Deutsche Welle English Service News 09. 04. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Germans Want a More Liberal Pope More than three-quarters of Germans want the successor of Pope John Paul II to be less "rigid" about sexual morality and end the Church's ban on contraception, according to a poll published Saturday. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1547681,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD's "Click Back" monthly review quiz for April is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Prince Charles marries Parker Bowles British heir to the throne Prince Charles has married for a second time. His new bride is his long-time companion, Camilla Parker Bowles, who now carries the title of Duchess of Cornwall. They were married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall at Windsor, west of London. Following the wedding, the couple was driven to St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle to receive a blessing in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen, the prince's mother, was not among the 30 guests at the wedding. The event had originally been scheduled for Friday, but was postponed by one day to allow Prince Charles to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome. Anti-Japanese protest in Beijing Demonstrators in the Chinese capital, Beijing, have attacked the Japanese embassy and Japanese-owned businesses, throwing stones and breaking windows. The violence occurred during a protest against Japan's role in World War II and its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. As the march passed a Japanese restaurant, a number of demonstrators hurled bottles and rocks, and later attacked a branch of the Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi. China recently criticised Tokyo for approving a school textbook that Beijing says whitewashes atrocities committed by Japan during World War II. Catholic church mourns Pope's death The Roman Catholic church has begun nine days of mourning for Pope John Paul II, following Friday's funeral ceremony, in which the Pope's body was laid to rest in the crypt of St Peter's Basilica in Rome. More than 200 political and religious leaders as well as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims packed St. Peter's Square in the Vatican for the Pope's funeral. The three-hour open-air requiem mass was celebrated by German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the dean of the College of Cardinals. Germany was represented at the funeral by a delegation led by President Horst Koehler and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. The College of Cardinals is to meet in a conclave to elect a successor to the deceased Pope beginning on April 18. 15 Iraqi soldiers killed in attack The bodies of 15 Iraqi soldiers have been found near the town of Latifiya, about 50 kilometres south-west of Baghdad. Local police said the troops were travelling in a truck, which was stopped by gunmen, who then opened fire. A defence ministry official in Baghdad said the incident was a roadside bomb attack. In the northern city of Mosul, a suicide car bomber killed two policeman and a child. News of the killings came as tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Baghdad's Firdus Square to protest against the presence of US troops in the country. The rally, called by radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr to coincide with the second anniversary of the fall of Baghdad to US forces, ended without violence in the evening. Israeli troops kill two Palestinians Medical staff say Israeli soldiers have shot dead at least two Palestinians in Gaza near the border. Palestinian witnesses say three youths were fired on while playing soccer in the Rafah refugee camp. Israeli military sources say the three were approaching the border and were fired on after they ignored calls and warning shots. The Israeli army says it has launched an investigation into the incident, the first violence resulting in death since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a ceasefire two months ago. Khatami denies Katsav handshake Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has denied shaking hands with Israeli President Moshe Katsav. The official Iranian news agency quoted Khatami as saying such allegations were false. Earlier, the Israeli president said that he had shaken hands with both Khatami and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at Pope John Paul II's funeral in Rome. The Syrian official news agency in Damascus has confirmed that Assad and Katsav did shake hands, but it dismissed the handshake as a mere formality that had no significance. Iran does not recognise Israel, and Israel and Syria are officially at war. Blair seeks to help Rover British Prime Minister Tony Blair says his government will do everything it can to help MG Rover avoid bankruptcy. Speaking after an emergency meeting in Birmingham, the prime minister stopped short of specifying how he planned to save the last major British-owned carmaker. MG Rover is set to enter administration, after a proposed deal with China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation collapsed. The Rover plant near Birmingham employs a workforce of around 6,000. Another 15,000 jobs with car parts suppliers also depend on Rover. Serb war crimes suspect surrenders A Bosnian Serb military officer indicted in connection with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre has surrendered to authorities in Belgrade. Vujadin Popovic is the 11th Serb to give himself up in the past 10 weeks. A Serbian government spokesman in Belgrade told reporters that Popovic would be sent to the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Serbia has offered financial incentives to war crimes suspects to persuade them to turn themselves in. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- We'd like to introduce you to our latest newsletter: "Germany Light" give you a weekly look at Germany's cultural, peculiar and sometimes odd happenings. To sign up for regular dose of fun and entertainment, please go to our Newsletter section at http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1170241,00.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. 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