Eurozone finance ministers were to confer by telephone on Saturday after 12 hours of talks in Athens failed to produce a breakthrough on a deal to bail out Greece, the Greek finance minister said. Evangelos Venizelos added that a planned meeting by eurozone ministers on Greece originally scheduled for Monday would now be held on Wednesday. "I will participate in a Eurogroup telephone conference at 1230 GMT" to discuss details of a rescue deal for Greece worth 130 billion euros ($171 billion) which officials have been trying to seal since October, the minister said in a statement. "Critical issues pertaining to the country's ...
Australia's flood crisis deepened Saturday as authorities braced for waters to peak in Queensland where one woman is missing after being swept away while elsewhere thousands remain stranded by the surge. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said eight military helicopters would help in search, evacuation and resupply missions in the eastern state, where days of heavy rainfall have prompted hundreds of evacuations and dozens of rescues. "The helicopters will be available to assist in rescue operations as required until the immediate crisis has passed," Gillard said in a statement. In the inland Queensland town of Charleville authorities are on alert amid fears a temporary ...
Tens of thousands people are braving the bitter cold at two major rallies in downtown Moscow on Saturday as a power play between champions of political liberalization and supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin continues to unfold. The first demonstration demands fair elections at the March 4 presidential polls, at which Putin is expected to secure a third term in the Kremlin. It also calls on Russians “not to give a single vote” to Putin. The opposition rally is widely seen by analysts as a litmus test of protesters’ ability to maintain momentum after two earlier protests against alleged vote fraud in favor of ...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday wrapped up a visit to China where she tried to reassure her hosts on the strength of the euro and Europe's ability to overcome its debt crisis. During her three-day trip to the world's second largest economy, Merkel praised the advantages of the single currency and urged China to put pressure on Iran and to condemn Syria at the United Nations. Merkel, who was prevented from meeting journalists and a human rights lawyers, ended her official visit in the southern city of Guangzhou, Xinhua news agency reported. Merkel, who held talks with Premier Wen Jiabao and President ...
Norway’s government has said it wants non-European immigrants to carry residency cards equipped with data chips bearing their fingerprints. In a proposal presented on Friday, the justice ministry said the new identity cards would help tackle illegal immigration. “The residency card system will increase security surrounding residency permit documentation, thereby contributing to the prevention of illegal immigration and illegal residency,” said Justice Minister Grete Faremo (Labour Party) in a statement. The move follows pressure from the European Union to ensure that immigrants from outside the European Economic Area, of which Norway is a member, are provided with residency cards that include fingerprint details. Faremo ...
Greece expects its 2011 budget deficit will be smaller than expected at between 9.1 and 9.4 percent of GDP, thanks to an emergency property tax, a finance ministry official said on Friday, a development that could help Athens in its bailout talks with the EU and IMF. Greece, which is racing to complete talks with the EU and the IMF on a second bailout worth 130 billion euros, had previously estimated that the deficit would be above 9.5 percent of GDP. "The numbers aren't final yet but we believe the deficit will come in at between 9.1 and 9.4 percent (of GDP)," ...
China has rejected Japanese protests over alleged improper exploration of gas deposits in the East China Sea. The Foreign Ministry said Friday the recent activity had taken place within Chinese-controlled waters and was completely normal. A ministry statement said China was strongly dissatisfied with recent comments from Japanese officials. Japan's chief Cabinet secretary on Wednesday said Japan protested to China after a flare was seen a day earlier at a Chinese structure at an undersea gas deposit. The deposit, known as Kashi in Japan and Tianwaitian in China, sits near a median line in the countries' overlapping exclusive economic zones. Japan and China agreed ...
The leader of Russia's Islamist rebels ordered a halt to attacks on civilians, saying mass opposition protests showed the public no longer supported Vladimir Putin, according to a video posted Friday. Doku Umarov, whose Caucasus Emirate group claimed atrocities including a deadly Moscow airport bombing in 2011 and a metro attack in 2010, said from now only security objects and officials would be targeted. "I order all special groups that are carrying out or plan to carry out special operations in Russia to put a halt to these operations that could hurt the peaceful population," Doku Umarov said in a video address ...
China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday the Asian giant had neither the ability nor the intention to "buy Europe", amid concerns over growing Chinese investment in debt-stricken eurozone economies. China is "willing to cooperate with Europe to fight the current crisis. Some people say this means China wants to buy Europe", Wen told a German-China business forum in the southern city of Guangzhou. "This a concern and doesn't fit reality. China doesn't have this intention and doesn't have this ability." German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in China for a three-day visit to boost her host's confidence in Europe, also attended the forum along with ...
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is to resign from the Government after it emerged he is to face prosecution over allegations that he asked his ex-wife to take a speeding penalty for him. The Liberal Democrat MP has been charged with perverting the course of justice after an investigation into the 2003 incident by Essex Police. His former wife, the economist Vicky Pryce is also facing charges of perverting the course of justice. They are due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on February 16. The maximum sentence for perverting the course of justice is life in prison, the CPS and the Sentencing ...
KANEOHE, Hawaii – President Barack Obama’s family is watching the movie “Avatar.” The Obamas visited a movie theater near their rented vacation home in Hawaii on Thursday morning for a screening of the sci-fi spectacular. Officials say the first family had the theater to themselves to watch director James Cameron’s tech-heavy film. The Obamas, including first daughters Sasha and Malia, left their compound... [more]
BUJUMBURA (AFP) – South Africa’s soldiers in the African Union peacekeeping mission in Burundi have left the country, the African Union said Thursday. The group of around 110 soldiers were responsible for protecting leaders from the ex-rebel group the National Liberation Forces (FNL), while training a newly created FNL-national army coalition, which has now taken over from the AU. “The last South African soldiers from... [more]
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Apple appears to be blocking iPhoneapplications related to the Dalai Lama and the exiled Uighur leaderRebiya Kadeer from its China App Store, IDG News Service reported. IDG, publisher of Macworld, Computerworld, PC World and other magazines, said the move would make Apple the latest US technology company to censor its services in China. It said five iPhone applications related to the Tibetan spiritual leaderwere... [more]
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says the seven CIA employees killed by a suicide bomber on in eastern Afghanistan come from a “long line of patriots” whose courageous service has helped to thwart terrorist plots and save lives. In a letter to CIA employees released by the agency, Obama said the U.S. would not be able to maintain its freedom and security without their service. He also noted that the spy agency has been... [more]
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Police detained dozens of anti-Kremlin activists, including an 82-year-old Soviet dissident dressed as Santa Claus’ female helper, at a New Year’s Eve rally on Moscow’s main shopping street on Thursday. Hundreds of riot police surrounded a Christmas tree in the center of the city and arrested the opposition activists as they gathered to defend their right to peaceful protest. A man dressed as Father... [more]
Forget 2012. As far as many Mexicans are concerned, the ancient Mayas were being generous: the sky’s actually going to fall next year. Why? Because it’s 2010, Mexico’s bicentennial, and Mexican history has an eerie way of repeating itself. Mexico’s 1910 centennial, after all, saw the start of the bloody, decade-long Mexican Revolution, which killed more than a million people. And that cataclysm was precisely a century... [more]
An artwork by Impressionist artist Edgar Degas has been stolen from a Marseilles museum, police have said. Les Choristes (The Chorus) was missing when staff at the Catini Museum opened the premises on Thursday morning. There were no signs of a break-in, said Jacques Dallest, the French city’s public prosecutor. Local police originally said that its value was £26m, but France’s national museum service subsequently put its worth... [more]
ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has turned to writing love songs as he recovers from an attack that left him with a broken nose and two broken teeth. “In 2010, there will be a new record, the fourth, of the musical duo Berlusconi and (guitarist Mariano) Apicelli…,” the daily Corriere della Serra reported. Mr Berlusconi, who worked as a cruise ship singer in his youth, first collaborated with his friend Apicelli... [more]
HONOLULU – Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh is resting comfortably in a Hawaii hospital after suffering chest pains while on vacation, his radio program says. “Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes and will keep you updated via rushlimbaugh.com and on his radio program,” the program said in a statement late Wednesday night. Limbaugh was rushed for medical treatment earlier in the day. The statement... [more]
VAMPIRES, wizards and football will determine the biggest travel hotspots for 2010, according to a new travel industry report. It predicts South Africa will be a top choice for sports lovers wanting an once-in-a-lifetime trip to the World Cup in June. Fans of the Twilight books and films will continue to flock to Forks in Washington State in the US, where the story is set, following a 1000 per cent rise in visitor numbers this year. The... [more]
