DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News 19. 09. 2006 16:00 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=1hlvxjIfcha79I0&req=l%3D1hlvxdIfcha79I0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Germany Supports IMF Reforms But Harbors Concerns The IMF and the World Bank decided at their annual conference in Singapore to give four member states more say and increase anti-corruption efforts in developing countries. Germany agrees -- with some reservations. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hlvxjIfcha79I1&req=l%3D1hlvxdIfcha79I1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- After riots - Hungary's PM vows to stay Hungary's Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany has reacted to anti- government riots in Budapest by vowing to stay in office and press ahead with tough economic reforms. On Monday night 2,000 to 3,000 people, including right-wing nationalists, stormed state television and demanded that he quit. More than 150 people were hurt in clashes with police. This followed a leaked audiotape that caught Gyurcsany admitting that his Socialist party had lied about Hungary's budget deficit to win elections last April, partly on a promise of tax cuts. In his reaction Tuesday, he said the reforms, which include raised taxes and planned health charges were "the only direction". Hungary's deficit has soared toward 10 percent of gross domestic product, endangering plans to join the euro single currency in 2010. UN General Assembly opens in New York The 61st General Assembly of the United Nations opens today in New York. Iran's controversial nuclear programme is likely to dominate the proceedings as Tehran faces calls for interanational sanctions. The White House refused Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's offer to debate head to head with US President George W. Bush on the nuclear issue. Bush is expected to call on the UN to "stand up for peace" at the conference of world leaders. Also high on the agenda will be the continuing conflict in Darfur and the Palestinian conflict, following the recent war in Lebanon. UN warns Iraq in danger of civil war UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has again warned that Iraq is in grave danger of being torn apart by a full-scale civil war. Speaking at a meeting of foreign ministers at the United Nations in New York, Annan appealed for a quick and massive international effort to strengthen the embattled government in Baghdad and "bring Iraq back from the brink". The warning came as Iraqi police found the bodies of three people dumped in two separate parts of eastern Baghdad on Tuesday. All three had been blindfolded, shot and bore signs of torture. Also on Tuesday the US military in Iraq said two American soldiers had been killed in separate incidents. More than forty people died on Monday in three separate bomb attacks in Iraq. Sudan favours AU peacekeepers for Darfur Sudan has said that it favoured keeping African Union peacekeepers in Darfur after their mandate expires at the end of the month, as African leaders prepare for a key meeting on the issue in New York on Wednesday. Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has been under pressure to accept UN peacekeepers in war-torn Darfuer when the AU mandate expires. The 7,000 AU troops have failed to stop the violence that has killed an estimated 200,000 people and created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. The UN wants to take control of the mission with 20,000 UN peacekeepers, but Bashir refuses to allow UN troops into Darfur. EU funds to stem migrants from Africa The European Commission has allocated 3.2 million euros to Spain, Italy and Malta to stem the flow of migrants from Africa. The funds will be used for maritime surveillance and especially for reception centres on Spain's Canary Islands. On Tuesday a fishing boat carrying 80 would-be migrants was intercepted off Tenerife in the Canaries. This year a record 25,000 migrants have risked voyages in small boats to reach the islands in bids to enter Europe. The UN refugee agency says asylum applications in 36 industrialised nations fell last year to 135,000, the lowest number since 1987. The main origins were China, Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, and Russia. Bundestag debates Lebanon mission German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged lawmakers to endorse a Bundeswehr mission for UN peacekeeping in Lebanon. Steinmeier told parliament in Berlin that an increasingly united Europe had joined the United States as a potential peacemaker in the Middle East. The Social Democrat politician said Germany could not stand aside. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet has offered to send up to 2,400 service personnel and lead a multinational naval force off Lebanon's coast. German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung has argued for an increase in defence spending to finance the Lebanon mission. Jung said Germany could not continue to take on more foreign military missions while its defence budget is shrinking. Pope calls for 'mutual respect' Pope Benedikt XVI has called for "mutual respect" between religions. With signs that protests in the Muslim world are subsiding following a speech he made last week at German university of Regenburg, the pope's words were part of a message of condolence sent to the superiors of an Italian nun killed on Sunday in Somalia. Meanwhile Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has welcomed the Roman Catholic pontiff's apology, saying Iran respects all those who are for peace and equality. The pope on Sunday said he was 'deeply sorry' that Muslims had taken offence at a speech, in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor as referring to elements of the Muslim faith as 'evil and inhuman'. N. Korea faces Japanese sanctions Japan has passed a new set of financial sanctions against North Korea in response to the communist nation's missile tests in July. The sanctions ban withdrawals of money and overseas remittances by groups and individuals suspected of links to North Korean military programs. Meanwhile, Australia has also announced financial sanctions against a number of companies and one person accused of helping to finance North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Tonga buries King Tupou IV The Pacific island nation of Tonga has buried its king Taufa'ahau Tupou IV at a funeral attended by dignatories from 30 countries. His coffin was carried on a platform by 1,000 pallbearers. The 88-year- old died a week ago in New Zealand after ruling Tonga for 41 years. Funeral guests included numerous ambassadors, Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. The late king is succeeded by his son George Tupou V who faces calls for greater democracy. Last week he pledged to shed his business interests. Death toll from building collapse in Milan now 4 In Italy, firefighters and rescue workers searching through the rubble of a collapsed building in Milan have pulled out the body of a woman, bringing the death toll from the explosion to four. The building collapsed late Monday night, killing two men and a 7-year-old boy. About a dozen people remained hospitalized. On Tuesday, firefighters were clearing the debris from the explosion, which was believed to have been caused by a gas leak. The blast sparked a fire, caused the building in Italy's financial capital to collapse and shook other buildings as far as 400 meters away. Investor confidence in Germany slides A survey released on Tuesday shows that German investor confidence continues to slide, raising concerns about growth in Europe's biggest economy. The latest ZEW index dropped for the eighth consecutive month on worries about higher interest rates, a planned increase in the value-added tax and a possible drop in German exports. Atlantis crew prepares for return to Earth Astronauts on the space shuttle Atlantis are preparing to return to Earth after their 11-day mission to the International Space Station. NASA said tests of the shuttle's flight controls and steering jets turned up no problems, which followed news that Atlantis' heat shield appears fit for the return through Earth's atmosphere. Atlantis was due to land at Kennedy Space Center at 0959 GMT on Wednesday, but forecasters said weather conditions could force a delay. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information please turn to our internet website at http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hlvxjIfcha79I2&req=l%3D1hlvxdIfcha79I2 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The BOBs are back! 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