Deutsche Welle English Service News May 14th 2004, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Postbank Sticks with IPO, Rules out Sale to Deutsche Bank Deutsche Post has said it will continue with its plans to float its retail banking arm Postbank on the stock market next month, ending speculation the unit would instead be sold to Deutsche Bank. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1431_A_1202212_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Round: Go East! The EU Quiz: Europe is expanding East. Embark on a journey through the 10 candidate countries set to enter the EU by playing the fourth and final round of DW-WORLD's Go East quiz. Lots of great prizes are waiting to be discovered. http://dw-world.de/go-east ---------------------------------------------------------------------- US forces attack Najaf cemetery Heavy fighting has been reported between US forces and insurgents in the Iraqi city of Najaf. US tanks and soldiers have moved into a cemetery near a holy shrine, and have been exchanging fire with militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The Shrine of Imam Ali, one of the most sacred sites for Shiite Muslims, is reported to have been damaged by artillery fire. A spokesman for a senior Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has called on both US forces and militiamen to leave the city. Al Sadr, though appeared at Friday prayers in the nearby town of Kufa. There, he called on Muslims to take revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops. More than 300 Abu Ghraib prisoners released US forces have released more than 300 Iraqi prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison, just outside of Baghdad. The prison's commander, Major General Geoffrey Miller, has said that as many as 400 detainees are to be released or transferred to the Iraqi justice system on a weekly basis. Abu Ghraib is the prison at the centre of a scandal over the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers. Several US soldiers have been charged with criminal offences in connection with the alleged abuses. Israeli Army razes houses in Rafah camp The Israeli army has begun razing houses in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Army bulldozers have torn down at least nine houses near a military patrol road where five Israeli soldiers were killed earlier this week. Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen have been exchanging heavy fire in the area. There are unconfirmed reports that two Israeli soldiers and Palestinian have been killed in the clashes. Israel Radio said the military planned to demolish hundreds of buildings close to the road, to remove firing positions or cover for potential attackers. But a military spokeswoman said the current army operation was focused entirely on retrieving the bodies of the dead soldiers. Gandhi set to become India's PM India's Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, expected to become the country's next prime minister, has moved swiftly to build a new coalition government. Her party won wide support in recent elections, resulting from discontent among poor voters who feel left behind by India's economic reforms. Indian financial markets plunged about five percent on fears that the leftist parties allied with the Congress will slow privatization and economic reforms initiated by outgoing Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Alleged prisoner abuse at Guantanamo camp Two British citizens who were held for more than two years at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have said they were abused by U.S. military interrogators. In an open letter to US President George W. Bush and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the two said they were deliberately humiliated and degraded by certain interrogating techniques, which included the use of dogs and deafening music to extract confessions. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a U.S. Senate panel that most techniques used in military interrogations were approved by Defense Department lawyers and "deemed to be consistent with the Geneva Convention." Burma's NLP to boycott convention Burma's main opposition party, says it will boycott next week's constitutional convention organised by the military government. The National League for Democracy, the NLP, said it will boycott Monday's landmark convention because the government refuses to free its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, currently under house arrest. Monday's event is intended to be a first step towards democracy in the country. Burma's government says the Suu Kyi's presence is not a fundamental part of the process but the United Nations says the convention will only be credible if the NLP does attend. France still Germany's top trading partner France remains Germany's top trading partner, ahead of the U.S. and Britain. The statistics office announced Germany exported goods and services worth 661 billion euros last year. Exports to France came to 70 billion euro, up two percent. Exports to the US were down almost 10 percent to 62 billion euro. Exports to Britain totalled 55 billion euro, up three percent. Australian to marry Danish prince Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik is to marry Australian Mary Donaldson in Copenhagen later today. It will be the first time an Australian marries into one of Europe's royal families. Celebrations are being held throughout Australia and Denmark ahead of the fairy tale wedding. Donaldson was born in Tasmania and worked in Sydney as a real estate agent where she met the prince. The guest list includes royals from all over the world as well as the Australian Governor General, Michael Jeffrey and Tasmania's Governor Richard Butler. New record oil prices Oil prices hit another record on Friday, U.S. light crude rising ten cents to a record $41.22 a barrel - its highest level in 21 years. Oil prices have been rising due to high demand in China and the United States and fears of disruption to Middle East oil flows. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD.DE on Your Desktop. Keep up with events with our RSS-Feeds: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,5069_A_1137115,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information please turn to our internet website at http://dw-world.de/english Here you'll find out what's happening in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. News and background reports from the fields of current affairs, culture, business and science. 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