Deutsche Welle English Service News November 11th 2005, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Hu meets Merkel As Germany Reaffirms EU Arms Ban Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks Friday with Germany's incoming chancellor Angela Merkel after members of her cabinet said they would not support Chinese demands to lift an EU arms embargo. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1773563,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Week in Germany: The best from German culture, business and itics in a convenient weekly wrap-up. Read and subscribe at www.germany.info/twig ---------------------------------------------------------------------- German coalition partners reach deal Germany's Social Democrats and Christian Democrats meeting in Berlin have wrapped up an agreement on forming a grand coalition government. The deal comes almost two months after Germany's inconclusive federal election, that left the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, with four more seats than the SPD. The agreement is to be voted on in conferences of the respective parties in the next couple of days. This paves the way for the leader of the Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel, to become Germany's first female chancellor, in a vote in the Bundestag on November 22. The details of the deal have not yet been released but it is said to include a number of measures meant slash Germany's growing budget deficit by about 35 billion euros. Schroeder mets Chinese leader On the second day of his trip to Germany, Chinese President Hu Jintao has met with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Schroeder drew attention to the developing relationship between the two countries. He said exchanges between Germany and China had substantially increased in all areas. The two leaders laid the foundation stone for the new Chinese cultural centre in Berlin. Earlier, Hu met with chancellor-designate Angela Merkel in Berlin. Aids at the talks said renewable energy and the environment dominated the meeting. They said that Hu stressed his aim for China to develop its own energy sector, and not just be an energy importer. Liberia set to have first female leader In Liberia, United Nations peace keepers have fired tear gas at angry supporters of presidential candidate George Weah after they stoned police and marched to the US embassy. Weah has called for calm. The former football star and his supporters allege that Tuesday's presidential run-off vote was rigged, and have appealed for counting to stop. With 97 percent of votes counted, former World Bank economist Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has an unassailable 20 percent lead over Weah. Johnson-Sirleaf is slated to become Africa's first elected female leader. International observers have said the vote in the west African country was generally free and fair. Paris police ban gatherings More than two weeks since nightly rioting begun in France, police in Paris have banned public gatherings over the weekend. They said they had received warnings that violence was planned for Saturday. Police have also called in extra officers for the football game between Germany and France scheduled for Saturday evening. The stadium is in the same department in northern Paris where the rioting began. The number of cars burnt on Thursday night was only slightly less than the previous evening. This is despite the government introducing emergency powers which have allowed local authorities to impose curfews for youths. Rice makes suprise visit to Iraq During a surprise visit to Iraq, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged the various factions to bridge their differences ahead of next month's general election. At a press conference, Rice also praised what she called the commitment of Iraqis to their democratic future. Rice briefly visited the northern city of Mosul, before flying to the capital, Baghdad to meet with local leaders and US officials. It was Rice's second visit to Iraq as Washington's top diplomat. Meanwhile, three policemen were killed and two wounded when they were gunned down at a checkpoint in Baquba, north of Baghad. Thousands protest in Jordan Thousands of Jordanians have taken to the streets for a second day to protest against the triple hotel bombings which killed at least 56 people. The protesters marched through the capital, Amman, holding placards denouncing the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zaqarwi, whose group al Qaeda in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks. In other developments, Jordanian police said they had arrested 120 people, mainly Iraqis and Jordanians in relation to the violence. Al Qaeda in Iraq has released a new internet statement saying the suicide bombings were carried out by four Iraqis, including a husband and wife team. The claim's authenticity has not been verified. Plane crashes in Afghan mountains In Afghanistan, a cargo plane has crashed into a mountain near the capital, Kabul. Police said that all eight people on board, believed to be mainly Russians, died in the crash. shortly afterwards, a Taliban commander claimed that Islamist rebels had shot down the plane. However, US military officials said the cause of crash was unknown. The plane belonged to a Georgian company. Nth Korea nuke talks end in stalemate The latest round of six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions has been adjourned ahead of time. At the meeting in Beijing, North Korea said it would not start dismantling its nuclear weapons program until the United States lifts sanctions on eight Pyongyang companies. The unexpected demand came on the last day of a three-day session meant to kick-start negotiations on how to implement a September agreement in which the North committed to disarm in return for aid and security guarantees. Representatives of South Korea, China, Japan and Russia were also present at the talks. US Senate calls for CIA prison report The US Senate has demanded that the head of the country's intelligence service make a report on claims that the CIA is running secret overseas prisons. The move follows allegations made by the Washington Post newspaper that the CIA was running a network of secret facilities for terror suspects in Eastern Europe, Afghanistan and Thailand. The Bush administration has not confirmed or denied the report. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said it wants access to all foreign terror suspects held by the United States. VW names new personnel director German carmaker Volkswagen has named a successor to controversial personnel director Peter Hartz. Audi's personnel director Horst Neumann is to take up the post. Hartz submitted his resignation last July over a bribery and kickback scandal involving two personnel employees. He was one of Germany's best-known business executives and had lent his name to controversial reforms of German unemployment benefits after heading a commission for Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a former VW board member. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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