2012 Olympics tickets go on sale
Tickets for the London 2012 Olympics have gone on sale, 500 days ahead of the event.Prices range from £20 to £2,012 and oversubscribed events will be decided by a ballot.On Monday a giant clock counting down the days until the start of the Games was unveiled in Trafalgar Square.Lord Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said:  (More News)
 

Renault apologises to staff sacked amid spying claims
Renault has apologised to three executives it sacked over spying allegations after French prosecutors found no evidence against them.The three were sacked in January amid claims they were involved in passing Renault secrets to a third party.Police were investigating alleged Swiss bank accounts linked to the executives.The affair has become an embarrassment for Renault, which now believes it may have been  (More News)
 

Japan crisis sparks review of Europe nuclear projects
 Nuclear projects in Europe are being reviewed in light of the emergency in Japan, sparked by a massive earthquake and tsunami.The German and the Swiss governments have suspended decisions on their nuclear programmes, and the European Commission is holding a meeting of ministers and experts on Tuesday. Thousands of anti-nuclear activists rallied on Saturday in Germany. A nuclear plant in  (More News)
 

Excessive deficits – Cyprus, Denmark and Finland join the watchlist
12 countries have taken effective action to get their budgets back in shape.
.(Brussels / Unib Rashid)..Cyprus, Denmark and Finland have joined the ranks of member countries with government deficits deemed high enough to pose a threat to the wider European economy. The commission is now recommending they be placed on its list of countries warranting further scrutiny of public finances.With the addition of the three, (More News)
 

MEPs set out clearer and more consistent food labelling rules
..(Brussels / Unib Rashid)...Food labels should feature mandatory nutritional information and guideline daily amounts, according to draft EU legislation as adopted by MEPs on Wednesday. However, they rejected a proposal for 'traffic light' values to highlight the salt, sugar and fat content of processed foods.Following a lively debate, MEPs voted for labelling rules that will enable consumers to make healthy, well-informed choices, while limiting as far as possible the administrative and financial burden on food businesses. (More News)

Galileo: European alternative to GPS needs more funding
..(Brussels / Unib Rashid)..Nowadays we rely heavily on satellite positioning and navigation, but the only available technology is American. The European Galileo project is a viable alternative to the GPS system and it is at an advanced stage, but needs more funding. The advantages of a proprietary system are undeniable, but are they worth what we're going to spend on them in  (More News)
 

The shape of the European Union's new diplomatic corps was discussed last week by MEPs.
.(Brussels / Unib Rashid)...The shape of the European Union's new diplomatic corps was discussed last week by MEPs. The proposed new European External Action Service will be responsible for coordinating the EU's foreign relations and security cooperation. It may even play a role in development policy and humanitarian aid. Veteran Christian Democrat MEP Elmar Brok and former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt are coordinating  (More News)
 

Financial sector: preventing the next crisis
.(Brussels / Unib Rashid)...New legislation for pan-European supervision of credit rating agencies and a public debate on how financial institutions are managed.The commission’s proposals on credit rating agencies were already planned as part of the EU’s new system for supervising the financial industry - endorsed by EU leaders last year. But the draft rules come amid fresh calls for tighter oversight of these private companies.Investors rely on rating agencies to provide information on the risks of assets. (More News)
 

UK envoy in Yemen escapes 'suicide bomb
.Ambassador Tim Torlot is safe, UK officials confirmed. One person - believed to be the attacker - was killed, say Yemeni security sources. The UK Foreign Office said it had closed the embassy to the public. No group has claimed the attack, but Yemeni and UK officials believe it bears the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. There are mounting fears that Yemen is becoming a leading al-Qaeda haven. Mr Torlot was reported to have been on his way to the embassy when the attack happened in an area of eastern Sanaa said to be popular with militants.(More News)
 

South Africa's Zuma reveals he is HIV-negative
...Launching a government programme of counselling and testing, he said he had decided to reveal his status so as to promote openness about Aids. Mr Zuma has been open in the past about being tested for Aids, but has never before revealed the results. Mr Zuma, who has three wives, was criticised for promiscuity after it was revealed he had sired a child out of wedlock. "After careful consideration, I have decided to share my test results with the South Africans," said Mr Zuma, 68.  (More News)
 

Belgium edges closer to veil ban
...Belgium is on the path to becoming the first country in Europe to ban full-face veils worn by some Muslim w.omen.On a warm, sunny morning the Rue de Brabant just north of the centre of Brussels is busy with shoppers. This city, known as the capital of Europe, is a multicultural melting pot and this part of town reflects that well. It is particularly popular with the sizeable Moroccan and Turkish communities which, (More News)
 

Dozens killed in bomb blasts across Iraq.
...Bomb attacks across Iraq have killed scores of people and injured many. In the capital Baghdad, a series of bombings appear to have hit Shia areas, striking a market and outside mosques busy with Friday worshippers. One report says at least 56 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the Baghdad attacks alone.Earlier, outside the capital in the town of Khalidya in Anbar province, seven people were killed and 10 wounded in a series of co-ordinated bombings.  (More News)
 

'Terrorists' blamed for attacks amid Thai deadlock.
...Early on Friday, hundreds of riot police crossed a major road to confront red-shirt anti-government protesters. The police stepped back from confrontation and the reds agreed to retreat slightly from their barricade. Britain, the US and Australia have issued new warnings against travelling to Thailand in the attacks' aftermath. Pro-government groups (More News)

Europe's air traffic 'back to normal'
..European air traffic has returned to normal, with nearly all restrictions imposed during the volcanic ash cloud crisis now lifted, officials say.
The European air traffic agency, Eurocontrol, said it expected 29,000 flights on Friday. There were 27,284 on Thursday. EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said "Europe's airspace is getting back to normal operating capacity". He also called for "a single European regulator for a single European sky". " (More News)
 

A Protest meeting held by Karchi Union of Journalists (KUJ).
... A protest meeting held by Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) at Karachi Press Club to mourn tragic death /Shadat of Sama TV Queta Cameraman Malik Arif and Peshawar reporter Azmat Ali in suicidal Bomb blast in Queta & Kohat. Protest meeting was addressed by Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) President Khurshid Abbasi and Gen Secretary Syed Hassan Abbas, Treasurer Shahid Ghazali & Former Gen.Secretery Amin Yousuf. Gen Secretary Syed Hassan Abbas in his address condemned this tragic incident and asked government to protect journalists. In his presidential address president Khurshid Abbasi warn the government to take urgent measurers to protect working journalists before it’s too late. He expressed deep sorrow and grieves over this loss of life terming a loss to the journalism. Those who attended the meeting were Vice President Saeed Jan Bloch and Zaheer Ahmed Khan, J. Secretary Mushtaq Sarki &Wajid Raza Isfhani, FEC members Rafique Bloch, Zulfiqar Rajper, M.Ali Hafeez and a large number of KUJ members also attended this protest meeting.
 

Belgian prime minister 'to resign'
 .. Mr Leterme had gone to King Albert to tender his government's resignation following an emergency cabinet meeting on Thursday, officials said. It is not clear whether the king will accept Mr Leterme's resignation. The collapse of the government threw into doubt the scheduled parliamentary debate on a law that would ban full-face Muslim veils being worn in public. It would have been the first such law introduced by a  (More News)
 

Mystery rocket explodes in Jordan
..It was one of two fired early on Thursday morning which landed in Jordanian territory - the other fell harmlessly into the sea. There are conflicting reports as to where the rockets were launched. Israeli military sources say they came from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, but both Egyptian and Jordanian officials denied they were fired from their countries. Israeli media reports say that the rockets were aimed at the Israeli town of Eilat. According to an unnamed Jordanian security official, both were Katyusha rockets.  (More News)
 

Russia's Prime Minister Putin says recession in Russia is over.
...According to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the recession in his country is over. In his annual address to parliament, Putin expressed confidence that Russia would exceed the official growth forecast of 3.1 percent in 2010."Provisional results for the first quarter fuel optimism....This allows us to say that the recession is over. This does not mean that the crisis is over," Putin said.Putin concentrated on the merits of responsible fiscal policy,    (More News)