Deutsche Welle English Service News 18.11.2003, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Bush Flies into Fortress London Security is at an unprecedented level in Britain for the start of U.S. President George W. Bush's state visit. Police have been charged with protecting Bush from terrorist attacks and keeping 100,000 protestors at bay. 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_1035762_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkish foreign minister links bombings to Afghanistan Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has linked last weekend's synagogue bombings in Istanbul to Afghanistan. He said there was evidence tying the attacks to an organisation in Afghanistan, but he did not give other details. Turkish police believe they may have identified two of the bombers as Turkish Islamist militants, including one man caught on a security camera at a synagogue just before the explosion. About 30 suspects have been arrested so far. The bombings killed 25 people and wounded about 300. Fischer supports US Iraq speedup; Powell criticizes EU draft resolution In Washington German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has said he supports the U.S. initiative to hand over power to Iraqis more quickly. He also said the United States should take a stronger part in the process. Fischer met earlier with his U.S. counterpart Colin Powell. Powell has since flown to Brussels and started meeting with other EU foreign ministers. At a press conference there he criticised a European draft resolution about nuclear weapons in Iran. He said the resolution may not be strong enough to, in his words, convey to the world the difficulties with Iran over the years. Blair defends Bush visit as police beef up security Prime Minister Tony Blair has said it's the right time for US President George W. Bush to visit Britain. Bush is due in London on Tuesday evening where he will stay at Buckingham Palace in the first state visit by a US president since 1918. He'll also be holding talks with Blair on how to proceed in Iraq. Meanwhile, Britain's anti-war movement is preparing wide-spread protests and security forces are on a heightened state of alert to avert a feared terrorist attack. Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to march through London's streets. Bush's visit coincides with a new US popularity poll which gives him his lowest ratings since he took office. The combined USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll found only 50 percent in favour, four points less than a similar survey two weeks ago. Schroeder chides internal SPD critics German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has criticised delegates at his Social Democrat party's conference after Monday's somewhat reluctant re-election of him and other key party officials. Delegates, upset over social welfare reforms, had been "collectively unwise", Schroeder said, referring to the 53 percent for SPD's General-Secretary Olaf Scholz. Schroeder insisted today that Scholz would keep the job. Party whip Franz Muenterfering said both Scholz and deputy SPD chairman Wolfgang Clement, who got only 57 percent, had deserved better. Today, delegates in Bochum largely re-elected the rest of the party's 45-member executive. Two new faces as SPD deputy leaders are Ute Vogt, the head of the SPD's Baden-Wurttemburg branch, and Kurt Beck, the premier of Rhineland-Palatinate state. Protest against cuts in Germany's Hesse state One-billion euros in budget cuts planned by the conservative government in Germany's state of Hesse have drawn a crowd of 50,000 people in Wiesbaden in the city's biggest protest in two decades. Protestors, including teachers, off-duty police officers, students and public service workers, chanted slogans against Hesse's premier Roland Koch, accusing him of eroding the welfare state and demanding that he quit. Defending his regional government's austerity budget, Koch said the plan would proceed with few changes. Savings had to be made. Cuts planned include less holiday pay and longer hours for public servants and the introduction of new fees of students. EU demands end to Israeli security fence The European Union has demanded that Israel stop its construction of a security fence along the West Bank. At a meeting between both sides EU officials warned that the fence would lead to further economic and humanitarian problems for the Palestinians. Israel had earlier agreed to reopen diplomatic channels with the EU's peace envoy despite his contacts with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The Israeli leadership had refused to meet Middle East envoy Marc Otte since he held talks with Arafat in September. Meanwhile two Israeli soldiers have been killed by Palestinian gunmen at a West Bank checkpoint. Taliban says it killed aid worker Taliban guerrillas have claimed responsibility for the weekend murder of a French aid worker. In response to the killing the U.N. refugee agency had withdrawn staff from the south and east of Afghanistan. The murder raised pressure on the international community to send peacekeeping troops to provinces militants and warlords control. Canadian PM to step down December 12 Canada's Prime Minister has chosen a date to retire -- December 12. Jean Chretien moved the date up from February next year because of pressure from supporters of Paul Martin, leader of the ruling Liberal Party. Chretien had sacked Martin in the summer of last year for plotting against him. Martin reportedly commented he's ready to prepare the transfer of power. Former Serb Croatian leader indicted on war crimes A former Croatian Serb leader has been charged with war crimes by The Hague war crimes tribunal. Milan Babic faces four counts of war crimes and one count of crimes against humanity. Babic was a central figure leading Serb nationalists in the breakaway republic of Krajina in the 1990s. UN launches world-wide appeal The United Nations has launched its annual appeal for aid to various crisis areas around the world. The UN has highlighted 21 hotspots and 17 of those are in Africa. The world body has asked for around 3 billion dollars and intends to assign the major bulk of that to Sudan. The African nation currently has the world's largest population of homeless people. The 3 billion dollar figure does not include help for Iraq or Aghanistan. Sri Lankan leaders name panel to resolve differences Sri Lanka's leaders have appointed a panel to try and resolve the differences between them. President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met earlier for talks and agreed to name a committee which has been asked to come up with power-sharing arrangements. The latest move comes after Kumaratunga triggered a political crisis 10 days ago by suspending parliament and declaring a state of emergency. She has accused Wickremesinghe of being too lenient in peace talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels. Those talks have been put on hold. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
