Deutsche Welle English Service News 30. 05. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- We'd like to introduce you to our latest newsletter: "Germany Light" give you a weekly look at Germany's cultural, peculiar and sometimes odd happenings. To sign up for regular dose of fun and entertainment, please go to our Newsletter section at http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1170241,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Merkel Chosen as Chancellor Candidate Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany's opposition Christian Democrats, has officially been chosen as the conservative challenger to Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in early elections in the fall. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1599706,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Barroso: No new debate on EU treaty The head of the EU's executive commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has said no new debate will be started on the proposed EU constitution after France officially rejected it. Barroso said governments of the other 24 EU member states had given no signal they wanted to re-open discussions on the treaty. His statements followed France's rejection of the constitution in a referendum on Sunday. Around 55 percent of the French voted against the constitution, technically putting an end to it. But European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the ratification process would continue. Nine other countries - including Germany - have approved the treaty but it can only come into force if all 25 EU member countries formally ratify it. 4 dead in Mosque suicide bombing At least four people have been killed and several injured after a explosion at a Shiite Muslim mosque in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The blast happened as worshippers attended evening prayers at the Madinat-ul-Ilm mosque in Gulshan, a busy neighbourhood in the southern port city. The apparent suicide bombing comes three days after a deadly suicide bomb at an Islamic shrine in the capital Islamabad killed 19 people and wounded nearly 100 others. Blast aimed at NATO wounds 7 A bomb attached to a bicycle has exploded in the Afghan capital Kabul, wounding at least seven people. Afghan police said the attack had targeted a NATO vehicle carrying peacekeeping soldiers, but none of the troops were reported injured. Police said the bomb was attached to a parked bicycle and appeared to have been detonated by remote control. 1000 German tourists stuck in Antalya Around 1000 German tourists are stranded in Turkey due to the financial difficulties of their travel operator, Interflug. German consular officials said many of the tourists had spent a second night in Antalya's airport, waiting for news of possible flights home. Because of Interflug's financial problems, there are no scheduled flights to bring the vacationers back to Germany. Afghan women still oppressed, Amnesty The human rights organisation Amnesty International says that women in Afghanistan still live in danger of being kidnapped, raped or forced into marriage. In its latest report, Amnesty International also said the current Afghan government wasn't doing enough to protect women, three years after the fall of the oppressive Taliban regime. The organisation called on the Afghan government, under President Hamid Karzai, to reform the justice system in order to better protect the rights of women. Angela Merkel is chancellor candidate Germany's conservative opposition has named Angela Merkel as its candidate for chancellor in a general election later this year, giving her a chance to become the country's first woman leader. Merkel, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), will challenge Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the election which is expected to take place in September. Schroeder called for early elections last week after his Social Democrats suffered another major defeat in a state election. The 50-year-old Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, moved ahead of Schroeder in opinion polls for the first time last week. Iraq to probe arrest of Sunni leader Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has ordered an investigation into the detention of a leading Sunni politician. Jaafari said he believed the arrest was made by mistake. US soldiers detained Mohsen Abdul-Hamid, the head of the Iraqi Islamic Party, in a raid on his home in Baghdad on Monday. He was later released. Abdul-Hamid is regarded as a moderate and served as a member of the US-appointed governing council after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Germany mature democracy - Katzav Israeli President Moshe Katzav is on a visit to Berlin to mark 40 years of diplomatic ties with post-war Germany. Katzav and German President Horst Koehler announced the creation of a special fund to to foster future contacts between youth, scientists and artists of both countries, in memory of Holocaust victims. Katzav praised Germany, saying it had become a mature democracy whose leaders were determined to tackle a current rise anti-Semitism and extremism. Bombings at Hilla in Iraq kill 20 In Iraq two suicide bombers blew themselves up among crowds of Iraqis outside government offices at Hilla, a town south of Baghdad, killing at least 20 people and wounding over 100 more. One bomber blew himself up among public service recruits waiting for medical checks. The second bomber was among a crowd of former police commandos who had gathered to demand their reintegration into Iraq's new police force. Hariri wins all 19 seats in Beirut In Lebanon, Saad Hariri, the son of slain former premier Rafiq Hariri swept to victory winning all 19 parliamentary seats in the Beirut round of general elections. The elections were the first in three decades with no Syrian troops in the country. Beirut was the first region to go to the polls. Other regions vote over the next three Sundays. Syrian troops withdrew last month, after an occupation lasting 29 years, following a wave of opposition protests blaming Damascus for the murder in February of Rafik Hariri. China lifts textile restrictions In an escalation of trade tensions, China says it has abolished export tariffs on 81 categories of textiles. The move, effective from next Wednesday, follow curbs by the European Union and the United States on imports of cheap Chinese-made textiles and clothes in bids to safeguard European and American manufacturers. Since January, when a decades-old global quota system was abolished, Chinese textile exports have boomed. Last Friday, the EU sought World Trade Organisation intervention. China argues that this undermines free trade ideals promoted by Brussels and Washington. HypoVereinsbank in talks with UniCredito The German HypoVereinsbank, Germany's second largest bank and Italian bank UniCredito Italiano have confirmed they holding merger talks to become one of Europe's largest financial groups. Monday's confirmation follows speculation that two Spanish banks are also interested in acquiring HypoVereinsbank. HypoVereinsbank chalked up losses of several billion euros in the past three years and announced massive job cuts in February. Meanwhile, Germany's largest bank, Deutsche Bank is looking at acquiring Commerzbank, Germany's third largest bank. Commerzbank is also being eyed by several foreign banks including the Royal Bank of Scotland and France's BNP Paribas. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Place your bets on the World Cup qualifiers at DW-WORLD in our multilingual betting game, where you can win attractive prizes. Whether you want to compare your soccer knowledge with fans worldwide as an individual or in a team, this is the right address. 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