Vladimir Putin is celebrating his victory in Russian elections, which will give him a third presidential term after spending the last four years as the country’s prime minister.
With more than 99% of the ballots counted, Vladimir Putin secured nearly 64% of the vote, according to Russian election officials.
Vladimir Putin told supporters in Moscow he had won in an open and honest battle.
But Golos, a leading independent election watchdog, said the polls could not be considered fair and open.
It said there were instances of forced voting, numerous reports of “carousel” voting – in which voters cast multiple ballots – and that campaigning had been insufficiently competitive.
“Such elections cannot be called fair, just and open according to the Russian constitution and international standards,” a Golos spokeswoman said at a news conference on Monday morning.
Vladimir Putin is celebrating his victory in Russian elections, which will give him a third presidential term after spending the last four years as the country's prime minister
Golos put Vladimir Putin’s count at just over 50% – far less than the official figure given by the election commission.
Opposition groups have also alleged widespread fraud, and plan a protest rally in Moscow later on Monday.
Tens of thousands of supporters of Vladimir Putin – with Russian flags and banners – took part in a concert outside the Kremlin to celebrate his victory late on Sunday.
Making a brief appearance with current President Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin thanked his supporters from “every corner” of the country.
“I promised you we would win, and we won,” Vladimir Putin said, his eyes watering. “Glory to Russia!”
“We have won in an open and honest battle.
“We proved that no one can force anything on us.”
Slogans on the banner included “Putin – our president” and “We believe in Putin”.
Vladimir Putin, who supported Dmitry Medvedev in the Kremlin race in 2008 and became prime minister because of a constitutional ban on a third consecutive term as president, will now be in office until 2018. He could then run for another six-year term.
There was tight security around the capital, with 6,000 extra police brought in from outside.
On Monday morning the electoral commission said that with more than 99% of the votes counted, Vladimir Putin won 63.75%, enough to give him a first-round victory over nearest rival Gennady Zyuganov, who polled 17.19%
The other three candidates were in single digits.
The turnout is predicted to be about 63%.
After the polls closed, Gennady Zyuganov – the leader of the Communist Party who has previously been relatively loyal to Vladimir Putin – described the elections as “unfair and unworthy”.
But he said that with increasing public anger, Vladimir Putin “would not be able to rule like he used to”.
“These elections cannot be considered legitimate in any way,” said Vladimir Ryzhkov, one of the leaders of the street protest movement, which was not represented in the election.
However, Vladimir Putin’s campaign chief Stanislav Govorukhin described the poll as “the cleanest in Russian history”.
The election was held against a backdrop of popular discontent, sparked by allegations of widespread fraud during December’s parliamentary elections in favor of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.
The alleged fraud came despite the presence of thousands of independent observers and web cameras at polling stations.
Opposition blogger and anti-corruption campaigner Alexey Navalny said: “Grandiose scale of falsifications, especially in Moscow… mass use of carousel voting.”
Also on Monday morning, Dmitry Medvedev announced he had ordered a review of the conviction of jailed former tycoon, Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a prominent Kremlin critic who was once Russia’s richest man, was found guilty of embezzlement in 2010 in what many considered to have been a politically motivated trial.
An international research team has found that regularly smoking marijuana over a number of years can affect consumer’s short-term memory.
Long-term smokers may notice that they cannot temporarily hold information in their heads, like a telephone number or the name of someone they have just met.
The scientists claim that this common side effect occurs because the drug hinders a signaling mechanism between neurons and non-neuronal cells called astrocytes, reports Nature.
The research by Neuroscientists Giovanni Marsicano of the University of Bordeaux, France, and Xia Zhang of the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research examines the role of the astrocytes, which have long been considered nothing more than support cells that protect neurons.
“Our study provides compelling evidence that astrocytes control neurons and memory,” Xia Zhang said reports Nature.
“The supporting actor has become the leading actor.”
An international research team has found that regularly smoking marijuana over a number of years can affect consumer’s short-term memory
The scientists found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana, weakens the connections between neurons in the hippocampus, a structure that is crucial for memory formation, reports Nature.
The research team came to this conclusion after injecting mice with THC and giving them a series of memory tests, such as forcing them to remember the location of an underwater platform in order to emerge from a miniature swimming pool.
“It’s probably the first time it’s been shown that astrocytes are involved in the primary event [that regulates] memory,” says Giovanni Marsicano, reports the Scientific American.
Giovanni Marsicano told Nature that understanding how the drug causes memory loss could help scientists create drugs that have the same therapeutic benefits but with fewer side effects, for example painkillers, without affecting the function of working memory.
One group of mice were genetically modified to lack CB1 receptors (tiny cellular structures normally found on both neurons and astrocytes) on astrocytes and altered another group of mice to lack these receptors on neurons, reports the Scientist.
Mice lacking CB1s on astrocytes did much better on the memory tests than mice lacking the receptors on their neurons, which suggests that marijuana impaired working memory only when it was able to bind to astrocytes.
Mozilla has unveiled a new add-on for the popular web browser that gives web users an instant view of which companies are “watching” them as they browse.
The move comes the same week that Google pushed ahead with its controversial new privacy policy, built to provide even more data for its $28 billion advertising business – despite concerns that the massive harvesting of private data might be illegal in many countries.
The Collusion add-on will allow users to “pull back the curtain” on web advertising firms and other third parties that track people’s online movements, says Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs.
Google’s business is built on advertising – the company earned $28 billion from its AdWords service in 2010.
Google’s new privacy policy allows it to “streamline” data from Android phones, YouTube, Gmail and web browsing to target its adverts even more precisely towards individual web users.
Mozilla’s Firefox is the world’s second most popular web browser, a position under threat from Google’s own Chrome browser.
The Collusion add-on is an official Mozilla product, and was unveiled at the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference this week by Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs.
It creates a “web” showing web users exactly which advertising firms are watching as they browse.
“Collusion is an experimental add-on for Firefox and allows you to see all the third parties that are tracking your movements across the Web,” Mozilla said.
“It will show, in real time, how that data creates a spider-web of interaction between companies and other trackers.”
“Collusion will allow us to pull back the curtain and provide users with more information about the growing role of third parties, how data drives most Web experiences, and ultimately how little control we have over that experience and our loss of data,” said Gary Kovacs.
Mozilla aims to build up a database of the worst offenders – and make the data available to privacy campaigners.
“When we launch the full version of Collusion, it will allow you to opt-in to sharing your anonymous data in a global database of web tracker data,” says the company.
“We’ll combine all that information and make it available to help researchers, journalists, and others analyze and explain how data is tracked on the web.”
Mozilla has unveiled Collusion, a new add-on for the popular web browser that gives web users an instant view of which companies are “watching” them as they browse
Google ignored an international outcry to launch its new privacy policy on March 1 – despite concerns the policy may actually be illegal in many territories.
Vivian Reding, the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship said: “Any company which wants to utilize the European market of 500 million citizens – which we’ve made borderless, a golden opportunity – then the European rules apply.”
“Citizens should have the possibility of buying into more extensive use of their data – but that should be their freedom to choose, not done by a sneaking way of taking the freedom away from the citizens,” said Vivian Reding in an interview with The Guardian.
EU authorities said that the new privacy policy appears to violate European law, in an email to Google CEO Larry Page.
CNIL, the French privacy agency in charge of the investigation, said Google’s explanation of how it will use the data was too vague and difficult to understand “even for trained privacy professionals”.
A coalition of 50 consumer groups in Europe and the U.S. also sent a letter to Larry Page in a last ditch attempt to make the search giant rethink saying the controversial new policy is “unfair and unwise”.
Their condemnation came after concerns from the European Union, Japan and Korea among others that the policy may actually be illegal.
But it came into force on March 1 at midnight local time yesterday across the world regardless, with Google claiming that “to pause, would cause confusion”.
Data from 60 of Google’s services will be shared between them – meaning Google account users, owners of Android phones and YouTube viewers will be subjected to even more intrusive “personalized” adverts from now on.
Worried users are trading guides about how to protect sensitive private data such as search histories and the content of emails from Google’s new all-encompassing advertising profiles.
Google said in a blog post: “Our privacy policies have always allowed us to combine information from different products with your account – effectively using your data to provide you with a better service. However, we’ve been restricted in our ability to combine your YouTube and Search histories with other information in your account.
“Our new Privacy Policy gets rid of those inconsistencies so we can make more of your information available to you when using Google.”
A British privacy campaigner, Alex Hanff is suing Google for a refund on his Android phone, claiming that the changes to how Android data could be used amount to a change in the terms of his contract.
Some Android users claim that they are hardest hit by the policy changes, as they have no way to “opt out” of mobile phone contracts.
“The changes are a significant infringement of my right to privacy and I do not consent to Google being able to use my data in such a way,” says Alex Hanff.
A Google spokesperson said: “Our updated Privacy Policy will make our privacy practices easier to understand. Since announcing the changes in January, we’ve undertaken the most extensive notification in our history to let our users know that the updated Privacy Policy takes effect on 1 March.”
The Japanese government said on Thursday it will investigate whether the new policy breaches Japanese privacy laws, according to a report in the Tokyo Times.
Google announced its new privacy policy with much fanfare last month – a “one-size-fits-all” policy which will allow the search giant to share private data between its services so that, for instance, information harvested from Google searches can be used to target adverts within its Gmail service.
The EU’s data protection authorities asked French regulator CNIL to investigate the new policy in January.
“Our preliminary analysis shows that Google’s new policy does not meet the requirements of the European Directive on Data Protection,” CNIL said in a letter to Google Chief Executive Larry Page, which was posted on CNIL’s website this week.
The new policy makes it easier for Google to combine the data of one person using different services such as the search engine, YouTube or Gmail if he is logged into his Google account.
That allows Google to create a broader profile of that user and target advertising based on that person’s interests and search history more accurately. Advertising is the main way Google makes its money.
CNIL said data protection authorities in the EU “are deeply concerned about the combination of personal data across services”, adding they had “strong doubts about the lawfulness and fairness of such processing”.
Vivian Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner who oversees the bloc’s data protection rules, said she welcomed CNIL’s letter and called on Google to delay its new policy.
Google argues that combining the data into one profile makes search results more relevant and allows a user to cross-navigate between different services more easily. It says the main purpose of the new policy is to combine the more than 70 different rules for Google’s wide-ranging services into one that is simpler and more readable.
The policy change has horrified privacy advocates and bloggers – tech site ZDNet said that Google would “know more about you than your wife does” and said the policy was “Big Brother-ish”.
The EU working party earlier asked for Google to stop the new policy while the working group investigated whether personal data is protected.
“We call for a pause to ensure that there can be no misunderstanding about Google’s commitments to information rights of EU citizens.”
“Given the wide range of services you offer, and the popularity of these services, changes in your privacy policy may affect many citizens in most EU member states,” the group wrote to Google Chief Executive Larry Page.
“We wish to check the possible consequences for the protection of the personal data of citizens,” it said.
Google described the privacy policy as being “simplified” in an email it sent to all Gmail users.
“If you’re signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries – or tailor your search results – based on the interests you’ve expressed in Google Plus, Gmail and YouTube,” Google said a new overview page for its privacy policies.
“We’ll better understand (what) you’re searching for and get you those results faster.”
Francesco Schettino, the captain of doomed Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia had form before January’s disaster – he once crashed his ship while sailing too fast into a German port.
Francesco Schettino “manoeuvred at a speed of 7.7 to 7.9 knots during entry into the port of Warnemunde, causing damage to the Aida Blu cruise ship”. The incident happened in June 2010.
The captain responded in writing to his employers: “I did not know the speed limit and have not received notification of an infraction from the relevant authorities.”
He said there were “probably other factors” behind the accident.
Francesco Schettino has been accused of manslaughter and of abandoning ship before all the passengers were evacuated after the Costa Concordia crashed into the Italian island of Giglio on January 13 with the loss of 32 lives.
At the time of the German incident Francesco Schettino was captain of the Costa Atlantica, another liner from the fleet of Costa Crociere (Cruises), Europe’s biggest cruise operator based in the port of Genoa in northern Italy.
Francesco Schettino manoeuvred at a high speed during entry into the port of Warnemunde, Germany, causing damage to the Aida Blu cruise ship in June 2010
Francesco Schettino is one of nine people under investigation for the Costa Concordia disaster including three Costa Cruises executives and five other crew members.
Leaked documents published on Thursday contained claims of a hard-partying atmosphere on board two Costa Cruises ships including the Costa Concordia, with officers seen snorting cocaine and getting drunk on a regular basis.
The revelation was made as former Costa Cruises employees told prosecutors investigating the Costa Concordia disaster that officers “took drugs” while on duty and molested female staff members.
A preliminary hearing involving Francesco Schettino is due to take place today in Grosseto with dozens of passengers from the doomed Costa Concordia expected to attend, forcing the venue to be moved from the town’s court to the theatre which has extra seating capacity.
Francesco Schettino was placed under investigation after it emerged he had recklessly altered the Concordia’s course so that he could carry out a sail by salute of the Italian island of Giglio in January but the ship which was carrying more than 4,000 passengers and crew hit rocks which tore a 70 metre hole in the hull.
The vessel is now currently lying partially submerged on rocks just outside Giglio harbor while salvage experts continue to pump off more than 500,000 gallons of heavy duty diesel from the ship’s tanks.
Moody’s rating agency has cut Greece’s credit rating again, citing a risk of default despite a recent debt write-off deal.
Moody’s cut Greece’s rating from “Ca” to “C”, the lowest level on its scale.
The agency said on Friday: “Today’s rating decision was prompted by the recently announced debt exchange proposals for Greece, which imply expected losses to investors in excess of 70%.”
The deal writes off 107 billion Euros ($141.3 billion) of Greece’s debt.
Moody's rating agency has cut Greece's credit rating again, citing a risk of default despite a recent debt write-off deal
Moody’s said the planned debt exchange, which involves private investors of Greek debt writing off much of the 206 billion Euros in Greek bonds they hold, “would constitute a distressed exchange, and hence a default”.
The agency acknowledged that the deal was necessary to help stabilize Greece. But Moody’s said: “The risk of a default even after the debt exchange has been completed remains high. Moody’s believes that Greece will still face medium-term solvency challenges.
“The country is unlikely to be able to access the private market once the second assistance package runs out; and its planned fiscal and economic reforms will still face very significant implementation risks.”
Earlier this week the Standard & Poor’s agency classified Greek debt as in “selective default”.
BP has reached a $7.8 billion deal with the largest group of plaintiffs suing the company over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig spill.
It will benefit some 100,000 fishermen, local residents and clean-up workers whose livelihoods or health suffered.
BP has not admitted liability and still faces claims from the US and state governments, and drilling firms.
The rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, killing 11 workers and leaking four million barrels of oil.
BP says it expects the money to come from a $20 billion compensation fund it had previously set aside.
“From the beginning, BP stepped up to meet our obligations to the communities in the Gulf Coast region, and we’ve worked hard to deliver on that commitment for nearly two years,” BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley said.
“The proposed settlement represents significant progress toward resolving issues from the Deepwater Horizon accident and contributing further to economic and environmental restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast.”
BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, killing 11 workers and leaking four million barrels of oil
Lawyers for the plaintiffs’ group, the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, said the settlement “does the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people”.
A trial in the case, due to begin on Monday, will now be delayed – for a second time – as a result of the deal, Judge Carl Barbier said.
The settlement will “likely result in a realignment of the parties,” he said.
The trial is now being adjourned “in order to allow the parties to reassess their respective positions,” Judge Barbier said.
The trial was due to resolve claims for damages and civil penalties arising from the spill.
Judge Barbier is an expert in maritime law and has consolidated hundreds of spill-related lawsuits into a single case.
The trial will probably still go ahead in order to apportion blame for the spill among BP and its fellow defendants.
Other companies involved include Transocean, who owned the rig, and Halliburton. All the companies are in dispute with each other over their liability to each other.
BP has so far paid out $7.5 billion in clean-up costs and compensation.
US President Barack Obama called the spill “the worst environmental disaster the nation has ever faced”.
It took 85 days to permanently stop the release of crude oil.
Demi Moore was determined to stay “on vacation” away from Los Angeles after she quit rehab at Utah’s Cirque Lodge, said sources close to the actress.
E! News has revealed that Demi Moore is now hiding out in the Caribbean near ex-husband Bruce Willis’ Parrot Cay home.
Demi Moore, 49, was spotted earlier this week on the beach of a private villa near Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands, about 550 miles south of Miami.
“She’s just been chilling out,” a source told E! News.
The website added that “the retreat is accessible only by boat and sources say that private security has been working round the clock to keep Moore’s sojourn as private as possible”.
It’s just a stone’s throw from the house where Bruce Willis said “I do” with Emma Hemming in 2009, with Demi Moore and her estranged husband Ashton Kutcher in attendance.
Demi Moore went to Cirque in the days following her brief hospitalization in Los Angeles after she suffered a seizure-like episode during a party at her home in the city on January 23.
But E! alleged that Demi Moore is still very much “on vacation” at an undisclosed location.
“She’s in no rush to get back to L.A.,” an insider told the website.
“She’s on total lockdown and only talking to a small group of people.”
Demi Moore was determined to stay “on vacation” away from Los Angeles after she quit rehab at Utah's Cirque Lodge
Although Demi Moore’s spokesperson never revealed what the actress was being treated for, it was widely believed that she sought help for both addiction issues and an eating disorder.
Demi Moore’s daughter Rumer Willis, 23, who lives nearby and was at her mother’s home when she had her medical emergency, was seen visiting the actress at the hospital before she went to Utah.
Scout Willis, 20 , is attending Brown University in Rhode Island, and 18-year-old Tallulah has been staying with dad Bruce Willis.
Meanwhile, a report claiming that Demi Moore tried to ban her Charlie’s Angels co-star Cameron Diaz from attending Madonna’s Oscar after party has been proven untrue after it emerged that Diaz was at the party.
HollywoodLife.com reported a source as saying: “They’re friends, Demi isn’t fighting with Cameron.”
The party in question was Madonna‘s annual Oscars party at her manager Guy Oseary‘s mansion.
Last year, Demi Moore hosted with Madonna, but this year, she stayed well away.
Demi Moore’s estranged husband Ashton Kutcher was there, however, and reportedly partied until 4:00 a.m.
Oprah Winfrey has snagged an exclusive interview with the late Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, for Oprah’s Next Chapter airing Sunday, March 11 at 9:00 p.m.
In addition to Bobbi Kristina, Oprah Winfrey will speak to Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law and manager Patricia (Pat) Houston, and brother Gary Houston.
According to a release from the network (OWN): “Bobbi Kristina shares personal memories of her mom and how she would like the iconic superstar to be remembered. The family also addresses the rumors and speculation surrounding Houston’s death.”
Before the interview at 7:00 p.m., OWN will re-air its special, Remembering Whitney: The Oprah Interview, which features the singer’s 2009 interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah Winfrey’s own personal memories of the star.
Oprah Winfrey has snagged an exclusive interview with Bobbi Kristina Brown for Oprah’s Next Chapter airing Sunday, March 11 at 9 pm
The initial February 16 airing of the Remembering Whitney special, which aired within a week of Whitney Houston’s sudden death, brought in 830,000 viewers and offered solid showings in weekend encores.
OWN, which struggled with viewership in its first year, is seeing an upswing in its year-over-year ratings as Oprah Winfrey has stepped into a more on-screen role with shows like Oprah’s Next Chapter and Oprah’s Lifeclass.
The crude comments made about Whitney Houston’s death by on-air personalities John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou have prompted a number of changes at Los Angeles radio station KFI AM 640.
In a memo “to the Los Angeles Community” issued Thursday, the radio station noted that it has enacted new policies and will continue to enact new policies following public criticism over the comments.
According to the memo, KFI said that John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou of “The John and Ken Show”, will undergo cultural sensitivity training, along with “key staff and management.”
KFI said that the training will further John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou’s “awareness of the cultural melting pot that is Southern California.”
On a broader scale, KFI said it is reviewing its talk formats and “will find a platform for auditioning a diverse group of local hosts and guests.
“While our plans are still developing, we anticipate creating unique programming to reflect important issues to our multi-cultural community. This will be a great launching pad for identifying talent for future opportunities,” the memo reads.
KFI also said it will be working with members of the community to “update guidelines for our on-air hosts in a way that is helpful in a live unscripted environment,” and will “expand on its successful internship program to target minority students.”
The crude comments made about Whitney Houston's death by on-air personalities John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou have prompted a number of changes at Los Angeles radio station KFI AM 640
John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou sparked outrage and earned a week-and-a-half suspension in February when, days after Whitney Houston’s death, they made a number of on-air comments that many considered inappropriate. Among the comments, the pair called Whitney Houston a “crack ho,” said she had been “cracked out for 20 years,” and wondered of her death, “Really? [It] took this long?”
John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou apologized in a statement issued by the station that also announced the pair’s suspension.
“We made a mistake, and we accept the station’s [to suspend us],” John Kobylt said.
“We used language that was inappropriate, and we sincerely apologize to our listeners and to the family of Ms. Houston.”
Paul K. Martin, NASA’s inspector general, has told US lawmakers that hackers gained “full functional control” of key agency’s computers in 2011.
Paul K. Martin said hackers took over Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) computers and “compromised the accounts of the most privileged JPL users”.
He said the attack, involving Chinese IP addresses, was under investigation.
In a statement, NASA said it had “made significant progress to protect the agency’s IT systems”.
Paul K. Martin’s testimony on NASA’s cybersecurity was submitted to the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.
In the document, he outlined how investigators believed the attack had involved “Chinese-based internet protocol [IP] addresses”.
He said that the attackers had “full system access” and would have been able to “modify, copy, or delete sensitive files” or “upload hacking tools to steal user credentials and compromise other NASA systems”.
Paul K. Martin, NASA's inspector general, has told US lawmakers that hackers gained "full functional control" of key agency’s computers in 2011
Paul K. Martin outlined how the agency suffered “5,408 computer security incidents” between 2010 and 2011.
He also noted that “between April 2009 and April 2011, NASA reported the loss or theft of 48 Agency mobile computing devices”.
In one incident an unencrypted notebook computer was lost containing details of the algorithms – the mathematical models – used to control the International Space Station.
NASA said that “at no point in time have operations of the International Space Station been in jeopardy due to a data breach”.
Paul K. Martin said NASA was a “target-rich environment for cyber attacks”.
He said that the motivation of the hackers ranged from “individuals testing their skill to break into NASA systems, to well-organized criminal enterprises hacking for profit, to intrusions that may have been sponsored by foreign intelligence services”.
But while Paul K. Martin criticized aspects of NASA’s cybersecurity he noted investigations had resulted in “arrests and convictions of foreign nationals in China, Great Britain, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and Estonia”.
NASA said it was working to implement the security improvements Paul K. Martin suggested in his testimony.
However the chairman of the congressional subcommittee, Rep. Paul Broun, quoted in an online report of proceedings, said: “Despite this progress, the threat to NASA’s information security is persistent, and ever changing. Unless NASA is able to constantly adapt – their data, systems, and operations will continue to be endangered.”
Ahead of today’s pre-trial hearing over capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship, Captain Francesco Schettino was said by his family to be both depressed and afraid.
Maurilio Russo, Francesco Schettino’s brother-in-law, said the captain was suffering in the knowledge that lives had been lost and was particularly affected by the death of the youngest victim, five-year-old Dayana Arlotti.
“He’s not a monster, he is a good person,” said Maurilio Russo.
“He is depressed. He’s obviously scared. This has become a media trial.”
One of the Francesco Schettino’s lawyers, Paolo Bastianini, believes the black box and other evidence that is about to be reviewed will eventually cast the captain’s actions in a better light.
“We feel confident that this technical investigation will confirm what Commander Schettino has been saying,” Paolo Bastianini said.
“For example, that the ship didn’t end up where it is randomly, but that it was him who took it there.”
Paolo Bastianini was referring to the fact that the vessel had not gone down in deep water.
Francesco Schettino argues that after hitting the reef, he deliberately and skillfully steered his sinking ship to within a few metres of the rocky coast of the island of Giglio, making it easier for his passengers to get ashore safely.
“By doing that, he saved the lives of a couple of thousand people,” said Paolo Bastianini.
Ahead of today’s pre-trial hearing over capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship, Captain Francesco Schettino was said by his family to be both depressed and afraid
Initially only Francesco Schettino and his first officer, Ciro Ambrosio, were formally under investigation. But last week several others were also named.
Among them were more of the ship’s officers, and two senior figures from its operating company, Costa Cruises.
These are the company’s vice-president, Manfred Ursprunger, and the head of its crisis management unit, Roberto Ferrarini.
Both were onshore on the night of the disaster and decisions they took as it unfolded are now officially under scrutiny.
This development has pleased Francesco Schettino’s lawyers.
“We had been saying that the investigation had to be broadened and that Schettino couldn’t be the only scapegoat,” said Paolo Bastianini.
“Schettino assumes his responsibilities, but he is not the only one. He isn’t the monster of the story.”
But the prosecution’s case puts most of the blame for what happened firmly on Francesco Schettino’s shoulders.
It says the captain simply sailed his huge vessel too close to Giglio in what was intended to be a kind of salute to the islanders.
Francesco Schettino then allegedly failed to take proper charge of the situation as the crisis deepened and abandoned his passengers to save himself.
On top of all this there have been persistent suggestions that the captain may have been distracted at the moment of the collision by the presence on the bridge of a young woman from Moldova, Domnica Cemortan.
In a recent newspaper interview Domnica Cemortan admitted being attracted to Francesco Schettino, who is married.
Domnica Cemortan said she believes they were on the point of starting an affair, but insisted that she was not in any way to blame for what happened off Giglio.
A pre-trial hearing over the case of capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship begins today in Italy.
At least 30 people are believed to have died when the ship struck rocks off the Tuscan coast on 13 January.
Captain Francesco Schettino denies accusations of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all those aboard were evacuated.
Francesco Schettino’s lawyer said he would not attend the hearing, in the town of Grosseto.
Bruno Leporatti said it would be “unnecessary” for Francesco Schettino to leave his home in the town of Meta di Sorrento, near Naples – where he is under house arrest – to attend the hearing.
“Perhaps with this climate that has been created around him, [it would be] also a little dangerous for him,” Bruno Leporatti said.
Francesco Schettino’s brother-in-law has said that the captain is feeling both depressed and scared as he watches the enquiry unfold, and that the deaths of those who did not survive are weighing heavily upon him.
A pre-trial hearing over the case of capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship begins today in Italy
Bruno Leporatti added that Francesco Schettino was “stunned” by the accident.
“He is a man who has feelings, who is pained over what happened,” he said.
The hearing will be attended by some 70 lawyers and their teams, representing survivors and relatives of victims.
During the hearing, judges will question experts about the wrecking of the 114,500-ton liner.
Investigators who have been amassing evidence and testimony since the crash will hand it over to a court-appointed panel of experts made up of two naval experts and two academics.
Costa Cruises, part of the world’s largest cruise operator Carnival Corp and owner of Costa Concordia cruise ship, has blamed Francesco Schettino for the accident.
Costa Cruises has said it has “complete faith in the judicial system” and has offered its “fullest collaboration” with the Italian authorities.
The investigation will also look at the decisions and actions of Costa’s vice-president Manfred Ursprunger and the head of its crisis unit, Roberto Ferrarini, with whom Francesco Schettino was in contact during the evacuation.
The ship’s first officer, Ciro Ambrosio, is also under investigation.
Costa Concordia, carrying 4,200 passengers and crew, had its hull ripped open when it hit rocks in darkness, just hours into a Mediterranean cruise.
Angelina Jolie’s turn on the red carpet at the Oscars last week made headlines across the globe.
Almost a week on, picture of Angelina Jolie’s jutting right leg is still generating talk – but now for different reasons.
Dr. Drew appeared on The View yesterday where he said Angelina Jolie looks dangerously malnourished in the eye-catching image.
As the picture was flashed up on a screen behind him, Dr. Drew warned that women should not regard the actress as an ideal of beauty on account of her remarkably skinny figure.
“She’s malnourished,” Dr. Drew claimed, before reiterating: “I just see malnutrition.”
“We should not look at that as an ideal of beauty, even though she might be a beautiful woman.”
Dr. Drew’s comments came after he expressed the same verdict on her “dangerously” skinny frame during his own, self-titled show earlier this week.
As the picture was flashed up on a screen behind him, Dr. Drew warned that women should not regard the actress as an ideal of beauty on account of her remarkably skinny figure
Fox presenter Bill O’Reilly is another who has weighed in on the matter.
“Is it just me or is she looking mighty slim these days? Emaciated even? I was kind of taken aback. Look at the arms on her,” he said on The O’Reilly Factor the day after the Oscars.
Bill O’Reilly went on to say Angelina Jolie, in his opinion, was sending out the wrong message to her fans with her rail-thin physique.
“Something’s going on here,” Bill O’Reilly said.
“She is slight. Let’s hope it’s nothing unusual.”
In November 2011, Grazia magazine reported Angelina Jolie survives on as little as 600 calories a day, which is the equivalent of two bowls of cereal with milk.
“Angelina has been known to start her day with little more than a spoonful of coconut oil and a handful of cereal,” a source told the publication.
“The worrying thing is that she is so busy, she often forgets to eat.
“Sometimes she’ll skip lunch altogether or will just grab a few almonds and some gummy bears while she’s on the go, or will have a protein-based shake rather than anything more substantial.
“Then dinner could be something like a lean steak and a glass of red wine.”
Angelina Jolie’s fluctuating weight has been well documented, with her slim frame becoming painfully thin during difficult emotional times in her life.
She was forced to defend her waif-like frame in 2007, when her weight plummeted following the death of her mother Marcheline.
At the time, Angelina Jolie said: “I have always been lean, and this year I lost my mum and I’ve gone through a lot.
“Instead of people saying I look like a person dealing with something emotionally, they assume it’s because I want to fit into skinny jeans.”
Powerful storms and tornadoes have killed at least 28 people in the US states of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, destroying homes, tearing roofs from schools, damaging a maximum security prison and wiping one Indiana town entirely off the map, officials say.
Local police confirmed that 14 people died as tornadoes swept across three counties in Indiana.
Twelve more died in Kentucky, with two fatalities in Ohio. Earlier, tornadoes hit Alabama, causing widespread damage.
“We are no match for Mother Nature at her worst,” said Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.
Gov. Mitch Daniels is due to visit affected areas on Saturday.
The storms – stretched across a vast part of the US Midwest – came days after another system killed 13 people.
The first deaths on Friday were reported in Indiana, where the small town of Henryville was badly damaged.
Reports of extreme damage included a roof torn off a high school.
An official from Clark County sheriff’s department described the nearby town of Marysville, Indiana – located close to Henryville – as “completely gone”.
Tornadoes have destroyed towns in Southern Indiana, including Henryville, pictured, and neighboring Marysville, which is “completely gone”
Jenn Helvering, 24, said she saw a storm cell cross the highway as she drove towards Henryville. She then came across wreckage, including an overturned tractor-trailer, alongside the road near the town.
The woman, who posted a series of images online said she saw “what seemed to be a funnel”, when driving between two storm cells.
“The weather was terrible. I suddenly saw a tornado coming towards me, I could see it swirling, then I saw one behind me. I was stuck in between two tornadoes – my dad directed me while I was driving between the two tornadoes. It was truly terrifying.”
In Salem, Indiana, a toddler was found injured in a field after tornadoes passed through, reports said before being take to a children’s hospital, where she was later identified.
A family of four were found dead in Washington County, Indiana, Sheriff Claude Combs told the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Meanwhile, in Henryville, authorities found a man dead inside his vehicle. It was the first confirmed death in Clark County.
“We’ve got total devastation in the north-central part of the county [and] widespread damage from the west to the east,” Clark County Sheriff Clark Adam told CNN.
Neighbouring Marysville was totally destroyed.
“Marysville is completely gone,” said Chuck Adams of Clark County Sheriff’s Department.
As Friday’s storms grew in intensity, the National Weather Service issued severe tornado warnings for a host of states.
By 19:30 EST tornado warnings were in effect across swathes of Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana, with parts of West Virginia and Florida also under advisory.
In a strongly worded warning, the NWS said residents in the path of the Indiana storm were facing an “extremely dangerous and life threatening situation”.
“If you are in the path of this tornado… take cover immediately!” the NWS said.
Additional tornadoes were reported near Mumfordville, Kentucky and Memphis, Indiana, as well in southern Ohio.
Local TV broadcaster WHAS in Kentucky showed a storm-tracking team driving through Mumfordville, speeding away from a potential tornado as golf-ball sized hailstones fell from the sky.
As the evening progressed more details of the scale of destruction began to emerge, with officials in Kentucky and Ohio confirmed fatalities there.
Earlier this week, 13 people died after twisters swept through Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Tennessee.
On Friday morning five people were taken to hospital and 11 houses were flattened in the town of Athens, Alabama by an apparent tornado in the Huntsville area.
More than 20 school networks in Alabama closed early on Friday because of the weather warning.
Local media reports that about 9,000 people may have lost power in the area around Huntsville.
A possible twister also hit a maximum security jail near Huntsville, although officials said inmates remained secure.
The severe weather warning will remain in place until about midnight on Friday, according to local media.
The town of Harrisburg, Illinois, was particularly badly damaged on Wednesday by the storm system.
Six residents died there, while three deaths were reported in Missouri, three in Tennessee and another in Kansas.
Bobbi Kristina Brown turns 19 on March 5 but she is telling friends that she doesn’t want to fly to Los Angeles or New Jersey to be with her family on her birthday, because she wants to be alone.
Bobbi Kristina Brown is still dealing with the devastating loss of her mother Whitney Houston and she is not excited about her birthday.
A source close to Bobbi Kristina told HollywoodLife.com that Whitney Houston’s daughter is “beside herself with grief” and doesn’t even want to celebrate her birthday.
“She feels like she has nothing to celebrate,” the source said.
“She doesn’t want a party and she doesn’t want to be around anyone except her brother Nick.”
Bobbi Kristina Brown is still dealing with the devastating loss of her mother Whitney Houston and she is not excited about her birthday, refusing to spend the big day with her family
Bobbi Kristina Brown is still living at her mother’s home in Atlanta and she reportedly tried to take her own life twice right after Whitney Houston died on February 11.
Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney Houston’s daughter, has been fighting her grandmother Cissy Houston tooth and nail to live her life in Atlanta on her own terms, say US reports.
According to HollywoodLife.com, Bobbi Kristina Brown, 18, and grandmother Cissy Houston, 78, haven’t been seeing eye to eye on anything lately — and that includes Whitney Houston‘s 22-year-old “secret son”, Nick Gordon.
Although earlier reports said that Cissy Houston is trying to evict Nick Gordon from her late daughter’s home because she thinks he is a bad influence on Bobbi Kristina, she was also been having to deal with her granddaughter’s refusal to leave Atlanta.
“Cissy Houston is worried sick about Bobbi Kristina,” a friend of Whitney Houston’s family told HollywoodLife.com.
“She tried to convince her to move back to New Jersey so she could be closer to Whitney’s side of the family, but apparently, Krissi wants to stay in Atlanta. Being in Atlanta is the only way she can feel remotely close to her mother.”
Bobbi Kristina Brown has been fighting her grandmother Cissy Houston tooth and nail to live her life in Atlanta on her own terms
The friend continued: “[Bobbi Kristina] is determined to continue living in the same house she lived in with her mom these past years. As far as Nick Gordon is concerned, he is like her brother, and I seriously doubt Cissy will be able to evict him from the house. He is Krissi’s closest friend right now.”
According to sources, Whitney Houston raised Nick Gordon like a son and let him live with her and Bobbi Kristina 10 years ago.
Reports say Whitney Houston even included Nick Gordon in her will.
A new research suggests that some Scandinavian trees survived the last Ice Age, challenging a widely held notion that they were killed off by the huge ice sheet that covered the region.
Modern trees in Scandinavia were thought to descend from species that migrated north when the ice melted 9,000 years ago.
But research suggests some conifers survived on mountain peaks that protruded from the enormous ice sheet, on islands and in coastal areas.
The work appears in Science journal.
“Our results demonstrate that not all the Scandinavian conifer trees have the same recent ancestors, as we once believed,” said Prof. Eske Willerslev from the Centre for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen.
“There were groups of spruce and pine that survived the harsh climate in small ice-free pockets, or in refuges, as we call them, for tens of thousands of years, and then were able to spread once the ice retreated.
“Other spruce and pine trees have their origins in the southern and eastern ice-free areas of Europe. Therefore, one can now refer to ‘original’ and later naturally <<introduced>> Scandinavian conifer species.”
A new research suggests some conifers in Scandinavia survived during last Ice Age on mountain peaks that protruded from the enormous ice sheet, on islands and in coastal areas
The researchers came to their conclusions by studying the DNA of modern spruce – which clearly portrays two Scandinavian types – and also by analysing the composition of pine and spruce DNA in sediments from lake-core samples.
“One hypothesis is that trees were able to survive on the top of nunataks, the exposed ridges or peaks of mountains protruding from glacial cover, or in more sheltered areas close to the coast where proximity to the temperate conditions of the Atlantic Ocean favoured survival,” said Laura Parducci, from the University of Uppsala.
“These areas must have provided sites for roots to anchor and trees to grow in the challenging climate.”
Today, nunataks can be found protruding from the Greenlandic ice sheet, albeit without any trees.
Top 13 finalists of American Idol will perform songs by Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder on next week’s milestone 400th episode.
Season 11’s finalists were announced on last night episode following two nights of live performances from the Top 13 boys and Top 12 girls who made it to the semi-final.
Ten contestants were voted through to the next stage by the American public, while judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson chose three more acts as their wildcard picks.
Fox has now confirmed that the Top 13 will perform tracks by Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder on Wednesday, March 7. The female contestants will take on the Whitney Houston’s songs, while the men will tackle the Stevie Wonder tracks.
Mary J. Blige will mentor all contestants throughout the week.
Top 13 finalists of American Idol will perform songs by Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder on next week's milestone 400th episode
Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 11.
American Idol’s host Ryan Seacrest had previously hinted that the show planned to honour Whitney Houston’s impact on the music industry, saying: “We are trying to figure out how we can go in and obviously pay tribute [to Whitney Houston] in some way and acknowledge the impact that she had on popular singers, popular music and young singers that are trying to make it.”
The Top 13 contestants are: Hollie Cavanagh, Colton Dixon, Heejun Han, Jermaine Jones, Skylar Laine, Joshua Ledet, Shannon Magraine, Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez, Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, Jeremy Rosado and DeAndre Brackensick.
A pair of pearl-drop earrings worn by Whitney Houston in the 1992 film “The Bodyguard” is to be sold in an auction of the late singer’s possessions.
The earrings are among several items that once belonged to Whitney Houston which are to be sold by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills as part of their “Hollywood Legends” sale.
Other items include a black velvet dress owned by Whitney Houston and 15 other outfits worn by the pop legend.
Julien’s Auctions owner Darren Julien has revealed over 50 friends, family and former colleagues have contacted his office offering to sell items since her tragic death at the age of just 48 in February 11.
Darren Julien said: “This is something that commonly happens after somebody passes … especially someone with the status of Whitney Houston. Her items can increase 10, 20 even 30 times compared to their previous value prior to her death. These items become part of history really.
“Whitney is a legend so it’s definitely an appropriate auction for her. It’s a reason to celebrate her life, not put these items in a box under the bed … Her items are now more sought after.”
Darren Julien believes bids for Whitney Houston’s dresses will reach tens of thousands of dollars because she is someone “that will maintain a collectability” because of her incredible career.
The earrings worn by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard are among several items that once belonged to the late singer which are to be sold by Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills as part of their “Hollywood Legends” sale
The “Hollywood Legends” auction will also include pieces that once belonged to Princess Diana, Charlie Chaplin and Charlton Heston and will take place on March 31 and April 1 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California.
Whitney Houston herself was an avid collector of Hollywood memorabilia and one of her most prize possessions was a pair of Ginger Rogers’ dancing shoes which had been personally signed by the screen icon.
The shoes were given to her as a gift by David Gest for performing at the 10th Annual American Cinema Awards in 1993 on the night where Rogers was honored for Distinguished Achievement In Film.
Ginger Rogers personally signed each shoe with a note which read “to one of the greatest singers of all time, from your friend Ginger Rogers”.
David Gest, who was invited to Whitney Houston’s funeral – believes the unique item would fetch thousands of dollars if Bobbi Kristina – the singer’s child with ex-husband Bobby Brown – decided to sell the shoes.
Carolyn Whigham, the owner of Whitney Houston’s funeral home has said that she knows who leaked the photo of the singer’s body in open casket to the press.
Carolyn Whigham, CEO of the Whigham Funeral Home, told reporters that it was up to the Houston family to name the individual behind the photograph, which showed Whitney Houston in her casket and appeared on the front cover of US tabloid National Enquirer last month.
The business owner insisted that she, her vice president daughter Karalynn and manager Terri Fields were “the only three people who saw Whitney Houston”.
Carolyn Whigham said that none of her staff had come in close contact with Whitney Houston’s body, which “was always on the lower level under lock and key”.
She added that security personnel guarding Whitney Houston’s body, who slept in the building prior to her funeral on February 18, had not been hired by the home.
Carolyn Whigham, the owner of Whitney Houston's funeral home has said that she knows who leaked the photo of the singer's body in open casket to the press
Carolyn Whigham said that she wanted it to be “clearly established” that staff at the Whigham Funeral Home were not responsible for the leak, claiming that she feared her daughter would be attacked over the allegations just as she has.
“It is very obvious that the Houston family has ceased the investigation [into the home]. Why? I want to clear my name, I want to clear my funeral home,” Carolyn Whigham said.
“Unfortunately this went nationwide, worldwide. I could be on vacation laying by a swimming pool and somebody [could] come up and throw something in my face… I want to defend my character and my name. That’s the most important thing that I have.”
Carolyn Whigham previously described Whitney Houston as “a friend” and claimed that she “did everything to protect her”.
Sources close to the Houston family have said they are “heartbroken all over again” by the photo, which is believed to have been taken at a private viewing on February 17.
Cissy Houston is on a mission to eradicate the bad influences from Bobbi Kristina Brown’s life and she’s starting with 22-year-old Nick Gordon who Whitney treated like her very own son.
Sources close to Houston family told TMZ that Whitney Houston invited Nick Gordon to live with her and Bobbi Kristina more than 10 years ago when the late singer learned Nick’s mother could no longer care for him.
Whitney Houston considered Nick Gordon her unofficially adopted son and treated him like family up until the end.
According to TMZ, Cissy Houston believes Nick Gordon is a bad influence on Bobbi Kristina and wants him out of the Houston family home in Atlanta ASAP.
Cissy Houston believes Nick Gordon is a bad influence on Bobbi Kristina and wants him out of the Houston family home in Atlanta
TMZ also reported that Cissy Houston has already informed her lawyers about the eviction in case he puts up a fight.
There are reports that Nick Gordon was included in Whitney Houston’s will, but so far, they have not been confirmed by members of the Houston family.
A new book, “The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find That Reveals the Birth of Christianity,” published this week, reveals that archeologists and authors have literally “unearthed” new information which may provide an unprecedented glimpse into Christianity’s earliest days.
In a “nearly intact” first-century tomb located below a modern condominium building in Jerusalem, a team of archeologists led by Simcha Jacobovici has found ossuaries bearing engravings that could be the earliest evidence of Christian iconography in Jerusalem.
The tomb has been dated to before A.D. 70, so if its engravings are indeed early Christian, they were most likely made by some of Jesus’ earliest followers, according to the excavators.
One of the limestone ossuaries bears an inscription in Greek that includes a reference to “Divine Jehovah raising someone up”, the earliest archeological evidence of “faith in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.”
A second ossuary has an image that appears to be a large fish with a stick figure in its mouth. The excavators believe the image represents the story of Jonah, the biblical prophet who was swallowed by a fish or whale and then released.
“If anyone had claimed to find either a statement about resurrection or a Jonah image in a Jewish tomb of this period I would have said impossible – until now,” James D. Tabor, professor and chairman of religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and one of the excavators, said in a news release issued by the university.
In a “nearly intact” first-century tomb located below a modern condominium building in Jerusalem, the archeologists have found ossuaries bearing engravings that could be the earliest evidence of Christian iconography in Jerusalem
The excavators acknowledge the discovery and their interpretation are likely to be controversial.
This tomb was originally uncovered in 1981, but the original excavators were forced to leave by Orthodox Jewish groups who oppose the excavation of Jewish tombs.
The tomb was then resealed and buried beneath the condominium complex in the neighborhood of East Talpiot.
Almost two decades later, James D. Tabor and colleagues got a license to go back into the tomb; however, because of the condos on top of it and the threat of protests from Orthodox Jewish groups, they took an unconventional route into the tomb.
They inserted a robotic arm, developed for this project, carrying high-definition cameras, through holes drilled in the basement floor of the building. The cameras photographed the ossuaries inside from all sides.
This tomb is located adjacent to another one, uncovered in 1980, that contained ossuaries with names some have associated with Jesus and his family. That tomb was thoroughly excavated at the time.
Later this spring, a documentary on the subject will air on the Discovery Channel.
Chinese researchers have unearthed two giant blood-sucking insects at different dig sites that are the largest known flea type creatures of their size.
The largest female discovered flea type creature measured at 20.6 millimeters (.81 inches) while the largest male was a still impressive 14.7 millimeters (.58 inches).
The blood suckers are not only bigger then modern fleas; they also lacked their jumping hind legs.
According to the group that discovered the blood suckers in Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, one of the fossils dates back to the Middle Jurassic period which occurred nearly 165 million years ago. The other fossil found in the Liaoning Province is”younger” with a Lower Cretaceous period date of nearly 50 million years ago.
Chinese researchers have unearthed two giant blood-sucking insects at different dig sites that are the largest known flea type creatures of their size
The most striking feature of the fleas was their blood-sucking ”siphonate” mouthparts which were both unusually long and sturdy, according to the Telegraph.
This would have been used to pierce the hides of their hosts, said an international team of scientists reporting the finds in the journal Nature.
Why the fleas were so large, and armed with such powerful weaponry, is a puzzle, because only small shrew-like mammals existed during the Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods.
Modern fleas feed on furry and feathered animals which has led researchers to believe that they served the same location in China where several furry and feathered dinosaurs have been discovered.
Twenty five out of 27 EU leaders have signed a new treaty to enforce budget discipline within the bloc.
The “fiscal compact” aims to prevent the 17 eurozone countries again running up huge debts.
It must now be ratified by individual parliaments and, in the case of the Irish Republic, a referendum.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who with the Czechs refused to sign, said his proposals for cutting red tape and promoting business had been ignored.
But the newly re-appointed President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said British calls to boost the EU economy were being taken seriously and he had sought to re-draft the summit’s conclusions accordingly.
The fiscal compact is what emerged after David Cameron vetoed plans to change the EU treaties to enforce greater budgetary discipline back in December.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described it as a “great leap”, a first step towards stability and political union.
These new powers may face an early test as both Spain and the Netherlands have admitted they will miss targets for reducing their deficits.
While there has been a change of emphasis at this summit, “from crisis mode to growth mode” in the words of one senior official, it will be difficult to achieve whilst tough spending cuts are being made.
In a speech at the signing ceremony, Herman van Rompuy said: “This stronger self-constraint by each and every one of you as regards debts and deficits is important in itself.
“It helps prevent a repetition of the sovereign debt crisis. It will thus also reinforce trust among member states, which is politically important as well.
“The restoration of confidence in the future of the eurozone will lead to economic growth and jobs. This is our ultimate objective.”
