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 ...
Ruby “the heart stealer,” the young Moroccan who sparked an investigation into Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for allegedly paying for sex with a minor, announced Wednesday she is about to get married. Eighteen-year old Ruby, real name Karima El Mahroug, told a local edition of the Repubblica daily that she is set to get hitched to fiance Luca Rizzo, a 41-year old manager of a disco, in a town hall wedding in three weeks time. Once... [more]
The stand-off between the 20,000-strong group of Mubarak supporters and the anti-Mubarak protesters descended into violence after they met at central Tahrir Square. Both sets of groups, numbering about 40,000 people in total, have been fighting intensely, throwing rocks at each other and lashing out with metal bars, injuring dozens. In one area the violence was temporarily diffused when a young man stood between the two groups and called... [more]
Justin Bieber is bringing “Bieber fever” to Britain with the premiere of his new film. The 16-year-old pop idol will meet and greet fans on the red carpet at London’s O2 Cineworld on Wednesday February 16, before the 3D screening of his life story. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never tells the inspiring true story of how Justin went from being a street performer in the small town of Stratford, Ontario to a global superstar culminating... [more]
Javier Bardem has confirmed that he has been in talks with Sam Mendes about appearing in Bond 23. The Oscar-nominated Spanish star said he is considering playing James Bond’s (Daniel Craig) nemesis in the forthcoming instalment, directed by Sam, and that it would be a tough role to turn down. “They’re changing the whole thing, the whole dynamic – I’d be playing Bond’s nemesis, yes, but it’s not that... [more]
Thai “Yellow Shirts” vowed to intensify protests in Bangkok after a high-profile nationalist activist was jailed for eight years in Cambodia, in a case that has raised border tensions. The group issued an ultimatum threatening to step up their rally in the capital after Veera Somkwamkid — a former leader of the Yellow movement — and his secretary were sentenced by a Cambodian court on Tuesday. “The Thai government... [more]
Naomi Campbell has interviewed Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin, praising him for being in “good physical shape” and making a “great impression on women”. The supermodel, who questioned Mr Putin for GQ magazine, avoided political subjects but chose to talk about the prime minister’s fitness regime and a glamour calendar produced in his honour. The model, who lives with Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin... [more]
Jennifer Aniston convinced celebrity blogger Perez Hilton to tone down his “mean” comments after confronting him during a chance meeting at a gas station. The showbiz writer vowed to stop taking aim at particular celebrities on his infamous website after a spate of teenagers committed suicide across America last year as a result of high school bullying. Hilton appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show and promised to stop posting... [more]
Actress Jaime Pressly has pulled out of red carpet duties at two events in Las Vegas this Friday after she was formally charged with driving under the influence on Tuesday. The My Name Is Earl star’s car was pulled over by police in Santa Monica, California for a suspected traffic violation on 5 January and she was taken into custody after struggling to complete a field sobriety test. Pressly, who is free on £10,000 bail, has now... [more]
Protesters in Egypt are continuing their call for President Hosni Mubarak to stand down immediately. Egypt’s president of 30 years announced last night he would quit at the next election in September following days of mass demonstrations against his rule. Although the decision was greeted with jubilation, many protesters are calling for Mr Mubarak to leave now and have vowed to continue their demonstrations. President Obama said he... [more]
Pop starlet Lena Meyer-Landrut kicked off her campaign to keep the Eurovision crown in German hands on Monday night, with the first of two televised showcases to pick a song for this years’ Song Contest. Some 2.56 million viewers tuned in to watch the first round of the semi-finals on channel ProSieben, where the 19-year-old winner of last years’ Eurovision Song Contest performed six potential entries for the 2011 competition, to... [more]
