 | | | | | | | Newsletter | 25.11.2008, 17:15 UTC | | | Newsline | | | World news: international | | | | | | | | | News | | | | | Current Article | | | | Thailand's international airport closed as protestors storm the building
Thailand's new international airport in Bangkok has been partially shut down after hundreds of anti-government protestors stormed the passenger terminal. Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD, broke through police lines late on Tuesday and are now roaming the airport. Inbound flights are still landing but departing flights have been cancelled. Earlier, at least 10 people were wounded when gunfire broke out between pro- and anti-government supporters. The shooting happened on the road to Bangkok's old international airport, where thousands of PAD supporters have surrounded the temporary offices of the country's prime minister. The PAD has been trying for six months to unseat the elected administration. |  | | German minister warns of shrinking economy
German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck has announced that Europe's biggest economy could contract by up to one percent next year. That would be the biggest decline since 1945. Steinbrück's forecast is in line with assessments issued by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which predicts the German economy will shrink next year by 0.8 percent. The Eurozone is expected to contract by 0.6 percent. The OECD however predicts 1.2 percent growth for both Germany and the Eurozone in 2010. | | | Chancellor Merkel rejects tax cuts to boost economy
The Bundestag has begun its final debate on next year's federal budget. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has rejected across the board tax cuts, saying they are not the way to get the economy back on track. Next year's budget already includes limited tax relief for new car owners and a few other stimulus measures. The chancellor is however under increasing pressure to do more. On Monday, Chancellor Merkel, along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, rejected Britain's example of slashing value added tax for consumers. The European Commission plans to unveil a spending programme on Wednesday. | | | German consumer confidence up slightly, despite recession
A new survey has found that German consumer confidence has defied the country's slide into recession to show another small improvement. It says falling fuel prices and a recent industrial wage deal have helped to push up disposable income. The GfK research group said Tuesday that its forward-looking consumer climate index for December stood at 2.2 points, up from 1.9 points in November. Although the level remains low, it's the third consecutive small increase. | | | Calls for Politkovskaya trial judge to be dismissed for "bias"
Russian news agencies report that the General Prosecutor's office has called for the dismissal of the judge in the trial of three men accused of murdering investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The prosecutor's office accuses the judge of bias, by allowing the media to start covering the hearing. A defence lawyer in the trial says the indictment indicates that a Russian politician was behind the killing of Politkovskaya. She was gunned down outside her Moscow apartment in 2006. Her killer is still at large. | | | Poland furious as German paper describes concentration camp as "Polish"
Poland has threatened to sue Germany's Die Welt newspaper for referring to a Nazi-run concentration camp as a "Polish camp". Polish deputy foreign affairs minister Ryszard Schnepf said this was "scandalous." Die Welt had made the reference about the Majdanek concentration camp in a report on Monday about an Israeli visit to site. A correction was published in an Internet version of the report on Tuesday, where Die Welt explained that Majdanek was "a German concentration camp installed by the SS in Poland". 360,000 people perished there during World War II. | | | UN report on DR Congo abuse
A United Nations report says that both government soldiers and rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have committed serious human rights abuses. The report said these included mass killings, arbitrary executions, rape and torture. The New York-based group Human Rights Watch has also said that abuses against civilians by both sides are continuing despite a lull in fighting. Fighting between Tutsi rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda, government forces and allied militia has displaced a quarter of a million people in the east of the country and triggered a humanitarian crisis. A ceasefire declared by Nkunda in late October has eased the fighting. | | | UN reports says carbon dioxide emissions reaches record high
The UN weather agency says greenhouse gas concentration in the Earth's atmosphere have reached new record highs. In its latest report, the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva says carbon dioxide was up half a percent in 2007 compared to the year before. CO2 is responsible for 90 percent of the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases trap radiation in the earth's atmosphere and warm it. | | | Pirates hijack Yemeni ship off Somalia
Somali pirates have hijacked another cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. A maritime official identified the Yemeni vessel as the MV Amani. A Kenyan maritime official says the ship was already captured last week. Somali pirates currently hold at least 17 ships and more than 250 crew. This includes the Sirius Star oil tanker, the largest tanker ever to be hijacked. Pirates are demanding a ransom of 15 million dollars for its release and the 25 crew on board. World powers have vowed tough action against the rampant piracy off Somalia's coastline. | | | | | |  | | |  Up-to-date news at DW-WORLD.DE | | | | | | |  | | | Note
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Finance Minister: No Further Tax Cuts in Germany
