Greek tensions back with reform list rejected as inadequate |
- Greek tensions back with reform list rejected as inadequate
- Militants shell UN base as Mali hunts jihadist nightclub killers
- London gallery displays world’s most impressive beards (VIDEO)
- Davis Cup: Nishikori keeps Japan’s hopes alive by reaching quarter-finals
- Cancelled FMFA debacle: Organiser Livescape to give full refund
- NBA: Tony Parker’s season high leads Spurs past Bulls
| Greek tensions back with reform list rejected as inadequate Posted: 08 Mar 2015 05:53 PM PDT
The list of measures Greece's government sent to euro region finance ministers last Friday, including the idea of hiring non-professional tax collectors such as tourists, is "far" from complete and the country probably won't receive an aid disbursement this month, Eurogroup chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said yesterday. Greece's anti-austerity government, elected in January on a promise to renegotiate the terms of a €240-billion (RM956.8b) bailout, has to present detailed proposals to European creditors or risk running out of cash as soon as this month. The renewed tensions threaten to temper a rally in Greek bonds sparked by optimism over the provisional accord. "It seems their money box is almost empty," Dijsselbloem told reporters at an event yesterday organised by Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant in Amsterdam. Greece is seeking the disbursement of an outstanding aid tranche totalling about €7 billion. Without access to capital markets, its only sources of financing are emergency loans from the euro area's crisis fund and the International Monetary Fund. Its banks are being kept afloat by an Emergency Liquidity Assistance lifeline, subject to approval by the European Central Bank. "I can only say that we have money to pay salaries and pensions of public employees," Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told Italy's Il Corriere della Sera in an interview Sunday. "For the rest we will see." Referendum considered Varoufakis said on the weekend that if the country's creditors raise requests which aren't acceptable to the government, then the people of Greece may have to decide on how to break the deadlock. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also signalled the referendum option is being considered. "If we were to hold a referendum tomorrow with the question, 'do you want your dignity or a continuation of this unworthy policy,' then everyone would choose dignity regardless of difficulties that would accompany that decision," Tsipras told Der Spiegel Magazine, in an interview published Saturday. Tsipras is walking a tightrope between sticking to his election pledges, which found resonance in a country with a 26 per cent unemployment rate, and avoiding default and a possible exit from the euro region. Some of his post-election glow is starting to fade, one opinion poll showed. 'Mission Impossible' A survey conducted by Marc for the Efimerida Ton Syntakton newspaper on Saturday showed 64 per cent of Greeks had a positive opinion of the government, down from 83.6 percent in February. "Maintaining the unity of the anti-bailout coalition, while striking a deal which would ease the immense pressure on the economy, is proving to be almost a 'Mission Impossible,'" said George Pagoulatos, a professor of European politics and economy at the Athens University of Economics and Business. Tsipras's administration sent a set of commitments Friday to Dijsselbloem, in the hope that the policy proposals would pave the way for the disbursement of aid. Two officials representing creditor institutions said the proposals, which include tackling tax avoidance through non- professional inspectors and equipping citizens with chipped smart cards, aren't enough to unlock bailout funds. The plans are amateurish and don't signal substantial progress to meeting the commitments it made on Feb. 20, they said, asking not to be identified as negotiations are private. In its letter requesting an extension to the bailout last month, Greece's government had committed to streamline sales tax rates, with a view to limiting exemptions, implement a comprehensive review of government spending in every sector, and auction digital frequencies used by TV channels. 'Time running short' The letter, which was sent to euro are finance ministers on Feb. 23, and got their approval the day after, also included a commitment to pension reform, the elimination of loopholes and incentives that give rise to an excessive rate of early retirements, and the removal of barriers to competition in its goods and services markets. With about €2 billion of debt-servicing payments, including T-bill redemptions and IMF obligations coming due on March 13, Greece's government has little room to manoeuvre. If talks between euro-area finance ministers in Brussels fail, the government may have to decide its next step fast. "Time is running short for Greece," ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said in interview with Cypriot newspaper Politis published yesterday. — Bloomberg  |
| Militants shell UN base as Mali hunts jihadist nightclub killers Posted: 08 Mar 2015 05:51 PM PDT
The UN's Minusma force said more than 30 rockets were fired at its barracks in the rebel stronghold of Kidal from 5.40am (0540 GMT). "Once they had established from where the rockets were being fired, Minusma troops immediately returned fire two kilometres from the compound, at around 6am," the force said in a statement. "According to preliminary reports, one Minusma soldier died and eight others were injured. The shelling also claimed victims among the citizens of Kidal outside the compound, killing two and injuring four." The force said in an update on Twitter that the civilian victims — members of the nomadic Arab Kunta tribe — were children and that only three had been wounded. Their encampment near the UN base was hit by stray rockets as the attack got under way, a Minusma source said. Sources inside the force also said the peacekeeper, like the majority of personnel at the base, was Chadian. The UN Security Council issued a statement condemning the "heinous" assault and warned that "those responsible for the attack shall be held accountable". No group has claimed responsibility, although Kidal is the cradle of northern Mali's Tuareg separatist movement, which has launched several uprisings from the region since the 1960s. Tuareg and Arab militias — loyalist and anti-government — have forged a peace agreement with the Malian government formulated earlier this month in Algiers, although the main rebel groups have yet to sign it. "Minusma strongly condemns these heinous terrorist acts, whose only goal is to thwart all the efforts currently under way to achieve lasting peace in Mali," the force said. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other jihadist groups also carry out operations in Kidal, including the 2013 murders of French journalists Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon. 'West insulted our prophet' In Bamako, police in bulletproof vests patrolled the area where a masked gunman had burst into La Terrasse, a popular venue among expats, spraying automatic gunfire and throwing grenades early Saturday. Al-Murabitoun, a jihadist group run by leading Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has claimed responsibility for the attack, which left a Frenchman, a Belgian and three Malians dead. It said in an audio recording carried by Mauritanian news agency Al-Akbar the operation was carried out "to avenge our prophet against the unbelieving West which has insulted and mocked him". Vehicle checks were stepped up on the three bridges over the Niger river as detectives focused on a black four-wheel drive apparently used by the nightclub attacker and an accomplice. "We cannot say much more at this stage, but there are clues about the vehicle used to transport the author of the crimes committed in Bamako," a police source told AFP. Minusma, which has around 10,000 personnel in Mali, said it has made investigators and crimes scenes experts available to the authorities. The French victim has been named as 30-year-old Fabien Guyomard, a single man with no children who had lived in Bamako since 2007 and worked at US construction company ICMS Africa. Mali's premier and president visited eight people who were being treated in hospital overnight, including two Swiss weapons experts advising the Malian government. The pair — both soldiers — were stable and out of danger after being hit by bullets, the Swiss military said in Geneva, and were later repatriated to Bern. "We must remain vigilant, the population must report people behaving suspiciously," Prime Minister Modibo Keita told reporters. The French Lycee in Bamako, which teaches 1,230 secondary school students of more than 30 nationalities, announced on its website it was delaying the return to classes over security concerns. "We felt, given the events, that we needed to improve the external security of the Lycee Francais de Bamako. For this reason, the school will exceptionally be closed for 48 hours, starting from Monday," an official at the school said. 'Cowardly attack' In the moments after the nightclub attack, an AFP correspondent witnessed the French victim being taken by stretcher out of the venue while the bodies of the police officer, a guard and the Belgian could be seen outside. "They reportedly shouted 'death to whites' on entering the restaurant... It sounds like an attack against the presence of Europeans," a diplomatic source said. French President Francois Hollande led the international outcry, condemning the "cowardly attack" and vowing to meet Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to offer Paris's help to its former colony. Mali's vast desert north is riven by ethnic rivalries and an Islamist insurgency. Jihadists linked to al-Qaeda controlled an area of desert the size of Texas for more than nine months until a French-led military intervention in 2013 that partly drove them from the region. But day-to-day life in the capital, a city of 1.8 million, has been largely unaffected by the northern conflict. — AFP |
| London gallery displays world’s most impressive beards (VIDEO) Posted: 08 Mar 2015 05:48 PM PDT LONDON, March 9 — Some of the world's most impressive beards went on display in London Thursday in a photographic exhibition aimed at raising awareness of skin cancer, as the trend for facial hair continues to grow. — AFP/Relaxnews
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| Davis Cup: Nishikori keeps Japan’s hopes alive by reaching quarter-finals Posted: 08 Mar 2015 05:46 PM PDT
Nishikori, the 2014 US Open runner-up ranked fourth in the world, needed three hours and four minutes to stretch his career head-to-head record over the sixth-ranked Canadian to 5-2. His win sent the tie to a decisive fifth rubber in which Japan opted to send in Go Soeda as a replacement for Tatsuma Ito against Vasek Pospisil. It's the first meeting between the 62nd-ranked Pospisil and 86th-ranked Soeda at the highest level. But Soeda beat Pospisil in a Challenger event in South Korea in 2011. Japan have beaten Canada in all six prior Davis Cup encounters. Last year they triumphed over the Canadians 4-1 in Tokyo to reach the quarter-finals of the World Group for the first time. With Nishikori injured and absent in the quarters, they were hammered 5-0 by then-defending champion Czech Republic. The winner of the tie will face Belgium, who toppled holders Switzerland 3-2 in Liege. The Swiss were without Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka, who helped led them to their first Davis Cup win last year. — AFP |
| Cancelled FMFA debacle: Organiser Livescape to give full refund Posted: 08 Mar 2015 05:45 PM PDT
Announcing that it has cancelled the two-day festival scheduled to be held on Friday and Saturday, Live-scape said details on refunds will be made available later today. The festival was due to be held in Singapore for the first time and was to feature international acts including Afrojack, Avicii and The Prodigy. The show had also drawn big-name partners such as Citibank, Evian and William Grant & Sons — owner of brands such as Glenfiddich and Hendrick's Gin. "We are also aware of the many fans overseas who have made travel arrangements into Singapore for the festival. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience you've been put through," Livescape said in a statement yesterday. A "care team" has been set up to address concerns directly at support@futuremusicfestival.asia, it added. Livescape has sold about 15,000 of the 20,000 tickets available for the two-day festival. The company had submitted applications for a public entertainment licence to the police in January and again last month, but was rejected both times, with the police citing "serious concerns" over potential drug abuse at the event. Its appeal to Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean was dismissed last Friday. Some fans have since criticised Livescape for continuing to promote the event even after its application for the licence was turned down for the second time last month. Last year, organisers of the Kuala Lumpur festival had to pull the plug on the third day of the event after six Malaysians died of a drug overdose and another 16 people were hospitalised for drug-related reasons. Several Singaporeans were also hospitalised after a suspected drug overdose. Livescape added: "(Future Music Festival Asia) wishes to thank all artistes and event suppliers for their incredibly hard work and support during the past few days. To the fans, we thank you for your patience and support." — TODAY |
| NBA: Tony Parker’s season high leads Spurs past Bulls Posted: 08 Mar 2015 05:31 PM PDT
Parker's performance was a welcome sign that the French point guard, who inked a three-year, US$43 million (RM158.4 million) contract extension in August, is returning to his best after a string of injuries led to a mid-season dip in form. "I've been in this league a long time," Parker said. "Everybody plays through injuries and that was my only problem, playing through injury, and now I feel better. "I'll try to keep working on it, keep feeling better, and hopefully I'll be 100 per cent when the playoffs start." The Spurs, who endured a tough four-game skid with losses to the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State, Utah and Portland, notched their fifth straight win and improved to 39-23, tying Dallas for sixth place in the Western Conference. Kawhi Leonard posted 20 points with eight rebounds and Manu Ginobili chipped in with 16 points for the Spurs. Veteran Spurs star Tim Duncan scored only three points and missed all eight of his shots from the floor. But overall, Parker said he believed San Antonio were rounding into form as the post-season approaches. "I feel like we're playing better and better," he said. "We had a rough stretch on the road, it happens. We've got to stay positive and keep playing well." The Spurs had a season-high 35 fastbreak points, to Chicago's nine. The Spurs scored 32 points on 22 Bulls turnovers. Chicago's Spanish big man Pau Gasol totalled 23 points and 15 rebounds for his 42nd double-double of the season while Aaron Brooks scored 22. Joakim Noah pulled down 11 rebounds and handed out nine assists for Chicago, who despite the absence of injured Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, remain in second place in the Eastern Conference. — AFP |
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