Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said on Tuesday he is resolved to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Russia at an annual rally calling for the return of all four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido in northern Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported. "We'll continue to make steady and determined efforts to move ahead with negotiations," Noda said, stressing the need to sign a peace treaty with Russia. The four islands - which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan calls the Northern Territories - has been the subject of a territorial dispute between the two nations since the end of World War ...
Amanda Knox's Italian lawyer has filed an appeal of her slander conviction in Italy, a Knox family spokesman inSeattle said Monday. In October, an Italian appeals court overturned the young Seattle woman's murder conviction in the 2007 death of her British roommate in Perugia. But the same court upheld Knox's conviction for slander — for falsely accusing bar owner Diya "Patrick" Lumumba of involvement in the slaying. Lumumba was freed after two weeks in prison for lack of evidence. Knox later said she was "manipulated" during her lengthy police interrogation. An appeal of the slander conviction was filed Monday, Knox family spokesman Dave Marriott confirmed. He doesn't know when the Italian ...
The Dutch railway will remain 'vulnerable' during wintry weather but Dutch Rail (NS) and track operator ProRail did not help matters during the current cold snap by the late introduction of schedule adjustments to cope with the conditions, transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told parliament in a briefing on Tuesday. The NS and ProRail assumed on Thursday of last week that there would be three to five centimetres of snow. When the forecast was increased on Friday morning to between 10 and 15 centimetres, it was too late to change the timetables automatically, Schultz van Haegen told parliament. Drivers and conductors ...
Greece can leave the eurozone without damaging monetary union, European digital affairs commissioner Neelie Kroes says in an interview with the Volkskrant on Tuesday. Kroes, a member of the Dutch ruling right-wing Liberal party VVD, is not a supporter of Greece exchanging the euro for the drachma, but says: 'It is absolutely not a case of man overboard if someone leaves the eurozone.' The commissioner is very critical of the new Greek government and says they are not fulfilling their promises. 'Too few spending cuts, too little restructuring,' she says. She says the Greeks should follow the example of Italy where the new ...
Mitt Romney hopes his presidential campaign hasn't ignored Rick Santorum's aggressive attacks for too long, as caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota on Tuesday could reshuffle the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Santorum largely bypassed Florida and Nevada to blanket the two caucus states with criticism of Romney and lay the groundwork among conservatives who have great sway in the process. RivalNewt Gingrich praised Santorum's strategy as shrewd even as he signaled he had no interest in exiting the four-way race, which also includes Ron Paul. "I think that Santorum's going to have a pretty good day," Gingrich told reporters on the eve of the caucuses. "He targeted differently than I ...
Glencore and Xstrata agreed an all-share merger worth $90 billion (56 billion pounds) on Tuesday in the industry's largest ever deal, creating a commodities powerhouse spanning mining, agriculture and trading. Glencore, the world's largest diversified commodities tradinghouse, will issue 2.8 new shares for each Xstrata share in a deal they said was a "merger of equals." The ratio is a 15.2 percent premium to Xstrata shareholders compared with its share price last Wednesday before word leaked out about the merger talks, a joint statement said. "A merger between Glencore and Xstrata offers a unique opportunity to create a new business model in our industry to respond to ...
US White House hopeful Mitt Romney aims for another big caucus win in Colorado on Tuesday, as his well-oiled campaign machine works to cement his position as the Republican front runner in the US presidential race. Polls suggest he should triumph easily in the western US state -- where he scored 60 percent in 2008 -- although there is a tighter race in Minnesota, where last-placed Rick Santorum is hoping to snatch a win. Romney's main rival, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, is battling to stay in the race after two heavy losses in a row to the former Massachusetts governor, who ...
As President Christian Wulff remains mired in allegations of impropriety, anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI) has called for politicians to use the case as a chance to open up German politics. “We are very concerned that people seem to be starting to think that all politicians behave like Wulff, and that would be fatal,” Christian Humborg, TI Germany’s managing director told The Local. “I think the Wulff affair is a wonderful opportunity for German politicians to react to the cynical attitude that this is normal, and improve things,” he said. He said the fact that the authorities were investigating whether Wulff and his ...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind French President Nicolas Sarkozy in his tough re-election battle on Monday, saying the two right-wingers were from the same "political family". Despite accusations in both countries of interference, Merkel used a visit to Paris for a joint Franco-German cabinet session to make clear her support for Sarkozy, who has increasingly cited Germany as a model for France. "We belong to the same political family. He supported me and it is natural that I support him in his campaign," Merkel said during a joint television interview with Sarkozy to be broadcast later on French and ...
Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt thinks that Swedes need to be prepared to work a lot longer than they do today in order to keep the same living standard as when they were working. “The pensions scheme isn’t based on magic. It is a welfare ambition based on large-scale re-distribution and citizens’ own work. If people think that we can live longer and shorten our work life, then pensions will get lower,” Reinfeldt said in interview with daily Dagens Nyheter (DN). According to Reinfeldt, the expectation to retire at 65 is a problem in Sweden today. He thinks that Swedes may have to ...
China has cut its massive US Treasury bond holdings to the lowest level in at least nine months, data showed Thursday as Beijing resisted persistent US pressure to revalue its currency. Beijing sliced its holdings to 877.5 billion dollars in February, down 11.5 billion dollars from January, but remained the top holder of American government debt, according to the Treasury Department’s latest figures on international capital flows. It... [more]
At least 300 dead and more than 8,000 injured. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit northwest China’s Qinghai Province early on Wednesday. Following are the latest developments: As of 13:30 pm Wednesday, the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Yushu county in Northwest China’s Qinghai province has left at least 300 dead and more than 8,000 injured, according to China National Radio. [13:45] China’s int’l rescue team on its way... [more]
U.S. President Barack Obama’s drive for new sanctions on Iran picked up momentum on Monday in talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao that included a wide-ranging discussion of U.S.-Chinese economic differences. Their face-to-face session came at the start of a two-day nuclear security summit of nearly 50 countries aimed at finding ways to prevent terrorists from gaining access to nuclear materials. Ukraine provided the first example... [more]
China’s foreign exchange reserves surged to a record 2.447 trillion dollars at the end of March, the central bank said on Monday. The reserves, already the world’s largest, grew 25.25 percent from 1.9537 trillion dollars a year ago, the People’s Bank of China said on its website. The central bank had said previously its reserves were at 2.399 trillion dollars at the end of December. China’s forex reserves have ballooned... [more]
China is softening its recent muscular global posture, muting criticisms of the U.S. at a time of delicate negotiations with Washington and simmering economic troubles at home. The rhetorical time-out comes as President Hu Jintao heads to Washington this week, after months of friction with the U.S., and was in full evidence this weekend at an international meeting designed to showcase China’s growing reach as an economic and diplomatic... [more]
China recorded its first monthly trade deficit in six years, but a customs official called the shortfall a blip and economists doubted it would stand in the way of a resumption in the yuan’s rise before long. China’s $7.24 billion deficit in March, the first time the trade balance has been in the red since April 2004, mainly reflected strong imports of oil, raw materials and cars, the General Administration of Customs said... [more]
An elaborate China-based online spying network has used several social networks to hack government computers around the world. Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab say the cyber spies used services such as Twitter, Google Groups and Yahoo! Mail. The lab says the spies attacked government, business, academic and other computer networks in India, the Offices of the Dalai Lama, the United Nations, and several other countries. Data... [more]
China will ultimately decide more yuan flexibility would benefit it, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday as Beijing defended its currency policy and said any changes would be on its own terms. Geithner, who told Indian television the global economic recovery “looks quite strong now,” also said it was “China’s choice” whether or not it revalues the yuan. The White House said President Barack... [more]
Rescuers were searching Tuesday for 33 workers still trapped in a flooded Chinese coal mine, a day after over 100 others were dramatically saved, but joy was tempered by news of five deaths. The bodies were found during overnight searches at the Wangjialing mine in Shanxi province, China’s coal-producing heartland in the north, but authorities say there is still hope the others will be found alive. On Monday, rescuers wept with joy... [more]
Workers rushed to contain an oil spill Monday from a coal-carrying ship grounded on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, sending a tugboat to stabilize the vessel so that it would not break apart and further damage the fragile coral beneath. Traveling at full speed, the Chinese-registered Shen Neng 1 rammed into Douglas Shoals late Saturday, an area that has shipping restrictions in order to protect what is the world’s largest coral... [more]
