Deutsche Welle English Service News 16th June, 2002, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: A Summer Awash in Pink While politicians meet in Brussels to flesh out the future of Europe, a European summit of quite a different kind convenes in Cologne: Europride, the old country's gigantic gay-lesbian fest kicks off this week. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1441_A_577208_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel Begins Building Security Fence Israel on Sunday officially began building a security fence that will stretch for more than 100 kilometers along its border to Palestinian territories in the West Bank. The fence is expected to cost almost €70 million and will be equipped with electronic sensors, video cameras, guard towers and trenches to keep suicide bombers out of Israel. The first section is being erected along the border to Jenin. A fence will also be built around Jerusalem. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli troops clashed with Palestinian gunmen in Gaza as they search for militants who were planning to use a booby-trapped car. Israeli sources said two soldiers and one Palestinian were killed. Tumultuous Scenes at Loya Jirga Consultations at Afghanistan Grand Council of regional and ethnic leaders were postponed on Sunday after a tumultuous debate over electoral procedures for a transitional government. The meeting will be reconvened on Monday. Long discussions prior to the voting dispute had already derailed the agenda. The more than 1600 delegates must agree on whether to have two representatives for each province or one for every ten Loya Jirga delegates. Pashtoon tribesmen, as the largest ethnic group, loudly protested that they would not be adequately represented. India Rejects Talks with Pakistan over Kashmir Despite intense international diplomatic efforts by the United States, Britain and others, India has said it would not negotiate with Pakistan over the disputed province of Kashmir. Interior Minister Lal Krishna Advani said talks were senseless as long as cross-broder terrorism from Pakistan continued. He said New Delhi had recognized that fewer Moslem extremists were infiltrating into India from Pakistan, but he stressed that there were still an estimated 70 camps on Pakistani soil where Moslem militants were being trained. Advani said these had to be closed immediately, if any talks were to take place. On Sunday alone, more than 20 people were killed in attacks in the Indian part of Kashmir. EU Meeting to Address Subject of Illegal Immigration European Union foreign ministers are due to meet on Monday to tackle the issue of suspending aid to countries which fail to cooperate with the EU's clampdown on illegal immigration. Monday's meeting is designed to set the stage for an EU summit in Spain where 15 heads of state and government are due to endorse tighter controls of the bloc's external borders. Chancellor Schroeder Urges Changes in EU Farm Policies Prior to an important European Union summit later this month, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Sunday strongly urgted the EU to make drastic farm policy changes. Without altering the rules, the eastward enlargement of the EU cannot be financed, he said. Expanding the current subsidy system to 25 members would generate costs that Germany, as the EU's largest donor, would not be prepared to shoulder, the chancellor said. France Goes to the Polls in the Final Round of Elections French voters have begun casting their ballots in the final round of a parliamentary election expected to hand President Jacques Chirac's centre-right allies a sweeping majority. 519 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly are at stake after 58 were won outright in the first round last weekend. While opinion polls predict a conservative victory, turnout levels will be key in determining the size of a majority. Voter turnout was hard to predict after a record one in three voters stayed home last Sunday. UN Warns of Consequences from Desertification UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned of disasterous consequences should the world's deserts continue to spread. Every year some six million hectares (15 million acres) of arable land is destroyed by drought and erosion, Annan said prior to the opening MOnday of an international conference on desertification in New York. More than 135 million people will be forced to move somewhere else in the near future, Annan said. Germqany's Development Minister, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said desertificatioin was one of the world's biggest environmental problems. Within the next 25 years, she said, Africa will lose two-thirds of its arable land. At Least 24 Killed in Internet Cafe Fire in China At least 24 people died and 13 others were injured on Sunday when a fire broke out at an Internet cafe in Beijing. Authorities in the Chinese captial temporarily closed similar meeting places until the cause of the blaze is determined. There are more than 2,400 Internet cafe in Beijing and nearly all of them are illegal. A witness said the doors of the Internet cafe had been locked to keep police from busting in, but it left those inside trapped. A local resident said some customers had escaped through a small bathroom window. Spain and Senegal Into the Quarterfinals Spain and Senegal both qualified for the next round at the World Cup soccer championships. Spain outlasted Ireland winning 3:2 in a penalty shootout after the score had remained tied one-all in regulation and extra time. Senegal edged Sweden 2:1 winning with a Golden Goal in extra time. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. Serbian News Network - SNN [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.antic.org/
