The Irish Times - World

European Parliament approves proposal to tax financial transactions

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:18 GMT

STRASBOURG:MEPs MEETING in Strasbourg have backed a proposal to introduce a tax on financial transactions across the EU.

All eyes on Merkel and her new French frenemy

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:18 GMT

BEHIND THE SCENES:Meeting says bonjour to the new EU order and au revoir to its Brangelina equivalent – Merkozy, writesDEREK SCALLY

A lot depends on Hollande and how hard he will push

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:17 GMT

FRENCH PRESSURE:He campaigned for issues anathema to Berlin but he might get his way if things worsen, writesARTHUR BEESLEYin Brussels

Bundesbank backs Berlin opposition to French plans

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:17 GMT

GROWTH PROPOSALS:CHANCELLOR ANGELA Merkel has knocked back French ambitions for eurobonds and fresh euro zone growth measures, calling on European leaders to complete first the projects already on the table.

Archaeologists link find to ancient town of Bethlehem

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:17 GMT

Israeli archaeologists say they have discovered the first physical evidence supporting Old Testament accounts of Bethlehem’s existence centuries before it became revered as the birthplace of Jesus.

Paxman tell inquiry Piers Morgan showed him how to hack into phones 10 years ago

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:17 GMT

One of Britain’s most respected journalists said that former tabloid newspaper editor Piers Morgan showed him how to hack into phones 10 years ago, the latest twist in a scandal that has so far centred on Rupert Murdoch.

More than $4bn in aid pledged to Yemen

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:17 GMT

Saudi Arabia and western and Gulf states pledged more than $4 billion (€3.18 billion) in aid to Yemen at a Riyadh conference two days after more than 90 Yemeni soldiers were killed in a suicide attack, deepening concerns about al-Qaeda’s presence in the country.

Taxi drivers threaten protest for European championship

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:16 GMT

Polish taxi drivers brought Warsaw traffic to a crawl yesterday and joined a growing list of groups that have threatened similar protests during next month’s European soccer championship.

Doctor who helped CIA find bin Laden given 33-year prison sentence

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:16 GMT

Pakistani authorities have sentenced a doctor accused of helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden to 33 years in jail on charges of treason, officials said, a move certain to further strain ties between Washington and Islamabad.

Central Asian state that hasn't quite turned its back on the Soviet past

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:16 GMT

KYRGYZSTAN LETTER:The mainly Russian population is aging. Young ethnic Russians and Ukrainians are leaving, writesMICHAEL FOLEY

UN Security Council 'unfit for purpose'

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:16 GMT

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has issued a damning critique of the UN Security Council in its annual report, describing it as “tired, out of step and increasingly unfit for purpose”.

Turkey indicts ex-Israeli army chiefs

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:16 GMT

A Turkish prosecutor has prepared an indictment seeking life sentences for four former Israeli military commanders over their alleged involvement in the 2010 killing of nine Turks on a Gaza-bound aid ship, Turkish newspaper Sabah reported yesterday.

Nuclear talks stall as Iran demands end to sanctions

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:15 GMT

THE US and other world powers yesterday pressed Iran to accept a series of immediate restrictions on its nuclear programme, hoping that concessions by Tehran would help defuse western fears that it aims to build an atomic bomb.

Violent Chinese officials criticised

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:15 GMT

THE USE of violence by city workers known as chengguan — city inspectors, bailiffs and municipal enforcers whose job it is to apply city regulations – is stoking up widespread unrest in China, Human Rights Watch said in a report yesterday.

Californian couple's struggle against foreclosure ends in tragedy

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:15 GMT

Oriane Rousseau is suing Wells Fargo over bureaucratic errors that led to foreclosure and her husband’s suicide, writesPAUL HARRISin New York

Hair is the key to showbiz fame, says Engelbert

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:14 GMT

The veteran crooner has revealed himself an admirer of Dublin’s most famous twins, writesKAREN FRICKERin Baku

No clear winner emerges in first day of Egyptian poll

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:14 GMT

MILLIONS OF Egyptians went to the polls yesterday to choose a president in a historic election intended to end army rule and usher in a new democratic era more than a year after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.

Four strikes for Romney as he woos Latino vote

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:13 GMT

IT’S THE sort of efficiency they taught Mitt Romney at Harvard Business School. The Republican presidential candidate hit at least four birds with one stone yesterday in his address to the Latino Coalition’s business summit.

EU leaders to discuss eurobonds, says Kenny

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:18:13 GMT

A PROPOSAL for joint borrowing by EU states through the creation of eurobonds is under consideration by European leaders, according to Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Presidential Candidates: The Top Four

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:21 GMT

Amr Moussa (75):a former Egyptian diplomat who served in mis- sions in Switzerland, India and the UN and held the position of foreign minister from 1991-2001. He became popular in Egypt and the wider Arab world because of his criticism of Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians. During 2000, a song entitled I Hate Israel with the refrain, “I love Amr Moussa” became a hit in Egypt, apparently prompting the regime to secure his appointment as secretary general of the 22-member Arab League to remove him as a potential rival to President Hosni Mubarak in the 2005 election.

Policemen convicted over protest deaths

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:21 GMT

CAIRO – An Egyptian court has sentenced five policemen to 10 years each in prison for their role in killing protesters in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, the first such convictions against a force that was blamed for hundreds of deaths.

Uncertainty over choice of candidate clouds poll

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:21 GMT

ANALYSIS:EGYPT’S REVOLUTIONARIES are bitterly disappointed over their country’s first multicandidate presidential election, due to take place today and tomorrow with the run-off between the two frontrunners in mid-June.

Free condoms for football supporters at Euro 2012

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

Polish health officials are to distribute free condoms to hundreds of thousands of football fans attending Euro 2012.

Petition calls for independent inquiry into Lockerbie bomber's conviction

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

More than 40 politicians, religious leaders and journalists have signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the Lockerbie bomber’s conviction.

Students could face death penalty over killings

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

Two men accused of fatally shooting a pair of Chinese graduate students at the University of Southern California were charged yesterday with capital murder, making them eligible to face the death penalty if convicted, prosecutors said.

Flight grounded after woman claims to be carrying bomb

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

A US Airways flight from Paris to Charlotte, North Carolina, was diverted to an airport in Maine where it landed safely after reports of a passenger showing “suspicious behaviour”, US officials said yesterday.

Painting showing President Zuma's genitals vandalised in city gallery

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

Two men have vandalised a painting of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa which shows his genitals and is the subject of a court challenge by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party.

Pitt kills them softly with news that Angelina is not in Cannes

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

BRAD PITT walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival last night before the premiere of his new film Killing Them Softly.

Pyongyang sharpens tone in dispute with US

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

SEOUL – North Korea intensified its war of words against the United States yesterday, vowing to strengthen its nuclear deterrent after Washington warned Pyongyang of further sanctions if it did not abandon its atomic programme.

Leading Chinese TV presenter criticises 'foreign trash'

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

ONE OF China’s leading television hosts has launched a vitriolic attack on foreigners on his microblog site, calling a recently expelled Al Jazeera correspondent a “foreign bitch” and praising police for “clearing out foreign trash”.

Farmhand convicted of murder of South African supremacist

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

ONE OF the two farmhands accused of beating to death white supremacist leader Eugene Terre’Blanche at his farmhouse in South Africa was convicted of the murder yesterday.

First commercial flight to space station launched

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

AN UNMANNED rocket owned by privately held Space Exploration Technologies blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station yesterday for a mission designed to be the first commercial flight to the International Space Station.

Legionaries of Christ priest not disciplined after fathering child

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:20 GMT

ROME – The leader of the Legionaries of Christ admitted yesterday that he knew for years that the scandal-plagued religious order’s most famous priest had fathered a child but still allowed him to preach about morality.

France unlikely to push for final settlement yet

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:19 GMT

There will be a lot to catch up on at the EU leaders’ summit dinner, writesARTHUR BEESLEYin Brussels

Tsipras says he is not trying to 'blackmail' EU with his demands

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:19 GMT

GREEK FAR-LEFT leader Alexis Tsipras has said his demand to renegotiate the EU aid package for Athens is not an attempt to “blackmail” the continent.

Spanish teachers go on strike over €3bn in education spending cuts

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:19 GMT

MADRID – Spanish teachers went on strike yesterday to protest against cuts in education spending that unions say will put 100,000 substitute teachers out of work but that the government says are needed to tackle the euro zone debt crisis.

Chinese fake parts 'used in US military equipment'

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:18 GMT

WASHINGTON – China’s government has failed to curb manufacturing of counterfeit military electronic parts by Chinese companies that are the “dominant source” of fakes in the US defence supply chain, a senate investigation found.

Obama criticises Romney's record at Bain Capital

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:18 GMT

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has for the first time publicly approved of video attacks on his Republican rival Mitt Romney’s record as the founder and former chief executive of Bain Capital, one of the US’s largest private equity firms.

Berlin officials say Germany is not isolated on crisis

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:05:17 GMT

GERMANY HAS insisted it is not isolated over the euro zone growth agenda ahead of today’s informal EU summit.

Zuma takes case over painting

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

South African president Jacob Zuma will bring a court action tomorrow arguing that a painting showing him with exposed genitalia should be removed because it violates his right to dignity and makes a mockery of his office.

Student jailed for gay 'bias crime'

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

A former Rutgers University student has been sentenced to 30 days in prison for a bias crime after he spied on his roommate’s gay encounter in a case that drew national attention to bullying in the US.

Protesters attack acting president

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

Mali’s caretaker president Dioncounda Traore was beaten up and hospitalised after hundreds of protesters stormed his palace yesterday to demand his resignation, officials and protesters said.

Strauss-Kahn faces 'group rape' inquiry

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

LILLE – French prosecutors say they have opened an inquiry into allegations of group rape by former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and three friends, as part of an investigation into his ties to a suspected prostitution ring in the northern city of Lille.

Pulitzer chief warns on foreign reporting

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

A NEWS aggregation site better known for its pictures of puppies than hard-nosed journalism was honoured at the 96th annual Pulitzer Prize award-giving lunch held at Columbia University in New York yesterday.

Putin tightens grip on power by giving allies top cabinet jobs

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

MOSCOW – Russian president Vladimir Putin unveiled a government dominated by loyalists yesterday, tightening his grip on the economy and national security after protests, and limiting prime minister Dmitry Medvedev’s ability to pursue market reforms.

US setbacks on Afghan supply route and finance

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

TWENTY-EIGHT Nato allies and 13 partner countries “leave Chicago with a clear roadmap,” President Barack Obama said at the close of a two-day summit yesterday. “Our coalition is committed to this plan to bring our war in Afghanistan to a responsible end.”

EU urges Nikolic to keep Serbia on the path to membership

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

THE EUROPEAN Union has urged Serbia’s new populist president to continue his predecessor’s push towards membership of the bloc, amid fears about his ultra-nationalist past, his advocacy of close ties with Russia and his attitude towards Kosovo.

No one laughing at Grillo's party now after poll

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

THE LANDSCAPE of Italian politics appeared to experience a minor revolution in last weekend’s run-off local elections where, in one sense or another, all the country’s biggest political parties suffered notable setbacks.

Ireland's tax revenue compared to GDP is second lowest in euro zone

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

IRELAND RANKS among the EU countries with the lowest tax revenues and only Slovakia has lower revenues in the euro zone, a new study has found.

Suicide bomb kills over 90 soldiers in Yemen

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:45 GMT

MORE THAN 90 Yemeni troops died in a suicide bomb attack in Sanaa yesterday, one of the bloodiest episodes yet in the deepening power struggle between loyalist forces and Islamist militants after the fall of president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

West Bank settlers shown firing on Palestinians as Israeli troops stand by

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:44 GMT

THE ISRAELI human rights group B’tselem has released video clips shot by Palestinian villagers showing Israeli troops standing by as settlers open fire at close range on a group of stone throwers.

Deadly earthquake and bomb blast add to Italy's woes

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:44 GMT

ITALY WAS yesterday trying to come to terms with a dramatic and tragic weekend marked by a serious earthquake in the Emilia Romagna region and by a bomb blast outside a school in the port of Brindisi.

ECB official calls for euro zone integration

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:10:43 GMT

EUROPEAN CENTRAL Bank official Jörg Asmussen has called for euro zone members to move forward with deeper fiscal and political integration.

Le Pen' s seat in parliament under threat, poll shows

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:10 GMT

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen looks set to lose to far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon in parliamentary elections next month, dealing a blow to the National Front’s hopes for a strong national score, an opinion poll published yesterday showed.

Khartoum releases four foreigners from detention

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:10 GMT

Sudan has released four foreigners who were detained three weeks ago near the border with South Sudan following weeks of heavy clashes between the two African neighbours, officials said yesterday.

Two anti-Assad activists shot dead at checkpoint

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:10 GMT

Lebanese soldiers shot dead two members of an alliance against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in northern Lebanon yesterday, security sources said, in the latest incident to raise fears Syria’s turmoil was spilling over the border into its neighbour.

Private supply ship for International Space Station fails to get off ground

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:10 GMT

A new private supply ship for the International Space Station remained stuck on the ground after rocket engine trouble led to a last-second abort of the historic flight.

Autocratic church betrays signs of panic and confusion

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

OPINION:Blind obedience appears to be the quality most treasured by the US Catholic establishment, writesMAUREEN DOWD

Few clues to Italian bomb attack which kills schoolgirl

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

MYSTERY CONTINUES to surround the bomb attack last Saturday morning on a school in Brindisi, southern Italy, in which 16-year-old Melissa Bassi was killed and five of her classmates seriously injured.

Megrahi death a relief for Libyans

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

FOR MANY Libyans the death yesterday of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person convicted for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, is a relief and represents the removal of an embarrassment.

Nikolic claims win in Serbian presidential poll

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

SERBIA’S POPULIST opposition claimed victory in a hard-fought presidential election run-off last night, as an unofficial count gave their candidate Tomislav Nikolic a slender lead over outgoing president Boris Tadic.

Six dead after earthquake strikes northern Italy

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

SIX PEOPLE were killed, more than 50 were injured and about 3,000 were left homeless in the wake of an earthquake in central Italy early yesterday.

Pakistan blocks Twitter access over Muhammad images

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

PAKISTAN’S RAMBUNCTIOUS Twitter users were briefly silenced yesterday after the government closed the site amid fears blasphemous pictures might be circulated.

African American group backs same-sex marriage

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

THE BOARD of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has voted to endorse same-sex marriage, putting the weight of the US’s most prominent civil rights group behind a cause that has long divided some quarters of the black community.

Malawi's president hopes to overturn anti-gay law

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:09 GMT

MALAWIAN PRESIDENT Joyce Banda has told the nation she intends to repeal the country’s ban on homosexuality along with a number of other oppressive laws which have been criticised by international donors and rights groups.

UN nuclear chief in Iran for talks

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:08 GMT

THE UN’S nuclear supervisor flew to Tehran yesterday voicing optimism he could reach a deal to investigate suspected atom bomb research – a possible breakthrough that Iran may hope could help ease western sanctions pressure and deflect threats of war.

Labelling of West Bank products 'racist', says Israel

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:08 GMT

THE FOREIGN ministry in Jerusalem will today summon South Africa’s ambassador to Israel to complain over Pretoria’s decision to label products manufactured in West Bank Jewish settlements.

Exiled to Ireland with no return in sight

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:08 GMT

Palestinian militant Jihad Jaara arrived in Dublin on crutches 10 years ago for what he believed would be a short stay

Chinese dissident and family arrive in US to recover 'in body and spirit'

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:08 GMT

CHINESE RIGHTS activist Chen Guangcheng arrived in New York with his wife and two children at the weekend, ending a month-long saga during which the blind lawyer scaled a high wall at night, travelled 400 miles to Beijing with Chinese agents in hot pursuit and took refuge in the US embassy.

Obama and Karzai meet to discuss end of war

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:07 GMT

A TWO-DAY Nato summit in Chicago started yesterday with a meeting between President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai. The main purpose of the summit is to discuss, in Mr Obama’s words, “our plans to responsibly end the war in Afghanistan”.

Lockerbie bomber dies in Tripoli

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:32:07 GMT

THE FAMILY of convicted Libyan Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who died yesterday, can now seek a second appeal against his conviction, the Scottish government has said.

Progress reported in talks with nuclear body

Fri, 18 May 2012 23:31:38 GMT

Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog are making headway towards a framework deal on how to tackle concerns about its atomic activity, diplomats say. The deal will be a potential bargaining chip for Tehran in next week’s negotiations with world powers.

Black magic link suspected as babies' bodies found

Fri, 18 May 2012 23:31:38 GMT

Thai police arrested a British citizen yesterday after the bodies of six babies thought to have been used in a black magic ritual were found stuffed into travel bags in a Bangkok hotel room.

French minister's jeans at cabinet meeting cause furore

Fri, 18 May 2012 23:31:38 GMT

FRANCE’S HOUSING minister has caused a furore by showing up in jeans while her colleagues donned dresses and suits for the new left-wing government’s inaugural cabinet meeting at the presidential Élysée Palace in Paris.

Irish prisoner calls off hunger strike

Fri, 18 May 2012 23:31:37 GMT

The family of an Irish businessman who has been on hunger strike in a Dubai jail says he has resumed taking food this week after being promised a review of his case.