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 ...
President Obama and the First Lady will travel to Arizona on Wednesday to attend a memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shootings. Six people were killed and 14 others were injured, including a congresswoman who was in a critical condition after being shot in the head by a lone gunman. A US college dropout arrested after the shooting rampage on Saturday has appeared in court for the first time. Jared Lee Loughner, 22, arrived at... [more]
Thousands of people were urged to leave the outskirts of Australia’s third-largest city, Brisbane, on Tuesday as flood waters raced eastwards after a surging two-meter wall of water killed eight people overnight. Cars and pedestrians were swept away on Monday night when a “super rainstorm” sent water charging through the streets of Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. Police said more than 40 people were pulled from rooftops by... [more]
Toyota unveiled new siblings for its popular Prius hybrid Monday, introducing a brand new midsized wagon, a plug-in, and a compact Prius to journalists at the Detroit auto show. The family was launched as Toyota struggles to rebuild its once-stellar reputation after it was rocked by a series of mass recalls and its top executives were raked over the coals at congressional hearings for failing to report the deadly defects sooner. Akio Toyoda,... [more]
The Conservative Party (Høyre) has appealed to the other political parties to join forces in an effort to speed up the work to improve safety on the Norwegian roads with highest accident rate. The move comes in the wake of the tragic accident in Troms on Friday, in which five people died in a collision between a bus and two cars. The proposal from Høyre includes a speeding up of the national plan to construct a centre barrier along 750km... [more]
Residents of low-lying parts of Australia’s third largest city, Brisbane, sandbagged their homes against rising waters on Monday as torrential rain exacerbated record floods that have paralyzed the coal industry in the northeast and now threaten tourism. Prime Minister Julia Gillard insisted the cost of the floods would not delay a return to budget surplus in 2012-13, but J.P. Morgan predicted the disaster would crimp growth this year... [more]
Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang kicked off a business-focused state visit to Britain on Sunday with the sealing of a renewable energy deal between Scottish and Chinese companies. Li, who is widely tipped to be China’s next premier, arrived in Edinburgh for a four-day trip aimed at boosting economic and political ties that will include talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron. He praised progress in relations between China and... [more]
At least 70 people were killed in the crash of an Iran Air plane near a northwestern Iranian city on Sunday, a senior official with the Iranian Red Crescent told state news agency IRNA. Heydar Heydari, deputy head of the Red Crescent’s rescue operations in Iran, said another 32 people were injured when the plane came down near the city of Orumiyeh. “Based on informed received, so far 70 people have been killed and 32 injured”... [more]
SOME parts of Queensland are on standby for flash flooding as more torrential rain disrupts recovery attempts in areas where raging rivers have begun to subside. The focus of attention has shifted southwards from central to southeast Queensland which is being battered by heavy local falls. Authorities have warned that the ground is so waterlogged that sudden downpours can quickly cause flash flooding. Emergency Management Queensland (EMIT)... [more]
Fifty from the 105 passengers and crew on board an Iran Air plane which crashed in bad weather and broke into pieces on Sunday survived the accident, Iran’s emergency services chief and media said. “So far no reports of death have been reported to me,” emergency services head Gholam Reza Masoumi told Fars news agency. “But 50 injured people out of the 105 on board have come out of the plane alive.” The Iran... [more]
France said the entire Sahel region could no longer be considered safe for its citizens after two Frenchmen were killed in Niger, and on Sunday told its nationals to avoid traveling in the region. The pair were found dead, apparently executed by their kidnappers on Saturday, after French special forces joined a failed attempt to rescue them in the African state. “French nationals should be extremely vigilant and careful at all times,”... [more]
