Deutsche Welle
English Service News
July 13th, 2001, 16:00 UTC
Beijing has been awarded the 2008 Olympic Games. The International
Olympic Committee awarded the games to China, which defeated
Toronto, Paris, Istanbul and Osaka. Olympic Committee members voted
in favour of Beijing despite international concern at China's human
rights record. For the 2008 Games, they gave Beijing 56 votes,
Toronto 22, Paris 18 and Istanbul 9. China lost out by just two
votes to Sydney in the race to stage the 2000 games.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has appealed to nations to stick to
a committment to cut emissions of gases blamed for global warming.
Annan made the plea at a press conference in Berlin Friday, ahead of
next week's global climate meeting in Bonn. The 1997 UN Koyoto
treaty aims to reduce Greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide by
5.2 percent over 20 years. Annan stressed industrial countries
should not wait for "perfect science" before taking action.
President George W. Bush said the United States rejects the Kyoto
agreement, saying it is flawed and would harm the U.S.economy. The
US is offering to spend more on global research.
Negotiations to resolve the crisis in Northern Ireland are scheduled
to resume late Friday in Birmingham. British Prime Minister Tony
Blair and Irish Republic Premier Bertie Ahern are to host talks with
the main pro-agreement parties. Two loyalist organizations have
declined their invitations. Senior Ulster Unionist politician, John
Taylor, warns that in the absence of a breakthough, fresh assembly
elections could be called in Autumn. -- Roman Catholics rioted for a
second night in a row in Belfast Thursday night. 113 police officers
were hurt in actions, they say, were planned and coordinated, and
included the use of petrol and acid bombs. The riots followed what
had been a relatively peaceful twelfth of July, when about 100,000
Protestant "Orangemen" paraded across the province.
Israeli soldiers temporarily crossed into Palestinian controlled
areas in the West Bank overnight Thursday. During their brief
incursion, Israeli tank-shells fired at homes in the city of Hebron,
as well as two buildings housing Palestinian intelligence and
national security forces. 17 people were injured. Earlier, in a
Palestinian attack, a Jewish settler was killed, triggering a fierce
gunbattle that left at least 23 people wounded.
The military affairs commentator at Israel's Channel One television,
said that from now on "Israel would exact a price" for every
Palestinian assault on Israelis.
In India, security is tight ahead of an historic summit this weekend
in Agra between India and Pakistan
The leaders of both countries hardened their positions on Friday,
with neither side showing any flexibility on the central dispute of
Kashmir, an issue that has divided them for more than five decades.
Although India wants the summit to address several issues ranging
from trade to nuclear weapons, Pakistan insists that Kashmir must
top the agenda./- Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf, insisted he
could not remain leader of his country if he accepted India's
continued control of the Himalayan territory. Indian Prime Minister,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told a local news agency that Kashmir would
always remain "the core" of nationhood and has rejected any
suggestion of third-party mediation.
Space officials are analyzing why a new generation Ariane-5 rocket
put two satellites in a defective orbit following Thursday's launch
from French Guiana. Arianespace officials said that after a normal
lift-off, the rocket's upper stage shut down 80 seconds too soon.
The rocket was carrying an experimental satellite for the European
Space Agency (ESA) valued at 850 million US dollars and a Japanese
satellite for direct broadcast television.// It's not sure whether
orbit can be corrected and whether the satellites could still be
used. Their life expectancy in any case will be reduced.
European Union ministers are considering establishing a data base of
potential violent demonstrators to prevent rioting at EU summits.
The ministers say they want to avoid riots like the one in Goeteburg
in Sweden last June. German Interior Minister Otto Schilly said EU
countries must work together to prevent similar riots in the future.
He suggested a data base be established, similar to one used to
identify German soccer hooligans who repeatedly cause trouble at
soccer matches.
The radical Islamic Taleban has banned people in Afghanistan from
using the Internet. The Taleban governments Foreign Minister, Wakil
Ahmed Mutawakil said the Internet was being used to spread obscene
and immoral messages as well as propaganda against the Islamic
religion. It's not sure whether the ban applies to International
agencies in Afghanistan, such as the United Nations. Telaban state
employees have also been banned from accessing the worldwide web.
Use of computers and the Internet in Afghanistan is very low.
Iberia, Spain's biggest airline resumed flights on Friday, a few
hours after the company grounded its entire fleet amid a bitter pay
dispute with its pilots. The company said 80 percent of all flights
took off on time, and only 5 of 1002 flights were cancelled.
Iberia's 1,900 pilots are demanding a pay increase and have called
one-day strikes once a week throughout the summer to back their
claim.
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
