Eurozone finance ministers were to confer by telephone on Saturday after 12 hours of talks in Athens failed to produce a breakthrough on a deal to bail out Greece, the Greek finance minister said. Evangelos Venizelos added that a planned meeting by eurozone ministers on Greece originally scheduled for Monday would now be held on Wednesday. "I will participate in a Eurogroup telephone conference at 1230 GMT" to discuss details of a rescue deal for Greece worth 130 billion euros ($171 billion) which officials have been trying to seal since October, the minister said in a statement. "Critical issues pertaining to the country's ...
Australia's flood crisis deepened Saturday as authorities braced for waters to peak in Queensland where one woman is missing after being swept away while elsewhere thousands remain stranded by the surge. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said eight military helicopters would help in search, evacuation and resupply missions in the eastern state, where days of heavy rainfall have prompted hundreds of evacuations and dozens of rescues. "The helicopters will be available to assist in rescue operations as required until the immediate crisis has passed," Gillard said in a statement. In the inland Queensland town of Charleville authorities are on alert amid fears a temporary ...
Tens of thousands people are braving the bitter cold at two major rallies in downtown Moscow on Saturday as a power play between champions of political liberalization and supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin continues to unfold. The first demonstration demands fair elections at the March 4 presidential polls, at which Putin is expected to secure a third term in the Kremlin. It also calls on Russians “not to give a single vote” to Putin. The opposition rally is widely seen by analysts as a litmus test of protesters’ ability to maintain momentum after two earlier protests against alleged vote fraud in favor of ...
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday wrapped up a visit to China where she tried to reassure her hosts on the strength of the euro and Europe's ability to overcome its debt crisis. During her three-day trip to the world's second largest economy, Merkel praised the advantages of the single currency and urged China to put pressure on Iran and to condemn Syria at the United Nations. Merkel, who was prevented from meeting journalists and a human rights lawyers, ended her official visit in the southern city of Guangzhou, Xinhua news agency reported. Merkel, who held talks with Premier Wen Jiabao and President ...
Norway’s government has said it wants non-European immigrants to carry residency cards equipped with data chips bearing their fingerprints. In a proposal presented on Friday, the justice ministry said the new identity cards would help tackle illegal immigration. “The residency card system will increase security surrounding residency permit documentation, thereby contributing to the prevention of illegal immigration and illegal residency,” said Justice Minister Grete Faremo (Labour Party) in a statement. The move follows pressure from the European Union to ensure that immigrants from outside the European Economic Area, of which Norway is a member, are provided with residency cards that include fingerprint details. Faremo ...
Greece expects its 2011 budget deficit will be smaller than expected at between 9.1 and 9.4 percent of GDP, thanks to an emergency property tax, a finance ministry official said on Friday, a development that could help Athens in its bailout talks with the EU and IMF. Greece, which is racing to complete talks with the EU and the IMF on a second bailout worth 130 billion euros, had previously estimated that the deficit would be above 9.5 percent of GDP. "The numbers aren't final yet but we believe the deficit will come in at between 9.1 and 9.4 percent (of GDP)," ...
China has rejected Japanese protests over alleged improper exploration of gas deposits in the East China Sea. The Foreign Ministry said Friday the recent activity had taken place within Chinese-controlled waters and was completely normal. A ministry statement said China was strongly dissatisfied with recent comments from Japanese officials. Japan's chief Cabinet secretary on Wednesday said Japan protested to China after a flare was seen a day earlier at a Chinese structure at an undersea gas deposit. The deposit, known as Kashi in Japan and Tianwaitian in China, sits near a median line in the countries' overlapping exclusive economic zones. Japan and China agreed ...
The leader of Russia's Islamist rebels ordered a halt to attacks on civilians, saying mass opposition protests showed the public no longer supported Vladimir Putin, according to a video posted Friday. Doku Umarov, whose Caucasus Emirate group claimed atrocities including a deadly Moscow airport bombing in 2011 and a metro attack in 2010, said from now only security objects and officials would be targeted. "I order all special groups that are carrying out or plan to carry out special operations in Russia to put a halt to these operations that could hurt the peaceful population," Doku Umarov said in a video address ...
China's Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday the Asian giant had neither the ability nor the intention to "buy Europe", amid concerns over growing Chinese investment in debt-stricken eurozone economies. China is "willing to cooperate with Europe to fight the current crisis. Some people say this means China wants to buy Europe", Wen told a German-China business forum in the southern city of Guangzhou. "This a concern and doesn't fit reality. China doesn't have this intention and doesn't have this ability." German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in China for a three-day visit to boost her host's confidence in Europe, also attended the forum along with ...
Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is to resign from the Government after it emerged he is to face prosecution over allegations that he asked his ex-wife to take a speeding penalty for him. The Liberal Democrat MP has been charged with perverting the course of justice after an investigation into the 2003 incident by Essex Police. His former wife, the economist Vicky Pryce is also facing charges of perverting the course of justice. They are due to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on February 16. The maximum sentence for perverting the course of justice is life in prison, the CPS and the Sentencing ...
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will Tuesday begin a three-day state visit to Norway. She will spend two days in Oslo, and on Thursday she visits Bergen, before returning home. The Dutch Queen will be received by King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and the first stop is lunch at the Royal Palace in Oslo. Queen Beatrix will later on visit the Norwegian Parliament, and in the evening there is a... [more]
European Central Bank policymaker Christian Noyer hit out at credit rating agencies Tuesday, saying central banks were too dependent on their judgments. The dependence on rating agencies is “absolutely unsatisfactory,” Noyer, a member of the ECB’s governing council, told a Bank of Korea conference. The agencies have been accused of compounding problems by belatedly downgrading ratings of countries. This is particularly... [more]
Lindsay Lohan has shown off her alcohol monitoring bracelet in a series of pictures she sold to a photo agency to raise funds for charity. The Mean Girls star was ordered to wear the SCRAM device and abstain from drugs and alcohol for the foreseeable future following a probation hearing last week. She recently took to her Twitter.com page and pleaded with designers at French fashion house Chanel to send her a stylish accessory to cover up... [more]
Pope Benedict XVI, often under fire for political missteps on foreign trips, is heading into a potential diplomatic storm when he visits Cyprus this week, a pilgrimage to a divided island that could anger Turkey and the rest of the Muslim world. Divisions between Greeks and ethnic Turks, splits in the Orthodox Christian community, and concerns over damaged Christian and Muslim houses of worship will be come under scrutiny during Benedict’s... [more]
Avoiding conflict between the Koreas over the sinking of a warship is an urgent task, China’s premier said Sunday as Beijing appeared more engaged in the crisis despite withholding support for possible U.N. action against North Korea. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s comments came at the end of a weekend summit with Japanese and South Korean leaders that was closely watched for signs that Beijing would get tougher on North Korea,... [more]
Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday the country appeared to be back to “normal” after the lifting of a curfew imposed in the wake of deadly anti-government protests. The premier cancelled the curfew Saturday but said emergency rule was still necessary after two months of mass rallies by “Red Shirt” demonstrators that paralysed the capital and left almost 90 people dead. “The situation... [more]
Barely half a year into her second term at the head of Europe’s biggest economy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has found herself under fire at home and abroad over a whole range of issues, with the Greek debt crisis top of the list. But her actions are largely explained by severe political pressure at home, commentators say. With Greece teetering on the edge of financial meltdown a few weeks ago, Merkel was accused of foot-dragging... [more]
European stock markets rose Friday after big gains on Wall Street as China’s expression of confidence in Europe’s ability to restore its financial stability eased worries about the region’s government debt crisis. Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.41 percent at 5,216.32, Germany’s DAX rose 0.63 percent to 6,137.47 and France’s CAC-40 was up 0.38 percent at 3,538.72 “Equity markets are pointing higher... [more]
A nationwide strike in the public sector was avoided, when the two sides on Thursday reached agreement on an average 3.3 per cent wage increase for state employees, including an extra NOK 200 million earmarked for women’s groups. - For the Government it has been imortant to level off differences in pay between men and women, and a good low-wage profile within a defendable framework, said Minister of Government Administration, Rigmor... [more]
The strike among workers in the cleaning industry is over, and they are back at work on Friday morning. The two sides reached agreement on a four per cent wage increase, without the help of the national arbitrator. Meanwhile, the strike in the transport industry continued, and and there is now noticeable shortages on some retailers’ shelves, including the state wine and liquor stores. Share this: {lang:... [more]
