France

Yushchenko seeking EU membership

Viktor Yushchenko made his first trip to the West as Ukraine’s president Tuesday, seeking recognition of the former Soviet republic’s right to join the European Union and other Western institutions.

Yushchenko called on the EU to commit by 2007 to membership talks and said he would push through democratic reforms to aid Ukraine’s bid to join the 25-nation bloc.

Coming after the dramatic “people power” showdown that put the Western-leaning reformer in office, his appearance increased pressure on EU officials to embrace Ukraine at a time of little appetite among members for further expansion into poorer parts of Europe.

“We have a three-year action plan. We would like it to end in 2007 with a concrete commitment,” Yushchenko told The Associated Press and two European newspapers shortly before leaving for Kiev after a speech at the Council of Europe.

Jerusalem

Officials: Israel halts targeted killings

Israel has stopped targeting Palestinian militants for death, according to Israeli security officials, fulfilling a key Palestinian demand for a truce to end four years of violence.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel had informed the Palestinians of their decision. It came after generals from the two sides met Tuesday to plan deployment of Palestinian police in central and southern Gaza, to prevent militants from attacking Israelis.

Since he took office earlier this month, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has been negotiating with militant groups about a truce declaration. In return, the militants are demanding that Israel stop its military operations and halt its killing of militant leaders.

The groups agreed to a one-month halt in attacks to test Israel’s response.

Switzerland

Report: Iran won’t scrap nuclear enrichment

A confidential summary of talks between key European powers and Iran made available to The Associated Press on Tuesday shows there has been no progress in getting Iran to scrap nuclear enrichment, even though Tehran acknowledged it does not need nuclear energy.

The United States and several other countries fear Iran is seeking to enrich uranium not to the low level needed to generate power but to weapons-grade uranium that forms the core of nuclear warheads.

Iran publicly insists it only seeks to make low-grade enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. But the summary of the last meeting on the issue involving representatives of France, Britain, Germany and Iran says Tehran acknowledged what Washington and its allies have argued all along — that the oil-rich country has no need for nuclear energy.

“Iran recognizes explicitly that its fuel cycle program cannot be justified on economic grounds,” the document says.

Poland

Court rules publisherlibeled pope

A court Tuesday convicted the publisher of a satirical magazine of insulting Polish-born Pope John Paul II and fined him $6,500.

The ruling against Jerzy Urban, a onetime spokesman for the former Communist government of Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, sparked cries of “Too little!” from opponents of the publishers. Jaruzelski’s government had imposed martial law to try to crush the Solidarity freedom movement.

The court ruled that Urban, founder and publisher of the weekly magazine “NIE” — Polish for “no” — illegally insulted the pope when he printed an article making fun of John Paul’s age and frailty before a visit to Poland in 2002.

“The court has no doubts that intending to ridicule the church, Jerzy Urban ridiculed and derided the pope,” Judge Barbara Laskowska said, reading the verdict.

He was found guilty of violating a law that bans publicly insulting foreign heads of state.

Tokyo

Panel debates female ascension to throne

The head of a government panel debating revisions to Japan’s imperial succession law said Tuesday that public opinion, which strongly supports allowing a woman to reign, would be the most important factor in their discussions.

Japan’s royals are facing their most serious succession crisis in centuries, with no boy born to the imperial family since the 1960s and the current law barring women from ascending the ancient Chrysanthemum Throne.

Increasing pressure to amend the succession law prodded the government to announce that it was setting up a 10-member panel to examine legal revisions.

Crown Prince Naruhito, 44, and his younger brother have three daughters between them, but no sons.

“It is an extremely difficult issue,” said panel chairman Horoyuki Yoshikawa, calling it a historical, societal and practical problem that could affect Japanese society “hundreds of years from now.”

United Nations

Annan questioned in oil-for-food probe

Investigators probing allegations of impropriety in the U.N. oil-for-food program have questioned Secretary-General Kofi Annan about his involvement and will do so again, a U.N. spokesman said Tuesday.

Annan met “more than once for an extended period of time” with former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker and his investigators last year, spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

“The secretary-general is part of the investigation, is a subject like anyone else involved in oil-for-food at the secretariat,” Eckhard said.

Investigators are probing allegations that administrators at the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq took bribes and allowed Saddam Hussein to skim money from the program.

India

More than 200 killed in stampede

An accident that crushed several people inside a Hindu temple grew into a bigger tragedy Tuesday when angry pilgrims outside learned of the deaths and set fire to shops along a crowded walkway, triggering a stampede that killed more than 200 people, police said.

An estimated 300,000 people had gathered for a festival in and around the hilltop Mandra Devi temple in western India near the small town of Wai, about 150 miles south of Bombay.

“A couple of devotees slipped and fell on the floor. A mob from behind walked over them,” Police chief Chandrakant Kumbhar said. “When their relatives, who were still climbing the stairs, heard the news, they became angry and set fire to some shops.”