Deutsche Welle English Service News 28. 04. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Scientology Wins Court Battle in Germany Saarland's Higher Administrative Court ruled Wednesday that state intelligence services are no longer permitted to monitor the activities of the controversial Scientology organization. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1567596,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraq parliament approves cabinet Iraq's parliament has approved the majority of a list of 36 cabinet ministers proposed by Prime Minister-designate Ibrahim al-Jaafari. It's Iraq's first democratically elected government in more than 50 years. The overwhelming majority of the 275-seat National Assembly gave its backing. However a number of portfolios, including defence and oil, will be filled by acting ministers until final names are put forward. This comes after almost three months of political stalemate following the country's first-ever free elections in January. The cabinet includes representatives from all of Iraq's major religious groups. A number of women have also been named as ministers. Meanwhile in the latest bomb attacks across the country four Iraqis have been killed, including two senior officiers, and seven others injured. Report questions legality of Iraq war A leaked report by Britain's top legal expert has raised questions about the legality of the US-led invasion of Iraq. In his report to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said that a court might conclude that UN Security Council resolutions at the time did not authorise war. The document also stated that a second resolution was the "safest legal course." However Lord Goldsmith's later advice raised no concerns about legality. Opposition parties said the document proved Blair had misled parliament. However Blair on Thursday insisted that he had not deceived the British public. Despite this latest perceived election setback, opinion polls show Blair firmly on course to win a third successive term in the general election on May 5. Putin defends missile sale to Syria On a visit to Israel, Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended Russia's planned sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria. The missiles were only short-range and posed no threat to Israel, Putin said. He added that he had blocked sales of more potent Russian hardware to Middle East countries, including Syria. Israeli President Moshe Katsav, after talks with Putin, said Israel feared that deliveries would reach Hezbollah, a Syrian-backed movement in Lebanon. Putin also defended deliveries of Russian nuclear technology to Iran, saying it was only for electricity generation. Iran denies US accusations of secretly seeking nuclear arms. Senate backs Berlusconi government In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his new government have won a vote of confidence in the Senate. This follows a similar victory in the lower house on Wednesday. It means Berlusconi and his revamped government will stay in power for up to another year. Elections are due next May. Berlusconi was forced to resign last week after a key coalition ally withdrew its support and demanded a policy shift following the government's heavy defeat in regional elections. Spanish parliament ratifies The lower house of Spain's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to ratify the European Union's first-ever constitution. Parliamentarians voted 311 in favour, 19 against, with 20 abstentions. Its approval had been expected after Spaniards voted 77 percent in favour during a referendum in February. The next tests of the EU constitution will be referendums due in France and the Netherlands in about four weeks' time. Surveys show that the French and Dutch are less enthusiastic than Spaniards. To take effect the constitution requires ratification by all 25 EU member nations. Germany faulted by EU court The European Union's top court has found Germany guilty of failing to fully implement an EU directive to fight discrimination. Parties in Germany's parliament are still wrangling over draft legislation, submitted by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government, that should have been in place two years ago. The EU directive bans discrimination in employment, education, social security and housing. EU equal opportunities commissioner Vladimir Spidla has urged Germany to respond rapidly to the ruling. If if does not, the European Court of Justice could impose fines on Berlin. Swiss tunnel project breakthrough The last few meters of the world's third longest tunnel have been blasted clear by miners in Switzerland. The Loetschberg railway tunnel is nearly 35 kilometers long. It's due to open in late 2007 and will shorten rail journeys between Germany and Italy by one hour. Drilling of the tunnel began in 1994, aimed at improving rail links for passengers and freight under the European Alps. Japan ends rescue work in train crash In Japan rescue workers have given up looking for survivers after they retrieved more bodies from the wreckage of a commuter train, which crashed on Monday, bringing the death toll to 106. One of the bodies was confirmed to be that of the train's 23-year-old driver. Investigators estimate the train was travelling at more than 100km per hour when it slammed into an apartment block in the western city of Amagasaki. A data recorder recovered at the crash site confirmed witness reports that the train was travelling above the speed limit as it rounded a bend. About 450 people were also injured in the incident, which is Japan's worst since a train collision killed 161 people near Tokyo in 1963. German jobless fall below 5 million The number of unemployed in Germany has fallen below the crucial level of five million for the first time this year. The Federal Labour Agency said it had registered 4.968 million unemployed in April compared to 5.17 million in March. Despite the monthly drop, there are still 524,000 more people without a job than at the same time last year. The jobless rate now stands at 12 percent down from 12.5 percent. On Wednesday Germany's leading economic institutes revised growth expectations to just 0.7 percent this year and said that it was unlikely that unemployment would remain below five million this year. US says terrorist activity has tripled The US State Department has published its annual report on terrorism for 2004. It said that just over 19,000 people were killed in terrorist attacks last year,- that's three times as many as those who were killed in such incidents in 2003. The Interim Director of the US Counter Terrorism Centre Philip Zelikow said that counting methods had been changed and that this partly accounted for the sharp increase in the number of people killed last year. Zelikow said six countires, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan and Syria, continued to embrace terrorism as an instrument of national policy. The report comes after the State Department was criticised last year when it released the 2003 annual report, which was found to be based on flawed data that indicated the US was winning the war on terror. Sign NPT, Annan urges India United Nations chief Kofi Annan has urged India to sign the 1970 international non-proliferation treaty that bans nuclear testing. India, a non-signatory, briefly tested devices in 1998, closely followed by Pakistan. Visiting New Delhi, Annan said he hoped India would also support a new treaty aimed at halting the spread of fissile nuclear materials. From New Delhi, Annan also called for a return to constitutional rule in Nepal where in February King Gyanendra seized power, citing insurgency by Maoist rebels. Annan said he had contacted the king, urging him to allow political parties to resume their activities. On Wednesday, Nepalese police detained ousted premier Sher Bahadur Deuba. On Burma, Annan said he had urged its regime to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Power struggle breaks out in Togo A power struggle has broken out in Togo following last Sunday's presidential election in the West African state. The main opposition candidate Emmanuel Akitani-Bob has declared himself the new president even though official results show that he lost the election. The election commission has declared Faure Gnassingbe, who leads the ruling party, as Togo's new leader. Faure is the son of the late Gnassingbe Eyadema who ruled the country for the last 40 years. Hospital sources say at least 22 people have died and 100 others injured in clashes between security forces and angry youths since the result was announced. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS has called on all parties to end the violence and form a coalition government. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information please turn to our internet website at http://dw-world.de/english 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. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BalkanNews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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