Deutsche Welle English Service News 24. 02. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
When Freedom Gets the Death Sentence The murder of a Turkish woman and the applauding of the crime by some students have left Berlin shaken and officials pushing for ethics class. But how deep does the concept of honor run among some immigrant communities? To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1499191,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- US-Russian summit in Bratislava US President George W. Bush concludes his five-nation tour of Europe in the Slovak capital Bratislava today. His final talks were with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The summit offered a chance for the two leaders to discuss their differences over Iraq and Iran as well as Bush's criticism of Moscow's lack of commitment to democracy. Bush's meeting with Putin came after three days of fence-mending with European leaders who opposed the war in Iraq, in an attempt to revitalise the transatlantic alliance. The US President also addressed a mostly enthusiastic crowd of 4,000 in the Slovak capital's main square, reminding the younger generation to learn the lessons of the fall of Communism. Pope hospitalised after flu relapse Pope John Paul II has been readmitted to a clinic in Rome after reportedly suffering a relapse of influenza. The Vatican said the pontiff's doctors recommended that he return to Rome's Gemelli hospital for tests and treatment by specialists. The 84-year-old pope reportedly is suffering from a fever and respiratory difficulties. However, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls called the pontiff's condition stable. The leader of the Roman Catholic church has been plagued in recent years by a number of illnesses including Parkinson's disease. He spent 10 days in the same hospital earlier this month with acute bronchial congestion. Iran rejects US joining nuclear talks Iran has said it does not want the United States to become involved in negotiations Tehran is holding with the European Union over its nuclear programme. European leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder, urged US President George W. Bush this week to join the EU approach of offering incentives to Iran in return for scrapping some atomic projects. Iran strongly denies US accusations it is secretly building nuclear arms. 10 policemen killed in Iraq In another day of violence in Iraq, at least 12 people have been killed after a suicide car bomber disguised as a police officer blew up his vehicle in the Iraqi town of Tikrit. Another 35 people were injured in the blast. Local hospital sources said the attacker had managed to enter the police headquarters and detonate a bomb as policemen gathered for a morning parade. Tikrit is the hometown of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. 7 dead in Kashmir suicide raid Two Islamic rebels stormed government offices in Indian Kashmir with automatic weapons and grenades on Thursday, killing five people before they were shot dead by security forces, officials said. The guerrillas killed two soldiers, a policemen and two civilians in their attack on the heavily-fortified government complex in Srinagar, Kashmir's largest city. More than 250 civilians were trapped inside before being later freed by Indian border police. A paramilitary officer said the insurgents were on a suicide mission. New Palestinian cabinet approved The Palestinian parliament has approved a new cabinet after receiving the backing of the Fatah faction. Fatah ministers had refused to approve the cabinet for three days until Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei named more reformists and fewer veterans from the era of Yasser Arafat. Qurei faced being ousted after Fatah MPs rejected his initial proposal for a cabinet with just four new names. Ratification of the 24-member cabinet, including 17 newcomers, is widely seen as a victory for President Mahmoud Abbas after days of political crisis. Officials said the cabinet included technocrats brought in to tackle corruption and social issues. British soldiers guilty of Iraqi abuse Two British soldiers have been found guilty of abusing Iraqi civilians, while a third was convicted of failing to report the mistreatment. The military trial was held at a British base in the German city of Osnabrueck. Sentencing will take place on Friday. The incidents took place in 2003 after British troops rounded up looters at a depot in the Iraqi city of Basra. The London Times reports that 18 further cases of alleged abuse are under investigation by British military authorities. German named new Europol chief A senior German official was chosen on Thursday to head the European Union's police agency Europol. Danish Justice Minister Lene Espersen announced that Max-Peter Ratzel, from the German Federal Criminal Police Office, BKA, was the candidate preferred by EU ministers meeting in Brussels. The 25-nation bloc has been deadlocked over filling the position after France and Germany last year unexpectedly each insisted on their own nominee. EU leaders agree Europol should play a key role in fighting terrorism but political infighting and reluctance to share intelligence has hamstrung the agency. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- When the ball gets rolling on the first day of the second half of the Bundesliga season, it’s time to place your bets at DW-WORLD again. Bet, score and win is the name of the game. Compete with soccer fans around the world by predicting who will be up or down, how many goals and how tops the table. Return for each match day and participate in the game individually or as a team with friends and colleagues. Prove your skill at picking the winners, and if you bet correctly, you’ll be awarded with great prizes each time the Bundesliga plays. So join the fun, it’s only a click away. http://www.dw-world.de/english/kickofftip ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information please turn to our internet website at http://dw-world.de/english Here you'll find out what's happening in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. News and background reports from the fields of current affairs, culture, business and science. And of course the DW website also has information about DW-RADIO and DW-TV programmes: topics, broadcast times and frequencies. You can even listen to all programmes as audio-on-demand. Serbian News Network - SNN news@antic.org http://www.antic.org/
