Deutsche Welle English Service News 10-08-2002, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Meet Schr�der's New "Superminister" Chancellor Gerhard Schr�der is betting Wolfgang Clement can turn Germany's soaring unemployment problem around. But Clement has a huge task ahead of him as he takes over the new merged Economics and Labor ministries. 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_651535_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Israel praises its "anti-terrorist" operations Despite international criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has praised the latest Israeli raid which killed at least 14 Palestinians and wounded 80 others. Sharon claimed that most of those killed were what he called "terrorists" but he expressed regret for the civilian casualties. The Israeli leader added that pressure on militants would be kept up with more military operations in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials, in the meantime, have called Monday's raid a massacre, saying most of the dead and wounded were civilians, including 10 killed by a missile fired into a crowd gathered near a mosque. The U.S. State Department said the United States was "deeply troubled" by the Israeli raid operation in a crowded civilian area. The Arab League condemned the operation as "barbaric". Meanwhile, Israeli security forces were high alert for possible acts of retaliation after the radical Islamic group Hamas made vows for revenge. Two men shot dead after killing Marine during US wargames in Kuwait A US marine was killed and another wounded by two unidentified assailant on Kuwait's Failaka island. The assailants were later gunned down and killed by US forces. The incident occurred when two men in a civilian vehicle began firing on the Americans. The marines on the island were participating in a joint military exercise with Kuwaiti forces when the attack occurred. An investigation into the incident has been launched. Trimble sets deadline for Sinn Fein exclusion Northern Ireland's first minister has given the British government an ultimatum to move to exclude the republican Sinn Fein movement from the province's power-sharing executive or risk the collaspe of government. Ulster unionist David Trimble told Tony Blair that he would withdraw from the government next week if action was not taken against Sinn Fein. The crisis began last Friday when police raided a Sinn Fein office at the Belfast parliament following allegations of a spy operation. Oil prices slip after Bush pledges to build anti-Iraq alliance Oil prices fell on Tuesday after U.S. President George W. Bush said military action against Iraq was not imminent. Benchmark Brent crude futures were down 33 cents at $27.90 a barrel. U.S. light crude was 34 cents lower at $29.27. In a speech in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday evening Bush he would build an international coalition against Saddam Hussein if the Iraqi leader continued to defy demands to disarm. Bush reiterated that military force was not the first option, but the threat from the Iraqi president's suspected weapons of mass destruction grew more dangerous with time. Ivory Coast extends nationwide curfew until October 21 Rebels in Ivory Coast have maintained their hold on the town of Bouake despite advancements by President Laurent Gbagbo's troops. Government forces reached the middle of the town but later retreated to the outskirts. Mediators from West Africa kept up pressure on President Gbagbo to sign a truce agreement in order to end the 20-day conflict, but the government wants the rebels to disarm before further negotiations take place. Meanwhile, a night time curfew in Ivory Coast has been extended for a couple more weeks due to the military rebellion which began last month. Pakistan says arrests Indian agents ahead of poll Pakistani police have arrested two men who admitted that they were trained by Indian intelligence to carry out bomb attacks in Pakistan during the country's parliamentary election on Thursday. State media reported that the men -- both Pakistanis -- were arrested while crossing back into the north eastern part country. They also reportedly had explosive materials with them. The report said the two men had planted bombs in Pakistan on India's behalf in the past. Security experts continue probe into French tanker explosion Yemeni and French experts were continuing their probe for clues on the smouldering French-flagged oil tanker Limburg in Yemen. Some still believe the explosion that ripped a hole in the supertanker looked more like an attack than an accident. Yemen, however, insists a fire caused the blast and not an assault similar to the October 2000 suicide bombing of the U.S. destroyer Cole which also took place in Yemen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
