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 ...
Today is Friday, June 18, the 169th day of 2010. There are 196 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 18, 1940, during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves in a manner that would prompt future generations to say, “This was their finest hour.” On this date: In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the... [more]
Today is Thursday, June 17, the 168th day of 2010. There are 197 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 17, 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill took place near Boston. The battle (which actually occurred on Breed’s Hill) was a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses while dislodging the rebels. On this date: In 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard... [more]
Today is Wednesday, June 16, the 167th day of 2010. There are 198 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 16, 1858, accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln said the slavery issue had to be resolved, declaring, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” On this date: In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned in Lochleven Castle in Scotland.... [more]
Today is Tuesday, June 15, the 166th day of 2010. There are 199 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 15, 1215, England’s King John put his seal to Magna Carta (“the Great Charter”) at Runnymede. On this date: In 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army. In 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state. In 1844, Charles Goodyear... [more]
Japan recorded their first FIFA World Cup™ win on foreign soil after Keisuke Honda’s 39th-minute strike proved enough to down Cameroon at the Free State Stadium. Honda’s decisive contribution was handsome reward for Japan coach Takeshi Okada’s gamble to deploy the CSKA Moscow midfielder in a central attacking role in an attempt to remedy his team’s lack of goals. The Japanese, without a clean sheet in their warm-up... [more]
Today is Monday, June 14, the 165th day of 2010. There are 200 days left in the year. This is Flag Day. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag. On this date: In 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created. In 1801, former American Revolutionary War General and notorious turncoat Benedict Arnold died... [more]
Today is Sunday, June 13, the 164th day of 2010. There are 201 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent before being questioned by police. On this date: In 1886, King Ludwig II of Bavaria drowned in Lake Starnberg. In... [more]
Today is Saturday, June 12, the 163rd day of 2010. There are 202 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 12, 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, was fatally shot in front of his home in Jackson, Miss. (In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering Evers and sentenced to life in prison; he died in 2001.) On this date: In 1665, England installed a municipal government in New York, formerly the... [more]
Today is Friday, June 11, the 162nd day of 2010. There are 203 days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History: On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress formed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence calling for freedom from Britain. On this date: In 1509, England’s King Henry VIII married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. In 1770, Captain James Cook, commander of the British ship Endeavour, discovered the... [more]
Today is Thursday, June 10, the 161st day of 2010. There are 204 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 10, 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio by Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith and William Griffith Wilson. On this date: In 1610, Englishman Lord De La Warr arrived at the Jamestown settlement to take charge of the Virginia Colony. In 1865, the Richard Wagner opera “Tristan und Isolde”... [more]
