Europe
German leaders dismiss call for Greek euro exit
Leading figures in Germany’s centre-right government have criticised a conservative politician for suggesting that Greece will soon have to leave the eurozone. Christian Social Union leader Alexander Dobrindt, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel whose party is a junior coalition partner to hers, said he expected Greece to leave the eurozone in 2013. He said he saw “no way round” a Greek exit and called Mario Draghi, chief of the European Central Bank (ECB) “Europe’s currency forger”. In response, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said “bullying” of Greece must stop, and Mrs Merkel said “everyone should weight their words very carefully”. Last week she reiterated her desire for Greece to stay in the eurozone. Greece is currently under pressure to accelerate far-reaching reforms, including privatisation and civil service job cuts, in order to continue receiving instalments of its €130bn ($163bn) international bailout. It is the second bailout of such huge size agreed for Greece since the 2008 debt crisis, and German politicians have made it clear they will not tolerate a third.
North America
Romney accuses Obama campaign of divisiveness
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has accused his Democratic rival, President Barack Obama, of running a campaign built on “anger and divisiveness”, suggesting that the Obama campaign was trying to link him to controversial views on rape recently voiced by Todd Akin, another Republican. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Mr Romney said it was “said” for the Obama campaign to “stoop to such a low level”. Mr Romney reminded viewers that he and other leading Republicans had condemned Mr Akin’s remarks and asked him to withdraw from the race for a Senate seat. The Obama campaign has accused Mr Romney of extreme positions on social issues.
Latin America
Ecuador: UK Assange invasion “threat” over
Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, has told reporters that Britain has “given up its threat” to enter Ecuador’s London embassy to arrest Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Following assurances by the UK, he said “we consider this unfortunate incident over”. The UK says it never made any threats to storm the embassy, an act which would violate diplomatic protocol. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said it sent the Ecuadorean embassy an official letter on Friday, aimed at “calming things down” and allowing talks to resume. Former computer hacker Mr Assange, 41, has since June sought shelter in the embassy against extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault charges, which he denies. He has said he will answer the charges in Sweden if he is given an assurance that he will not then be sent to the United States, where he is wanted by federal authorities for leaking classified documents via his website, Wikileaks, and where any punishment is likely to be severe.
Africa and Middle East
Seventeen civilians beheaded in Afghanistan for attending a party
Taliban insurgents have beheaded seventeen civilians in Musa Qala district, Helmand province, for attending a party, according to government officials. The bodies of two women and 15 men were found by the side of a road this morning and were said to show signs of beatings. Some also had gunshot wounds. Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for the Helmand provincial governor, said the men had gathered to listen to music and watch the women dance when they were attacked. Speaking to AFP news agency, he said: “I can confirm this is the work of the Taliban… they were partying with music in an area under the control of the Taliban”.
Also in Helmand province this morning, ten Afghan army soldiers have been killed in a massive Taliban attack on their checkpoint, and two US soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan National Army soldier in another “green on blue” attack.
Military helicopter crashes in Damascus
The Free Syrian Army in Syria claimed to have shot down a military helicopter over the country’s capital, Damascus. The rebels said the gunship had been firing at people in the north-eastern district of Jobar, and that it had crashed in neighbouring Qabun. State television confirmed a helicopter had come down in Qabun. On Sunday, opposition activists said government forces had slaughtered over 300 people during their assault on the suburb of Darayya. Video footage and photographs have emerged, showing scores of bodies including those of women and children. State media blamed the opposition for the killings and said Darayya had been “cleansed of terrorist remnants”.
Asia and Russia
Samsung shares plummet after jury orders $1bn in damages
Shares in South Korean company Samsung Electronics have suffered their biggest one-day fall in almost four years, after a US jury found the technology giant guilty of copying designs from rival Apple, producers of the iPad and iPhone. The company was ordered to pay $1.05bn in damages to Apple in one of the most important rulings yet in an ongoing global intellectual property battle, with Samsung and Apple engaged in patent disputes in many countries. Samsung’s shares fell 7% in Seoul trading, the most since October 2008. Samsung will appeal against the verdict.
Indian PM defends government sale of coalfields
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has defended his government in parliament over the controversial sale of state-owned coalfields, amid loud chanting and protests from the opposition benches. A government-commissioned report, written by an independent auditor, found India lost $33bn dollars by misselling its coalfields but exonerated Mr Singh, who was coal minister at the time. Nevertheless the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stalled parliament for a week with constant demands for his resignation, preventing Mr Singh from making his statement. When it came today, it was barely audible over the din from opposition benches. Mr Singh denied allegations of impropriety, took responsibility for the coal ministry’s decisions, and appealed to the opposition to “let the house function… let the country judge where the truth lies”.
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