Deutsche Welle English Service News 28. 02. 2004, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Fischer Reverses on "Superstate" Speech It has been a weight around the German Foreign Minister's neck for the past four years. On Saturday, Joschka Fischer denied pursuing a "two-speed" European "superstate" and agreed the idea was out-dated. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_1125641_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Anarchy in Haitian capital Reports from Port-au-Prince say the Haitian capital has degenerated into anarchy and overnight it was blacked out by a power failure as rebels approached to within 40 kilometers. President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has again refused to resign as suggested by major powers such as France, the USA and Canada. A rebel leader says he'll hold off attacking Haiti's capital for one or two days in response to U.S. pleas. Airlines have halted flights to Haiti's international airport, stranding Haitians and foreigners. In the capital, militants loyal to Aristide have reportedly extorted money from motorists and entered a hospital searching for opponents. Looters had taken food and appliances from warehouses. UN chief Kofi Annan has called for restraint. Partial gains a six-nations talks Six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear programme have ended in Beijing, with agreement to convene talks at expert level and hold another main round, but a warning from China that gaps remain. China hosted a closing ceremony but did not issue a statement for all six after reports that North Korea had wanted changes to a joint draft. An unnamed senior U.S. official said the "atmosphere" at bilateral U.S.-North Korean talks had been "much better", and the agenda of verifiably dismantling the North's programme had exceeded U.S. expections. Host Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said the pace had not been very fast. He said the participants, including Russia, Japan and South Korea, seemed to want a peaceful outcome. Schroeder and Bush put past behind them President George W. Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at their first White House encounter in two years have said that U.S.-German differences over Iraq have been put aside. President Bush said both would now "move forward". And, Chancellor Schroeder said Germany was contributing to Iraq's infrastructure but had not been pressed to rethink its refusal to sent troops. Both leaders said they wanted to see a free Iraq emerge. The Bush-Schroeder talks also focussed on the Middle East, efforts to counter international terrorism, and the dollar's weakness against the euro. To round off his trip, Schroeder opened in Mississipi an exhibition of 700 artworks from Dresden. Minibus occupants shot in Pakistan Pakistani officials say troops have mistakenly killed at least 10 occupants of a minibus in South Waziristan province where the army has been searching for Islamist militants since Tuesday. Witnesses quoted by the news agencies AP and Reuters said the minibus failed to stop at a roadblock in the village of Zeri Noor. Its occupants were Afghan refugees on their way to the Pakistan-Afghan border. An adjacent taxi driver was also killed and seven other people injured. Tensions had been high since a shootout on Friday when armed men had tried to sneak into a military compound in the region's main city of Wana. The army said in that incident there were no casualties. U.S. and Pakistani officials deny Iran radio report that bin Laden captured Pentagon and Pakistani officials on Saturday denied an Iranian state radio report that Osama bin Laden was captured in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan. According to Iran radio Osama bin Laden was captured "a long time ago". The report was carried by Iran radio's external Pushtun service but not by Iran state radio's main news channel -- the Farsi-language service for Iranian listeners. Pakistani officials have denied any specific knowledge of bin Laden's whereabouts. The claim came at a time when Pakistan's army was hunting al-Qaida suspects in a remote tribal region along the border with Afghanistan, believed to be a possible hiding place for the al-Qaida leader. Greenpeace demands access to government's legal advice on war in Iraq Eds: UPDATES Greenpeace comment graf 14; TRIMS British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government faced growing pressure Saturday to reveal the advice it received from its senior lawyer about the legal justification for war in Iraq. Environmental group Greenpeace said it has demanded access to the advice so that it can defend 14 of its activists, who are facing charges from an anti-war protest last year, in court. Greenpeace's demands follow the collapse of a criminal trial against a British intelligence agency worker who admitted leaking a January 2003 document disclosing a U.S. appeal for British help in monitoring phones and e-mail traffic of members of the U.N. Security Council, when the two countries were seeking the council's backing for war. Wrangles over Iraqi debts and basic law Iraq's interim planning minister Mehdi al-Hafidh has told a donors' conference in Abu Dhabi that "several countries" have signalled readiness to forego or reschedule Iraqi debt by up 60 percent. Iraq's debts currently amount to 120 billion dollars. In recent months, former U.S. secretary of state James Baker has visited creditors, including Saudi Arabia, to seek debt waivers for Iraq. Al-Hafidh told donor's that Iraq's interim Governing Council would soon announce a basic law framework so that infrastructure projects were legally safeguarded. In Baghdad, council members have argued over women's rights foreseen in a temporary constitution. The council has a deadline of Saturday midnight to finalise it. Iraqi women are demanding a 40 percent voice in a transitional government. Peacekeeping plan by African Union African Union leaders at their summit are reported to be close to agreeing on security policy that would allow the union to intervene in border wars and internal conflicts. Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano said the union would establish what he called a "standby force". A Zimbabwean delegate such brigades would not be ready until 2010. Funding was a major obstacle. On Friday, summit guest Romano Prodi of the European Union pledged 250 million euros for what he called "peace-support operations". Chissano said delegates would today issue a second declaration with common policies on boosting Africa's agriculture production and safeguarding water resources. UN approves peacekeepers for Ivory Coast The UN Security Council has approved sending more than 6,000 UN peacekeepers to Ivory Coast. The resolution was approved unanimously. Council members demanded that the government and rebels in Ivory Coast adhere to the peace deal so that presidential elections can be held next year. The international peacekeeping force will take up its duties in April initially for a year. There are already 4,000 French troops in the African country, however they will not be part of the UN force. US church shamed over sex abuse A new study commissioned by the U.S. Roman Catholic church has alleged that in the past half century more than 4,000 priests sexually abused more than 10,000 children, mainly boys aged 11 to 14. The would equate to four percent of men in holy orders over that period. A second report by a lay panel says the church did not adequately screen its candidates for the priesthood. That report accuses the church hierarchy of covering up "an epidemic of abuse". It was not until 2002 that bishops finally acted. Seven hundred priests and deacon had been removed from active ministry. Gay marriages also near New York The gay marriage controversy in the United States has jumped the continent from San Francisco to a town north of New York City called New Paltz. Its mayor has begun marrying same-sex couples in defiance of authorities who said they would seek annulments. California's Supreme Court has refused to order an immediate halt and given San Francisco's mayor a week to justify his actions. More than 3,000 gay union ceremonies have taken place in the past two weeks. Mass Taiwanese protest Up to two million Taiwanese has joined President Chen Shui-bian by linking hands to form a human chain the length of the island. The protest, directed at Chinese missiles arrayed against Taiwan, comes just weeks before Chen seeks re-election. Taiwan's opposition refused to join the chain and held rival events. China insists that Taiwan is a renegade province that should be reunited. Protestors said they wanted the island to remain Taiwanese. Alongside the the election will be a referendum. It will ask whether Taiwan should boost anti-missile defences or whether talks on normalising ties should be held. Beijing has criticised the referendum. 112 still missing after ferry disaster In the Philippines boats and helicopters are looking for 112 people still missing in waters near Manila after Thursday night's explosive fire on board a large passenger ferry. A coastguard commander said a terrorist scenario had been dismissed. Police are now inspecting the fire-scared "Superferry 14". It owners said the fire started on a deck that included tourist cabins. Before evacuation, the crew had checked to see that no passengers were left behind. The coastguard says 766 people plus 153 crew members were rescued. Some had jumped into the sea or had boarded rescue vessels, includig fishing boats. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
