…suggested the country hold a referendum on euro membership on election day, but the German chancellor’s cabinet dismissed this as “false”. Greek voters will again go to the polls on 17 June after earlier elections failed to produce a viable coalition to run the country. A caretaker government was sworn in this week after elections. Investors fear any refusal by Athens to impose…
World leaders meeting at a G20 summit in Mexico have urged Europe to take all necessary measures to overcome the eurozone debt crisis. They voiced unease over what one top official described as “the single biggest risk for the world economy”. But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said “the challenges are not only European, they are global”. Sunday’s v…
George Soros warns European leaders they have a “three-month window” to save the euro. The billionaire investor said he believed Greece would elect a government willing to abide by loan conditions imposed by the EU in this month’s elections. But George Soros said the German economy would begin in weaken in the autumn, making it much harder for Chancellor Angela Merkel to provide…
…f the significant efforts already made by the Greek citizens. “The eurozone has shown considerable solidarity having already disbursed, together with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) nearly 150 billion Euros in support of Greece since 2010.” European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has announced that EU leaders want Greece to remain in the eurozone but to "respect its co…
…g by almost 60 leaders from around the world, is due to issue a communiqué later in the day. Meetings on Monday were overshadowed by North Korea’s planned launch, scheduled to take place between 12 and 16 April. Pyongyang says it is intended to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il-Sung. On Tuesday, a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman sai…
Police arrested prominent Russian opposition leaders at a rally against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Police arrested prominent Russian opposition leaders at a rally against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Blogger and activist Alexei Navalny said on Twitter he had been detained at the rally in Lubyanka Square, which was banned by the authorities. Fellow opposition leaders Ilya Yashin, K…
China is set to unveil the new leaders who will rule for the next decade. Early on Thursday, selected Communist Party delegates will endorse the new Politburo Standing Committee – the highest decision-making body. The committee line-up will then be made public at 11:00, when leaders walk out in order of seniority. Vice-President Xi Jinping is set to succeed outgoing leader Hu Jintao as part…
…and Germany – have made pledged to an international fund set to help Afghan forces after the NATO pullout. The US is expected to pay half of an estimated $4 billion needed every year. More than 10 years after the US toppled the Taliban regime, violence is continuing unabated in Afghanistan. According to UN figures, the number of deaths reached a record 3,031 in 2011 – the great majori…
European Union leaders have agreed on a roadmap for eurozone integration beyond the deal on centralized banking supervision, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Specific dates have not yet been agreed for the phases of integration. But the EU summit chairman, Herman Van Rompuy, said a deal should be reached next year on a joint resolution scheme for winding up failed banks. Herman Van Rompuy…
…replacing the Kim lapel badge with more feminine flowered brooches. She was not present at a recent high-profile event for the 67th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 10 where Kim Jong-un and top officials were all in attendance the JoongAng Ilbo Daily reported. The following day, the South Korean media cited a source who said Ri Sol-ju’s failure to wear any…
…d, said it would lead the opposition. With more than 99% of votes counted, interior ministry results put New Democracy on 29.7% of the vote (129 seats), Syriza on 26.9% (71) and the socialist Pasok on 12.3% (33). There are 300 seats in parliament. Greek voters went to the polls on Sunday following May’s inconclusive elections. New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras said Greeks had chosen to st…
…ing tunnels into Gaza. The move comes as Egyptian troops mass in the area in an operation to contain Islamist militants who have built up a presence in the area. The militants are suspected of killing 16 Egyptian border guards on Sunday. Egypt has deployed extra troops, tanks and other armored vehicles. Ahmed Gamal al-Din met the tribal leaders late on Thursday night at al-Arish, about 50 km (30 m…
…with EU, European Central Bank and IMF leaders in Brussels. The finance ministers must decide on Sunday whether or not to approve the bailout. Cyprus needs to raise 5.8 billion euros to qualify for a 10 billion euro EU bailout and avoid bankruptcy. A eurozone official said the Eurogroup meeting had been rescheduled for about 20:00 local time from 18:00 because talks with Cypriot officials ahead o…
US Congressional leaders have one more day to stop the threat of steep tax rises and spending cuts, known as the “fiscal cliff”, after talks ended with no deal. Senators will continue to seek a compromise deal on Monday to send to the House of Representatives. Failure to reach agreement by January 1 could push the US back into recession. Earlier, President Barack Obama increased press…
EU leaders are to begin talks on the bloc’s 2014-2020 budget, with many of them calling for cuts in line with the savings they are making nationally. Countries that rely heavily on EU funding, including Poland and its ex-communist neighbors, want current spending levels maintained or raised. The UK and some other net contributors say cuts have to be made. At stake are 973 billion euros ($1,245 bi…
…to The New York Post. “He’s here all the time,” a hotel source said. “We all see him at the protest.” During their stay the scruffy set he draws into the hotel live it up like 1 per centers, hotel sources told The New York Post. Brad Spitzer denied accommodating demonstrators and claimed he simply offered a shower to a blogger friend living in the park. Meanwhile, Peter Du…
Twenty five out of 27 EU leaders have signed a new treaty to enforce budget discipline within the bloc. The “fiscal compact” aims to prevent the 17 eurozone countries again running up huge debts. It must now be ratified by individual parliaments and, in the case of the Irish Republic, a referendum. UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who with the Czechs refused to sign, said his proposal…
Malian coup leaders have agreed to stand down and allow a transition to civilian rule, as part of a deal struck with regional bloc Ecowas. In return, the bloc will lift trade and economic sanctions and grant amnesty to the ruling junta, mediators said. The move came after Tuareg rebels in the north declared independence of territory they call Azawad. The rebels seized the area after a coup two we…
World leaders are often accused of hubris, of wielding power in arrogant and self-serving ways. Leaders and managers in public life rarely escape criticism when they make unpopular decisions either. “The power has gone to his head” is an oft-heard accusation. So are leaders losing touch with reality when they act in a power-hungry way? According to psychologist Guy Claxton, professor of learning…
…irport attended by flag-waving crowds. The visit came amid anti-US protests in the region over a film deemed insulting to Islam. It was the first papal trip to Lebanon since John Paul II went there in 1997. An estimated 350,000 worshippers gathered for the waterfront Mass earlier on Sunday. They waved flags and cheered as the Pope made his way through the crowd in his bullet-proof popemobile. Duri…
…n intelligence agencies have a bleaker view than the more positive statements from the Pentagon. In a classified assessment delivered to the White House last month, the Central Intelligence Agency and 15 other American intelligence agencies concluded that the war was at a stalemate and that military progress had been undermined by Afghan corruption, a weak central government and fighters infiltrat…
…ry is roughly in line with the average Uruguayan income of $775 a month. In 2010, his annual personal wealth declaration – mandatory for officials in Uruguay – was $1,800, the value of his 1987 Volkswagen Beetle. This year, Jose Mujica added half of his wife’s assets – land, tractors and a house – reaching $215,000. That’s still only about two-thirds of Vice-Pre…
…ozone governments. “We have reached the main points to establish a European banking supervisor that should take on its work in 2014,” said German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, after 14 hours of talks ended shortly before dawn on Thursday. “Piece by piece, brick by brick, the banking union will be built on this first fundamental step today,” said EU Commissioner Miche…
…death sentence”. It is not known whether Bo Xilai or Wang Lijun will appear at the trial. Bo Xilai scandal: • 6 February: Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun flees to the US consulate in Chengdu • 15 March: Bo Xilai is removed from his post in Chongqing • 20 March: Rumors suggest Bo Xilai could be linked to the death of British businessman Neil Heywood • 10 April: Bo Xilai is suspended from pa…
…17;s concerns about Brussels getting too much power.” European authorities have unveiled proposals such as the creation of a European treasury, which would have powers over national budgets. The 10-year plan is designed to strengthen the eurozone and prevent future crises, but critics say it will not address current debt problems. EU leaders at Brussels summit are examining how to ease the…
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