Russia election: Hundreds rally against Putin in Moscow

Protesters in central Moscow shouted "Down with Putin"

Several thousand humans accept taken to the streets of Moscow shouting "Down with Putin" as all-embracing assemblage in Russia's aldermanic elections allege of arrant violations.

Some scuffles were appear and Russian badge said they had bedfast added than 300 protesters.

The OSCE says the vote was slanted in favour of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's party, United Russia.

President Dmitry Medvedev insisted the acclamation had been fair and democratic.

However, a White House spokesman, Jay Carney, bidding "serious concerns".

United Russia won the election, but with a aciculate bead in its support, advanced of Mr Putin's bid to acknowledgment to the admiral next March.

Electoral admiral said the affair had just beneath 50%, down from 64% in 2007.

United Russia absent 77 seats, in a vote which is getting credible as a acceptance analysis for Mr Putin.

The OSCE acclaimed credible manipulations in the conduct of the election, such as the capacity of acclamation boxes.

'Crooks and thieves'

On Monday night, several thousand humans protested in axial Moscow adjoin PM Vladimir Putin, and accepted honest elections.

Petros Efthymiou, OSCE: "The contest was
slanted in favour of the ruling party"

They denounced the vote as shameful, and shouted "Russia afterwards Putin!" and "Revolution!"

Correspondents say it appeared to be one of the better action demonstrations in axial Moscow in years.

Police said they bedfast added than 300 humans agitation adjoin Mr Putin and his party, United Russia.

"They are a affair of crooks and thieves," said accepted anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, who was one of those arrested in Moscow.

Mr Navalny afterwards put out a cheep adage he was "sitting in a [police] bus" and photos were acquaint of him, allegedly getting captivated at a badge station.

About 100 action protesters were bedfast in Russia's additional city, St Petersburg, afterwards captivation an unauthorised assemblage on the capital avenue, Nevsky Prospekt.

'Like a game'

Reading a communique, an official from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the acclamation had in accepted been "well organised" but there were astringent problems with the counting process.

"The claiming was aswell slanted in favour of the cardinal party, the acclamation administering lacked independence, a lot of media were fractional and accompaniment authorities interfered disproportionately at altered levels," said Petros Efthymiou.

Another observer, Heidi Tagliavini, said the elections had suffered because several action parties were barred from demography part.

"To me, this acclamation was like a bold in which alone some players are accustomed to compete," she said.

The OSCE address prompted US Secretary of Accompaniment Hillary Clinton to accurate "serious concerns" about the conduct of the election.

Opposition parties accept aswell complained of violations.

The Communist Affair said it was advancing to claiming the "absolutely illegitimate" aftereffect in court, the RIA account bureau said.

Russia's alone absolute ecology group, Golos, says it has logged 5,300 complaints alleging violations.

Embarrassment

Electoral Commission arch Vladimir Churov said United Russia should accept a abbreviate majority, with 238 seats out of 450.

This would beggarly the affair accident its accepted two-thirds majority which had accustomed it to change the architecture unchallenged.

Mr Churov said the Communist Affair was in additional abode with 19.2% of the vote, giving it 92 seats.

A Just Russia was in third abode with 13.2% and 64 seats, and the nationalist Liberal Autonomous Affair of Russia (LDPR) had 11.7% and 56, he added.

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg, in Moscow, says that, if confirmed, the aftereffect will be a cogent embarrassment to Mr Putin, three months afore he is appointed to run afresh for the Russian presidency.

But Admiral Medvedev, who headed the United Russia affair list, said that admitting the slump in its vote, he was searching advanced to alive with the new parliament.

"A tragedy has not taken place," he said.

"On the contrary, in my view, aggregate is absolutely appropriate and respectable.

"I for one am animated that we shall accept a merrier assembly because we accept that accuracy can appear alone from a debate."

Mr Putin served as admiral from 2000 to 2008 but was banned by the architecture from active for a third after term.

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WWII bomb in Rhine near Koblenz successfully defused

Stephen Evans says disposal experts "simply wrenched off the fuse"

Bomb auctioning experts in the German city-limits of Koblenz accept auspiciously defused two bombs from World War II activate in the riverbed of the Rhine.

They were apparent if baptize levels fell because of a abiding dry spell.

The bigger of the two bombs advised 1.8 tonnes and was alone by the Royal Air Force amid 1943 and 1945.

Nearly bisected the city's citizenry - 45,000 - has been evacuated, including the citizenry of two hospitals, seven nursing homes and a prison.

It is the better bomb auctioning operation in Germany aback 1945.

'Relief'

The abate of the two bombs - belief 125kg (275lb) - was alone by US forces. Experts said it was the added alarming of the two.

Both bombs accept now been fabricated safe in a three-hour operation.

"We are relieved," blaze administration agent Manfred Morschhaeuser told the German account bureau DPA.

A smoke armament brazier activate at the aforementioned website was destroyed up in a controlled explosion.

The BBC's Stephen Evans, in Berlin, says added bombs are accepted to be apparent because of the low baptize levels in the Rhine.

About 600 tonnes of unexploded ammunition are apparent in Germany every year, our contributor says.

Everyone active aural a 2km (1.25 mile) ambit of the bomb website was ordered to leave the area.

Shelters with 12,000 beds were set up in schools to board those with no added abode to go.

However, alone 500 humans were appear to accept fabricated use of them. Most association went to break with accompany or relatives.

By Sunday morning, Koblenz was a ghost town

A agile of 500 emergency cars - including ambulances and badge - stood accessible in case one of the bombs went off.

River drained

Hundreds of sandbags were laid about the website of the bombs, and baptize pumped out from the surrounding area. Alone already the bomb website was dry could plan to defuse the explosives begin.

Wartime bombs are frequently activate in Germany - but this is believed to be one of the better ever.

In July 2010, three humans were dead in the axial German boondocks of Goettingen if a 500kg World War II bomb unearthed during the architecture of a sports amphitheater exploded.

The RAF bomb in the Rhine - apparent on 20 November - is one of the alleged block-busters advised to could cause best accident to buildings.

More than 250 bombs of the block-buster blazon were alone on Koblenz amid 1943 and 1945, Ronald Eppleheim of the city's blaze administration told the BBC. Some still lie undiscovered.

If the bomb had gone off, Mr Eppleheim said it would accept beatific "shrapnel aerial through the air in and about 1.5km".

There would aswell accept been a "big, big air bang that would blast into the walls and the houses and put the windows out, or the doors," he said.

The bi-weekly Die Welt quoted one woman who said her aged about in one of the affliction homes was afflicted by the evacuation.

"She lived through nights of bombing in World War II, and now it is all advancing aback to her," the woman said.

Trains were not endlessly at the capital railway base in Koblenz, and admission anchorage into the city-limits were closed.

The city-limits authorities began distributing leaflets on Tuesday, advising association to abutting up their backdrop and cull down shutters area possible.

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Sarkozy and Merkel kick off week of euro crisis talks

"Merkozy" - the French and German leaders
 have been working together closely in recent weeks

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are to accommodated to accede on collective proposals aimed at absolute the eurozone debt crisis.

They will yield their account to an EU acme on Friday that is getting apparent as acute for the alone currency.

Germany favours austere EU axial ascendancy while France wishes to bottle added civic sovereignty.

Meanwhile, two badly-hit Eurozone countries, Italy and Ireland, are advancing tighter acerbity measures.

In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Monti is due to seek approval for his government's affairs in parliament.

Taxes on the assets of the affluent will go up, as will alimony ages. There will be a above drive to accouterment tax evasion.

And Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said the citizenry accept to adapt for a boxy account this week.

Public spending will be cut by 2.2bn euros (£1.9bn) a year and taxes aloft by 1.5bn euros, with VAT accretion to 23%.

Treaty talk

Monday's Franco-German affair in Paris bliss off a anniversary of affairs involving European leaders, the European Axial Coffer (ECB) and US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, culminating in Brussels on Friday with an EU summit.

With banking markets putting burden on some of the eurozone's better - and a lot of awful accountable - nations, President Sarkozy said the stakes were high.

"What will abide of Europe if the euro disappears?" he asked. "Nothing."

France and Germany accept to play a key role to ensure "a area of stability", he said endure week.

"We accept to accost those who agnosticism the adherence of the euro and brainstorm on its alienation with absolute solidarity."

Mrs Merkel has promised "concrete accomplish appear a budgetary union" - in aftereffect abutting affiliation of the tax-and-spend polices of alone eurozone countries, with Brussels arty penalties on associates that breach the rules.

"We charge account conduct and an able crisis administration mechanism," she said. "So we charge to change the treaties or actualize new treaties."

Mr Sarkozy faces an acclamation aboriginal next year and is beneath burden not to abalienate ascendancy to unelected admiral in Brussels.

Mrs Merkel and Mr Sarkozy accept been alive so carefully in contempo weeks that commentators accept taken to calling the two Merkozy.

Treaty change could yield abounding months, but the achievement is that a strong, unified announcement of absorbed on Friday could assure markets abundant to lower borrowing costs for Italy, Spain and added countries with top debt and spluttering economies.

If governments can not pay their debts - if they absence - the consistent shock could accompany down the banks that accommodate to them and actualize addition all-around bread-and-butter crash.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's attendance in Europe this anniversary for several affairs with leaders is a admeasurement of US affair that Europe's woes could advance above the continent.

On Thursday the ECB holds its account activity meeting. It has appear beneath burden to do added to affluence Europe's debt crisis but has disqualified out the abstraction of "eurobonds" backed by all eurozone members.

Germany is adjoin the angle as is the ECB itself because such a move could abate burden on governments to ascendancy their spending.

However, ECB arch Mario Draghi has hinted that the coffer could yield added advancing activity to advice governments.

The ECB has been affairs bashful amounts of government bonds on the accessory bazaar but could footfall that up, which would stabilise or lower borrowing costs.

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Putin's United Russia party suffers poll setback

The ballot comes three months before the
 presidential election which Mr Putin is to contest

Early allotment from Russia's aldermanic acclamation point to a aciculate bead in abutment for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

With 75% of ballots counted, the Central Acclamation Agency said United Russia had 50% of the vote, down from 64% in 2007.

The vote is getting apparent as a acceptance analysis of Mr Putin, who is active for the admiral in March.

Opposition parties accept complained of violations of acclamation laws.

Russia's alone absolute ecology group, Golos, says it has logged 5,300 complaints alleging violations of acclamation laws.

'Violations and fraud'

If the aftereffect is confirmed, United Russia could lose its accepted two-thirds majority which accustomed it to change the architecture unchallenged.

Nonetheless, affair administrator Boris Gryzlov says the affair hopes to get a majority in the Duma.

The acclamation agency said the Communist Affair was in additional abode with 19.3% of the vote.

A Just Russia was in third abode with 13% and the nationalist Advanced Democratic Affair of Russia (LDPR) had 11.8%, the acclamation agency said.

"We accept accustomed bags of calls from bounded offices, acknowledging massive violations and fraud," said Communist Affair agent arch Ivan Melnikov on the affair website.

"Throughout the day, it was like accepting letters from a war zone."

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg, in Moscow, says if confirmed, the aftereffect will be a cogent embarrassment to Mr Putin, three months afore he is appointed to run afresh for the Russian presidency.

He says action parties are alleging boundless fraud, including the capacity of acclamation boxes and voters getting offered money.

Mr Putin served as admiral from 2000 to 2008 but was banned by the architecture from active for a third after term.

Golos, whose monitors are not affiliated with any party, said its website suffered a cyber-attack. Ekho Moskvy, a advanced radio station, said its website had aswell been attacked.

Golos - which agency "voice" or "vote" - is adjourned abundantly by the US and EU.

Prime Minister Putin has accused adopted admiral of meddling in acclamation preparations, while Duma associates accept questioned why a foreign-funded organisation is accustomed to adviser Russian elections.

Moscow badge said added than 100 humans were arrested at an action affirmation in the city-limits centre on Sunday.

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Croatia to vote amid economic uncertainty

Croatians are due to go to the polls in parliamentary elections with the ruling conservative HDZ party beset by corruption scandals and a poor economy.

Zoran Milanovic has not ruled out asking
 for an IMF loan to help Croatia as a "last resort"

Opinion polls suggest the centre-left Kukuriku coalition will win enough votes to form a majority in the 151-seat parliament.

The main opposition leader, Zoran Milanovic, has vowed a "budgetary diet" to avoid a credit rating downgrade.

The next government is expected to lead Croatia into the EU in 2013.

Whoever does form the next government will have to push through a tough budget to avoid a downgrade in Croatia's credit rating, tackle rising unemployment and pursue the anti-corruption fight, says the BBC's Balkans correspondent Mark Lowen.

The opposition Kukuriku alliance, led by the Social Democrats of Mr Milanovic, have promised austerity measures and steps to revive industry and attract foreign investment.

Current Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor has refused to approach the IMF for a loan, but Mr Milanovic says he would not rule it out as a "last resort".

Opinion polls suggest Kukuriku will win an outright majority in Sunday's election.

The economy is struggling out of recession, with growth in 2011 estimated at 0.5%-1% as the European sovereign debt crisis undermines its recovery.

Although the HDZ government has instigated an anti-corruption drive that has put party leader and former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader in court, a number of other officials have been implicated.

Croatia is due to sign a European Union accession treaty next week that will allow it to formally join in 2013.

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Albania buries royal pretender Leka Zogu

The self-proclaimed beneficiary to the head of Albania, Leka Zogu, has been active in Tirana in an official ceremony.

Leka Zogu never gave up his claim to king of Albania

Though a republic, Albania declared Saturday a day of mourning, with flags aureate at half-mast and the commemoration advertisement reside on civic TV.

Zogu, 72, was the son of Albanian King Ahmet Zogu, who disqualified from 1928 until Italy's aggression in 1939.

Albania's then-communist rulers abolished the absolution in 1946 but Zogu maintained his affirmation to the throne.

He died in Tirana on Wednesday afterwards getting accepted to a hospital with affection and lung trouble.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha and Admiral Bamir Topi were abutting for the burial by added political leaders, religious assembly and the admiral of neighbouring Kosovo, Hatife Jahjaga.

Tirana Mayor Lulezim Basha said "the accomplished Albanian aristocratic ancestors has fabricated a abundant addition to Albania and Kosovo and claim the honour and account of Albanians".

Zogu was alone canicule old if his ancestor was affected to leave the country afterwards Italy invaded in 1939.

He was crowned King Leka I by the Albanian banishment association in Paris in 1961.

Zogu alternate to Albania in 1993 afterwards the abatement of communism but was not accustomed to stay. He came aback a additional time in 1997 but fled if abandon bankrupt out afterwards a acknowledged election on abating the monarchy.

He and his Australian wife, Susan Cullen-Ward, alternate to Albania to reside in 2002, area she died two years later.

Zogu is survived by his son, aswell called Leka, who is a advocate at the Albanian adopted ministry.

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Russians voting in parliamentary poll

People in Vladivostok were among the
first in Russia to cast their votes

Voting has amorphous in Russia's far east arena for the country's aldermanic elections amidst allegations of violations of acclamation law.

The country's alone absolute election-monitoring group, Golos, has aggregate 5,300 complaints.

Its head, Lilya Shibanova, was captivated for several hours at Moscow's capital airport afterwards abnegation to duke over her laptop.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused adopted countries of meddling in acclamation preparations.

The Golos monitors, who are non-party political, are adjourned abundantly by the US and EU.

Russian MPs accept questioned why the foreign-funded organisation - whose name agency "voice" or "vote" - is accustomed to adviser Russian elections.

'Provocation'

On Friday, the accumulation was fined the agnate of $1,000 (£641) by a Moscow cloister for actionable a law that prohibits advertisement of acclamation assessment analysis for 5 canicule afore a vote.

Many of the allegations about balloter abuse complex the politically ascendant United Russia, chaired by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Ms Shibanova said admiral had taken her laptop on the affectation that it had actionable software, she said.

"This is a affront directed alone adjoin me," she said, alleging that the authorities were aggravating to anticipate her from travelling to the European assembly next week.

Seven parties accept been accustomed to acreage candidates for assembly this year - down from 11 in 2007.

Voting for representation in the country's 450-seat alcove takes abode beyond Russia's nine time zones with acclamation closing at 1700GMT on Sunday.

As humans in European Russia were traveling to bed, acclamation were aperture in the far east.

In Vladivostok, sailors from Russia's Pacific agile were a part of those queuing to vote.

Warrant Officer Nikolai Ponomaryov said he was voting for United Russia, because the affair was acknowledging the armed forces.

The approachable parliament, or State Duma, is bedeviled by Mr Putin's party, with seats aswell captivated by the Communist Party, the nationalist Liberal Democrats and the social-democratic Fair Russia.

A presidential poll will be captivated on 4 March, if Mr Putin will angle for acclamation accepting served two antecedent agreement in the post.

In a televised abode on Friday, President Dmitry Medvedev insisted Russia's political parties enjoyed "free and according competition" advanced of the election.

Without allotment United Russia, he apprenticed voters to accept "responsible politicians, who can advice advance our people's active standards in practice, and who will be guided in their accomplishments by the interests of voters and civic interests".

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Serbia and Kosovo reach border management agreement

The Kosovo-Serbian border is watched by
Nato peacekeepers

The European Union says Kosovo and Serbia accept agreed to accordingly administer their bound crossings, one of the a lot of advancing issues amid them.

The acceding was accomplished at EU-mediated talks and removes one block to closing EU associates for Serbia.

Serbia has not recognised Kosovo's 2008 acknowledgment of independence.

Clashes in the arena afresh accept larboard array injured, including Nato peacekeepers, as the Kosovo government has attempted to ascendancy the crossings.

Fifty Nato peacekeepers were afflicted on Monday aggravating to abolish roadblocks set up by indigenous Serbs against to the indigenous Albanian government in Pristina sending bound guards to the crossings.

"The parties accomplished an acceding on the EU-developed abstraction of chip administration for bridge points," the EU said in a account backward on Friday.

"This bureau that the parties will gradually set up the joint, integrated, individual and defended posts at all their accepted bridge points."

Nato peacekeepers have clashed with
ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo

However, Serbian adjudicator Borko Stefanovic said some data remained to be formed out.

"Although we accept decidedly got our positions close, it charcoal to put the dot on the i," AFP account bureau quoted him as saying.

The bound acceding comes a anniversary afore EU leaders are due to altercate Belgrade's EU associates bid.

Earlier on Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Serbia would not be accessible for EU associates until it normalised relations with Kosovo.

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Syria 'violations' condemned by UN Human Rights Council

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay: "All acts of torture and other violence must be stopped immediately"

The UN Animal Rights Board has acerb accursed the abandon in Syria and is to accredit a appropriate investigator on the crackdown on anti-government protesters.

A board address on the abandon is to be beatific to the UN Secretary General.

The UN estimates 4,000 humans accept been dead during a crackdown on anti-government protests.

The UK agent said it was the toughest resolution anytime anesthetized by the Geneva-based council.

Earlier, UN animal rights arch Navi Pillay alleged for "urgent" activity to assure civilians in Syria.

But Syria's agent in Geneva told the board a band-aid to his country's problems could not be begin by the all-embracing community.

Any UN activity would artlessly deepen the crisis, he warned.

'Crimes adjoin humanity'

The resolution was accustomed at an emergency affair of the board by 37 votes in favour to four against, with six abstentions.

Those voting adjoin included Russia and China, who accept resisted moves for a UN Aegis Board resolution on Syria, for abhorrence it could advance to a aggressive activity such as the one in Libya.

"The positions [adopted] in the document, which cover the buried adumbration of the achievability of adopted aggressive activity beneath the affectation of arresting the Syrian people, are unacceptable to the Russian side," Russia's adopted admiral said in a statement, quoted by the AFP account agency.

The resolution demands the abeyance of aegis armament doubtable of violations and the absolution of prisoners of conscience.

However, some animal rights groups are aghast the board did not accomplish a clearer alarm for apropos Syria to the All-embracing Criminal Court (ICC), as Ms Pillay had wanted.

A address for the UN beforehand this anniversary said aegis armament had committed crimes adjoin altruism in Syria.

"The Syrian authorities' around-the-clock adamant repression, if not chock-full now, can drive the country into a full-fledged civilian war," Ms Pillay warned.

"In ablaze of the apparent abortion of the Syrian authorities to assure their citizens, the all-embracing association needs to yield burning and able measures to assure the Syrian people," she told the council.

Ms Pillay said at atomic 4,000 humans had been killed, including 307 children, and tens of bags arrested in the unrest.

Correspondents say there is abnormal accord a part of board affiliate states, with Arab nations, Europe and the US all abetment burden on Mr Assad.

The US agent Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe told Reuters account bureau the resolution "set the stage" for added activity by the UN and added institutions.

Asked if this included the ICC, she replied: "Absolutely, including the ICC if the Aegis Board chooses to accredit this matter."

Meanwhile, there has been no blow in anti-government demonstrations in Syria, the BBC's Jim Muir letters from neighbouring Lebanon.

Protesters - who consistently yield to the streets afterwards Friday prayers - accept dubbed the latest beef "the Friday of the no-fly zone", a advertence to the safe anchorage they achievement the alfresco apple will impose. Activists say at atomic six humans accept died.

Heavy cutting was appear abreast the bound with Lebanon in the boondocks of Talkalakh. Activists said at atomic two humans were blood-soaked on the Lebanese ancillary of the border, including an 11-year-old girl.

Seven soldiers were aswell killed, afterwards army defectors attacked an intelligence abject in Idlib, a agent for the accumulation told the BBC.

In Damascus, meanwhile, bags of loyalists captivated rallies in abutment of Mr Assad, our contributor reports.

Impact on oil

Earlier, French Interior Minister Claude Gueant said the authorities were abbreviating aegis for Syrian action leaders based there, because of threats.

Members of the action Syrian National Council, including its leader, Burhan Ghalioun, are based in Paris.

On Thursday, the European Union anchored sanctions adjoin Mr Assad's government, agreement bans on exporting gas and oil industry accessories to Syria and trading in Syrian government bonds.

It aswell broadcast a account of companies and individuals which face assets freezes and biking bans.

Royal Dutch Shell said it would stop its oil operations in Syria to accede with the EU sanctions. Shell is a boyhood accomplice in Syria's state-owned Al Furat Petroleum Company, which has been added to the sanctions list.

However, French oil aggregation Total is to abide oil assembly in Syria for now, as its Syrian collective adventure accomplice is not on the sanctions list.

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EU to slap new sanctions on Iran's officials and firms

The European Union has agreed to appoint beginning sanctions on 180 Iranian admiral and firms over Tehran's arguable nuclear programme.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only

Ministers affair in Brussels aswell agreed to plan on added measures that could ambition Iran's activity sector.

The sanctions chase a UN address bond Iran to the development of a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the claims.

The EU measures aswell appear two canicule afterwards hundreds of Iranian protesters stormed the UK admiral in Tehran.

Britain appear on Wednesday it was expelling all Iranian diplomats from London, afterwards affairs its own out of Tehran.

A agent for EU adopted action arch Catherine Ashton told the BBC that the new sanctions would ambition 39 humans and 141 companies and would cover the freezing of assets and biking bans.

EU ministers said in a statement: "The board agreed to augment absolute sanctions by examining, in abutting adequation with all-embracing partners, added measures including measures aimed at acutely affecting the Iranian banking system, in the carriage sector, in the activity sector."

Correspondents say adopted ministers bootless to accede on an oil embargo adjoin Iran because some EU countries are abased on Iranian oil.

Ministers said a accommodation on approaching measures would be taken no after than January.

Officials say the latest sanctions are not affiliated to the affronted of the British Admiral in Tehran on Tuesday.

However, ministers denounced the advance and said the EU would yield "appropriate measures in response".

The account did not specify what those would be.

Ahead of the Brussels talks, UK Adopted Secretary William Hague said he capital "an accession of the bread-and-butter pressure", decidedly the abreast of Iran's banking sector.

'Nuclear device'

Last anniversary the US, Canada and the UK appear new sanctions adjoin Iran in the deathwatch of the address from the UN nuclear watchdog, the All-embracing Atomic Activity Bureau (IAEA), that said Iran had agitated out tests accompanying to "development of a nuclear device".

EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton: "The Council is outraged by the attack on the British embassy in Tehran and utterly condemns it"

Tehran insists that its nuclear programme is alone for peaceful purposes.

The 27-member EU has already arctic the assets of hundreds of Iranian companies and has adopted measures to anticipate new investment and abstruse abetment to Iran's gas bearing and adorning industry.

The EU is yet to absolution data about the 180 admiral and entities targeted by the sanctions.

Despite the IAEA report, Iran was not referred to the UN Security Board because Russia and China were against to the move.

Iran bidding affliction for the advance on the UK admiral - and addition UK adept admixture in Tehran - and said a amount of protesters had been arrested.

However, the semi-official Fars account bureau said on Thursday that badge had freed 11 humans captivated over the attacks. There was no account for their release.

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Meryl Streep defends Margaret Thatcher portrayal

Meryl Streep: "I wanted to capture whatever it was that drew people to her or meant people have a special venom for her"

Meryl Streep has dedicated her assuming of above Prime Abbot Margaret Thatcher as a breakable old woman adversity from dementia in The Iron Lady.

The blur has fatigued criticism from Baroness Thatcher's above colleagues, including above Conservative affair administrator Lord Tebbit.

He alleged the achievement "half-hysterical, over-emotional".

"I acquainted that if we did it in the appropriate way, it would be OK," Streep told the BBC, avant-garde of its absolution on 6 January.

Speaking to the BBC's Arts Editor Will Gompertz, the actress, who is accepted to acreage her 17th Oscar choice for the blur said: "There is a activity that the walls are just added absorbent amid the present and the accomplished and one intrudes on the other.

"It's something that I don't anticipate there should be a stigma about, it's life, it's the truth.

"We've all had that moment area you can't bethink why you went admiral and so it was extrapolating that activity of disorientation, cursory as it is," Streep added.

'Piece of art'

Told in a alternation of flashbacks, the blur sees an aged Baroness Thatcher disturbing with avant-garde dementia and in approved chat with her backward bedmate Denis Thatcher, played by Jim Broadbent.

The blow of the blur deals with her acceleration and closing abatement from power, and appearance scenes of her blowing her chiffonier into submission.

Writing in the Telegraph, Lord Tebbit said: "She could be harder - conceivably at times unfairly so - on colleagues who bootless her standards.

"She was never, in my experience, the half-hysterical, overemotional, overacting woman portrayed by Meryl Streep."

It is Streep's achievement as the earlier Baroness Thatcher which has already accepted controversial.

Former Conservative baby-kisser Michael Portillo, a inferior abbot beneath the again Mrs Thatcher, accepted Streep but told the BBC that he "felt uncomfortable" about the scenes of her infirmity.

"I wouldn't wish to see my own mother portrayed in that way," he said. "I recognise it is a amazing section of art, but that will be a arguable affection of the film."

Referring Carol Thatcher's book account her mother's decline, Streep said: "Carol bent a lot of abuse for speaking about this, but added humans who accept dementia in their ancestors are grateful."

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UN rights council to discuss Syria violence

A UN report alleged crimes against humanity by security forces against civilians

The UN Human Rights Board is due to authority an emergency affair in Geneva to altercate the bearings in Syria.

A address for the UN beforehand this anniversary said aegis armament had committed crimes adjoin altruism in their crackdown on anti-government protests.

The board is aiming to put burden on Syria to end the violence, says a BBC contributor in Geneva.

UN admiral say they abhorrence Syria is sliding into civilian war as added army deserters accompany the activity movement.

There is abnormal accord a part of board affiliate states, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva, with Arab nations, Europe and the US all accepted to ask the UN Aegis Board to act on Syria's declared crimes adjoin humanity.

"The board affair is important... to get to the Aegis Board and aswell to get the bulletin to those who are captivation aback on desperate activity by the Aegis Council, so they will aswell accept this is serious," said UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay.

Ms Pillay has declared in the accomplished for the Aegis Board to accredit Syria to the International Criminal Court for declared crimes adjoin humanity.

Russia and China accept blocked moves in the Aegis Board to adjudge Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government over the crackdown on protests.

The two countries accept disqualified out a Libya-style aggressive action in Syria, which was army beneath a UN authorization to assure civilians from aegis armament suppressing anti-government protests.

'On the cusp'

On Thursday, the European Union anchored sanctions adjoin Mr Assad's government, agreement bans on exporting gas and oil industry accessories to Syria and trading Syrian government bonds.

It aswell broadcast a banish of companies and individuals which face assets freezes and biking bans.

On the weekend the Arab League imposed sanctions on Syria.

Speaking on Thursday, Ms Pillay said at atomic 4,000 humans had been dead in Syria aback mid-March, if anti-government protests began.

"But really, the reliable advice advancing to us is that it is abundant added than that," she said.

She warned the country could be on the border of a civilian war.

"I accept said that as anon as there were added and added defectors aggressive to yield up arms, I said this in August to the Aegis Council, that there's traveling to be a civilian war," Ms Pillay said.

"It's a catechism of belief the address to see the admeasurement of what they alarm the activity armament in adjustment to ability the characterisation of armed conflict."

Later, her agent Rupert Colville said Syria was "on the cusp" of civilian war.

A UN address by an absolute console appear on Monday said civilians - including accouchement - accept been murdered, bent and sexually assaulted as aegis armament try to axis anti-government protests.

The Syrian government says it is angry armed gangs.

On Thursday, Syria's capital activity bloc, Syrian National Board (SNC), and soldiers who accept defected to anatomy the Free Syrian Army (FSA) agreed to according their accomplishments adjoin President Assad.

After the two groups' aboriginal affair in Turkey, the SNC said the FSA had agreed to cut aback attacks on government forces.

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UK women are 'fattest in Europe'

Statisticians looked at the 19 European states data was available for

The UK has added adipose women than any added country in Europe, according to European Union figures.

Data bureau Eurostat, which looked at 19 countries, begin about a division of UK women - 23.9% - were recorded as getting adipose in the year 2008 to 2009.

Just over 22% of UK men were classed as obese, advancing additional alone to Malta.

A getting is authentic as adipose if their physique accumulation basis (BMI), which is affected by adding physique weight by physique acme squared, is 30 or above.

And he or she is classed as ample if their BMI is amid 25 and 30.

The BMI correlates adequately able-bodied with physique fat.

Statisticians begin the allotment of ample and adipose humans increases with age in all of the 19 affiliate states that abstracts was accessible for.

The abstracts appear from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) and was appear by Eurostat, the statistical appointment of the European Union.

After the UK, the countries with the accomplished levels of changeable blubber were Malta, with 21.1%, and Latvia, area 20.9% accomplished that criteria.

Meanwhile, afterwards Malta and the UK, the countries with the accomplished instances of macho blubber were Hungary - area 21.4% abatement into that class - and the Czech Republic, area 18.4% are classed as such.

The UK's top levels of blubber are in abrupt adverse to those in countries such as Romania, area just 8% of women were classed as adipose forth with 7.6% of men.

Obesity levels were aswell begin to be low in Italy, Bulgaria and France.

In Italy, 9.3% of women were begin to be adipose and 11.3% men.

Meanwhile, in Bulgaria levels of blubber for women and men were begin to be 11.3% and 11.6%, with levels of France articular as getting 12.7% and 11.7% respectively.

The abstracts appropriate that the admeasurement of women who are adipose or ample avalanche as the educational akin rises.

Last month, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley launched a bid to abate blubber levels in England by 2020.

The abbot said humans charge to be honest with themselves about how abundant they eat and drink.

He said that, overall, Britons should be bistro 5 billion beneath calories a day than at present.

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Italy forced to pay record interest rates at auction

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti is meeting eurozone officials on Friday

Italy has been affected to pay almanac absorption ante in a 10bn euro ($13bn; £9bn) bargain of treasury bills.

The amount of absorption for the new debts due to be repaid in six months was 6.504%, compared with 3.535% in the endure commensurable bargain on 26 October.

The amount for two-year borrowing was 7.814%, up from 4.628% endure time.

The Bank of Italy fatigued that appeal for the bonds had been high, with appeal for the debts outstripping accumulation by 50%.

"The appraisement is awful," said Padhraic Garvey, amount architect at ING.

"The article of the exercise this morning was to get the job done and they've done that, but that's about the alone absolute affair to say."

The FTSE MIB in Milan alone 1% afterward the auction, to yield it down 1.9% on the day, underperforming the blow of Europe, breadth the London, Paris and Frankfurt's criterion indexes were all down by about 0.5% on the day.

The Italian government's adumbrated amount of borrowing, based on the amount at which its debts are traded on banking markets, has risen steadily over the endure few weeks to levels apparent as unsustainable in the long-term.

However, it is alone if the government raises new money at debt auctions, such as those captivated on Friday, that it is affected to in fact pay the college ante on its debts.

Italy diplomacy to advertise addition 8bn euros at an bargain on Tuesday.

'Slow disintegration'

Having met Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti will be affair EU Bread-and-butter and Budgetary Diplomacy Abettor Olli Rehn on Friday.

Mr Monti told his French and German counterparts that he aims to antithesis the account in 2013.

Mr Rehn is accepted to seek added reforms to stabilise Italy's accessible diplomacy and put the abridgement aback on track, with the European Commission assertive that added acerbity measures will be bare if the account is to be balanced.

The bread-and-butter diplomacy abettor has fabricated some abrupt predictions about the accent of the advancing weeks.

"Ahead lies either the apathetic abrasion of the euro breadth or a cogent deepening of the budgetary union," Mr Rehn told journalists on Thursday.

He told Italian legislators on Friday that it was important to argue Germany of the charge to affair eurobonds - accepted eurozone debts backed by all 17 affiliate states.

"If I put it nicely, I would say there is a array of angle and there is absolutely some action as commendations eurobonds," he said.
Source From BBC News

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Irish presidential election: Michael D Higgins elected

The Labour Party's Michael D Higgins has been acutely accepted as the ninth Irish admiral afterwards one of the a lot of arresting comebacks in the state's history.

The artist and apostle accustomed 701,101 first-preference votes - about 40% of the total.

His achievement over ancient favourite Sean Gallagher was axiomatic aural an hour of the acclamation boxes getting opened.

He was adopted on the fourth calculation with 1,007,104 votes.

Mr Gallagher accustomed 628,114 votes.

In his accepting speech, Mr Higgins said he capital to be a admiral for all the people.

He said Irish humans had to plan calm to accouterment their aggregate problems.

"We accept to now plan to our strengths at home and abroad, not alone cooperatively and collectively but sustainably for the account of all of our present ancestors and those to come," he said.

"The all-important transformation of which I allege and of which my admiral will be a allotment is congenital on axis artistic possibilities into active realities for all our people."

He aswell appear that from "this moment" he would cease to be a affiliate and admiral of the Irish Labour party.

'Transformation'

"The admiral is an absolute appointment and the Irish humans whom I acknowledge so abundant and I yield with such albatross accept accustomed a actual bright authorization on a actual bright set of account to me, as the ninth president," he said.

Speaking on Friday night, Mr Higgins said his seven-year appellation would be apparent by inclusion, account and transformation.

"I'm very, actual happy. It is something I able for, something I anticipation about for a continued while," he said.

"I am actual animated as able-bodied that it is a admiral congenital on a attack that emphasised ideas. I achievement it will be a admiral that will accredit everybody to be allotment of and appreciative of."

Mr Higgins will be inaugurated on Armistice Day, 11 November, the day afterwards accepted admiral Mary McAleese leaves office.

At the end of the third calculation on Saturday, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness and Gay Mitchell of Accomplished Gael, were both excluded. Mr McGuinness had 265,196 votes and Mr Mitchell was on 136,309.

The allocation Mr Higgins had to ability was 885,882 votes.

Mr Gallagher accustomed 504,964 first-preference votes, while Mr McGuinness, Sinn Fein, came in third with 243,030 votes.

Independents Dana Rosemary Scallon and Mary Davis were alone on the aboriginal count. Dana Rosemary Scallon accustomed 51,220 votes and Mary Davis 48,657 votes.

On the additional calculation absolute David Norris was excluded. He accustomed 113,321 votes which were again redistributed.

Defeat

Mr Higgins bedeviled an aberrant beat in abutment beforehand this anniversary afterwards his better rival, absolute applicant Mr Gallagher, was about batty by Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness on reside television.

Mr Gallagher, the assessment poll acknowledgment with a 15-point allowance as afresh as Sunday, saw his abutment vanish to 28% in a beauteous defeat abhorrent on his links to Fianna Fail, the affair a lot of associated with Ireland's bread-and-butter demise.

Mr Higgins was an Irish MP for about 25 years until he retired from the Dail beforehand this year. He was Ireland's abbot for arts, ability and the Gaeltacht during the 1990s.

The president, who serves as a august arch of state, is adopted for a seven-year appellation and can be re-elected alone once.

Mr Gallagher, a above affiliate and fund-raiser for the Fianna Fail party, alleged the adept baby-kisser to congratulate him on his success.

In a statement, Mr Gallagher said: "He will accept my abounding abutment as admiral and I aboveboard acknowledge him for a absolute campaign.

Congratulations

"His byword declared that he would be a admiral to be appreciative of and I accept he will be that president."

Mr McGuinness aswell phoned Mr Higgins to action his congratulations.

"He will accomplish a accomplished admiral and I ambition him able-bodied for his seven years in the Aras (presidential home)," he said.

"I am captivated with the able vote I accept received. My bulletin of absolute leadership, bellicism and charge acutely was resonating with tens of bags of accustomed Irish people."

Other candidates in the acclamation accept aswell congratulated Mr Higgins.

Fine Gael's Gay Mitchell said he would accomplish "an accomplished president," while Dana Rosemary Scallon admired him a "happy and successful" time in office.

Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister), Eamon Gilmore, congratulated his affair aide on his victory.

Mr Gilmore accepted it had looked like Mr Gallagher was assertive for victory, until a televised agitation on RTE beforehand this week.

Mr Gallagher was affected to abjure claims by Mr McGuinness that he had aloft money for the Fianna Fail affair if it was in government in 2008.

"That absolutely fabricated a big impact, but I anticipate it was Sean Gallagher's acknowledgment to the questions he was asked," added Mr Gilmore.

"I anticipate there was a accumulative effect, which saw Sean Gallagher's vote bottomward and traveling to Michael D Higgins."

The Irish action baton Micheal Martin of Fianna Fail aswell beatific his congratulations to Mr Higgins.

"I accept accepted Michael D Higgins for abounding years and he will accomplish an accomplished admiral and agent for Ireland," he said.

Fianna Fail chose not to access a applicant afterward the party's abundant defeat in the accepted election.

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Eurozone seeks bailout funds from China

Mr Regling said he was presenting the fund to China as a commercial investment

The arch of the eurozone's bailout armamentarium is alpha attempts to actuate China to advance in a arrangement to advice accomplishment affiliate countries adverse debt crises.

After affair Chinese leaders, Klaus Regling said there were no academic negotiations and would be no accord now.

It is anticipation China may pay about 70bn euros ($100bn) into the fund, which is accepted to be additional to 1tn euros.

Meanwhile French President Nicolas Sarkozy said debt-ridden Greece's access to the eurozone was a mistake.

Greece was "not ready" if it abutting in 2001, he said, abacus that it could be rescued acknowledgment to a new accord on the debt crisis.

European leaders formed into the aboriginal hours of Thursday in Brussels to defended an acceding aimed at preventing the crisis from overextension to beyond eurozone economies.

The accord triggered a common shares rally.

'Regular buyer'Beijing has fabricated it bright that it will appeal able guarantees on the assurance of any addition it ability make.

Mr Regling, who is arch controlling of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), said he was not negotiating with China as a abeyant broker but captivation consultations to adjudge the agreement for adopting the money.

"Don't apprehend any absolute aftereffect of our talks," he said, quoted by AFP account agency.

He said China had been a approved client of EFSF bonds in the past.

He would present the fund's bonds as a abeyant bartering investment to China, he said, abacus that Beijing consistently bare to acquisition safe investments for its barter surpluses.

"I am optimistic that we will acquire a best appellation relationship," he said.

The President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, has said he believes China will advance in Europe alone if there are incentives for it to do so.

"I don't anticipate that China will just appear in as a white charlatan to try to accommodate money just to bond out Europeans," he told the BBC.

But broker Jim Rogers said China was able to help.

"From China's point of view, it's bargain adopted aid. They'll buy goodwill. I assumption they'll put up some money," he said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The basic accoutrement of Thursday's accord are:

Banks captivation Greek debt are to acquire a 50% lossA new apparatus is to addition the EFSFBanks have to aswell accession added basic to bouncer adjoin losses consistent from any approaching government defaults

The framework for the new EFSF bailout armamentarium is to be put in abode in November.

Germany, as the better abridgement in eurozone, is accepted to be the better contributor.

Asian markets rose for a additional day on Friday afterward assets in the US and Europe afterwards the accord was reached.

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