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 ...
A Swedish woman, Monica Danielsson, 78, may have provided the last piece in a the puzzle on where US president Barack Obama was born, when CNN recently went to Hawaii finally lay the matter to rest. “Obama was lying there next to my Stig in the bassinet and I remember him because he was the only black child there and I thought he was very cute, “ she said to Swedish daily Expressen. CNN recently sent reporter Gary Tuchman from the show... [more]
Rocker Richie Sambora is bowing out of upcoming Bon Jovi dates so he can re-enter rehab. Sambora is checking into an undisclosed facility to seek treatment for alcohol addiction and exhaustion, according to TMZ.com. His bandmates will resume the Bon Jovi Live trek in New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday without the troubled guitarist. A statement from the group reads: “Our support for Richie is absolute. He is, and will remain, a member... [more]
Sang Lan, a Chinese gymnast who broke her neck during a vaulting accident at the 1998 Goodwill Games, filed a $1.8 billion lawsuit against Time Warner and the US gymnastics federation. Sang was paralyzed after being injured during a warm-up vault at the Nassau Coliseum in suburban New York at the global multisport event which is no longer contested but was at the time owned by AOL Time Warner. In a federal lawsuit, Sang, now 29, claims promises... [more]
Norway’s King Harald and Queen Sonja will attend the Royal wedding between His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and Ms Catherine Middleton in London on Friday. King Harald is Queen Elisabeth’s second cousin. His grandfather, Norway’s King Haakon married British Princess Maud. Crown Prince Haakon will be acting Regent in King Harald’s absence, and will preside over the Council of State at the Royal Palace... [more]
With the two simple words “I will,” Prince William and Kate Middleton are ending months of buildup and sealing their love with the most public of spectacles, a wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey that holds the promise of a royal renaissance. A third of the planet was expected to watch Friday as the future king and queen of England start their lives as husband and wife. All the clamoring about seemingly every detail — the... [more]
Prince William and Kate Middleton were set to marry Friday in Britain’s biggest royal wedding in 30 years, to be watched by up to half a million spectators in London and two billion global TV viewers. The red carpet and floral decorations were in place at the Westminster Abbey venue as Britons across the country prepared to toast the occasion with champagne breakfasts and around 6,000 street parties. Over a quarter of the world’s... [more]
Prince William will be wearing red for his marriage to Kate Middleton and will present her with a wedding ring fashioned from Welsh gold. He will wear the famous tunic of an Irish Guards officer rather than his blue RAF uniform for the occasion. William holds the honorary rank of colonel of the Irish Guards, so is entitled to walk down the aisle with his bride in the dashing scarlet uniform of the Irish Guards. He will wear a gold and crimson... [more]
The whole world will be watching today as Prince William marries Kate Middleton in a ceremony combining pomp and romance. Months of preparations will come to fruition when the couple say their vows in Westminster Abbey in front of 1,900 guests – and a global TV audience of two billion. Forecasts of showers over central London this morning failed to dampen the mounting excitement about the Royal Wedding. Scores of well-wishers from... [more]
The first royal fan has reserved himself a spot outside the Westminster Abbey to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. John Loughrey, 56, has set up camp on the pavement across the road from the famous abbey, equipped only with a sleeping bag and two Union Jack carrier bags, and intends to remain there all week to beat the tens of thousands of spectators expected and ensure a good view of the event on Friday. “I am... [more]
Eric Idle and Sir Ben Kingsley were among the British celebs in Hollywood talking about the excitement surrounding the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Some of our finest exports turned out to celebrate Brit Week at the British Consul General’s Residence in Los Angeles where they were bombarded with royal-related questions from the mostly American news crews. “I’ll be getting up and putting a dress... [more]
