Deutsche Welle English Service News March 22nd, 2001, 16:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------- A Victory of Sorts for Immigration
Waiting too long for a proper immigration law - an asylum seeker in Germany. http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_482328_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------- Immigration Legislation Declared Passed In a vote hotly disputed by conservatives, the upper house of Germany's parliament, the Bundesrat, appears to have adopted immigration legislation by a narrow majority. Chancellor Schroeder's Social Democrats got a split "yes" vote from Brandenburg state premier Manfred Stolpe. Stolpe's conservative interior minister Joerg Schoenbohm voted against. Conservative state premiers left the chamber in protest after failing to postpone the vote, saying they wanted Federal President Johannes Rau not to sign the bill into law. The Bundesrat's chairman, Berlin's SPD mayor Klaus Wowereit, declared the bill passed, 35-34. For Germany the bill sets the unprecedented goal of regulated immigration, including rules for recruitment of skilled workers. It also aims to simply residency and asylum procedures. BDI industry leader Michael Rogowski and Berlin bishop Wolfgang Huber welcomed the legislation. Germany Ratifies Kyoto The lower house of Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, has unanimously ratified the Kyoto Climate Protocol of 1997, but leaving it still short of the 55-nation target needed to take effect. By ratifying, Germany has pledged by 2012 to reduce its gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, mainly carbon dioxide, by at least five percent based on 1990 levels. It's own goal is 21 percent. Other EU countries have pledged to ratify Kyoto by June, ahead of a summit on sustainable energy. That's due to take place in Johannesburg in September. Last year, President George W. Bush said the USA would not sign. He subsequently outlined a go-it-alone strategy. Today, German Environment Minister Juergen Trittin described the U.S. stance as not praiseworthy. Germany, he said, would lead in climate protection. Third Suicide Attack Overshadows Talks Near Jenin in the West Bank, another Palestinian suicide bomber has killed himself and wounded an Israeli soldier as U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni convened more Israeli-Palestinian security talks in Tel Aviv. The latest incident follows suicide bombings in northern Israel and in Jerusalem that killed 10 Israelis and wounded scores more on Wednesday and Thursday. A spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel currently had a policy of restrain but would drop it if more suicide attacks occurred. After talks with Zinni, Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erakat said opinions were still polarised. Taliban Cache Found - U.S. Troops American forces in Afghanistan say they've uncovered a Taliban weapons depot. A spokesman said helicopter gunships had attacked and destroyed the camp in a valley near Schah-i-Kot. It lies in the area where US-led troops carried out a largescale ground offensive against Al Qaida and Taliban fighters in recent weeks. Japan and South Korea Seal Trade Accord Japan and South Korea have sealed a new agreement to boost mutual direct investment. The accord is expected to help South Korea attract investment from Japan and make it easier for Korean companies to enter Japanese markets. The two companies' combined economies are almost half the size of that of the United States. Their prime ministers met in Seoul, 10 weeks ahead of the World Cup, which the two countries will jointly host. Workers Appeal for Bailout Top worker representatives with the German construction firm Holzmann, which has filed for insolvency, have urged Chancellor Schroeder to mount another rescue mission as he did in 1999. The elected Works Council also said the wages and salaries of the 11,000 workers employed in Germany were assured for the next three months through federal labour office payments. The trade union IG-Bau said it now feared a wave of flow-on bankrupties among subcontractors to Holzmann. Overnight, an insolvency administrator and 20 lawyers took control of Germany's second-largest construction firm, after several large banks had failed to agreed to another rescue deal. In 1999 Schroeder's government help fund a bailout. Atomic Waste Convoy Reaches France The largest German atomic waste transport so far this year has gone off without major delays or incidents. The train crossed into France carrying waste from 4 power stations in North Germany and Baden-Wuerttemberg state. Part of the convoy is heading for the British re-processing plant in Sellafield, the rest for La Hague in France. In the past such transports had sparked large-scale protests by anti-nuclear campaigners. Singapore Court Postpones Drugs Case Against German A Singapore court has postponed a case against a German woman who could face the death sentence. Twenty-two-year-old Julia Suzanne Bohl was charged a week ago for alleged possession of 687 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking, and consumption of controlled drugs. Singapore has a mandatory death penalty for trafficking in 500 grams or more of cannabis. Bohl's trial awaits pending further investigations. -------------------------------------------------------- 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/
