DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-
WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
18. 09. 2006 16:00 Uhr UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Pope's Brother: "He Hopes That It Will Be Sorted Out"
In his first interview since Benedict XVI's visit to Bavaria,
the pope's brother talks about the trip, papal vacation plans
and the pontiff's reaction to Muslim protests against his
speech in Regensburg.
To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the
internet address below:
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hlvlwIfcha79I1&req=l%3D1hlvlvIfcha79I1----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spate of Afghan attacks kills at least 20
A spate of suicide bombings in Afghanistan has left at least 20
people dead and wounded several others. The latest incident occurred
in the western province of Herat where a suicide bomb killed at
least 11 people. Earlier three Afghan policemen were killed and five
other people wounded by a suicide bomber in the capital Kabul.
Meanwhile in the southern province of Kandahar, four Canadian NATO
soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber on a bike as they were
handing out sweets and other gifts to children. It comes a day after
NATO commanders declared an end to their two-week offensive in the
south, aimed at driving Taliban militants out of their safe havens.
Mixed reactions to Pope's apology
There have been mixed reactions to Pope Benedict XVI's apology for
offending Muslims in a speech in Bavaria last week. During his
regular Sunday blessing, the pope said the medieval text which he
quoted did not express in any way his personal opinion. In Iraq,
hundreds of people demonstrated in Basra, burning an effigy of the
pope. An influential Muslim cleric has called for a day of anger
this Friday. There were more moderate reactions from Pakistan, where
a senior Muslim leader urged Muslims to calm down. In the speech,
the pope cited a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said some
teachings of the Prophet Mohammed were "evil and inhuman." The
Central Council of Muslims in Germany urged the Vatican to establish
an inter-religious dialogue with Muslim leaders.
German politicians urge to fight far-right
German politicians have called for stronger efforts to turn people
away from far-right groups. The call comes following two regional
elections on Sunday. In the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania, the ultra-right National Democratic Party won 7.3 percent
of the vote, giving it six seats in the local legislature. The
leader of the Social Democrats in the region, Till Backhaus, said it
was his party's mission to make it clear that the NPD were incapable
of addressing the region's problems, which includes the nation's
highest unemployment rate of over 18 percent. The Social Democrats
remain the strongest party in the state despite losing about a
quarter of their support. In the city state of Berlin, the Social
Democrats also won with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative
Christian Democrats slumping to their worst defeat since WW II.
Somali president unscathed after blast
Five people have died in an apparent bid to assassinate Somalia's
interim president. Six attackers were then also killed and two
captured in an ensuing gunbattle with bodyguards. One of the victims
was the brother of President Abdullahi Yusuf, who escaped unhurt
according to Foreign Minister Ismail Hurre. Two suspected car bombs
went off just outside Somalia's parliament in Baidoa as a
presidential convoy was leaving. Somalia's interim government has
been rendered largely powerless by an Islamist movement which has
gained control of the capital Mogadishu and large parts of southern
Somalia.
IMF quota reform agreed
In Singapore, International Monetary Fund members have agreed on an
overhaul of voting shares within the group, giving China, South
Korea, Mexico and Turkey an immediate boost in their voting powers.
Germany's finance minister Peer Steinbrueck called the 90.6 percent
support for the reform package from member states "an important and
a very good result". Another reform at the IMF would include a new
formula for giving other developing nations a larger voice in the
organization within the next two years. The package is intended to
reduce the large influence that the USA and Europe currently hold at
the IMF.
French Prez. Chirac urges restraint over Iran
French President Jacques Chirac has urged world powers not to refer
Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme and said
sanctions against the country are not viable. However, in an
interview with a European broadcaster, Chirac did say that Iran
should suspend uranium enrichment. The French president added that
he "did not believe in a solution without dialogue." The head of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed El Baradei, has said he
remains hopeful that Iran and Europe would be able to move toward
"long-overdue negotiations." El Baradei made the comment at the
start of the UN-linked IAEA's general conference which began on
Monday in Vienna.
Swedish PM tenders resignation
Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson has formally tendered his
resignation a day after his Social Democrats lost a parliamentary
election to the centre-right opposition. The victory for the
four-party centre-right alliance spelled the end of 12 years of
Social Democratic rule. Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose Moderate Party is
the biggest in the centre-right alliance, is set to become Sweden's
new prime minister. The poll was dominated by calls for reform in
the welfare system and the country's labour market. The election was
one of the narrowest in Swedish history with the centre-right
winning 48.1 percent of votes compared to 46.2 percent for the
Social Democrats.
Spain, Britain sign deal on Gibraltar
Spain and Britain have reached what they are calling an historic
agreement on the colony of Gibraltar. The accord paves the way for
greater cooperation between Spain and the colony such as easing
travel and communication restrictions. Currently Gibraltar airport
only has flights to Britain, but under the deal flights will now be
possible to Spain and other European countries. The two sides,
however, did not resolve the thorny issue of sovereignty. Madrid
claims sovereignty over the enclave which it ceded to Britain in
1713, however in a 2002 referendum 99 percent of Gibraltar's
residents voted against becoming a part of Spain.
German lawmakers want UN mandate
German parliamentarians have made an urgent appeal to the Sudanese
government to accept a UN peacekeeping mandate in the Darfur region.
Lawmakers from four of five parties represented in the Bundestag
said that if necessary, the United Nations should send troops
without the consent of Khartoum to stop the killing in the western
province. The politicians also demanded Sudan end its military
offensive in Darfur immediately. Meanwhile, Sudan said it may allow
African Union troops to remain in war-torn Darfur with more help
from the West after its peacekeeping mandate expires on September 30.
11 Muslim labourers killed in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels have blamed each
other for a massacre of 11 young Muslim labourers who had gone
missing on Sunday. The bodies, some hacked and mutilated badly, were
recovered from an eastern jungle on Monday. Several thousand angry
Muslims gathered in the town of Pottuvil for the burials, accusing
the police of the murders. A Sri Lankan military speaker said the
men were digging an irrigation canal before being attacked by Tamil
Tigers. The Tiger rebels said the region where the massacre occurred
was government controlled and that police carried out the killings.
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