Deutsche Welle English Service News 03. 05. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Schr�der Wants Closer EU Ties With Bosnia German Chancellor Schr�der said he supported Bosnia's aspirations to come closer to the EU during a visit to Sarajevo Tuesday for talks on the Balkan country's postwar reforms. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1572679,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Somalia's Gedi escapes blast Somalia's transitional prime minister Ali Gedi has escaped unhurt by an explosion as he gave a speech at a soccer stadium in Mogadishu. At least 10 people were killed and 35 others were injured. Gedi, who was visiting the often lawless capital to mend a rift in Somalia's fledgling government, said he believed a grenade had gone off accidentally. Reuters says the blast destroyed a stadium wall. Gedi had returned to Mogadishu last Friday from Kenya where Somalia's transitional government is based. Warlords want it to return to Mogadishu. Gedi prefers the safer cities of Jowhar or Baidoa. Incomplete Iraqi cabinet sworn in Members of Iraq's new cabinet have been sworn in, three months after elections that were followed by haggling over posts. Still vacant are the crucial oil and defence positions. Those sworn in comprised 30 ministers including Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and his two deputy ministers. Iraq's parliament had approved the cabinet line-up last Thursday, but left five ministerial posts unfilled. Twelve die in shootout with US forces US forces have killed 12 people and wounded two others, including a six year old girl, in a firefight and bombing close to Iraq's border with Syria. A US military spokesman said six soldiers wounded in the firefight, which broke out Monday near a suspected insurgent hideout in the town of al Qaim. That's about one kilometre from the Syrian border. Coalition forces found fake identification cards, foreign currency and other items that the spokesman said linked the people to the al Qaeda terror network's wing in Iraq, led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Italy criticises US over agent's death Italy has issued a report blaming the killing of a senior Italian intelligence agent in Baghdad on the "inexperience" of US troops, acting under stress. US soldiers gunned down agent Nicola Calipari near Baghdad airport on March 4, as he was escorting a freed Italian hostage to safety. The Italian report conflicts with the account of events in a US military report into the incident released on Saturday. It cleared the US troops of any wrongdoing. US F-18 jet crashes in Iraq The US military has recovered the body of the pilot of a Marine F-18 jet that crashed in Iraq, but a second F-18 is still missing. A US military spokesman said there were no indications that the plane had come under hostile fire and it was still not clear if the two aircraft had collided in bad weather. A heavy sandstorm and lightning struck central Iraq on Monday night at around the same time the US military lost contact with the two jet aircraft. Buildings collapse in Lahore, 26 dead In Pakistan at least 26 people have been killed and several others injured in the collapse of three buildings in the eastern city of Lahore. The buildings collapsed after gas cylinders exploded. Many people were feared trapped in the debris of the buildings. The cause was not immediately known but police have ruled out sabotage. World Press Freedoms at risk To mark World Press Freedoms Day the organisation Reporters without Borders has warned that journalism has become a more dangerous job. Last year 53 journalists were killed worldwide while informing the public, the highest toll since 1995. Of these 19 were killed in Iraq. Sixteen died in Asian nations, noteably in the Philippines and Bangladesh. The International Federation of Journalists says there's also been an alarming erosion of freedom of expression. In Kathmandu, 1,000 Nepalese journalists have marched to demand a lifting of censorship imposed since February's takeover by King Gyanendra. In Nairobi on Monday night, presidential first lady, Lucy Kibaki entered newspaper offices, accompanied by guards, and briefly seized journalists' cell phones and notebooks, alleging that they had reported "lies". Iran to resume some nuclear activities Iran says it plans to resume some nuclear activities that it suspended as part of a deal with Germany, Britain and France last November. However, a foreign ministry spokesman in Tehran told reporters that these would not include nuclear enrichment. Tehran agreed to suspend all nuclear fuel-related activities while both sides tried to negotiate a long-term solution regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions. This comes as delegates from 188 nations have gathered in New York for a month-long conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Washington has accused Iran of seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Schroeder travels to Bosnia and Turkey German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has called on the European Union to open negotiations towards an association accord with Bosnia-Herzegovina. He made the statement following talks with Bosnian leaders in the capital, Sarajevo. Schroeder was also to visit some of the more than 1,000 German troops stationed just outside of Sarajevo, as part of the EUFOR peacekeeping force. He's to fly on to Ankara later in the day, where he'll meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Their talks are expected to centre on Turkey's bid to join the European Union. Chancellor Schroeder is a strong supporter of Turkey's membership bid. China offers Taiwan olive branch Beijing has decided to lift a ban on Chinese tourists wanting to visit Taiwan and is offering the island a pair of giant pandas as a goodwill gesture. The softening of relations between China and breakaway province came at the end of a visit to the mainland by Taiwan opposition leader Lien Chan. Beijing considers the island democracy of 23 million people to be part of Chinese territory and has vowed to reunite it with the mainland, by force if necessary. Japanese want to revise constitution A majority of Japanese voters feel it is time to revise the US-imposed pacifist post-war constitution and clearly state that the nation possesses military power. In a recent survey released Tuesday fifty-six percent of adults polled said the 1947 constitution should be revised compared to 33 percent who oppose amending it. The main sticking point is Article 9 which renounces the right to maintain a military which Japan has skirted by referring to its military as Self-Defense Forces. The poll found a combined 70 percent believe Japan should amend the constitution to clearly state the existence of the forces. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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