DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
24. 10. 2006 16:00 Uhr UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
German Minister Calls for Homeland Deployment of Troops
In a move likely to fuel controversy, German Defense Minister
Franz Josef Jung called Tuesday for troops to be deployed on homeland
anti-terror missions if necessary.
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Success in Iraq possible: US ambassador
The United States ambassador to Iraq has assured US voters that
victory can still be achieved in the war-torn country within 12 to
18 months. At a news conference that was briefly plunged into
darkness by one of Baghdad's daily power cuts, Ambassador Zalmay
Khalilzad described the battle to save Iraq from extremists as "the
defining challenge of our era". Khalilzad accused Iran and Syria of
supporting al Qaeda's attempts to tear Iraq apart and prevent the
United States from establishing a stable democracy there.
UN nuclear chief urges talks with N. Korea, Iran
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency has called for dialogue
with North Korea and Iran on their nuclear policies. Speaking in
Washington, Mohammed ElBaradei, the chief of the International
Atomic Energy Agency, also warned that sanctions could encourage a
hardline stance in both countries. He said he was not convinced that
Iran was developing nuclear weapons and believed that an agreement
could be reached with North Korea on its nuclear programme.
Meanwhile China has denied reports that North Korea apologised for
conducting a nuclear test and said Pyongyang was not planning a
second test.
Israeli forces withdraw from southern Gaza
Palestinian gunmen have kidnapped a Spanish photographer working for
the Associated Press news agency in the Gaza Strip. The news agency
said the photographer was getting into a vehicle outside his home in
Gaza City when four gunmen seized him. There has been no immediate
claim of responsibility. Meanwhile the Israeli army has withdrawn
from the south of the Gaza Strip after a week-long operation which
it said destroyed 15 tunnels allegedly used to smuggle arms from
Egypt. An army spokesman said Israeli forces operating in the north
of the coastal strip, however, would continue their mission until
further notice.
Turkish forces kill 3 Kurdish separatists
Turkish forces have killed three members of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK), as clashes continue despite a unilateral
ceasefire launched by the separatists this month. Two Turkish
soldiers were also wounded in the latest incident, which occurred in
the mainly Kurdish Batman province late on Monday. The PKK, which is
considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and
the European Union, has said it will not carry out any attacks as
part of the ceasefire but that it will defend itself if attacked.
Turkish authorities have dismissed the ceasefire as a publicity
stunt. The rebels launched their campaign for an independent
homeland in 1984 and since then Ankara says more than 30,000 people
have been killed. A previous ceasefire was called off in 2004.
128 injured, some 100 detained in Hungary riots
In Budapest, some 100 protestors have been detained and 128 people
injured in clashes between anti-government demonstrators and police
on the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising. Authorities
said Tuesday that riot police were called in to break up demonstrations
and fired rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse protesters.
Nineteen policemen were also injured in the violence. Hungary's
uprising erupted on October 23, 1956 and was crushed by Soviet tanks
on November 4, sealing the country's fate as a satellite state of
Moscow until the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.
UK to cap Bulgarian, Romanian migrants
Romania and Bulgaria have reacted angrily to Britain's announcement
that it would restrict the work rights of migrants from both
countries when they join the European Union in 2007. British Home
Secretary John Reid said that agriculture and food processing were
the only sectors that would remain fully open to unskilled migrants
from both countries. No limits would be imposed on self-employed
people, however. Britain, Ireland and Sweden were the only countries
to fully open up their labour markets to the migrants when eight
Eastern European countries joined the EU in 2004. Since then more
than 500,000 migrants have arrived in Britain, mostly from Poland.
Authorities had expected 15,000 per year at most.
Koehler stops privatisation of air traffic control
German President Horst Koehler has decided not to sign into law
planned government legislation to privatise air traffic control. A
presidential spokesman said that after thorough examination
President Koehler believed that the privatisation plans would breach
the constitution. Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government
wanted to partially privatise air traffic control, which would have
generated revenue of one billion euros.
Designate UN chief marks United Nations Day
UN Secretary-General designate Ban Ki-moon has announced plans to
reform the United Nations to win back trust in the world body. The
South Korean foreign minister, who takes over the UN's top job from
Kofi Annan on January 1, said his first priority would be to win
personal backing for himself as UN Secretary General. His remarks
came in speech marking United Nations Day, established to commemorate
the founding of the UN in 1945. Ban said he would concentrate on
reforms in the UN secretariat, promising greater transparency and
accountability.
Ukraine, Russia agree to compromise gas price: Russia
Ukraine and Russia have reached agreement on a compromise gas price,
opening the way to reduced tensions between the two countries. The
agreement will also ease European concerns about the reliability
of Russian energy supplies. Russian ambassador Viktor Chernomyrdin
told reporters in Kiev that the price of 130 dollars for 1,000 cubic
metres of Russian gas marks a sharp increase on the current 95
dollars that Ukraine pays. However, the increase is considerably
less than a demand for 230 dollars for 1,000 cubic metres that
Russian gas giant Gazprom had sought 10 months ago. Nearly all of
Ukraine's energy imports come via Russia, and 80 percent of Russian
gas supplies to Europe pass through Ukraine.
EU and United States hold climate talks
The United States and the European Union are holding talks in
Helsinki on how to curb greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
The two-day conference will focus on climate change, clean energy
and sustainable development, and will be hosted by Finnish
Environment Minister Jan-Erik Enestam, whose country holds the
rotating presidency of the EU. A government spokesman said the
Helsinki meeting will highlight existing cooperative trans-Atlantic
approaches and explore prospective areas of engagement on these
important issues. Washington's decision in 2001 not to endorse the
Kyoto Protocol has been strongly criticised by EU nations. The US
accounts for a quarter of the world greenhouse emissions.
Nobel laureates urge UN arms trade treaty
Fifteen Nobel Peace Prize laureates have urged UN member states to
back a draft resolution aimed at controlling international arms
sales. The draft comes to a vote Wednesday in the UN General
Assembly's First Committee, which deals with disarmament. The call
is supported by Control Arms campaign, Oxfam International and the
International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). The laureates
include South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the exiled Tibetan
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. A majority of the member states,
including Germany, have announced that they would support the
resolution.
Britons want troops our of Iraq soon
A majority of Britons want their troops to get out of Iraq as
quickly as possible, according to two new polls. An ICM survey
released Tuesday said more than 60% of voters want UK forces to
leave by the end of the year. A second poll, for the newspaper "The
Independent", found that 62% wanted troops withdrawn "as soon as
possible". The ICM research found 45% want them brought home
immediately with another 16% calling for their withdrawal before
next year. It said only 30% of the public backed keeping UK forces
in place for as long as necessary. Britain has 7,200 troops
stationed in Iraq, mainly in the south.
Protesters in French Polynesia dislodged from palace
Security forces in French Polynesian capital have intervened to
force out hundreds of demonstrators who had occupied government
buildings. The forces moved in after protesters demanding lower
living costs seized the presidential palace in Tahiti, assembly
building and economic and social headquarters. A spokesman for the
French Polynesian government called the action an "insurrection".
Earthquake shakes northwest Turkey
An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale struck the Bay of
Gemlik in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday evening. There were no
immediate reports of casualties or damage, but panicked residents
took to the streets of Gemlik town, about 100 kilometers south of
Istanbul, where the quake was also felt.
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