 Tens of thousands of French students have taken to the streets across France to protest against a controversial new labour law. Protesters object to new two-year job contracts for under-26s which employers can break off without explanation. President Jacques Chirac has appealed for talks, but said the new law was important to fight unemployment. Many schools and universities have been disrupted by the marches, with police in Paris put on alert for trouble. Protests turned violent on Tuesday when police clashed with students holding a sit-in outside the capital's Sorbonne University. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy met police and protest organisers to try to ensure a peaceful march on Thursday, ministry officials said. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Editor - 10:56:00 03-16-06
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 Iran flexible on inspectors, not core nuclear issue |
Iran on Thursday offered more access to U.N. inspectors if their watchdog agency, not the U.N. Security Council, dealt with its nuclear dispute with the West. But top negotiator Ali Larijani gave no ground on Western demands that Iran stop trying to produce fuel that can be used in nuclear power stations or, if highly enriched, in bombs. Russia and China called for a peaceful solution to the standoff with Iran, while the United States said diplomacy must succeed to avert a confrontation with the Islamic Republic. Britain, one of three European Union powers whose talks with Iran proved fruitless, again ruled out military action. The International Atomic Energy Agency has referred Iran to the Security Council, which can impose sanctions, for failing to demonstrate that its nuclear program was purely peaceful. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1732790
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Editor - 10:48:00 03-16-06
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| Bush Sees Iran As Possibly Greatest Threat. Most of the world sees Bush as the greatest threat |
Bush said Thursday Iran may pose the greatest challenge to the United States and diplomacy to thwart the Islamic nation's nuclear program must prevail to avoid confrontation. In a 49-page national security report, the president reaffirmed the strike-first, or pre-emptive policy he first outlined in 2002. Diplomacy is the U.S. preference in halting the spread of nuclear and other heinous weapons, Bush said. "If necessary, however, under long-standing principles of self-defense, we do not rule out the use of force before attacks occur even if uncertainty remains as to the time and place of the enemy's attack," Bush wrote. "When the consequences of an attack with weapons of mass destruction are potentially so devastating, we cannot afford to stand idly by as grave dangers materialize. … The place of pre-emption in our national security strategy remains the same." ...
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1732070&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
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Editor - 10:44:00 03-16-06
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| US open to talks with Iran on Iraq |
The White House said on Thursday that the United States is open to holding talks with Iran about stabilizing Iraq after the Islamic republic responded to prior offers from Washington for a dialogue. But White House spokesman Scott McClellan noted that any such talks would be confined to the Iraq issue and would be on a separate track from efforts to resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran.In November, President George W. Bush authorized his ambassador in Iraq to have talks with Iran in what would be unusual contact between two long-standing foes who are locked in a standoff over Tehran's nuclear programs.Iran initially rejected the U.S. offer for talks.But Iran changed its position on Thursday after Bush made his most explicit accusation this week that Iranian involvement in Iraq was destabilizing a country wracked by sectarian violence....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060316/ts_nm/iran_usa_iraq_dc
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Editor - 09:24:00 03-16-06
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| Liberian leader wows US congress |
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has become one of the few women to address a joint sitting of the United States congress. In a speech which was frequently interrupted by standing ovations, she said US aid was helping to restore peace to Liberia and West Africa. She promised to make Liberia "America's success story in Africa." Liberia was founded by freed US slaves in 1847 and many Liberians see the US as their "big brother". After her speech, congress promised an extra $50m in aid for Liberia, still recovering from 14 years of civil war. Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf is due to meet President George W Bush next week. Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged the Security Council not to make big cuts in the 15,000 UN peacekeepers in Liberia over the next few years, because the peace remains fragile. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4812060.stm
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Editor - 09:20:00 03-16-06
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| Deadly bird flu found in Denmark |
The first case of the deadly bird flu strain H5N1 has been confirmed in a wild buzzard in Denmark. The Ministry for Consumer and Family Affairs said the dead bird had tested positive after being found near Naestved, south of Copenhagen. It comes a day after Sweden said tests showed two wild ducks found on its east coast carried H5N1. Danish authorities have set up quarantine and surveillance zones around where the buzzard was found. The Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research said on Thursday a sample from the tests on the buzzard would be sent to the EU laboratory in the UK for final verification. But it confirmed in a statement the H5N1 virus had been found. Naestved is about 70km (44 miles) south of Copenhagen on the island of Zealand, in a wetland area where there are many migrating birds. The 3km (two-mile) quarantine zone and 10km (six-mile) surveillance zone were put in place on Wednesday, after it was announced the H5 bird flu subtype had been detected...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4813340.stm
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Editor - 09:17:00 03-16-06
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