Deutsche Welle English Service News June-25th, 2002, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Dare to Dream: Germany in World Cup Final A Michael Ballack strike and a stifling defense gave Germany a 1-0 victory over South Korea and sent the German team into the finals of the 2002 World Cup. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://kleist.dwelle.de/english/current_affairs/currentaffairs1.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Arafat Speaks out against Bush's Plan Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has dismissed U.S. President George W. Bush's call for a new Palestinian leadership, saying it was a matter for the Palestinians to decide. The Palestinian leader was speaking after Bush made clear in a long-awaited speech that he does not consider Arafat as part of any peace settlement with Israel. Arafat did say elections in his region were necessary, but he did not announce a date when they would be held. Meanwhile, reaction to Bush's speech has been divided with many world leaders agreeing to parts but not all of Bush's plan. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said the decision to change the Palestinian leadership lies with the Palestinian people and it could not be pressed upon them from the outside. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Bush's call for new leadership was unacceptable. Israeli Army Expands West Bank Offensive Israel has widened its military operations into the West Bank with a raid on the city of Hebron. Four Palestinian policemen were killed. The expansion of Israel's offensive to Hebron, the seventh Palestinian city to be taken over in the past week, showed how far both sides remained from embracing Bush's vision for Middle East peace. Tanzania Mourns Victims of Rail Crash Rescuers in Tanzania have spent most of the day struggling to pull more victims from the wreckage of the country's worst rail disaster. Some feared the death toll could climb over 200. Survivors described how passengers had leaped from the speeding train in an attempt to survive as the driver ran through the carriages yelling that the train was out of control. One-thousand people were on board. An official from Tanzania's Railway Corporation said the train experienced mechanical failure on a hill and rolled backward towards an approaching freight train. Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye has announced two days of official mourning. White Zimbabwean Farmers Expected to Abandon Land A 45-day countdown for 3,000 white Zimbabwean farmers to abandon their land has begun, but many have vowed to stay put rather than watch vital crops go bad while the nation experiences food shortages. The farmers were given until midnight on Monday to stop working the land, and just over a month to leave their farms entirely. The order to stop farming was the latest move by the government in its battle to seize white-owned farms for redistribution to landless blacks. Two white farmers have filed a law suit seeking to stop the government order in a test case closely watched by the others also facing eviction. U.S. Offers Humanitarian Assistance to Iran In Iran, President Mohammed Khatami has said he would accept the U.S.'s offer of humanitarian aid in the wake of the country's devastating earthquake which killed 229 people and left thousands homeless. Khatami's acceptance of the U.S. gesture appeared to offer some hope of easing tensions between Tehran and Washington. In confirming that the U.S. would help Iran, Bush said humanitarian suffering knew no political boundaries. The U.S. State Department said it had sent an offer of food, temporary housing and water purification equipment for the quake victims. German Builders Reach Deal to End Strikes Workers in Germany's building sector have reached a wage deal with employers, ending the sector's first nationwide strike in 50 years. President of the construction union IG Bau, Klaus Wiesehuedel, said employers had agreed to initial pay increases of 3.2 percent starting September 1. Strike leaders welcomed the latest deal as an acceptable compromise which came after 21 hours of mediated talks. Germany Reaches World Cup Final At the World Cup, Germany is celebrating their victory over co-host South Korea with a winning goal scored in the 75th minute. Just like in the previous two matches, a narrow 1:0 victory was enough to see them through. Germany's opponent for the World Cup final is to be decided on Wednesday after Brazil meets Turkey in Japan. Wimbledon First Round Results In the first round at Wimbledon, Tim Henman eased to a straight-set victory against Jean-Francois Bachelot while top seed Lleyton Hewitt showed his best form in beating Jonas Bjorkman. Among the women, Venus Williams reached the second round with her victory over Jane O'Donoghue. Also to reach the second round in separate matches was the Belgian duo, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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