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 ...
A Shanghai court on Monday sentenced a Chinese-Australian executive of Rio Tinto to 7 years in prison on Monday on charges of accepting bribes and 5 years on charges of stealing commercial secrets. The Shanghai Intermediate People’s Court said Stern Hu, who headed Rio Tinto’s iron ore operations in China, will serve 10 years. Hu had pleaded guilty to accepting bribes but disputed the amount of 6.46 million yuan ($946,300)... [more]
The United States has raised concerns with Australia about the impact of a proposed Internet filter that would place restrictions on Web content, an official said Monday. The concerns of Australia’s most important security ally further undermine plans that would make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among the world’s democracies. “Our main message of course is that we remain committed to advancing the... [more]
At least 37 people died as two suspected terrorist bombs ripped through the central Moscow metro system during Monday morning’s rush hour, the emergencies ministry said. The first blast occurred at around 8:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT), killing at least 23 people and injuring 18, many of them seriously. A RIA Novosti employee who was on the train said the blast occurred between the Lubyanka and Okhotny Ryad metro stations close to the Kremlin. The... [more]
The Red Cross launched an emergency appeal Monday for nearly one million dollars to help thousands of herders in Mongolia who have lost their livestock to one of the worst winters in decades. The impoverished landlocked nation is grappling with a severe winter after a dry summer, a phenomenon known as a “dzud” that has led to extreme cold and food shortages for the livestock that many depend upon for survival. According to... [more]
Terrorism is suspected as the cause of the two blasts that tore through the central Moscow metro system during Monday morning’s rush hour killing at least 32 people, Russia’s top investigator said. The first blast occurred at around 8:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) at the central Moscow Lubyanka station and killed 20 people and injured 11. The second blast occurred some 45 minutes last at the nearby Park Kultury station and killed at least... [more]
Two blasts hit the Moscow metro system during the rush hour on Monday morning, killing at least 20 people, the emergencies ministry said. The first blast occurred at around 8:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) at the central Moscow Lubyanka station and killed 20 people and injured 11. A RIA Novosti employee who was on the train said it occurred in the tunnel between the Lubyanka and Okhotny Ryad stations. The second blast occurred some 45 minutes last... [more]
SECOND BLAST HITS MOSCOW METRO An explosion ripped through Lubyanka station in central Moscow at rush hour on Monday, killing at least 20 people and wounding 11 more, the Emergencies Ministry said. The headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is located just above the station. “The blast hit the second carriage of a metro train that stopped at Lubyanka, at 0756 (4:56 a.m. British time),”... [more]
An explosion ripped through Lubyanka station in central Moscow at rush hour on Monday, killing at least 20 people and wounding 11 more, the Emergencies Ministry said. The headquarters of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is located just above the station. “The blast hit the second carriage of a metro train that stopped at Lubyanka, at 0756 (4:56 a.m. British time),” ministry spokeswoman... [more]
The Vatican this week marks the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death amid some doubts that the miracle needed for his saint-making cause will stand up to scrutiny and questions about his record combatting pedophile priests. The inexplicable cure of a young French nun from Parkinson’s disease had initially seemed like the perfect case for a miracle as the Vatican fast-tracked John Paul’s beatification. The... [more]
Today is Monday, March 29, the 88th day of 2010. There are 277 days left in the year. The Jewish holidayPassover begins at sunset. Today’s Highlight in History: On March 29, 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War. On this date: In 1638, Swedish colonists settled in present-day Delaware. In 1790, the tenth president of the United States, John... [more]
