Europe
New Archbishop of Canterbury to be chosen
Church officials are preparing for a three-day meeting to decide who will be the new Archbishop of Canterbury, with current Archbishop Dr Rowan Williams to step down in December after ten years leading the Church of England. The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), made up of 16 voting members drawn both from the clergy and lay people, is expected to have come to a decision by Friday. The successor will likely be announced next week, and will be a man as the Church of England has not agreed to ordain women as bishops. That subject is one of ongoing controversy for the Church, which many Anglicans believe is at a critical time in its history: it came close to splitting over the ordination of gay clergy, and has struggled to maintain its membership.
Phone hacking scandal: Brooks and Coulson in court
Former News International boss Rebekah Brooks and British Prime Minister David Cameron’s former communications director Andy Coulson are appearing in court today to answer charges related to phone hacking. The pair and five other former News of the World journalists arrived at the Old Bailey in London earlier, accused of conspiracy to unlawfully intercept communications. Prosecutors say the charge could relate to more than 600 victims.
Greek general strike over austerity
Trade unions in Greece have initiated the first general strike since the country’s conservative-led coalition government came to power in June. Today’s 24-hour walkout is in protest against a new round of spending cuts totalling more than €11.5bn ($15bn), which are a precondition to Greece receiving its next tranche of bailout money. Without these funds the country could face bankruptcy in weeks. Thousands of people have begun converging on parliament to protest. The action follows similar demonstrations in Spain and Portugal, which are also facing stringent austerity measures (see below).
Rubber bullets fired at Madrid protest as Spain’s economy shrivels
Spanish police have fired rubber bullets and charged protesters with batons amid violent clashes at a rally against austerity policies. The protest descended into violence as protesters tried to tear down barriers blocking off Madrid’s parliament buildings. Spanish media reported that at least 20 people had been arrested and more than a dozen injured. The “Occupy Congress” protest came as the government prepares to unveil further austerity measures tomorrow. The cuts are a desperate attempt to reduce Spain’s budget deficit, with the country in its second, rapidly deepening recession in three years and unemployment near 25%. A monthly report by the Bank of Spain said: “available data for the third quarter of the year suggests that GDP kept falling at a significant rate”.
North America
Obama speech to UN General Assembly condemns extremism
US President Barack Obama has urged global leaders to rally against extremism in his address to the UN General Assembly in New York. He said all world leaders were obliged to speak out against violence and extremism, and framed his speech with references to the US ambassador murdered in Libya. He restated that the US would not permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Latin America
IMF: Argentina faces ‘red card’
Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, has warned Argentina it could face sanctions unless it produces reliable growth and inflation data. Argentina and the IMF have been at odds over the country’s figures since last year, with private sector economists saying the country’s government has ignored growing inflation. Current independent estimates put annual inflation in the country at 24% – much higher than the government’s official figure of 10%. Ms Lagarde gave Argentina until 17 December to address the problem, saying the IMF had given Argentina a “yellow card” but it “the red card will be out” if no progress is made. Argentina could face sanctions, lose voting rights and even be expelled from the IMF altogether. Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, currently in New York for the UN General Assembly, denied that her country was facing economic disaster, saying: “the rich countries don’t want partners or friends; they just want employees or subordinates… we are a free country, with dignity and national pride.”
Africa and Middle East
Iran unveils ‘indigenous’ drone with 2,000km range
Iranian state media have reported the announcement of a new “indigenous” long-range unmanned aerial vehicle capable of flying over most of the Middle East. According to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, the Shahed (“Witness”) 129 has a range of 2,000km, and is capable of both reconnaissance and combat missions. It can be equipped with bombs and missiles. In December last year, the Iranian authorities displayed a US RQ-170 Sentinel drone which they captured after claiming to bring it down electronically. The US blamed a malfunction, insisting Iran neither shot it down nor used electronic weapons to force it from the sky. Later, the head of the IRGC’s aerospace programme, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said it was trying to copy the drone. It is unclear whether the Shahed 129 bears any resemblance.
Rebel bombs strike Syria’s military headquarters
Two large roadside bombs went off in the centre of Damascus in an area full of government buildings early this morning. The anti-regime Free Syrian Army admitted to the attack and is thought to have been targeting Syria’s military headquarters. The rebels claimed dozens had been killed, while Syrian officials denied any casualties and said the bombs had caused only “material damage”. Fierce gun fighting was said to have been heard after the blasts, which diplomats living near the area said were the biggest explosions they had heard for months.
Asia and Russia
Japan-China ministers in ‘severe’ meeting over East China Sea islands
Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers have held talks on the continuing sovereignty row over disputed islands in the East China Sea, with one Japanese minister describing the atmosphere as “severe” to Kyodo News Agency. His Chinese opposite number restated Beijing’s claim to the islands to Xinhua news agency. The islands are controlled by Japan but claimed by China and Taiwan, and all three countries have sent ships to the islands in recent weeks to signal their intentions.
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