European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 24, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages stars and stripes tuesday april 24 2007 in the world a russian president Boris Yeltsin Dies by Jim Heintz the associated press president Boris Yeltsin who engineered the final collapse of the soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a Market Economy has died a Kremlin official said monday he was 76 he died of heart failure at the Central clinical Hospital news agencies quoted Sergei Mironov head of the presidential administrations medical Center As saying the Kremlin says a Day of National mourning and the funeral for former president Boris Yeltsin will take place on wednesday although Yeltsin pushed rus Sia to embrace democracy and a Market Economy Many of its Citi Zens will remember him mostly for presiding Over the country Steep decline he was a contradictory figure rocketing to popularity in the communist Era on pledges to fight proving unable or unwilling to prevent the looting of state Industry As it moved into private hands during his nine years As russian first freely elected president he steadfastly defended free Dom of the press but was a Mas ter at manipulating the Media he amassed As much Power As possible in his office then gave it All up in a dramatic new years address at the end of 1999 Yeltsin greatest moments came in bursts he stood atop a tank to resist an attempted coup in August 1991 and spearheaded the peaceful end of the soviet state on dec 25 of that year i with heart problems and facing possible defeat by a communist challenger in his 1996 reelection bid he marshalled his Energy and sprinted through the final weeks of the Campaign the Challenge Boris Yeltsin transformed the shaky convalescent into the Spry dancing Candi Date but Yeltsin was an inconsistent reformer who never took much in Terest in the mundane tasks of Day today government and nearly always blamed russian myriad problems on subordinates in the final years of his Leader ship Yeltsin was dogged by health problems and often seemed out of touch he retreated regularly to his country Resi Dence outside Moscow and stayed away from the Kremlin for Days even weeks at a time As the country lurched from crisis to crisis its Leader appeared increasingly absent yet Yeltsin had made a stun Ning debut As russian president he introduced Many basics of democracy guaranteeing the rights to free speech private property and multiparty elections and opening the Borders to Trade and travel though full of bluster he revealed More of his personal life and private doubts than any Previ Ous russian Leader had the debilitating bouts of de pression the grave second thoughts the insomnia and head aches in the Middle of the night the tears and despair the Hurt from people close to me who did not support me at the last minute who didst hold up who deceived me i have had to Bear All of this he wrote in his 1994 Memoir the struggle for Russia Yeltsin pushed through Freeman Ket reforms creating a private sector and allowing foreign invest ment in foreign policy he assured Independence for russian soviet Era satellites oversaw troop and arms reductions and developed warm relations with Western leaders that was the democratic Yeltsin who in August 1991 ral lied tens of thousands of russians to face Down a Hartline soviet coup attempt but there was another Yeltsin he was hesitant to act against crime and corruption begin Ning in his own administration while they sapped Public Faith and stunted democracy somali pm help needed to Stop War the associated press Mogadishu Somalia heavy shelling and tank fire rocked Mogadishu on monday the sixth straight Day of raging Battles in the capital that have plunged the country deeper into chaos and left nearly 250 people dead masked islamic insurgents clashed with ethiopian troops backing the frag Ile somali governments forces in the Southern part of the Battle scarred coast Al City pounding each other with a Chin gun fire mortars tank shells and heavy artillery at least 18 civilians were killed and 21 wounded in mondays fighting said Sudan a Ahmed the chairman of the Elman human rights organization group he said 19 insurgents were killed and 31 wounded but had no Fig ures for ethiopian or government casualties a six Montgold baby was among those wounded said Khadija Farah Abdi insurgents talk in the Street of the somali capital Mogadishu from a jeep mounted with a gun in the Fatah neighbourhood monday who saw a Shell hit a residential area North of the City and kill three men and a woman Somalia prime minister a Mohamed Gedi told journalists monday his interim government was winning the Bat tie against the insurgents but called for greater support from the International Community who have raised concern Over the somali government and ethiopian military tactics and the mounting civilian casualties if we do not get International sup port the War May spread throughout the Region and Africa he said the latest fighting flared after ethiopian and somali government troops made a final military push to try to wipe out the insurgency Western diplomatic and somali government sources told the a on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the Media nigerian ruling party candidate wins vote the associated press Abuja Nigeria the ruling party candidate was declared the Winner monday of Nigeria presidential elections following a vote that inter National observers said was marred by wide spread problems including ballot Box stuffing and phony results the runner up rejected what he called the most blatantly rigged election results Ever produced in Nigeria As was widely expected Umaru Yar Adua the 56year old governor of Northern Katsina state won in a landslide elected vice president was Goodluck Jonathan a governor from an Oil Rich Southern state the us based International Republican Institute and the european Union identified numerous voting Day irregularities and said the election failed to meet International standards in Washington state department spokesman Sean Mccormack said based on the reports that we have seen these were flawed elections and in some cases deeply flawed elections one of the two main opposition parties has Al ready said it would Challenge the results in court these elections have not lived up to the Hopes and expectations of the nigerian people and the process cannot be considered to have been Credi ble said Max Van Den Berg head of the eur observer Mission Gates asks Russia to of us defense plan Moscow defense Secre tary Robert Gates on monday urged Russia to drop its opposition to us plans to develop de lenses in Europe against Long Range nuclear missiles but the russians refused to Budge we face new threats that re quire new strategies for deter rence and defense Gates said in a prepared statement delivered with russian defense minister Anatoly Serdyukov seated beside him we invite Russia to join our defensive Endeavor As a partner Serdyukov however made Clear that Moscow is opposed the bases would be meant to provide Protection in Europe from a Long Range nuclear mis Sile launched by Iran a threat that us officials say May be fast approaching but that the rus sians say is exaggerated Barclays Bank takeover a Mega merger Amsterdam Netherlands Barclays pc said monday it will acquire an Amro no for billion in the worlds largest Bank takeover capping a month of negotiations to create a global Finan Cial services giant Barclays ceo John Varley called the Deal the largest merger Ever in global financial Industry an Amro also announced it was Selling its us unit Lasalle Bank to Bank of America corp for billion in Cash philippine workers still banned from Iraq work Manila Philippines the philippine government is unwilling to ease its ban on the deploy ment of philippine workers to Iraq despite renewed efforts by foreign employers to lure them to jobs in the battered nation officials said monday the Philippines banned deploy ment of workers to Iraq after insurgents abducted a philippine truck Driver in july 2004 to save his life president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo granted the Kidnap pers demand to withdrawal a philippine contingent from Iraq missing boys remains found in dead Crocodile Beijing the remains of a missing 9yearold boy were found inside a Crocodile that was shot to death saturday in a Park in Heihui the official Xinhua news Agency said the child identified As Liu Dis appeared Friday after he and three other children climbed Over the Fence around a Pool in the Park that had been used to stage Crocodile shows Xinhua said the children shot the Ani Mals with catapults and beat them with wooden Sticks the Agency said one of the irritated crocodiles bit lius clothes and dragged him into the water where he was eaten by a swarm of crocodiles Oslo court sentences 3 in theft of Munch Art Oslo Norway Oslo appeals court sentenced three men to prison monday in the 2004 theft of the Edvard Munch masterpieces the scream and Madonna the paintings were recovered by police on aug 31 just Over two years after they were stolen by masked gunmen in a Daylight heist at Oslos Munch museum both were damaged and Are undergoing repairs from the associated press