DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
10. 03. 2006 17:00 Uhr UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
German Opposition Agrees on Terms of BND Affair Inquiry
Following a protracted tug-of-war, Germany's opposition parties
Friday agreed on the terms of reference for a parliamentary
inquiry on the activities of German intelligence service BND
before and during the Iraq war.
To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the
internet address below:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1930631,00.html
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Indonesia confirms bird flu deaths
In Indonesia two more people have died of bird flu taking the
country's death toll to 22. The latest victims were two children. A
Health Ministry official said testing had confirmed that a
three-year-old child who died earlier in the week in the central
town of Semarang had the H5N1 strain of the virus. A 12-year-old
girl who died in the same week was also confirmed with the deadly
strain. Ten people have now died of bird flu in Indonesia this year,
more than in any other country. Almost 100 people have died of the
virus since 2003. The vast majority of fatalities have been in
Asia.
EU ministers discuss Iran, Hamas
European Union foreign ministers are meeting in the Austrian city of
Salzburg to discuss the current dispute over Iran's nuclear
programme. The EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy, Javier Solana, isn't ruling out imposing UN
sanctions on Iran. Solana told the Austrian daily Der Standard that
any possible sanctions should be structured to put pressure on
Tehran but not the Iranian people. The ministers were also to
discuss how to deal with the Palestinians following the victory of
the Islamic militant group Hamas in the recent parliamentary
election. The EU has maintained short-term economic aid to the
Palestinians but officials have said that this could change unless
Hamas recognises Israel's right to exist and renounces violence.
Landmine kills 26 in Pakistan
Twenty-six people have been killed and several others injured after
the vehicle they were travelling in hit a landmine in south-western
Pakistan. A spokesman for the government of the province of
Baluchistan said a truck was carrying a marriage party to a
celebration when it hit the mine. Most of the dead were women and
children. Officials have blamed the attack on militants seeking
regional autonomy.
Kosovo's parliament elects new PM
Kosovo's parliament has chosen Agim Ceku as the province's new prime
minister. The 45-year-old Ceku is a former guerrilla commander
accused of war crimes by Serbia. Sixty-five deputies voted for him
and 33 against. Ceku was nominated last week after his predecessor
Bajram Kosumi was forced to resign by his own party
Prosecutors seek trial of Berlusconi, Mills
Italian prosecutors have requested that Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi and British lawyer David Mills be indicted on charges of
corruption. Under Italian law, a judge will have to decide whether
to send the case to court for trial. The prime minister is accused
of paying about 500,000 euros to Mills in 1997 in return for
testimony at two corruption trials involving Berlusconi. Mills, who
is married to but formally separated from British Culture Secretary
Tessa Jowell, is accused of giving false testimony. Both men deny
any wrongdoing.
Opposition agrees on spy probe scope
The three opposition parties in the Bundestag have agreed to demand
a broad parliamentary inquiry into the role of German intelligence
agents in Baghdad during the US-led invasion of Iraq. A spokesman
for the liberal Free Democrats said that among other things, the
inquiry would focus on whether BND agents helped the US military
campaign, despite the opposition to the war by the then government
of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. The probe is also to look
into the alleged CIA kidnapping of a German national, who claims he
was abducted in 2004 by CIA agents, flown to Afghanistan and held
there as a terrorist suspect. The agreement follows days of
wrangling among the Free Democrats, the Greens and the Left Party
over what the scope of an inquiry should be. It's not yet clear when
the panel will take up its work.
Court throws out slain journalist case
A Spanish court has dismissed the case involving the death of a
Spanish cameraman during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Jose
Couso was killed by US fire at Baghdad's Hotel Palestine while
covering the invasion. Judges decided to abandon the case arguing
that it was an unpremeditated act of war against a mistakenly
identified target. Meanwhile Iraq's president Jalal Talabani has
issued a decree telling parliament to convene for the first time on
March 19. This comes as political leaders are still deadlocked over
who should be prime minister. Sunnis and Kurds are opposed to Shiite
Prime Minster Ibrahim Jaafari staying on in the post.
First hurdles passed in federal reform
A plan to reform Germany's federal structure has jumped its first
hurdles in the two chambers of Germany's parliament. The package, if
passed, it would rejig the division of powers between the national
government and 16 regional states. It aims to give citizens a
clearer overview of government tasks and would be Germany's biggest
federal reform since 1949. On Friday the Bundestag and Bundesrat
forwarded the package, with more than 20 law changes, to committees
for further debate. Critics include trade unions for Germany's
police officers, teachers and civil servants. They fear a patch-work
quilt of conditions and pay because the regions would each rule on
education, penal justice and environmental law. To pass, the federal
reform package requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
UN rights council decision delayed
UN officials in New York have delayed a decision on whether to
establish a new UN human rights council because of US resistance to
the move. A 47-member council would replace the discredited UN Human
Rights Commission. UN General Assembly president Jan Eliasson had
wanted the assembly to deliberate this Friday, ahead of a meeting in
Geneva next Monday of the existing commission. Virtually all UN
members, the EU, and most rights groups are leaning on the United
States to endorse the plan. The United States wants assurances that
nations regarded as major abusers won't get seats in the council. It
would meet three times a year for a minimum of 10 weeks.
New match-fixing scandal in Germany
Prosecutors in Frankfurt are investigating reports of a new
match-fixing scam in German professional soccer. According to the
newspaper Bild, at least five games in the second division of the
Bundesliga and the two leagues that make up the equivalent of a
third division are believed to have been fixed. This has been
confirmed by the German Soccer Association. Four suspects have been
arrested. The scam is said to have involved overseas betting on how
many goals would be scored in particular games. Players were
allegedly offered cash to ensure that a pre-determined number of
goals were scored. This comes just over a year after a match-fixing
scam involving two German referees came to light, and just three
months before Germany is to host the World Cup.
Arsenal face Juve in Champions League
In football the draw's been made for the Champions League
quarter-finals. Arsenal, who beat Real Madrid in the last round,
face Juventus Turin who knocked out German side Werder Bremen. The
other games are: lyon vs. AC Milan, Benfica against Barcelona and
the winner of the delayed game between Inter Milan and Ajax
Amsterdam will face Villarreal of Spain.
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