Deutsche Welle English Service News August 5th 2005, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Springer Buys Control of ProSiebenSAT.1 German publisher Axel Springer said Friday it would buy a majority stake in ProSiebenSAT.1, Germany's largest TV group, in a 2.5 billion euro ($3.05 billion) deal to create the nation's second-biggest media group. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1668949,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Germany's Bundesliga kicks off this Friday with a match between Bayern Munich and Mönchengladbach. DW-WORLD offers you a live ticker, so be sure not to miss the first soccer event of the season! Go to http://www.dw-world.de/soccer and click on the live ticker banner to follow the action. It all starts at 6:30 p.m. UTC. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- US to help rescue Russian sub A Russian mini-submarine with seven sailors on board is trapped on the ocean floor off of Russia's Pacific Coast, at a depth of 200 metres. The United States Navy has sent a crew to the Pacific waters to assist in a rescue operation. The Russian vessel ran into trouble after parts of a fishing net became entangled in its propellers. Navy officials said there was only enough oxygen in the vessel to last another day. New measures to combat terror in UK British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced several new proposals to boost his country's anti-terrorism measures and crack down on extremism. Blair said foreign nationals in Britain who encourage terrorism will be deported. He also said mosques which encourage extremism would be closed. Blair announced the proposals in a bid to crack down on radical Muslim clerics who advocate terrorism or encourage hatred. N. Korea, US deadlock in nuclear talks The chief US envoy to North Korea disarmament talks has challenged Pyongyang's insistence on retaining a peaceful nuclear programme. Christopher Hill cited North Korea's record of converting a research reactor into a weapons-producing facility. The six-party talks in Beijing entered their 11th day on Friday without producing any tangible results. A South Korean government official said that the talks are likely to continue into the next week. Hiroshima to remember nuclear attack Countries around the world are getting ready to mark the 60th anniversary of the nuclear bomb attack on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945 a US plane dropped the first atomic bomb to be used in war, killing more than 140,000 people. In Hiroshima, a moment of silence will be observed at 8:15 a.m. local time, the instant of the blast. Tens of thousands of people will be in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park for commemorations. EU submits nuclear offer to Iran Three European Union nations have submitted a package of proposals to Iran. Britain, France and Germany have offered a set of economic and trade incentives aimed at ending a long-running stand-off with Iran over its nuclear activities. Iranian officials said they would respond within a couple of days to the offer, which France described as "generous." Israel on alert after killing by soldier The Israeli army is on alert for a possible wave of Arab unrest after a young Jewish militant shot dead four Israeli Arabs on a bus on Thursday. The incident occurred in the northern part of Israel when the teenager, also an Israeli soldier, opened fire on the bus. He was quickly overtaken and beaten to death by enraged residents of the area. The shooting appeared to be tied to tensions over the upcoming planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the gunman who he said was determined to damage Jewish-Arab relations. Uganda questions cause of Garang death Uganda's president has said the helicopter crash that killed Sudanese vice president and former rebel leader John Garang may not have been an accident. President Yoweri Museveni was the first official of any government to publicly suggest that last Sunday's crash may have been the result of foul play. There has been widespread speculation in southern Sudan that the Ugandan presidential chopper carrying Garang may have been sabotaged or shot down. Museveni's comments came amid preparations for Garang's funeral on Saturday, which is expected to draw half a million people. Mercedes cooperating in investigation German luxury car maker DaimlerChrysler AG says it is cooperating with a fraud investigation launched in the United States. The US Justice Department is investigating claims that the company's Mercedes Car Group may have paid bribes to foreign officials, and that senior executives were aware of it. A spokesman at DaimlerChrysler said the investigation was linked to an inquiry last year made by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. That investigation began after a former Chrysler accountant in Detroit claimed the company kept secret bank accounts which were used to bribe foreign officials. The nature or purpose of the bribes was not given. Fires blaze out of control in Portugal More than 3000 fire fighters in Portugal are still working to contain 18 major blazes intensified by high temperatures and drought across the country. The worst hit areas are in the center and northern parts of Portugal, which is facing its worst drought in over 50 years. Interior Minister Antonio Costa warned the fire situation could worsen since the high temperatures are not expected to ease up anytime soon. Meanwhile, three men believed to have set fires to wooded areas earlier this year have been arrested, bringing the number of people charged with arson to 66. Shuttle Discovery astronauts pack up The space shuttle Discovery's astronauts are preparing for their return back to Earth next week. NASA cleared the shuttle for re-entry after it decided that further repairs to the vehicle were not necessary. The crew finished loading a cargo unit with more than three tonnes of trash and unneeded equipment from the International Space Station. The crew will undock on Saturday and is scheduled to land back in the US state of Florida on Monday. Springer to buy ProSieben TV The Berlin-based newspaper group Axel Springer has announced plans to buy a majority stake in Germany's commercial television group, ProSiebenSAT.1. Under the 2.5 billion euro deal, Springer says it wants to merge the newspaper and TV operations, assuming approval by regulatory authorities. The US-Israeli businessman Haim Saban, who in the past two years led the Munich-based ProSieben group through a restructuring, would become a shareholder in a merged Springer media group and chairman of its television advisory board. Springer, which publishes the German mass tabloid "Bild", currently owns 12 percent of ProSieben. Its offer would lift its holding to 62 percent. Africa rejects resolution on UN reform The Africa Union has rejected a resolution put forward by Brazil, Germany, Japan and India to reform the United Nations. At their meeting in Addis Ababa, African Union leaders voted to ratify their own plan for enlarging the Security Council rather than to endorse an alternative proposal from the so-called Group of Four. The AU decision means its resolution as well as the G4 proposal will probably not get the necessary two-thirds majority in the 191-member UN General Assembly. The United States and China oppose all the reform proposals to reform the world body, while fellow Security Council permanent members France and Britain support the G-4 stance. Police intervene in Belfast feud Police in Northern Ireland say a crackdown on militant Protestants has resulted in six arrests and left 40 police officers injured. Police had intervened in Belfast in a feud between two Protestant paramilitary groups. Last weekend a man was shot dead, allegedly by one of the groups. He was the third to die within a month. Several families facing threats have fled their homes. As police made arrests on Thursday they were pelted with petrol bombs, bottles and stones. Rioters set fire to a number of cars. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD's "Click Back" monthly review quiz for August 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. 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