The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Large blast hits diplomatic area of Afghan capital
- Euro zone, IMF fail to strike Greek debt deal
- U.S. soldier accused of Iraq shooting "psychotic" -doctor
| Large blast hits diplomatic area of Afghan capital Posted: 20 Nov 2012 08:27 PM PST KABUL (Reuters) - A large blast that was most likely a suicide bomb attack ripped through the heavily barricaded diplomatic area of the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, a police official said, and there were an unknown number of casualties. "Around 8 o'clock today there appeared to be a suicide bomb attack ... We cannot say what the target was at this point in time," said Hashmatullah Stanikzai, a spokesman for Kabul Police. Stanikzai said it was not immediately clear how many people had been killed or wounded, but there were casualties. Embassy sirens sounded and ambulances could be heard after the blast, which happened in the area where the U.S. and British embassies and the headquarters of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are located. A spokesman for ISAF said the coalition was aware of an explosion. (Reporting by Amie Ferris-Rotman and Mirwais Harooni; Editing by Paul Tait) Copyright © 2012 Reuters | ||
| Euro zone, IMF fail to strike Greek debt deal Posted: 20 Nov 2012 08:12 PM PST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Greece's international lenders failed for the second week running to agree how to get the country's debt down to a sustainable level and will have a third go at resolving their most intractable problem in six days' time.
After nearly 12 hours of talks through the night during which myriad options were discussed, euro zone finance ministers, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank failed to reach a consensus, without which emergency aid cannot be disbursed to Athens. "We are close to an agreement but technical verifications have to be undertaken, financial calculations have to be made and it's really for technical reasons that at this hour of the day it was not possible to do it in a proper way and so we are interrupting the meeting and reconvening next Monday," Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters. "There are no major political disagreements," he said. Nonetheless, the euro extended its fall against the dollar in response. A document prepared for the meeting and seen by Reuters declared that Greece's debt cannot be cut to 120 percent of GDP by 2020, the level deemed sustainable by the IMF, unless euro zone member states write off a portion of their loans to Greece. The 15-page document, circulated among ministers, set out in black-and-white how far off-track Greece is in reducing its debt to the IMF-imposed target, from a level of around 170 percent of GDP now. The document set out various ways Greece's debt could be reduced between now and 2020, but concluded they would not be enough without euro zone creditors taking a hit on their own holdings -- something Germany and others have said would be illegal. The document did say Greek debt could fall to 120 percent of GDP two years later -- in 2022 -- without having to impose any losses on euro zone member states or forcing through a buy-back of Greek debt from private-sector bondholders. But International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde rejected such an extension at similar talks last week. Without any corrective measures the document said Greek debt would be 144 percent in 2020 and 133 percent in 2022, figures first reported exclusively by Reuters last week. "To bring the debt ratio down further, one needs to take recourse to measures that would entail capital losses or budgetary implications for euro area member states," the document says. "Capital losses do not appear to be politically feasible and would jeopardise, at least in a number of member states, the political and public support for providing financial assistance." Juncker said at a meeting a week ago that he wanted to extend the target date to reduce Greek debt by two years to 2022, but Lagarde insists the 2020 goal should stand. The view of the IMF, which has played a role in both Greek bailouts so far, is critical since it provides international legitimacy and credibility for the efforts the euro zone is making. If the IMF were to withdraw its support for the bailout programmes, it could have a deeply damaging market impact. The document appeared designed in part to convince the IMF that Greek debt could be made sustainable just two years behind schedule if only it would soften its stance. It remains possible that Lagarde could provide further wiggle room, but she is believed to favour the idea of euro zone member states taking a writedown on some of the loans extended to Greece in order to stick to the 120 percent in 2020 goal. DEBT BUYBACK Among the main measures under consideration to bring Greece's debt burden down as rapidly as possible is a debt buy-back under which Greece would offer to purchase bonds from private investors at a discount to their nominal value. Several options are under consideration, officials have said and the document makes clear, including using about 10 billion euros to buy back bonds at between 30 and 35 cents in the euro. There are also proposals to reduce the interest rate on loans already extended by euro zone countries to Greece, to impose a moratorium on interest payments and lengthen the maturities on loans, all of which would cut the debt burden. Pressure for the euro zone to come up with a solution is high not just because Greece is running out of money and financial markets want a dependable solution, but because Athens has initiated virtually all the steps demanded of it to cut spending, raise taxes and overhaul its economy. "Greece has delivered. Now it's up to us to deliver," Juncker said. Because of the latest delay, the ministers were unable to give a go-ahead for the next tranche of up to 44 billion euros of emergency funds to be paid to Athens. The payment would provide short-term relief to Athens, but it is long-term debt that is the core issue. The European commissioner for economic affairs, Olli Rehn, said as he arrived for the meeting that the euro zone should be ready to do more for Greece in the coming years, an apparent nod to the idea of government-sector debt writedowns. "It's essential now that we take a decision on a set of credible measures on debt sustainability and, at the same time, we need to be ready to take further decisions in the light of future developments," Rehn said. He did not elaborate, but the idea of a haircut on official loans is off the table for now because many countries, including Germany, see it as politically and legally impossible. (Additional reporting by Michelle Martin and Madeline Chambers in Berlin, Jussi Rosendahl in Helsinki, Leigh Thomas in Paris. Writing by Luke Baker/Mike Peacock)
Euro zone aims at 120 percent/GDP Greek debt in 2020, ponders buyback Germany's Schaeuble: no agreement among Eurogroup on Greece Comments from euro zone finance ministers, officials Copyright © 2012 Reuters | ||
| U.S. soldier accused of Iraq shooting "psychotic" -doctor Posted: 20 Nov 2012 08:10 PM PST TACOMA (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier accused of killing five fellow servicemen at a military combat stress centre in Baghdad in 2009 was psychotic and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder during the shooting frenzy, a top U.S. forensic psychiatrist testified on Tuesday. Sergeant John Russell, 48, is accused of going on a shooting spree at Camp Liberty, near the Baghdad airport, in an assault the military said at the time could have been triggered by combat stress. Russell, of the 54th Engineer Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany, faces five charges of premeditated murder, one charge of aggravated assault and one charge of attempted murder in connection with the May 2009 shootings. Six months ago, he was ordered to stand trial in a military court that has the power to sentence him to death, if he is convicted. Russell's civilian attorney, James Culp, entered no plea at an arraignment on Monday at a military base in Washington state. Russell's court martial is tentatively set for mid-March and could last four to five weeks, attorneys told Reuters on Tuesday. In a second day of hearings to discuss Russell's state of mind at the time of the shooting and establish what evidence or testimony to admit at the court martial, Robert Sadoff, a University of Pennsylvania forensic psychiatry expert, gave the opinion that Russell was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Russell has "dissociative disorder," or a lack of memory about the shootings, said Sadoff, who examined Russell for a total of 20 hours after the shootings. "He cannot remember. It's a legitimate disorder. He also has post-traumatic stress disorder." Sadoff, a veteran of 10,000 criminal cases added: "It's a matter of what's going on in this man's mind. He was psychotic. He was not dealing with reality. That's what psychosis is." If the defence can persuade a jury that Russell was not in control of his actions, it may be able to argue that he is not legally responsible and could spare him from the death penalty, if convicted. During Tuesday's hearing, Culp sought authority from Judge Colonel David Conn to hire a forensic hypnotist to unlock Russell's buried memories and conduct a specialized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test to measure Russell's "mild diffused brain atrophy", which Culp argues played a part in his behaviour. This would help diagnose "the extent of brain damage as it relates to criminal responsibility," Culp said. Army prosecutors urged the judge to decline. Major Dan Mazzone, one of four Army attorneys prosecuting the case, told the judge that an Army medical review already indicated that Russell's brain atrophy was typical of a man his age and further testing is an unnecessary expense to the Army. "The bottom line, this is just not necessary. It's something the government should not be entitled to fund," Mazzone said. The judge is set to rule on the matter over the next few days. The proceedings, held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, come at a sensitive time for the Army, which is in the process of deciding how to prosecute Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, a soldier accused of killing Afghan villagers in cold blood earlier this year. A two-week hearing at Lewis-McChord to establish if there is sufficient evidence to send Bales to a court martial wrapped up last week after harrowing testimony from Afghan adults and children wounded in the attack. Bales' civilian defence lawyers have also suggested he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. On Monday, Russell's attorney outlined a defence based on his declining mental state. Russell suffered from depression, thoughts of suicide, anxiety and stress from multiple deployments, and suffered "at least one traumatic experience involving civilian casualties" and "mass grave sites" while serving in Bosnia and Kosovo during 1998 and 1999, Culp said in presenting arguments to the judge after the arraignment. (Reporting by Bill Rigby; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) Copyright © 2012 Reuters |
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