Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Tuesday he is resolved to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Russia at an annual rally calling for the return of all four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido in northern Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported. "We'll continue to make steady and determined efforts to move ahead with negotiations," Noda said, stressing the need to sign a peace treaty with Russia. The four islands - which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories - has been the subject of a territorial dispute between the two nations since the end of World War ...
Amanda Knox's Italian lawyer has filed an appeal of her slander conviction in Italy, a Knox family spokesman inSeattle said Monday. In October, an Italian appeals court overturned the young Seattle woman's murder conviction in the 2007 death of her British roommate in Perugia. But the same court upheld Knox's conviction for slander — for falsely accusing bar owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba of involvement in the slaying. Lumumba was freed after two weeks in prison for lack of evidence. Knox later said she was "manipulated" during her lengthy police interrogation. An appeal of the slander conviction was filed Monday, Knox family spokesman Dave Marriott confirmed. He doesn't know when the Italian ...
The Dutch railway will remain 'vulnerable' during wintry weather but Dutch Rail (NS) and track operator ProRail did not help matters during the current cold snap by the late introduction of schedule adjustments to cope with the conditions, transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told parliament in a briefing on Tuesday. The NS and ProRail assumed on Thursday of last week that there would be three to five centimetres of snow. When the forecast was increased on Friday morning to between 10 and 15 centimetres, it was too late to change the timetables automatically, Schultz van Haegen told parliament. Drivers and conductors ...
Greece can leave the eurozone without damaging monetary union, European digital affairs commissioner Neelie Kroes says in an interview with the Volkskrant on Tuesday. Kroes, a member of the Dutch ruling right-wing Liberal party VVD, is not a supporter of Greece exchanging the euro for the drachma, but says: 'It is absolutely not a case of man overboard if someone leaves the eurozone.' The commissioner is very critical of the new Greek government and says they are not fulfilling their promises. 'Too few spending cuts, too little restructuring,' she says. She says the Greeks should follow the example of Italy where the new ...
Mitt Romney hopes his presidential campaign hasn't ignored Rick Santorum's aggressive attacks for too long, as caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota on Tuesday could reshuffle the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Santorum largely bypassed Florida and Nevada to blanket the two caucus states with criticism of Romney and lay the groundwork among conservatives who have great sway in the process. RivalNewt Gingrich praised Santorum's strategy as shrewd even as he signaled he had no interest in exiting the four-way race, which also includes Ron Paul. "I think that Santorum's going to have a pretty good day," Gingrich told reporters on the eve of the caucuses. "He targeted differently than I ...
Glencore and Xstrata agreed an all-share merger worth $90 billion (56 billion pounds) on Tuesday in the industry's largest ever deal, creating a commodities powerhouse spanning mining, agriculture and trading. Glencore, the world's largest diversified commodities tradinghouse, will issue 2.8 new shares for each Xstrata share in a deal they said was a "merger of equals." The ratio is a 15.2 percent premium to Xstrata shareholders compared with its share price last Wednesday before word leaked out about the merger talks, a joint statement said. "A merger between Glencore and Xstrata offers a unique opportunity to create a new business model in our industry to respond to ...
US White House hopeful Mitt Romney aims for another big caucus win in Colorado on Tuesday, as his well-oiled campaign machine works to cement his position as the Republican front runner in the US presidential race. Polls suggest he should triumph easily in the western US state -- where he scored 60 percent in 2008 -- although there is a tighter race in Minnesota, where last-placed Rick Santorum is hoping to snatch a win. Romney's main rival, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, is battling to stay in the race after two heavy losses in a row to the former Massachusetts governor, who ...
As President Christian Wulff remains mired in allegations of impropriety, anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI) has called for politicians to use the case as a chance to open up German politics. “We are very concerned that people seem to be starting to think that all politicians behave like Wulff, and that would be fatal,” Christian Humborg, TI Germany’s managing director told The Local. “I think the Wulff affair is a wonderful opportunity for German politicians to react to the cynical attitude that this is normal, and improve things,” he said. He said the fact that the authorities were investigating whether Wulff and his ...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind French President Nicolas Sarkozy in his tough re-election battle on Monday, saying the two right-wingers were from the same "political family". Despite accusations in both countries of interference, Merkel used a visit to Paris for a joint Franco-German cabinet session to make clear her support for Sarkozy, who has increasingly cited Germany as a model for France. "We belong to the same political family. He supported me and it is natural that I support him in his campaign," Merkel said during a joint television interview with Sarkozy to be broadcast later on French and ...
Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt thinks that Swedes need to be prepared to work a lot longer than they do today in order to keep the same living standard as when they were working. “The pensions scheme isn’t based on magic. It is a welfare ambition based on large-scale re-distribution and citizens’ own work. If people think that we can live longer and shorten our work life, then pensions will get lower,” Reinfeldt said in interview with daily Dagens Nyheter (DN). According to Reinfeldt, the expectation to retire at 65 is a problem in Sweden today. He thinks that Swedes may have to ...
Today is Friday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2010. There are 343 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 22, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to war in Europe, calling for “peace without victory.” (By April, however, America also was at war.) On this date: In 1498, during his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, explorer Christopher Columbus arrived at the present-day Caribbean... [more]
Beyonce and Madonna have joined Friday’s “Hope for Haiti Now” celebrity telethon for the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean nation, and actors George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio will each donate $1 million (618,000 pounds) to the cause, their representatives said on Thursday. Beyonce will perform in London and Madonna will take the stage in New York in the evening benefit show being broadcast on all four leading U.S. networks,... [more]
Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and Damon Albarn are among the British music stars who have contributed to an online auction to raise funds for Oxfam’s emergency response to the earthquake in Haiti. Albarn, former frontman of Blur and co-creator of virtual band Gorillaz, will record a “bespoke” piece of music for the winning bidder, while Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s “Viva La Vida” tour jacket — signed... [more]
Shops began to reopen in Haiti’s capital on Thursday and banking services were to resume at the weekend but the government and aid workers still struggled to assist masses of earthquake survivors camped out in rubble-strewn streets. As rescuers wound down more than a week of searching for trapped survivors of last week’s devastating quake, the government and its aid partners increasingly directed attention towards looking after... [more]
Google Inc. reeled in more Internet advertising during the holiday shopping season and approached $2 billion in quarterly profit for the first time, providing the strongest sign yet that Internet search leader has shaken off the recession’s doldrums. The fourth-quarter earnings announced Thursday topped analyst estimates, but revenue only matched forecasts. Investors evidently were hoping Google’s revenue would accelerate even... [more]
Today is Thursday, Jan. 21, the 21th day of 2010. There are 344 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: 1077 German King Heinrich IV petitions Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness 1189 Philip II, Henry II & Richard Lion-Hearted initiate 3rd Crusade 1276 Pierre de Tarantaise elected Pope Innocent V 1324 Zen Buddhist religious debate between Tendai & Shingon 1522 Head inquisitor Adrian Florisz Boeyens elected pope 1542 Parliament... [more]
MICROSOFT co-founder Bill Gates started tweeting yesterday. The billionaire bid the Twitter community a “Hello World” message and then that with three more lauding efforts to raise aid funds for earthquake-devastated Haiti. The Microsoft legend’s Twitter bio, which bears the verification icon used to confirm celebrity accounts, said he was going to share information from his philanthropic Gates foundation. Mr Gates had... [more]
PANICKED Haitians screamed as a powerful earthquake shook the devastated capital region overnight, as one aid agency claimed lack of proper medical care was costing 20,000 lives a day. In an urgent bulletin posted Tuesday on its website, Partners in Health said: “TENS OF THOUSANDS OF EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS NEED EMERGENCY SURGICAL CARE NOW!!!!! Our medical director has estimated that 20,000 people are dying each day who could be saved by... [more]
Could Greece drag down Europe? EU finance ministers are pressing their indebted and riot-prone Balkan member to embrace a massive austerity plan and plug its debilitating deficit. But with markets skeptical and the appetite for more bailouts at a low, there are deepening concerns that a Greek meltdown could deal a severe blow to the very European idea of a common currency, and set off a domino effect through Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Keen... [more]
LONDON – Princess Eadgyth who married one of Europe’s most powerful monarchs and dazzled subjects with her charity and charm. Now an international team of scientists say they think they’ve found the body of Princess Eadgyth (pronounced Edith) — a 10th-century noblewoman who has been compared to Princess Diana. “She was a very, very popular person,” said Mark Horton, an archaeology professor at Bristol University... [more]
