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HOUSTON — The approach of a major storm yesterday forced BP Plc to halt efforts to permanently plug its gushing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and the system could regain strength after it weakened on Friday.
SEOUL — North Korea said yesterday it would begin a “sacred war” against the United States and South Korea at “any time necessary” based on its nuclear deterrent, in response to “reckless” military exercises by the allies.
ATHENS — Greece will now get a second aid tranche of a European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout as it has met the conditions set in an austerity plan, its finance minister was quoted as saying yesterday.
LONDON/MADRID — Just seven European banks failed a health check and were ordered to raise their capital by 3,5 billion euros (US$4,5 billion), much less than expected, confirming fears the continent’s long-awaited stress test was too soft.
CARACAS — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday dismissed Colombian charges that he harboured leftist Colombian rebels as “a hoax” and pretext for a possible US-backed invasion of his oil-producing country.
NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday reiterated his prediction headline inflation would ease to 6% by December, a forecast more optimistic than that delivered by his economic advisers on Friday.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration warned on Friday the US economy had encountered “strong headwinds” and the country’s fiscal challenge remained grim, but it lowered an estimate for the budget deficit this year.
BUDAPEST — Two top ratings agencies said on Friday they might downgrade Hungary’s sovereign debt after its prime minister snubbed the IMF and rejected austerity measures in favour of a pro-growth policy.
PARIS — Liliane Bettencourt, France’s richest woman at the centre of a scandal over alleged tax evasion and illegal political funding, will be questioned by police next week, her lawyer said on Friday. — Reuters.
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