DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
26. 04. 2006 16:00 Uhr UTC
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On April 26, 1986, the meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl
power plant in the Soviet Union shocked the world and reminded people
of the potential dangers of nuclear energy. Twenty years later,
DW-WORLD.DE looks back at the catastrophe with a special section that
includes flash-animated graphics, interviews and background analysis.
To find out more, please go to http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hlbp0Ifcha79I0&req=l%3D1hlbozIfcha79I0
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
East, West Germany Dealt Differently With Chernobyl
Following the reactor meltdown in Chernobyl, information didn't flow
-- it trickled. While media coverage in the West was quick to depict
the "worst case scenario," the media in East Germany downplayed
the "incident."
To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the
internet address below:
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hlbp0Ifcha79I1&req=l%3D1hlbozIfcha79I1
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Fresh bomb attacks in north Sinai
Two suicide bombers have carried out attacks on police and foreign
peacekeepers in Egypt's north Sinai, but claimed no casualties. The
two attacks took place near the headquarters of the Multinational
Force and Observers group, an international peacekeeping force. They
come two days after a triple bomb attack in the Sinai Red Sea resort
of Dahab killed 23 people and wounded dozens more. Four foreigners
were killed, including a 10-year-old German boy. Egyptian police
have detained at least 10 people in connection with the Dahab
bombing. All are said to be Egyptian nationals. The attack was the
third strike against tourist resorts along the Egyptian Red Sea
Coast in the last 18 months.
Villagers "flee" Sri Lanka raids
Tamil Tiger rebels say thousands of villagers in north-eastern Sri
Lanka are fleeing for their lives following a second day of military
strikes on rebel-held areas. The strikes are a response to Tamil
Tiger attacks on Sri Lankan naval vessels and Tuesday's deadly
suicide attack on army headquarters in the capital, Colombo, in
which at least eight died. A Tamil Tiger political leader said at
least 15 people had died in shelling since the strikes began on
Tuesday. The army says at least three civilians were killed and 13
wounded when rebels fired mortars into government-held areas in
Trincomalee district. Rebels deny having carried out the attack.
Ukraine marks 20 years since Chernobyl
Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko has laid two red carnations at
the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as the country commemorates the
20th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster. The
explosion of Chernobyl's Reactor No. 4 on April 26, 1986, spewed
clouds of radiation over large swathes of the then Soviet Union and
Europe. Hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated from the
area. Official UN figures predicted up to 9,000 Chernobyl-related
cancer deaths. But a Greenpeace report released last week gave an
estimated figure of 93,000. The reactor is now covered in concrete,
but will remain radioactive for centuries.
Iran will harm US interests: Khamenei
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a stark
warning that his country would harm US interests around the world if
Washington launches an attack on Iran. This comes after President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed that Iran would ignore any UN Security
Council demands to halt its disputed nuclear programme and would
freeze ties with the UN nuclear watchdog if it is subjected to
international sanctions. The Security Council has set this Friday as
a deadline for Iran to freeze its programme of uranium enrichment.
The US is trying to rally support from the Security Council for
tougher action against Iran, a move currently being resisted by
Russia and China.
Nepal's rebels end blockade
Maoist rebels in Nepal have ended their blockade of the capital
Kathmandu after the incoming Prime Minister G.P. Koirala gave
assurances that a new constitution would be put in place following
elections. This comes after King Gyanendra reinstated parliament
following weeks of violent street protests. Hundreds of thousands of
people held a victory rally in Kathmandu on Tuesday near the king's
royal palace, calling on him to abdicate and leave the country. In a
separate incident, soldiers have reportedly shot dead six people
after firing on protesting villagers outside an army camp in eastern
Nepal. The demonstrators were protesting at the death of a woman
killed by troops on Tuesday evening. Local media reported that
villagers believed she had been raped and killed by soldiers.
Rice, Rumsfeld in Iraq for talks
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld have both made unscheduled trips to Baghdad for talks with
Iraq's prime minister-nominee Jawad al-Maliki. Both intended to
stress to al-Maliki the need to form a cabinet that reflected the
needs of the country's three main factions, Shiites, Sunnis and
Kurds. Rice and Rumsfeld also held talks with Iraq's president,
Jalal Talabani. Disagreement over the prime minister's post had held
up the formation of a government for four months after elections in
December.
Over 1,000 CIA flights over Europe: report
Initial findings by an inquiry by the European Parliament into
secret CIA flights over Europe show that at least 1,000 undeclared
flights passed over Europe with many EU governments reportedly aware
of what was going on. The preliminary report shows that many of the
flights carried terror suspects who were flown to other countries
for questioning and torture. The European Parliament investigation
is running in parallel with a probe by the European Council.
Putin, Merkel hold first round of talks
Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin have kicked
off a two-day German-Russian meeting with a first round of talks in
the Siberian city of Tomsk. They're due to discuss a wide range of
issues, including the nuclear standoff with Iran. Bilateral trade
and business-related issues are also on the agenda. A major business
deal is to be signed on Thursday which would see the world's largest
chemical firm, Germany's BASF, take a 35-percent stake in the
development of a natural gas field in Siberia.
UN approves EU Congo force
The United Nations Security Council has authorised the deployment of
a European Union military force to be stationed in and around the
Democratic Republic of Congo from June. Some 1,500 soldiers from 10
countries, under German leadership, will be on hand to safeguard the
country's first democratic elections in more than four decades. The
decision to include 500 German troops still requires approval by the
German parliament. There are already some 17,000 UN peacekeepers in
Congo.
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