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English Service News 30th March, 2002, 16:00 UTC English Service News ----------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: UN Criticizes Israel The United Nations on Saturday adopted a resolution urging Israel to withdraw its troops from Palestinian cities. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_487321_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------- Israelis Only a Door Away from Arafat Israeli troops are gradually tightening their grip around Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's West Bank compound in Ramallah. Israeli soldiers entered the compound on Saturday and were said to be only one door away from Arafat's private office. The Palestinian President and his aides spent the night in the dark after the electricity was cut off. Supplies of food and water have reportedly been cut as well. Israel says the latest military operation is in response to a wave of Palestinian suicide attacks against the Israelis. Troops are attempting to dismantle what they call a Palestinian terrorist infrastructure. The U.N. Security Council, meanwhile, has issued a resolution calling on Israel to pull its troops out of Ramallah. But Israel is refusing to comply. Envoy Convenes to Assess Mideast Situation Middle East envoys from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia have met in Jerusalem to discuss the latest upsurge in violence in the region. Moscow said their envoy has been instructed to initiate a joint meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon with the aim of securing full compliance with the U.N. Security Council resolution. North Korea Prepared to Resume Talks with South Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has responded positively to calls for a resumption of talks with South Korea and the United States. At a press conference in Seoul, Indonesia's President Megawati said she had delivered a message about talks to Pyongyang from South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, adding that the response was positive. Megawati's visit to Seoul came just a day after she had met with Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang during a rare trip by a foreign head of state to communist North Korea. Diplomatic activity surrounding the divided Korean peninsula will continue next week when a top level adviser on security and foreign affairs travels to Pyongyang for a three-day visit. Ceasefire Signed in Angola After 27 years of civil war, Angola's armed forces and UNITA rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement. Representatives from both sides signed the memorandum in the provincial capital of Luena. News sources said the accord would be formalised next week. Representatives of the United Nations, the United States, Russia and former colonial power Portugal also attended the signing. Last month government troops had killed veteran rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, raising hopes for an end to the 27-year-old civil war in which more than a million people are estimated to have died. Ten Killed in Rebel Attack in Indian Kashmir At least 9 people have been killed and 19 wounded in a grenade and gun attack near a Hindu temple in the Kashmir city of Jammu. Police said militants threw a grenade in Jammu's main trading centre before opening fire with automatic weapons in an attempt to enter a temple there. A police official said two suspected militants were killed in a gunbattle which later erupted. Taiwan Seizes Vessel with Firearms Following a high seas chase, The Taiwan Coast Guard has seized a locally-registered fishing vessel laden with firearms. A Coast Guard official said four crew members had been arrested for attempting to smuggle hundreds of pistols, machine guns and grenades from the Philippines. U.S. and Russia Impose New Sanctions against Iraq The Washington Post has reported that Russia and the US have agreed on new sanctions against Iraq. The paper stated that the sanctions include a ban on the transfer of certain weapons technology. Russia has produced a list of items that may no longer be sold to Iraq without permission from the U.N. Security Council. Meanwhile, the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Nadji Sabri, has hinted that U.N. weapons inspectors may soon be allowed to return to Iraq. Mr. Sabri will meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan in mid-April to discuss UN sanctions and weapons issues. Asylum Seekers in Australia Remain at Large Australian police were still searching for 8 asylum seekers who remained at large after escaping from the country's outback Woomera detention centre. Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said a total of 41 asylum seekers had escaped overnight after protesters stormed the center and helped the detainees cut their way through the wire fences. Pro-refugee demonstrators have been staging rallies to protest against Australia's mandatory detention of asylum seekers. Germany's Transportation Minister Responds to Increasing Gas Prices Germany's federal minister for transportation, Kurt Bodewig, in an article he wrote for the newspaper, Bild am Sonntag, has promised to investigate the spiralling price of gasoline. Bodewig accused the multi-national oil concerns of shamelessly increasing petrol prices ahead of the Easter holiday. He promised to prosecute any firms found to have participated in price fixing. Currently, the average price of a liter of super unleaded gas is €1.04. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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