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 ...
Kim Jong-Il said North Korea remains committed to nuclear disarmament through dialogue, Pyongyang’s official media said Saturday, a year after quitting international talks on its atomic arsenal. During a visit this week to Beijing, he also said ties with China will be unchanged by the “replacement of one generation by a new one,” amid reports he is paving the way for his son to take control of the isolated communist state. In... [more]
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that the United States and its allies still have a long way to go before their security operations are successful in his country. “We have traveled far together, but the international effort in Afghanistan still has miles to go,” Karzai wrote in an op-ed piece in The Washington Post on Saturday. “We are not yet delivering security to large portions of the country.” He said he had... [more]
Eurozone leaders have agreed to put emergency measures in place before the financial markets open again to prevent the debt crisis in Greece spreading to other countries. During a late-night summit in Brussels, the 16 heads of the single currency countries said they were ready to take whatever steps were required to protect the stability of the euro area. The leaders agreed to set up a crisis fund for all members to dip into in times of... [more]
Today is Saturday, May 8, the 128th day of 2010. There are 237 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 8, 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio address that Nazi Germany’s forces had surrendered in World War II, and that “the flags of freedom fly all over Europe.” On this date: In 1541, Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River. In 1794, Antoine Lavoisier (lah-vwahz-YAY’),... [more]
Princess Madeleine has decided to take a time out from official engagements in order to give her time to deal with her aborted engagement to lawyer Jonas Bergström, the Royal Court in Stockholm has announced. The Royal Court confirmed to the Aftonbladet daily that the break up from Bergström is the reason why Madeleine cancelled her attendance at Sweden Week in Seattle at the weekend, having to be replaced by her sister Crown... [more]
Property once owned by Oscar-winning film star Sean Connery in the south of Spain is at the centre of a money-laundering investigation, a court spokeswoman said Friday. Twenty-eight people are under judicial investigation in the case, the spokeswoman for the Superior Court of Justice of Andalucia told AFP. She did not say that the 79-year-old former James Bond star was among them. The money-laundering and malfeasance case — prompted... [more]
David Cameron and Nick Clegg have talked on the phone and reportedly agree there should be further discussion on political and economic reform in due course, says a Lib Dem spokesman. David Cameron said earlier he wants to make a “big, open and comprehensive offer” for talks with the Liberal Democrats to try to form a government after failing to secure an overall majority. The Conservative leader said: “I want to work... [more]
Germany’s parliament has approved a 22.4bn euro (£19bn) contribution to a bail-out plan for debt-ridden Greece. The lower house, the Bundestag, passed the bill after fiery criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The upper house also endorsed it. Greece’s 15 partners in the eurozone will lend it 80bn euros spread over three years – the IMF 30bn euros. Later on Friday, Chancellor Merkel will join other eurozone heads of... [more]
British Airways is facing the threat of fresh strikes after the airline’s cabin crew overwhelmingly rejected an offer aimed at ending their long-running dispute. The Unite union said there was an 81% majority against the proposed deal in a turnout of 71%. Representatives of the cabin crew will meet Unite’s joint general secretaries, Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley, on Monday to discuss their next moves in the bitter row. The... [more]
The Netherlands and Italy are embroiled in a high-profile row about cheap gas exports, the Financieele Dagblad reports on Friday. The paper says the Netherlands wants to end the special deal for Italy established in the 1960s in an effort to stop Italy buying cheap gas from Moscow. The Netherlands has been increasing the price since the 1980s. But now Dutch gas export firm GasTerra wants Italian oil firm Eni which imports the gas to pay... [more]
