Deutsche Welle English Service News 24.8.2005, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Politicians Flock to Flood Zone Floods in Bavaria have caused chaos and destruction and galvanized politicians, in the thick of an election campaign, into action. Familiar with the scene, Chancellor Schröder is already donning his rubber boots. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1689655,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- As part of our coverage of the upcoming elections, DW-WORLD offers you a new service to keep up to date on what's been happening. You can subscribe to our new podcast, which allows you to listen to DW-RADIO features and news reports wherever you want. To find out more, please go to: www.dw-world.de/podcasting-election2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Baghdad police battle armed insurgents Iraqi police are battling heavily armed insurgents who attacked checkpoints in a Sunni area in the west of the capital, Baghdad. At least 40 insurgents were reported to be brandishing weapons shortly after they launched their strike with rockets and assault rifles. Police said they had called for reinforcement from US forces to fight the rebels. Shortly before the attacks, police patrols in the area were targeted by as many as three car bombs. The blasts killed six people and wounded at least 21 others. Iraqi PM confident on constitution Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has said he's confident that an agreement will be reached on a new constitution despite a Sunni warning that it could lead to civil war. Jaafari insisted that many issues had been settled, including the key problem of federalism. On Tuesday, Kurdish and Shi'ite officials submitted a draft constitution to parliament. US President George W. Bush, in the meantime, has urged Sunnis to embrace the plan. United Nations chief Kofi Annan also appealed Tuesday for "flexibility" among Iraq's rival communities. Sunni minority politicians threaten that further devolution could lead to the break-up of the country. Dozens die in Peruvian airliner crash In Peru, rescue workers are searching swamps for bodies following a plane crash in the Amazon jungle, which killed at least 41 people. Fifty-seven passengers and crew survived the crash, and two people are still missing. The TANS plane was on a flight from the capital Lima to the Amazonian town of Pucallpa when the pilot made an emergency landing because of bad weather. The pilot tried to land in a marsh to soften the impact but the landing split the aircraft in two. Officials said the search team had recovered the plane's black box. Egypt to take over Gaza border security Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has confirmed that Israel has reached an agreement to turn over control of the Gaza-Egypt border to Egyptian troops. He said that all of Israel's 8,000 troops in Gaza would leave by the end of the month. This comes after Israel completed its evacuation of all 21 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and two in the West Bank. Earlier, Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to congratulate him on the completion of the Gaza pullout and to express hopes for renewed Mideast peace efforts. Britain unveils anti-extremism measures Britain's Home Secretary Charles Clarke has unveiled new measures aimed at combating Islamic radicals in the wake of last month's deadly London bombings. Clarke published a list of so-called "unacceptable behaviours" which apply to any non-UK citizen in Britain or abroad, and would prompt deportation or a ban on entry. The list of activities includes expressing views which justify or glorify terrorist violence and seeking to provoke others to commit terrorist acts. Clarke insisted, however, the list was not intended to stifle free speech despite concerns expressed by human rights groups. Cleanup after floods hammer Europe A massive cleanup is underway in central and southeastern Europe to clear debris caused by this week's heavy rains and floods. With a break in the torrential downpours, authorities tallied the aftermath of storms that have killed 34 people in the region. Worst hit is Romania, with 25 dead and thousands of homes inundated. Austria, Bulgaria and Switzerland reported a total of nine dead, though the number could climb as several people remain missing. In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder promised assistance for those affected by flooding in the south of the country. Annan in famine-stricken Niger United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has met with leaders in drought-stricken Niger as part of a trip aimed at highlighting the food crisis in the region. Annan said the UN is determined to get aid to all who need it in Niger. He also discussed short term and long term measures to ensure that the situation doesn't happen agina in the future. In a statement on the eve of Annan's visit, the French aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres criticised the UN, saying it was slow to the current crisis and that its response continues to be inadequate. More than 2.5 million people face food shortages in the west African country following a locust plague and drought. Roche donates bird flu treatments Swiss drug maker Roche has donated enough bird flu drugs to the World Health Organisation to treat three million people. WHO said it was important to have the stockpile of the drug Tamiflu in order to be able to respond quickly to an emerging influenza pandemic. Fears of a global outbreak have risen since the flu virus spread from Asia into eastern Russia and Kazakhstan. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The waiting is over for fans of German soccer as the Bundesliga starts again. Get it all on DW-WORLD.DE: We offer you results, tables and live tickers of the matches. Check out picture galleries of the best players and interactive features such as quizes and betting games where Chinese Bayern Munich fans get a chance to compete against Texan Schalke supporters. You'll find it all at www.dw-world.de/soccer ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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