Deutsche Welle
English Service News
18. 07. 2005, 17:00 UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
G4, AU Still at a Stalemate Over UN Reforms
Brazil, Germany, India and Japan reached no compromise with the
African Union (AU) Sunday, but agreed to press on with negotiations
to overcome remaining differences over the proposed reforms of the
UN Security Council.
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internet address below:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1651753,00.html
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Court blocks German's extradition
Germany's highest court has ordered the release of a suspected al
Qaeda operative. The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe upheld the
argument of Syrian-German businessman Mamoun Darkazanli that his
extradition to face charges in another country would violate
Germany's Basic Law. It said the European arrest warrant under which
Darkazanli was arrested in Hamburg last year, provided insufficient
legal protections to German citizens. Spanish authorities want to
put him on trial on terrorism charges. EU arrest warrants are meant
to improve co-operation in prosecuting suspected terrorists. The
court ruling said EU warrants could only be implemented with a new
German law that would allow German judges to review all extradition
orders.
Mass rally of Gaza pullout opponents
More than 20,000 opponents of Israel's planned withdrawal from the
Gaza Strip are holding a mass rally in the south of the country.
The swelling crowd is matched by about 20,000 soldiers and police
seeking to contain the protest, which the authorities say is
illegal. The march in Netivot in southern Israel comes as thousands
of Israeli troops remain poised for a possible ground assault in the
Gaza Strip to end Palestinian rocket attacks, following a recent
upsurge in violence.
Iraq poised for oil deal with Iran
Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has said that
construction would begin soon on an oil pipeline between Iran and
Iraq. The announcement came as Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari
wrapped up a landmark visit to Tehran. The Iranian News Agency
reported that the pipeline, which is being built under an agreement
signed ten months ago, should be operational by the middle of next
year. It will link oil fields in Basra in southern Iraq to a
refinery in Abadan in Iran. It will carry 150,000 barrels a day to
the refinery and receive in return 50 million liters of oil products
including gasoline and kerosene.
Straw denies Iraq war put UK at risk
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has dismissed suggestions that
Britain's involvement in the Iraq war had made it more vulnerable to
terror attacks. Straw rejected a claim by the respected foreign
affairs think-tank Chatham House that linked the July 7 London
bombings to the UK's support of the United States-led invasion of
Iraq in 2003. Chatham House concluded in a report that the war in
Iraq gave what it called a "boost" to Al-Qaeda and made Britain
especially vulnerable to suicide attacks.
EU foreign ministers talk terrorism
Foreign ministers of the European Union countries are discussing in
Brussels how better to counter international terrorism. Actions
already decided by justice and interior ministers are expected to be
approved. Other topics are the nuclear talks with Iran, the
situation in the Middle East and the planned talks with Turkey on
its membership. A poll just released by the EU found that only 35
per cent of EU citizens support plans to bring Turkey into the
Union. The poll also showed lukewarm support for Romania and
Bulgaria who are due to join the EU in 2007.
Singh, Bush discuss deepening ties
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has held talks at the White
House with US President George W. Bush. The two leaders discussed
expanding trade relations and battling terrorism. Bush said the
meeting reflected what he called "the growing bonds of cooperation"
between the US and India. Singh was welcomed in a formal ceremony at
the start of three-day state visit. On Tuesday, Singh will address a
joint session of the US Congress, something only a handful of
foreign leaders have done since Bush took office in January 2001.
Forest fire kills 11 Spanish firefighters
Eleven Spanish firefighters are dead after being trapped in a giant
forest fire in central Spain. The massive blaze was apparently
started on Saturday by an improperly extinguished barbecue. Fuelled
by strong winds, it swept through the drought-stricken province of
Guadalajara, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from
several villages and a resort. Firefighters ae continuing to battle
the blaze for the third day in a row. Officials say more than 8,000
hectares of very dry pine forest have gone up in smoke.
Hurricane Emily hits Mexico's coast
Hurricane Emily has slammed into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula,
bringing winds of up to 215 kilometres an hour. Thousands of
tourists in the popular resorts of Cancun, Playa de Carmen and
Cozumel fled their hotels to spend the night in improvised shelters.
No deaths or major damage were immediately reported from the storm's
landfall. Emily earlier was blamed for four deaths in Jamaica, and
two helicopter pilots were killed Sunday while attempting to
evacuate an oil rig off the Mexican coast in high winds.
Typhoon forces China evacuations
China has evacuated more than 600,000 people from coastal areas as
it awaits the arrival of typhoon Haitang. The full force of the
storm was felt by Taiwan earlier on Monday after it made landfall
just south of Taipei, the island's capital. The torrential rain
brought down power lines on the island leaving tens of thousands of
homes without electricity. If the typhoon stays on its present
course, weather officials say it will hit China's southeastern coast
on Tuesday afternoon.
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