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 ...
Actress Tamera Mowry is spending wisely as she plans her wedding to fiance Adam Housley after realising how expensive a big ceremony can be. The former Sister, Sister star will exchange vows with Fox News correspondent Housley on 15 May – and the 32-year-old bride-to-be insists it won’t be an over-the-top celebration. She reveals she’s sacrificed her dream of walking down the aisle in a pricey Vera Wang creation, opting... [more]
US President Barack Obama has insisted that Egypt’s future “will be determined by its people”. The president spoke out after reports that US officials had discussed president Hosni Mubarak’s immediate resignation in favor of vice president Omar Suleiman. Mr Obama said he hoped Mr Mubarak will make “the right decision” to steer his country through mass protests against his rule but stopped short of urging... [more]
David Cameron will today signal a tougher Government stance towards groups which promote Islamist extremism. The Prime Minister will say that the doctrine of multi-culturalism has failed during a speech in which he calls for “muscular liberalism” in defence of Western values. He will also blame the radicalisation of Muslim youths and the phenomenon of home-grown terrorism on a “hands-off tolerance” from the authorities. Ministers... [more]
Sarah Palin said Friday that America is dangerously out of step with the values of former President Ronald Reagan, and warned that runaway spending and a ballooning bureaucracy in Washington had put the nation on a “road to ruin.” The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee delivered a stinging critique of Washington during a speech honoring Reagan’s legacy, part of the national celebration marking the centennial of... [more]
Protesters demanding President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster packed Cairo’s central square by the tens of thousands Friday, waving Egyptian flags, singing the national anthem and cheering, appearing undaunted and determined after their camp withstood two days of street battles with regime supporters trying to dislodge them. Thousands including families with children flowed over bridges across the Nile into Tahrir Square, a sign that... [more]
Murder victim Meredith Kercher’s mother has described a new television film on the woman convicted of killing her daughter as “shocking” Arline Kercher spoke out as a trailer and graphic stills were released by the makers of controversial American film, Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy. The film sees Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere play American exchange student Amanda Knox, who was convicted of Meredith’s murder... [more]
Professional party girl and hotel chain heiress Paris Hilton is in southern Germany to educate herself on the controversial Stuttgart 21 rail project, her press relations agency said Friday. In fact, learning more about Stuttgart 21 is the main reason for making a stop in the Baden-Württemberg city, where the 29-year-old is also scheduled to promote an Austrian Prosecco brand in a can called “RICH Ice.” On Thursday at a press... [more]
U.S. officials said on Thursday they were discussing with Egyptians different scenarios for a transition of power, including one in which President Hosni Mubarak leaves office immediately. “That’s one scenario,” said a senior Obama administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “There are a number of scenarios, but (it is) wrong to suggest we have discussed only one with the Egyptians.” The New... [more]
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday won some brief respite from raging sex scandals when parliament rejected a request from prosecutors to search his accountant’s offices. The vote was carried by 315 votes in favour to 298 against — a far higher majority than the beleaguered Berlusconi has enjoyed recently, after scraping through a no-confidence vote in parliament in December last year. The victory is a largely... [more]
An Italian parliamentary committee dealt a blow to embattled Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday by blocking a tax measure his Northern League allies have laid down as a condition for staying in government. The 30-member panel, which had to rule on measures to give more tax and spending powers to local governments, was split evenly, creating a stalemate with the potential to break the centre-right coalition and open the way to early... [more]
