 | | | | | | | Newsletter | 27.11.2008, 17:15 UTC | | | Newsline | | | World news: international | | | | | | | | | News | | | | | Current Article | | | | Indian security forces confront Mumbai attackers
In India, security forces have been continuing to clear two hotels following a series of co-ordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Gunfire and explosions have been heard from the Taj Mahal Hotel as well as the nearby Trident-Oberoi Hotel, where many people have been trapped and some taken hostage by heavily armed militants. Indian authorities say more than 100 people have been killed and 300 injured in several separate attacks on hotels and tourist spots in the country's financial centre. Foreigners including one German national are said to be among the dead. An Islamist group called the Deccan Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has used a televised address to the nation to appeal to his fellow countrymen to maintain peace and harmony in the wake of the attacks. He also said that he believed they were probably the work of groups based outside of India. |  | | Thailand declares emergency at airports
Thailand's government has agreed on tough measures to break up protests blockading Bangkok's passenger airports. At a special meeting outside the capital, the cabinet agreed to declare a state of emergency at two Bangkok airports besieged by anti-government protestors. The move will grant police special powers to break up the protests, without involving the army. Lawmakers met in Chang Mai to avoid the protests which have shut down the capital. People's Alliance for Democracy activists accuse Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of being a puppet of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra. Somchai has rejected a call by Thailand's army chief to call snap elections, saying his government is legitimate. He has also asked soldiers to stay in their barracks to calm rumours of an imminent coup. | | | Iraqi parliament approves US security pact
Iraq's parliament has approved a security pact with the United States that will allow American troops to stay in Iraq for three more years. The agreement was backed by the ruling coalition's Shi'ite and Kurdish blocs as well as the largest Sunni Arab bloc, which had demanded concessions for supporting the deal. The parliamentary speaker said a large majority of MPs had voted in favour of the pact. Under the deal, US forces are to withdraw from Iraqi cities by the end of next June and the entire country by the end of 2011. Iraq will have strict oversight over US forces. The deal has to be ratified by the Presidential Council for it to come into force. | | | Czech Senate approves US missile shield
The upper chamber of the Czech parliament has approved a bilateral agreement signed with Washington on stationing a US radar base in the Czech Republic. The plan must still be passed by the lower chamber, where the government lacks a majority and the opposition is against the agreement. The proposed US missile defense system includes a tracking radar in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in Poland. Washington claims it is designed to protect the region from potential attacks from rogue states. The plans have drawn strong criticism from Russia, which has threatened to deploy missiles in Kaliningrad close to Poland if the shield is installed. | | | EU gives Germany ultimatum on VW law
The European Union's executive has given Germany an ultimatum to end a controversial law governing the car-maker Volkswagen. Berlin has two months to overturn the legislation or it will face a fresh law suit. The law safeguards the German state of Lower Saxony's right of veto on strategic decisions at VW, as well as a 20 percent share in the company. It's meant to replace a previous law, which was struck down by the European Union's highest court last year. The European Commission regards Lower Saxony's influence at VW as anti-competitive. Porsche, which is VW's biggest shareholder, also objects to the law. | | | German labour market positive for now
Germany's unemployment rate fell slightly in November despite the global financial crisis. The Federal Labour Agency reports that the number of people looking for a job this month was down by 8,000 from October. That brought the unemployment rate to 7.1 percent. That's Germany's lowest jobless rate in 16 years. The agency reported that the labour market in Europe's biggest economy remained stable, but warned that the economic downturn would soon begin to have an impact. | | | UN investigates possible war crimes in Congo
The UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo has opened several investigations into whether war crimes are being committed in eastern Congo. The UN's top envoy to the DRC, Alan Doss, says that evidence of possible massacres, targeted killings and other war crimes has been uncovered. In a report, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended to the Security Council that UN peacekeepers should remain in Congo through 2009. Meanwhile, insurgents and UN officials say a rebel offensive to expel some of the perpetrators of Rwanda's 1994 genocide has forced more than 5,000 civilians to flee eastern Congo to neighbouring Uganda. | | | Switzerland to join Schengen zone next month
Switzerland is to join the Schengen zone of the European Union on December 12. This means there will no longer be systematic border controls for people travelling between Switzerland and neighbouring EU countries by land. However, airports will continue to carry out passport checks until late March, when European airlines introduce their summer schedules. Switzerland is the third non-EU-member country after Norway and Iceland to join the passport-free zone. The decision came at a meeting of EU justice and interior ministers in Brussels. | | | | | |  | | |  Up-to-date news at DW-WORLD.DE | | | | | | |  | | | Note
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Study: Right-Wing Attitudes Held by Cross-Section of Germans
