
German media reports that pressure is mounting on the government to boycott Euro 2012 matches in Ukraine this summer because of alleged mistreatment of the jailed former PM and opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko. Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering such a boycott, the German news website Der Spiegel reports. Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said the government should stay away from Ukrai…

Ukraine denounces a threatened EU boycott of next month’s Euro 2012 football championship as “destructive”. In a statement, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said the move would undermine the image of the tournament and be detrimental to millions of Ukrainians and Poles. Poland – which is co-hosting Euro 2012 – has also criticized any boycott. Several European leaders are c…

The presidents of Germany, Austria, Romania and the Czech Republic were among those who cancelled their trips. Ukraine has not set a new date yet. There is also a threat that leaders may boycott Euro 2012 football matches in Ukraine next month. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Dykusarov said: “As a number of European heads of state cannot take part in the 18th summit of Centra…

Republicans are calling for a boycott of HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones after the creator’s “despicable” decision to include former US President George W. Bush’s severed head in several scenes. In the tenth episode of the first season, George Bush’s decapitated head is seen impaled on a wooden spike, covered in filthy long hair and slathered in dirt. HBO and the show…

…mpathetic to Liam Neeson, noting a parallel with his character and tragic events in his own life. Liam Neeson’s wife and mother of his two teenage sons, the English actress Natasha Richardson, died in 2009 from a head injury sustained in a skiing accident. In The Grey it is suggested that Liam Neeson’s character has a death wish as a result of a tragedy involving his wife. “Let’s just say that I h…

…“deep concerns” about the political crisis in Romania “with regard to the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary”. Romania and neighboring Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, but Brussels has put both countries under special monitoring because of concerns about judicial independence, corruption and political influence in state institutions. …

…ents say the document has been rushed and does not protect minorities. Alexandria voted in the first leg of a referendum that has split the nation. The capital, Cairo, has also voted. Seventeen of the 27 provinces will cast ballots on Saturday. Islamists in favor of the draft had called for a large rally outside the Qaed Ibrahim mosque in the centre of Alexandria. They chanted “God is Great&…

…ed down the judges’ traditional role of electoral oversight for the referendum. “We have decided to boycott the supervision of the referendum on the constitution scheduled for December 15, 2012,” the club’s head Ahmed al-Zind announced. “This protest is in response to what is being called the ‘constitutional decree’ and until this decree is rescinded.̶…

People in Saudi Arabia are using social media websites to protest against a sudden increase in the cost of chicken. A Twitter campaign entitled Let it Rot is urging residents to punish traders, who it says have raised prices by as much as 40% in the past two weeks, by not eating chicken. The government has imposed a chicken export ban in a bid to boost supplies. However, there are fears that this…

…hip would end, the firm said it would be a headline sponsor of Pride London. Pride London is UK’s largest gay pride event, and will be adding a second day next year when it hosts the global WorldPride 2012 festival in July. Tesco’s chief executive of retailing services, Andrew Higginson, said: “Our <<Out at Tesco>> team will be working closely with Pride London to ensure next yea…

…XVI, 84, is to address the German parliament and say Mass in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium during the four-day visit. The pontiff will travel widely across Germany, where there are officially 25 million Catholics – one third of the population. The Pope has visited Germany unofficially several times since assuming the Church’s highest office, travelling to Catholic strongholds…
Sep 22 2011 | Posted in
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Armenia has announced its withdrawal from the 2012 Eurovision song contest in Baku amid new tension with its old rival Azerbaijan. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizer of Eurovision song contest, said it was “truly disappointed” by Armenian Public Television’s decision. Azerbaijani and Armenian forces fought a war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in t…

Nissan has slashed its full-year profit forecast by 20% after car sales slumped in China amid anti-Japanese protests. The Japanese carmaker now expects a net profit of 320 billion yen ($4 billion) for the year ending March 2013, down from an earlier estimate of 400 billion yen. Nissan says car sales plunged 35% in China in September. A territorial dispute between Japan and China over islands in t…
Nov 6 2012 | Posted in
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…llies in Chinese cities. Chinese indignation grew recently when nationalist politicians from Japan visited disputed islands to commemorate the Japanese dead of WWII Japan’s coast guard reported 20 Chinese marine surveillance ships in the vicinity of the islands last week. They confirmed to Kyodo news agency on Sunday that the last such vessel had left. The cancellation of Thursday’s c…

ever, a group of senior judges announced on Monday that they would be prepared to oversee the vote, on certain conditions. Votes in Egypt are traditionally supervised by the judiciary but the November 22nd presidential decree led thousands of judges to go on strike. Mohamed Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect Egypt institutions in the run-up to a controversial referend…

rson for the South Korean Unification Ministry said. The ministry added that 77 South Korean workers would leave the zone on Tuesday, but 479 were still inside Kaesong. Kaesong complex was launched in 2003 and was largely funded by South Korea. Seoul has said the purpose of the complex was to develop a joint industrial park where South Korean companies could manufacture their products using North…

ls said the borders would remain closed for the next three days. Queues started forming before polling stations opened at 08:00 on Saturday. At one polling station in the capital, Islamabad, more than 200 people waited patiently to vote. Abdul Sattar, 74, said: “We want change, we are really fed up with old faces coming back to power every time and doing nothing for the nation.” EU obs…

1.8 billion servings of the drink every day. But for the last six decades, none has been in Burma. That’s because of US trade sanctions on the military junta which ruled the country from 1962 to 2011. Those sanctions were suspended a few months ago, as the country began to move towards democratic reforms. But the company said on Monday its first delivery had arrived and local production woul…
Sep 11 2012 | Posted in
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…. President Mohamed Morsi’s mainly Islamist supporters say the constitution will secure democracy and encourage stability. The latest unrest began after Mohamed Morsi issued a decree on November 22 stripping the judiciary of the power to challenge his decisions. After an outcry, the president revoked much of the decree, but he refused to back down on the draft constitution. The text was rush…

Following Monday night’s announcement of the Dancing With The Stars celebrity cast and the subsequent partner pairing announcement on Wednesday, the internet has exploded over the inclusion of Chaz Bono for the show’s 13th season. The issue at hand is the fact that Chaz Bono used to be Chastity Bono, famous daughter of Sonny and Cher. Over the last few years, Chaz Bono has taken the steps to tran…

Access to the official website for the London 2012 Olympic Games appears to be blocked in Iran. Users in Iran have tweeted that they are unable to connect to london2012.com and are instead redirected to peyvandha.ir, a site offering stories from Iran’s official news agencies. Blockediniran.com intermittently suggests Iran-based users are unlikely to be able to see the Olympics pages. Iran…

What Happened At The MDA Telethon? Tribute To Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lewis Is Missing From Today Telethon. Jerry Lewis NOT back to the MDA Labor Day Telethon hosting. Jerry Lewis reinstalled as MDA Labor Day Telethon host? Jerry Lewis quits MDA telethon. MDA telethon 2011. Updates. MDA dropped Jerry Lewis as host of the annual Telethon. Laugh Factory comedians…

rst democratic elections in more than six decades was unconstitutional because party members were allowed to contest seats reserved for independents. The Freedom and Justice Party won about 100 of its 235 seats in the People’s Assembly by running candidates for individual seats. If parliament is dissolved swiftly by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), whoever wins this wee…

…CAF late on Sunday effectively gives it legislative powers, control over the budget and over who writes the permanent constitution following mass street protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. It also strips the president of any authority over the army. The SCAF have even guaranteed themselves jobs for life. There have been no big protests so far – the military must be hoping t…

…of the Regions, was adopted by parliament on Tuesday without a debate on numerous amendments. World-famous boxer Vitali Klitschko was among the activists hurt in the unrest. The interior ministry said 10 anti-riot police from the elite Berkut unit were admitted to hospital with injuries. The ministry said protesters assaulted police with bottles and aerosol sprays. The police were equipped with he…