DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter English Service News 19.12.06, 17:00 Uhr UTC
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Tis the season! This year for the first time, DW-WORLD.DE is offering a holiday E-Card with season's greetings in many different languages. Spread holiday cheer around the world simply by copying and pasting the following link into the body of your personal Email: http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hmgo7Ifcha79I0&req=l%3D1hmgo6Ifcha79I0 We at Deutsche Welle wish you and yours a very happy holiday season. '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Europe Condemns Libya's Death Penalty for Foreign Medics European leaders are outraged after a Libyan court sentenced five Bulgarians nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for spreading the AIDS virus among children. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hmgo7Ifcha79I1&req=l%3D1hmgo6Ifcha79I1 '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Abbas, Haniyeh appeal for calm in Gaza Both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh have appealed to the warring Fatah and Hamas factions to stop their fighting for the sake of Palestinian unity. In a televised speech, Haniyeh, who leads the Hamas government, said Abbas' call for early elections as a way to end the conflict between the two sides was unconstitutional. This comes after at least five people died in fresh gunbattles between Hamas loyalists and Abbas' Fatah forces in Gaza City on Tuesday. At least 18 people were wounded, including five schoolchildren. Internal fighting has escalated since Abbas called for early elections on Saturday. Jordan's King offers to host Fatah-Hamas talks. Jordan's King Abdullah II has called for the Palestinian president and the leader of Hamas to hold talks in Amman, to resolve the bloody factional confrontation. Abdullah's call came after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a surprise visit to the Jordanian capital, for talks on reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Libyan court confirms death sentence. A Libyan court has confirmed the death penalty for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian physician accused of knowingly infecting over 400 Libyan children with HIV. The six had already been sentenced to death at their first trial in Benghazi in 2004, but the Libyan Supreme Court overturned the ruling and ordered a retrial. Members of around 100 families of the infected children demonstrated in favour of the death sentence outside the court. Western observers say the defendents were being used as scapegoats to cover up the negligence of Libyan health authorities. EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini expressed shock at the Tripoli court's decision and called for it to be reviewed. Annan holds last news conference Kofi Annan has held his last press conference as UN Secretary General, telling reporters that he would continue to work on issues that concerned him. He urged the international community to urgently address the escalating crisis in Sudan's Darfur region. Annan said the worst moments of his tenure as UN chief were the US-led war on Iraq and the ever-worsening aftermath and the UN's oil-for-food scandal. Russia, EU agree on meat imports: reports Russia and the EU have reportedly reached an agreement that will see European meat imports to Russia continue after Jan. 1. Russian news agencies quoted the country's agriculture minister as saying the two sides had signed a deal. Moscow had threatened to block meat imports from new members Romania and Bulgaria, saying their products were unsafe. Russia has already imposed a ban on Polish meat exports. 2nd suspect in UK prostitute killings arrested A second suspect has been arrested in the investigation into the murder of five prostitutes in the eastern English town of Ipswich. The 48-year-old man, who lives in the city's red-light district, has been linked to all five murders. Meanwhile a court has granted police an additional 36 hours to question a 37-year-old man who was arrested in Felixstowe on Monday. The bodies of five naked women, all sex workers in the town of Ipswich, were all found over a period of 11 days earlier this month. Pentagon says Iraq is almost failed state A new report by the Pentagon warns that Iraq is in danger of becoming a failed state as violence reaches an all-time high. The report says that in the period from August to November the average number of weekly attacks increased by over one quarter compared to the months before. The Pentagon says the situation is most volatile in Baghdad and the western Anbar province and claims that the Iraqi government is incapable of resolving the conflict. The report was released shortly after Robert Gates was sworn in as the new US secretary of defence. At his ceremony on Monday, Gates warned that failure in Iraq would come back to haunt Americans for decades to come. Baghdad Red Crescent employees released Kidnappers have released 26 of the 30 Red Crescent employees taken hostage in Baghdad two days ago. Nine hostages were released today, following the seventeen employees released on Monday. A Red Crescent spokesman said he expects the remaining four hostages to be released shortly. Gunmen wearing police commando uniforms stormed the main offices of the Red Crescent in Baghdad on Sunday. The kidnappers claimed to be conducting a random inspection and abducted only male workers. German FM unveils Berlin's EU plans German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said that the Berlin government would aim to revive the European Union's scuppered constitution during its EU presidency next year. Steinmeier unveiled Germany's plans to reporters in Brussels saying that institutional reform was key to restoring faith in the EU. Steinmeier said the German presidency, which begins on Jan. 1, would also address major challenges like the crisis in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, he played down expectations of concrete breakthroughs and warned there would be no quick-fixes. Kyrgyz PM announces cabinet resignation Kyrgyzstan's President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Felix Kulov and his cabinet. The mass resignation was prompted by disagreements with Parliament. The move was in line with a new constitution that requires the formation of a fresh cabinet. Under the new basic law, signed in November, parliament, not the president will appoint the next premier and government. '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Need a good laugh? Then check out DW-WORLD.DE'S From the Fringe Special, which regularly brings you quirky stories from and about Germany. To find out more, go to http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hmgo7Ifcha79I2&req=l%3D1hmgo6Ifcha79I2 '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' For more information please turn to our internet website at http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=1hmgo7Ifcha79I3&req=l%3D1hmgo6Ifcha79I3 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. 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