DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News 21. 03. 2006 17:00 Uhr UTC ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Report: Germany Believes Hostages in Iraq Alive The German government believes that two German engineers kidnapped in Iraq in January are still alive and are being held for criminal not political purposes, public broadcaster ARD reported Tuesday. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1940178,00.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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Russian and China seal pipeline deal Russia and China have agreed to build two major pipelines to provide China with natural gas. The head of the Russian gas company Gazprom told reporters in Beijing that the pipelines could begin delivering gas from Siberia within five years, and supply up to 80 billion cubic meters annually. The agreement came as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao as part of a two day state visit. Following their meeting, the two leaders issued a pledge to pursue closer political and economic ties, particularly in the areas of energy, telecoms and transport. Trade between the two countries last year totalled $29 billion, and the two governments say they hope to double that by 2010. Anti-Lukashenko protests continue In the former Soviet republic of Belarus, several hundred demonstrators remain camped out in central Minsk to challenge President Alexander Lukashenko's re-election and authoritarian rule. A spokesperson for opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich has claimed police arrested several aides and other activists overnight. According to Belarus' electoral commission, Milinkevich got only six percent of votes compared to 83 percent for Lukashenko. Sunday's election has been rejected by Western nations as failing international standards. 33 dead in Nepal clashes At least 23 Maoist rebels and 10 policemen have been killed in escalating violence across Nepal. Soldiers attacked a rebel stronghold in the village of Darechowk, west of Kathmandu, killing at least 20 Maoist fighters, according to an army spokesman. In a separate incident, Maoist rebels stormed a police post in eastern Nepal and killed nine policemen. Three rebels also died in the clash. The latest violence follows fighting on Monday which claimed 14 lives. Maoists seeking to topple Nepal's King Gyanendra have stepped up attacks since January, when they ended a unilateral ceasefire. US military probes killing of Iraqi family The US military says it's investigating Iraqi police allegations that its soldiers shot dead a family of 11 in their home last week. Soldiers said they killed four people, including a militant. The probe comes a day after Time magazine published allegations that US Marines killed 15 civilians in another town last year. A criminal inquiry into those deaths was launched last week. Meanwhile in one of their biggest attacks on Iraqi forces, insurgents stormed the police headquarters and another official building in the town of Miqdadiya, 80 km northeast of Baghdad, on Tuesday, killing at least 22 people, mostly policemen. An Interior Mininstry source said the attackers freed 33 prisoners. ARD: German hostages still alive Two German men taken hostage in Iraq are still alive, according to a German public broadcaster. ARD television has reported that security sources say there are indirect signs the men are still alive. The two engineers were apparently kidnapped by criminals in order to demand a ransom. However, authorities still have no contact to the men's abductors. The last sign of the men was when they appeared in a video message in early February. They were kidnapped in the north of Iraq on January 24. Five die from bird flu in Azerbaijan The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed five young people in Azerbaijan in recent weeks. The World Health Organisation says the cases have been confirmed by tests at its reference laboratory in Britain. The WHO says two other people in Azerbaijan have tested positive for bird flu. One has recovered, while the other is in a critical condition. Four of those who died came from the same region in the southeast of the country, and were related or close friends. The WHO says the victims may have caught the disease after plucking feathers from dead swans. The deaths take the known global human toll from H5N1 bird flu to over 100 since late 2003, according to the WHO. No progress on Iranian nuclear crisis The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany have failed to reach agreement on how to proceed in the nuclear dispute with Iran. Diplomatic sources said Russia and China reject adopting a firm stance with the Tehran leadership, advocated by Western powers. US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, however, was optimistic that they could produce a joint declaration in the next few days. The six nations did agree on the goal of preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But they said more talks were needed to reach agreement on a Franco-British draft and, more generally, on how to deal with Tehran. Germany joined Monday's six-nation meeting because it is one of the so-called EU-3 -- along with Britain and France -- that have been negotiating with Iran to resovle the nuclear dispute. Germany appeals to Afghan president The German government has appealed to President Hamid Karzai to save an Afghan man who risks the death sentence for converting to Christianity. Abdul Rahman, who lived in Germany for nine years, was detained two weeks ago in Afghanistan after his relatives told the police about his conversion. German Deputy Defence Minister Friedbert Pflueger told journalists that Germany had contributed 2,450 soldiers to the NATO peacekeeping force in Afghanistan to help it become a democratic country, not so that people can be sentenced to death on religious grounds. Storm damage massive in Queensland Australians hit by Cyclone Larry are starting to pick up the pieces, with estimates of damage ranging up to 600 million euros. Troops have begun to arrive in Queensland state's worst-hit town of Innisfail, bringing medical care and field kitchens. Officials say some 7,000 residents are homeless. Thirty people were injured but no deaths were reported. Growers say Larry wiped out 10 percent of Australia's sugarcane production. Economically vital banana and avacado plantations were also smashed as Larry struck early on Monday with winds up to 290 kilometres per hour. With rain still falling, forecasters have warned that another cyclone, Wati, is developing out to sea. Israel reopens Gaza border crossing Israel has reopened the main goods crossing into the Gaza Strip to alleviate a food shortage in the area. Truckloads of basic supplies have been passing through the Karni crossing, but the director of the UN relief agency in Gaza, John Ging, says the crossing is only operating at ten percent capacity, and that this is inadequate to resolve the crisis in Gaza. Karni has been closed for most of the past two and a half months, because of what Israel says are security concerns. But many Palestinians claim the closures are punishment for the election of militant group Hamas in January. The Karni crossing handles most goods traffic with Israel. French unions call for more strikes In France, unions and student groups have designated Thursday as a national day of strikes to protest against a new youth employment law. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has shown no signs of backing down and is standing by his job reforms that were passed by the French government last week. The French prime minister has held talks with students and business leaders to discuss the standoff. President Jacques Chirac has once again offered support to his embattled prime minister but has also urged further dialogue. The new law will make it easier for employers to fire people under the age of 26 within the first two years of their being hired. The government says this will create jobs. Critics say it will create a generation of disposable workers with no job security. German doctors' strike widens In Germany, doctors' strikes have widened to affect 20 clinics and hospitals. The focus of the doctors' protests are clinics and psychiatric hospitals in the states of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Barvaria and North-Rhein Westphalia. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, the head of the Marburger Association which represents Germany's doctors, has announced further planned action, including a large demonstration on Wednesday in Hannover. Montgomery criticised the most recent offer from employers, which he said would worsen the position of doctors. The Marburger Association is campaigning for 30 percent more pay and shorter working hours for Germany's 22,000 doctors. Aussie women break 4x100 medley record Sports news: and at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne Australian women swimmers have smashed the 4x100 metres medley relay world record. The team of Sophie Edington, Leisel Jones, Jessicah Schipper and Libby Lenton broke the previous record held by Australia in a new time of three minutes 56.30 seconds. It was the second world record of the Games meet following Leisel Jones' record in the 100m breaststroke final on Monday. Jones has won four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- signandsight.com signandsight.com is the English version of the prize-winning online cultural magazine perlentaucher.de. Providing free access daily reviews of Germany's cultural press, it translates keynote articles and reviews the season's best publications. www.signandsight.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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