Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's cast new uncertainty on Monday over euro zone efforts to rescue debt-crippled Greece by warning it would treat a French bank plan for a rollover of privately-held debt as a default. The threat abruptly ended a relief rally in stock and bond markets after Greece adopted a new, tougher
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Syrian troops stormed houses in the city of Hama on Monday as thousands of residents took to the streets shouting "God is greater" in defiance of a government crackdown on recent large protests, residents said. "At least 30 buses carrying soldiers and security police entered Hama this morning. They are firing randomly in residential neighbourhoods,"
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The government should shoulder more of the financial burden of caring for the elderly and Britons should be urged to buy insurance to cover potential costs, a report said on Monday. Like other European countries, Britain has an ageing population. Many elderly people need expensive care either at home or in special accommodation at a
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Ceremonies to celebrate divorces have gained momentum in Japan after the massive March earthquake and tsunami, followed by an ongoing nuclear crisis, caused unhappy couples to reassess their lives. The ceremony to mark a couple's transition to being single again costs 55,000 yen ($690), includes a buffet meal and culminates with the ritual smashing of
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Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic was removed from the U.N. war crimes court at The Hague on Monday after refusing to enter a plea and disrupting the judge's attempts to read out the charges against him. The judge later entered formal pleas of not guilty on behalf of Mladic to the various charges
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Britain's top share index made little headway on Monday as a warning by ratings agency S&P about potential trouble in the euro zone weighed on banks in particular and took the steam out of the index's recent sharp rally. London's blue chip index nosed up 6.08 points, or 0.1%, to 5,995.84. The index posted its
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World stocks hit a 4-1/2 week high on Monday and oil rose as investors grew confident over the prospects for the global economy after Greece avoided an early default on its sovereign debt and on signs China's economy is unlikely to make a hard landing. Shanghai stocks hit a six-week high after data last week
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China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it had complained to Japan about Japanese fishing boats operating in waters around a disputed and uninhabited group of islands in the East China Sea. "China has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side, and demands Japan immediately withdraws fishing boats from the relevant seas," ministry spokesman Hong
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The European Commission said on Monday it will give 10 mln euros ($14.54 mln) of food aid to North Korea to help tackle famine in the reclusive state which has left over half a million people at risk of dying. "The purpose of this aid package is to save the lives of at least 650,000
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* Budget talks, election may stir trouble * Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk promised "energetic engagement" as he took over the rotating presidency of the European Union on Friday and said the 27-country bloc was facing one of its most difficult moments. Poland, Europe's sixth most populous country and a powerhouse of the central and
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