25th January, 2002, 16:00 UTC
----------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Hundreds of Afghan Guerillas Lying Low Conflicting reports are streaming out of Afghanistan that a large, organized force of Taliban fighters, possibly as large as 5,000 with 450 military vehicles, plans to engage US troops. 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_418512_1_A,00.html ----------------------------------------------------------- Suicide Attack in Israel Wounds 14 A Palestinian suicide bomber attacked a pedestrian mall in Tel Aviv earlier today, wounding at least 14. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion, which followed an Israeli helicopter missile strike that killed a member of the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. But the Israelis said they hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for the attack. In a statement after the blast, however, the Palestinian Authority said it condemned any action that harmed Israeli civilians. Asked about an Israeli retaliation, an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the army would bring recommendations to the government for approval. Friday's suicide bombing was the second time in less than a week that a major city in Israel became a center of disaster. Meanwhile, there is debate in Washington on whether to cut off ties with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. The debate follows the mounting violence in the region and growing international pressure on Arafat to crack down on militants. The U.S. has also demanded an explanation from Arafat about the interception of an arms shipment by Israel in the Red Sea earlier this month. India Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile India has successfully tested a new version of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile off its eastern seaboard, but Indian officials said the timing of the test had no bearing on the current military standoff with Pakistan. But Pakistan's foreign ministry disagreed and said the test threatened stability in South Asia. The test of the Agni missile was apparently conducted at short notice and could trigger a retaliatory test by Pakistan, although defence analysts see the new missile more of a deterrent against India's other nuclear-armed neighbor, China. Plotter Gets 14 Years in Worst N.Irish Attack In Northern Ireland, a member of the hardline splinter group, the Real IRA, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his involvement in a 1998 car bombing. Colm Murphy was found guilty and sentenced for conspiring to cause an explosion that resulted in the Omagh car bombing which killed 29 people. The attack is considered to be the worst in Northern Ireland's history. Kofi Annan Visits Kabul U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was on a one day visit to the Afghan capital Kabul and said the world was united in trying to find a solution to Afghanistan's troubles. He also praised the amount of the recently pledged funds to rebuild Afghanistan by the world community. Annan's visit was to review the work of the U.N.-mandated International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF), the 17-nation mission charged with helping the interim administration maintain peace. He also announced the make-up of a commission to bring political change. Karzai Presents Names for Loya Jirga Afghanistan's interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai has unveiled the names of 21 people whose task is to summon turbaned chieftains, bearded tribal elders and even women for the country's first grand council meeting in nearly four decades. The commission's task will be to form a Loya Jirga, or assembly, that will decide the government which is to rule Afghanistan for 18 months once the term of Karzai's six-month administration expires. Karzai read out the list of 21 names and stressed that it was a result of impartial decisions by the United Nations and not his own choosing. He said the Loya Jirga was a noble institution that would serve Afghanistan well. In a break from tradition, this Loya Jirga has been mandated to give full representation to women in the next government that will hold office until elections after two years. Three Crushed in Nigeria at Christian Crusade At least three people have been crushed to death by crowds gathered in Nigeria to see a German preacher professing to cure AIDS and perform other miracles. Police in the region said the stadium where a five-day Christian crusade was to take place was filled beyond its capacity. They also said at least 10 people had collapsed and three of them died on Wednesday night. The office of German evangelist Reinhard Bonnke was not available for comment. Bonnke's crusades regularly attract tens of thousands in Nigeria as he claims he can cure diseases where medical science is inadequate. He has been barred from many cities in the predominantly muslim north after a 1991 crusade triggered riots in which 300 people were killed. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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