Deutsche Welle English Service News 15. 09. 2003, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Swedish 'Nej' to Euro Bolsters Euroskeptics Sweden's resounding rejection of the euro is likely to have important repercussions for the European Union. Whereas Swedish business may now suffer, euroskeptics elsewhere in Europe have seen their hand strengthened. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1433_A_971019_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Iran still committed to non-proliferation treaty At a meeting of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation says his country is committed to a nuclear non-proliferation treaty and will continue talks aimed at allowing inspections of its nuclear facilities. Gholamreza Aghazadeh said he would go ahead with talks with the IAEA on signing a protocol permitting inspections. This signals a change in attitude to Friday when Iran stormed out of an IAEA board session after a tough, US-backed resolution gave Tehran until October 31st to give full details of its nuclear plans. WTO conference collapses The World Trade Organisation conference which was held over the last five days in the Mexican resort of Cancun has broken down amid recriminations and accusations of intransigence. The conference fell apart in a dispute over proposed WTO negotiations on rules governing cross-border investment. Such talks were strongly opposed by developing countries who fear that if there were a WTO-backed investment regime, it would leave their industries vulnerable to multinational corporations. The European Union's trade commissioner, Pascal Lamy said the breakdown of the talks amounted to a missed opportunity. Delegates called for a new meeting at senior official level of the WTO General Council the Geneva-based body's executive arm, by December 15. No camp votes down Euro in Sweden Voters in Sweden have overwhelmingly rejected the European common currency, the euro. In a referendum on Sunday the no-camp won by a margin of 56 to 42 percent. Meanwhile, police in Sweden say they are still looking for a male suspect in connection with last week's murder of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. A memorial service, which will be attended by many foreign heads of state and 1,300 invited guests, will be held on Friday. Blast at security agency building in republic bordering Chechnya A large explosion at the local headquarters of Russia's FSB security service in Ingushetia which borders Chechnya has killed at least two people. According to the ITAR-TASS news agency a further 17 were injured although this figure is expected to rise. The blast occurred around midday local time when a big truck loaded with explosives either entered or drove up to the premises in the city of Magas. Ingushetia borders Chechnya, where federal troops have been fighting separatists for nearly four years. Indonesia sentences two over Bali blast Indonesian judges have sentenced two more men to jail terms in connection with last year's nightclub bombings on the island of Bali, which killed more than 200 people. Both were found guilty of being accomplices to the man convicted of organising the bombings, Imam Samudra. They were handed sentences of 7 and 16 years. Samudra was sentenced to death last week. Annan condemns coup in Guinea-Bissau Sunday's early-morning coup in the African state of Guinea-Bissau has been condemned by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In a statement released by Annan's office, the Secretary-General denounced the putsch and called for constitutional order to be restored. Forces led by army chief Verissimo Correia Seabra detained president Kumba Yala and Correia Seabra declared himself interim president. Corereia Seabra has said he intends to restore democracy to the country. Yala, who was elected three years ago, dissolved parliament last November. Fresh elections were to be held in October. Powell visits Kurdish town of Halabja US Secretary of State Colin Powell has arrived in the Kurdish town of Halabja where around 5,000 people perished in a poison gas attack by former president Saddam Hussein's forces in 1988. After talks with the U.S.-appointed interim Governing Council in Baghdad on Sunday, Powell said the United States was determined to stay until a legitimate and capable Iraqi government was established. Hoon, Campbell recalled by Hutton Inquiry British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has been called to make a second appearance in front of an inquiry into the suicide of a British expert on Iraqi arms. Prime Minister Tony Blair's outgoing communications chief, Alastair Campbell, has been recalled, but the prime minister himself has not. Hoon and Campbell are among a wide range of witnesses recalled by the Hutton Inquiry this Monday. Lord Hutton is examining the circumstances surrounding the apparent suicide of David Kelly. The arms expert was found dead in July just days after he gave evidence to an earlier inquiry into BBC allegations that the government had "sexed up" intelligence on Iraq. US says it opposes expelling or killing Arafat The United States has warned Israel against removing or even killing Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Powell said in an interview on Sunday that Arafat's removal would cause more anger and hatred throughout the Arab world. Powell was reacting to a comment by Israel's deputy prime minister, Ehud Olmert. He said expelling Arafat was one option, killing him was another. Estonians vote in favour of EU Estonians have voted clearly in favour of joining the EU in a referendum held on Sunday. Final results issued by the electoral commission showed 67 percent in favour and 33 percent against. Estonia is one of eight eastern European nations invited to join an enlarged EU from May next year. Neighbouring Latvia, also a former Soviet republic, votes next week. Colombian rebels kidnap foreign tourists Colombian leftist rebels have kidnapped eight foreign tourists in a remote northern jungle area. The hostages two Britons, four Israelis, a Spaniard and a German had been camping near the Sierra Nevada mountains in northern Colombia. The kidnappers are thought to belong to the FARC revolutionary group which is fighting the government and currently holding hundreds of people captive. Hurricane Isabel heads toward east coast of US The powerful hurricane Isabel is steaming across the Atlantic Ocean toward the United States. Forecasters said hurricane Isabel would almost certainly hit the Eastern Seaboard anywhere from South Carolina to Maine later this week. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
