Deutsche Welle English Service News November 15th 2003, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Berlin Contradicts EU's Solana on Iraq The German government on Saturday reiterated it would not send troops to help stabilize Iraq, contradicting EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who said Berlin was no longer opposed helping out militarily. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_1034286_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bombings at Istanbul synagogues kill 20 The death toll following the two suspected car bomb attacks outside synagogues in the Turkish city of Istanbul has risen to at least 20. The injured number some 250. The first blast struck the Neve Shalom synagogue, Istanbul's largest, and a second blast hit the Beit Israel synagogue some 5 kilometres away. DW-correspondent Susanne Guesten said in both cases trucks appear to have been driven by suicide bombers. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that the attacks were clearly the work of a terrorist group with international links. Although a radical Turkish group claimed responsibility for the blasts Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said he suspected al Qaeda was more likely to be responsible. Israel has condemned the attacks and has offered help. The Pope has added his voice to international condemnation of the attacks. Timetable for Iraqi self-rule agreed upon by US and Iraq council The USA and the provisional Iraqi governing council have decided upon a timetable for the transfer of sovereignty back to the Iraqis. According to an agreement signed and announced on Saturday between US overseer Paul Bremer and Jalal Talabani, who currently chairs the interim Iraqi Governing Council an interim Iraqi government could be in place by the end of June with elections being held in Iraq before the end of 2005. In Baghdad another U.S. soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb according to military sources. Two other soldiers in the convoy were wounded. For a third night running, U.S. forces, in a new operation, have pursued suspected guerrillas. Witnesses said the Americans struck sites south and west of Baghdad. U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice has said that suspicions that weapons of mass destruction were transferred from Iraq to Syria had in no way been borne out by current evidence. Protests continue in Georgia In the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia thousands have marched on the offices of Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze to demand his resignation. The rally is said to have been peaceful but riot police blocked the protesters, who formed a human chain around the building. The main opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili, has called for more protests to force Shevardnadze to quit after a disputed parliamentary election. He called for state workers to go on strike and police and soldiers to refuse what he called "illegal" orders. However, Mr Shevardnadze reiterated on Friday that he had no intention of stepping down until the presidential election in 2005, but he is deeply unpopular in a country where poverty and corruption are widespread. Georgian opposition parties claim the election was fraudulent. British security services on hightened state of alert British security services have been put on their second highest state of alert amid intelligence reports of a possible al-Qaeda attack. However, the alert is said to be unconnected to the US President George Bush's forthcoming state visit to the UK beginning next week. The Home Office refused to comment, saying it never discusses alert levels unless there is a specific threat. At least 10 dead in accident on liner Queen Mary II At least 10 people have died following the collapse of a gangway on the Queen Mary II, the largest passenger ship ever built, according to rescue services. The accident occurred at the Saint Nazaire shipyard in western France, where the finishing touches are being made to the new cruise liner. Compromise ends rail strike in Austria Austrian state railway workers have ended a three-day strike that also crippled train links with neighbouring countries after reaching a compromise with Austria's conservative government. Train - and bus services - are today being restored, including crucial coke deliveries to a steel factory at Donawitz. The rail strike, Austria's longest post-war, was over plans by Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel's coalition to restructure Austrian OEBB Rail into four units. Talks had broken down in October, with rail trade unions objecting to erosion of employment status and pay. Transport Minister Hubert Gorbach said these would now be renegotiated. Hohmann expulsion welcomed by Rau German President Johannes Rau has described as positive a decision by opposition conservative parliamentarians to exclude from their Bundestag caucus a colleague who gave a speech criticised as being anti-Jewish. Rau told the "Suddeutche Zeitung" newspaper that Friday's vote by CDU and CSU parliamentarians to expel caucus' CDU member Martin Hohmann had drawn a "clear boundary". Anti-Semitism occurred everywhere but the threshold in Germany - given its Nazi past and the Holocaust - must be different compared to other countries, Rau said. CDU leader, Angela Merkel, who also heads the caucus, said ordinary CDU members who had objected to Hohmann's expulsion were not yet fully informed about the case. In his speech six weeks ago, Hohmann had referred to the 1917 Russian revolution and postulated that Jews as a people could have been perpetrators. Rugby - Australia beats New Zealand Finally World Cup rugby and defending champion Australia is through to the next weekend's final in Sydney after scoring an upset 22-10 semi-final win over New Zealand, the previous favourites. Centre Elton Flatley alone kicked 17 of Australia's points. The other finalist will be decided tomorrow Sunday in the other semi-final between France and England. 135 journalists imprisoned, says RSF The organisation Reporters Without Frontiers says world-wide 135 journalists are currently imprisoned for no more than doing their job of informing the public. Of these, 30 were in Cuba and 16 in Nepal. Next down the list of 26 nations were Burma, Eritrea and Iran. Reporters Without Borders also criticised jail penalties applicable in France and Italy for slander and defamation. US helicopter crashes in N. Iraq A US helicopter has crashed in a civilian area in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. American soldiers sealed off the area, witnesses said. A US military spokesman said initial reports indicated that a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter had come down in northern Iraq. It is unknown if there were casualties. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
