Deutsche Welle English Service News 17. 02. 2006, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Win a trip to Germany! "A Time to Make Friends" is the motto of this summer's World Cup in Germany. Tell us what you associate with the host country and you could end up winning a trip for two to Germany. To find out more, go to: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1863969,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
EU Uncertain About Bird Flu's Economic Consequences Will the recent cases of bird flu found in the European Union make people eat less poultry? Experts don't think so and warn against creating a panic that could have economic consequences. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1907117,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1,500 missing in Philippines mudslide Hundreds of people are feared dead after a massive mudslide destroyed a whole village on Leyte island in the central Philippines. 19 bodies have been recovered so far and over 80 people have been pulled alive from the mud but rescue workers say another 1,500 people are missing. Part of a mountainside collapsed burying hundreds of homes and a primary school. Rescue efforts are being hampered by the softness of the mud which is up to 10m thick in places. President Gloria Arroyo has ordered the Coast Guard and Navy to the affected area, and a US vessel is also on the way. It's believed heavy rainfalls in the past two weeks combined with a small earthquake triggered the mudslide. Merkel, Blair meet in Berlin Chancellor Angela Merkel has met with Tony Blair in Berlin on the British Prime Minister's first visit to Germany since Merkel became chancellor last November. At a press conference, the two leaders explained that they discussed many issues, including the European Parliament's decision to liberalise the labour market as well as the EU's future relations with Hamas. Both Blair and Merkel said that Hamas must renounce violence. Iran's nuclear ambitions were also addressed. Germany, Britain and France have been trying to broker a peaceful resolution between the West and Iran over the country's nuclear programme. Israel delays Palestinian sanctions Interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed to delay a decision on sanctions until after Hamas assumes control of the Palestinian parliament this weekend. Olmert put off until Sunday's cabinet meeting a proposed ban on Palestinian workers and funding after the United States and the European Union cautioned against taking steps that might make life more difficult for Palestinians. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel was now in "wait and see mode" to see what positions Hamas would take on Saturday after the swearing-in of a parliament dominated by the Islamic militant group, whose charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. EU to standardise asylum rules A plan to standardise asylum applications within the 25 European Union member nations have been presented in Brussels by the EU Commission. It wants a common asylum system by 2010. As a first step EU interior ministers will be asked next Tuesday to consider setting up a single database that would detail conditions prevailing in the asylum seekers' countries of origin. Currently, EU nations make varying decisions and don't even have a common asylum definition. More bird flu feared in Germany German Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer said he expects more cases of bird flu to surface in Germany. He said scientists are currently testing about 80 dead birds suspected of having succumbed to the deadly H5N1 strain. To prevent further spreading of the virus, which is potentially deadly to humans, the German government has ordered that all poultry be kept indoors. The government has threatened tough punishments for poultry farmers who ignore the order. Meanwhile the first official case of bird flu has also been detected in Slovenia. However bird flu tests on dead birds found in Switzerland, Denmark and France have all proved negative. Controversial labour reforms corrected The German parliament has corrected controversial rule changes it adopted last year for Germany's unemployed. Dole payments to young beneficiaries aged between 18 and 25 who still live with their parents will be cut by 20 percent. Payments in eastern German states have been raised to match the dole in western Germany. The governing conservative-Social Democrat coalition expects to save 600 million euros. Opposition parties say the changes are "crude" and piecemeal. DBA, LTU team up to take on Lufthansa The German air carrier DBA which describes itself as Germany's second biggest airline has announced plans to team up with rival LTU. DBA's owner Hans-Rudolf Woehrl said he would take over a majority 60-percent stake in the loss making airline for an undisclosed sum. Speaking at a press conference in Duesseldorf he explained that while LTU and DBA would formally remain independent, the combination of the two airlines would create a new low-cost carrier to rival Lufthansa's market domination. Pakistan halts anti-cartoon protests Pakistani police have arrested the leader of a radical Islamic group and about 100 of his supporters to prevent him from leading further protests against publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The arrests come after protests, some violent, were held for five days in a row. Police also cracked down on anti-cartoon protestors in a number of other cities. Meanwhile, Denmark has shut its embassy in Pakistan until further notice. A leading Islamic cleric has announced a financial reward for the death of the cartoonists who created the caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammad, which were published in Denmark last year. Rice: Charles Taylor should be tried US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has called for former Liberian President Charles Taylor to be brought to justice and face a UN war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone. Rice said that unless Taylor was taken into custody, there was a danger that he could return to Liberia. Taylor was president of the West African nation for 5 years, and helped destabilise the region, especially neighbouring Sierra Leone, where he backed a ferocious insurgency that cut off people's arms and legs. Taylor has lived in exile in Nigeria since 2003. He has been indicted on 17 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his activities in Sierra Leone. Poet Heinrich Heine remembered Germany and France are marking the 150th anniversary of the death of the German poet and author Heinrich Heine. Ceremonies have been held in Paris, where Heine died in exile in 1865, and in Dusseldorf, his German birthplace. Heine's 19th Century works challenged conventional thinking, with emphasis on freedoms and equality. At Dusseldorf's university, which is named after Heine, a literature centre is to be opened later this Friday. Veerpalu wins 15 km cross-country At the Turin Winter Olympics the women's snowboarding cross event has been won by Tanja Frieden of Switzerland. American Lindsey Jacobellis came second after botching her landing while out front near the finish line. The men's 15km classical cross-country race has been won by the Estonian Andrus Veerpalu. Russian biathlete Olga Pyleva, who was stripped of her silver medal for doping on Thursday, has also been suspended for two years by her sport's governing body. She denies intentionally using a banned stimulant, carphedon. Heavy snowfalls and windgusts continue to delay Friday's contests. The Olympics medals table is topped by the United States with six golds, followed by Germany and Russia, each with five gold medals. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign up for our new podcast! In "Correspondents report," Deutsche Welle journalists provide coverage of the top stories on the world and European news agenda. Every day, you will be able to listen to at least two stories from Newslink, DW-RADIO's news journal. For more information and to sign up, please go to http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,,9541,00.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. 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