Deutsche Welle English Service News 26. 10. 2005, 16:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Aid officials are warning that thousands of earthquake survivors face death from disease and exposure as winter sets in. UN emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland unveiled the appeal at a gathering of around 60 donor countries in Geneva. The meeting comes shortly after the aid agency Oxfam criticised western governments for giving too little, too late. The October 8 quake killed at least 54,000 people, wounded around 74,000 and left up to three million people homeless. Syria threatened with sanctions Russia says it will block moves by the United States and France to have economic sanctions imposed on Syria. This comes after the US, Britain and France circulated a draft resolution in the UN Security Council, calling for sanctions on Damacus if it does not cooperate with an investigation into the assasination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, said Syria must allow the commission to interview Syrians considered relevant to the inquiry. Among the senior Lebanese and Syrian officials suspected of involvement in Hariri's death is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Germany convicts al-Tawhid members Four Arab men accused of planning attacks on Jewish targets in Germany have been sentenced to jail terms of between five and eight years. Three members of the group were convicted of supporting a terrorist organisation, al-Tawhid - which is said to have links to al-Qaeda. Al-Tawhid is led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who is wanted for leading insurgent attacks in Iraq. The two Jordanians, a Palestinian and an Algerian were arrested in April 2002, after a police surveillance operation. The case against them was largely based on testimony by a man arrested at the same time who claims to have been Osama bin Laden's bodyguard. Defense attorneys have called him a "notorious liar." Iran calls for Israel's destruction Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has openly called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and lashed out at Muslim nations which recognise the Jewish state. His remarks triggered a swift response from Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom who said Iran was a "clear and present danger". The United States said the call underscored its concern about Iran's nuclear operations, while the German foreign ministry said the comments were "completely unacceptable". Ahmadinejad's comments were the first time in years that such a high-ranking Iranian official has openly called for Israel's eradication, even though such slogans are still regularly used at regime rallies. EU says no bird flu risk from food The European Food Safety Authority has said there was no evidence to suggest that bird flu could be transmitted to humans through eating cooked poultry meat and eggs. The agency did not, however, rule out such foods as being a possible route to infection. The statement follows widespread consumer concerns about bird flu after outbreaks in several European countries. In the latest measure to keep bird flu from spreading to the EU, the bloc on Tuesday banned imports of live poultry and birds from Croatia amid an outbreak among swans there. Meanwhile, health authorities in Germany say two dead geese found in the west of the country were killed by poison and had not been infected with bird flu as earlier feared. Chirac ally convicted of corruption A former aide to French President Jacques Chirac has been found guilty of corruption and handed a four-year suspended prison sentence. Michel Roussin, who was Chirac's chief of staff when he was mayor of Paris, was found guilty of involvement in a kickback scheme run between 1989 and 1995. The scam provided illegal funds to politicians in exchange for contracts to build or repair Paris-area schools. Prosecutors said the kickbacks amounted to about 70 million euros. Roussin denied charges he ran the operation but admitted he knew of the system. He has also been fined 50,000 euros as part of his punishment. For his part, President Chirac has denied knowlegde of the kickbacks and refused to be questioned. Japan, US agree on Okinawa base move Japan and the United States have reached an agreement on the relocation of a US military base on the southern island of Okinawa. A new base is to be built on an area stretching from land to landfill offshore. Moving the Futenma base has been a contentious issue between Japan and the United States since the rape of a local Japanese schoolgirl by three US servicemen. Okinawa communities have been reluctant to continue to host the US military over concerns about crime, accidents, noise and environmental pollution. US marks 2000th Iraq death US president George W Bush has asked the Americans to brace themselves for more casualities - as the American military death toll in the Iraq war reached 2,000. Bush said that the war would require more time and sacrifice. And he again rejected calls for a US pullout from Iraq. Bush argued that Iraq was making progress by approving a new constitution that clears the way for elections for a new government in December, and that Iraqi troops were increasingly playing a larger role in fighting the insurgency. The US Senate observed a minute's silence to mark the deaths of 2000 American soldiers fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD is looking for the best Weblog. Our International Weblog Awards are in full swing and now it's time for you to cast your vote. Choose your favorite from more than 100 finalists and win an iPod Shuffle with a bit of luck. 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