Deutsche Welle English Service News April 23rd 2005, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Germans Head to Papal Inauguration Just 16 days after attending the funeral of John Paul II, world leaders and pilgrims will once again gather in Rome amid tight security on Sunday to witness the inaugural mass of German-born Pope Benedict XVI. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1562025,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Place your bets on the World Cup qualifiers at DW-WORLD in our multilingual betting game, where you can win attractive prizes. Whether you want to compare your soccer knowledge with fans worldwide as an individual or in a team, this is the right address. Plus, DW-WORLD provides the results and tables for all continental groups: http://www.dw-world.de/qualifiers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Japan and China hold 'crisis' talks The Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, and Chinese President Hu Jintao have met for talks in Indonesia. The hastily-arranged meeting at the Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta comes amidst escalating tension between the two Asian powers. Koizumi afterwards described the talks as "frank and meaningful". There have been angry popular demonstrations in both China and Japan over Japanese schoolbooks which China claims gloss over Japanese atrocities in World War II. However, there has also been tension between the two governments over both Taiwan and gas deposits in the East China Sea. US clears general in Iraq abuse case The United States army has cleared several of its top generals of wrongdoing in the prisoner abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison for Iraqi detainees. Only Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, the commander of Abu Ghraib, was found guilty of dereliction of duty. However, she will not face criminal charges. So far only a small number of low-ranking US soldiers have been court-martialled after photographs were published showing physical and sexual abuse of prisoners. Earlier today, a roadside bomb attack outside the Abu Ghraib prison killed 9 Iraqi soldiers and injured 20 others. Moussaoui faces execution for 9/11 Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person ever charged in the United States in connection with the September 11 attacks in 2001, has pleaded guilty to conspiring with al Qaeda. The US attorney general is seeking the death penalty. Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent, was arrested for visa infringements shortly before September 11th. He had previously taken lessons at a US flight school also frequented by some of the 9/11 pilots. Moussaoui denies involvement in the 9/11 attacks but has admitted being part of a conspiracy to target the White House. Berlusconi forms new government Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has put together a new centre-right coalition government which will be sworn into office in the next few hours. The announcement ends weeks of political turmoil in Italy. The new administration has barely a year in office before general elections in May 2006. The new government includes new ministers for communications, health, industry and culture. Berlusconi formally resigned three days ago following defections from his coalition, which suffered heavy losses in recent regional elections. Pope Benedict thanks the press A day before his inauguration, Pope Benedict XVI has thanked journalists for their coverage of the papal succession. The press conference was the new pope's first public audience. Speaking to over 4,000 journalists and pilgrims in four languages, the Pope said media coverage had allowed Catholics world-wide to experience the events. Meanwhile as many as 100,000 Germans are travelling to Rome to see Bavarian-born Joseph Ratzinger celebrate his inauguration as pope. In total, up to half a million onlookers are expected in St Peter's Square on Sunday. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will join other world leaders at the ceremony. Ecuador's ex-leader criticises dismissal Ecuador's ousted President Lucio Gutierrez has condemned the vote that removed him from office as unconstitutional. The former president was speaking by phone from the Brazilian ambassador's residence in Quito, where he has taken refuge under the guard of riot police. Scores of demonstrators outside are demanding that Gutierrez be sent to jail instead of exile. Gutierrez was removed from office after a week of escalating protests. Meanwhile, the Organisation of American States has decided to send a mission to Ecuador to support efforts to resolve the crisis. Two Koreas meet again in Jakarta Delegations from North and South Korea have agreed to resume bilateral contacts between their two countries. However, the talks failed to reach any breakthrough on Pyongyang's controversial programme to build atomic weapons. The two days of meetings, which took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta, were the first high-level encounter between the two Koreas in five years. North Korea broke off formal contact with the South last July after Seoul airlifted 468 North Korean defectors out of Vietnam. US concern over Togo elections The United States says its very concerned about the credibility of presidential elections in Togo scheduled for Sunday. Tensions have been running high in the West African country since Interior Minister Francois Boko was sacked after demanding the poll be delayed. Boko had also warned about increasing violence and the possibility of a civil war. The US State Department has warned that foreigners may be targeted in any violence. Interim President Abbas Bonfoh has confirmed the election will go ahead. The opposition coalition has also said it would take part in Sunday's poll to find a successor to Gnassingbe Eyeadema, who died earlier this year after 38 years in power. His son Faure Gnassingbe is seen as the favourite to take over. Sharon, Abbas to meet soon Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have agreed to meet in the near future to discuss the peace process. However a Sharon spokesman said no firm date had yet been set. Abbas and Sharon last met in February at a summit in Egypt where they declared a ceasefire between both sides. Meanwhile Palestinian government sources have hinted that Abbas may replace the current heads of his security services with new leaders, thereby fulfilling a key demand made by both Israel and the United States. Court orders German cannibal retried A German man jailed for killing and eating a person he met over the internet is to face a retrial. A federal court ordered that Armin Meiwes should stand trial again after prosecutors appealed against his eight-and-a-half year sentence as being too lenient. Meiwes was jailed for manslaughter in January 2004 after a lower court ruled that because the act was agreed by both the perpetrator and the victim it did not qualify as murder. Prosecutors say he should have been given a life sentence for murder while Meiwes' lawyers want his sentence reduced arguing that his victim was a willing participant. Meiwes, a 43-year-old computer technician, killed and ate Bernd Juergen Brandes after posting an advert on the internet in 2001 looking for people interested in cannibalism. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. News and background reports from the fields of current affairs, culture, business and science. 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