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German protestors demonstrate in the street

 All day Wednesday, Berlin was on number one security alert, as 10,000 policemen prepared for President Bush's visit. 

Divers searched for bombs in the River Spree which runs through the centre of the city close to historic Reichstag building where Mr. Bush will address the German Parliament Thursday, and security personnel checked every gate or lamp-post for hidden devices. 

But for most of the day, attention was concentrated on the demonstrations planned for the afternoon and evening. Water cannon were stationed outside the Adlon Hotel where the president will be staying. Additional manpower, drafted in from all over Germany joined the capital city's police force in lining the streets, ready to prevent anyone without a pass entering the city centre.

 At first, thousands of people marched through the city in peaceful protest at American policies, chanting slogans, brandishing banners accusing Mr. Bush of terrorism or waving Palestinian flags. There were speeches, music, symbolically laden pretzels for sale, even an ecumenical prayer meeting where priests and clerics from major world religions prayed together for peace.

 But then, just before nightfall and just after the President landed, the mood turned ugly. A relatively small group of people the authorities here call anarchists clashed with police as they sealed off the main road into the city centre, Berlin's famous Unter den Linden.

 The rioters ignored appeals from the organisers of the demonstration to go home peacefully. Bottles and stones were hurled at police, at reporters and at anyone who got in the way. One Japanese TV reporter was cut in the face with a bottle and had to be rushed to hospital. 

Smoke hung in the air from where protesters had burned the American flag. Police reported several arrests.

 But with the city centre totally closed to the public, President Bush joined German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit for a quiet state dinner in the book-lined literary café "Theodor Tucher" opposite to Mr. Bush's hotel. 

With the demonstrators and rioters hundreds of meters away, the leaders were free to discuss the real topics of the visit. 

On their informal agenda were disagreements over steel quotas and farm subsidies, but also the war against terrorism, and a new situation in which Germany is contributing combat troops and naval personnel to U.S.-led war against terrorists in Afghanistan.
 
 

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Security has been increased at all major buildings in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, along with the international airports and border checkpoints.

 Russian security services are also on the alert for attacks by rebels in separatist Chechnya to coincide with the Bush visit. Military officials say they have intelligence reports that rebels plan attacks in four Chechen cities including the capital, Grozny.

 The highlight of the Putin-Bush summit will be the signing Friday of a new arms-reduction pact that will cut America's and Russia's long-range nuclear arsenals by two-thirds.

 In an statement broadcast on Russian television in advance of the visit, Mr. Bush said it is important to show the world the United States and Russia are no longer enemies and that neither side is, as he put it, "clinging to our stocks of these terrible weapons." He said a new relationship is developing between the two countries.

 Mr. Bush and President Putin have developed a warm personal relationship that analysts here say has gone a long way to improving ties.

 And ever since the September 11 attacks on the United States, Mr. Putin has stood firmly behind the American-led war on terrorism. 

There are a number of unresolved issues that stand in the way of even closer ties, however. Chief among them now is American concerns about possible nuclear technology transfers from Russia to Iran and other countries that Washington has described as rogue states.

 Other problems involve Russian opposition to Mr. Bush's plan to develop a national missile system and trade issues, led by the U.S. decision to increase tariffs on certain steel imports and Russian restrictions on U.S. poultry imports. 

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A bomb has exploded at Israel's largest fuel depot, but police say a major catastrophe was averted and there were no casualties. 

Israeli police say the bomb was attached to the underside of a tanker truck that entered a fuel depot, in the densely populated metropolitan area around Tel Aviv. 

The vehicle caught fire but the flames were quickly doused. 

Israeli radio is reporting a cellular phone was used to set off the bomb. 

The heavily populated area is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and is close to major highways. 

Police say they expect Palestinian militants were responsible for the explosion, which they call a probable "terrorist attack." 

Police say a disaster was prevented, noting that dozens of tanker trucks stand next to each other at the facility. 

Palestinian militants have carried out dozens of suicide bombings in Israeli cities, but the blast at the fuel depot may signal a shift toward new targets. 

Security officials said earlier this week that they uncovered a Palestinian plot to detonate a ton of explosives under the twin Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, Israel's tallest buildings. 

The explosion at the fuel depot came the day after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and at least two Israelis in the nearby town of Rishon Letzion, at a park crowded with people playing backgammon, cards and chess. 

It was the second suicide attack in the town this month. 

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the bombing. 

Hours earlier, the Israeli army killed a leader of the group and two others near the West Bank City of Nablus. 

Palestinians say Mahmoud Titi and two others were killed when Israeli soldiers fired on the men near the Balata refugee camp. 

Palestinian leaders denounced the Rishon Letzion attack, saying suicide bombings give Israel an excuse to carry out military operations against the Palestinian people. 

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the Jewish state will not buckle in the face of terror and will use whatever measures are necessary to stop the violence. 

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Pope John Paul II visits the Monument to the Fallen for Independence in Baku

 During the mass on Thursday, the pope praised the country's small Catholic population of 120 people for surviving Communist repression. 

Almost all of Azerbaijan's 7 million residents are Muslim, and this is one of the smallest Catholic parishes the pope has ever visited. Most members of the parish sat in the front row during the service, some waving signs saying, "We love you."

 The Roman Catholic church leader also lauded the Orthodox church for resisting attempts by Soviet authorities to subdue believers.

 During the service, which was held in a sports arena, security officials pulled a man away who was trying to approach the altar where the pope was standing. It was not clear who the man was and the mass continued after the interruption. 

The trip appeared to tire the ailing pontiff. The 82-year-old pope was wheeled to the podium on a movable platform. He started the service, then later asked an aide to complete the mass, something he has done often in recent months. 

But the pope, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease as well as hip and knee problems, has made it clear that he does not wish to retire. 

From Azerbaijan the pope later travels to Bulgaria, which also has a small Catholic population. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Pope John Paul has visited many former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Armenia. He also has visited other formerly Communist countries, including his homeland, Poland.

 But so far he has not been able to travel to Russia, because of a disagreement with the Russian Orthodox Church. Officials from the Russian Orthodox Church have expressed concern that the Roman Catholic Church is trying to convert Orthodox believers. 

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Opposition parties in Nepal have criticized the government's decision to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections. The mountain kingdom has been plunged into political instability at a critical time, while it is battling to crush a bloody Maoist insurgency. 

King Gyanendra

 Emergency rule was imposed last November to fight a Maoist insurgency. It would have expired Saturday without parliament's approval.

 But hours ahead of a crucial debate and vote on extending the emergency, a powerful dissident faction within Mr. Deuba's Nepali Congress party announced it would oppose the extension. The revolt within the prime minister's own party prompted him to recommend parliament's dissolution.

 It will now be possible for the cabinet to extend emergency rule without parliament's approval. Fresh elections will be held on November 13. 

The sudden decision to call new elections threatens Nepal with renewed political instability. Prime Minister Deuba is now coming in for sharp criticism from rivals within his own party, as well as from opposition groups. 

The main opposition, United Marxist-Leninist Communist party, has accused Mr. Deuba of trying to pursue his own interests and said parliament's dissolution went againt democratic norms. 

A senior leader in the ruling Congress party, Ram Chandra Paudel, condemned the step, saying it will be difficult to hold elections while the government is engaged in trying to crush the Maoist insurgency.

 The government said it is easier to fight the Maoist uprising under emergency rule. But critics argue that current anti-terrorism laws are sufficient to deal with the rebels and complain that the emergency has given the government sweeping powers, including the suspension of civil liberties. 

Analysts also have said the decision to dissolve parliament will delay any attempts to reach a political consensus on how to tackle the Maoist rebellion, which has intensified in recent months. The insurgents want to establish a one-party communist state in Nepal.

 Nepal became a multi-party democracy in 1990. But a series of weak, short-lived governments and the bloody Maoist rebellion have raised fears about the future of its democracy. 

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Some hospital workers in South Korea joined a walkout organized by the country's second largest labor organization. The South Korean president again is appealing to workers to hold off on strikes until after the country finishes hosting the World Cup soccer finals. 

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions says thousands of workers at hospitals across the country walked off their jobs Thursday morning. But there is wide disagreement between the unions and the Labor Ministry on just how many hospital workers went on strike. The hospital job action follows a walkout by some 31,000 metal and chemical workers who began striking on Wednesday. 

The labor protest could turn out to be smaller than the militant trade group had envisioned. Some hospitals reached agreements with their workers on wages and other demands, averting walkouts. Also, some metal workers went back to their jobs after reaching agreements with management. And there is word than bank workers will not strike after reaching an accord with their bosses on a shorter working week. 

Still, 12,000 taxi drivers are poised to strike, putting extra pressure on the government, just days before the World Cup soccer finals begin in South Korea and Japan. 

Hundreds of thousands of tourists will be in Korea for the month-long tournament, and major strikes of transport or hotel workers could mar the World Cup events. 

June Kim, marketing and sales executive at the JW Marriott hotel in Seoul says the staff at her hotel is ready to head off problems. "Even if we have some strike or any kind of traffic problem, it's not a big problem for our guests. We already have arrangements with the tourist information bureau or the Korea Tourist Association and also some main tourism agency for the traffic and shuttle [bus] and transportation to the southwest stadium and main stadium," Ms. Kim said. 

President Kim Dae-jung, while welcoming the labor agreement in the financial sector, appealed again to other workers to avoid disrupting the world's biggest sporting event. 

There does not appear to be much public sentiment for the workers, as South Korea moves into the sporting spotlight with Japan during the World Cup. Financial markets have not reacted to the walkouts, so far. But some analysts say a big and protracted strike could hurt the nation's credit rating and impede its economic growth. 

South Korea's government vows to crack down on any disruptions by labor protestors during the World Cup. Officials also say they will act sternly against any illegal strikes in the public sector. 

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The United States is sharpening its appeals to both India and Pakistan for restraint and dialogue to end their confrontation over Kashmir. Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the issue by phone with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who will visit the region next week. 

Mr. Powell called his British counterpart from Air Force One as he headed to Europe with President Bush. At a briefing here, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker expressed concern about what he termed a worsening situation in Kashmir, including increased shelling between Indian and Pakistani forces across the "line of control." 

"It's now heavy. We find this a very worrisome development. We've repeatedly stated our strong concerns about the potential for conflict between India and Pakistan and about the danger of it spiraling out of control. And I would reiterate once again that armed conflict can only add to the problems that divide these two nuclear-armed neighbors. It's not going to solve any problems," Mr. Reeker said. 

Mr. Reeker said Pakistan needs to do all it can to stop the infiltration of extremists across the "line of control." He also reiterated the U.S. condemnation of Tuesday's assassination, in Srinagar in Indian Kashmir, of Muslim separatist leader Abdul Ghani Lone, a moderate who favored dialogue with India over the Kashmir dispute. 

"It was an attack upon the hopes for a fair political process in Kashmir. This was a figure, a leader, who sought to achieve goals through peaceful, democratic means and courageously stood up to extremists. And now he's been killed. And so we deplore that killing, we condemn that crime, and we call upon all parties to pursue a dialogue, a peaceful dialogue, to resolve their differences," Mr. Reeker said. 

Secretary of State Powell, who made a crisis visit to the area in January the last time Kashmir tensions boiled over, has been in telephone contact in recent days with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Foreign Secretary Jaswant Singh. 

Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca has just returned from talks in Islamabad and New Delhi. And Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage is expected to visit both capitals soon, probably early next month. 

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Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Tom Daschle, says the establishment of an independent commission to investigate the apparent intelligence failures before September 11 is inevitable. 

In a speech Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington, Senator Daschle again called for an independent commission to look into what the FBI knew in the months before terrorists struck New York and Washington. 

"Whether it is this year or next year, at some point, there will be a review of what it is that happened," he said. "I just think that the sooner it is done, the more likely it is we will get the best information." 

The South Dakota Democrat said there is growing support for such an investigation from both conservatives and liberals. He said the independent panel's aim would be to find out what communications breakdowns apparently occurred between the FBI, CIA and White House and make sure they never happen again. 

"No one has said that the president could have prevented the tragedy of September 11. But by the same token, no one can take much comfort from the picture that has emerged of government agencies that seem totally out of synch with each other," he said. 

Some leading Republicans along with White House officials oppose an independent investigation, believing it to be politically motivated. They also fear it could expose the country's weaknesses to terrorists. Senator Daschle disagrees. 

"We will speak out because our first responsibility is the security of this country," he said. "Despite what some in the administration have suggested, silence in the face of security lapses is not patriotism. If anything, it is the opposite. And the consequences of such silence can be devastating." 

The senator says independent panels investigated the bombing of Pearl Harbor and President Kennedy's assassination and that the September 11 attacks is another crisis needing careful scrutiny. 

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The Australian Government is offering Afghan asylum seekers money as an incentive to return home. The offer is open to more than a 1,000 detainees held in camps in Nauru, Christmas Island and across Australia. Some refugee activists argue the deal amounts to bribery. 

The Australian government's incentive for Afghans to voluntarily return home is $1,000 for individuals or $5,000 for a family. The package also includes airfares, counseling and vocational training. 

Government officials consider Afghanistan safe for the refugees to return, in the aftermath of the defeat of the Taleban. Most arrived illegally in Australia by boat from Indonesia and have been detained in camps while their applications for asylum were processed. 

The Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock is not predicting how many will take up the offer, but he expects the first repatriation by the end of the year. 

The Labor opposition party, however, wants to know what will happen to those who refuse the offer. Labor's immigration spokeswoman Julia Gillard thinks the repatriation program will not solve Australia's problem with Afghan asylum seekers. 

"The question today for Minister Ruddock is what happens to the rest, given he knows, and we know that he's not in a position to start forcing people to return to Afghanistan," Ms. Gillard said. 

There are differing responses to the government's offer from refugee advocates. Simon O'Neill from the Refugee Action Collective calls it outrageous and said it puts undue pressure on people already under stress. 

He described the offer as bribery on one hand and blackmail on the other. 

At the Refugee Council of Australia, activists said that some of the refugees are from minority groups that still may face persecution at home. The activists said those refugees may refuse the money and opt to stay in Australia. 

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George W. Bush speaking to German lawmakers

 Mr. Bush thanked the German government and people for their support of U.S.-led efforts against terrorism. He told the parliament that after the September 11 attacks on the United States, civilized societies are sending a clear message to terrorists that they are determined to uphold peace and freedom.
 
 

Gerhard Schroeder

 Earlier Thursday, after meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Mr. Bush said he has no concrete plans to attack Iraq.

 Mr. Bush and Mr. Schroeder told reporters in Berlin that despite much speculation in the media, there are no plans for military moves against Saddam Hussein, although all possibilities are open.

 Many in Europe have expressed concern about a number of U.S. foreign and economic policy positions and what they see as America's readiness to act alone on key issues. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets Wednesday in Berlin, amid tight security, to protest U.S. policies on trade, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Iraq and the global environment. Mr. Bush is now on his way to Moscow, where he will sign a new arms control treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

 Mr. Bush will also visit France and Italy during his week-long European trip. He says he hopes his talks with European leaders will ease their fears about U.S. policy on Iraq and on international economic matters. 

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 Police say a disaster was averted by workers, who quickly put out the blaze, preventing it from spreading.

 The fuel depot is the largest in Israel and is situated in a heavily populated area of the Mediterranean coast.

 Israeli authorities say they suspect the bombing was a Palestinian militant attack.

 Wednesday, a suicide bombing in the nearby town of Rishon Letzion killed at least three people, including the bomber.

 The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades - an offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement - claimed responsibility for the attack that took place at a crowded pedestrian mall. The militant group said it will carry out more attacks against Israelis.

 Earlier Wednesday, the Israeli army killed an al-Aqsa leader near the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian sources say Mahmoud Titi and two others were killed when Israeli troops fired on the trio near the Balata refugee camp.

 Palestinian leaders have denounced the Rishon Letzion bombing, saying it gives Israel an excuse to carry out aggression against the Palestinian people.

 A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says Israel will not buckle in the face of terror and will use what whatever measures are necessary to root it out. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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Atal Behari Vajpayee

 Speaking to reporters in Srinagar at the end of a three-day visit to Indian Kashmir, Mr. Vajpayee said similar promises were made before but not implemented. He added that words must be matched by deeds.

 Pakistan said Wednesday that it would not allow the part of Kashmir it controls to be used for terrorist activity - an apparent concession to New Delhi's demand that Islamabad must crack down on anti-Indian Islamic militants. But General Musharraf also said Pakistan will continue what he called its moral and diplomatic support for Muslim separatists in Indian Kashmir who are described as terrorists by India and freedom fighters by Pakistan.

 In Islamabad, officials say Pakistan would pull its troops from its western border with Afghanistan - where they are aiding in the pursuit of al Qaida and Taleban fighters - and redeploy them on the eastern border with India. Officials say Pakistan is also planning to recall its soldiers from U.N. peacekeeping duties in Sierra Leone.

 In New Delhi, Indian officials said Thursday Pakistani forces have escalated shelling along the frontier in Kashmir. They say more than 90 houses have been destroyed in the Jammu region.

 The nuclear-powered South Asian rivals have moved closer to war since last week, when more than 30 people - mostly family members of Indian soldiers -were killed in a militant attack on an Indian army base near Jammu. Both sides have massed nearly a million troops along their border.

 The United States and Britain have stepped up diplomatic efforts to defuse the tense stand-off between India and Pakistan. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Thursday to extend the mandate of the international force in Afghanistan, that provides security for the capital, Kabul, and the interim Afghan government. 

A U.S. sponsored resolution would renew the mandate of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), for six months beginning June 20th. It is expected that, during that period, Turkey will take over command of the 4,600 strong force from Britain. 

The ISAF is not under U.N. control, but the Security Council has to authorize it in order to provide international legitimacy. 

There is no indication that the Security Council will expand the scope of operations of the ISAF beyond the Kabul area. Interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called for the deployment of the international force in other major cities of his war-torn country. 

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a contingent of the anti-terror coalition force in Afghanistan ended a sweep in the eastern mountains without making contact with al-Qaida or Taleban fighters. 

The sweep, code named "Operation Condor," was launched last Friday. It was carried out by a 1,000 strong British-led contingent. A British military spokesman said troops conducted extensive searches in an area north of the city of Khost, but found only several ammunition caches. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AP.

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George Bush

 Mr. Bush was speaking at a news conference in Berlin Thursday, a day after Senate majority leader Tom Daschle repeated calls for the creation of an independent panel to look into what federal authorities knew in the months before the September 11th terrorist attacks.

 Mr. Bush has defended his handling of intelligence information prior to the attacks - saying that if he had known about the suicide hijackings in advance, he would have done everything in his power to stop them.

 The controversy erupted after recent revelations that U.S. officials had intelligence information before September 11 that terrorists might hijack an airplane.

 Vice President Dick Cheney, meantime, has lashed out at members of Congress who have criticized President Bush over the matter. Speaking on CNN's "Larry King Live," Mr. Cheney called the criticism of the president "a gross, outrageous political attack." 

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