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Deutsche Welle 4 th April 2002, 16:00 UTC English Service News --------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Strike Culture in Germany Today Germany's metal workers' union has begun a campaign of warning strikes. They are part of a German union tradition that largely keeps the peace between labour and management. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_490754_1_A,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Israeli troops surround birthplace of Jesus Christ Israel on Thursday fortified its military control of six West Bank towns, while angrily dening a claim that its forces had launched an attack on the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ. The governor of Bethlehem, Mohamed al Madani told the Qatar News Agency that Israeli troops had blown up the southern gate of the Church of Nativity and exchanged gunfire with Palestinian gunmen holed up in the church. QNA is reporting that some 200 people are inside the church and refuse to come out. Israeli government spokesman Raanan Gissin told DW Radio the assertion was "baseless lies." He said Israeli forces had surrounded the church, but had not attacked it. Meanwhile, Israeli troops have also entered Nablus and now control all major Palestinian cities except Hebron. On the diplomatic front, a top level EU delegation led by foreign policy chief, Javier Solana has met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eilizer in Tel Aviv. The EU officials frustrated by the failure of the American diplomatic efforts, were denied access to Palestinian President Yassar Arafat who remains under house arrest at his presidential compound in Ramallah. The Middle East will also dominate talks between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W. Bush this weekend. The two leaders will meet at the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas. US President Bush is expected to hold a press conference within the hour to answer questions about the explosive situation in the Middle East and is expected to confirm a trip to Israel by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Angola's army and UNITA rebels sign ceasefire Angola's army and the Union for the Total Independence of Angola, (UNITA)rebel movement have signed a ceasefire pact ending 26 years of civil war. The accord, marks the culmination of talks that began after government forces killed Unita leader Jonas Savimbi six weeks ago. The final hurdle was taken on Saturday when the two sides agreed to a plan for the demobilisation of 50,000 Unita troops, who will now be absorbed into the Angolan army and police. Parallel to the agreement is an amnesty law for crimes committed by UNITA rebels since taking up arms. Rights group says 50,000 Zimbabweans displaced The human rights group Crisis in Zimbabwe on Thursday said that as many as 50,000 people have fled their homes in fear of revenge attacks in the wake of President Robert Mugabe's disputed election victory last month. The group comprised of labour, human rights and other civic organisations said it had approached international humanitarian groups to help deal with the problem of displaced people. The Mugabe government has accused some aid agencies of furthering the political cause of the opposition under the guise of humanitarian work. Plot to overthrow Afghan interim leader foiled Afghan authorities on Thursday foiled a plot to overthrow interim leader Harmid Karzai. The police chief in Kabul said, former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and his radical Hezb-e-Islami group had planned a campaign of bombings and attacks on the international peacekeepers. The police chief said, bombings were planned to disrupt the Loya Jirga in June and that they had discovered plans to possibly assassinate former King Zahir Shah, whose return home from exile in Rome has been expected for weeks. Former rebel chief among 10 killed in Kashmir Ten people including the former rebel commander and three civilians are the latest victims of sectarian violence in India's strife-torn Kashmir region. Police on Thursday said gunmen shot and killed Gori Mohammad Shafi, a former commander of the Tehreek-e-Jehad Islami (TJI) group, his wife and another couple. The incident for which no militant group has claimed responsibility for, took place near Bandipura township 55 km (35 miles) north of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, in the divided Himalayan territory. Four killed in Portugal train crash At least four people were killed and at least 17 others injured, two seriously injured when 2 trains crashed head-on in central Portugal. A civil defence official said a passenger train had collided with a locomotive on a training exercise on a single-line track near Lousa, about 150 km (90 miles) north of Lisbon. No further details are available at this time. German govt weights guarantees to help clubs The German government on Thursday said it was considering setting up a 200 million euro ($176 million USD) financial guarantee to prevent smaller German football clubs from going bankrupt should the KirchMedia group collapse. Reportedly involved in the talks were German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, and Werner Hackmann, Bundesliga chief and president of the Hamburg SV football club. Wilfried Straub, chairman of the German Football Association (DFL) said talks had taken place but also emphasised that this was about the state providing collateral, not subsidies. Money from the Kirch group for television rights, makes up more than half the income of many smaller clubs. The group is due to make two payments of 100 million euros each to the league in early May and August. The threat of insolvency continues to hang over the indebted Kirch Media group after rescue plan talks with banks on Thursday reportedly ended without result. --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ==^================================================================
