Deutsche Welle English Service News 26. 12. 2005, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Asia Marks Tsunami Anniversary Amid Tears, Prayers Tearful mourners from around the world gathered Monday to light candles and offer prayers on the anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters ever. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,1836831,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Two days left! Play DW-WORLD's Christmas Click & Win with a chance to get fabulous prizes from Playmobil. To participate, please visit our home page at http://www.dw-world.de/english ---------------------------------------------------------------------- World remembers tsunami disaster Mourners around the world have marked the first anniversary of last year's Asian tsunami that killed nearly a quarter of a million Indian Ocean coastal residents. In Thailand, flowers were placed on six beaches to remember the dead, many of whom were tourists. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra laid a foundation stone for a memorial at Khao Lak beach. In Aceh on Sumatra, close to last year's seabed earthquake that triggered the waves, Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sounded a new tsunami warning siren. He also thanked the international community for reconstruction aid. German Development Aid Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul says Germany is contributing 45 million euros for an Indian Ocean early-warning system. Dozens affected in Russian gas attack Dozens of shoppers in St Petersburg, Russia, have been treated by doctors after breathing in a mysterious gas at a retail chain. A spokesman for Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said more than 70 people were affected with at least 60 taken to hospital. Officials said a number of mystery canisters were found in two other shops of the Maksidom chain, however they didn't release any gas. It's believed the canisters were fitted with timers. Police said they were treating the incident as a business-related dispute. The city's governor has ruled out a terrorist attack. Guerrillas kill 10 Iraqi security forces At least 17 people have been killed in a spate of suspected insurgent attacks across Iraq. The deadliest assault occurred on a police checkpoint in the Diyala province just northeast of the capital Baghdad. Five policemen were killed and four wounded in that attack. Police said they killed six insurgents. In another incident gunmen opened fire on Diyala's governor as he was leaving the town of Baquaba. The governor survived the attack but one of his bodyguards was killed and two others wounded. Meanwhile a number of car bombs have gone off in Baghdad killing at least five people and wounding more than 40. EU aid for ten African nations Ten of Africa's poorer nations are to get European Union aid in a package worth 166 million euros. EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said disasters across Africa such as droughts, floods and insect plagues were like "silent tsunamis", also with millions of victims. The funds will be spent via relief agencies working with the EU Commission. Forty eight million euros will go to victims of Sudan's conflict in Darfur province. Thirty eight million euros will go towards improving health care for women and children and refugee settlement in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The EU recently agreed to boost its aid spending, with half going to Africa. 500 boat migrants reach Italy Italian authorities say three boatloads of migrants from North Africa totalling 500 people have reached Sicily and the island of Lampedusa. One of the boats, only ten meters long, capsized off Sicily. More than 200 occupants swam to shore. Two other boats were intercepted off Lampedusa. Italy's interior ministry says this year 15,000 people have landed illegally in bids to enter the European Union. A charitable religious community based in Rome, Sant'Egidio, estimates that 2,000 migrants have drowned since 1990. Mladic considers surrender, says Mina According to the Montenegran news agency Mina, the Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic is considering turning himself in to Serbian authorities. Mladic has evaded the UN tribunal in The Hague for more than a decade over charges of crimes against humanity dating back to the Bosnian war. Mina quoted a former Belgrade police chief as saying that Mladic first wants material guarantees for his family from Serbian authorities before he surrenders. They have not responded to Mina's report. Mladic is thought to be in the protection of nationalist Serbian officers within Serbia. Israeli PM back on the job Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has returned to work after recovering from a mild stroke. His doctors announced that he will undergo a routine operation to seal a tiny hole found in his heart which is believed to have caused the ailment. Meanwhile the government says it plans to expand two Jewish settlements in the West Bank despite an agreement to freeze all construction under the US-led roadmap peace plan. At the same time Sharon's Kadima Party has decided to officially make progress in the peace talks with the Palestinians one of its top goals. An official said that the party would also push for the creation of a Palestinian state. Fire kills at least 26 in south China bar Chinese authorities have said that at least 26 people died when a Christmas Day fire gutted a bar in south China. Eleven others were reported injured. It is not known what caused the fire which broke out at an unlicenced bar in Zhongshan, a city in Guangdong province. China tightens controls on mines The Xinhua news agency says China has reacted to a string of mining accidents this year by closing down 2,400 unsafe coal pits. That's one-in-five of the country's mines. Every year, colliery accidents kill more than 5,000 miners. Xinhua adds that from January 1 mine operators have been ordered to deposit funds. The money would be used to pay for rescue efforts and compensate victims. The China Daily newspaper says 100 officials blamed for four fatal accidents have either lost their jobs or have been given reprimands. Coal extraction meets three-quarters of China's booming energy needs. IAE oil market bailout ends The International Energy Agency says its 26 member nations have ended the oil market bailout scheme they began in September. The IEA based in Paris said releases of 60 million barrels of emergency oil stocks and flexibility at refineries had helped after the hurricanes Katrina and Rita wrecked Gulf of Mexico facilities. Since oil prices peaked at 70 dollars per barrel, they've fallen to 58 dollars in recent New York trading. The cartel OPEC forecasts that world demand for oil will grow by almost two percent next year as the economy expands. Daily world consumption will be 84.9 million barrels. German unions want minimum wage German labour unions say they will push Germany's new coalition government to introduce minimum wages in Germany next year. The head of the DGB trade union federation Michael Sommer said 2.5 million of Germany's workforce are paid a pitance despite Germany's status as a rich nation. Another five million workers have precarious job conditions, he said. The "Handelsblatt" says a new study has found that labour reforms introduced by Germany's previous government were largely ineffective. Meanwhile, a survey by the BDS federation for small and medium-sized firms has detected a new optimism. Layoffs have slowed down as the economy picks up. Three-quarters intend to retain existing staff. Eleven percent plan to recruit more. Graz erases Schwarzenegger's name The Austrian city of Graz has removed Arnold Schwarzenegger's name from the city's stadium following an outcry by local councillors over the Californian governor's refusal to stop a recent execution. Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a former California gang leader turned childrens's book author was killed by injection on December 13 despite international protests. The death penalty is illegal in Schwarzenegger's native Austria and across the EU. Last week he sent back a ring of honour given to him by Graz officials in 1999. Austria's Greens party wants the stadium renamed after Williams. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Week in Germany: The best from German culture, business and politics in a convenient weekly wrap-up. 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