Deutsche Welle English Service News 08. 01. 2005, 17:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------------------
DW-WORLD's "Click Back" monthly review quiz for January 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UN chief tours tsunami-hit Sri Lanka UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is touring devastated coastal areas of Sri Lanka, where more than 30,000 people have died in the Asian tsunami. But a visit to areas controlled by Tamil Tigers rebels has been canceled, reportedly vetoed by the government. Tensions between the rebels and the government are threatening to overshadow the aid effort. More than 160,000 people have been killed across the Indian Ocean region. The UN has warned the death toll may soar as the fate of many thousands is still unknown following the December 26 disaster and survivors are at risk from hunger and disease. The G7 group of industrialised nations has meanwhile announced plans to freeze debt payments from the affected countries. Fischer thanks Thai people over tsunami German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has thanked the Thai people for helping foreign tourists after the deadly tsunami struck, at the start of his visit to the region to witness the devastation. Thai residents of resort areas in the southern provinces hit by the tsunami waves opened their homes to tourists washed out of their hotels, in many cases offering food and clothing to people whose possessions were swept away. In Germany, the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster sparked an unprecedented outpouring of donations from the public and companies, which together have pledged more than 330 million euros. It makes the country one of the most generous contributors worldwide to the huge relief effort, and is additional to the 500 million euros promised by the government. Palestinians say Israel is breaking deal On the eve of the election of a new Palestinian authority president, the Israeli government has threatened to maintain security operations that could hamper the vote. The warning comes after a terrorist attack on the West Bank that killed a Jewish settler. The government of Ariel Sharon had earlier pledged to limit military activity and ease security restrictions for 72 hours to make it easier for Palestinians to vote. Nearly two million people are expected to vote on Sunday to replace Yasser Arafat, who died in November. The frontrunner is Mahmoud Abbas, who leads the main Palestinian political faction, Fatah. Opinions polls give him a clear lead over his closest rival, Mustafa Barghouti, and five other candidates. US hails arrest of militant in Iraq In Iraq a suicide bomber has killed four people near a checkpoint south of Baghdad and militants have abducted three senior Iraqi officials. Insurgents continue to press their campaign of intimidation ahead of Iraq's first national ballot since the fall of Saddam Hussein, which is scheduled for January 30. In the past week alone, Sunni insurgents have killed nearly 100 people in bombings, ambushes and assassinations mostly targeting security services they regard as collaborators with US-led forces that invaded in 2003. In another development American forces have announced the arrest of a key member of an al-Qaeda-linked group in Iraq. The man, known as Abu Ahmed, was captured last month. His group is said to be closely allied with that of militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Afghan judge arrested for Kabul bombing Afghan security forces have reportedly detained a supreme court judge suspected of being involved in an August car bomb attack that killed 10 people, including three Americans. The attack had targeted offices used by a private US security firm, which provides protection to President Hamid Karzai and gives anti-narcotics training to Afghan police. A supreme court official said the arrest of Judge Naqibullah followed the interrogation of two al-Qaeda members detained this month for the bombing. Sudan peace deal could spur Darfur solution Sudan's government and southern rebels are to sign a comprehensive peace deal to end Africa's longest-running civil war. East African leaders will attend the signing on Sunday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, joined by outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell. The war has pitted the Muslim north against Christians and animists in the south, leaving some 1.5 million people dead. The peace deal does not cover the separate, newer conflict in Darfur. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned of worsening violence in Darfur, where government-backed militia are accused of killing thousands as part of a campaign against rebels demanding more rights. Abuse by UN peacekeepers in DRC continues A United Nations inquiry has found that UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have sexually abused women and young girls. The report confirmed allegations against its civil and military staff, and said the problem was continuing, despite earlier investigations. The investigation looked into 72 allegations of abuse in the town of Bunia in eastern Congo and fully substantiated 7 cases. Girls as young as 13 had been given food and small sums of money in return for sex. The report said that many of the cases were already known but an effective programm of prevention had not been implemented. Death toll rises in Italian train crash The death toll from a head-on collision of a passenger and a freight train near the northern Italian city of Bologna has risen to 14. The two trains collided Friday afternoon on a stretch of single track in heavy fog. Four separate probes are underway into the cause of the accident. One theory is that the regional passenger train, heading from Verona to Bologna, failed to make a scheduled stop at the Bolognina-Crevalcore station to let the freight train pass. Bus crash kills 25 in Bolivia A bus crash in Bolivia has killed at least twenty-five people. Three public transport vehicles were involved in the collision. The accident took place on a highway from Oruro to the capital, La Paz. Official figures say 52 people have been killed on Bolivia's highways in the past two weeks alone. Germany to lose medal after doping verdict And in sports: Germany will lose its Athens Olympics team showjumping gold medal after the International Equestrian Federation said it had disqualified Goldfever and rider Ludger Beerbaum for doping. Ointment containing the banned substance Beta-methasone, a type of steroid, was used to treat eczema on the horse before the Games. The United States will now take the gold and Sweden the silver with Germany dropping to third. Germany has already been stripped of its team and an individual eventing golds because of a time infringement. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoy our "World News" newsletter? Why not also subscribe to "Daily Bulletin", DW-WORLD's latest daily digest of the day's top German and European stories, delivered to you around 18:30 UTC. 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