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DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
29.03.08, 17:00 Uhr UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Serbia Remains Steady in Opposition to Kosovo Independence
Serbia is committed to joining the EU, but also adamant about not
recognizing Kosovo's independence, said the Balkan country's foreign
minister on Saturday after an informal meeting with his EU
counterparts.
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internet address below:
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evy148I4501ileI1&req=l%3Devy147I4501ileI1
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Zimbabwe holds crucial elections
Elections are underway in Zimbabwe and long queues of voters have
been reported throughout the country. President Robert Mugabe, who
has ruled the formally prosperous, but now near-bankrupt land since
independence was declared in 1980, has been accused by political
rivals of attempts to rig the election, something the 84-year-old
veteran politician strenuously denies. His rivals are former ally
and finance minister Simba Makoni and leader of the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change party, Morgan Tsvangirai, who in
spite of alleging corruption was confident of victory when he cast
his vote. The almost 6 million electorate are also choosing 210
members of parliament as well as local councillors.
Fighting from Maliki's offensive spreads
The Iraqi government's army offensive against Shi'ite militias,
mainly in southern Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City district, has
spread to new areas, with the overall death toll from five days of
fighting put at 230. Security sources say fatal clashes have broken
out in the central Shi'ite city of Karbala and in Hilla. In Basra,
where Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki began the Iraqi army offensive
last Tuesday, aircraft of the US-British coalition have continued to
target buildings amid stiff resistance from militias. In Baghdad's
Sadr City, health workers say 75 people have been killed so far and
the slum's two hospitals are overflowing with wounded. A curfew
remains in place across Baghdad.
10 killed in Mogadishu clashes
In the Somalian capital, Mogadishu, at least 10 people have died in
fighting between Islamist insurgents and troops guarding the
presidential palace. President Abdullahi Yusuf was reportedly
holding talks with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoun Mesfin in the
palace at the time of the attack but there were no reports of
injuries inside the compound. Witnesses said the Ethiopian soldiers
guarding Yusuf then launched shells aimed at the city below, killing
a number of people and wounding dozens more. Ethiopia's military has
been supporting the embattled Somali transitional government since
January 2007 when it ousted an Islamist militia that briefly
controlled large parts of the country and had imposed strict Sharia
law.
Leaders boycott Arab summit
A summit of the 22-member Arab League hosted by Syria has been
boycotted by Lebanon. Leaders of the pro-American Arab states of
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan also decided not to attend, sending
lower-ranking officials in their place. At the opening of the summit,
Arab League chief Amr Mussa stressed that regional stability
depended on finding a solution to the Lebanese crisis. Lebanon has
not been able to chose a new president since the end of November
because of extensive feuding between the Western-backed
parliamentary majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition, backed by
Syria and Iran. In a televised address ahead of the summit, Lebanese
Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said his government had decided to
boycott the meeting because of Syrian interference in his country's
affairs.
Turkish army claims 15 PKK dead in N. Iraq
The Turkish army says it has killed 15 members of the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq using long-range
weapons. Warp***s also bombed rebel targets in the same region, the
statement continued, adding that it was not yet clear how many PKK
rebels were killed in the air strike. The PKK, listed as a terrorist
group by Ankara and much of the international community, has been
fighting for self-rule in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey since
1984 in a conflict that has claimed more than 37,000 lives.
Unanimous vote for Pakistan's Gilani
Pakistan's new prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has won an
unanimous vote of confidence from parliament. Gilani then called on
militants across Pakistan to renounce violence. The former key aide
of assassinated politician Benazir Bhutto said his government would
restore senior judges purged in November during a period of
emergency rule imposed by President Pervez Musharraf. Even
Musharraf's own party, the PLM-Q, now in opposition, voted for
Gilani and his call for democracy and stability in the Islamic
nation. It's seen months of unprecedented violence blamed by
authorities on al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
Dalai Lama appeals for help
The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has appealed to the
world community to help resolve the crisis in his homeland caused by
two weeks of protest by Tibetans against Chinese rule. At a press
conference in New Delhi, he said he was still seeking dialogue with
China's leadership. The Dalai Lama's remarks came as diplomats from
15 countries neared the end of a brief visit to the Tibetan capital
Lhasa. Their findings have not yet become public. European Union
foreign ministers meeting in Slovenia are split over the idea of
boycotting the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony later this year.
Exiled Tibetan leaders say China's recent crackdown of protest in
Tibet cost 135 lives, with 1,000 people injured. China says rioters
killed 18 civilians and two police officers.
"Fitna" removed by website
An internet provider, LiveLeak, says it has removed the
controversial anti-Islam video by the Dutch far-right
parliamentarian Geert Wilders from its website because of "serious"
threats to its staff. LiveLeak said in a statement online that it
was a sad day for freedom of speech on the net. Wilder's 16-minute
film, "Fitna" which shows terrorist attacks in New York, London and
Madrid intertwined with Koranic texts, has been widely condemned as
offensive by the European Union, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
and many Islamic nations. Dutch Muslim leaders have also appealed
for calm and called on Muslims worldwide not to turn against Dutch
interests. The Netherlands is home to about one million Muslims out
of a population of 16 million. Several other websites, including the
one operated by Wilder's Freedom Party continue to provide the film.
German public sector wage talks resume
In Germany public sector employers and trade unions representing 1.3
million federal and municipal workers have begun another round of
wage talks in the city of Potsdam. The union Ver.di has rejected a
pay recommendation from arbitrators and warned that if the talks
fail, lengthy strikes could begin in mid-April. Ver.di and the civil
service union dbb want an eight percent pay rise. The arbitrators
had recommended six percent but coupled with longer working hours.
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Here you'll find out what's happening in Germany, Europe and the
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