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 ...
TNT Express in Milan has been infiltrated by the mafia. The Italian justice ministry has intervened and will be at the helm of the packages delivery company for the coming six months. It appears that dozens of smaller courier companies that work for TNT are run by the ‘Ndrangheta, the Calabrian branch of the mafia. TNT was under the impression that they were independent companies but it has transpired the couriers were a cover for organised... [more]
Finland’s likely next prime minister ruled out proposing major changes to a bailout package for Portugal, seeking to soothe concerns that its new government could block the European Union’s plans and upset markets. Finland’s parliament, unlike others in the euro zone, has the right to vote on EU requests for bailout funds. Strong gains by the anti-euro True Finns, which came third in Sunday’s vote, has raised concerns... [more]
The European Commission will allocate an extra 110 million euros (96.5 million pounds) towards the cost of building a new shelter over the Chernobyl nuclear reactor which blew up in 1986, commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said on Monday. “Tomorrow I will be ready to declare extra money put forward by the European Commission of the order of 110 million euros,” Barroso told Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, Interfax... [more]
European and IMF officials went into tough talks with Portugal Monday on the terms and conditions of a bailout as a Finnish anti-EU party’s election success cast doubt on its viability. Negotiations on a deal expected to be worth up to 80 billion euros ($115 billion) follow a technical mission last week to Lisbon by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The government of Prime Minister... [more]
The latest rumour about the Royal Wedding is that Kate Middleton has designed her own wedding dress. She reportedly started coming up with ideas as soon as Prince William proposed. It is then claimed the bride-to-be took her plan to an established dressmaker. Now apparently all finished, the gown is said to be ivory satin and lace, with pearl button detail and a 10 foot train. Kate is thought to have been inspired by her History of Art... [more]
The Hague council on Thursday rejected a Freedom Party proposal to ban the construction of new mosques in the city. All parties fiercely rejected the proposal which they branded as discriminatory because the Freedom Party is not opposed to the construction of new places of worship of other religions. Green Left leader Inge Vianen said “They are guilty of discrimination when they suggest that the council should assist all religious people... [more]
Around 3,000 people die every year in Sweden because of deficient patient safety, according to two leading doctors, who argue that Sweden needs to follow other countries in debating how to address the problem. “We can’t remain blind to the serious mistakes that are committed and which cause suffering and costs and sometimes lead to death,” write Ulf Ljungblad, head doctor at Östra Hospital in Gothenburg, and former County... [more]
Train drivers at five major private rail operators will again go on strike Monday afternoon and will not return to work until Thursday. Rail union GDL announced the strike, which will run from 2 pm Monday to 2 am Thursday. Only last week, drivers from the five firms walked off the job for 48 hours over better pay. In total, the drivers have been on strike for 119 hours since March. They are demanding a single wage scale for all train drivers... [more]
Chinese jewellery factory owner Zhou Mingwang sums up the global appeal of this month’s British royal wedding with one line: “It’s a love story.” But, he adds with a sly smile, the much-ballyhooed April 29 union of Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton is also a great business opportunity for Zhou and his fellow entrepreneurs in this eastern China factory town. Zhou, 32, has sold more than 100,000 replicas... [more]
Hungary’s parliament was set to approve a new constitution Monday, which critics slam as an “ultimatum” by Prime Minister Viktor Orban that will only enhance his power and that of his Fidesz party. With references to God, Christianity, the Holy Crown of Hungary, the fatherland and traditional family values, the text — which is almost assured of going through parliament thanks to Fidesz’s two-thirds majority... [more]
