Deutsche Welle English Service News 31. 01. 2006, 17:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Europe Agrees on Funding as Hamas Calls Threats Blackmail Europe, along with the United States and Russia, agreed Tuesday to continue critical funding to Palestinians but warned election victors Hamas that its future government must give up violence and recognize Israel. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1887795,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ""Kicking News"" -- DW-WORLD's Soccer Newsletter: Whether its World Cup news or Bundesliga previews that you're looking for, you'll never miss out on the action with DW-WORLD.DE's new monthly soccer newsletter, ""Kicking News."" Stay on top of the game with DW-WORLD.DE! To subscribe, go to: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1170241,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- London conference on Afghan future Envoys from nearly 70 nations and international bodies are meeting in London for a two-day conference on the future of Afghanistan. British Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged about 500 million pounds for development while US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said President Bush would ask Congress for 1.1 billion dollars in aid. The conference hopes to agree on a five-year, three-billion-dollar blueprint for economic development in Afghanistan, which is still plagued by violence and poverty more than four years after the fall of the Islamist Taliban. IAEA to hold crisis meeting on Iran The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with the EU and Germany, have agreed that the UN's nuclear watchdog agency should refer Iran to the Council over its disputed nuclear programme. The board of the IAEA is due to hold a crisis meeting on Iran this Thursday in Vienna. However France and Russia have said that they still see the possibility for a diplomatic solution to the impasse with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, making clear that they do not want a rush toward sanctions. In Paris, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said the decision to refer Iran to the UN Security Council could be reversed if Tehran co-operates. The EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, insisted that talk of sanctions was premature and ruled out any use of military action in the dispute. Putin urges Hamas to engage in peace Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas to enter into a peaceful dialogue with Israel. He also warned the West against refusing aid to the Palestinian Authority following Hamas's recent electoral victory. Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Putin also praised developments in Chechnya and the Caucasus region and defended Russian support for the riots in Uzbekistan last year. On the issue of NGO's he said he did not question their work but demanded more transparency and independence from foreign influence. Senior Jihad leader killed in West Bank A senior Islamic Jihad leader has been killed in the West Bank following a clash between militants and Israeli troops. He was one of two Islamic Jihad fighters killed, while an Israeli police officer was seriously wounded in the shootout. The clashes started when Israeli forces moved into Jenin in the northern West Bank Juncker opposed to steel takeover Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker says he's opposed to a hostile takeover attempt of the European steel group Arcelor by Mittal Steel, the world's leading producer. Luxembourg's government holds a 5.6 percent stake in Arcelor, which is the country's largest employer. Mittal Steel's chief executive, Indian-born billionaire, Lakshmi Mittal, made the 18.6 billion-euro bid on Friday. The move has raised concern among politicians and union leaders in Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and France that the deal could lead to plant closures and job cuts. German jobless figures jump in January In Germany, unemployment figures for the month of January have posted a substantial jump of more than 400,000, once again pushing the official number of people without a job above the five-million mark. Although the new figures mean a drop of some 75,000 compared to the same period last year, the jobless rate rose one percentage point to 12.1 percent. German named as new Bosnia rep A former German politician, Christian Schwarz-Schilling, has been appointed as the new UN High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Schwarz-Schilling, who has been active in Bosnian affairs since 1993 and an international mediator since 1995, replaces Paddy Ashdown. Schwarz-Schilling said his first goal was to bring Bosnia closer to NATO and the European Union by negotiating a stabilisation and association agreement. He also said that during his tenure he hoped to see war crime suspects Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic brought before a UN tribunal. OPEC keeps oil output steady The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries has agreed to keep oil production at its current level of 28 million barrels per day. The decision at a meeting in Vienna had been widely expected. Oil prices are at record levels and there had been concerns that the current problems in Iran and Nigeria could force prices up even further. Electrolux says AEG factory will close The Swedish household appliances company Electrolux has said it remains committed to closing down its AEG factory in the southern German city of Nuremberg. This comes despite a meeting of trade union representatives and management at the weekend mediated by Bavarian state premier Edmund Stoiber. Both sides had initially indicated they would continue their negotiations. Electrolux says the closure, which would affect some 1,750 workers, is necessary due to spiralling costs. Widow of Martin Luther King Jr. dies Coretta Scott King, the widow of slain American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., has died at the age of 78. King, who carried on her husband's legacy after he was assassinated in 1968, had suffered a minor stroke and other health problems in recent years. Oscar Award nominees announced In California the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced this year's Oscar nominees. The five films nominated for Best Picture are "Brokeback Mountain", "Crash", "Good Night, and Good Luck", "Munich" and "Capote". The award ceremony will take place on March 5. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Receive DW-WORLD headlines and news reports straight on your desktop as RSS feeds: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1137115,00.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/
