Deutsche Welle
English Service News
June 30th 2005, 16:00 UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Berlin Wall Memorial Faces Final Fury
A controversial Berlin Wall memorial near the famed Checkpoint
Charlie museum is set to be razed. While the museum director is
fighting to save it, tourism experts fear the demolition could
damage Berlin's image.
To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the
internet address below:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1635486,00.html
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We'd like to introduce you to our latest newsletter: "Germany Light"
give you a weekly look at Germany's cultural, peculiar and
sometimes odd happenings. To sign up for regular dose of fun
and entertainment, please go to our Newsletter section at
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1170241,00.html
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Israel confronts radical settlers
Israel's government has reacted to anti-evacuation protests by
radical Jews by declaring their settlements in Gaza as part of a
closed military zone. Israeli police, meanwhile, have evicted
hundreds of settlers from a hotel they'd barricaded on Gaza's
beachfront within the main settlement of Gush Katif. This follows
public outrage in Israel over media reports showing the nearly fatal
stoning of a Palestinian youth by teenage Jewish radicals. The
Israeli army said the Gaza settlement closure was designed to stop
an influx of radicals who oppose Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's
pullout plan. From mid-August he plans to evacuate all 21 Jewish
settlements in Gaza and four of 120 West Bank outposts. US mediators
hope this will revive the "road map" Middle East peace plan.
Shots fired on Israel-Lebanon border
There's been more shooting along Israel's border with Lebanon.
Israeli military sources said Israeli soldiers were involved in a
firefight with Lebanese Hezbollah militia in the Shebaa Farms area.
There are no reports of casualties, and a Hizbollah spokesman has
denied that a gunbattle was underway. He told news agencies that
Israeli forces had opened fire on the guerrillas, but that they
hadn't returned fire. This comes a day after the Hizbollah bombarded
an Israeli army post in the same area, killing an Israeli soldier.
Israeli forces responded with artillery fire and air raids.
US locates Afghan Chinook crash site
The US military says it has located the wreckage of a Chinook
helicopter which crashed in Afghanistan on Tuesday while carrying 17
US troops. Taliban militants claim to have shot down the helicopter
but the US military has not given information on possible
casualties. A US military spokesman said the search operation in
mountainous eastern Afghanistan was difficult. US-led forces were
continuing an anti-militant operation in Kunar province. -- On
Wednesday, the remains of two German soldiers killed by a presumed
munitions accident in northern Afghanistan while on reconstruction
work last weekend arrived at Cologne airport.
Anti-Syrian to led Lebanese cabinet
Lebanon's new anti-Syrian government is to be headed by Fuad Saniora
as prime minister. Saniora, a former finance minister and close aide
to his slain predecessor Rafik al-Hariri, has been appointed by
President Emile Lahoud. Lahoud, who himself is pro-Syrian, bowed to
pressure from Lebanon's newly elected parliament. All but two of its
128 lawmakers backed Saniora. Hariri was assassinated in February in
a bombing that many blamed on Syria. In April Lebanese public
outrage prompted Syria to end a 30-year troop occupation of Lebanon.
Saniora's appointment has coincided with a fresh stand-off along
Lebanon's southern border between Hizbollah guerrillas and Israeli
forces. On Wednesday, an Israeli soldier was killed.
Italy reacts to alleged CIA abduction
Italy has summoned the US ambassador in Rome to clarify an alleged
CIA kidnapping of an Islamic cleric in Milan two years ago. Last
week an Italian judge issued arrest warrants for 13 US intelligence
agents. They're suspected of abducting Osama Mustafa Hussan, who was
the imam at a Milan mosque, and flying him to Egypt via US airbases
in Italy and Germany for interrogation. Since early 2003 he has been
missing. His aides say he was tortured. Italy's government denies
that it authorised the abduction. The "Washington Post" newspaper,
citing three CIA veterans, claims that the CIA's lead agent in Italy
sought Italian approval. That head operative has since retired.
US to investigate Ahmadinejad's past
The White House has said it is investigating whether Iran's new
president-elect, Mahmood Ahmadinejad, helped carry out the Iranian
hostage crisis in 1979. Other hostage-takers denied his
involvement. But four former hostages in the United States have
come out saying they recognised Ahmadinejad's photo, and describing
him as treating them cruelly. Ahmadinejad was a founding member of
a student group involved in storming the US embassy in Tehran 25
years ago. 52 US Americans were held for 444 days and the incident
led Washington to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.
Spain passes gay marriage law
Spain's lower house of parliament has passed a law allowing gay
couples to marry and adopt children. The move overrules Spain's
upper house, the Senate, which rejected the bill last week. The new
law is to come into force in one month's time. This makes Spain the
third country to legalise same-sex marriages, after the Netherlands
and Belgium. Canada's House of Commons passed a similar law earlier
this week, but it still has to be passed by that country's Senate.
China's Hu arrives in Moscow
Chinese Premier Hu Jintao has arrived in Moscow to speak with
Russian President Vladimir Putin. China is lobbying Russia for more
energy to support China's booming economy. Russia has been hesitant
to make any promises, though, in part because Japan is competing
with China to get first access to a huge Russian oil pipeline
project. After speaking with Putin, President Hu will stay in Russia
for three more days. Then he'll travel to Kazakhstan, and later to
Scotland for the Group of Eight meeting.
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heading to Germany. Restaurants, hotels, back-country hideaways –
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