English Service News 3rd March, 2002, 16:00 UTC English Service News ----------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Swiss Neutrality up for Vote A centuries-old Swiss tradition of political neutrality is on the line Sunday when voters head to the polls for a vote on whether Switzerland should join the United Nations. 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_465781_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------- Zimbabwe threat of suspension if elections not "free and fair" African nations closed ranks around Zimbabwe on Sunday, as white members of the Commonwealth bloc called for Zimbabwe to be suspended from the organisation. Britain had suggested that Zimbabwe be suspended, accusing Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe of vote rigging, political intimidation and violence in the lead up to the March 9th-10th presidential election. Zimbabwe Foreign minister Jonathan Moyo accused British Prime Minister Tony Blair of trying to re-colonise Africa. The suspension can only come into force if next week's elections are declared "not free und fair." African nations make up one third of the 54-member Commonwealth. Palestinian Authority calls for negotations with Israel The Palestinian Authority has called on Israel to resume serious negotiations immediately, following one of the worst surges of violence in the Middle East conflict. A key aide to Palestinian President, Yassar Arafat, Nabil Abu Reudine, said on Palestinian Radio that the escalation of violence must be stopped. Palestinian militants killed 21 Israelis on Saturday and Sunday in four separate attacks in Jerusalem and the occupied areas. Israeli forces including helicopter gunships killed four Palestinians in a number of attacks, including the Palestinian police headquarters in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Syrian President makes surprise visit to Beirut The Syrian President has held an emergency meeting with Lebanese allies in Beirut, saying he would not support a Saudi peace plan for the Middle East. In his first visit to Beirut since he took over the reins from his deceased father Hafaz Al-Assad in 2000, Bashar Al-Assad said on Sunday there could be no compromise on the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their land, and that Arabs should support the 17-month old Palestinian uprising against Israel. The Saudi crown prince Abdullah had outlined a plan granting Israel normal relations with the Arab world in return for a withdrawal from all lands it occupied in the 1967 Middle East war. This would include the Golan Heights, as well as the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Indian religious riots ease Killings in India's worst Hindu-Muslim bloodshed in a decade eased overnight, but the death toll jumped to almost 500 as scores more bodies were pulled from the rubble, officials said on Sunday. In the bloodiest incident overnight, a mob burned four people alive in Gujarat state's Palampur town. Police opened fire to disperse the attackers, killing one. Thousands of soldiers are patrolling the state's main city, Ahmedabad, and some other hotspots, but have yet to reach Gujarat's more remote villages. The killings have so far been confined to Gujarat after state governments across the world's second most populous nation immediately mobilised tens of thousands of security personnel after Wednesday's train attack by a Muslim mob, which saw about 58 Hindu passengers burned to death. US drops bombs on Afghanistan for a second day U.S. planes dropped bombs on suspected al Qaeda and Taliban terrorist sites in Afghanistan for a second day Sunday. The U.S. started air raids on Saturday, after the largest U.S. led-ground offensive in the 5-month Afghan war encountered surprisingly strong resistance by as many as 3-to 5-thousand heavily armed al Qaeda and Taliban fighters near Gardez, about 150 kilometers south of the capital Kabul. The U.S. dropped a highly sophisticated bomb against cave bases of the Taliban, which effectively sucks all air from the caves, killing all those sheltering inside. Human rights groups have sharply criticized the use of the laser-guided bombs. One U.S. serviceman was killed by enemy fire, the second U.S. death in the Afghan war. Swiss vote on joining U.N. too close too call Swiss citizens voted on whether to join the United Nations Sunday. Exit polls show that supporters of U.N. membership have a slight majority, but it's not sure whether supporters will also secure the majority of 26 cantons, required by Switzerland's system of direct democracy. A poll conducted in February showed that 54 percent of Swiss were planning to vote in favour of U.N. membership, 37 percent said they would vote percent against membership. Switzerland is heavily involved in U.N. activities and hosts its European headquarters, but its neutrality and independent-mindedness have kept it from becoming a full member. Michael Schumacher wins Australian Grand prix World champion Michael Schumacher won Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, after only eight cars finished an incident-packed race. The German drove his Ferrari to a relatively comfortable victory at Melbourne's Albert Park, passing the checkered flag after one hour 35 minutes 36.792 seconds, after he avoided a serious accident on the first corner. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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