DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News 22. 03. 2006 17:00 Uhr UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Germany Extends Job Market Exclusions For New EU States The German cabinet Wednesday decided that the German job market would remain closed to employees from eastern European countries until at least 2009, citing the high unemployment in the continent's largest economy. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1941286,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Would you like to receive news from DW-WORLD.DE automatically on your desktop? Subscribe to our RSS-Feeds. Click here to read how it works: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1137115,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Basque separatists announce cease-fire Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has cautiously welcomed a permanent ceasefire by armed Basque separatist group ETA. He said the long-awaited peace process would be lengthy and difficult. Earlier on Wednesday, ETA said in a televised statement that the ceasefire would take effect from Friday and that it wanted to launch a democratic process in the Basque region. ETA has been blamed for more than 800 deaths during its nearly four decade-long campaign to create an independent state in the Basque region straddling northern Spain and southwestern France. Afghan Christian may be mentally unfit In Afghanistan, a man facing a possible death sentence for converting from Islam to Christianity may be mentally unfit to stand trial. According to Afghan sources, Abdul Rahman will undergo a psychological examination, which could lead to the charges against him being dropped. Rahman, who converted 16 years ago, faces execution under Sharia law, which forms the basis of Afghanistan's new constitution. The latest development comes as Afghanistan faces increasing international pressure over the trial. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged the Afghan government to uphold religious freedom, which he said was also enshrined in the Afghan constitution. This call has been echoed by the United States and Italy. Afghan troops kill 15 in border region Troops in Afghanistan have killed at least 15 suspected Taliban insurgents in the country's south after they crossed the border with Pakistan. According to Afghan army sources, no soldiers were killed in the gun-battle. The fighting comes less than a week after the Taliban's fugitive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar vowed to launch a new springtime offensive in Afghanistan. The incident also comes amid tensions between Kabul and Islamabad over allegations that Pakistan is failing to crack down on Islamic militants operating from its territory. Nuclear plant fire in Japan Fire-fighters are battling a blaze at a nuclear power plant in western Japan. A plant operator at the Oi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui prefecture said that there had been no radioactive leak. Two workers were taken to hospital after inhaling smoke. Officials said some of the waste at the facility contained low levels of radiation, but did not pose a danger to human health. In 2004, hot water and steam leaking from a broken pipe at another nuclear power plant run by the same company, Kansai Electric Power, killed five workers in Japan's worst-ever nuclear power plant accident. Anti-Lukashenko protestors hold vigil In Belarus, several hundred people continue to protest the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, saying Sunday's polls were fraudulent. The protesters have held a vigil in the main square of the capital Minsk since the election, which Lukashenko won by 83 percent. European observers say the poll failed to meet international standards. One of the failed presidential candidates, Alexander Milinkevich, has called for a major demonstration to be held in Minsk this Saturday. Meanwhile, Poland announced it would impose targeted sanctions on officials from Belarus, and urged Belarus to immediately release all political prisoners. EU approves airline safety blacklist The European Union has approved its first-ever unified blacklist of unsafe airlines. From Saturday, 93 passenger and freight companies will be fully banned from EU skies. Three airlines are not subject to total bans, but are restricted from flying into the EU with certain types of aircraft. EU member states were spurred into action after a string of deadly crashes last year that highlighted the fragmented approach to air safety in the 25-nation bloc. Most of the banned carriers are based in Africa, with others from Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea and Thailand also on the list. Estrada strikes defiant tone in court The ousted Philippine leader, Joseph Estrada, struck a defiant note when he took the witness stand for the first time in his five-year corruption trial. He told an anti-graft court in the capital Manila on Wednesday that the charges of plunder and bribery were manufactured by his political opponents. Estrada is accused of amassing 80 million dollars from state coffers and bribes during his presidency. He won a landslide victory in 1998 but was forced out of office in a popular revolt 2001. The 68-year-old film star turned politician is expected to take six to eight weeks to complete his testimony as the court meets only once a week. Insurgents attack Iraqi police station In Iraq, at least four policemen have been killed and several wounded in an attack on a police station at Madain, a town just south of the capital, Baghdad. The violence comes a day after at least 18 people were killed and 30 prisoners released in a similar strike on a police station at Miqdadiya, which is north west of the capital. In Baghdad itself, there have been several violent attacks on Shiite pilgrims returning from the southern town of Karbala, where more than two and a half million people celebrated the anniversary of the death of the prophet Mohammad's grandson on Monday. Germany to decide on Congo in May The German government says it won't decide until May whether to send Bundeswehr troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help oversee elections. Following cabinet discussions on the issue, a spokesperson said Chancellor Angela Merkel would inform senior party leaders of the government's policy on Monday. The Defence Ministry announced plans earlier this week for Germany to join France in assuming joint command of a force of some 1,500 European Union troops. The deployment of German troops in a foreign country is subject to approval by the Bundestag. Some members of parliament have said they could not support the plan until the mission was clearly defined with a firm deadline for pulling out. Hamas calls cabinet vote for Saturday The militant Islamic group Hamas has said the Palestinian parliament would meet for a special session on Saturday to vote on its new cabinet. This would be the final step in installing the Hamas government. The annoucement came after Palestine Liberation Organisation rejected Hamas's political agenda, and demanded changes to its platform. But Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, who chaired the PLO meeting, said he would not stand in the way of parliament's ratification of a Hamas-led government. Hamas, which overwhelmingly won Palestinian elections in January, is expected to easily win the vote of confidence on Saturday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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