DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News 01. 04. 2006 16:00 Uhr UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Chirac Plans Dismissed as France Teeters on Brink of Anarchy Trade unions and students were more determined than ever Saturday to go ahead with strikes and demonstrations against a new youth jobs law despite a compromise plan by President Jacques Chirac aimed at defusing tensions. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1951183,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Click Back is waiting for you! DW-WORLD invites you to participate in the April version of our monthly quiz and win a jacket: http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Five US troops wounded in Afghan blast A top Afghani legislator has been killed and several American soldiers wounded in separate attacks throughout Afghanistan. Sayed Sadiq was killed by unidentified gunmen at his home in Takhar province. The US troops were wounded while on patrol in the eastern Kunar province when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Meanwhile, a suicide car bomber was killed as he tried to hit an Afghan and foreign military convoy. No troops were injured in the attack. Violence in Afghanistan has intensified in recent days since Taliban insurgents said they launched a spring offensive against US-led forces. Rice in UK, defends US Iraq invasion United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has described talks with Muslim leaders in northwest England as 'positive'. This comes after a trip to a mosque was cancelled over security fears. She's on the last day of a two-day visit which has taken her to the constituency of her British counter-part, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Rice has been confronted by several hundred noisy anti-war protestors during her visit. On Friday Secretary of State Rice defended Washington's decision to invade Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power. Hunt continues for missing passengers Rescue workers continue to search for two missing passengers of a cruise boat that capsized off the coast of Bahrain. At least 57 people, mostly foreigners, drowned in the accident. Officials are trying to explain how the overcrowded leisure boat capsized late on Thursday. Police have been questioning the Indian captain who they say was unqualified. Over 60 passengers survived. The boat trip was sponsored by companies involved in a major construction project in Bahrain. Gaza blast kills leader, sparks clashes Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has vowed to bring the "dangerous" situation on the streets of Gaza under control. Three people died and dozens were wounded during clashes between police and militants on Friday. They were sparked over accusations by a militant group that Palestinian security forces helped Israel kill a top member of their faction. Israel has denied any involvement in the car bomb attack. Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes have launched a number of attacks on the no-go zone in the northern Gaza strip after Palestinians rebels launched three rockets into Israeli territory Friday night. Kidnapped US journalist on her way home Freed United States journalist Jill Carroll has landed at a German air base two days after being freed by her Iraqi kidnappers. Carroll is returning to her home city of Boston after spending 82 days in captivity. The freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor was taken at the beginning of January while her interpreter was shot dead. Just after her release on Thursday a video was aired in which Carroll praised her captors and criticised what she called the illegal US-led war in Iraq. Her parents told the media that the video was made under duress before her release. Chirac to sign youth jobs law French trade unions and student leaders have strongly rejected President Jacques Chirac's decision to enact a controversial new youth labour law. Demonstrations continued on Saturday despite a compromise proposed by President Chirac late on Friday to defuse the standoff over the law which makes it easier to fire young workers. The changes would reduce to one year the period in which workers can be easily dismissed, and require employers to give a reason for dismissal. Pressure is mounting on the president to find a solution after weeks of protests, as well as plans for another nationwide strike next Tuesday. Similar action last week saw over a million protesters take to the streets around France. Thousands of Iran quake homeless seek shelter Iranian authorities are battling to provide shelter and aid for thousands of people left homeless by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake in the west of the country that killed 73 people and injured more than 1,200. Survivors of Friday's pre-dawn earthquake in the west of Lorestan province spent the night in the cold as they awaited the distribution of relief items. Officials say about 330 villages were either severely damaged or destroyed. Many of the areas are without power and telephone service. Nations around the world are offering humanitarian aid to the victims of the quake. Despite acute tension over Tehran's nuclear programme, the US has also offered assistance. Iran is one of the most quake-prone countries in the world. In 2003, the city of Bam was hit by a major earthquake that claimed 31,000 lives. Strong quake hits Taiwan, causes minor damage A strong earthquake has rocked Taiwan, shaking office buildings but causing only minor damage. Officials said the epicentre of the 6.4 magnitude quake, which struck early Saturday evening, was east of Taitung on the eastern coast of Taiwan. Some phone lines were cut off in the eastern part of the island. Earthquakes occur frequently in Taiwan. One of its worst-recorded quakes occurred in September 1999, killing more than 2,400 people. Floodwaters threaten Saxony The flood situation along the Elbe River in the eastern German state of Saxony remains serious. The city of Dresden has declared a disaster alert, with floodwaters in the Elbe rising to over 7 meters on Saturday. Authorities are expecting the river to peak on Sunday, rising beyond the critical eight-metre mark. Some 300 people have been evacuated from their homes as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, flooding in the neighbouring Czech Republic has claimed at least four lives. In Prague, authorities said they may have to close underground tram stations if the floodwaters continue to rise. Former chancellor under pressure Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is once again facing criticism over taking a top job linked to the Russian energy giant Gazprom. In an interview with a German newspaper, Schroeder defended his decision to take the post of chairman of the consortium which is building a controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. This comes as officials in Berlin have confirmed that Schroeder's former government offered to vouch for a loan worth over a billion dollars for the gas pipeline. Schroeder says he has no knowledge of such an offer. Brazilian, Russia-US crew dock at ISS A Soyuz spacecraft carrying Brazil's first astronaut and a Russian- US crew has successfully docked at the orbiting International Space Station, two days after blasting off from earth. The Russian space flight control centre said Saturday 43-year-old Brazilian Air Force pilot Marcos Pontes, Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov and US astronaut Jeffrey Williams are bringing a fresh load of supplies, equipment and experiments to the ISS. Pontes returns to earth in just over a week with the outgoing crew. Russian spacecraft bear the responsibility for resupplying the station after NASA grounded its shuttle fleet in 2003. Soyuz rockets have proved safer than the shuttle despite their 1960s heritage. Button pushes Honda to Australian pole In sports, on the formula One circuit, Britain's Jenson Button was able to steer through the chaos of several accidents, traffic jams and foul weather to capture his third pole position and Honda's first in 38 years. Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, last year's winner, clocked the second best time to join Button on the front row, just ahead of his Renault team mate, Spanish world champion Fernando Alonso. Ralf Schumacher, driving for Toyota, qualified for sixth place. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Receive DW-WORLD headlines and news reports straight on your desktop as RSS feeds: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1137115,00.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. And of course the DW website also has information about DW-RADIO and DW-TV programmes: topics, broadcast times and frequencies. You can even listen to all programmes as audio-on-demand. 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