Need to know: European leaders have reached a deal that gives Greece more time to deal with its mountain of debt. The Greek government welcomed the deal, as did the marlets, which rose on the news. But the coast is not clear for Greece by any means. The austerity measures it must push through in accordance with the deal remain unpopular, as transport strikes continued for a fifth day. And here we go. James Murdoch misled Parliament earlier this week when he said he didn't know anything about the phone-hacking going on News of the World, according to two former execs at the paper. Also, the U.S. Justice Dept. says that Murdoch's people attempted to hack into the phones of Sept. 11th victims , and it is readying subpoenas to prove it. Meanwhile, another editor at The Sun, also a Murdoch paper, was sacked as the scandal shows no sign of abating. |
| Want to know: Tens of thousands of Syrians defied a massive security crackdown and flooded the streets of Damascus and other cities Friday, insisting their protest movement was united and demanding the downfall of President Bashar Assad's regime. There were reports that security forces opened fire, but no immediate word on casualties. Palestinian refugees in Syria have begun to turn their backs on Assad, in a major development that challenges the regime's legitimacy. Palestinians are stripped of their nationality in Jordan, but have long enjoyed comparably better circumstances in Syria. But for decades, they say, Assad has used their plight as justification for oppressing his own people, and the Palestinians have had enough. The Arab Spring has sprung, but might there be a Celtic Spring waiting in the wings ? Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has come out swinging against the Vatican over its attempts to cover up sexual abuse, which some say will be the match that lights the gun powder keg on fire. |
| Dull but important: The last Balkan war-crimes suspect was extradited to the Hague on Friday after being allowed a last-minute visit with his sick mother. Goran Hadzic, 53, is accused of atrocities stemming from Croatia's 1991-95 war. Serbia has been criticized for not doing enough to capture war criminals, and the issue has stood in the way of Serbia becoming an EU member. The country hopes to formally become a candidate for membership this year. |
| Just because: Word on the street is that North and South Korea had a "constructive" conversation on the sidelines of a security conference in Indonesia. The nuclear envoys from each country spoke for about two hours and agreed, against all odds, to work toward reigniting the stalled six-party talks on nuclear disarmament in the Korean peninsula. Apparently Ri Yong-ho, North Korea's nuclear envoy, smiled. But there is good reason to be skeptical of that smile. Evidence suggests that North Korea and Iran are cooperating more and more on the weapons front. In short, Iran has better long-range missile technology. North Korea can produce a higher quality of steel and possibly weapons-grade uranium. Dangerous apart, together they are even more so. |
| Strange but true: Chavez may be gone, but don't think he's forgotten. About Twitter. The Venezuelan leader loves his Twitter, and even though he has been undergoing treatment for cancer in Cuba, he has continued to pull the levers that make his country work via the micro-blogging site. In more than 40 messages this week on his " chavezcandanga " account, he has approved money for a Caracas trash collection project and praised plans for a new park. He also kind of freaked out about a bad call in the Venezuela-Paraguay game, using all caps to say THEY ROBBED US OF A VICTORY GOAL! |
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