Deutsche Welle English Service News 16. 10. 2005, 14:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Angela Merkel is set to become Germany's next chancellor as Christian Union parties and the Social Democrats seem headed for a grand coalition. Read all about the latest developments in the formation of Germany's next government on DW-WORLD'S election site: www.dw-world.de/election05 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- EU, US hail Iraqi referendum The European Union and the United States have hailed the Iraqi referendum on a draft constitution as a great success. In a statement the EU said it had been a great day for democracy despite the difficult security situation. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice told reporters in London that she believed the constitution had been passed by voters and described it as a crucial step in the Middle East peace process. Iraqi officials are now counting the votes after Saturday's referendum in which turnout was estimated to be at around 65 percent. Election officials said final results could be available early next week. Five US soldiers killed in Iraq Five US soldiers have been killed in the western Iraq city of Ramadi. The US military said in a statement that the five servicemen belonged to the Second Marine Division. They died after their vehicle was hit by an improvised bomb. The western Anbar province has seen a number of attacks in recent months in which heavy casualties have been inflicted on US armoured vehicles. Few people in Ramadi took part in Saturday's referendum on Iraq's draft constitution due to clashes between US and Iraqi forces and insurgents. Pakistani helicopter crashes in Kashmir A Pakistani military helicopter has crashed during a recovery mission over the earthquake-stricken region of Kashmir, killing six servicemen. An army spokesman said it was unclear what caused the crash near the town of Bagh. Meanwhile the death toll from last week's massive earthquake has risen to 38,000. That figure is expected to rise even further as recovery teams reach remote villages. At least 60,000 people were injured in the quake and nearly 3 million have been left homeless. Aid officials say more tents are desperately needed to help shelter homeless survivors ahead of the harsh Himalayan winter. Medical teams visiting the region said thousands of injured quake victims could die over the next few days if they don't receive help soon. Argentina prison uprising kills 17 At least 17 people have been killed in a prison uprising in Argentina. Police said they appeared to have been killed by a fire that broke out in the prison in Magdalena. That's about 60 kilometres south of the capital, Buenos Aires. Argentine television reported that the prisoners set mattresses and blankets on fire after their request to have visiting hours extended was rejected. This Sunday is Mother's Day in Argentina. Britain denies role in Iran blasts The British government has denied any involvement in twin bomb blasts in southwestern Iran that killed at least four people and injured more than 100 others. It comes after Iranian officials said Britain had helped Arab extremists carry out the attacks in the Arab-dominated city of Ahvaz, near the border with Iraq. Officials said the bombs had been planted inside two rubbish bins and went off during the evening rush hour. Relations between Iran and Britain have deteriorated over Tehran's nuclear activities and British claims that Iran is helping insurgents in Iraq. Rice due to meet Blair on Iran US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to hold talks over Iran with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London today. It follows her trip to Moscow where she failed to win Russia's support for a tough stance on Tehran's nuclear activities. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended Iran's right to enrich uranium for atomic energy, while Rice said it could not be trusted with the process. She repeated the US position that Iran be referred to the UN Security Council if it rejects further diplomatic talks and continues sensitive nuclear activities. Washington accuses Iran of secretly trying to develop atomic weapons, a charge Tehran denies. G20 calls for free trade, less poverty The Group of 20 major industrialised and developing countries has called for further efforts to ensure free trade and reduce global poverty. In a communique at the end of a two-day meeting in Beijing, finance ministers and central bank leaders urged rich and poor nations to overcome their trade disputes. World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said trade-distorting measures such as farm export subsidies should be eliminated to give poor nations a chance to compete on world markets. Ministers also warned that the high oil prices were one of the biggest threats to the growth of the global economy. Bird flu could kill over 50,000 in Britain Britain's chief medical official has warned that an outbreak of the potentially deadly strain of bird flu could kill in excess of 50,000 people in the country. Sir Liam Donaldson said that on average a winter flu would claim around 12,000 lives. However he said the existing vaccines would not be effective against a nation-wide bird flu pandemic. It comes after confirmation that the bird flu virus detected in ducks in Romania is the same strain that has killed more than 60 people in Asia. Over 20,000 birds have been culled in the two Romanian villages affected by the outbreak. The deadly H5N1 strain was also confirmed in poultry in western Turkey on Friday. Italians vote in opposition primaries In Italy the centre-left parties have begun the process of electing a challenger to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for next spring's parliamentary poll. The primaries are open to all Italians who have registered to vote. Former European Commission President Romano Prodi is widely expected to win the vote against six other candidates. It's the first time primaries, based on the US model, have been used in Italy. Renault win F1 constructors' title In sports: Formula One drivers' champion Fernando Alonso of Spain has won the Chinese Grand Prix, the last race of the season, to clinch the constructors' championship title for Renault. Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren finished second ahead of third-placed Ralf Schumacher in a Toyota. Alonso clinched the drivers' title last month in Brazil. In the two Sunday games in the Bundesliga Cologne play host to Hanover, and Frankfurt travel to Duisburg. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD offers you a special service for the Bundesliga. Get all the action on your mobile device and you'll never miss out on important news. For more information, please visit http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,1595,8733,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. And of course the DW website also has information about DW-RADIO and DW-TV programmes: topics, broadcast times and frequencies. You can even listen to all programmes as audio-on-demand. Serbian News Network - SNN [email protected] http://www.antic.org/
