BONN: Germany's victorious Social Democrats and the Greens signed an agreement today to form a Centre-Left coalition government with Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor. The two parties agreed measures on tax reform, job creation and the scrapping of nuclear energy following Schroeder's ouster ofHelmut Kohl in a general election on September 27. The coalition deal is expected to be formally endorsed by both parties at Congresses this weekend. Schroeder is then due to be confirmed as Germany's next chancellor next Tuesday.

LONDON: A Spanish magistrate has broadened his charges against former Chilean dictator Gen Augusto Pinochet to include genocide, while a Chilean exile group reportedly plans to bring criminal proceedings against him in Britain. The 82-year-old former strongman, arrested last Friday in his hospital bed in London, vowed yesterday to fight attempts to extradite him to Spain. His lawyers argued that his arrest at a London clinic violated his diplomatic immunity. The exiled group, Chile Democratico, indicated it will bring the charges in London under a law that allows anyone to launch criminal proceedings as long as they are willing to fund them, the Guardian newspaper reported. If Pinochet is found guilty, he could face jail sentence.