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DEUTSCHE WELLE/DW-WORLD.DE Newsletter
English Service News
18.05.08, 16:00 Uhr UTC
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Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Dalai Lama Speaks Out in Germany Amid Controversy
The Dalai Lama, who is in Germany for five days, called Sunday for
religious tolerance as controversy simmers in Berlin over the
planned meeting between the Buddhist leader and a member of
Chancellor Merkel's cabinet.
To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the
internet address below:
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evyg9kI4501ileI0&req=l%3Devyg9jI4501ileI0
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Ban Ki-moon to travel to cyclone-hit Burma
A United Nations spokesman says the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
will visit Burma this week to discuss the delivery of international
aid to the victims of cyclone Nargis. The announcement comes as a
senior UN official arrived in the Burmese capital, Rangoon on Sunday.
The UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, John Holmes, was reportedly
carrying a letter from Ban to Than Shwe, the head of Burma's ruling
military junta. The latter had refused to speak to the secretary-
general via telephone. Holmes is expected to press junta leaders to
grant more access for international workers to deliver aid to
hundreds of thousands of survivors of cyclone Nargis. The official
death toll now stands at 78,000 with another 56,000 listed as
missing.
China announces three days of mourning
China has announced three days of national mourning after at least
32,000 people died in the country's worst earthquake in three
decades. The state council said in a statement that government
buildings would fly the Chinese flag at half-mast for three days.
Three minutes of silence are to be held on Monday, exactly one week
to the minute after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck south-
western Sichuan province. Earlier, President Hu Jintao expressed
his gratitude to countries that have donated aid. He made the
statement following a meeting with emergency workers in Sichuan. A
few hours ago, the province was hit by the strongest aftershock so
far, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale. Teams from several
countries are in the region assisting in the rescue and recovery
effort.
Bush calls on Mideast to actively push for peace
US President George W. Bush has used the last day of his Mideast
tour to call on the region's leaders to actively seek a lasting
peace. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in the Red Sea Resort of
Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush emphasised that achieving such a peace would
require action on both sides and tough sacrifices from Israel. Bush
has been facing criticism in the Arab community over a speech he
gave to the Israeli Knesset earlier in the week. Some say the speech,
in which Bush stressed Washington's solidarity with Israel but
hardly mentioned Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own,
raised serious questions about whether he can be a just peace
mediator. On Saturday, Bush met with both Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas and his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak.
Olmert ponders change in tactics in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says his government is very close
to a decision on how to deal with continuing rocket attacks from the
Gaza Strip. Olmert told a weekly cabinet meeting that the current
situation could not continue for long. Several cabinet ministers
have called for a full-scale military offensive on the territory,
which is controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel
has been battling militants in Gaza for months now. Israeli
officials have recently held talks with Egyptian mediators about
reaching a cease-fire.
Religious hardliners gain in Kuwait's parliament
In Kuwait, Sunni and Shiite Islamists have reportedly won more than
half of parliament's 50 seats. Sunni Islamists gained about 40 per
cent of parliamentary seats, four times more than they gained in the
previous parliamentary elections in 2006. No women were elected in
Saturday's vote, although 27 females ran as candidates. There are
22 new faces in the parliament, mostly from tribal areas. The
election took place after the country's emir dissolved parliament in
March.
Ethopian ruling party wins landslide in disputed polls
Ethiopia's ruling party has won nearly all seats in last month's
local polls and parliamentary by-elections. The country's electoral
board says the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front
(EPRDF) won 559 seats out of 623 districts, and won all but one of
39 parliament seats up for grabs in by-elections. The vote was
marred by boycotts and accusations of repression. The largest
opposition party in parliament, the United Ethiopian Democratic
Forces, pulled out three days before the April 13 start of the polls.
The Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement pulled out before a second
round was held a week later.
Dalai Lama continues Germany tour
The Dalai Lama has called for greater tolerance between the world's
major religions. Speaking to a large audience in the southern German
city of Nuremberg he said religion had too often been at the root of
conflicts, violence and bloodshed. The exiled Tibetan spiritual
leader travels to Berlin on Monday where is scheduled to address a
pro-Tibet rally and meet with Development Aid Minister Heidemarie
Wieczorek-Zeul. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said several weeks
ago she would not be meeting the Dalai Lama because of a state visit
to Latin America. A meeting she had with the Tibetan leader last
September had sparked a diplomatic spat with Beijing.
Merkel pledges support to Colombian president
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged to support Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe in his government's efforts to assert its
authority throughout the whole country and combat the illicit drug
trade. Large parts of the country remain under the control of
leftist FARC and other guerrillas. Following a meeting with Uribe in
Bogota, the chancellor told a press conference that Colombia still
had a difficult road ahead of it and that success couldn't be
expected in just one or two years. Merkel's visit is the first ever
by a German chancellor to Colombia.
Nuremberg relegated - Werder clinch CL berth
The Bundesliga soccer season wrapped up on Saturday. Werder Bremen
clinched second place and direct qualification for the Champions
League by beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0. Nuremberg became the third
team to be relegated to the second division after losing 2-0 to
Schalke. The fates of Rostock and Duisburg had already been sealed
last week. Arminia Bielefeld avoided the drop by earning a 2-2 draw
against Stuttgart. Bayern Munich, who had already clinched the
Bundesliga title a fortnight ago, beat Hertha Berlin 4-1.
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For more information please turn to our internet website at
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evyg9kI4501ileI1&req=l%3Devyg9jI4501ileI1
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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