Deutsche Welle English Service News April, 07th, 2004, 16:00 UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:Sept. 11 Terror Suspect Released on Bail
A Hamburg court has released Mounir el Motassadeq, the only person to be convicted of involvement in the September 11 terror attacks, on bail ahead of a retrial.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------US vows to "destroy" Shi'ite milita
8 Iraqis, including a child, are reported to have been killed after shooting broke out between US forces and protestors in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. The demonstrators were protesting against the US assault on Fallujah, where 60 civilians have now reportedly died,
25 of them in a US helicopter strike. Earlier, 12 US marines were killed in nearby Ramadi, at the heart of the "Sunni Triangle", the centre of Baathist resistance. Further south, the uprising of radical Shi'ite militias known as the Mahdi Army has now spread to six cities where up to 27 people, including some civilians, have been killed. US General Mark Kimmit told a news conference that coalition forces' aim was now to "destroy" the insurgency. At least
160 Iraqis and 30 coalition soldiers have died since Sunday in the latest fighting.
White House insists US 'unshakeable' in Iraq
The White House says its resolve in Iraq remains "unshakeable" in the face of the heaviest fighting since the end of the US-led invasion. A spokesman told reporters that President George W. Bush was proud of US troops and was sure they would prevail. Democrat presidential challenger John Kerry has criticised the planned June
30 handover of power in Iraq, calling it an arbitrary date set by Bush for domestic electoral reasons.
Court orders release of Sept. 11 suspect
The only man ever convicted for the September 11 2001 attacks on the United States is to be released by a court in Hamburg pending a retrial. Mounir El Motassadeq, a Moroccan who lived in Hamburg, was jailed in February 2003 on 3,000 counts of accessory to murder for allegedly helping the Hamburg al-Qaeda cell that included three of the suicide attack pilots. Last month, Germany's Supreme Court granted a retrial on the grounds that the US government refused access to a key witness. Intercepted telephone conversations by terror suspects and evidence believed to come from Ramzi Binalshibh, an Al Qaeda leader held by the US, have both cast doubt on Motassadeq's alleged involvement.
Ceremony marks Rwandan genocide
The main ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the start of Rwanda's genocide has begun. President Paul Kagame and more than a dozen foreign delegations observed ten minutes of silence at a memorial in the capital's national stadium. In Geneva, speaking at a ceremony commemorating the Rwandan genocide, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for a global early warning system to prevent such massacres. He said that the risk of genocide remains frighteningly real. In the space of just 100 days ten years ago, up to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. Both the UN and Western countries have been criticised for the massacre, which occurred shortly after UN peacekeeping forces in Rwanda were reduced from 4000 to just 270.
Sudan rebels, government hold first direct talks
In Ndjamena, Chad, members of the Sudanese government and rebels held their first direct talks on Tuesday on ending the conflict in the Darfur region. The breakthrough came only hours after sources close to the negotiations said their efforts weren't getting anywhere. The Untied Nations has described the crisis in western Sudan as the world's worst ongoing humanitarian and human rights catastrophe. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a speech delivered at the annual meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Commission, said if aid workers weren't given full access to Darfur, then the international community would have to act swiftly and decisively. Meanwhile, human rights groups on Wednesday condemned reports of executions and arbitrary arrests linked to an uprising in the region. Last February, two rebel groups took up arms, accusing the Khartoum government of neglecting the arid Darfur region.
British police charge chemical bomb suspect
British police have charged a 17-year-old youth in connection with a plot to build a powerful bomb. He is one of nine British Muslims seized in several raids in London and southern England last week. According to British media, the group had planned to manufacture a bomb laced with osmium tetroxide, a toxic chemical whose vapour can be lethal in a confined space. British and US intelligence officials claim they intercepted communications between group members, enabling them to prevent the planned attack.
Iran to build heavy water reactor
Iran is to begin work in June on construction of a heavy water reactor that can produce weapons-grade plutonium, diplomats said in Vienna on Wednesday. The announcement comes just after the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei returned from Teheran. There he and the Iranian government agreed to a timetable for Iran to answer the agency's questions about its nuclear activities. The reactor to be built in Arak, 200 kilometers southwest of Teheran, does not violate IAEA safeguards but one diplomat said it would send a bad signal to the rest of the world.
New arrest in Madrid bombing probe
Spanish police have made another arrest in connection with last month's bombings in Madrid. The suspect was arrested in the city of Toledo, 80 kilometres south of Madrid. According to police, the man, a Moroccan, is believed to be connected to 2 suspects already being held. A total of 191 people died in the March 11 train bombings.
EU threatens 6 members for high public deficit
The Finance Commissioner of the European Union, Pedro Solbes, has announced that the EU will be taking steps against six member states for excessive public deficits. Both Britain and the Netherlands increased public debt by more than the EU's limit of 3% of Gross Domestic Product last year. Italy and Greece have been warned that their public deficits are likely to exceed limits next year. Last year, proceedings were dropped against Germany and France, even though both countries exceed the 3% limit for 3 years running. The European Commission forecasts Germany to reduce its deficit to 2.8% by 2005.
German central bank head under fire for favours
The head of the German Central Bank, Ernst Welteke, has rejected calls for his resignation after state prosecutors opened investigations into gifts received from commercial banks. The Central Bank is charged with regulating Germany's banking system. There has been criticism of the Dresdener bank's payment of an 8000 Euro bill incurred by a stay by Welteke and his family at Berlin's luxury Adlon hotel in 2001. According to the Bild newspaper, Welteke has now also admitted accepting a gift of a holiday from an Austrian bank. The board of the German Central Bank is now meeting to discuss Welteke's position.
Court rules Koizumi shrine visits unconstitutional
A Japanese court has ruled that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a shrine for war dead were unconstitutional. Local media said Fukuoka District Court ruled that the visits were religious in nature. This meant that they contravened the division between religion and state under the Japanese constitution. But the court rejected a demand for compensation, made by a group of more than 200 activists who had filed the lawsuit. The visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine have been a major irritant in Japan's relations with China, South Korea and other Asian countries. Convicted war criminals from World War II are among those enshrined there.
Refugee fire bombs Burma's Malaysia embassy
In Malaysia, three Burman Muslim refugees have been arrested after the Burman embassy in Kuala Lumpur was firebombed. Several people were reportedly injured in the attack. According to witnesses, two petrol bombs were thrown after an argument with embassy staff. About a quarter of a million Muslim refugees have fled Burma, claiming persecution by the military government of the predominantly Buddhist country.
Eurotunnel management faces the axe
The board of the financially troubled Eurotunnel company, operator of the Channel Tunnel, stands to be replaced on Wednesday, as support for the current board is dwindling in the wake of a shareholder revolt. Since 1987, shareholders have seen the value of the investment lose 90% of its value. A French shareholder group is angry that management has been unable to reduce company debts of over 6.8 British pounds and has also called for help from both the British and French governments. A company spokeswoman said the chances that the board will be retained at the company's general meeting today are slim.
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