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 ...
Romanian President Traian Basescu has once again fiercely criticised the Netherlands. At a conference celebrating the fifth anniversary of Romania’s accession to the European Union, he accused the Dutch government of “abuse” and claimed it was blocking Romanian and Bulgarian membership of the passport-free Schengen Zone on false pretences. He repeated an earlier accusation that the Dutch government is being held to ransom by Geert... [more]
Immigration Minister Gerd Leers says his plans to use cameras on the Dutch border to intercept illegal immigrants will not contravene European Union regulations, reports the EUobserver news site. Much of the high-tech surveillance equipment has already been installed on the Dutch borders with Belgium and Germany. The cameras apparently collect data on the models and colours of cars crossing the border. The idea is that if, for instance,... [more]
Europe needs to become more competitive and create more jobs in order to ensure its future prosperity, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said after Monday night’s informal EU summit on the eurozone debt crisis. ‘There are currently 23 million people in the EU without work and in the long term, that is not sustainable,’ Rutte said. ‘The internal market can be an important motor for growth, but only 40% of the EU economy... [more]
Some 60% of men and 44% of women in the Netherlands are overweight, according to research from the public health institute RIVM, published in Monday’s AD. And one in seven of those that are too fat is so heavy that they risk developing serious health problems, the institute says. The research involved 4,000 people aged between 30 and 70. Compared with previous research carried out 15 years ago, women aged 30 to 39 have put on most weight. More... [more]
As expected, the government is pressing ahead with plans to scrap grants for students starting a masters’ degree from the next academic year. The decision means students living away from home will no longer get a grant of some €260 a month towards the cost of their degree. Instead, they will be able to borrow the same amount of money from the student loan service, according to the draft legislation sent to parliament on Thursday. ‘They... [more]
The euro held steady against the dollar on Friday and was on track for its biggest weekly gain in three months, having rallied on short-covering following its recent drop to a 17-month low. Market players said position unwinding might give the euro a further lift in the near-term, with one possible upside target at $1.3077, the single currency’s high so far in January. Greece’s negotiations with creditors on a debt swap remain... [more]
The larger of the two parties in the minority coalition, the conservative VVD, has said that only people who speak Dutch should be eligible for social welfare assistance. MP Cora van Nieuwenhuizen hopes to adopt a proposal from the governing VVD into legislation from 1 January 2013, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant reports. The VVD announced in 2010 that it intended reforming the social welfare system. It can rely on support from its smaller... [more]
Rotterdam Police Commissioner Jan Hoogstraten has been sentenced to a fine of 950 euros and a three-month suspension of his driver’s licence for drink driving. The commissioner’s wife fell and was injured when the couple were taking a walk on New Year’s Eve. He went to fetch his car because he felt it was taking too long for help to arrive. When he returned to the scene of the accident, police officers thought they smelled alcohol... [more]
Russia has imposed a ban on all imports of live Dutch sheep and goats, as well as their meat, embryos and sperm. The move was prompted by the discovery of the Schmallenberg virus among Dutch livestock. Deputy Agriculture Minister Henk Bleker says the measure is unnecessary and intends to persuade his Russian colleague to revoke the ban when he meets him in Berlin later this week. Mr Bleker says there is no danger to public health. Share... [more]
The Ministry of Security and Justice is pleased that the German Public Prosecution Office has moved to arrest war criminal Klaas Carel Faber. The PPO issued a request for the arrest of the 89-year-old former Nazi SS officer last week to a court in the southern German city of Ingolstadt. A spokesperson for the Dutch Justice Ministry called the development a breakthrough. “We are watching with interest what the German court decides” a... [more]
