Deutsche Welle English Service News 06. 02. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: EU Says Strike on Iran a Mistake A military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities would be a “mistake,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana said and stressed the importance of continuing EU efforts at diplomatic engagement. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1479910,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In light of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in 2005, DW-WORLD has put together a special site marking the occasion. Our coverage looks at the effect of World War II on countries around the world and includes interviews with scholars as well as picture galleries. To view the site, please go to http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thaksin claims election win Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, has claimed an historic victory in the country's general election. Earlier the main opposition party had conceded defeat after exit polls projected a landslide re-election win for Thaksin. One poll said his Thai Rak Party was expected to gain 399 seats of the 500 up for grabs which means Thaksin will be able to form a single-party government. Pope blesses faithful from hospital Pope John Paul II has delivered his weekly Sunday blessing from his hospital window. An aide recited the traditional prayer after which the pope looking frail but alert gave a short address. The 84-year-old Pontiff said he was still serving the Church and humanity and thanked the world for all the concern shown for his well-being. The pope was rushed to Rome's Gemelli hospital last Tuesday after complaining of breathing problems brought on by a heavy cold. His health has since improved but it's not clear how long he will have to remain in hospital. Four Egyptians seized in Iraq Four Egyptian engineers have been reported kidnapped by insurgents in Iraq. The Al Arabiya TV network said the four telecom employees were abducted outside their homes in western Baghdad. Meanwhile a militant group calling itself the Jihad Organisation claims to be responsible for kidnapping the Italian journalist Guiliana Sgrena. The group said it would kill her by Monday if Italy failed to withdraw its troops from Iraq. This comes after a group calling itself the Islamic Jihad Organisation had also claimed to be behind the abduction. Sgrena was kidnapped on Friday near Baghdad's university. Guantanamo detainee to sue govt A British man held captive in Guantanamo Bay for 33 months plans to sue the British government. Martin Mubanga claimed that an MI6 officer played a key role in consigning him to the US detainee camp in Cuba, following his arrest in Zambia in March 2002. Mubanga, who holds dual British and Zambian nationality, said he was subjected to brutal interrogation at the camp and was daubed in his own urine. He and three other British detainees were released without charge by British police on their return from Cuba last month. G7 ready for full debt relief The Group of Seven industrialised countries has said it's prepared to provide 100 percent debt relief for the world's poorest nations. The pledge came at the end of a two-day meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bankers in London. Britain's finance minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, hailed the move. Britain had also proposed cancelling the 80 billion dollars of debts owed by poor nations to the IMF, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. However the United States opposed the British-led plan, offering its own proposals for debt cancellation. Rescuers struggle to reach Afghan jet NATO-led troops in Afghanistan are struggling to reach the wreckage of an Afghan passenger jet that crashed into a mountain southeast of the capital Kabul with 104 passengers on board. Rescuers said bad weather and heavy snow were hampering their efforts and added that there were unlikely to be any survivors. The plane went missing on Thursday on its way from the western city of Herat to Kabul, where it was unable to land due to a heavy snowstorm. Airline officials said there were 24 foreigners on board, including Americans, Italians and Turks. Rice arrives in Middle East Condoleezza Rice began her first visit as secretary of state to the heart of the Middle East conflict on Sunday. Flying into Israel from Turkey, she planned to hold talks later in the day with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem and on Monday with new Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Both sides will hold a summit in Egypt on Tuesday on reviving a U.S.-backed "road map" for peace. Criticised for too little involvement in Middle East peace efforts in his first term, U.S. President Bush sent Rice to the region to back up his pledge to press harder for an end to the conflict. Abbas's election last month to succeed Yasser Arafat has stirred international optimism, and Rice pledged to discuss ways for the sides to coordinate security and defuse crises. Fischer arrives in Australia for talks German foreign minister Joschka Fischer has arrived in Sydney, Australia on official business where he plans to meet Bob Carr, State Premier of New South Wales, and other officials. On Monday Fischer travels to Canberra for talks with Australian government representatives. Before returning home, Fischer also plans to make stops in New Zealand, Malaysia and the tsunami-stricken Indonesian region of Aceh. Reggae fans celebrate Bob Marley Hundreds of thousands of Rastafarians and reggae fans have gathered in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to mark what would have been Bob Marley's 60th birthday. A concert is currently being held in Meskal Square in tribute of the reggae legend who died of cancer in 1981. Ethiopia is seen as the birthplace of Rastafarianism and it's the first time the singer's birthday has officially been commemorated outside Jamaica. Marley regarded Ethiopia as his spiritual home due to his religious beliefs. Blair longest-serving Labour PM Britain's Tony Blair has achieved another milestone by becoming the Labour Party's longest-serving prime minister. The 51-year-old premier is marking his 2,838th day in office, which is more than the combined terms of Harold Wilson in the 1960s and 1970s. If Blair wins the next election, expected in May, and serves a full third term, he will surpass Margaret Thatcher's 11 years in power by 2008. In 1997, Blair was the youngest prime minister when he became leader at the age of 43. Kostelic wins women's ski downhill In sport, Croatia's Janica Kostelic has won gold in the women's downhill race at the ski World Championships in the Italian resort of Bormio. Elena Fanchini of Italy won silver while the bronze medal went to Austria's Renate Goetschl. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DW-WORLD's "Click Back" monthly review quiz for February 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. 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