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 ...
Russia on Thursday officially recognised Libya’s rebels as the governing authority in the country, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The Russian Federation recognises Libya’s National Transitional Council as the ruling authority and notes its reform programme that includes the development of a new constitution, holding general elections and forming the government,” it said. “Our country has established... [more]
David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy are jointly hosting a high-level summit in Paris to welcome Libya’s National Transitional Council into the diplomatic fold The event represents an enormous coalition of global powers: 60 countries and international organisations including the Arab League, United Nations and African Union have been invited. The meeting has two goals: firstly, to secure diplomatic and financial support for Libya. Secondly,... [more]
Dutch police have uncovered huge caches of child pornography on “hidden” websites, including four based in the United States, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The discovery was made as part of the far-reaching investigation into a suspected pedophile identified only as Robert M. who was arrested in Amsterdam last year. He is accused of abusing dozens of young children while he worked in at least two Amsterdam preschools. The... [more]
Emma Watson is preparing for the next chapter of her life The `Harry Potter’ actress admits that she needs to find her way out of the bubble, which she describes in part as the safe world of life on the set of the successful film franchise. Watson says in the July issue of Vogue magazine that she wants to explore more of her creative side, and cites Patti Smith as a role model. “I want to live like Patti,” she said of... [more]
A magnitude 5.5 tremor rattled the quake-prone New Zealand city of Christchurch on Monday, sending people fleeing from buildings, and boulders tumbling down hillsides. Police said there were no initial reports of injuries from the quake, which comes almost four months after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake killed 181 people and caused extensive damage across the city. Local media reported that the quake sent people running into the streets, with... [more]
Tens of thousands of travellers were left stranded Monday after ash from Chile’s volcanic eruptions prompted Australian airlines to ground some domestic services and flights to New Zealand. Strong winds have carried the ash more than half way around the world, over the southern Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans to Australia and New Zealand since Chile’s Puyehue volcano erupted more than a week ago. Australian airline Qantas... [more]
The US Navy intercepted a North Korean ship suspected of carrying missile technology to Myanmar and after dramatic stand-off forced it to turn back, The New York Times reported. Pyongyang was forced to recall the ship home after last month’s confrontation, which involved several days of diplomatic wrangling, the newspaper said, citing unnamed US officials. The US government made no official announcement about the operation, the paper... [more]
Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, an advocate of a higher sales tax to fix state finances, emerged on Thursday as a possible frontrunner to replace Naoto Kan as premier after a newspaper said ruling party executives would back his candidacy. But whether the 54-year-old Noda has the political skills to manage a possible “grand coalition” to break a parliamentary deadlock as Japan struggles with a nuclear disaster and... [more]
The Metropolitan Police is looking at whether to widen the scope of its phone-hacking investigation amid claims the Duchess of Cambridge and Tony Blair were victims. Labour MP Tom Watson alleged the former prime minister was targeted by private detective Jonathan Rees. Mr Watson also claimed Mr Rees, a contractor to News International, targeted “at least one former home secretary”. The MP spoke following a statement by the Home... [more]
Fifa’s ethics committee has cleared president Sepp Blatter of alleged corruption – but has suspended his former rival Mohamed bin Hammam and vice-president Jack Warner. Fifa ‘s bribery hearings in Zurich disintegrated into claim and counter-claim as the world governing body’s leaders turned on each other. Jack Warner unleashed his threatened “tsunami” after he and Asian confederation president Mohamed... [more]
