DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
18. 10. 2006 16:00 Uhr UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Germany Puts Global Warming Prevention Plan in Gear
German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned of the
unexpectedly fast pace of global warming and said the country needs
to follow a unified plan to protect itself from increasing
environment change.
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Rice arrives in Tokyo for N. Korea talks
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said the United States is
ready to stand by its defence commitments to Japan in light of the
threat from North Korea. Rice was speaking in Tokyo at the start of
an Asian tour to discuss the implementation of UN sanctions against
North Korea. Her trip will also take her to Seoul, Beijing and
Moscow. It comes as concerns grow that Pyongyang may be preparing a
second nuclear weapons test. Rice is expected to put pressure on
North Korea's neighbours to enforce the sanctions imposed on
Pyongyang after its October 9 nuclear test. In particular, her plan
would involve the inspection and monitoring of cargo leaving or
entering North Korea by sea, land and air. On Tuesday, North Korea
called the UN sanctions imposed on it "a declaration of war."
Atom disputes threat to peace: Steinmeier
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has described North
Korea's recent atom test and the dispute with Iran over its nuclear
activities as the greatest threats to world peace. Steinmeier said
said both standoffs endangered the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
because they could prompt neighbouring countries to seek to arm
themselves with nuclear weapons. In an interview with the magazine
"Stern", Steinmeier also urged North Korea to return to six-party
talks. He said he knew of no-one who intended to settle that
conflict militarily.
No evidence that German troops abused detainee in Afghanistan
A parliamentary committee investigating a claim that German soldiers
abused a detainee at a US base in Afghanistan has found no evidence
of any wrongdoing. Murat Kurnaz, a Turkish national with German
residency, was released in August from the US military prison in
Guantanamo Bay. A Defence spokesman in Berlin confirmed that there
had been contact in Afghanistan between Kurnaz, who was suspected of
fighting with the Taliban, and Bundeswehr soldiers. Kurnaz made the
torture allegations earlier this month. Defense Ministry officials
had questioned 61 soldiers who were stationed near the southern
Afghan city of Kandahar in early 2002 about the claim.
Rebel raid on Sri Lanka navy base kills 16
Sri Lanka's military says at least 16 people have died in a
suspected Tamil Tiger attack on a naval base in the southern tourist
resort of Galle. It said one navy sailor was killed along with 15
attackers. The defence ministry said the attack was carried out by
boats disguised as fishing boats. It is the first such attack on a
military base in the south of the country. A curfew has been imposed
on the town to deter rioters. The attack in Galle comes two days
after nearly 100 people, mostly sailors, were killed in a suicide
bombing in the northeast. Peace talks between rebels and Sri Lanka's
government are due in Geneva late this month.
Israeli PM discusses international flashpoints with Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert have been holding talks in Moscow on the Middle East peace
process and the dispute over Iran and North Korea's nuclear
programmes. Israel rejects Tehran's claims that its nuclear
programme is intended to develop energy, not arms. Olmert told Putin
that Russia should help resolve the dispute. Another issue was
Russia's arms shipments to Iran and Syria. Israel had complained
that Russian-made weapons were used by the Hezbollah militia during
the war in southern Lebanon, probably supplied by those two
countries.
Israeli forces deploy to border crossing
Israeli soldiers have taken up positions on the border between Egypt
and Gaza for the first time since Israel withdrew from Gaza last
summer. Security officials said at least two Hamas militants were
killed when Israeli infantry and tanks entered the border town of
Rafah before dawn Wednesday. The Israeli military said the move was
part of an ongoing operation to uncover tunnels used by Palestinian
militants to smuggle weapons in from Egypt. Palestinian officials
said Israeli troops carried out house-to-house searches and used
bulldozers to level agricultural land near the border
Floods hit Crete and Aegean islands
Greece has declared a state of emergency across two Aegean islands
and northwestern Crete after overnight flooding. Emergency crews
have been draining water from dozens of buildings across the tourist
region and rescuing people trapped in cars. A storm front swept in
on Tuesday, disrupting ship traffic. Many scheduled sailings from
Athens to the islands remain cancelled. -- In Germany, Environment
Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned on Tuesday that climate warming will
bring severe changes and said German society must prepare for them.
Bush clears way for new anti-terror law
US President George W. Bush has signed into law controversial
legislation to permit tough CIA interrogations of terror suspects
and their trial before military tribunals. Bush said the bill was
vital to prevent new attacks on the US. It will make quick trials of
terror suspects possible, including those at the US base at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Critics and legal experts, however, have
predicted that the law could be struck down.
EU warns Spain over Endesa deal
European Union regulators told Spain on Wednesday that they would
take the nation to court unless it removed roadblocks to German
energy giant E.On's bid for Spanish utility company Endesa. The
European Commission said Spain had so far done nothing to remove
obstacles blocking the 37 billion euro deal. It gave Madrid five
working days to reply before the EU would step up legal action that
could include a suit before the European Court of Justice.
UN deadlock continues
Venezuela is refusing to abandon its bid for Latin America's seat on
the UN Security Council. After two days and 22 rounds of voting,
Venezuela has not yet won a single round against Guatemala, but that
Central American country has failed to garner the necessary
two-thirds majority. The UN General Assembly will take a day off
from voting on Wednesday before restarting on Thursday.
Peron reburied in Argentina
The body of former Argentine president Juan Peron has been buried
for the third time since his death in 1974. The remains of Peron
were interred in a mausoleum built at his country home in San
Vicente, about 52 kilometres south of the capital, Buenos Aires. The
mausoleum was built by unions and leaders of the Peronist party. The
ceremony was marred by violence between rival union groups. Local
media say 40 people were wounded. President Nestor Kirchner canceled
an appearance after the fighting flared. Peron served as president
three times and was a hero to many working-class Argentines.
Abkhazia asks Russia to recognise its independence
The parliament of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia has made a
first official request for Russia to recognise its independence.
Abkhazia broke away from Georgia after a war in 1992-93, but so far
no nation has recognised it. Georgia, currently in a crisis with
Russia, accuses Moscow of backing Abkhaz separatists. Russian
officials have said that if the Serbian province of Kosovo is
granted independence, similar requests from Abkhazia and other
separatist regions could get stronger legitimacy.
NATO airstrike kills 8 Afghan civilians
A NATO airstrike in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province have
killed at least eight civilians and wounded nine others. Provincial
Governor Asadullah Khalid said the deaths were caused by NATO bombs
that hit three homes in Zhari district. NATO said it regretted any
civilian casualties and that it makes "every effort" to minimise the
risk of collateral damage during operations.
Germany slams Icelandic whaling plans
The German government has criticised Iceland's decision to resume
commercial whaling. A spokeswoman for German Agriculture Minister
Horst Seehofer labelled the move as 'totally unacceptable', and
appealed to Reykjavik to adhere to the ban on commercial whaling to
allow stocks to replenish. But Iceland's Fisheries Minister said
whale numbers were sufficient to allow 30 minke whales and nine fin
whales to be killed for their meat by August 2007. That's in
addition to an ongoing scientific programme to catch 200 minke
whales a year.
Abbas proposes technocrat cabinet
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has proposed that technocrats
form an interim Palestinian cabinet after failed attempts to form a
national unity government. But the ruling Hamas movement says a
broad-based coalition is still the best option. Abbas's Fatah
movement and Hamas have argued for months, with Hamas refusing to
recognise Israel as demanded by Western nations which have imposed
crippling sanctions. Abbas said a cabinet of professionals instead
of politicians should be considered seriously. Overnight, Israeli
troops backed by tanks pushed deep into the northern Gaza Strip.
Residents say a Hamas militiaman and a civilian were killed. Israel
has intensified operations to try to recover a soldier kidnapped
four months ago.
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Need a good laugh? Then check out DW-WORLD.DE'S From the Fringe
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