Europe
Greek PM: we need more time to make cuts
Greece’s Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, has called for more time to implement stringent spending cuts ahead of further talks on its latest bailout. Speaking to German daily newspaper Bild, he said Greece needed “breathing space”. Mr Samaras will meet Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the Eurogroup of finance ministers, later today, and the French and German leaders later this week. The meetings will seek to establish whether Greece has done enough to receive its next round of bailout funds, which will amount to €31.5bn. If the funds are not issued, Greece could well default on its huge public debt and perhaps leave the euro. Mr Samaras will need to demonstrate how Greece can cut €11.5bn in public spending within two years in order to qualify for the money, but is expected to try to negotiate a two-year extension to the deadline during his meeting with Mr Juncker today.
More than 100 quangos axed in UK, say ministers
British ministers have claimed that the Coalition government has axed more than 100 quangos and merged a further 90 into other bodies since it came to power in May 2010. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said the cull of publicly-funded agencies was on track to save £2.6bn by the end of the current Parliament. However, costs from the reorganisation – such as redundancy payouts to affected staff – could be as high as £900m.
North America
Romney calls for Akin to quit Senate race
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has called for Republican congressman Todd Akin to withdraw from the race for a Senate seat in Missouri, following a television interview in which Mr Akin claimed women’s bodies could prevent pregnancy in cases of “legitimate rape”. Mr Akin has since released a television advert apologising for his comments, but is still facing intense pressure from across his own party to quit the race. Correspondents say Republicans fear the backlash could scupper their chances of electoral success in November, when they hope to win control of the Senate as well as the presidency. Mr Romney said yesterday “his fellow Missourians urged him to step aside, and I think he should accept their counsel and exit the Senate race.” Mr Akin has refused to quit, and accused people of over-reacting.
Latin America
Wealth gap in Latin America increasing – UN study
A study by the United Nations Agency for Human Settlements has found that the gap between rich and poor in much of Latin America is widening, with the richest 20% of the population on average earning 20 times more than the poorest 20% across the continent. Guatemala is the country with the widest disparity, and Venezuela the smallest. The survey also found that the region is the world’s most urbanised, with eight out of ten people living in cities.
Former Guatemalan police chief jailed over civil war kidnap
Pedro Garcia Arredonda, a former head of Guatemala’s police force, has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for organising the abduction of student Edgar Saenz, who disappeared in 1981 during the country’s brutal civil war. Garcia, who headed the national police force from 1974-82, becomes the latest and most senior of several former security officers to be tried for abuses of power during the 1960-96 war. He also faces murder charges in connection with the 1980 burning of the Spanish embassy in Guatemala, in which 26 people died. Mr Haenz, who remains missing to this day, was kidnapped and tortured from March to June 1981. An estimated 200,000 people were killed or went missing during the 26-year civil war – a conflict between US-backed right-wing governments and left-wing rebels supported by indigenous people and the rural poor.
Middle East and Africa
North Lebanon seized by fighting over Syria
Seven people have been killed and over 70 wounded in northern Lebanon, as divisions between two Muslim communities over the Syrian crisis escalated into violence. The city of Tripoli, the country’s second largest with a population of 200,000, saw street battles between Sunnis and Alawites for the second night running. Old rivalries between the two groups have been fuelled by conflicting loyalties in the conflict across the border: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite, is battling largely Sunni opposition forces. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a Sunni, appealed to both sides to end the “absurd battle”.
Australasia
Women “not flourishing” in Australian military
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has warned in a new report that women are struggling in the Australian military. Ms Broderick found evidence of harassment, abuse and discrimination, said women were “significantly underrepresented in leadership positions” and that recruitment of women into the Australian Defence Force (ADF) had increased by only 1% over the last 10 years. The report recommends increasing the number of women in the military, and establishing a unit to probe sexual misconduct.
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