Deutsche Welle English Service News 04. 10. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Relief, Doubts as EU, Turkey Clinch Deal The last-ditch deal between the EU and Turkey on the latter's membership bid has triggered relief among the bloc's negotiators and joy in Turkey, but deep skepticism still persists in conservative camps. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1729230,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Time to play again! DW-WORLD's "Click Back" monthly review quiz for September 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. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pakistan arrests Taliban spokesman Pakistan has said that it arrested the main spokesman for Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents inside Pakistan. Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao called the arrest of Abdul Latif Hakimi a big success for the country's security forces. Hakimi has been the main spokesman for the Taliban since they were ousted by US-led forces in 2001 and was frequently in touch with reporters via satellite telephone from what many suspected was Pakistan. The government of Afghanistan welcomed the news of Hakimi's arrest, saying it hoped it would lead to the capture of more members of the fundamentalist movement. Car bomb kills three in Baghdad Three Iraqis have been killed and six wounded in Baghdad after a suicide car bomber drove into the city's heavily fortified Green Zone complex and blew himself up. Police said the car exploded as it was being searched at a checkpoint inside the zone. The attack came on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Meanwhile, in the western part of the country over 2,500 US Marines have launched an offensive against al Qaeda militants, the biggest such operation so far this year. Putin says EU-Russian ties are strong Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he feels a new legal framework needs to be put in place to make Russian-EU relations more effective. At the same time he said that Russian-EU ties had made good progress on all levels. Putin was speaking in London at a joint press conference following a summit with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and high-ranking European Commission officials. Their talks focused on energy, trade and co-operation against terrorism. Blair said he had also raised the issue of Chechnya and human rights concerns with Putin. EU, Turkish leaders hail start of talks European and Turkish leaders have hailed the official start of EU membership talks with Turkey. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul described the framework agreement it as an historic moment. The deal came after more than 24 hours of fraught negotiations in Luxembourg when Austria finally dropped its demand that Ankara be offered a privileged partnership instead of full membership. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of Britain, which currently holds the EU presidency, said it showed that Islam and Christianity could work side by side. However French President Jacques Chirac warned that Turkey would have to undergo a major cultural revolution to fulfill membership conditions. CDU threatens to end talks with SPD Germany's conservatives have reportedly threatened to stop pre-coalition talks with Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats due on Wednesday if his party refuses to drop its claim that he remain chancellor. Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats are the largest party in the German parliament by four seats, following the country's inconclusive election outcome two weeks ago. One CDU official said that tomorrow's round of exploratory talks could be suspended if the SPD failed to move on the issue. On Monday Schroeder indicated that he would not stand in the way of a stable government with the CDU. SPD leader Franz Muentefering, however, insisted that no decisions regarding personnel would be taken prior to the coalition talks. German wins Nobel prize in physics Americans John Hall and Roy Glauber and German Theodor Haensch have won the 2005 Nobel Prize in physics. Hall and Haensch won for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy. Speaking to DW Radio, Haensch said he hoped the prize would raise the profile of physics in Germany. The prize is worth about 1.1 million euros. Sunnis threaten to boycott referendum Sunni Arab leaders in Iraq have threatened to boycott the country's vote on a new constitution. They are angered by new rules put in place by the Shiite-led parliament that make it difficult for Sunnis to defeat the plan at the polls. A Kurdish lawmaker said American and UN officials were trying to persuade Baghdad to reverse the changes. It is considered that a Sunni boycott would deeply undermine the legitimacy of a constitution that the US hopes will unite the country's factions. Spain to build 3rd fence in Melilla The Spanish government has announced that it would build a third fence to re-enforce the enclave of Melilla from would-be illegal immigrants entering from Morocco. Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos also said to stop the flow of illegal immigrants to its two African enclaves, the EU must adopt stricter immigration policies. On Monday, 350 people had reached Melilla after breaking through a high-security fence. The Spanish Interior Ministry said a total of 650 people had attempted to reach the enclave, located on the northern Moroccan coast. Officials said more than 130 people were injured. France struggles with one-day strike France has been hit by travel chaos after public transport workers staged a nation-wide one-day strike. The walkout, which included teachers and utility workers, was the first serious protest against the centre-right government's economic policies since Dominique de Villepin became prime minister four months ago. Over 400 flights to and from Paris have been cancelled. Large-scale demonstrations have also been taking place in several cities including Marseille where reportedly over 100,000 people marched through the streets. Death toll from Longwang rises to 50 The death toll in south-eastern China from typhoon Longwang has risen to at least 50 people, after rescue workers discovered the bodies of numerous military students who had been washed away. 36 students are still reported missing after their school was swept away by flood waters. In preparation for continued heavy rainfall, some 24,000 residents have been evacuated in central China along the banks of a tributary of the Yangtze River. Chinese state television said life was returning to normal in the province of Fujian, which was first hit by Longwang on Sunday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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