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 ...
CONDITIONS are deteriorating at the main evacuation point in Cairns, where 2500 people are sheltering from Cyclone Yasi inside a powerless shopping centre. Power was cut to the Earlville shopping centre around midnight, as Yasi crossed the coast at Mission Beach south of Cairns, leaving evacuees to wait out the storm in the dark. “It’s getting a bit stifling inside because the air conditioning’s stopped,” an ABC reporter... [more]
MISSION Beach, about 50km south of Innisfail, is the new ground zero for monster Cyclone Yasi, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned. The bureau’s 11pm (AEST) update said Yasi will hit about midnight (AEST) as an extremely destructive category 5 storm. It’s estimated to be 65km east of Innisfail and 125km south-east of Cairns and generating wind gusts up to 285km/h. The bureau also warned Yasi is now expected to cross the coast... [more]
A massive cyclone roaring towards Australia has strengthened to the most dangerous threat level, as officials are warning it could be the strongest storm in generations. As the winds that heralded Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi’s arrival began battering hundreds of kilometres (miles) of Queensland coast, officials told residents it was now too late to escape the monster storm. “The time for movement and evacuation has now passed,”... [more]
Thousands of Australians are fleeing their homes as a “monster cyclone” bears down on the east of the country. Yasi is being described as the most powerful cyclone to hit Australia and follows the devastating floods that hit the east of the country last month. The storm has been upgraded to a maximum-strength category five storm. Its strength is on a par with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005. “We... [more]
A strong tropical cyclone roared toward Australia’s flood-ravaged northeast on Monday, prompting evacuations and warnings from officials that the storm could be the worst the already-swamped region has ever seen. Cyclone Yasi’s winds strengthened to 63 mph (102 kph) Monday. It was expected to hit the Queensland state coast on Wednesday or Thursday as a fierce Category 4 storm with wind gusts up to 162 mph (260 kph). The storm... [more]
Andy Murray’s grand slam final misery continued as he was comprehensively beaten by Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. Murray looked out of sorts from the off and was second best throughout a one-sided encounter as Djokovic followed up his 2008 success in Melbourne with a 6-4 6-2 6-3 triumph in two hours and 39 minutes. Murray has now appeared in three grand slam finals and is yet to win a set – a record in the open era –... [more]
QUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh has reactivated the state disaster management group as two possible cyclones threaten to hit within days of each other. Cyclone Anthony could intensify from a category one to a category three storm and hit the Burdekin Coast, between Cardwell and Bowen, on Monday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) says. Meanwhile, it’s feared a tropical low about 1500km northeast of Vanuatu could build into a category four... [more]
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Friday defended her plan for a one-off tax to pay for the flood disaster, insisting there was no “big pile of money” to pay for the rebuilding. Gillard, who has been prime minister for seven months, has ordered a levy on middle and high-earning tax payers to help fund the recovery after deadly floods that devastated the northeast state of Queensland. Conservatives have criticised the... [more]
Australian taxpayers will be hit with a one-off levy to pay for the massive cost of cleaning up and rebuilding after devastating floods that hit the country in recent months. Prime minister Julia Gillard said the floods were a national tragedy and may be the most expensive natural disaster ever to hit the country. She said the cost of rebuilding damaged infrastructure and providing grants to those affected would be as much as 5.6bn Australian... [more]
Australian inflation moderated to its lowest level in a decade, data showed Tuesday, but Treasurer Wayne Swan said prices would surge as record flooding squeezes consumers at the checkout. The Consumer Price Index grew 0.4 percent in October-December compared with the previous quarter and 2.7 percent compared with a year earlier — both figures much lower than the 0.7 percent and 3.0 expected by economists. Swan said underlying inflation... [more]
