DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
25. 08. 2006 16:00 Uhr UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Two More Suspects in German Train Bombing Plot Arrested
Police in Lebanon and southern Germany on Friday arrested the third
and fourth suspects in connection with the failed plot to blow up
German passenger trains.
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The wait is over! The Bundesliga is in full swing again! Follow all
the German soccer action with DW-WORLD.DE in our special section:
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Annan confident on Lebanon troops
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the EU will provide what he
called the "backbone" of a 15,000-strong UN peacekeeping force in
southern Lebanon. Annan was speaking after an emergency meeting of
EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Annan has proposed that Italy take
over command of the peacekeeping force from February 2007. Until
then, France would remain in charge. French Foreign Minister
Philippe Douste-Blazy said Europe's total contribution would be
between 6,500 and 7,000 troops. The peacekeeping force is authorised
by a UN ceasefire resolution ending a month-long conflict between
Israel and Hezbollah militants.
Merkel, Chirac call for blockade lift
France and Germany have called on Israel to lift its air and sea
blockade on Lebanon. At a joint news conference with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Jacques Chirac called the
blockade "quite unjustified", and said it was damaging the Lebanese
economy. Chirac also said that sending 15,000 UN peacekeepers to
Lebanon would be excessive. Chirac did not however say how large the
force should be.
Guantanamo prisoner "tortured"
The lawyer for a German-born Turkish man who was held at the
Guantamo Bay prison camp for more than four years says his client
was tortured during his incarceration. Speaking at a news conference
in the northern German city of Bremen, Bernhard Docke said Murat
Kurnaz had been kept under permanent neon light during his
imprisonment. The 24-year-old was arrested in Pakistan following the
September 11th attacks in 2001. Kurnaz was released on Thursday
after being flown to the US air base at Ramstein in south-western
Germany. He was imprisoned for allegedly having fought for the al
Qaeda terror network. His release was the result of long
negotiations between German and US authorities.
Suspects arrested in German bomb probe
German police have arrested another suspect in connection with a
failed plot to blow up two passenger trains last month. The Federal
Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe said the suspect was arrested in
the southern city of Konstanz. Lebanese authorities have also
arrested a new suspect involved in the plot. This brings the number
of suspects in custody to four -- two in Germany and two in Lebanon.
No formal charges have been filed. German investigators are in
Lebanon, where they are working together with their Lebanese
counterparts in questioning a suspect in connection with the plot.
The 20-year-old man had turned himself in to authorities in the
Lebanese city of Tripoli on Thursday. Make-shift bombs were planted
on trains in Dortmund and Koblenz on July 31. Both failed to
detonate.
German Muslims condemn train attacks
The sixteen largest Muslim organisations in Germany have vehemently
condemned the failed bomb attacks on two passenger trains on July
31. In a joint statement, they said the attacks could not be
justified under Islam and that terrorism was a threat to and a crime
against the whole of humanity. The statement went on to say that
German Muslims were doubly affected, both as potential victims and
because many people saw them as being partly to blame. The
organisations also appealed to politicians not to cut civil
liberties.
Aid ship arrives in Jaffna
An aid ship has arrived in northern Sri Lanka for the first time
since the Jaffna peninsula came under siege two weeks ago. The
supplies it is carrying are destined for the 350,000 civilians
trapped by fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger
rebels. The fighting has created a humanitarian crisis in Jaffna,
with food and fuel in short supply. A month of clashes has displaced
tens of thousands of people across the coungry. Another Red Cross
ship is on its way to evacuate 150 foreigners trapped in the area.
On Thursday evening there were fresh clashes between Tamil Tiger
rebels and the army. The defence ministry says five rebels were
killed.
Thaksin accuses officers of plot
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand has accused a small
group of military officers of plotting to kill him. Police arrested
an army officer shortly after finding a bomb near the prime
minister's Bangkok home. He has been charged with illegal possession
of explosives. The prime minister also sacked the deputy chief of
the security agency. The bomb was found as campaigning officially
began for general elections set for October 15. These are the second
national polls this year. Some of the prime minister's critics have
suggested that the prime minister may have staged the incident for
political gain.
South Korea says North has atomic bombs
South Korea says it is sure North Korea possesses one or two atomic
bombs. Defence Minister Yoon Kwang-ing however said there was not
enough evidence to conclude that the North was about to conduct its
first nuclear weapons test. Seoul has up to now only said that the
North had the capability to build nuclear weapons. North Korea
declared in early 2005 that it had nuclear weapons. US and Japanese
news reports have said the North may be preparing to conduct an
underground nuclear test.
Egypt moves Ramses statue
Egyptian engineers have moved the giant statue of Pharaoh Ramses II
from a square in the middle of Cairo to a spot near the Great
Pyramids. The move has been undertaken in a bid to save the over
3,000-year-old statue from heavy pollution that was causing it to
deteriorate. The 11-metre-high statue originally stood in a temple
at the site of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. It was moved
to Ramses Square in 1954. Now the statue will stand at a new
location near the site of the future Grand Egyptian Museum.
ASEAN and US sign trade deal
The United States and 10 Southeast Asian nations have signed a trade
and investment agreement that opens the door to possible free-trade
talks. The pact, which was signed in the Malaysian capital Kuala
Lumpur, could make it easier for the US to export to the 10
Association of South East Asian Nations, or (ASEAN), member nations.
The United States is also the biggest buyer of ASEAN goods and the
region's largest foreign direct investor. The framework agreement
seeks to lower non-tariff barriers to trade and investment. It is a
necessary first step before both sides begin free-trade
negotiations. Trade between ASEAN countries and the US increased by
12 percent last year to $152 billion.
Apple recalls 1.8 million laptop batteries
The Apple computer company has said it will voluntarily recall
nearly 1.8 million laptop computer batteries. The company said the
batteries pose a fire hazard and could cause the laptops to burst
into flames. The recall centers around Sony-made lithium-ion
batteries sold with some iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 computers. The
company said the recall did not involve any of Apple's new laptops
powered by Intel computer chips. The recall is the second-biggest in
US history involving electronics or computers. Last week, the Dell
corporation recalled 4.1 million lithium-ion batteries, also made by
Sony.
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