island near Manhattan, where the remains of the World Trade Centre have been transported by barge since September 11th. More than one million tons of debris have been removed from Ground Zero.300 altogether people work on the site, covering 175 acres, sifting through the tiny bits of debris looking for valubles, evidence or human remains. Property that is recovered is cleaned and decontaminated and placed in containers and boxes. Eventually, police say they will put all the recovered personal effects on display for the victims' families to recover. Recently, human remains the size of a nail led to positive identification for one victim. 3,000 human remains have so far been recovered. Only 46 bodies have been identified by DNA testing, but police expect this number to rise as test results come in.
More Taliban prisoners arrive in Cuba
America is stepping up the transfer of al-Quaeda and Taliban detainees to Cuba.A second military transport full of prisoners has landed at Guantanamo bay bringing to at least 50 the number of people being detained in very particular circumstances. The Americans are saying no laws apply to their custody, because they were captured without uniforms, did not belong to any regular army, and as Guantanamo is a part of Cuba even the US constitution doesn't cover them. Non-person status in a no-man's land may be a better fate than those Afghanis still at home; as the UN's Ahmed Fawzi says, the aid situation is now critical, and if millions do not arrive tomorrow, there'll be no country left when the billions start to arrive. Law and order allowing rapid distribution of aid remains a problem. Kabul is mostly quiet, but in Kandahar for example a Thursday deadline for handing in weapons has been ordered, and travelling on the country's roads remains highly dangerous.
UK declared free of foot & mouth
Britain has declared its last "at risk" agricultural region free of foot and mouth disease, bringing to an end a disastrous 11 months for British cattle farmers. Four million animals were culled as attempts were made to stop the disease spreading, and British beef was forced off the world markets. Many farmers have gone out of business. Those that are still standing are impatient to get back to farming again. However, being declared disease free is just the start. Consumers have been turned off British meat, and those lost markets will be difficult to reconquer for the farmers
Hewitt latest big name casualty in Australian
Open The Australian Open may just have begun but its rapidly running out of stars. Local boy and tournament favourite Lleyton Hewitt became the biggest name casuality so far when he crashed out to Spain's Alberto Martin.Hewitt won the first set comfortably but was overwhelmed in the next three.He became the first ever Australian top seed to lose in the first round of the men's singles. The tournament has already lost Andre Agassi, Gustavo Kuerten and Serena Williams.
14 January 2002
Cuba camp 'firm and fair'Seen
from the Cuban side, a U.S. helicopterflies over the navelbase at Guantanamo
Bay.
CNN) - The head of the new U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Saturday that his troops had the security situation "well in hand" as the first group of al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners spent their first full day at the compound.
Strikes target training camp
Smoke from a U.S. strike rises behind an anti-Taliban fighter in Zhawar
CNN) --
U.S. Lance Cpl. Patrick Distin on Sunday guards entrance of U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan
Powerful explosions reverberated Monday across the Afghan-Pakistan border as U.S. warplanes pounded an al Qaeda training camp near Khowst in eastern Afghanistan.
Israel to end demolition of Palestinian
homes after latest spate.
Israeli bulldozers have been destroying more Palestinian homes in disputed east Jerusalem. There were scuffles between residents who tried to stop the demolition of their newly-built houses. The destruction of Palestinian homes has caused friction within the Israeli cabinet, with various Labour ministers criticising prime minister Ariel Sharon's policy.he latest demolitions were followed by an annoucement this morning by Foreign minister and veteran peacemaker Shimon Peres that Israel has decided to halt the destruction of Palestinian homes. Israel often bulldozes Palestinian houses in east Jerusalem saying they are built without permits. The Palestinians say they have no choice but to build illegally since they are rarely granted permission. Israel captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war, and later annexed it as part of the capital. Dozens of homes were razed to the ground in the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip last week after Israel said they were being used as sniper nests. The Red Cross says nearly a hundred families have been left homeless. Meanwhile, it is being reported a member of Palestinian president Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, wanted by Israel, has been killed in a bomb attack. Raed Karmi is thought to be the latest victim of Israel's track-and-kill policy against Palestinian militants since the start of the Intifada.
German troops go on first patrol in Afghanistan
A group of German soldiers soldiers became the first representatives of their countre to go on patrol in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force there. There was a ordial welcome from people in Kabul and cooperation with Afghanistan's new security forces. "It's a very important day" explained one German commander. "For the first time time German soldiers and Afghan police are patrolling together". Germany is contributing 1000 troops to the British-led stabilisation force of four and half thousand. There was more evidence of the reconstruction of Afghanistan elsewhere. Work has begun on the restoration of a tunnel connecting the north and south of the country along a key route. It not open to vehicles yet, but locals say they are nonetheless happy to be able to use it foot."I used to come through here when I was young. It's been difficult for a long time. Now people can get through. We're really happy the way is open" Russian engineers are helping with the task. It was built by their predecessors in the 1960's and, later, used by Soviet troops in their invasion of the country.
Preparing for war in Colombia 
Thousands of Colombian troops, tanks and jets have been readied and are set to storm a rebel zone by tonight. This comes after a three-year-old peace process was finally declared dead on Sunday. 12,000 soldiers, including 4500 rapid deployment troops, have massed on the zone's border. It will take that many, if not more, as the area is the size of Switzerland. President Andres Pastrana has met his defence minister, armed forces chief and the U.S. ambassador to Colombia ahead of the military offensive, that many fear will escalate the Andean nation's 38-year-guerrilla war. Pastrana has given the FARC rebels until 9:30pm local time, (3:30am CET), to clear out of the enclave. The estimated 17,000 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are expected to retreat into the jungles. The Colombian military has said everything will be done to try and protect civilians from the predicted fallout.
Bush recovers after choking on pretzel.
US president George W.Bush has recovered after chocking on a pretzel and fainting while watching American football on television last night.Bush woke up on the floor after a few seconds and immediately alerted the nurse on duty at the White House. Tests revealed he was in good health, apart from a bruise on the side of his face where he fell. His physician said his strenuous work-out program was partly to blame for what happened.The 55-year old president had also been complaining about fatigue in recent days and thought he might be coming down with a cold.His heart rate, which is already much slower that average, dropped further after he failed to swallow the pretzel and he fainted.
Gloves off for German election rivals
Eight months before Germans go to the polls in a general election, the war of words between Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his newly-appointed conservative challenger has begun. The Chancellor has accused Edmund Stoiber, the man who seeks to replace him in office, of making empty promises to the depressed former communist east. "He wants to give the east an infrastructure programme that nobody can afford and give companies further tax breaks that his own state cannot pay for," Schroeder told reporters in Berlin at the start of a meeting of his party executive. It was Friday when Edmund Stoiber, the Prime Minister of Bavaria, one of Germany's richest states, was chosen to mount the opposition conservatives' challenge. The leader of Germany's Christian Social Union, he has strongly attacked Gerhard Schroeder's management of the economy and accused the Chancellor of failing to keep his promise to cut unemployment, which now stands at nearly four million. Herr Stoiber's candidacy follows the withdrawal from the election race of Angela Merkel, leader of Germany's main conservative opposition party, the Christian Democrats.
Nuclear fall out in Austria's goverment
A row over a nuclear power plant is threatening the stability of one of Europe's governments. And now, after much political in-fighting in Austria, the people are being allowed their say. The Temelin nuclear reactor is, in fact, just over the border in the Czech Republic. But, amid concerns over its safety, the far-right Freedom Party, dominated by the ever-controversial Jörg Haider, wants the plant shut down. Party activists are hoping to get public support for that view. They have organized a national consultation exercise, based around a petition which, from today, Austrians are being asked to sign, saying that unless Temelin is closed, Austria should veto the Czech Republic's bid to join the European Union. The Freedom Party is the junior member in Austria's ruling coalition but the leader of its partners in power, Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, is firmly opposed to the petition, which is not legally binding. He has already negotiated a compromise with Prague involving an agreement that measures be put in place to improve the plant's safety and check its impact on the environment.
English Catholic head gives historic royal
sermon 
History was in the making in England, after the first Catholic clergyman in 500 years preached to the British Royal Family in an Anglican church. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor did the honours on a misty morning in Norfolk, home of the Queen's country estate of Sandringham. The cardinal welcomed the opportunity. He said, "It's just part of a process of our growing together as Christians and I think the Queen, by inviting me here has very clearly signified her wish and desire to play whatever part she can in the growth of friendship and unity amongst all the churches". A Church of England spokesman said Murphy-O'Connor's presence at Sandringham was a sign of the importance the Queen attaches to relations between Anglicans and Catholics. Much blood has been shed throughout history between the two churches, since 1534, when King Henry VIII broke from the Roman church over the Pope's refusal to grant him a marriage annulment. At the service, attended by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the cardinal called for unity among all Christians.
The hero of Hemingway's Old Man and the
Sea dies aged 104.
The man who inspired Ernest Hemingway's Nobel-prize winning classic "The Old Man and The Sea" has died at the age of 104. Gregorio Fuentes never gave up the habit of smoking six Cuban puros cigars a day. The two men developped a strong friendship in the 1930s, when Fuentes became captain of Hemingway's boat "Pilar".Fuentes, who in recent times had become something of a tourist magnet in his village of Cojimar, said there was a deep bond betweem himself and Hemingway: "From the day we met," he said, "we were always loyal to each other." Hemingway stayed in Cuba until the 1959 Revolution, after which he returned to the United States where he died two years later.
13 January 2002
India wants action from Pakistan, more than
words 
Many Indians in the disputed Kashmir state have reacted with scepticism to a speech by Pakistan's President Prevez Mursharraf, who has pledged to crack down on intolerance and extremism. In a televised address to the nation, he announced new measures targeting religious schools, and banning five separatist groups. However at the same time he said Pakistan would still support Kashmir's indepence. India's Foreign Ministry will give its reaction later, but India's chief minister in Kashmir has already welcomed the comments. He said, "It's a major event for Pakistani people that he wants to take them away from fundamentalism and extremism of Islam which was being preached by some holy schools and people". Whatever Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee decides to do, he faces a difficult task in stopping or slowing the momentum of a military mobilisation which has seen much of the Indian army, totalling some 1.2 million men, massing on the border with Pakistan.
Afghanistan pleas for billions to rebuild 
It will take more than just hard work to rebuild a shattered country, Afghanistan needs money, and lots of it. That is the message from the interim government in Kabul. It is pleading for 45 billion dollars to resurrect its devastated land. The request, spread over ten years, is tripple the sums previously discussed and would average around 1800 dollars per head for the estimated 25 million population. Interim government leader, Hamid Kazai spelt out the problems of his country faces to visiting U.S. senator Joseph Biden. Biden called on western nations to release frozen Taliban assets, which would immediately provide the government with around 100 million dollars. Afghanistan also lacking cultural wealth. But in a sign of international support for its regeneration, UNESCO chief Koichrio Matsuura paid a visit to the Kabul museum. He pledge help in the effort to reconstruct the two giant Buddha statues blown apart by the Taliban last year.
First suspected ETA attack of new year 
The first bombing of 2002 attributed to the Basque separatists ETA, was timed, many suspect, to coincide with Spain taking over the presidency of the European Union. The powerful car bomb rocked the town of Bilbao yesterday, causing widespread chaos. Two people were hurt by flying glass, but most people had been cleared from the area after a coded telephone warning was given to police. Bilbao's mayor was quickly on the attack. He condemned the blast. He said, "my diagnosis, and I do it with my heart more than with my head, is that there's very little that can be do to stop these people". It is an accurate assessment. The Spanish government has made little headway against the terrorist group, which has killed more than 800 people since 1968 when its campaign for an independent Basque state began. The Spanish prime minister has said fighting terrorism will be top of the agenda during his country's six months in charge of the EU.
Harry's Hash Hell 
Another scandal has hit Britain's royal family. This time there have been revelations in today's tabloids that Prince Harry, second son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles has been a regular smoker of cannabis. The News of the World reported that the Prince of Wales confronted Harry last year after he noticed a change in his behaviour. Prince William's younger brother reportedly then confessed all even admitting that he was regularly drinking to excess. On Charles' advice, the young prince was then said to have paid a visit to a drugs and drink rehabilitation clinic in south London to show him how they affect people's lives and persuade him of the error of his ways. Royal officials said the issue has been ressolved within the family, and the matter is now closed.
Muhammad Ali accepts star of fame
Arguably the greatest boxer ever, and certainly the most flamboyant, heavweight champion Muhammad Ali has accepted a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Shaking from Parkinsons Disease the man who called himself the greatest thanked Hollywood for the honour. "I received my fame from being controversial" he said "All my life, growing up as a little boy I always said if I could get famous I would do things to help my people that other people won't do." True to his controversial self the man who once "floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee" said he did not want his star to be kept embedded in the pavement with more than two thousand others.
12 January 2002
A Failing Grade America’s colleges do a lousy job promoting community service to students NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE Jan. 11 —
College admission is a mysterious—sometimes unfathomable—process, but one sure bet is that a little community service on the ol’ resume is helpful, even necessary, to get admitted. Colleges are quite outspoken in their rhetorical support for service to others, and often tout its educational value.
Italian judges protest against government
Hundreds of judges and prosecutors across Italy have taken the unusual step ofdonning their black robes at a ceremony to mark the beginning of the judicial year. They are angry at the government, claiming it has been undermining the legal system. Thousand of Italians gathered to hear Francesco Saverio Borrelli, Milan's regional Prosecutor General, criticize senior politicians in one of his last speeches before retirement. He said everything was devaluing the role of the magistrate as a shield to protect the law. And he criticized the withdrawal of police escorts for certain prosecutors, saying many of those affected were those prosecuting Silvio Berlusconi. Some magistrates have accused the government of trying to undermine the judiciary's independence, especially in cases involving Berlusconi and his giant business and media empire. They claim the Prime Minister is trying to have laws passed in his own interest. The allegations he faces include the bribing of judges in the 1980s' to win control of a food company, and false accounting. He denies all the charges, saying they are politically motivated.
Bomb blast rocks Bilbao 
A car bomb, blamed on the Basque separatist group, ETA, has brought terror to the northern Spanish city of Bilbao. The explosion took place in the city's main shopping area, which had been packed with bargain-hunters in the January sales. A telephone warning, issued in the name of ETA, gave police around half an hour to evacuate the district but at least two people were injured, both hit by flying glass. The car was parked near to a big Bilbao department store, though the specific target of the blast is still not known. But it does show all the signs of being the Basque separatist group's first attack of 2002. It would be its first strike, too, since Spain took over the European Union'srotating presidency. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has put the fight against terrorism at the top of his agenda, during his country's six months in charge. He has, however, emphasized that it is a problem not only for Spain but one that affects the whole world. And Mr Aznar says his aim is to improve co operation among EU member states, to help them tackle terrorism together.
Catholic postal worker shot dead in Belfast
A Roman Catholic postal worker has been shot dead on the outskirts of Belfast in what police are describing as a guerilla attack. The killing took place in Rathcoole, a Protestant district on the edge of north Belfast. The twnety year old was arriving for work here at Rathcoole's postal offices when two gunmen approached and fired a number ofshits at him. The police said it bore all the hallmarks of a loyalist paramilitary attack. And that the gunmenwore dark clothing with scarves covering their faces . They escaped in a car which was later found burned. The killing comes after a relatively peaceful night on the streets of Belfast, following rioting on Thursday night.
Tough talk from Pakistani President 
In a televised address to the nation, Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf has pledged to crack down on intolerance and extremism. He has announced new measures targetting religious schools, long seen as breeding grounds for Islamic militants. And he has banned a number of hardline organizations, including two groupsblamed for attacking the Indian Parliament. New Delhi has been calling for action ever since last month's attack in which 14 people died. But a cache of weapons which India says it has discovered at a militants'hideout in Jammu and Kashmir state will do nothing to ease tension between the two not-so-friendly neighbours. Pakistan is being blamed for giving orders to the extremists in questions. President Musharraf warned, in his speech, that no organization would be allowed to pursue terrorism under the pretext of Kashmir but he also maintained that Pakistan's position on the disputed territory would not budge. And he warned that Pakistan would react strongly to any attack from India, saying his forces would defend their country to the last drop of blood.
Taliban fighters arrive in Cuba 
Arriving into the arms of justice, twenty Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters have touched down in Cuba, home of a high security U.S. naval base. The cargo plane landed in Guantanamo bay after its long 27 hour flight from Kandahar. Human rights groups have expressed concern over the alleged treatment of the prisoners. However at a press conference the US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld refuted the claims. The 20 shackled prisoners are considered by the United States to be dangerous and possibly suicidal followers of Osama bin Laden. The Pentagon has said they are unlawful combatants and not prisoners of war, and therefore they are not guaranteed rights under the 1949 Geneva convention. They were the first captives to be shipped away from the war theater. The operation took place fourth months to the day from the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that killed more than 3,000 people and prompted the U.S.-led war on terrorism targeting Islamic militant Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda movement and his now-vanquished Taliban protectors in Afghanistan.
Naval police dock in the Gaza strip blasted
by the Israeli army 
The missile strikes came in retaliation for an attack by Palestinian militants in which four Israeli soldiers were killed and for an arms smuggling attempt being blamed on the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Two vessels were destroyed. Hours earlier the Palestinian Authority had announced it had detained at least one of its own security officers for questioning over the ship carrying arms, but maintained it was not involved itself. Israeli government spokesman Arie Mekel gave this reaction. "We need to see very concrete evidence that these people were actually arrested, that they are actually being interrogated, that they are actually being kept in jail etcetera. At this point we are very sceptical." These developments are doing nothing to help the situation on the ground or attempts by the United States to get the two sides talking again, to thrash out the way forward for pea
11- 10 Jenuary 2002
EU boost for Berlusconi
Amid growing fears over his commitment to the European Union, Italy's Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has received a vote of confidence from Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the man newly-appointed to head a group that will chart the way forward for the EU. The former French President, who met the Italian leader in Rome, confirmed that he is satisfied Mr Berlusconi will contribute positively to the success of the new body. Now acting temporarily as his country's Foreign Minister, following the shock resignation of the pro-European Renato Ruggiero in a dispute over the Euro, Mr Berlusconi spoke out to try to dispel lingering doubts that Italy has turned hostile to the EU. He told a news conference that he shared the same vision of Europe as the leaders of Spain, Britain and France. But despite his reassurances, concern is likely to remain among Mr Berlusconi's EU partners about his European credentials.
Merkel pulls out of German election race
Germany's main opposition leader, Angela Merkel, has confirmed that she is bowing out of the battle to challenge Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in September's election. Speculation has been mounting following reports on German television that she had decided to give up her bid. But now the news is official, with the leader of the Christian Democrats confirming that she is to stand aside, in favour of fellow centre-right politician, Edmund Stoiber. "I have always said the chancellor candidate of the conservatives should be the person who has the greatest chance of victory," she told a news conference, after a meeting of her party leadership in Magdeburg. Stoiber, the Prime Minister of Bavaria, leads the Christian Democrats' smaller sister party, the Christian Social Union. And many pollsters agree that he is better placed to oust Chancellor Schroeder because of his track record in managing Bavaria, which has far lower unemployment than the rest of Germany.
Jail term for ex-Corsica governor
France's former governor in Corsica has been sentenced to jail at the conclusion of a sensational court case that has sent shock waves through the country.Bernard Bonnet, who was found guilty of ordering police arson attacks on the Mediterranean island, continues to protest his innocence."I have been convicted for having refused to admit to an order that I never gave," he said.Bonnet, who immediately announced that he would appeal, claims the orders for the attacks came, in fact, from the office of French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, though he was unable to back up these allegations during his trial. The fires in 1999, destroyed illegally-built cafes that were reportedly popular with nationalists on the French-administered island. The attacks were part of an attempted crackdown on crime. Bonnet was given a three year jail term, of which two years are suspended,while one of his former cabinet aides, Gerard Pardini, and the then police chief, Henri Mazeres, each received six months in prison for their role in the attacks.
Israeli army tears up runway of Gaza Airport
Isreali tanks and bulldozers tore up the runway of Gaza International Airport, on Friday morning with a promise of more tough action to come unless there is an immediate end to Palestinian attacks. The military operation was combined with raids in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in which Israeli authorities say they arrested eight militants and a Hamas activist. Israeli Government spokesman Arie Mekel said the action was in response to Wednesday's attack on an Israeli security post and the discovery of a ship packed with weapons in the Red Sea apparently destined for the Palestinians. Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rachman condemned the destruction of the airport saying Israel acted without provocation. The European Union's special envoy to the Middle East began talks with Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, also on Friday. The Palestinian leader has effectively been confined there since mid-December due to a military blocade.
India ready for war, but pursuing diplomatic
routes
India's army chief has made it clear the country is ready for war with Pakistan. With thousands of Pakistani and Indian troops amassed along the shared border, it is no mean threat. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, General Sunderajan Padmanabhan emphasised that India would only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack, in which case, he said, the perpetrators would be punished so severely their continuation thereafter would be doubtful. New Delhi gave Pakistan a deadline to reclaim the bodies of five militants shot down when they attacked India's parliament in December. Pakistan refused, and the date has passed, so India has buried the men itself, in an muslim graveyard. Last week the leaders of the two countries may have shaken hands but many fear they are now ready to fight a bloody war. India's Defence Minister has however insisted that diplomatic routes are being pursued to defuse tensions and said it was inappropriate to talk about nuclear weapons.
Belfast school re-opens despite continuing
violence. 
The gates of the Holy Cross Primary school in north Belfast opened up this morning, despite overnight rioting in the area. The Chairman of Governors at the school which is at the centre of renewed conflict said he would try and make the day as normal for pupils as possible. Not an easy promise to fulfil when soldiers and armed riot police line the streets leading up to the entrance.The school was closed yesterday after a dispute nearby triggered serious rioting.In the early hours of this morning, Catholic and Protestant youths hurled petrol bombs, acid bombs, stones and around five home-made "blast bombs" at police and troops trying to keep them apart.Thirty-one police officers and three soldiers were injured, one suffering burns to his face. Several hijacked cars were set alight. Police were forced to use plastic riot-control bullets to bring the situation under relative control.
Russia's "last independent television channel" could be shut down
Russian Television channel TV6, described as the country's last independent station, lost its legal battle on Friday to avoid closure. Moscow's Higher Arbitration Court upheld an earlier ruling that TV6, should be shut down for failing to comply with statutory financial regulations. The channel is owned by Boris Berezovsky a sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin. He claims the closure is part of a campaign by the Kremlin to prevent any media alternatives to state propoganda. Many of the journalists at TV6 had come from the private station NTV after Gazprom, a gas company in which the state is the largest shareholder, took over management of the company. Berezovsky said he would appeal against the decision to the Constitutional Court, the highest in the country, and then to the European Court of Human Rights.
Israel rips up Gaza runway 
The Israeli army has bulldozed the runway at the Palestinian-controlled international airport in the Gaza Strip, in retaliation for a Palestinian raid that killed four Israeli soldiers. It has also cut off the main road between Central and Southern Gaza. The developments are threatening to wreck US efforts to end the violence and bloodshed. The militant group Islamic Jihad has said it will no longer halt attacks on Israelis. The incursion and destruction of Gaza aiport is a highly provocative move, as it is a key symbol of Palestinian aspirations for their own state. A force of combat engineers, tanks and a desert patrol battalion ripped apart a the runway.Yesterday it was Palestinian homes which were targeted. 110 families are having to live in tents after their houses were destroyed by the Israeli army.Israel says it is all part of a continued response to a raid by HAMAS militants that killed four Israeli soldiers at an army post. it wants those resposible to be arrested. The israeli army says it has arrested one member of HAMAS itself, near to Naplus. Meanwhile following an investigation the US government has concluded that the the Palestinian Authority was behind an attempt tpo smuggle 50 tonnes of arms.But unlike Israel it is refusing to cut off its ties with the Palestinians.
Search goes on for 6 year old paedophilia
victim
Police are continuing to search gardens on a housing estate in the French town of Outreau near Boulogne for the body of a girl believed to have been killed by members of a Paedophile ring.The revelation follows the arrest in Outreau just over a year ago of 15 people accused of sexually abusing children and circulating child porngraphy.One of them recently revealed to a local judge that he had witnessed two members of the ring rape a five year old girls and that one then beat her to death.Police say the account has been backed up by a female suspect.The swoop on the paedophile ring last year shook the town of Outreau. The news that a six year old Belgian girl may have been kidnapped, killed and probably buried there has left residents reeling.The paedophile ring was set up four years ago. It was discovered after social services became suspicious and children with foster parents started to talk
9 January 2002
Afghans released top Taliban
cnn--
Seven high-ranking Taliban officials, including the justice minister, surrendered within the past 48 hours in Kandahar, Afghanistan, but were allowed to return to their villages, an Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
Israel vows revenge for deadly attack
bbc--
Israel says it will retaliate after Palestinian gunmen kill four Israeli soldiers in southern Israel, shattering three weeks of relative calm.
Blair attacked over rail 'farce'
bbc--
Ceasefire hopes shattered by violence
euronews--
An end to weeks of relative calm in the Middle East has come after two members of Palestinian militant group Hamas shot dead four Israeli soldiers before being killed themselves...
Milosevic defiant in court
euronews--
The former Yugoslav President, Slobodan Milosevic, has made what is likely to be his last court appearance before his trial next month for alleged crimes against humanity in Kosovo...
Danes and Swedes deciding on euro
euronews--
The Danish crown could be consigned to currency history after the Danish government said it was considering a referendum on joining the euro as early as next year....
Far-right leader tipped to be Italy's new foreign minister
euronews--
There is speculation in Italy that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may appoint the head of the far-right National Alliance party as the country's new foreign minister. Gianfranco Fini is currently the deputy Prime Minister...
Former communists to share power in Berlin
euronews--
Germany's ruling Social Democrats have agreed to share power with ex-communists in the capital Berlin. The SPD won the city election in October but needed to find a partner to form a government. ... .
8 January 2002
Franks: U.S. wrapping Tora Bora search
cnn--
U.S. troops are wrapping up their hunt for Osama bin Laden in the mountain caves of eastern Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. forces in the country said.
Starving Afghan villagers eat grass
bbc--
Rail strike misery spreads
bbc--
Spain faces Italian headache
euronews--
Spain, which holds the rotating EU presidency until June, is facing its first test, namely what to do over Italy's attitude over Europe.Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar is playing host to various European Commissioners in Madrid today...
Berlusconi cancels meeting with Spain's foreign minister
euronews--
Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi has postponed a meeting with the Spanish Foreign Minister following the resignation of his own foreign minister...
Blair first western leader in Afghanistan
euronews--
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been welcomed to Afghanistan by the country's interim leader Hamid Karzai.Flying into Bagram airbase north of the capital Kabul, Blair became the first western leader to visit Afghanistan since the September 11th attacks...
German paras heading to Afghanistan
euronews--
Seventy German paratroopers have set off for Afghanistan, the country's first contribution to the British-led international stabilistation force...
Mexican farmers show naked anger
euronews--
A group of Mexican farmers have stripped to their underwear to protest against the government.They are demanding the state give them land in the state of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico...
7 January 2002
New strikes near Pakistan border
cnn--
Blair calls for Kashmir dialogue
bbc--
The UK prime minister - meeting Pakistan's president after his visit to India - urges the South Asian rivals to hold "proper, meaningful" talks.
Rail strikes condemned
bbc--
Downing Street criticises the industrial action causing further disruption to passengers on some of Britain's busiest railway lines.
Silvio Berlusconi appoints himself Foreign Minister
euronews--
It was a tense farewell for the Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero. He managed to force a smile, but no-one doubts he is really furious with the Prime Minster Silvio Berlusconi for squeezing and freezing him out. Especially as Berlusconi has now appointed himself as interim Foreign Minister. The Prime Minster said afterwards "The foreign ...
Bank strike hits Italian euro rollout
euronews--
In Italy the euro rollout is grinding to a halt after bank workers went on strike.Ninety per cent of major high street banks are closed today.The walkout is over allegations of exhaustion from tellers and back office workers.They say the changeover to the euro has been badly handled. Businesses are now sounding the alarm, saying not ...
Argentines fear price rises after devalutation
euronews--
Argentina's new government has announced a long-expected devaluation of the the national currency, the peso, ending ten years of parity with the US dollar.Ahead of the move, thousands of worried Argentines queued up to withdraw and spend their pesos before their purchasing power falls by 30 per cent.While some shops have started sales to ...
Rain offers partial respite for Australian firefighters
euronews--
Thousands of Australian firefighters have been celebrating an overnight downpour.The rain has tamed some of the 100 or so fires that have ravaged New South Wales since Christmas Day.Up to 40 millimetres of rain fell on fire fronts in the Blue Mountains national park area 60 km west of Sydney, and ...
5 and 6 Janaury
U.S. soldier killed in 'ambush'
cnn--
The body of a U.S. Special Forces soldier who was killed in an ambush in eastern Afghanistan arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Saturday.
Berlusconi's government in crisis over the
euro 
The resignation of Italy's Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero leaves Silvio Berlusconi's government short of perhaps its most pro-european voice. Ruggiero left following a row with the Italian Prime Minister over negative comments by other ministers about the euro. Ruggiero criticised them and now he is out on his ear. The europhile Foreign Minister is believed to have been recruited to the Berlusconi government to lend it international respectability after doubts were raised in Europe over the committment of some parties in the government coalition to further european intergration. Ruggiero did not belong to any party in Berlusconi's coaltion. But less than a month ago he was praised by Berlusconi for his skills and diplomacy in defusing disagreement over the EU wide arrest warrant. Now Ruggeiro has been described by the same man as a mere technocrat. "I have the leadership of our foreign policy" Berlusconi said. Renato Ruggiero was highly respected by political leaders across the globe. He successfully managed to maintain relations with Brussels while seeking closer ties with the US. His resignation will have international repurcussions for Italy.
The mediterranean under the snow 
At least 7 people have died in Turkey as freak snowstorms have paralysed the country. Several of them froze to death. Hundreds have had to remain stuck in their cars for several hours waiting forroads to be cleared. Many ferries across the Bosphorous straits were cancelled for a second day running. Power supplies in some mountainous areas were disrupted. Dozens of international and domestic flights were cancelled out of Istanbul's Ataturk airport leaving many passengers stranded. Severe snowstorms have also swept through parts of southern and central Greece. At least 8 people have died in road accidents. Many roads have been closed, while bus, ship and plane routes have been disrupted. And for the first time in a decade, Athenians could see snow on the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis. Meanwhile, Italy has been recording its coldest temperatures in a decade as several cities have also been hit by the freeze. Venice Lagoon and the canal around the island of Burano were frozen over. Temperatures sank to minus 22 in the country's northern Dolomites region, with farmers in the northwestern Liguria region saying their crops have been damaged by the cold.
Small plane crashes into Florida skyscraper
In a scene eerily reminiscent of the September the 11th attacks, a small private plane has crashed into a highrise Bank of America building in Tampa, Florida. It was filmed half-hanging out of a window on the 28th floor. Tampa police say it was flown by a lone 15 year old trainee pilot who took off from a nearby airport without clearance, after his instructor left him to do a pre-flight check. He ignored Coast guard signals asking him to land. The pilot was killed but nobody else was hurt.
Euro rollout still going smoothly 
The euro go-slow many had predicted for Saturday failed to materialize, much to the relief of consumers and retailers alike, as the rollout of the new currency continues to go better than many ever predicted. Saturday was a major hurdle to clear being the busiest shopping day of the week. Queues were reported, but that had been expected, as people struggled to get used to the new notes and coins. One shopkeeper said, "people come to the till with an expression on their faces like they're about to take an exam". Five days from its launch, and the European Commission said euro notes and coins now account for more than half of all commercial transactions in the twelve nation Eurozone. The rate of penetration varies between countries, with the Netherlands at the top of the league, and Italy towards the bottom. But on the whole the rollout has been a resounding success. To quote one retailer, "it's like sport. If you're well prepared, you win".
Suspected Al Qaeda member arrested in Germany
German police have arrested a suspected member of Oosama ben Laden's Al Qaeda network during a raid on a hotel in the centre of Moenchengladbach in the wets of the country. The man who has an Italian name was charged with being a member of an illegal organisation. German authorities launched a massive investigation after it emerged that Mohammed Atta and other September 11th hijackers had lived in Hamburg for years.
Senior Taliban figure arrested
The US military has arrested the former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, but its primary targets Mullah Omar and Oosama ben Laden remain elusive. Mullah Abdul Salam Salam Zaeef was the Taliban's principal spokesman during the war in Afghanistan. He is the highest ranking official from the movement to be captured. But the leader of the Taliban Mullah Omar still has not been found. Infact, in an almost comical turn reports suggest he escaped an area of southern Afghanistan on a motobike, as US troops closed in. The US President George W Bush has spoken out at what he calls the cowardice of Taliban and Al Qaeda and he expressed his sorrow at hearing that Special Forces Sergeant Nathan Chapman had been killed in action. He said he had been for a just cause. Bush also took the opportunity to warn that the war was still in a "dangerous phase."
The Euro is put to the test
euronews--
Five days after its launch, the euro is being put to its first real test as Saturday shoppers head for the high streets across Europe for the start of the January sales.The European Commission has congratulated itself on the successful launch of the single currency in twelve out of the Union's fifteen countries. ...
Greece paralysed by 30cm snowfall
euronews--
Severe snowstorms have left parts of southern and central Greece paralysed for the second day running.Traffic delays, closed roads and car accidents have been reported across the country, while many bus, plane and ship routes have been cancelled.Athens International Airport is virtually closed. Some people were left stranded in ...
U2 bags 8 Grammy nominations
euronews--
Veteran Irish rock band U2 has taken the centre stage at this year's Grammy Awards nominations with eight nominations, including key album, song and record-of-the-year.Soulful newcomers India Arie and Alicia Keys followed with seven and six nominations each respectively. The R&B divas will compete against each other for best new artist, a ...
Renewed hope in standoff between India and Pakistan
euronews--
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has offered a hand of friendship to Indian prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at a summit of South Asian leaders in Nepal. The conference has been overshadowed by a massive military standoff between the two neighbours sparking fears across the world that the two nuclear-armed countries may be on the ...
Argentinians face devaluation, price hikes and a dual exchange rate system
euronews--
Citizens of Buenas Aires have had their first glimpse of the latest attempt to resolve Argentina's long running crisis with news of plans for a dual currency system and a probable devaluation. And new President Eduardo Duhalde has insisted there must be a closer relationship between government and business to pull the country out of its 4 year ...
The world's oldest man has died at the ripe age of 112
euronews--
Antonio Todde recently said he saw no reason why he shouldnt live to 125, and put his longevity down to a daily glass of red wine.The former shepherd boy lived his life on the Italian island of Sardinia, a place where almost twice as many people as the world average live to be over a hundred years old.Todde witnessed two world wars , a ...
Germans take the tram to change to the euro.
euronews--
If you feel you are being left behind by the new single currency, that is most definately the case in Germany where it is all aboard the Euro express. In Leipzig in the East, a tram has been converted to allow people to hop on, quickly change their coins, and hop off again.One woman said "It's a good idea. The queues are so long at the banks, I ...
4 Janaury 2002
U.S. bombs Taliban holdouts
cnn--
A U.S. B-52 dropped bombs again on a suspected terrorist training camp in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, following a raid a day earlier.
Pakistan rounds up militants
bbc--
Pakistani police arrest large numbers of Islamic activists in what appears to be a major operation against militant and sectarian groups.
Five die in jet crash
bbc--
Decisions loom large for Argentina
euronews--
Argentina's new cabinet and the country's latest president Eduardo Duhalde are trying to build support for economic reforms aimed at dragging Argentina out of recession.Duhalde and his finance minister Jorge Remes Lenicov are pressing business, unions and members of parliament for their backing.They are planning a devaluation of the peso, ending ...
Hopes for India-Pakistan breakthrough put on hold.
euronews--
It had been hoped the South Asian regional summit in Nepal would nudge India and Pakistan towards talks before it is too late. But if time is of the essence, it seems to be running out. The conference itself has been postponed until tomorrow after Pakistani president Pervez Mursharraf's flight from China was delayed by bad weather. It had been ...
Zinni resumes contact with Sharon and Arafat
euronews--
Washington's envoy to the Middle East Anthony Zinni has resumed his diplomacy today, meeting Israel's prime minister Ariel Sharon over breakfast.Zinni is hoping for more success than his last mission, which ended in December amid some of the worst violence since the Palestinian uprising began in September 2000.Sharon is still insisting on ...
Last toast to a giant of the beer industry
euronews--
Alfred 'Freddy' Heineken, whose grandfather founded the world-famous Dutch brewery, has died at the age of 78.His death at home in the Netherlands coastal town of Noordwijk was attributed by local media to a lung infection.Having begun work as a teenager at the family brewery - now Europe's biggest - this captain of industry was later to place ...
Italy lags behind in introduction of Euro
euronews--
Could do better was the verdict on the introduction of the Euro in Italy. The launch went relatively smoothly in most countries with an average of percent of transactions completed in euros on Wednesday.But in Italy where the new currency was in short supply, the figure was only 10 percent That was not the only problem - "The coins are so small ...
3 January 2002
Deep South, deep snow
cnn--
-- Snow piled up across the Deep South early Thursday as a winter storm spread a blanket of white from Mississippi to Virginia, snarling travel by road and air.
War 'unnecessary', says Indian PM
bbc--
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee says he will make every effort to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis with Pakistan.
Israel stages West Bank pull-out
bbc--
Pakistan looks to China for support over crisis with India
euronews--
As tensions continue to build between India and Pakistan, the Pakistani President is seeking support from his long term allies. Pervez Musharraf is in China for talks. From there he will fly to Nepal for a summit of South Asian countries. He said, "I hope that with the help of this meeting there should be a discussion about the peace and ...
Euro still causing confusion
euronews--
A euro-rip off is what some are calling it- retailers rounding up prices for the new Euro, and lining their pockets in turn. But at the Vatican, it has won the Pope's blessing. The entry price of five thousand lira has been changed to three euros- a rise of nearly half a euro. Those in charge say it is justified as the price has not changed in ...
Australians cry out for tougher penalties for arsonists
euronews--
As over one hundred fires blaze their way across eastern Australia, public anger at those responsible for the emergency is heating up. Over half the "Black Christmas" fires were started by arsonists dubbed by one tabloid newspaper as "Lucifers." Australians are united in their calls for tougher penalties for the men, at least two of whom may have ...
Tragic French fire kills nine
euronews--
A fire at a French old people's home has left nine people dead and six others injured.The blaze broke out on the third floor of the building on the outskirts of Lyon.The home's owners say fire doors were closed in time and the alarm system was working perfectly.But the director of says time was not on their side. We evacuated people as quickly as ...
2 Gennaio 2001-Updated
-Newsweek
Their Target: The Modern World
The real enemy: Radical Islamists, intolerant of all diversity and dissent, have become the fascists of our day. That is what we are fighting against
Time is on Giuliani's side
December 25, 2001 Posted: 4:05 a.m. EST (0905 GMT)
SUMMARY: After much speculation, Time magazine named its Person
of the Year -- outgoing New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who gained worldwide
admiration for tirelessly and compassionately rallying the city after the
September 11 terrorist attacks. The city has begun building platforms to view
Ground Zero, the heart of the catastrophic strikes. Reminders that terror
scares have not gone away occurred when a man was arrested after allegedly
trying to light explosives in his shoes on a trans-Atlantic flight -- and
a national security alert was extended through January
UPDATE: Giuliani, 57, who leaves office next month after two consecutive terms, is Time's Person of the Year for 2001, the magazine announced Sunday. He has won praise for his performance in the aftermath of the September attacks, even receiving an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. (Full story)
White Christmases may be a diminishing dream
OAK RIDGE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Chances of a white Christmas in many parts of the United States are slimmer at the start of the 21st century than they were 40 years ago, according to a survey by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Comparing data for 16 cities across the United States, scientists found a drop in the number of cities that recorded at least 1 inch of snow on the ground December 25.
Updated: 04:10 p.m. EST (2110 GMT) -- CNN)
-- U.S.
Marines on mission in southern Afghanistan
Marines were on the ground in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday to gather intelligence and look for members of the Taliban
and al Qaeda.
CNN) --
As the year 2002 arrived around the world, cash changed its appearance across Europe and the United States welcomed the New Year under tight security.
2001: Before and After 
CNN)
--
We entered 2001 cautiously, still wrapped in the fog of a muddled presidential election as rumors of impending layoffs began to swirl. The economy was our main concern. The fate of America -- and of the world -- seemed tied to the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange in the "new economic order" wrought by globalization.
A smooth passage to the euro 
There's been widespread praise for the overwhelmingly problem free launch of the euro notes and coins. As millions of Europeans returned to work after the New Year break the currency faced its first major test. Early morning travellers faced some delays as they fumbled with the new coinage and queues formed. But in most places it all seems to be going like smooth Swiss clockwork. In England, anti-euro groups have been lamenting the introduction of the currency, with the symbolic burning of notes and a mock funeral for the 12 countries whose monies are being phased out. Although the UK has not joined many shops, especially in the south are accepting euros. The twelve countries that have joined up will phase their old ones out by the end of February. But The European Commission forecasts that more than half of all transactions in the euro-area will be taking place in euros by the end of the week.
Tension continues to build between Pakistan
and India 
Eighteen people, including eleven Indian police officers have been injured in a grenade attack in Srinagar, the capital of Indian controlled Kashmir. Indian police claim a muslim Kashmiri separatist group is responsible. The attack comes at a delicate time. The Pakistani and Indian Foreign Ministers are meeting at a Sotuh Asia summit in Katmandu, and it was hoped they might talk about Kashmir and how to keep the peace. But there are contradictory moves being made. New Delhi says it has now finished the process of mobilising its troops along the 3,300 kilometre border, ready for war. And it says it has not ruled out military strikes if Pakistan does not meet India's demand to crush the two separatist groups blamed for the December terrorist attack on India's Parliament. The two Foreign ministers have already met during preliminary talks at the Katmandu summit. But there have been no promises of a one to one meeting on the issue of Kashmir. But some of the outward signs are good. Jawat Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Abdul Satar chatted amiably as they entered the meeting room, difficult to believe at a time when some defence analysts are warning of the potential for nuclear war.
Problem free start for euro
Millions of shoppers in twelve European countries spent their first day buying in euros on Wednesday. There has been widespread praise for the relatively problem-free introduction of the single currency. But in some places there were queues at counters as customers and cashiers attempted to calculate change in the new currency. One major fear had been a lack of euro notes and coins in cash tills but customers reported few problems. There were some minor hitches in Austria where the country's 2,600 ATM machines broke down for an hour due to the heavy demand for euros. There were strikes at some banks in France and Italy but these only slightly overshadowed the first day of business in euros.
September 11th suspect pleads not guilty 
The man alleged to be the 20th hijacker in September's suicide strikes on America has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges linked to the attacks. Zacarias Moussaoui said, in a statement, at the eagerly-anticipated preliminary hearing in Alexandria, Virginia: "In the name of Allah, I do not have anything to plead. I enter no plea." The judge said she understood this to be a plea of not guilty and Moussaoui's defence attorney said "Yes." The Frenchman, of Moroccan descent, faces six counts of conspiracy in connection with the attacks, four of which could lead to the death penalty. There was tight security surrounding Wednesday's hearing and this will be the case, too, when his trial begins on October 14th. The indictment against him states that, like Mohamed Atta, the hijackers'presumed leader, Moussaoui received flight training in the United States. He had already been detained several weeks before September 11th, initally on immigration violations, after he aroused suspicion by trying to buy time on a jumbo jet flight simulator at a US flying school. It has been claimed that Moussaoui had been preparing to join the 19 other hijackers in the suicide attacks.
Billionaire Bloomberg becomes NY mayor
Michael Bloomberg has been warmly welcomed as the new mayor of New York City, and immediately pledged to get the Big Apple back on track to business success. The billionaire received the backing of high profile predecesor Rudolph Giuliani. Amid tight security, he took his oath of office on the steps of city Bloomberg's business credentials have impressed New Yorkers, who believe that he can attract investment scared away by the September terrorist attacks. But the ruins of the world trade centre will make a sober backdrop to the task facing Bloomberg. New York's budget shortfall could reach four billion dollars next year. The Republican's already planning meet that with spending and job cuts.
Argentina : five presidents in less than two
weeks 
Argentina's new president Eduardo Duhalde has been sworn in to rapturous applause in Parliament. But on the streets feelings over the appointment are mixed. The pressure on Duhalde to save the economy from a crippling four year recession is huge. He said after he was sworn in "Argentina is broken. Argentina is struggling. The economic policy has destroyed everything. Its thrust, which culminated in pegging the peso to the dollar, has created 2 million unemployed, destroyed the middle classes, bankrupted our industries and destroyed the Argentinian peoples' hard work. Now production and commerce are at a standstill. The chain of payment has been broken and the economy can't get going." The new president will have to address widespread discontent which recently has bubbled over into anger and violence. His advisers have suggested he may abandon or radically change the country's one-to-one currency peg to the dollar. That move has been credited with helping to bring Argentina high growth in the 1990's, but has been blamed for making it one of the most expensive countries in the world to do business, aggravating an economic downturn. On the streets of Argentina, the people are anxiously waiting for the new President's to make his first tell-tale moves.
Fires threaten Sydney suburbs for second day
Officials in the Australian city of Sydney are painting a grim picture of the situation they are facing, as bush fires continue to threaten homes in the northern suburbs. So far there have been no reports of anyone being seriously harmed by the blazes, and no houses have been lost in Sydney. That is largely thanks to aerial water bombing by special helicopters, while residents and firefighters man the hoses, pumping water from swimming pools and lakes. Many people have suffered breathing difficulties since the flames reached residential areas yesterday. Pollution levels here are the worst on record, forcing airlines to divert planes to other cities. Meanwhile thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes since the fires started on Christmas Day. The fires have destroyed 150 homes in the state of New South Wales and around 300,000 hectares of bush, twice the size of greater London, have been devastated.
1 january-Updated
Today's Top Stories
The euro becomes a fact of life for 300 million
EU citizens 
People across Europe have spent the day getting to know the euro - the new currency that unites 12 of the 15 E.U. states. The novelty factor may have played had a big part but there is no doubt business has been brisk. Hundreds of Spanish banks were open on what is normally a holiday, giving people a chance to exchange their pesetas for euros. "It's difficult at the moment but with time we'll get used to it" said one customer. With many stores closed travellers and shoppers at Frankfurt's main railway station were among the first in the city to try out the new money. The coins and notes were being carefully scrutinised. "It's a strange feeling because I don't know the coins yet, but I think we should start immediately and that's why I spent some today", one traveller said. Of course it has not all gone without a hitch. In some cases, traders and customers seemed to be equally confused. It may be a steep learning curve, but it is one that all E.U. citizens, except those in Denmark, Sweden and the UK, will have to master.
Britain stays out of the euro but may not keep the euro out of it Britain
is shivering under very cold temperatures.
A lucky few headed to the airport on January 1st for warmer weather in southern Spain. British holiday-makers changing their pounds had a reality check: Most still manage to get by without speaking a foreign language but they can no longeravoid the euro. Britain may be staying out of the euro zone but its becoming increasingly clear its going to be difficult to keep the euro out of Britain especially when 300 million people on its doorstep will be using the currency. British eurosceptics have little time for gloating. They have a new word to worry about "Euro creep". Business is business - and many British companies keen to hang on to European customers are saying they will accept euros at home. The British government is actively encouraging retailers to accept the currency and some leading anti-euro businessmen looking at profit and loss columns are going to accept euro customers anyway. The foot and mouth disease outbreak, poor weather and a dreadful rail service made last year one of the worst for attracting tourists. Britain wants them back. If a Finn can go to Greece without changing money the tourism industry knows it has to provide incentives to the 13 million holidaymakers thinking of coming to Britain. Tourism also provides welcome revenue for the treasury. There is a certain irony that while the British are lukewarm about the Euro they like to travel shop and spend their holidays in the Euro zone. There is one school of thought: Just as the British are increasingly overcoming their fear of foreign looking food by actually eating it fond memories of the holidays may even include a romance with the euro.
Serbia's Kosovo province, under UN administration, also falls
within the sphere of the euro
Kosovo is the first area outside the EU to have adopted the euro as its official currency. KFOR peacekeeping personnel were among the first to exchange German marks - With an economy in ruins after the Balkans war, the Deutschmark became the main currency in use here after the UN and NATO took control in 1999. Kosovans are being encouraged to use bank accounts rather than keeping cash at home. A senior banking official in the province's capital, Pristina, Muharrem Uka spoke of this being another step towards Europe. From March, the euro will become the only convertible currency, although the Yugoslav dinar will also be accepted
Talking peace but preparing for war
Both sides in the India-Pakistan dispute remain on full alert, despite signs
of an easing of tension. The two countries have renewed a pact not to attack
each others' nuclear facilities, even though the military build-up on the
border continues. Last July's summit between Pakistan's President, Pervez
Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, broke down because
of their differences over the disputed region of Kashmir. Now, though, Mr
Vajpayee says he will consider fresh talks on the subject, which is at the
heart of the latest crisis, but only when Pakistan acts against cross-border
terrorism. The escalation of hostilities has already claimed many victims,
with refugees fleeing the fighting, amid fears the worst could be to come.
Inside Pakistan, meanwhile, President Musharraf can find little relief from
his troubles on the border, with suspected Islamic militants wounding at least
nine people with a New Year's Eve car bomb. As for the dispute with India,
Islamabad says Britain's Tony Blair plans a peacemaking visit to both countries,
though there is little prospect of a face to face meeting between India and
Pakistan's leaders at this week's South Asian summit in Nepal.
Euro zone populations begin trading in Euros 
After years of anticipation Europe's single currency is finally here.From this morning three hundred million Europeans in twelve different countries share the euro. The phase out of national currencies has begun as the euro becomes legal tender across the euro zone marking the biggest monetary changeover the world has ever seen. Europeans are saying goodbye to the likes of the franc and mark and exchanging new euros and cents. Denmark, Sweden and Great Britain however have opted out of the new currency. In Finland and Austria banks opened their doors for two hours at midnight to meet the demands of customers eager to hold a piece of history in their hands.
Queues for first euro notes.
People in the Finnish capital Helsinki queuing up at banks which were specially opened to allow people to get their hands on the notes and coins that most of Europe's now sharing. Along with the Greeks they were the first people to do so on the continent- although the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean beat everyone to it. In Italy, cash machines have been busy- as people grab the notes that are replacing the lire. Eighty five per cent of ATMs in Italy functioned in the early hours. With one euro roughly the equivalent of two thousand lire the maths isn't too tough, unlike in France where the one euro coin is worth six point five five nine five seven francs. Even though people across the eurozone have a good few weeks to change their national coins and notes for the new cash, many in France were impatient. Im just two hours, they'd withdrawn nearly thirteen million euros from cash machines across the country.
The single currency's become a reality for
300 million citizens in twelve European Union 
countries.
As of today, the Euro is legal tender- it's the biggest monetary changeover in history. In the Belgian capital Brussels, it was marked with a multimedia show entitled Euro Bridge. For Britain, Sweden and Denmark adopting the euro is a bridge too far. But in Frankfurt, the launch at the European Central Bank pulled in the crowds bs six billion euro notes and fifty two billion euro coins went into circulation at the start of the New Year. The twelve-country Eurozone represents one sixth of the world's economy, There were lasers in Lisbon as revellers said goodbye to their escudos. If you're wondering where the first purchase in euros was made, it was in Reunion- the French island in the Indian Ocean, where January the first started before continental Europe. The euro's effect will be felt well beyond the Eurozone - it's due to be used in Kosovo for example. Shops are accepting the old currencies well into February but you'll only be given change in euros.
Arrivederci Lira 
In Rome, Italians and tourists alike have been throwing their last lira into the famous Trevi fountain. This action traditionally means the person will come back here. What is different this time is that anyone who does will no longer find any of the old coins. They will be siphoned off for charity and anyone returning will find a fountain filling with euros. The coordinator of an exhibition in celebration of the Italian Lira said the money was symbolic of historic continuity across the generations, 'a symbol of national unity, one that binds all Italians together, collectively and individually.' There is the same intention behind the euro on a europe-wide scale. A double exhibit - "The Long Road to the Euro" and "The Golden Lira" traces history from the Roman empire up to the present day. A monument to the lira is in the planning and will be unveiled in the course of the coming year. Encouraged by signs saying "The last good work of the lira," Italians have been donating their remaining old change at banks and supermarkets, the funds to go towards cancer research.
WOLD NEWS 2001