Deutsche Welle English Service News May 22nd, 2002, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Berlin Bush Fires When the US president arrives in Berlin on Wednesday, 10,000 police officers will be ready to face possible riots. Tuesday's protests, however, were largely peaceful. 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_525211_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Indian PM Vajpayee "Time for Decisive Fight" Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during a visit to the frontline in Indian Kashmir told his troops it was now time for a decisive fight against Pakistani backed rebels in that province. Skirmishes continued just hours after the killing of the moderate Kashmiri separtist leader Abdul Gani Lone. Today India relocated 5 warships to an area not far from Pakistan. India and Pakistan have deployed some one million troops along their common border in a tense standoff over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. More lives have been lost during the Kashmiri conflict than in all the previous wars between India-Pakistan put together, and many observers believe that a full-scale conflict between the two nations is imminent. 9 killed and UN reports blames government Heavy fighting took place today in the Colombian city of Medellin. Nine people at least were killed including two children after Colombian security forces attacked members of the main left-wing rebel groups, FARC and the ELN. Meanwhile a UN report into a massacre that took place in Colombia earlier this month has strongly blamed the Colombian government and its army. In the incident in the western jungle zone of Bella Vista, the left-oriented guerrilla group FARC killed 119 innocent civilians apparently by mistake. In the report, the UN said the government had ignored earlier warnings from them, and that the Colombia military had permitted far-right paramilitaries to enter the zone which sparked off the whole tragedy. The civil war in Colombia has been going on for 30 years and claims 3, 500 lives per year. Kyrgyzstan's government resigns The government of Kyrgyzstan has as expected resigned en masse this morning after acknowledging responsibility for the death of 5 civilians during demonstrations in March. Prime Minister Kurmanek Bakiyev tendered his government's resignation. On Wednesday a special commission blamed senior government officials for the death of 5 protesters who were shot by police as thousands protested the arrest of their regional member of parliament. Government reshuffles. PLO cabinet moves The Israeli government is in the process of being reshaped. Prime Minister Scharon who won a vote today on an austerity package in the Israeli parliament has sacked 4 ultra-religious members of his cabinet. It is expected that the Liberal party will join the ruling coalition. In a parallel development President Arafat's adviser Ahmed Abdel-Rahman announced that the Palestinian cabinet will be reduced from 34 to 19. Mr Abdel-Rahman also rejected as "unfair" president Bush's statement that he had never felt respect for Yasser Arafat, and called on the Israeli government to end their occupation of Palestinian territories. heavy security against demonstrations US President George W. Bush is due in Berlin to begin a six-day, four-nation European trip. Before he left the USA he warned European nations that they too were on the hitlist of international terrorists. German police are out in force as tens of thousands of demonstrators are gathering in the German capital today. So far there have not been any serious incidents. On Tuesday, a large crowd estimated at about 20,000 rallied against any possible US attack on Iraq as well as American trade policies. The Conservative politician Erwin Hueber criticised the demonstrations, and stated that they would damage relations between Germany and the US. GM mosquito new weapon in fight against malaria Scientists have created a genetically modified mosquito in the first step of a bold plan to alter an entire species with the aim of wiping out malaria. The idea is to put a synthetic gene into the insects. This would block the development of the malaria parasite in the mosquitoes, making it difficult for them to transmit it to humans. The gene, called SM1, is integrated into the mosquito and passed from one generation to the next. The research team was headed by a professor at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. If the scheme works out it could potentially transform an entire species -- a feat normally accomplished through natural selection Bono sings in Ghana Irish rock star Bono sang today for school children in Ghana during a fact-finding tour of Africa with U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill. Bono, whose tour alongside O'Neill includes Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia and Uganda, sang the 1987 U2 hit "I Still haven't found what I'm looking for". The two men are travelling together in a unique political combination; O'Neill favours the free markets as a stimulus for Third World development wheras Bono follows more traditional ideas supporting infra-structural development. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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