TOP STORIES:
GREECE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
ATHENS, Greece — Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou replaces his finance minister Friday in a broad cabinet reshuffle to counter widespread anger over tough new austerity measures essential to prevent Greece from a disastrous default. By Elena Becatoros.
With: GREECE-FINANCIAL CRISIS-VENIZELOS
BRITAIN-UPS
LONDON — The British government says it has barred UPS from moving air cargo through some U.K. facilities because of security deficiencies. Developing.
AUSTRIA-COPY CAT VILLAGE
HALLSTATT, Austria — It's a scenic jewel, a hamlet of hill-hugging chalets, elegant church spires and ancient inns all reflected in the deep still waters of an Alpine lake. Hallstatt's beauty has earned it a listing as a UNESCO World Heritage site but some villagers are less happy about a more recent distinction — plans to copy their hamlet in China. By George Jahn.
AP Photos.
CLIMATE-CHANGING THE RULES
BONN, Germany — After years of incremental progress in U.N. climate talks, a proposal is on the table to change the rules. The joint initiative from Mexico and Papua New Guinea is meant to break what some delegates call built-in deadlock, where a handful of nations — or even a single delegation — can stymie agreements.
BRITAIN SCRAPPED DNA TESTS
LONDON — Britain has dropped a controversial policy of using DNA tests to identify the nationality of refugees and asylum seekers.
BRITAIN-SUMMER SEASON
ASCOT, England — Britain's brief but glittering summer social season kicks up a notch with the Royal Ascot races near Windsor Castle. It's more than a horse race, it's a chance to rub shoulders with the royals at a time when everything royal, dressy and traditional seems back in style. Call it the Kate Middleton effect, a glamour factor expected to draw more crowds then ever to the Season's highlights, including Wimbledon, the regatta at Henley-on-Thames, and a string of polo matchesrxbx including the Cartier Cup. By Gregory Katz
MOROCCO-KING
RABAT, Morocco — Morocco's King Mohammed VI gives televised speech to unveil changes to the constitution likely to transfer some powers away from the monarchy to the government. Morocco has seen months of protests prompted by Arab uprisings. By Paul Schemm. Speech at 2000 GMT.
TUNISIA-LIBYA
TUNIS, Tunisia — A Russian envoy and an aide to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi come to neighboring Tunisia for talks amid increasing diplomatic efforts to halt Libya's civil war. The U.N. refugee chief, meanwhile, visits camps housing thousands who have fled Libya. By Bouazza ben Bouazza. Timing uncertain.
GERMANY-FRANCE
BERLIN — The German and French leaders are meeting amid a bitter dispute over a fresh round of financial help for Greece, with Chancellor Angela Merkel pushing for private creditors to share a big part of the burden.
ITALY-LIBYA
ROME — Italy is to sign an agreement Friday with Libyan rebels meant to stem a stream of migrants fleeing unrest, but the plan is raising concerns at the U.N. refugee agency that people seeking asylum won't have proper protection. By Victor L. Simpson.
BUSINESS & FINANCIAL:
EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
BERLIN — The leaders of Germany and France say private investors should share a part of the burden of the next round of financial help for Greece on a voluntary basis.
IMF FUTURE
PARIS — Christine Lagarde's bid to head the IMF could face new scrutiny as Greece's looming debt implosion strips her of a key pillar of the French finance minister's campaign, namely her role in Europe's futile efforts to stave off a Greek default. The year-long delay has potentially doubled the crisis' final bill for Europe's taxpayers, but Lagarde still says things could have been worse without her contribution to Europe's crisis response.
WORLD FOOD
PARIS — A global world food report is warning that prolonged high prices are likely to persist over the next decade, putting the poor at an increasing risk of malnutrition. It also says droughts on several continents could have a serious impact on harvests. Moved, developing. By Raf Casert.
RUSSIA-ECONOMY
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev condemns the government's heavy hand in the economy and the centralization of power at the Kremlin, comments seen as a challenge to the legacy of his powerful predecessor, Vladimir Putin. By Business Writer Nataliya Vasilyeva.
EGYPT-SPAIN ARREST
MADRID — Spain has frozen €33 million ($47 million) in accounts held by a detained Egyptian associate of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and relatives of the detainee, who is also wanted back home, officials said Friday. By Daniel Woolls.
SPAIN-FINANCIAL CRISIS
MADRID — The yield on Spanish 10-year bonds is near an 11-year high as investor confidence weakens amid fears of contagion from the Greek debt crisis.
EU--BRITAIN-RIO TINTO-RIVERSDALE
LONDON — Australian mining company Rio Tinto PLC says it will move to compulsory purchase to mop up the last few shares of Riversdale Mining Ltd. after the last big holdout accepted the $4 billion takeover offer.
SPORTS:
TEN--WIMBLEDON-DRAW
WIMBLEDON, England — The longest match rematch is coming to Wimbledon next week after John Isner and Nicolas Mahut were drawn Friday to face each other in the first round. Last year, the pair played the longest match in tennis history at the All England Club, with Isner winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 in a first-round match that stretched over three days. Moved. By Caroline Cheese.
CYC--TOUR OF SWITZERLAND-SOLER CRASH
GENEVA — Colombian cyclist Juan Mauricio Soler hit a raised curb, fell onto a spectator and then smashed into a fence during the crash in which he suffered brain injuries and multiple fractures, a fellow rider says. Moved. By Frank Jordans.
SOC--ASTON VILLA-MCLEISH
BIRMINGHAM, England — Aston Villa ignores fan protests and hires Alex McLeish as manager, five days after he quit archrival Birmingham. The rare switch across managerial jobs between neighboring clubs enraged Birmingham, which demanded compensation to cover the final two years of McLeish's contract. It has also angered many Villa fans, who dislike McLeish because of his connection to their main rival. Moved.
RAC--ROYAL ASCOT
ASCOT, England — The Coronation Stakes is the featured race on the fourth day of Royal Ascot, with filly Together the favorite in a field that also includes U.S. entry More Than Real. By 1600 GMT.
BKN--TIMBERWOLVES-RUBIO
BARCELONA, Spain — Ricky Rubio has confirmed that he will finally be joining the Minnesota Timberwolves next season. The highly touted 20-year-old Spanish guard ended two years of speculation on Friday when he said that "I have finally decided to start the journey" to the NBA. Moved. By Joseph Wilson.
TEN--EASTBOURNE
EASTBOURNE, England — The men's and women's semifinals at the Eastbourne grass-court tournament are under threat from rain. The women's matchups are Sam Stosur vs. Marion Bartoli and Petra Kvitova vs. Daniela Hantuchova. In the men. it's Janko Tipsarevic vs. Kei Nishikori and Andreas Seppi vs. Igor Kunitsyn. By 1600 GMT.
____
YOUR QUERIES: The Europe & Africa Desk in London can be reached at +44 207 427 4300.
No comments:
Post a Comment