China :: World

Financial markets are braced for a rocky ride next week if voters in France and Greece strike a blow against the centrally imposed deficit targets that have been at the heart of Europe's response to the debt crisis over the past two year Rising unemployment and plunging business confidence in the euro area revealed the increasingly fragile state of the region's economy on Wednesday, as voters in France and Greece prepare to deliver their verdict on austerity in Sunday elections. Official figures showed that unemployment across the 17-member single currency zone increased by 169,000 in March, for the 11th consecutive month, to hit 17.37m. The unemployment rate was 10.9%, the highest level in its history. Even in Germany, which has so far largely escaped unscathed from the downturn sweep of the labour market, unemployment began to tick up in March, though it remained at just 5.6% of the workforce. There was also evidence that businesses are being hit by what many analysts expect

Click on auto-refresh for all the latest action Ping your emails to paul.doyle@guardian.co.uk View the Premier League table in-running GOAL! Bolton 0-1 Spurs (Modric 37') They sat Modric doesn't score enough. They are right. But what he lacks in quantity he offers in quality: he has just netted a stupendous goal, chestind down a corner that was pulled to him 25 yards from goal and then cracking a swirling volley into the top corner! Half-time: A splendid half from Newcastle, whyo have been the more cohesive, cutting and accomplished team and, as such, thoroughly deserve their lead. And they'll be pleased to know that it is still 0-0 at the Reebok after 32 minutes. Van der Vaart has jsut gone close with a long shot wide. 45 min: A clever corner routine results in Ba crashing a shot off the crossbar from around the penalty spot after peeling away from his marker to meet the low delivery! 43 min: Ba collects a long ball and sidesteps Ivanovic before letting fly from th

Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met here Wednesday with U.S. Acting Under-secretary of Defense James N. Miller, and both sides expressed hope to maintain healthy and stable development of bilateral military ties. Bilateral relations have developed stably in recent years, said Liang, noting that frequent high-level visits have promoted the building of a cooperative partnership of mutual respect and benefit between the two countries. Noting that bilateral military ties face new development opportunities, Liang called on both sides to steer the relations on a correct course in accordance with the principle of mutual respect, mutual trust, reciprocity and mutual benefit. He also urged the two sides to expand common interests and resolve differences, so as to ensure a sound and stable development of bilateral military relations. Miller praised the smooth development of bilateral ties in recent years, describing military ties as the most important part of bilateral links. The United

Publication of bird flu study was delayed after warnings that the information could be exploited by terrorists Controversial research on a hybrid strain of bird flu that could potentially spread between humans was published on Wednesday in Nature after security restrictions on the work were lifted. Scientists created the virus by merging a mutated strain of bird flu with the "swine flu" virus that sparked a human pandemic in 2009. The hybrid strain spread easily between ferrets the best proxy that flu researchers have for people but was not lethal and could be controlled with antiviral drugs and bird flu vaccines. The work by Yoshihiro Kawaoka at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was submitted last year to the journal, but was delayed after the US government's biosecurity advisers said key sections of the paper should be struck out to prevent the details being exploited by bioterrorists. The US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) raised similar c

Ireland's Catholic leader urged to resign over claims he failed to act on list given to him in 1975 by victim of paedophile priest The leader of the Catholic church in Ireland was under renewed pressure to step down after a television programme alleged that he failed to hand over a list of children being abused by the country's most notorious paedophile priest to their parents or the police. Cardinal Sen Brady faces fresh allegations that he failed to act after one of the victims gave him a list in 1975 of other children being abused by Father Brendan Smyth, who was convicted in 1994 of dozens of offences over a 40-year period. While the Vatican appeared to be rallying around Brady, organisations representing the victims of clerical sex abuse in Ireland have said these new allegations makes his position untenable. The Irish justice minister, Alan Shatter, described the testimony of an abuse victim who claimed to have handed over a list of names and addresses of victims to Brady

Activist who took refuge in Beijing embassy wanted to go abroad but was forced to accept deal to stay in China, says friend Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng left the US embassy in Beijing only after threats his family would be immediately returned to house arrest, a close friend has said. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, had earlier said that the handling of his stay and departure " reflected his choices and our values ", adding that China had offered him understandings he could pursue higher education in a safe environment. "Making these commitments a reality is the next crucial task," added Clinton, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday. Chen also told his lawyer that he had "received clear assurances". But supporters have expressed concern about whether his safety could be protected if he remained in China and Zeng Jinyan, a friend of Chen, said he told her in a phone call that he needed her help. In Twitter messages which she confirmed

Labour MP Tom Watson circulated amendment on 20 March but there are conflicting views about when it was discussed MPs on the culture, media and sport select committee had six weeks to consider the statement that Rupert Murdoch was "not fit" to run a major corporation before a final vote that left them split along party political lines, the Guardian has learned. A Conservative member on the committee, Louise Mensch, criticised Labour colleagues for inserting the incendiary sentence, saying the committee had "not for one moment" discussed it before the final vote on Monday, the day before the report was published. But the Guardian has seen a copy of papers circulated to committee members on 20 March that first set out the Labour MP Tom Watson's amendment, including the conclusion that Murdoch was "not a fit and proper person to have the stewardship of a major international company". Mensch and the Labour committee member Paul Farrelly have confirmed tha