HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
English Service News 29th March, 2002, 16:00 UTC English Service News ----------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Yasser Arafat: Man Under Fire Surrounded by Israeli tanks, Arafat refuses to give up the fight for an Independent Palestine. It takes more than violence for the PLO leader to accept defeat. Peace, however, is something he's less accustomed to. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1434_A_486952_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------- Violence in the Middle East Escalates; Arafat's Life in Danger, Officials Say In Jerusalem, a Palestinian suicide bomber has blown herself up in a supermarket, killing two people and injuring at least 20 others. It was the second Palestinian suicide bombing since the Jewish holiday Passover began last Wednesday night. The attack also came just hours after Israeli tanks surrounded Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's compound. Witnesses in Ramallah said Israeli troops had entered the area around Arafat's offices and were fighting with security forces there. Palestinian officials said that the Palestinian president's life was in danger and they believed that Israel's aim is to kill Arafat. Earlier on Friday, Israel declared Arafat the enemy and vowed to isolate him. Meanwhile, the world has reacted with alarm to the escalating violence in the Middle East. Both Russia and the EU have criticized Israel's use of military force against the Palestinians, saying it was not a solution for obtaining peace. China has also expressed concern and called for urgent action by the international community to get both sides back to the negociating table. Rain Slows Earthquake Aid in Afghanistan Rain in the earthquake-devastated region of Nahrin in northern Afghanistan has further disrupted aid efforts. Freezing down pours have made travel on the dirt roads difficult, but armoured cars of international peacekeepers brought up from Kabul moved towards surrounding villages to look for more injured and homeless. The confirmed death toll four days after a series of earthquakes was about 800 with some 500 people seriously injured. An estimated 20,000 people camped out for a fourth night on freezing hillsides, fearful of returning to their homes because of continuing aftershocks. Trial for Suspects in Pearl Cast Set for April 5 The trial of four key suspects in the kidnapping and murder of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl is to begin on April 5 in a Karachi jail. British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Sheikh and Sheikh Adil were brought to court in the southern port city on Friday for a closed-door hearing in the judge's chambers. Both men, along with two suspected accomplices, have been charged with the kidnapping and murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter who disappeared in Karachi on January 23 and was later murdered by his captors. The trial is expected to last one week. The American government, in the meantime, wants Omar Sheik extradited to the U.S. Tribal Fighting Causes Bloodshed and Resignations of Two Ministers Two government ministers in Ghana have resigned after a powerful chief and some 25 bodyguards were killed in tribal bloodshed. A state radio station said that Ghana's Interior Minister Alhadji Malik Yakubu Alhassan as well as Northern Regional Minister Prince Imoru Andani had stepped down. No reasons were given for the resignations, but some say Alhassan had instigated a tribal feud which caused the latest bloodshed. Since Monday, fighting in the northern part of the country has flared up and a state of emergency has been imposed to halt the fighting. Three U.S. Soldiers Died in Training Accident Three U.S. soldiers were killed in a training accident in California on Friday, the second fatal accident on U.S. Army training bases this month. A Pentagon spokesman said that three soldiers were killed in an explosion of a mortar round. Last week, two American soldiers at a base in New York state were killed after artillery fire accidentally hit a dining tent. More Warning Strikes in Germany The German metal and electrical workers union IG Metall has begun to stage small warning strikes in two locations across Germany to back demands for more pay. The union wants a 6.5 percent increase in salary and has threatened a major strike in mid-April that could involve up to 120,000 workers. Good Friday Celebrations Thousands of Catholics all over the world are celebrating Good Friday today. At the Vatican, Pope John Paul heard the confessions of a few people in St Peter's Basilica, continuing a Good Friday tradition despite his apparent health problems. Meanwhile, American tourists in various Italian cities were enjoying themselves despite U.S. warnings of possible terrorist attacks. Residents in Florence said they noticed increased security on the streets, but it gave them a sense of assurance rather than alarm. And in Germany, traditional Easter marches have begun with thousands of people calling for peaceful solutions to conflicts of war. Good Friday commemorates the day that Christ was crucified and died on the cross. --------------------------------------------------------------- For more information please turn to our internet website at http://dw-world.de/english Here you'll find out what's happening in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. News and background reports from the fields of current affairs, culture, business and science. And of course the DW website also has information about DW-RADIO and DW-TV programmes: topics, broadcast times and frequencies. You can even listen to all programmes as audio-on-demand. --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
