Deutsche Welle English Service News 05. 07. 2004, 16:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Why not also subscribe to "Daily Bulletin", DW-WORLD's latest daily digest of the day's top German and European stories, delivered to you around 18:30 UTC. To find out more and sign up, please go to http://www.dw-world.de ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Milosevic trial adjourned indefinitely Judges at the international war crimes tribunal in the Hague have adjourned the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic indefinitely. Milosevic was due to begin his own defence today, calling over 1000 witnesses over six months. However, a medical report read out by the presiding judge indicated Milosevic was suffering from high blood pressure and a weak heart and urgently needed rest. In view of Milosevic's continuing health problems, independent counsel Steven Kay asked the court to consider abandoning the trial altogether. The prosecution has appealed for the court to force Milosevic to take on a team of defence lawyers. Milosevic is pleading innocent to 66 charges of war crimes, including genocide, stemming from the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Ex-General leads in Indonesian election No clear winner has emerged from the first round of voting in Indonesia's first ever direct presidential election. First estimates put Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former general and security minister, in the lead, with some 33% of the vote. Incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri came second, ahead of another former general, Wiranto, who is accused of multiple human rights violations in East Timor. Official results are not expected for three weeks. The second round of voting is due in September. Participation in the vote was unexpectedly high, with 80% of voters in Jakarta going to polls. 153 million Indonesians were called on to cast their votes. Iraq delays amnesty announcement The new Iraqi government has once again delayed the announcement of possible steps to combat the violent insurgency in the country. A news conference expected to announce a limited amnesty for insurgents and martial law in parts of the country has been postponed for the second time. Last week, a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said guerrillas who fought the Americans before the transfer of sovereignty could be eligible for amnesty because their actions were legitimate acts of resistance. Meanwhile, a spokesman for rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has said the Shi'ite Mahdi Army will continue peaceful resistance until all foreign forces withdraw from Iraq. Yemeni forces kill 10 rebels In the Yemen, at least 10 Shi'ite militant rebels are reported killed in an ongoing siege in the north of the country. Government forces say they have surrounded the mountain stronghold of radical anti-American cleric Hussein al-Houthi. At least 140 people are believed to have now died in fighting in the northern Saada province over the last two weeks. Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh sent in forces after al-Houthi refused to surrender himself to stand trial. Sierra Leone war crimes trial begins Sierra Leone's war crimes court has begun hearing the case of three rebel leaders accused of responsibility for a decade of human rights abuses in the west African state. The rebel Revolutionary United Front is believed to have raped, murdered, tortured and mutilated civilians during its campaign against the government in Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2001. The three defendents are also accused of recruiting child soldiers and abducting women. The accused boycotted the opening session, refusing to enter pleas until Sierra Leone's supreme court rules on the legitimacy of their trial. Yukos defaults on loan after bank freeze A group of creditor banks has declared the Russian oil company Yukos to be in default. A Yukos spokesman said that the company had received notification of a default on over 800 million Euros worth of credit, pushing it closer to bankruptcy. The company's main shareholder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and an associate are already in jail facing charges of fraud and tax evasion. Last week, a court ordered a freeze of Yukos bank accounts. Some observers say that the pressure on Yukos is being orchestrated by the Kremlin to check Khodorkovsky's political ambitions. Yukos share prices have fallen by more than 11 per cent since the Moscow Exchange opened trading earlier in the day. Italy escapes EU warning over deficit Italy has escaped a European Union warning over its worsening finances at a meeting of eurozone finance ministers. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi represented Italy at the meeting held in Brussels, after Italian Economics Minister Giulio resigned over the weekend. Berlusconi promised to implement measures designed to remedy his country's rising deficit. Italy's deficit for this year is currently forecast at 3.2 percent of gross domestic product, rising to four percent in 2005. That would breach the EU's three-percent limit. Austrian president suffers heart attack Austrian President Thomas Klestil is in a critical condition in hospital after suffering a heart attack. The 71-year-old Klestil was rushed to hospital by helicopter from his private residence in Vienna early this Monday. He's to step down as president on Thursday, when his successor, Heinz Fischer, is to take office. Greek soccer team given heroes' welcome Surprise European soccer champions Greece have returned home to a heroes' welcome in Athens. Coached by Germany's Otto Rehhagel, Greece chalked up a stunning 1-0 victory over hosts, Portugal, at the Euro 2004 championships. Millions of Greeks around the world have been celebrating their team's success and thousands of fans have gathered in the capital to welcome home the victorious squad. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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/
