UNITED KINGDOM
Cameron set to meet Putin
Officials said Prime Minister David Cameron may hold the first meeting in four years between a UK official and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin next week. The officials, who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss Cameron’s plans in advance, said on Thursday he would travel to Moscow to help improve fragile ties between the two nations. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s office has confirmed he will meet with Cameron on Monday. Cameron is also expected to meet with Putin — the first talks between Putin and a British official since he met with former prime minister Tony Blair in June 2007. Ties soured over Moscow’s refusal to hand over a suspect in the 2006 poisoning death in London of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko.
ITALY
Pedal-power to fuel concert
The town of Bari is preparing for a pedal-powered concert, billed by organizers as the country’s first entirely ecofriendly gig. Sound and lighting for the performance by the band Tetes de Bois on Thursday will be provided courtesy of 128 energy-generating cyclists. “Goodbike” is the brainchild of the Roman group who are fanatical about the environmentally friendly mode of transport. The concert takes place in the southern town on the eve of European Mobility Week, a campaign to get more people to get about by walking, cycling or taking public transport. “It’s the first concert in Italy with this dimension of sustainable development,” regional transport chief Guglielmo Minervini said.
FRANCE
Ex-IMF chief horny: Lagerfeld
Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld on Thursday described his friend, former IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, as charming and “sweet” — unless you’re a woman. Defending the politician against sex assault allegations, Lagerfeld told the Web site style.com that all politicians are “horny.” “They get horny from politics, from power,” the eccentric German fashionista said. Lagerfeld added that Strauss-Kahn has “unbelievable charms,” adding: “He is really charming. He’s fun, he’s great. He’s a sweet guy — as long as you’re not a woman. That’s the problem.” “I love DSK. I love his wife ... They are great people,” Lagerfeld said. “But you know, for people in politics, it’s very embarrassing.”
TURKEY
Navy to escort Gaza aid ships
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said warships will escort Turkish Gaza-bound aid ships in the future. Erdogan told al-Jazeera television that the navy would accompany the aid ships to protect them from raids like the one Israel launched on a flotilla trying to break the Gaza blockade last year, when nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed. Ankara has already announced it would increase patrols in the eastern Mediterranean in response to Israel’s refusal to apologize for the raid. However, it was the first admission that Ankara intends to send warships to protect ships trying to break the blockade.
UNITED STATES
Lee tintype nets US$23,000
A Goodwill worker who spotted a photograph of Confederate General Robert E. Lee has helped the charity make US$23,000 in an online auction. The tintype photograph was in a bin, about to be shipped out, when a worker grabbed it and sent it to the charity’s local online department in Nashville, Tennessee. The item was then put up for auction. The sale
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
RELAXED: After talks on Ukraine and trade, the French president met with students while his wife visited pandas, after the pair parted ways with their Chinese counterparts French President Emmanuel Macron concluded his fourth state visit to China yesterday in Chengdu, striking a more relaxed note after tough discussions on Ukraine and trade with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) a day earlier. Far from the imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing where the two leaders held talks, Xi and China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), showed Macron and his wife Brigitte around the centuries-old Dujiangyan Dam, a World Heritage Site set against the mountainous landscape of Sichuan Province. Macron was told through an interpreter about the ancient irrigation system, which dates back to the third century
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