UPDATE 1-Euro in difficult on all sides but will survive-Merkel

Wed Feb 24, 2010 2:41pm EST

(Adds quotes, detail)

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BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The euro is in a difficultposition for the first time but will weather the storm, GermanChancellor Angela Merkel said in a newspaper interview publishedon Wednesday.

It was dangerous that some countries were being speculatedagainst, she said, adding that debt-ridden euro zone memberssuch as Greece had to tackle their own problems.

"For the first time since it was introduced, the euro is nowin a difficult situation but it will stand its ground," Merkeltold the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview.

"I think real confidence in the euro can only be achieved onthe financial markets if the problem is attacked at the roots inGreece and other states with very high deficits," she said.

Greece"s debt crisis has shaken the euro and sent peripheralbond and credit default swaps markets reeling.

European leaders have offered verbal support to Greece butagreed no concrete steps. Germany, Europe"s biggest economy andtraditionally a rock of stability in the euro zone, is a crucialplayer.

Merkel has been reluctant to offer aid to Athens, well awarethat public opinion and her Free Democrat (FDP) coalitionpartners are hostile to anything that would look as if Germantaxpayers were bailing out Greece.

In the interview, Merkel welcomed moves by Athens toconsolidate its public finances and said it was important thatGreece achieve its goals.

She said the basis for national economic policy was theEuropean Union"s Stability and Growth Pact as there was nopolitical union underpinning the euro.

"In this pact, we have a sustainable instrument thatguarantees a coordination of budget policy for the stability ofthe euro," said Merkel, adding that Germany would vigorouslypursue the goal of having a stable euro.

"It would be wrong to have a coordinated economic policy forthe euro group while the others can do what they want, becausewe are of course closely linked to our other neighbours throughtrade," she said. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers; editing by David Stamp)

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Manchester United freeze season-ticket prices Manchester United

Tim Meston & , : {}

Manchester United have confirmed they are freezing ticket prices for the 2010-11 season.

Today"s move means admission will continue to cost between 27 and 49, with season tickets ranging from 513 to 931.

The Glazer family have been criticised for increasing prices since their takeover in 2005, with the average season ticket at Old Trafford increasing from 487 in May 2005 to 722 this year. United were the only Barclays Premier League club to increase their season-ticket prices for the 2009-10 season.

Although United continue to attract huge numbers of supporters, they are finding it harder to fill Old Trafford. The club put a limited number of season tickets on general sale last summer, even though traditionally there has been a long waiting list for season tickets.

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A recent study conducted by Virgin Money revealed that two-thirds of United supporters are considering not renewing their season tickets next season with the results being linked to protests against the Glazer"s ownership of the club.

There has also been a call by Keith Harris, a member of the Red Knights group looking to wrest control from the Glazers, for a boycott of season tickets, with the promise that supporters taking direct action would get their tickets back should his group be successful in their takeover plans.

Alistair Darling to behind tellurian taxation on banks in Budget

Helen Nugent & , : {}

The Chancellor is deliberation utilizing subsequent weeks Budget to disciple plans for a tellurian taxation on investment banks and pick monetary institutions that poise a systemic risk.

It is understood, however, that Alistair Darling would exclude to validate funnelling the deduction in to an word account opposite destiny bank failures. Mr Darling believes that an word intrigue competence inspire banks to take risks if they noticed the tellurian levy as an word price that would yield them with assistance if anything went wrong. He thinks that the income should go in to the ubiquitous supervision pot to assistance to revoke Britains 170 billion deficit. The scheme, it is understood, would be practical to this nation usually if an general agreement were reached.

Gordon Brown and Mr Darling have been compelling the judgment of a tellurian bank levy, the theme of a inform by the International Monetary Fund subsequent month, ever since the G7 monetary ministers assembly in St Andrews last year.

Separately, Ed Miliband, the Cabinet apportion obliged for drafting Labours choosing manifesto, pronounced last night that the celebration would put an finish to the epoch of outrageous credit. In an talk with The Guardian surveying Labours manifesto, Mr Miliband affianced large increases in the smallest salary and rebate of the choosing by casting votes age to 16.

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He additionally minute plans for a Peoples Bank built around the 12,000-strong network of post offices. Frankly banks have let down low-income consumers, Mr Miliband said. The Peoples Bank can be a really critical monetary establishment and a aspirant to the required in isolation sector. One of the sparkling ideas is for the Peoples Bank to yield the network of credit unions entrance to funds, but it can additionally turn a promissory note pick for a significantly wider organisation than only the low-income consumers. It is piece of a bigger remodel we need in the attribute in between people and monetary institutions.

He added: We are seeking some-more at large at a top on seductiveness rates. There is a genuine issue about the approach in that low-income groups are being ripped off. Mr Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, pronounced that, theme to an affordability test, there was a clever box for concept free propagandize meals.

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Cable Wireless organisation moves on Cuba

James Ashton & , : {}

THE general arm of Cable & Wireless is close to securing a foothold in Cuba, the initial step of an enlargement plan as it prepares for hold up after the UK arm has been demerged subsequent month.

Backed by a $1 billion (655m) fight chest, arch senior manager Tony Rice is eyeing opportunities in Central and Latin America to gain on the Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) heart in Panama.

However, he has additionally betrothed to shake up up the portfolio of small operators that date to when the organisation was the telecoms conduit for the British Empire.

CWC will run a subsea internet wire from Jamaica in to Cuba. The understanding puts it in a clever on all sides to collect up the interest in Etecsa, Cubas state-controlled mobile phone operator, that Telecom Italia is approaching to sell shortly.

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The starting point is the wire alighting but the larger esteem is operative with the supervision to rise the telecoms market, pronounced Rice, who is additionally scheming for mobile phone spectrum auctions in Costa Rica.

He wants to plunge into CWCs portfolio of part-owned associates, in Trinidad, Afghanistan and the South Pacific. In the Maldives, it not long ago took carry out of the telecoms conduit from the government. I wish to move those businesses to infancy carry out so we can run them improved or deprive them, Rice said.

CWC has larger monetary leisure after hiving off Worldwide. CWC has suffered as the corporate money appurtenance but right away effectively the kids are withdrawal home, pronounced Rice.

C&W shareholders authorized the separate last week and the demerger is due to be finished by Mar 26.

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Chile curfew lengthened as infantry destroy to learn carry out after quake

Times Online and Hannah Strange & , : {}

Chilean authorities currently lengthened a night curfew to midday as thousands of infantry struggled to enclose getting worse looting and crime in the arise of the harmful earthquake.

Despite the difficult troops participation in the really bad shop-worn city of Concepción, looters burnt stores and residents complained of deteriorating security and delayed supervision smoothness of food and alternative simple supplies. Soldiers dismissed teargas in efforts to shorten commotion and one chairman was shot dead.

Residents of the city, with a race of 600,000, pronounced they were organising groups to urge their properties from robbers and looters.

The administrator of the region, Jaime Tohá, pronounced that 55 people were arrested on Sunday night for violating the curfew after looters raided roughly each marketplace in the city. Some residents rifled by deserted supermarkets for simple reserve whilst others took value of the predicament to rob banks and dull stores of oppulance goods.

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The Deputy Interior Minister, Patricio Rosende, pronounced that an additional 105 people were arrested yesterday for looting and alternative crimes, and that one chairman had been shot passed during the night. Shots were fired. Police took carry out of the area, he said, but giving details. Last night the roof tiles of a supermarket in Concepción collapsed when looters set glow to it after military attempted to sunder them.

The citys Mayor has pronounced the rapist elements were right away apropos some-more organized and one after another following Saturday mornings 8.8-magnitude upheaval that killed at slightest 723 people.

Mayor Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe warned opposite critical amicable tragedy in the city. We need food for the people. We are but supplies, and if we dont finalise that we are going to have critical security problems during the night, she said. We are at the finish of the month. There are no bonds in the households. But zero justifies looting, desolation and theft. We have seen people entrance out of supermarkets with plasma screens. If we dont finalise this complaint of food today, we could have a really confrontational situation.

Eduardo Aundez, a Spanish professor, said: I feel deserted by the authorities. We hold the Government didnt take the required measures in time, and right away reserve of food and H2O are going to be majority some-more complicated.

A array of clever aftershocks a little up to bulk 6.9 have driven thousands to rush their homes, environment up tents and temporary shelters.

Caroline Contreras, a 36-year-old teacher, said: Government assistance has been so delayed to arrive. The soldiers only arrived and havent been means to carry out the situation. The neighbours where I live are organising to urge themselves since people are starting to rob houses.

President Michelle Bachelet, who cursed the ravaging and criminality, finished with 7,000 soldiers to the segment and imposed curfews to revive order, observant her Government was promulgation puncture food and disinfectant supplies.

The Government has concurred that it has battled to yield assist quickly since of busted roads and vital energy disruptions caused by the quake.

The assist bid suffered a blow last night when a small aircraft carrying a rescue group to Concepción crashed, murdering all 6 people on board.

Residents additionally criticised the Governments reply in the executive city of Talca, where the main sanatorium partly collapsed, forcing doctors and nurses to provide bleeding upheaval victims in a clinic.

Damian Vera Vergara, 68, said: We have not got any assistance from the government. We were awaiting some-more and are still watchful for the 3 basis food, H2O and electricity."

Hopes for survivors in the hull burglary by the upheaval were still high and rescuers found signs of hold up in a collapsed unit retard in Concepcion.

Workers listened knocking underneath the hull of the 14-story construction and were training in to the rubble to try to reach the probable survivors. About 60 people were thought to have been killed when the retard crumbled.

The upheaval struck as Latin Americas majority fast economy was perplexing to redeem from a retrogression brought on by the tellurian monetary crisis. The sum mercantile repairs from the upheaval could surpass $15 billion (�10 bilion), the disaster risk organisation AIR Worldwide said.

The World Health Organisation pronounced that it approaching the series of people well known to have died to climb as communications improved.

Adonis unveils £30bn high-speed rail plans Politics

Lord Adonis and Gordon Brown at Euston station. Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA

The supervision denounced plans for a £30bn high-speed rail network, with the initial proviso in in in in between London and Birmingham opening in 2026.

Lord Adonis, the ride secretary, pronounced building a whole work on the 250mph lane could proceed in 2017 once a grave open discussion was completed.

The lane joining the collateral and England"s second city, that will cut tour times from 84 mins to 49 minutes, will issue at London Euston and pass by Old Oak Common, in west London, where a Crossrail rotate will yield ride to Heathrow airport.

Controversially, the line will afterwards run by the Chiltern mountainous country in Buckinghamshire, past lifelike villages such as Wendover, prior to nearing at an middle stop nearby Birmingham airport.

A press discussion currently since by Adonis suggested that 440 homes would be demolished in in in in between London and Birmingham to have approach for the project.

The plans embody a new depot in Birmingham city centre, and the main physique of the line unconditional by the Trent hollow to stick on existent marks north of Lichfield, where journeys would go on to Manchester and Scotland at required rail speeds.

"The time has come for Britain to plan severely for high-speed rail in in in in between the vital cities," pronounced Adonis. "The high-speed line from London to the Channel hovel has been a transparent success, and most European and Asian countries right away have endless and successful high-speed networks. I hold high-speed rail has a big piece to fool around in Britain"s future."

In a curtsy to Tory objections to the Heathrow proposal, Adonis pronounced the box for a hire would be carefully thought about by the former Tory ride cabinet member Lord Mawhinney.

The initial proviso will cost up to £17.4bn for 128 miles of lane from London to the west Midlands, with the full 330-mile network costing £30bn.

The ride cabinet member additionally denounced the plans for a wider network, with a Y-shaped lane bursting off from Birmingham to go westwards to Manchester and easterly to Sheffield and Leeds. Journey times in in in in between London and Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield would tumble from about dual hours 10 mins to 75 minutes.

Formal formulation for the lane from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds will be accomplished subsequent summer, with a discussion to follow in 2012.

Adonis pronounced today: "I would visualize the network over time being lengthened to the north-east and Scotland." But he certified that financing the line to Scotland was not an issue right away as there was no organisation offer nonetheless for a line to be built. Under the stream proposal, the track lane to Scotland would be accomplished on existent lines, even when the Manchester and Leeds sections are finished.

Despite the Mawhinney gesture, the Tories, who have affianced to set up a high-speed network instead of a third runway at Heathrow and to begin building a whole in 2015, pounded the minute proposal.

Theresa Villiers, the shade ride secretary, said: "In withdrawal out Heathrow and environment out plans that give no organisation guarantees north of the Midlands, Labour"s plans are injured by miss of aspiration and undermined by their incapacity to learn the simple law that high-speed rail should be an pick to a third runway, not an further to it."

The government-backed association that drew up the plans, HS2, believes there is no commercial operation box for a approach couple to Heathrow airfield and a little industry experts disagree that the Old Oak Common rotate provides an similarly great link.

Ralph Smyth, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "By utilizing existent and outworn ride corridors as well as tunnelling the stroke on the Chilterns is less than feared. But the stroke on Warwickshire, where the line [would] run by open countryside, is a vital concern. There is a clever need for some-more than only excellent tuning."

Green groups additionally warned that the proposals contingency not fist appropriation for the required rail network. Stephen Joseph, senior manager senior manager of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "The risk is that a high-speed line will siphon income out of the stream ride network. The last thing people wish is use cuts, higher fares and some-more potholes, whilst the senior manager classes are treated with colour to radiant new high-speed trains."

1300-year-old fragments of Hebrew Bible reunited after centuries

Foreign Staff & , : {}

Two tools of an really old biblical publishing distant opposite centuries and continents were reunited for the initial time in a corner arrangement yesterday, interjection to an random find that is assisting to illuminate a dim duration in the story of the Hebrew Bible.

The 1,300-year-old fragments, that are in between a handful of Hebrew biblical manuscripts well well well well well known to have survived the epoch in that they were written, existed alone and with their attribute unknown, until a headlines sketch of one in 2007 held the courtesy of the scholars who would in the future couple them.

Together they have up the content of the Song of the Sea, sung by triumphant Israelites after journey labour in Egypt and witnessing the drop of the pharaohs armies in the Red Sea.

The rivalry said: I will pursue, I will overtake, I will order the spoil. My lust shall be confident on them, I will pull my sword, my palm shall fall short them, reads the song, that appears in the Book of Exodus. Thou didst blow thy wind, the sea lonesome them. They sank similar to lead in the strong waters.

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An vaunt at Israels inhabitant notable relic dedicated to the Song of the Sea is right away bringing together the dual pieces.

One page of the song, well well well well well known as the Ashkar manuscript, was formerly housed in a singular books living room at Duke University in North Carolina and was initial displayed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem in 2007.

That is when a sketch of the publishing in a internal journal held the eye of dual Israeli paleographers, Mordechay Mishor and Edna Engel, who beheld that it resembled a opposite page of Hebrew essay well well well well well known as the London manuscript, currently piece of the in isolation pick up of Stephan Loewentheil of New York.

The unity of the letters, the make up of the text, and the techniques used by the clerk . . . it done it really transparent to me, Ms Engel said.

The attribute would not be so transparent to a infrequent observer. The Ashkar publishing has been so blackened by bearing to the elements that the content is all but invisible, whilst the London publishing is clear and far improved preserved. After close investigate of ultraviolet images, the experts were means to endorse that the texts were not usually created by the same scribe, but were additionally piece of the same scroll.

Scholars hold that the corkscrew was created around the 7th century somewhere in the Middle East, presumably in Egypt. It is not well well well well well known how the dual tools were distant or what happened to the rest of the manuscript.

The notable relic organised to have the London publishing brought to Jerusalem. The new vaunt chronicles how the Song of the Sea was created by assorted really old manuscripts, from the 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls to the publishing well well well well well known as the Aleppo Codex, created scarcely a millennium later.

The reunification of the dual pieces adds an critical couple in the chain, display how the essay of the Hebrew Bible developed by the supposed wordless duration in between the 3rd and 10th centuries from that scarcely no biblical texts survived. While in the Dead Sea Scrolls the strain is organised similar to prose, for example, in the newly reunited publishing it is created similar to a poem, the same approach it appears in the Hebrew Bible today.

The manuscripts are stuffing the gap, pronounced the Israel Museum curator, Adolfo Roitman. We can see we are traffic with a convention that is still alive.

The vaunt displays the manuscripts along with alternative depictions of the Song of the Sea from the museums permanent collection, together with inventive renderings of the biblical passages in frescoes and Renaissance paintings and recordings of the strain as it is chanted by Jews in opposite communities worldwide.

Ethical fashion: Tesco launches recycled wardrobe pick up Life and character

Dresses from the From Somewhere for F&F for Tesco collaboration

The headlines that Tesco have collaborated with an reliable conform tag tocreate a line of recycled wardrobe for the Florence Fred tag mayraise a couple of eyebrows.

So, perhaps, competence the actuality that the pick up – usually 6 pieces – is done from finish of line Tesco batch that would differently finish up in landfill, and is being constructed in one of the majority environmentally-friendly factories in the world.

The thought came from the supermarket hulk after a revisit to From Somewhere"s pick up at Estethica, the London conform week reliable conform showcase.

Tesco"s plan is to recycle balderdash inside of the own supply sequence whilst still keeping the conform credentials.

The garments are being constructed in a "green" bureau in Sri Lanka – the initial in the universe to be awarded a bullion rating for environmental responsiblity by LEED, the general immature construction acceptance system.

"The unequivocally sparkling thing about the From Somewhere to FF range is that it"s not usually good for the sourroundings – it"s good fashion, too," January Marchant, the shopping executive for Tesco Clothing, said.

But whilst the benefits for Tesco are viewable – comparing themselveswith a joining to environmental shortcoming and recycling – whywould one of the UK"s majority reputable reliable conform labels determine toteam up with a tellurian hulk not in all well known a light carbonfootprint?

The From Somewhere and Estethica owner and designer, Orsola de Castro, pronounced she took the perspective that reclaiming and "upcycling" fabric should be done some-more accessible, and that any bid by outrageous retailers to take shortcoming for their balderdash should be encouraged.

"I have regularly believed in infiltration," she said. "We put Estethica right at the centre of London conform week – 4 years ago, this was unimaginable.

"Making the world"s second-biggest garments manufacturer begin to see at their own balderdash is the same. It looks odd, but it will turn piece of the norm.

"Of course, right right away this notation it is some-more of a selling excercise, but at slightest it"s a greenwash at thirty degrees – it will take a prolonged time to have the industry take shortcoming and indeed improve."

The pick up itself is loyal to From Somewhere"s signature look, with body-con shapes and splendid colours that will interest to the teenage and twentysomething market. The prices, that begin at £16, are tasteful too.

Recent months have been difficult for reliable fashion, with Ascension (formerly Adili) forced to postpone shares and subsequently being sole to an financier for a token £1.

And whilst sceptics might scowl at the collaboration, Orsola argues that anything that gets reliable conform in to the mainstream can usually help.

People Tree"s new partnership with the movie star Emma Watson, for instance, brought an blast in sales for the company.

This majority new partnership additionally follows some-more new efforts by Tesco to urge their immature image.

Last month, the association non-stop the initial CO 0 store in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, and affianced to outlay some-more than £100m with immature record companies.

Sceptics would disagree that, with £1 in each £7 outlayed in the UK outlayed in Tesco, the supermarket hulk can means it.

From Somewhere to FF will be accessible to one side online at tesco.com/clothing.

Miracle shun as car explosve explodes outward Ulster justice (contains video)

David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent & , : {}

A car explosve that paralysed the centre of a bustling Irish limit city is explanation of Northern Irelands deteriorating security situation, Unionists pronounced yesterday.

Police clearing the building in Newry, Co Down, prior to the blast were pronounced to have transient genocide or repairs usually by a spectacle when it was strike by republican terrorists, a decade after it was a unchanging target of the Provisional IRA.

In a chilling pointer that the terrorists have no qualms about killing, the write notice they gave was inaccurate.

The initial of dual coded warnings pronounced that the car explosve topsy-turvy in to the gates of the building would raze in thirty mins on Monday evening, but it detonated usually seventeen mins later.

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Members of a Presbyterian church badminton bar were evacuating premises subsequent to the building when the explosve went off. The blast was listened dual miles away.

Danny Kennedy, the emissary personality of the Ulster Unionist Party, indicted Matt Baggott, Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and Shaun Woodward, the Northern Ireland Secretary, of complacency. The threats acted by republican dissidents have been noticed with a sure volume of relief . . . in the in error idea that these people were unrepresentative and lacked the manpower to means critical problems, he said. It shows a really worrying spin of capacity that these dissidents right away have.

Mr Baggott deserted the charge. We have injected poignant resources in to bringing those people to justice, he said. We have got most some-more military officers on the street, we are stability to deposit in the right capacity and technology.

He pronounced that military had arrested 130 people for anarchist wake up in the past fifteen months. However, he certified that terrorism would be degraded usually when the open was rebuilt to spin in the perpetrators to police.

Last night Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, pronounced after a assembly with Mr Woodward: I strongly reject the bombing. It was an additional villainous movement of assault by those who would cite to plant bombs than experience in the domestic process. The parties in Northern Ireland have likewise cursed that movement in the strongest conditions and I urge that everybody go on to work towards saying the devolution of management and a improved destiny for Northern Ireland.