DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News 14. 03. 2006 17:00 Uhr UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Merkel and Chirac Discuss Joint Policies in Berlin A joint European energy policy and EU efforts to agree on a peacekeeping mission in Congo were at the center of talks in Berlin between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Jacques Chirac. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1933770,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "Kicking News" -- DW-WORLD's Soccer Newsletter: Get all the news about the World Cup and Germany's Bundesliga on DW-WORLD.DE at the end of every month. To subscribe, go to: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1170241,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jericho inmate won't surrender The leader of a militant Palestinian group has vowed not to surrender to Israeli troops who have stormed a jail in the West Bank town of Jericho where he's being held. Israeli forces have used bulldozers to break down the prison's walls and heavy gunfire can be heard from the compound. Ahmed Saadat, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, is wanted by Israel over the 2001 assassination of a cabinet minister but the Palestinian High Court has said there's no evidence linking him to the killing. He's being held under international supervision, but US and British monitors left the prison before the siege started citing security risks. In response, Palestinian gunmen have attacked Western institutions in Gaza, including the offices of German public broadcaster ARD. Several foreigners have reportedly been kidnapped. Milosevic could be buried in Serbia Serbia's leadership has reportedly said that former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic can be buried in Serbia. A Belgrade court had earlier agreed to suspend an arrest warrant for Milosevic's widow, Mira. But Milosevic's son Marko has said he wants security guarantees if family members travel to Serbia, and suggested the funeral may take place in Russia. Marko Milosevic has now arrived in the Hague to collect his father's body. Speculation continues to surround the cause of the heart attack that killed Milosevic, following reports that traces of drugs were found in his blood that would have made his blood-pressure medication ineffective. Meanwhile the UN War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague has officially closed its trial of Milosevic for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. At least 80 bodies found in Baghdad Iraqi authorities have found bodies from two mass killings in Baghdad taking the total number of corpses to at least 80 over the past 24 hours. The bodies of 15 men were found in an abandoned vehicle in a mostly Sunni neighbourhood in western Baghdad, not far from where a minibus containing 18 bodies was discovered last week. The latest victims had been strangled and showed signs of torture. In another find, 27 bodies were discovered in a south-eastern suburb. They were blindfolded and had been shot. All the victims are believed to have been Sunnis. The latest finds have raised fears that Sunday's deadly explosions in a Shiite district would unleash a new round of sectarian killing between Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims and minority Sunnis. China adopts new five-year plan China's People's Congress has ended its 10-day sitting with the adoption of a new five-year plan submitted by party leaders. Speaking to reporters at the end of the congress, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sought to address rising concerns about the consequences of China's rapid economic growth on the country's poor. The five-year plan includes a development programme worth billions of dollars to reduce the prosperity gap between urban and rural areas. Wen also said China's current annual growth rate of around 10 percent will be reduced to 7.5 percent in order to push industry to be more energy and water efficient, and improve the country's environmental record. The rate of military expenditure will also be reduced to 14.7 percent. Rice praises ''moderate'' Indonesia US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice has praised Indonesia's "moderate policies" and its role in fighting terrorism. During her two-day visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation, Rice sought to improve Washington's image in the region. She told a press conference in the capital Jakarta that many in the region misunderstood her country. Rice said the US had great respect for people of the Islamic faith. Indonesia has seen large anti-American protests in recent weeks and after Rice's arrival, a few hundred demonstrators gathered outside the heavily-guarded US embassy to protest her visit. Rice also slammed Burma's human rights record, saying democratic nations like the US and Indonesia needed to stand up for those living under oppression. Thousands of Thais march against PM Tens of thousands of demonstrators have massed outside the office of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, vowing that protests will continue until he resigns. The protest has been peaceful, but Thaksin has said he will declare a state of emergency if things get out of hand. It's the latest in a series of rallies seeking to oust Thaksin over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. In a bid to diffuse the crisis, he dissolved parliament last month and set new elections for April. Kinshasa must OK EU Congo mission: Merkel German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that plans for European troops to support UN peacekeepers during Congo's elections later this year must have approval from the Congolese government. The comments came at a press conference in Berlin after Merkel hosted talks with French President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday. Germany has resisted pressure to lead the proposed mission, saying it first needs more commitment from other European countries. Meanwhile, Chirac has rejected suggestions that France is pursuing protectionist policies. The latest bilateral summit between Germany and France comes amid criticism of a government-backed merger between two French energy firms. Last month, France announced plans to merge Suez SA and gas giant Gaz de France after an Italian company indicated interest in Suez. Berlin under more pressure over deficit The European Union has put further pressure on Germany to cut its public deficit to bring it in line with EU rules. Finance ministers meeting in Brussels have given Berlin until the end of 2007 to rein in its deficit to below three percent of GDP. Should Germany fail to achieve that target it could face fines totalling billions of euros. Under the measures agreed by EU ministers Germany has to present a credible deficit-reducing plan by July of this year. Meanwhile German President Horst Koehler has warned the EU not to undermine its internal market by becoming protectionist and isolated. In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Koehler said the EU must remain competitive to deal with the challenges of globalisation. French labour law protests to continue In France, protests are set to continue on Tuesday against a controversial new youth labour law. This follows confrontations between police and students on Monday, when riot police used tear gas to repel students who tried to storm a Paris university. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has defended the laws, which make it easier for firms to hire and fire young workers. But students and unions have vowed to press on with mass protests, rejecting de Villepin's offer of talks. Calls for mediation in German strikes In Germany, there have been further calls for mediation to break a deadlock in public-sector wage negotiations. Gerald Weiss, from conservative Christian Democrats, told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper that mediation is necessary because positions in the conflict have become so entrenched. Leaders of the Social Democrats, the partners of the conservatives in Germany's federal grand-coalition, called for mediation on Monday. Public-sector strikes in Germany are now in their sixth week. More than 40,000 public employees have walked off the job to protest against plans by state and municipal employers to increase their working week from 38.5 to 40 hours, without extra pay. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- signandsight.com signandsight.com is the English version of the prize-winning online cultural magazine perlentaucher.de. 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