Saturday, 21 January 2012 22:05
Posted by Muhammad Iqbal
BUCHAREST: Hundreds of Romanians protested against the government's austerity measures on Saturday, but heavy snow deterred many from pressing a week of occasionally violent demonstrations demanding the government resign.
Romania had suffered little of the unrest seen in other austerity-hit European countries like Greece until now and while the protests have been relatively small, they have marked the country's worst violence in more than a decade.
About 100 demonstrators met in Bucharest's University Square, a major crossroads ...
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PARIS: There are weeks when it can sound as if the European sovereign debt crisis is going round in circles. Barbed exchanges between Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and German Chancellor Angela Merkel carry echos of a prolonged dialogue of the deaf between Greece and Germany two years ago when Berlin was resisting calls to bail out Athens.
Then as now, a debt-stricken government pushing through spending cuts, tax rises and economic reforms pleaded for lower interest rates and stronger European (read German) support to convince citizens the pain is worthwhile.
Now as then, a chancellor constrained by public hostility to bailouts and convinced only market pressure can keep profligate nations on a path of righteousness is turning a deaf ear, saying there is no need to act since no one is requesting aid.
The delay in acting to help Greece in early 2010 undermined financial market confidence in the 17-nation single European currency, ...
THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court will Monday decide whether six top Kenyans, including Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta should face trial for their roles in bloody post-poll unrest in which 1,100 died.
Presiding Judge Ekaterina Trendafilova will read a three-judge ruling at 11:30 am (1030 GMT) at a public hearing in The Hague, where the court sits.
A written decision on the six men's involvement in the deadly violence following disputed December 2007 polls ...
HELSINKI: Polling stations opened across Finland in Sunday's presidential election, with pro-euro career politician Sauli Niinistoe leading the polls after a campaign centred on Finland's role in Europe.
Niinistoe, a respected member of Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen's conservative National Coalition Party and one of Finland's most experienced politicians, has consistently enjoyed a wide lead in opinion polls, with the latest survey published Friday giving him 32 percent of votes.
Although well ahead of his rivals, his lead ...
ZAGREB: Croatians went to the polls Sunday in a nationwide referendum on EU membership, a vote that political leaders here see as key for the future of the Balkan country 20 years after independence.
Surveys show that some 60 percent of Croatians back entry into the European Union, paving the way for the former Yugoslav republic to formally join the bloc in 2013.
Polling stations opened across the country at 0600 GMT and will close 12 hours ...
BUCHAREST: Hundreds of Romanians protested against the government's austerity measures on Saturday, but heavy snow deterred many from pressing a week of occasionally violent demonstrations demanding the government resign.
Romania had suffered little of the unrest seen in other austerity-hit European countries like Greece until now and while the protests have been relatively small, they have marked the country's worst violence in more than a decade.
About 100 demonstrators met in Bucharest's University Square, a major crossroads ...
MOSCOW: Mass protests over alleged fraud in a parliamentary vote revealed the need for a "major overhaul" of Russia's election administration, European lawmakers said on Saturday, delivering advice Moscow is likely to see as Western meddling.
After meetings with Russian politicians and election officials, a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said voters "were making increasingly clear their preference for elections that are conducted fairly".
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated last ...
MILAN: Plan to launch a European ratings agency to compete with S&P, Moody's and Fitch are at an advanced stage and a new private institution could start business as soon as the first half of this year, German businessman Roland Berger told an Italian newspaper.
The founder of consultancy Roland Berger said he hoped a new private, non-profit organisation, in the form of a foundation, could be ready in "the first half or the first nine ...
