DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News November 8th 2006, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
US Elections Mark New Beginning for Transatlantic Ties The Democratic Party's victory in US midterm elections has been welcomed across the Atlantic. German experts expect this political change to improve bilateral relations, both politically and in terms of public opinion. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hm6thIfcha79I0&req=l%3D1hm6u3Ifcha79I0 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Need a good laugh? Then check out DW-WORLD.DE'S From the Fringe Special, which regularly brings you quirky stories from and about Germany. To find out more, go to http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hm6thIfcha79I1&req=l%3D1hm6u3Ifcha79I1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Republicans defeated in mid-term elections The Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives in the US Congressional midterm elections, dealing President Bush a major setback in the final two years of his presidency. In a first reaction, President George W. Bush said the result was disappointing but urged his opponents to work with him. California Democrat Nancy Pelosi is likely to become the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, the most powerful position in the chamber. The Democrats secured their first election victory since 1994 with gains of around 30 seats. They could also still win a majority in the Senate, where they've already won four seats from President Bush's Republicans -- with the final outcome hingeing on close contests in Montana and Virginia. Germany seeking expanded ties with US Congress The German government has said it wants to expand ties with the US Congress following the victory of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives. Karsten Voigt, the government's coordinator for German-American relations, said the US elections would lead to more pressure from Washington on Europe to bolster its involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that while there were unlikely to be calls for German troops to go to Iraq -- something the Berlin government has ruled out -- pressure would grow on German forces to take a greater combat role in Afghanistan. Germany has about 2,800 troops serving with the 31,000-member NATO-led force in Afghanistan. Hamas vows to attack US targets in the Middle East The ruling Palestinian Hamas movement has called on Arabs and Muslims to attack US targets in the Middle East, in response to Israel's deadly artillery strike in northern Gaza. The announcement was made by the group's military wing -- the al-Qassam Brigades. It's the first time Hamas has called for attacks against US targets. At least 18 Palestinians were killed and 40 injured when three artillery shells struck houses on the eastern outskirts of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun early Wednesday. The Israeli army admitted firing artillery into northern Gaza but said it was far removed from the impact. Both Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council. 45 Sri Lankan civilians die in attack At least 45 Tamils have been killed and 125 wounded in Sri Lanka after government forces attacked a Tamil Tiger rebel-held region in the east of the country. A military spokesman said there has been an exchange of artillery in the area for the last few days between government troops and rebels. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, a group of foreigners overseeing the 2002 truce, is to investigate Wednesday's incident. More than a thousand civilians have been killed in violence so far this year. In a separate attack suspected rebels killed a Sri Lankan security guard at a government post in the northern district of Vavuniya. 35 dead in Pakistan army camp blast At least 35 Pakistani soldiers are dead and numerous others injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up in north-west Pakistan. A military spokesman said the dead were army trainees who were at a recruitment centre, and called the blast a "terrorist act". The explosion happened in the town of Dargai which is said to be a stronghold of a pro-Taliban militant group. EU sets deadline for Turkish reform The European Commission has given Turkey five weeks to open its ports to Cypriot ships, or face unspecified consequences. The warning came in a report criticising the slow pace of political reforms in Turkey since EU entry talks began a year ago. The Commission said it would make recommendations affecting Turkey's membership bid unless Ankara does more to prevent torture, protect freedom of expression, and meet its obligations towards Cyprus by mid-December. Turkey agreed last year to extend its customs union with the EU to include Cyprus, which joined the bloc in 2004, but its ports and airports still remain closed to Cypriot traffic. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was confident talks on EU membership would continue, while Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara was determined to meet all criteria set by Brussels. US reports 14 al-Qaeda members killed The United States army has killed fourteen members of al-Qaeda in two separate raids in Iraq. In one operation near Muqadiya, which lies 100 kilometres north of Baghdad, US troops killed 10 insurgents and also found a kidnapped Iraqi policeman. The US military reported killing four rebels in a suspected al-Qaeda hideout in the western city of Ramadi. In Baghdad, four people died in two attacks. Three died when a shell landed near the Health Ministry. A car bomb killed one man in a northern Baghdad neighbourhood. The attacks came just a few hours after 23 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a Baghdad coffee shop. Peace deal ends conflict in Nepal Nepal's ruling Seven Party Alliance and Maoist rebels have agreed on a pact that would bring the Maoists into an interim government. The parties signed the historic document after 16-hour marathon talks. Under the deal, the rebels will join the government to be formed by December 1 after their arms are locked up under United Nations supervision. An equal number of government weapons will also be surrendered. That was one sticking point as well as the future role of the monarch, King Gyanendra, which will be reviewed when a new constitution is drafted. The deal was the culmination of peace talks that began in mid-June and ends an armed conflict that has killed over 12,000 Nepalese. Czech rightist Topolanek appointed PM Czech President Vaclav Klaus has appointed rightist leader Mirek Topolanek as prime minister. This is the second the rightist politician has been given the post since an inconclusive June election left parliament deadlocked. Topolanek faces a tough task to cobble together a government that could win a parliamentary confidence vote, with both leftist and centre-right blocs in the lower house each controlling 100 seats. Ortega wins Nicaraguan election Former Marxist revolutionary Daniel Ortega has been declared the winner of Nicaragua's presidential election. The electoral council said Ortega had won just over 38 percent of the vote, prompting his US-backed conservative rival Eduardo Montealegre to concede defeat. In a first reaction, the White House said its cooperation with Ortega would depend on his commitment to democracy. Chan nominated to head UN health agency Former Hong Kong health chief Margaret Chan has been selected as a nominee for the post of director general of the World Health Organisation. The nomination of Chan, who has the powerful backing of China, now needs the approval of at least two-thirds of the UN health agency's full assembly of 193 members, in a vote due on Thursday. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Need a good laugh? Then check out DW-WORLD.DE'S From the Fringe Special, which regularly brings you quirky stories from and about Germany. 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