| Latest news from the wires: | |
Summary Box: Greek economy stuck in deep recession
DEEP RECESSION: The Greek economy shrank 7 percent on the year in the fourth quarter, not adjusting for seasonal effects. (AP, 3:54 p.m.)
Summary Box: New setback for Greece bailout
BACK AND FORTH: A meeting set for Wednesday of the finance chiefs of the 17 euro countries to discuss Greece's second massive bailout was called off after Athens failed to deliver on several demands made by its partners in the currency union. (AP, 3:24 p.m.)
Kosovo Serbs hold defiant referendum
Serbs in northern Kosovo voted Tuesday in a referendum that is likely to overwhelmingly reject Kosovo's ethnic Albanian rule, further hindering Serbia's attempts to join the European Union. (Associated Press, 2:40 p.m.)
Sotheby's finds hidden signature on Basquiat work
Thirty years ago, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat secretly signed one of his paintings in invisible ink, says Sotheby's auction house, which discovered the hidden autograph as it was preparing the painting for sale. (Associated Press, 2:15 p.m.)
Group splits from Legion of Christ's female branch
The female branch of the scandal-plagued Legionaries of Christ religious order was in turmoil Tuesday following the resignation of its leader and the decision of some 30 members to split from the movement. (Associated Press, 5:29 p.m.)
Eastern EU nations condemn far-right Dutch website
Ambassadors from 10 EU countries on Tuesday asked the Netherlands to repudiate a nationalist party's website that urges people to lodge complaints about central and eastern Europeans. (AP, 1:10 p.m.)
Northern Ireland man charged over car bomb
A suspected Irish Republican Army dissident already facing trial over one bomb was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of planting a car bomb outside a Northern Ireland courthouse. (Associated Press, 2:19 p.m.)
IOC sees 'no reason for concern' over Sochi Games
The International Olympic Committee inspection found "no real burning issues" in Sochi preparations for the 2014 Games, with organizers promising to complete construction of all sports venues by the end of 2012. (AP Sports Writer, 11:54 a.m.)
Rome's 2020 Olympic bid scrapped by Monti
Premier Mario Monti scrapped Rome's bid for the 2020 Olympics on Tuesday, saying the Italian government can't supply the required financial backing at a time of economic crisis. (Associated Press, 11:40 a.m.)
2 Romanian ex-ministers jailed for corruption
Two former Romanian agriculture ministers were convicted on Tuesday of corruption and sentenced to three years in prison. (AP, 10:49 a.m.)
Snow causes havoc in Romania, Moldova, Albania
Snow as deep as 15 feet (4.5 meters) isolated areas of Romania, Moldova and Albania on Tuesday, and helicopters and army trucks were used to deliver food and medicine, and to transport sick people to hospitals. (Associated Press, 10:44 a.m.)
AP Interview: US bishops fight birth control deal
The top U.S. Catholic bishop vowed legislative and court challenges Tuesday to a compromise by President Barack Obama to his healthcare mandate that now exempts religiously affiliated institutions from paying directly for birth control for their workers, instead making insurance companies responsible. (Associated Press, 10:35 a.m.)
Jolie to attend showing of her film in Bosnia
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Angelina Jolie's new movie -- a love story set against the genocide of Bosnia's war -- will be shown in Sarajevo for the first time on Tuesday, but it already has touched off anger left over from the conflict. (Associated Press, 10:35 a.m.)
Iraqi-born Islamist cleric in Norway terror trial
An Iraqi-born Islamist cleric goes on trial Wednesday for allegedly making death threats against politicians and encouraging suicide bombings in Iraq, and some see the case as a test of Norway's terror laws and its freedom of speech. (Associated Press, 12:40 p.m.)
South Sudan accuses Sudan of breaking peace pact
South Sudan on Tuesday accused its northern neighbor Sudan of bombing a border town, violating a non-aggression agreement between the two nations just hours after it was signed. (Associated Press, 3:20 p.m.)
Fire breaks out at Olympic Park; No injuries
A fire that broke out at Olympic Park caused no major damage or injuries, London 2012 event organizers and the city's fire brigade said Tuesday. (AP, 9:24 a.m.)
Turkish troops kill 15 rebels, suffer 2 losses
A clash in Turkey's mostly Kurdish southeast has left 15 Kurdish rebels and two Turkish soldiers dead, officials said Tuesday. (AP, 9:10 a.m.)
Prosecutors seek to reinstate Knox conviction
Italian prosecutors asked the country's highest criminal court on Tuesday to reinstate the murder convictions of American Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend in the brutal slaying of a British student. (Associated Press, 3:10 p.m.)
Swiss defense minister defends Swedish jet deal
Switzerland's defense minister has defended a decision to buy Swedish fighter jets, saying it is the best long-term financial choice despite the Swiss Air Force's recommendation to buy other planes. (AP, 8:49 a.m.)
UK and Jordan hold talks on extremist cleric
Britain's security minister is holding talks in Jordan seeking to overcome a European ban on deporting a radical Islamist cleric from the U.K. to the kingdom. (AP, 8:29 a.m.)
Election ahead, France's Sarkozy faces crunch time
Nicolas Sarkozy faces an unprecedented challenge if he wants another term. No presidential candidate in France's postwar history has come back from being so far behind so late in the campaign. (Associated Press, 1:49 p.m.)
Snow, ice coat the Balkans with unworldly beauty
Snow as deep as 15 feet (4.5 meters) isolated areas in Romania, Moldova and Albania on Tuesday and turned a power plant in Kosovo into a park of dazzling ice sculptures. (Associated Press, 12:20 p.m.)
Eurozone set for Q4 economic contraction
A run of downbeat economic news Tuesday reinforced expectations that the 17-nation eurozone's economy shrank during the last three months of 2011 as the government debt crisis dragged on even the biggest and richest countries. (Associated Press, 8:14 a.m.)
Correction: France-First Lady-Statue story
In a Feb. 13 story about a planned statue in a Paris suburb that is to be modeled after French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, The Associated Press erroneously reported the estimated cost of the statue as euro81 million. The estimated cost is euro81,000. (AP, 6:39 a.m.)
German investor sentiment up sharply in Feb
Germany's ZEW institute says its index of investor optimism is up sharply due to better U.S. economic data and steady progress in working out a new bailout for Greece. (AP, 5:49 a.m.)
UK government minister slams 'militant secularism'
When it comes to religion, British politicians tend to heed the famous advice of Tony Blair's spin doctor, Alastair Campbell -- "We don't do God." In contrast to the United States, the deity is rarely invoked on the campaign trail or in political speeches. (Associated Press, 11:59 a.m.)
ECB official: Governments could get bond profits
A top European Central Bank official says the bank could pay any profits on the Greek bonds it holds to member governments who could then use it to help bail out the struggling country. (AP, 5:14 a.m.)
Hackers claim attack on American tear gas company
A U.S. security company whose tear gas has been used against Egyptian demonstrators has become the latest victim of the Anonymous movement, hackers claimed Tuesday. (Associated Press, 11:40 a.m.)
UK inflation rate drops to 3.6 percent
Britain's inflation rate fell to 3.6 percent in the year to January from 4.2 percent the previous month, official figures showed Tuesday, to the likely relief of cash-strapped households which have seen muted pay increases more than eaten up by rising prices. (AP, 7:04 a.m.)
Relatives of missing mourn near cruise ship
The relatives of people still missing one month after the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster mourned in a private tribute at the ship yesterday. (Boston Globe, 12:16 a.m.)
Greek vote helps lift the price of oil
Oil prices rose Monday after Greece took a key step away from a default on its huge debt that could hurt Europe’s economy and cut demand for oil. Crude prices also got a boost from renewed tensions about Iran’s oil supplies after some shipping companies said they will stop loading Iranian crude onto tankers because of pending U.S. and European sanctions against Iran. (Associated Press, 12 a.m.)
Radical cleric released on bail in England
Abu Qatada, a radical Muslim cleric whom British officials say is an al-Qaida figurehead and a threat to national security, was freed from an English prison into virtual house arrest, judicial officials said Monday. (Boston Globe, 12:14 a.m.)
Greece faces more snags
Greece faces further hurdles and delays before it can receive a second, $171 billion bailout in spite of its lawmakers voting through more austerity measures in the face of violent protests. (Associated Press, 12 a.m.)
Greece surveys riot damage after austerity vote
Firefighters doused smoldering buildings and cleanup crews swept rubble from the streets of central Athens on Monday following a night of rioting during which lawmakers approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the nation from bankruptcy. (Associated Press, 12 a.m.)
Loading map from Google...