Deutsche Welle English Service News 26. 03. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Faithful Shaken by Pope's Appearance As the Vatican holds a candle-lit vigil in St Peter's basilica on Saturday, Catholics around the world anxiously await an Easter Sunday blessing from Pope John Paul II and a sign that his condition is improving. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1531087,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In light of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2005, DW-WORLD has put together a special site marking the occasion. Our coverage looks at the effect of World War II on countries around the world and includes interviews with scholars as well as picture galleries. To view the site, please go to http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kyrgyzstan sets June 26 elections In Kyrgyzstan, opposition leader and acting president Kurmanbek Bakiyev has declared his candidacy in new presidential elections scheduled for June 26th. Bakiyev made the announcement at a news conference that was relocated after an apparent assassination threat. After a night of further gunfire and looting, the situation in the capital, Bishkek, appears to be calm. Meanwhile, former president Askar Akayev has reportedly arrived in Russia from Kazakhstan. Akayev fled Kyrgyzstan on Thursday following mass protests against alleged vote rigging in parliamentary elections. In an e-mail, Akayev called the events in his country a putsch, and insisted his absence is only temporary. Mass protest in Taiwan against China In Taiwan, hundreds of thousands of people, including President Chen Shui-bien have taken part in a march protesting against legislation passed in mainland China. China's new anti-seccession law sanctions the use of military force against Taiwan should the island declare formal independence. Taipei police estimated that 240,000 people took part in the march, with organisers claiming up to 1 million participants. Official Chinese sources have dismissed the march as a "political carnival". Deadly epidemic feared in Angola In Angola, four people are reported to have died from the deadly Marburg virus in the last 24 hours. Since October 2004, at least 119 people have been killed by the disease, which bears similarities to the highly-contagious Ebola virus. 30 experts from the World Health Organisation and other groups are now rushing to northern Angola in an effort to prevent a more widespread outbreak of the epidemic, which has no known cure. Lebanon will accept UN inquiry Lebanon's government says it will now accept any international investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. Foreign minister Mahmoud Hamoud made the announcement in Beirut after meeting the ambassadors of three permanent members of the United Nations' Security Council, Britain, China and Russia. A UN report issued on Thursday was sharply critical of the Lebanese security service's investigation into the February 14 assassination. Many Lebanese widely suspect Syrian involvement in Hariri's death. The country's anti-Syrian political opposition has made an international inquiry a precondition for joining any government of national unity. Belarus police disperse protest Police in Belarus have broken up a rally staged by demonstrators calling for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko. There were reports of injuries and 34 arrests as riot police and special forces used truncheons and dogs to disperse the protesters. 300 people took part in Friday's demonstration outside the president's offices in the capital, Minsk. Lukashenko has been widely criticised for suppressing media freedoms and political opponents during his 10 years of rule in the former Soviet republic. WFP calls for donations to North Korea The United Nations' World Food Programme has said that it could soon be forced to curtail its aid to North Korea. According to the organisation's Asia director, its programme to help feed the weakest people in isolationist North Korea faces large cuts unless the United States, Japan, South Korea and European countries increase food donations. Deliveries of cooking oil to 900,000 elderly citizens have already been stopped. Next week's distributions to over a half a million children, pregnant women and nursing mothers are threatened. US defends sale of F-16s to Pakistan The United States' Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has defended President Geoprge W. Bush's decision to sell 24 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. In an interview in the Washington Post, Rice called Pakistan a strategic ally in the fight against terrorism. 15 years ago, the US Congress blocked the transfer of F-16s to Pakistan, citing conerns over the country's nuclear weapon's programme. India has condemned the sale, saying it fears the planes could be used against it in a conflict. 4 times more women died in tsunami The international aid group, Oxfam, has released a report claiming that December's Indian Ocean tsunami killed up to four times as many women as men in some regions. The charity says many women were waiting on beaches for their husbands to return from fishing or were at home looking after children when the tsunami struck. It is thought that the disproportionate number of male to female fatalities could lead to problems for years to come. Meanwhile, the United Nations' High Commission for Refugees has announced it is ending its tsunami relief operation in the Indonesian province of Aceh. The pull-out comes ahead of new government restrictions on foreign aid organisations in the region. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- When the ball gets rolling on the first day of the second half of the Bundesliga season, it’s time to place your bets at DW-WORLD again. Bet, score and win is the name of the game. Compete with soccer fans around the world by predicting who will be up or down, how many goals and how tops the table. Return for each match day and participate in the game individually or as a team with friends and colleagues. Prove your skill at picking the winners, and if you bet correctly, you’ll be awarded with great prizes each time the Bundesliga plays. 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