DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News 23.12.06, 17:00 Uhr UTC
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Need a good laugh? Then check out DW-WORLD.DE'S From the Fringe Special, which regularly brings you quirky stories from and about Germany. To find out more, go to http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evu50oIfcha79I0&req=l%3Devu50dIfcha79I0 '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: UN Slaps Nuclear-related Sanctions on Iran The Security Council on Saturday slapped the first ever UN sanctions on Iran, targeting its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in response to its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work. ยป To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evu50oIfcha79I1&req=l%3Devu50dIfcha79I1 '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' UN unanimous on sanctions for Iran In New York, the UN Security Council has unanimously agreed to a resolution that would impose sanctions against Iran for its nuclear programme. It has taken the Council two months of tough negotiations to formulate the wording of the resolution with Russia and China initially resisting the imposition of sanctions. Resolution 1737 forbids the sale and supply of nuclear-related materials to Iran. Also, certain named individuals will have travel restrictions imposed upon them. Iran has always maintained that its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes. Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan US military sources in Afghanistan say that a top Taliban military commander, described as a close associate of Osama bin Laden, was killed in an airstrike earlier this week. Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani was killed on Tuesday by a US airstrike while travelling by vehicle in a deserted area in the southern province of Helmand. Two associates also were killed in the attack. Osmani is the highest-ranking Taliban leader that the coalition has claimed to have killed or captured since US forces invaded Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesman, however, denied the claim and asserted that Osmani is still alive. 6 die as Iraqi police clash with militia Six people have been killed and 15 wounded in clashes between Iraqi police and militiamen loyal to Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr in the southern city of Samawa on Friday. The fighting continued throughout Saturday with gunbattles and insurgent mortar attacks. This latest unrest began when Iraqi authorities objected to the militiamen taking weapons to Friday prayers. The US blames Sadr and his militia for much of the sectarian violence that has engulfed Iraq. 9 killed in UN operation in Haiti At least 9 people died and 20 were wounded on Friday in a UN peace-keeping operation in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. According to eyewitnesses, armed criminals attacked a patrol being carried out by UN troops and local police. After the clashes, hundreds of residents demanded an end to the violence and withdrawal of the 8,000-strong UN contingent. The UN stabilisation forces are policing the democratisation process in Haiti, which has been rocked by unrest for decades. Armed gangs regularly patrol the capital demanding that ex-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, ousted from office in 2004, be returned to power. Violence continues in Gaza between rivals Masked gunmen in Gaza have shot and critically wounded a senior security officer loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the latest escalation of violence between political rivals Fatah and Hamas. Two other people including a seven-year-old girl were wounded when the gunmen opened fire in the Rafah refugee camp near the border between Gaza and Egypt. Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that a meeting will take place between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert within the next few hours. Sri Lankan aid depends on peace moves In an interview to be published by Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper on Sunday, German Development Minister, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, says that the international community should make further assistance to Sri Lanka dependent on the resumption of the peace process in the country. The interview is to be published to mark the second anniversary of the devastating tsunami which killed 230,000 people and hit 12 nations bordering the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka was one of hardest hit by the catastrophe. Wieczorek-Zeul said that as result of the renewed civil war Germany would redirect 19 million euros which had been intended for Sri Lanka to the Indonesian province of Aceh. Fighting in Somalia may spread Somalia's Islamic militants have called on foreign Muslim fighters to join their holy war against Ethiopian troops. The Islamic forces have declared they want to bring the country under Quranic rule and vowed to drive out troops from neighbouring Ethiopia. Ethiopia denies its forces are fighting, saying it has sent only military trainers. Hundreds have died in the fighting which broke out on Tuesday. It is feared the clashes might spill over to create a major conflict in the Horn of Africa with Ethiopia using Somalia as a proxy war against its rival, Eritrea. Turkmenistan prepares to bury dictator Turkmenistan has introduced special measures in the run-up to Sunday's burial of dictator Saparmurat Niyazov. Children are to be banned from playing outside and market traders must wear hats or veils and have been forbidden to laugh or talk too loudly. Niyazov, who died of a heart attack on Thursday, ruled the gas-rich Central Asian nation for more than two decades. He declared himself president-for-life, and crushed all opposition ruthlessly. As he has not named a successor, observers say that the country is facing a power struggle. Thousands displaced by floods Nearly 100,000 people in Malaysia have been displaced because of the country's heaviest monsoonal rains in a century. Six people have died in the floodwaters. The crisis has prompted food shortages, looting and criticism of the government's handling of the situation. Heavy rain in neighbouring Indonesia has also driven thousands of people from their homes and at least six people have been killed in the floods there. Castro absent from National Assembly The ailing leader of Cuba Fidel Castro has missed the Cuban National Assembly's year-end session, in a sign that his nearly half a century as Cuba's ruler may be over. The seat usually occupied by the 80-year-old in Havana's convention centre was empty at the meeting, which was led by his brother Raul Castro and other members of the island's Communist Party leadership. Castro has not been seen in public since late July. Bono to be given knighthood Irish rock star and anti-poverty campaigner Bono is to be made an honorary British knight by Queen Elizabeth II. The 46-year-old singer from U2 is to receive the honour for his humanitarian work. The award is conferred by the Queen on the advice of the British government. German astronaut back on Earth German President Horst Koehler has formally congratulated the German astronaut Thomas Reiter after his return to earth following a lengthy stay aboard the International Space Station ISS. Reiter landed late on Friday night at Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the US space shuttle Discovery after spending 172 days aboard the ISS on a mission for the European Space Agency ESA. During his stay, Reiter carried out 33 European experiments and a spacewalk. '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Need a good laugh? Then check out DW-WORLD.DE'S From the Fringe Special, which regularly brings you quirky stories from and about Germany. To find out more, go to http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evu50oIfcha79I2&req=l%3Devu50dIfcha79I2 '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' For more information please turn to our internet website at http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evu50oIfcha79I3&req=l%3Devu50dIfcha79I3 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. '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' You can cancel our newsletter at: http://newsletter.dw-world.de/public/unsubscribe.jsp?gid=90003210&uid=927954 405&mid=900000744&sig=DLBPNOCICNMPFELI Copyright Deutsche Welle 2006 Serbian News Network - SNN [email protected] http://www.antic.org/
