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 ...
Egyptian-born doctor and surgeon Ayman al-Zawahri is al Qaeda’s second-in-command expected to succeed Osama bin Laden following his killing in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan. Zawahri has been the brains behind bin Laden and his al Qaeda network, and at times its most public face, repeatedly denouncing the United States and its allies in video messages. In the latest monitored by the SITE Intelligence Group last month, he... [more]
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Osama bin Laden’s death will “bring great relief to people across the world”, as global leaders rushed to congratulate the United States for the raid that left him dead. Shortly after US President Barack Obama announced the al Qaeda leader had died in a US-led operation in Pakistan, Cameron said: “Osama bin Laden was responsible for the worst terrorist atrocities the world... [more]
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan and his body was recovered, President Barack Obama announced Sunday. “Justice has been done,” Obama said in a dramatic, late-night White House speech announcing the death of the elusive mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the New York and Washington. Obama said U.S. forces led the operation that killed bin Laden. No Americans... [more]
The Dutch Royal Family are celebrating Queen Beatrix’ official birthday in the southernmost province of Limburg. Accompanied by her sons, daughters in law and her sister Princess Margriet and her family, the Queen has arrived in the town of Thorn. Later in the day they will travel to the city of Weert. Queen’s Day is the royal family’s annual occasion to meet the people face-to-face, and since her accession in 1980 Queen... [more]
Thousands of excitable pilgrims are swarming into central Rome, on the eve of a ceremony to mark late pope John Paul II’s step towards sainthood. “I couldn’t miss this, I had to be a part of such a historical moment. We’ve only just arrived but the atmosphere’s great, it’s really exciting,” on Saturday said Patricia Wocial, 48, who had come from Britain with her young daughters. “It’s... [more]
Michael Jackson could not have guzzled a fatal anaesthetic cocktail, according to a medical expert at a court hearing on Friday. Prosecutors committed to putting the King of Pop’s physician Dr. Conrad Murray behind bars called on the unnamed expert to help them dismiss suggestions made by the defence lawyers that the pop superstar took his own life by either drinking or injecting himself with Propofol. Dr. Murray is charged with involuntary... [more]
It was the most coveted fashion commission of the century, and it went to Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen. The newly-married Princess Catherine chose the iconic British fashion house to make her wedding dress. Burton is the protégé of the late designer Alexander McQueen, after joining his company as an intern in 1996. She took over as creative director at the label after his tragic death in February 2010. Burton has described working... [more]
Press freedom advocates on Saturday slammed the axing of a satirical Australian programme about the royal wedding on official request as a troubling example for authoritarian regimes. Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it “deplored” the BBC and Associated Press Television News (APTN) for “censoring satirical coverage” of the nuptials by Australian comedy group The Chaser. Notorious for breaching security... [more]
With a smile that lit up TV screens around the world, Kate Middleton married Prince William in a union that promised to revitalize the British monarchy. A million people roared their approval as the royal couple then paraded through London in an open carriage. Even knowing that an immense television audience was turning in to watch, the couple managed, at times, to appear in their own private world Friday, both at Westminster Abbey and on... [more]
Newlyweds William and Catherine sealed their love with a kiss on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony to the delight of the nation. The bride and groom appeared with their families to acknowledge the thousands of well-wishers crowded along The Mall. They exchanged a kiss to roars of approval. Then, as an RAF flypast swept towards the Palace, the couple kissed again. William and Catherine were proclaimed “man and wife” at a historic... [more]
