Deutsche Welle English Service News November 15th 2005, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
EU and US at Loggerheads Over Internet Control The US and Europe are headed for a showdown at a worldwide Internet summit in Tunisia this week. At issue: control over the Internet. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1777458,00.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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rice brokers Gaza border deal US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has brokered an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians to open Gaza's borders. After all-night negotiations, Rice announced that the main Rafah crossing from the Gaza Strip into Egypt would be reopened in 10 days' time. Rice had postponed her departure from Jerusalem to secure the agreement, calling it a crucial step. The deal also called for Palestinian convoys to start travelling between Gaza and the West Bank within a month. Opening the border is seen as key for Gaza's economy and Palestinian exports. Spain probes secret CIA flights Spain has said it would investigate claims that CIA planes carrying terror suspects made secret stopovers on Spanish soil. Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso announced the move on television. He said that, if proven, the matter could damage relations between Spain and the United States. Earlier, Spanish newspapers reported that the CIA made 10 stopovers on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. The flights were allegedly made as part of the US secret service agency's programme of removing Islamic terror suspects to third countries. On Monday, Members of the European Parliament urged the EU Commission to investigate allegations that the CIA used secret prisons in eastern Europe for the interrogation of suspects. Car bomb kills 3 outside KFC in Karachi Pakistani police say three people have been killed and 15 wounded in a car bombing outside a US fast-food outlet in the city of Karachi. A separatist group from neighbouring Baluchistan province claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was aimed at the state-run Pakistan Petroleum Limited, which has offices near the KFC restaurant. But local authorities said they suspected Islamist militants might be to blame. The restaurant was shut at the time of the attack, but the street, one of Karachi's busiest, was full of people arriving for work. Iraqi detainees reportedly tortured The Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has ordered an investigation into the treatment of more than 150 detainees who appear to have tortured. The detainees were discovered in a raid by US forces on an interior ministry building in Badghdad on Sunday. Jaafari said the prisoners were malnourished, and there were signs some had been tortured. The investigating committee is to report on its findings within two weeks. Libya delays AIDS death sentence ruling Libya's supreme court has delayed until January 31 its ruling on an appeal by five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who faced execution for allegedly infecting 400 Libyan children with AIDS. The delay has been welcomed by the European Union. It's been lobbying for the release of the six and the case's reexamination. The six were arrested in 1997 and sentenced to death last year. At least 48 infected children have died. Some 100 relatives reacted to latest delay in Tripoli by pelting the court building with stones. Germany's SPD elects new party leader Germany's Social Democrats have overwhelmingly elected an east German state leader, Matthias Platzeck, as their new chairman. Platzeck, the premier of Brandenberg state, received more than 99 percent of the vote. He will succeed Franz Muentefering, who resigned as party chair last month after after an internal power struggle. The vote comes a day after the Social Democrats and chancellor-designate Angela Merkel's Christian Union alliance voted to approve a governing pact for the new grand coalition government. The deal clears the way for parliament to elect her next week as Germany's first woman leader and the first from the ex-communist east. EU arms ban on Uzbekistan The European Union has prohibited arms sales to Uzbekistan and banned visas for 12 top Uzbek officials in reaction to the shooting of hundreds of people in the town of Andizhan last May. The EU accuses Uzbek forces of acting indiscriminately and is still demanding an independent inquiry. Top United Nations human rights official Louise Arbour has demanded appeal proceedings for 15 men jailed by Uzbekistan's highest court on Monday for alleged involvement in the unrest. The 15 got jail terms of between 14 and 20 years. Arbour said little evidence was presented in court. Sign of German economic recovery Better-than-expected figures show that Germany's economy grew by 0.6 percent in this year's third quarter. Analysts say it could be a sign Germany is recovering after years of sluggishness. The German statistics bureau said exports had continued to spur growth. Firms had also boosted their investment, but consumer spending is still flat. On a yearly basis, the latest figures lift growth to 1.3 percent compared to Germany's Gross Domestic Product. Al-Qaeda blamed for Afghan attacks Police in Afghanistan have blamed Al-Qaeda militants for two suicide blasts and another incident in the capital Kabul, which they said killed nine people excluding the attackers. Hours after the attacks late Monday, a purported Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility. A German soldier with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was among those killed on Monday, while two others were severely injured. Security was tightened Tuesday in Kabul, where several Western embassies had two days ago warned their nationals to avoid high-risk areas such as hotels. Bush begins trip to Asia in Japan US President George W. Bush has arrived in Japan at the start of a week-long trip to Asia. In Kyoto he's due to hold talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Bush will also visit South Korea, where he'll attend the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Pusan where global trade will be on the agenda. In Seoul, 12,000 Korean farmers have protested against plans by South Korea's parliament to increase imports of foreign rice. President Bush is also due to visit China and make a rare stopover in Mongolia. Australian workers protest changes In Australia's main cities 200,000 workers have staged their biggest rallies in seven years to protest plans by the conservative government to amend labour laws. Trade unions say the changes will lessen job security and lower pay. Prime Minister John Howard wants to make it easier for firms to hire staff on individual contracts rather than negotiating collective agreements. Tuesday's largest rally was in Melbourne. Tens of thousands also jammed streets in Sydney and Brisbane. Howard controls parliament's two chambers, enabling him to proceed without amendment. The opposition Labor Party says Howard is risking a voter backlash. A major telecoms company Telstra has unveiled plans to slash up to 12,000 jobs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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. 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