Deutsche Welle English Service News 25th february 2004, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Schily Plays Down Tip on Sept. 11 Hijacker During a U.S. visit to discuss the use of biometric technology in the war against terror, German Interior Minister Otto Schily denied that his country knowingly passed on information on a Sep.11 hijacker to the CIA. 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_1122965_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Haitian opposition cannot go to Paris talks Haiti's political opposition has said it would not immediately attend talks in Paris proposed by the French government on ways to end the country's increasingly violent political crisis. Despite international pressure, the opposition earlier rejected a power-sharing peace plan because it did not include President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's removal. Aristide has again refused to step down and has predicted brutal killing sprees if his political foes did not relent. Meanwhile, armed rebels have seized another city and threaten to attack the capital Port-au-Prince. Protest in northern Uganda turns violent Protests following a massacre by rebels in northern Uganda have turned violent as demonstrators condemned the government for failing to protect its citizens from rebel attacks. Angry mobs broke away from the demonstrations and began burning and looting homes belonging to the northern tribe from which the rebels draw the bulk of their fighters. Police responded by firing into the crowd, killing at least two people and injuring five. Last weekend, suspected members of the Lord's Resistance Army attacked a refugee camp near Lira, killing more than 200 people. U.N. tribunal convicts Rwandan genocide suspect The United Nations tribunal for Rwanda has convicted a former senior military officer of genocide. A tribunal spokesman said former Lt. Samuel Imanishimwe was sentenced to 27 years in prison on six counts of genocide and crimes against humanity, for ordering his soldiers to take part in the massacre of thousands of Rwandan civilians in 1994. More than half a million Rwandans, mostly minority Tutsis, were brutally killed in the 100-day genocide orchestrated by a regime run by extremists from the central African country's Hutu majority. Rescuers continue search after earthquake in impoverished region of Morocco Rescuers in Morocco continue to search for survivors of Tuesday's powerful earthquake, which killed more than 550 people and injured some 300. The 6.5-magnitude quake hit near the coastal city of Al Hoceima, destroying several surrounding villages. Local officials have said that as many as 20,000 people need emergency housing. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have launched an appeal for tents, blankets and other humanitarian supplies. Six-nation talks begin: North Korea offered compensation for scrapping nuclear program Top U.S. and North Korean officials have met behind closed doors on the side-lines of six-nation talks in Beijing on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. It was the highest level known contact to take place since the nuclear stand-off began about two years ago. Details of the latest meeting were not given but US officials said earlier that Washington had no intention of invading North Korea. They did however reiterate their call for the permanent dismantling of North Korea's nuclear activities. South Korea, in the meantime, has offered unspecified compensation to North Korea if it freezes its nuclear program. World court wraps up hearings into Israeli barrier The International Court of Justice in the Hague has wrapped up hearings on Israel's West Bank security barrier. The Arab League testified that the structure was a violation of international law and said it was destroying the prospects for peace by adding to the suffering of Palestinians. Israel, which says the barrier is for self defense, did not attend the hearings. It says the structure is a matter for negotiations, not a courtroom, and has questioned the fairness of the forum. The United States and European Union also chose to avoid the hearings. All 15 countries and organisations which did testify support the Palestinian case. Suspected al-Qaida militants indicted for Istanbul bombings Turkish prosecutors have indicted 69 suspected al-Qaida militants accused in the Istanbul suicide bombings last year that killed 63 people and injured nearly 700. Turkish media reported that prosecutors were demanding life imprisonment for five of the suspects, and sentences from 4 to 22 years for the remaining 64. No trial date has yet been set. Authorities blame the attacks on a Turkish cell of al-Qaida. The November bombings of two synagogues, a London-based bank and the British Consulate were carried out by four suicide bombers who rammed explosives-laden trucks into the targets. President Bush calls for constitutional admendment against gay marriages US President George W. Bush says he will support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But he said the individual states should be free to decide on legalising other forms of civil partnership. The president's statement came amid a rush of gay and lesbian marriages in San Francisco, which contradict Californian state law. Last year, the Massachusetts supreme court declared prohibiting homosexual marriages would be unconstitutional. Kerry wins in Hawaii, Utah and Idaho Massachusetts Senator John Kerry has won three more primaries in the race for the US Democratic presidential nomination. Kerry had strong leads over rival John Edwards in all three caucuses in Idaho, Utah and Hawaii. Next Tuesday marks a big day in the race for the Democratic nomination as Kerry and Edwards contest 10 states, including California and New York. Kerry, in the meantime, has stepped up his criticism of George W. Bush by assailing the president's stance on same-sex marriages and on Washington's neglect of the political crisis in Haiti. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
