Deutsche Welle English Service News October 27th 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Final Compensation Pending for Former Nazi Forced Laborers Some 60 years after the horrors of slavery under the Third Reich, 1.6 million former forced laborers have received compensation. While the struggle for payment has now come to an end, the grief and suffering lingers. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1757323,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. DW's ""The BOBs -- The Best of The Blogs"" is sponsored by Maritim Hotel Bonn. Fore more, go to http://www.thebobs.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2,000 firms implicated in Iraq scandal A report on the United Nations oil-for-food programme in Iraq says more than 2,000 firms participated in extensive manipulation of the now defunct scheme. The probe found that companies from dozens of countries paid 1.8 billion US dollars in bribes and illegal payments to Saddam Hussein's government. Thursday's final report of the investigation led by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker strongly criticises the UN for failing to monitor the programme and prevent the abuses. The oil-for-food program, created in 1996 by the UN Security Council, was designed to allow Saddam Hussein's regime to export a limited amount of oil to purchase food and medicine under UN supervision. West slams Iranian president's comments Iran is facing widespread Western condemnation after its hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". European Union leaders and Russia joined the United States and Canada in strongly condemning Ahmadinejad's remarks. Iran's ambassadors to Germany, Britain, France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands were also summoned by those countries' respective foreign ministries to hear official protests. Iran's regime has so far been unrepentant, ordering instead that its diplomats lodge official protests over Europe's attitude toward what it called "Zionist crimes". For its part, Israel has called Iran a "clear and present danger". Israeli troops target West Bank militant Israeli troops have arrested a leader of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the West Bank. Abed al-Khaleem Ezzedine was detained amid gunbattles after Israeli jeeps and tanks moved into the town of Jenin and surrounded his home. Israel earlier launched air strikes against militant targets in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli offensive against Islamic Jihad comes a day after the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Israel that killed five people at an outdoor market. Blaze kills detainees in the Netherlands Eleven people awaiting deportation from the Netherlands have died in an overnight fire at a detention centre at Amsterdam's Schipol Airport. Officials said 15 others were injured. Some 350 people were being held at the facility, the majority of them said to be drug smugglers and illegal migrants. Some of the prisoners said guards were slow to respond to their cries for help. Police said they were looking for some detainees who may have escaped. The cause of the blaze is still unknown. Germany boosts quake aid for Pakistan The German government says it will increase its financial contribution to aid efforts in quake-struck northern Pakistan. A government spokesperson said Germany will add another five million euros to the 20 million already pledged. The money is to be used primarily to provide food aid to the thousands of earthquake survivors. A portion of the funds will also go towards reconstruction efforts in the region. At a United Nations donor conference on Wednesday, more than 60 countries pledged a total of around 434 million euros in aid for Pakistan. Coalition talks continue in Germany Germany's main political parties have been continuing talks aimed at forming a new "grand coalition" government. After Thursday's negotiations between the conservative CDU/CSU parties and the Social Democrats, chancellor-elect Angela Merkel was upbeat about the progress being made. Merkel said she expected results from the various working groups to be available by next week. Topping the Thursday agenda were health insurance, pensions and education issues. Bush's Supreme Court pick withdraws US President George W. Bush has announced that his choice to fill a US Supreme Court vacancy, Harriet Miers, had withdrawn her nomination. Miers' surprise withdrawal comes amid stiff opposition and mounting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans about her qualifications. Miers had served as White House counsel for Bush but has no judicial experience. Bush blamed her withdrawal on calls in the Senate for the release of internal White House documents that the administration has insisted were protected by executive privilege. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Week in Germany: The best from German culture, business and politics in a convenient weekly wrap-up. 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