Spain beset by bank crisis, downgrades, bond pressure
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's borrowing costs shot up at a bond auction on Thursday and its troubled banks suffered a double blow, with shares in part-nationalized Bankia diving and 16 lenders - including the euro zone's biggest - having their credit ratings cut. Official data confirmed Spain was back in recession and a newspaper reported a big outflow of deposits from Bankia, but the government said it had taken a fundamental step to strengthen Spain's credibility by agreeing big budget cuts with the country's free-spending regions. ...
Exclusive: U.N. probes possible North Korea arms trade with Syria, Myanmar
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A U.N. panel of experts that monitors compliance with sanctions on North Korea is investigating reports of possible weapons-related deals between Pyongyang and Syria and Myanmar, the panel said in a confidential report seen by Reuters on Thursday. "The DPRK (North Korea) continues actively to defy the measures in the (U.N. sanctions) resolutions," the panel said in the report, which it submitted to the U.N. Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee earlier this week. ...
Poll shows Greece electing pro-bailout government
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek voters are returning to the establishment parties that negotiated its bailout, a poll showed on Thursday, offering potential salvation for European leaders who say a snap Greek election next month will decide whether it must quit the euro. The poll, the first conducted since talks to form a government collapsed and a new election was called for June 17, showed the conservative New Democracy party in first place, several points ahead of the radical leftist SYRIZA which has pledged to tear up the bailout. ...
Former editor says Murdoch sowed seeds of hacking scandal
LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch sowed the seeds of the phone hacking scandal that has tarnished his reputation by forcing Britain's most respected newspapers into "a Faustian bargain" with the powerful, a former editor of the UK's Times newspaper said on Thursday. Harry Evans told a British media inquiry how as editor of the Times he battled attempts by Murdoch to compel him to support British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the Leveson inquiry last month, Murdoch denied influencing the editorial stance of the Times papers. ...
France's left-wing leadership starts with a pay cut
PARIS (Reuters) - France's new left-wing government started work on Thursday with pledges to combat excessive austerity but better manage public finances, marking the debut with a 30 percent cut in pay for President Francois Hollande and all ministers. The sizeable wage reduction was endorsed at a first meeting of the 34-minister team, a day after Germany's government awarded rises to its ministers and Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose pay will overtake Hollande's. ...
China jails smuggling kingpin Lai for life BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court convicted Lai Changxing, who was deported from Canada, on smuggling and bribery charges and jailed him for life on Friday, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The conviction effectively ends the career of a man whose case tainted ruling Chinese Communist Party officials - including Jia Qinglin, who sits on the elite Standing Committee - with rumors of malfeasance, collusion and dereliction of duty. ... U.S. eyes funding boost for Israel's "Iron Dome" shield
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon will seek to provide Israel with an additional $70 million in the coming months for its short-range rocket shield, known as the "Iron Dome," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart on Thursday. So far, the United States has provided $205 million to support the Iron Dome, manufactured by Israel's state-owned Raphael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. The system uses small radar-guided missiles to blow up in midair Katyusha-style rockets with ranges of 3 miles to 45 miles, as well as mortar bombs. ...
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23:03 h. Sous tension, le chef de l'opposition syrienne est prêt à partir
Des divisions sont apparues au sein de la coalition syrienne. Le chef du Conseil national syrien, organe de l'opposition, se dit prêt à démissionner en raison des critiques.
22:32 h. La Journée contre l'homophobie brimée dans plusieurs pays
A l'occasion de la 8e Journée mondiale contre l'homophobie et la transphobie, des gays prides ont été organisées pour la première fois en Albanie. En Géorgie, la tentative a avorté.
18:31 h. Les salaires des ministres européens en un clin d'oeil
Au moment où les ministres français ont consenti à une baisse de leurs salaires, l'état des lieux en Europe laisse entrevoir des tendances similaires à travers le continent. En Suisse, la rémunération des conseillers fédéraux est sensiblement supérieure.
16:30 h. Les nouveaux ministres français réduisent leurs salaires de 30%
Les nouveaux ministres français se sont réunis jeudi pour la première fois. Une réduction de 30% de leurs salaires a été adoptée dès l'ouverture du Conseil des ministres.
15:10 h. Le procès de Ratko Mladic au Tribunal pénal a été ajourné
Le procès de l'ancien chef militaire des Serbes de Bosnie a été ajourné sine die par le Tribunal pénal international pour l'ex-Yougoslavie, alors que l'audition du premier témoin devait avoir lieu le 29 mai.
12:46 h. La Grèce se dote d'un gouvernement technique pour un mois
La Grèce s'est doté jeudi d'un gouvernement transitoire. En réaction, le Fonds monétaire international (FMI) a annoncé qu'il ne travaillerait pas avec cet exécutif et l'agence de notation Fitch a abaissé les notes à long terme à "CCC".
12:03 h. L'Espagne emprunte 30 milliards pour aider ses villes et ses régions
Le gouvernement espagnol emprunte 30 milliards d'euros pour aider les villes et les régions, lourdement endettées depuis l'éclatement de la bulle immobilière en 2008, à régler leurs factures.
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