The resolution also sets "benchmarks" for Mali, including political reconciliation and improved training for the military.The council unanimously voted to give the force an initial one-year mandate.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
BBC criticised for Newsnight axed Jimmy Savile report
The report dismissed claims the Newsnight probe was dropped to protect tribute shows to the late TV presenter.
Newsnight's editor and deputy are being replaced after another inquiry criticised a report which led to Lord McAlpine facing false claims of abuse.
Q&A: Are concerns about the French economy overblown?
It is the second largest economy in the eurozone and has Fortune 500 companies ranging from cosmetics leader L'Oreal, energy group Total and luxury giant PPR, which boasts UK brands Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen.
France is in the spotlight amid fears it could become the next focus of the crisis in the eurozone following Greece, Portugal and Ireland.
UK to withdraw 3,800 troops from Afghanistan during 2013
Troop numbers are already being reduced from 9,500 to 9,000 before Christmas.
And numbers would fall to about 5,200 by the end of 2013, Mr Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions.
All Nato operations are due to finish by the end of 2014, with responsibility being transferred to Afghan forces.
Spain: Separatist Catalan Parties Announce Alliance
Spain: Separatist Catalan Parties Announce Alliance
By REUTERS
Two of the largest parties in Catalonia agreed on Tuesday to an alliance day that aims to clear the way for a referendum in 2014 on secession, a vote that the central government in Madrid has said is illegal. A prolonged recession and record unemployment have fueled separatist sentiment in a region that is among Spain’s wealthiest, adding to uncertainty for investors concerned over Spain’s finances. The pact was formed between the center-right Convergence and Union party and Republican Left, which are usually at loggerheads, after each failed to win decisively in last month’s election. Poland Finds It’s Not Immune to Euro Crisis
Poland Finds It’s Not Immune to Euro Crisis
By JACK EWING
WARSAW — The Fiat factory in Tychy, Poland, has long been considered one of the most productive auto plants in Europe, often singled out for praise by the Italian company’s demanding chief executive, Sergio Marchionne.
Polish workers “always responded whenever I asked,” Mr. Marchionne said at the Paris Motor Show in October. “I feel an exceptional responsibility to the people there.”
So when Fiat said recently that it would lay off a third of the work force in Tychy, or about 1,500 people, it was a harsh reminder: Even with the healthiest big economy in Europe, Poland cannot escape the Continent’s economic downturn.
Polish growth is expected to slow to as little as 1.5 percent next year, according to World Bank estimates, from 2.1 percent this year. That still compares favorably with the neighboring euro zone, where most countries are either in recession or just barely growing. With a gross domestic product of €369.7 billion in 2011, according to the European data agency Eurostat, Poland ranked ninth among the 27 E.U. countries, just below Belgium and a rung above Austria.
U.N. Presents Grim Prognosis on the World Economy
U.N. Presents Grim Prognosis on the World Economy
By RICK GLADSTONE
World economic growth has weakened substantially this year and faces the confluence of a triple threat — the so-called fiscal cliff in the United States, the European debt crisis and a sharp slowdown in China, the United Nations said in a report released on Tuesday. The worst case, the report said, could be a new global recession that mires many countries in a cycle of austerity and unemployment for years.
The report’s main author, Robert Vos, director of the Development Policy and Analysis Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said it could take until at least 2017 just to recoup the jobs lost in the United States and Europe since the 2008-9 recession.
He forecast world growth for 2013 at 2.4 percent, “a significant downgrade” from the United Nations’ midyear forecast of 3.1 percent. He said the 2012 growth rate was 2.2 percent, versus the midyear forecast of 2.5 percent.
“I’m afraid this time around we’re not very optimistic about how things are moving,” Mr. Vos said at a news conference at United Nations headquarters.
“A worsening of the euro area crisis, the ‘fiscal cliff’ in the United States and a hard landing in China could cause a new global recession,” Mr. Vos said in the report, “World Economic Situation and Prospects 2013.” He said the forecast growth was “far from sufficient to overcome the continued jobs crisis that many countries are still facing.”
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