Global
economy
Leaders from the eurozone's four largest nations - Germany, France,
Italy and Spain - have agreed to pump as much as $160
billion into the region's moribund economy, with the
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, indicating a fresh willingness
to embrace fiscal stimulus as a tool to fight Europe's
financial
Iceland,
whose economy has recovered rapidly following the 2008 collapse
of its banking sector, on Friday repaid $US483.7 million in
loans to the International Monetary Fund, the lender said.
Despite
a sovereign debt crisis that threatens to tear the European
Union apart, Iceland is speeding ahead on its bid to join the
bloc and even delivered a pep talk Friday to those struggling to
hold it together.
Extension
to deadline proposed by Greece
Greece's
new coalition government has proposed an extension to the deadline
for it to reduce its budget deficit by at least two years, to 2016.
Military/intelligence
Crowds
continue sit-in at Cairo's Tahrir Square as election body fixes date
for revealing winner of presidential runoff.
TURKEY
has vowed to take ''necessary steps'' after concluding that
Syria shot down a Turkish jet fighter along the Syrian
border, sending tensions soaring in the already fraught
region.
HEAVILY
armed Taliban killed 18 people - most of them civilians - in an
attack today on a lakeside hotel just north of Kabul that ended 12
hours later with the death of all five insurgents.
If
Israel goes from threats to military actions, “it is Israel who
will be destroyed,” says a high-ranking Iranian general. This comes
as a fresh twist in the war of words that has engrossed Israel and
Iran in recent months.
Iraqi
police are under orders to shut down a number of foreign and local
media outlets across the country, reports Iraqi journalist rights
group. The BBC and Voice of America are just some of the prominent
television channels targeted by the order.
Armed
men riding on motorcycles kill eight people in a shop in Quetta, the
capital of Balochistan province
U.S.
blog Business Insider: U.S., Israel continue preparations for strike
on Iran nuclear facilities
The
website cites U.S. defense contracts and Israel's new military
preparations, suggesting that 'all sides are getting ready for
whatever may come.'
Environmental/disasters
FLASH
floods in Afghanistan triggered by days of torrential rain have
killed more than 30 people, officials said, with dozens reported
missing.
There’s
mercury in the baby formula. Cabbages are sprayed with formaldehyde.
Gelatin capsules for pills, tens of millions of them, are laced with
chromium. Used cooking oil is scooped out of gutters for
recycling, right along with the sewage.
Civil
unrest/revolution
Looting
has broken out near Bolivia's presidential palace as junior
members of the police force, angry over low wages, joined a
nationwide mutiny.
Egyptians
have congregated in the thousands on Cairo's Tahrir Square in
anticipation of the election results that could make or break the
revolution. Egypt remains in political deadlock amid fears the
results could trigger a fresh bout of violence.
Protesters
smash windows of banks at Rabin Square, block major highway a day
after police violently arrested a dozen activists.
Energy/resources
Faced
with electricity shortages and the prospect of rationing power
supplies through the approaching summer peak, Japan reluctantly
returned to nuclear power.
Food/water
The
battle for water in Palestine has become a fight to survive as
wells drain and water quality turns deadly due to Israel using
water as a tool of control.
Europe
Ecuador's President has acknowledged the diplomatic and political
minefield created by Julian Assange's application for asylum,
and indicated that a decision on the WikiLeaks founder's appeal
is likely to take longer than first thought.
Ecuadorian
President Rafael Correa has recalled his ambassador to the UK in
order to discuss the case of Julian Assange. The asylum bid is being
analyzed without concession to foreign pressure, but with caution to
“other countries’”
opinions.
Russia
is unlikely to narrow federal budget deficit this year because of low
oil prices, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Saturday.
USA
Internet/media
The
Vatican, stung by communications blunders and mired in a leaks
scandal, has hired an American journalist from Fox News and
member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei to help
improve its relations with the media.
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