Deutsche Welle English Service News 02. 03. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD's "Click Back" monthly review quiz for March is waiting for you and will test your knowledge of stories we've written. If you answer all questions correctly, you can also win a great prize. To play, please go to: http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Sprinting Towards the Elusive Degree Studying for university while at school? A business institute in Heidelberg offers a fast-track model considering Germans are, internationally speaking, too old by the time they wrap up their studies. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1505487,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- At least 13 killed in Baghdad attacks In the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, gunmen have shot dead a judge on the special tribunal set up to try former President Saddam Hussein and other members of his regime. Police said the judge and his son were gunned down as they left their home. This was the first time that a member of the tribunal has been killed, and it comes a day after five former members of Saddam's regime were referred to trial for crimes against humanity. Also in Baghdad, two separate car bombings have killed at least 13 Iraqi soldiers and injured dozens of others. A group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for the bombings. Syria considering troop withdrawal Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says he may withdraw the 14,000 soldiers his country has in Lebanon in the next few months. He made the statement in an interview with Time magazine. The main Lebanese opposition movement is demanding that Syria end its political and military dominance of the country. Meanwhile, the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri has held talks with President Emile Lahoud on naming a prime minister-designate. Prime Minister Omar Karami and his government resigned earlier this week, following two weeks of mass public protests. The demonstrations were sparked by the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri last month. Many have blamed the Lebanese government and Syria for Hariri's murder. EU supports viable Palestinian state The European Union has pledged support for the construction of a viable Palestinian state. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said after a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Brussels that the EU would do everything possible to fulfil the Palestinian dream of an independent state. It was Abbas' first official visit to the EU. The meeting came a day after talks in London, where the Palestinian president won global support for reforms to his administration. In return Abbas promised to renew peace talks with Israel. Schroeder arrives in Yemen German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has arrived in Yemen's capital, Sana'a. That's the latest stop in his week-long visit to the Gulf region. Earlier in the day, the chancellor invited the leaders of Bahrain and Qatar to visit Germany to discuss the possible construction of a new rail link between their two countries. The chancellor told reporters in Bahrain's capital, Manama, that a regional transit link could be a good fit for the German consortium that's developed the Transrapid high-speed magnetic levitation rail system. The group is seeking a contract to construct one of its high-speed lines in the Gulf region. Schroeder is being accompanied on the trip by about 70 German business leaders. German opposition propose pact Germany's coalition government has rejected the offer of a pact with the conservative opposition to fight unemployment. The leaders of the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union outlined a 10-point plan to reduce unemployment in a letter to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Among the ideas were a reduction in unemployment insurance premiums and allowing short-term jobs at below standard minimum wage rates. Schroeder's Social Democrats, and their junior coalition partners, the Greens have rejected the proposal. But a government spokesperson said the chancellor welcomed the opposition's willingness to co-operate. The number of jobless people in Germany rose to more than 5.2 million last month. That's the highest level since World War II. Iran criticised for nuclear program Germany, France, and Britain have criticised Iran for refusing to stop parts of its nuclear programme that could potentially be used to make weapons. The criticism comes a day after Iran refused to allow United Nations nuclear inspectors to do a follow up visit to the Parchin military facility. The US has accused Iran of doing atomic weapons testing at the complex. The US has also said the UN nuclear watchdog has a "statutory obligation" to refer Iranian nuclear breaches to the UN Security Council for possible economic sanctions. Holocaust denier charged in Germany A German man deported from Canada for denying the Holocaust has been detained by police upon his arrival in Germany. Sixty-five year-old Ernst Zuendel faces charges of inciting racial hatred and for denying that the Nazis killed six million Jews, which is a crime in Germany. German prosecutors issued a warrant for his arrest in 2003, but Zuendel fought deportation from Canada, where he had lived since 1958. Last week when a Canadian Federal Court judge ruled that Zuendel's membership in a white supremacist movement meant the government was justified in seeking to expel him. Tung won't confirm retirement reports Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa has declined to confirm or deny that he plans to resign, saying he will make any announcements at "an appropriate time". Newspapers in Hong Kong splashed Tung's resignation across their front pages, but the Beijing-appointed leader refused to speak about the issue on his arrival in the Chinese capital. The government in Beijing also refused to confirm or deny whether the territory's first post-colonial leader was stepping aside. UN forces kill 50-60 Congo militiamen Senior United Nations sources say UN Pakistani peacekeepers in Congo have killed at least 50 to 60 militiamen. The militia fighters reportedly opened fire on the Pakistani peacekeepers hunting those responsible for attacks on civilians. The clash happened 30 kilometres outside the town of Bunia, the main town in the troubled Ituri region. A UN military source said the casualties were members of the Nationalist and Integrationist Front (FNI) militia. The militia's leader was arrested earlier in connection with last week's killing of nine UN Bangladeshi troops. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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