DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News 24.04.2006, 16:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Alleged Racial Attack Becomes Political Issue An attack on an Ethiopian-German in the city of Potsdam has turned into a political tussle, with officials and organizations bickering over the attack's motives, public remarks and who should be investigating the case. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hlbgsIfcha79I0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- On April 26, 1986, the meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl power plant in the Soviet Union shocked the world and reminded people of the potential dangers of nuclear energy. Twenty years later, DW-WORLD.DE looks back at the catastrophe with a special section that includes flash-animated graphics, interviews and background analysis. To find out more, please go to http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hlbgsIfcha79I1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Deadly car bomb wave in Baghdad The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has been hit by a series of car bombs, killing at least six people and wounding dozens of others. Three people died in the first car bomb which exploded during morning rush hour. 25 people were also wounded. Two hours later, two car bombs near a university in eastern Baghdad went off, killing three civilians, including a child, and wounding over twenty others. Four more bombs across the city injured at least another 27 people. The continuing violence comes as Prime Minister-designate Jawad al-Maliki is attempting to form a new government and avert a possible civil war in the country. Six die as Nepal rebels raid town The United States has ordered all its non-essential diplomatic staff and their families to leave Nepal. The move comes as protesters in Kathmandu vow to stage their biggest demonstration yet on Tuesday against King Gyanendra. A new curfew has been imposed in the capital to stop further anti-king protests, in which 14 people have died. Meanwhile at least five Maoist rebels and a Nepali soldier were killed when hundreds of rebels stormed an eastern town overnight. Analysts say the attack may have been designed to increase pressure on the king and engage security forces already struggling to quell protests around the country. Iran's President defiant over nuclear issue British Prime Minister Tony Blair has stated that a strong signal needs to be sent to Tehran with regard to its resumed nuclear program. However, speaking at his monthly news conference, Blair underlined that London and Washington were not discussing possible military intervention. Meanwhile, Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, addressing a large group of international journalists for only the second time since taking office, said he is determined not to give up rights to nuclear energy, and that nuclear research would continue. Plane crashes in Afghanistan In Afghanistan, a US government-leased transport plane carrying anti-narcotic officials has crashed into a southern Afghan nomad settlement after trying to avoid a truck on the runway. The US-led coalition military said two people on board and a nomad child were killed and at least 14 people injured. The plane was leased by the US State Department and was carrying a team from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, which has been involved in a large-scale anti-opium campaign across southern Afghanistan. Microsoft starts challenge against EU US software giant Microsoft has begun a five-day court challenge in Luxembourg against the European Commission. It is urging a top EU court to rescind a 500-million-euro fine imposed on it over two years ago by the European Commission for allegedly abusing its dominant market position. Microsoft claims the Commission made "serious errors" in its ruling and says that the future of innovation in the technology industry is at stake. The Commission argued that Microsoft had broken EU anti-trust laws by using a virtual monopoly of computer operating systems to quash competition. Hungary's PM promises reforms Hungary's Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, who was given a second term in office in Sunday's election, is facing pressure to launch rapid and meaningful economic reforms to reduce Hungary's huge budget deficit. His Socialist-led coalition now has an increased majority in parliament. In his acceptance speech, Gyurcsany called for national unity. The coalition will now have to push ahead with the lagging reform of the country's health system and struggle with bringing down Hungary's budget deficit, which at 6.1 percent of GDP, is the highest in the EU. Merkel encourages investment in India Chancellor Angela Merkel has encouraged German firms to invest in India during a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She also pledged to fight any signs of European protectionism. The two leaders attended an Indo-German business summit at a trade fair in Hanover, which they opened on Sunday evening. Singh said India hoped to strengthen its already robust economic growth and noted that his country's huge population offered great opportunities. Danube dykes burst again in Romania Parts of eastern Europe are reeling under the effects of record flood levels in the Danube River. In Serbia, two young men drowned in the Save, a tributary of the Danube. Thousands of people in Romania were evacuated from their homes overnight after dykes burst at several places along the Danube, flooding farmland and towns. Officials have warned that flood defences in many places along the river were in danger of giving way. Floodwaters are retreating more slowly than expected. Fed by rain and melting snow, swollen waterways have swamped vast tracts of land in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary. German economy continued recovery The German Central Bank says in a new report that the recovery of the German economy, the biggest in the 12-country eurozone, appears to be continuing. The Bundesbank said in its latest monthly report that despite some difficulty in interpreting current economic data, owing to delays in delivery of key statistics as a result of public-sector strikes, the other indicators pointed to an overall continued economic uptrend. Exports, traditionally the driving force of German growth, remained robust and companies polled by the Ifo economic think tank remained confident about the outlook for exports. SPD says taxes may have to rise Germany's Social Democrats are meeting in Berlin to discuss new policy initiatives. Designated SPD leader Kurt Beck is pushing for a move back to the party's fundamental values, with a greater focus on providing a strong social welfare system. Beck insisted that taxes may have to rise in future to finance social spending. Kurt Beck was nominated earlier this month to take over the party of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, which is now an equal partner in the "grand coalition" of Chancellor Angela Merkel. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Week in Germany: The best from German culture, business and politics in a convenient weekly wrap-up. 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