Deutsche Welle English Service News 27. 09. 2005, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Germany's Eyes Set on Dresden Election These days, the eastern German city of Dresden is the place to be: Politicians, pop stars and athletes, not to mention an entire philharmonic orchestra, are flocking to the city where entertainment meets high politics. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1723205,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Germans have voted, but political parties are not scrambling to find a majority in parliament to form a governing coalition. Get all the news and background analysis on DW-WORLD'S election site: www.dw-world.de/election05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq's al-Qaeda No. 2 shot dead US forces in Iraq have shot dead al-Qaeda's second-in-command in the country. Abu Azzam was killed in Baghdad on Monday during a joint US-Iraqi raid. A US military spokesman said Azzam was found hiding in an apartment building following a tip-off. He's believed to be responsible for the deaths of around 1,200 Iraqis in Baghdad, mostly in car bombings. Azzam was the right-hand man to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, who is still at large. In further violence in Baghdad at least 10 people have been killed and more than 25 others wounded in a suicide car bombing outside a police recruitment centre. Police in the border town of Kut say they've discovered the decomposing bodies of 22 men who had been blindfolded and shot. Blair addresses Labour Party conference British Prime Minister Tony Blair addressing the annual Labour Party conference, has reasserted that he will not withdraw troops from Iraq in the near future. A relaxed and confident-looking Blair expressed pride in the country he has led for the past eight years. In a wide-ranging speech he told the party faithful, gathered in the southern coastal town of Brighton, that the way forward for his government in its third term was to continue with reforms to public services, adding that every time he had announced reforms he wished he had gone further. He did not say when he might stand down as leader of the Labour Party. Israel arrests militants, targets Gaza The Israeli military has arrested dozens of Palestinian militants in the West Bank. It comes after its aircraft targeted two Gaza Strip towns early on Tuesday morning in response to cross-border rocket fire. The planes struck Beit Hanoun and Khan Younis just hours after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fended off a challenge to his leadership by rival Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu failed in his attempt to bring a leadership vote forward to November. He quit Sharon's cabinet in August to mount his challenge. Likud hardliners are upset at Sharon's removal of soldiers and settlers from Gaza after 38 years of occupation. EU bars visits by Tamil Tiger rebels The European Union has barred Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels from entering any of its member states with immediate effect. The bloc also said it would consider listing the rebels as a terrorist organisation. In a statement, the EU said it deplored the recent murder of Sri Lanka's foreign minister which the government has blamed on the rebels. The EU also called on the rebels to adhere fully to a truce agreed with the Sri Lankan government in 2002. Typhoon Damrey hits Vietnam Typhoon Damrey has slammed into northern Vietnam causing severe damage. Local media said thousands of homes and buildings had been destroyed. Authorities evacuated more than 300,000 people from the coast in the province of Nam Dinh. The typhoon had earlier ploughed through southern China, killing at least 16 people. Chinese authorities say Damrey is the worst typhoon in decades. Germany's Greens elect new leaders Germany's Greens have elected two new parliamentary leaders. Renate Kuenast, the current consumer protection minister, received 33 votes out of a total of 51 beating Environment Minister Juergen Trittin who got 17 votes. Her co-leader will be Fritz Kuhn who mustered 37 votes beating incumbent parliamentary leader Katrin Goering-Eckardt. The Greens have traditionally always had two parliamentary leaders. The party has said it is willing to go into opposition again after the Social Democrat-Green coalition government lost the recent general election. Schroeder tells EU grand coalition likely German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the next German government is likely to be a grand coalition between his Social Democrats and the conservative Christian Democrats. However Schroeder warned that it could take some time before a deal is finalised. He said the inconclusive outcome of the recent general election was a vote of confidence in his reforms. Neither the CDU's Angela Merkel nor Schroeder are prepared to back down over who should be the next chancellor. Schroeder also addressed Turkey's EU membership bid and said an economically strong and dynamic Turkish state would benefit the entire EU. The accession talks are due to begin next week. Annan welcoms IRA arms destruction UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has welcomed news that the paramilitary group the Irish Republican Army has disarmed and urged all Northern Ireland's parties to seize this opportunity to consolidate a 1998 peace agreement. General John de Chastelain, the retired Canadian military chief who is monitoring the disarmament process, announced on Monday that the IRA had destroyed its arms arsenal, which included surface-to-air missiles, flame throwers, machine guns, and explosives. Northern Ireland's 1998 so-called Good Friday accords introduced an elected assembly which was suspended almost three years ago. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bundesliga is in full swing 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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