Deutsche Welle English Service News March 12th 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Lufthansa, Swiss to Cooperate? Following the merger of Air France and Dutch airline KLM last year, Europe's airline industry could consolidate further amid renewed speculation that Germany's Lufthansa is about to tie the knot with Swiss. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1516430,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In light of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2005, DW-WORLD has put together a special site marking the occasion. Our coverage looks at the effect of World War II on countries around the world and includes interviews with scholars as well as picture galleries. To view the site, please go to http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Syria promises UN two-stage pull-out United Nations envoy Terje Roed Larsen has secured a promise from Syria to fully withdraw all troops from Lebanon in accordance with a UN Security Council resolution. Larsen, who has been meeting with Syrian President Bashir al-Assad, said the withdrawal will occur in two stages. The first stage would see Syrian troops and intelligence agents pull-out of Lebanon by the end of March. The second stage would involve a complete withdrawal. Overnight, a convoy of 60 Syrian army vehicles carrying some 6,000 troops crossed the border from Lebanon into Syria as part of the planned pull-out. A further 8,000 soldiers remain stationed in Lebanon. Iran snubs US incentives Iran has said it was determined to press on with its nuclear programme. This came after the United States said it would offer Tehran incentives in support of European diplomatic efforts, led by Britain, France and Germany, to halt uranium enrichment. A foreign ministry spokesman said the Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. No pressure, bribe or threat can make Iran give up its legitimate right," it said in a statement. Washington announced Friday it would it would drop objections to Iran joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and consider allowing it to get spare parts for its fleet of civilian aircraft. Hamas to run in Palestinian elections The militant Islamic group Hamas has announced it will run in upcoming Palestinian elections. Mohammed Ghazal, a Hamas leader, said the group will put forward candidates in legislative elections scheduled for July 17. Hamas boycotted the first Palestinian Authority elections in 1996 due to its opposition to the Oslo peace accords that mandated the ballots. The group also refused to put forward a candidate to replace the late president Yasser Arafat. Observers say the move is a sign that Hamas is ready to join the political mainstream and could set the stage for a showdown with the more moderate Fatah movement. Israel to speed up Gaza withdrawal Israel says it will speed up the planned withdrawal of settlers and troops from the Gaza strip. Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz approved a plan to carry out the withdrawal over a four week period instead of the originally planned eight weeks. The pullout is scheduled to begin in July. Officials said a prolonged pullout could increase friction with Jewish settlers opposed to leaving the territory. Britain passes tough new terror law Britain has imposed control orders on ten terrorist suspects shortly after a new anti-terror bill was passed. Under the new legislation, the suspects will be subject to bail conditions like electronic tagging and curfews. The controversial anti-terror bill caused a standoff between the two houses of parliament and was finally approved after 30 hours of debate. British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed to a demand by the House of Lords to review the law next year. The new legislation allows Britons and foreigners suspected of terrorism to be detained indefinitely without charge but control orders can only be issued by a judge. China appoints interim Hong Kong chief China has announced an interim successor to Tung Chee-hwa who stepped down as Hong Kong's Chief Executive this week. According to state radio, Hong Kong's Chief Secretary Donald Tsang will be the city's acting leader. Meanwhile Tung Chee-hwa has been appointed as a senior advisor to the Chinese parliament, in what has been described as a face-saving arrangement allowing the leader to make a more graceful exit. Bulgaria says US admits msitakes Bulgaria has said US forces admitted they broke their rules of engagement last week when a unit fired on a Bulgarian patrol, killing a soldier. A US-led investigation showed the American soldiers were on high alert when they accidentally shot and killed Gurdi Gurdev on March 4, because insurgents had just attacked two other units nearby, it said. The shooting happened at the same time as US forces shot dead an Italian secret service agent as he was taking freed hostage journalist Giuliana Sgrena to safety. Rape suspect opens fire in US courtroom A massive search is underway in the United States for a man who killed three people and fled an Atlanta courthouse on Friday. The suspect Brian Nichols was being tried for rape, when he grabbed a deputy's gun, opening fire in the courtroom before escaping. Police said the judge and a stenographer died at the scene while a sheriff's deputy died later from his injuries. The search has spread across several south eastern states. UN warns Ivory Coast against impasse The United Nations has warned Ivory Coast that it is making little progress towards peace. The UN Under-Secretary for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno, told the Security Council that the present impasse and fears of new attacks seriously jeopardised elections scheduled for October. Since 2002, the West African nation has been gripped by civil war between rebels in the north and government forces in the south. South African President Thabo Mbeki has led ceasefire efforts but talks have stalled over how to disarm rival parties. Hundreds re-enact Ghandi's salt march Several hundreds of people have begun re-enacting Mahatama Gandhi's famous salt march. Gandhi, India's independence leader, walked from Ahmedabad to the coastal town of Dandi in western Gujarat to make salt which was then under government control. The 24-day march triggered the civil disobediance movement that led to India's independence from British colonial rule. Hundreds have joined Gandhi's great grandson Tushar Ganhdi and the leader of India's ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the march. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- When the ball gets rolling on the first day of the second half of the Bundesliga season, it�s time to place your bets at DW-WORLD again. Bet, score and win is the name of the game. Compete with soccer fans around the world by predicting who will be up or down, how many goals and how tops the table. Return for each match day and participate in the game individually or as a team with friends and colleagues. Prove your skill at picking the winners, and if you bet correctly, you�ll be awarded with great prizes each time the Bundesliga plays. So join the fun, it�s only a click away. http://www.dw-world.de/english/kickofftip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. And of course the DW website also has information about DW-RADIO and DW-TV programmes: topics, broadcast times and frequencies. You can even listen to all programmes as audio-on-demand. Serbian News Network - SNN [email protected] http://www.antic.org/
