Deutsche Welle English Service News July 3rd 2005, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Iran the Topic in Baltic Sea Meeting Russian President Putin was meeting Sunday with French President Chirac and German Chancellor Schröder in the Baltic Sea resort of Svetlogorsk, with Iran's nuclear program and security on the agenda. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1637921,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD's "Click Back" monthly review quiz for July 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Egyptian envoy to Iraq kidnapped Egypt's foreign ministry has said it is checking reports that the country's new ambassador to Iraq has been kidnapped. Egyptian diplomats have told news agencies that Ihab al-Sherif was buying a newspaper when two cars full of gunmen pulled up and abducted him. Diplomats and police sources say the kidnapping may have come in response to unconfirmed reports over the past week that al-Sherif was about to become the first full-ranking Arab ambassador to the US-backed Iraqi government. Last July, militants in the country kidnapped an Egyptian diplomat but later freed him. Al Qaeda militant killed in Saudi clash Police in Saudi Arabia have reportedly killed a senior al Qaeda militant. Al Arabiya television has reported that Younis Mohammad Ibrahim al-Hayyari was killed in clashes between Saudi police and wanted suspects in the capital, Riyadh. Al-Hayyari is a Moroccan national whose name is on a newly issued list of al Qaeda suspects that the government believes to be linked to attacks in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman has confirmed that one suspect was killed in the clashes, but he did not identify him. Syrian forces kill militant near Lebanon Syrian forces say they have killed an Arab Muslim militant who was among a group trying to cross the border into Lebanon. The official Syrian news agency SANA said on Sunday that two soldiers were also killed in the clash but did not say when the incident occurred. It said security forces also arrested 34 non-Syrian militants in a raid on a house where they found forged passports and other documents. The United States has accused Damascus of allowing Arab militants to cross its border to Iraq to join an anti-US insurgency there. Syria maintains it is doing its best to control its side of the border. Albanian voters elect new parliament Voting is underway in Albania to elect a new parliament. President Alfred Moisiu has called on voters to ensure that this election meets international standards. That could boost Tirana's hopes of signing a stabilisation and association accord with the European Union. Previous elections held since the fall of communism in Albania in 1991 have been marred by irregularities and allegations of fraud. Recent opinion polls indicate that it could be a dead heat between the governing Socialists and the opposition Democratic Party. The election was to be monitored by about 400 foreign observers. Putin backs Germany's UN bid Russia has said it backs Germany's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. This was confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting he hosted for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac on Sunday. The three leaders also discussed the upcoming G-8 summit in Scotland and the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme. The talks were held in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which is celebrating its 750th anniversary this weekend. For centuries, the city was known by the German name Koenigsberg. After World War II, the Baltic port city became part of the Soviet Union and the city's German-speaking residents were expelled. Left-wing party plots future in Kassel The election campaign here in Germany has begun, even though an election has not been called. President Horst Koehler has a maximum of three weeks to decide whether to call an election. This follows the confidence vote in the Bundestag that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder deliberately lost. A new left-wing party is meeting in Kassel to decide whether to enter an alliance with the Party of Democratic Socialism. That's the successor party to the former East German Communist Party. The new WASG party or Electoral Alternative for Labour and Social Justice was formed over the past year mainly by former Social Democrats who had become disillusioned with Chancellor Schroeder's package of economic reforms. Three explosions rock Kosovo capital Three explosions have rocked the capital of the Serbian province of Kosovo. Police in Pristina said the blasts occurred within minutes of each other and there were no casualties. The first bomb apparently targeted the local headquarters of the United Nations, which has run Kosovo for the past six years. A second bomb went off near the parliament and the third exploded in front of the building housing the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The blasts come amid a UN assessment of whether Serbia is ready to assume more control of the province. Rock stars perform to fight poverty Pope Benedict XVI has called on the leaders of the Group of Eight major industrialised nations to use this week's summit in Scotland to take steps to eradicate poverty in Africa. This comes a day after the biggest names in pop music performed in a series of concerts dubbed "Live Eight" aimed at pressuring the G-8 leaders to do more to combat poverty in Africa. The pop stars performed in 10 major cities around the world in concerts broadcast live on television. The concerts were timed to come just days ahead of the G-8 summit to be hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He has put Africa at the top of the meeting's agenda. Abbas invites militants to join govt Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has invited militant Islamic groups including Hamas to join his government ahead of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Hamas has strong support in Gaza and has demanded that it be given a role in governing the territory after Israel's pullout, which is slated to begin next month. Israel has condemned the idea. Alonso hands Renault home win Formula One title favourite Fernando Alonso has won the French Grand Prix for Renault. It's the 23-year-old Spaniard's fifth victory in 10 races. He led from start to finish with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen finishing second. It's the first home win for Renault in 22 years. Ferrari's seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, who had hoped to become the first driver to win the same grand prix eight times, came third. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Send us your favorite picks for sight-seeing, museum hopping, historical edification whatever youve got to share with others heading to Germany. Restaurants, hotels, back-country hideaways write to us with your insider tips and tell us about what you liked best about traveling in Germany. 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