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 ...
‘EastEnders’ Tanya Jessop is set to break her new husband’s heart as she embarks on a torrid affair with her ex. The beautician – played by Jo Joyner in the BBC One soap – has already kissed former husband Max Branning on her wedding day to Greg Jessop (Stefan Booth) last month but the affair is set to reach new levels soon as she jumps into bed with her ex. A source told The Sun: “Sparks will fly... [more]
Kate Hudson thinks she is expecting a baby girl because she can’t stop eating healthy food. While the ‘Something Borrowed’ actress gorged on junk food when she was pregnant with son Ryder, seven, with former husband Chris Robinson, Kate’s new craving for fruit and salad during her current pregnancy makes her and pals think this baby will be a girl. Kate – who is engaged to the baby’s father Muse... [more]
Italy on Saturday denied it had reached any agreement with Libyan rebels to supply them with arms in their battle against Muammar Gaddafi. “There has been no agreement to supply them with weapons,” a foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters. He was responding to a claim by a rebel spokesman in Benghazi who said Italy had agreed to supply the anti-Gaddafi forces with whatever weapons they needed. The foreign ministry spokesman... [more]
Japan’s Iwate prefecture, whose coastline was hard hit by the March 11 tsunami, on Saturday won endorsement for its historic Hiraizumi area to be listed as a World Heritage site, the government said. Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs announced that an International Council on Monuments and Sites panel recommended that the Buddhist architecture, gardens and archaeological sites in Hiraizumi be listed. UNESCO’s World Heritage... [more]
Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced Saturday that Malaysia has agreed to take hundreds of asylum seekers who land in Australia illegally, in a move described as a “big blow” to people smugglers. Under the bilateral agreement, up to 800 boat people who try to reach Australia will be taken immediately to Malaysia instead, with their claims processed there by the United Nations. In return, Australia has agreed to accept and... [more]
Eurozone members are debating milder recovery terms for debt-hitGreece as it struggles to stick to a harsh austerity plan, Greek media said Saturday after emergency talks in Luxembourg. The reports said Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou had flown to a “secret” meeting among G20 eurozone states that debated giving Athens more time to repay a 110-billion-euro ($157 billion) EU-IMF loan and easier deficit reduction targets. The... [more]
Although her songs exude passionate love, country-pop singer Shania Twain knows what it means to be heartbroken. In an interview with “Nightline” anchor Cynthia McFadden, the famously private performer opened up about growing up hungry and poor in an abusive household, her husband’s reputed affair that ended their marriage and her finding love again. Twain, 45, who has never exposed her personal life in such a public way... [more]
It is one of the most emblematic – and practical – achievements of the European Union: the Schengen treaty, named after the Luxembourg town where it was signed, has gifted passport-free travel to Europeans, letting them glide unchecked across national frontiers once fiercely guarded. Now, however, this signature feat of European integration could be rolled back. The Arab uprisings have created a surge of migrants fleeing toward... [more]
China reiterated on Friday that it is not deliberately seeking a trade surplus with the United States, Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said, days before talks with the United States. “China’s position is clear — that we are not deliberately pursuing a large trade surplus,” Zhu told a news briefing ahead of the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington D.C. from Monday. “This is a mutually... [more]
Britain Friday looked set to reject a change in the way its lawmakers are elected after the country voted in a national referendum that has threatened to tear the ruling coalition apart. Bitter campaigning for the vote opened up a rift between the centre-right Conservative party and the smaller Liberal Democrats just one year after they joined forces in an unlikely political marriage. Opinion polls indicate a landslide win for the campaign... [more]
