Deutsche Welle English Service News 17.11.2003, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Redefining the Social Democrats Germany's Social Democrats are meeting on Monday for a three-day party conference designed to give the SPD a much needed boost on the road to revitalizing its failing image. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_1035401_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Istanbul bombings After this weekend's twin bomb attacks on synagogues in Istanbul, two Arabic newspapers are reporting that the al-Qaeda terror network has claimed responsibility. At least 23 people died in the attacks, and more than 300 others were injured. The London-based Arabic newspapers both received e-mails claiming responsibility for the blasts. The mails said the bombings were carried out because of information that Israeli Mossad agents were working at the synagogues. Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his government would thoroughly examine the evidence. The Interior Ministry reaffirmed the government's view that the assailants had links with international terrorist groups and has refused to rule out involvement by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network. Two Yemeni terror suspects extradited from Germany to US German judicial sources have said that two Yemenis suspected of raising funds for al Qaeda and the militant Palestinian group Hamas have been extradited from Germany to the United States. The two men were arrested in Frankfurt last January as part of an FBI undercover sting operation. A spokeswoman said the extradition was only permitted under the condition that they would not be sentenced to death or tried before a military court. EU foreign policy chief Solana says Iran honest on nuclear programme European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has said that Iran has been honest about its nuclear programme and should not be reported to the UN Security Council this week for potential sanctions. His comments contrasted with the public stance of the United States, which says it wants the UN nuclear watchdog to declare that Tehran has not complied with the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty. Solana said it was now up to Tehran to fulfil an agreement made with three EU foreign ministers to halt uranium enrichment and open all its nuclear facilities to spot checks by UN inspectors. EU to set up defence agency The European Union has agreed to set up a defence agency to bolster and coordinate military capabilities across the bloc, but remains split over a proposed headquarters. France sought to soothe Washington's concerns that its ambition,- shared by Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg,- to set up an independent planning and operation headquarters for EU crisis management missions was a challenge to NATO. The United States says a new headquarters would waste defence resources across the alliance and duplicate NATO's planning capabilities. The agency, which the EU hopes to set up my mid-2004, will seek to promote research, identify equipment needs, propose multilateral projects and strengthen Europe's defence industry. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder makes keynote speech at the SPD party congress Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Germany's ruling Social Democrats have gathered for their annual congress in Bochum at the start of a make-or-break month for his reform process. The chancellor is facing widespread public discontent and even criticism from party members for the planned economic reforms, with the party plunging in the opinion polls. In a keynote address, billed as a "practical vision", Schroeder addressed the concerns of his critics. The chancellor has made his reforms, collectively known as Agenda 2010, the key plank of his centre-left government's second term in office. The reforms are meant to cut state spending on health, pensions and social welfare, streamline the job market and spur consumer growth. Humana sacks employees over baby food scandal The German makers of a baby food at the centre of a probe into the deaths of two Israeli babies have reportedly fired four employees after discovering the product was deficient in a vitamin vital to infant health. Humana said it had dismissed four managers from product development, quality control and its chemical laboratory after tests showed the kosher soya-formula contained less than one tenth the amount of vitamin B-1 advertised. Humana chief executive Albert Grosse Frie admitted the vitamin-deficient product might have made babies sick and said the company was adopting stricter quality control procedures. Israeli police launched an investigation last week into suspicions that defects in the product led to a B-1 deficiency that caused health problems in at least nine babies. Georgian leader promises inquiry into disputed poll Georgia's President Eduard Shevardnadze has said a commission would investigate a disputed election that has sparked protests and calls for his resignation, but the opposition remains unconvinced and has promised more mass action. After a week of protests, which included the nation's largest political demonstration in a decade, the Georgian leader said a commission of inquiry would investigate the November election and punish any officials found guilty of rigging the vote. Shevardnadze said he would remain in office, ruled out a new election and promised to prosecute any protesters breaking the law. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
