 | Israel's Labour says it will enter opposition
The leader of Israel's Labour Party, Ehud Barak, has rejected an offer to join a coalition under Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu. Following talks between the two, Barak said his party would serve in the opposition. Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud party, has been tasked with forming a government, and is seeking a broad coalition which would also include Tzipi Livni's centrist Kadima party. Livni, who has previously rejected entering a coalition under Netanyahu, said she made no progress in her negotiations with the Likud leader at the weekend. All three leaders have held open the possibility of further talks. |  | | Amnesty International accuses Israel and Hamas of war crimes
Amnesty International has called on the United Nations to impose an arms embargo on Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. In a new report, the human rights group accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes in last month's conflict, and says both parties used weapons sourced from overseas in attacks on civilians. AI singled out indiscriminate Hamas rocket attacks on southern Israel as well as Israel's use of white phosphorous in densely populated areas, which is prohibited under international law. Israel receives three billion dollars a year in US military aid, more than any other country. Hamas is believed to get military backing from Iran. | | | Deutsche Bank expects worse recession for Germany
Germany's largest bank says the global economic crisis will hit Europe's largest economy harder than previously thought. Deutsche Bank's chief economist, Norbert Walter, expects the economy to contract by at least five percent this year. Previously, Deutsche Bank predicted that the German economy would contract by no more than four percent. Reacting to the comments, a government spokesperson said it was too early to revise down Berlin's official predictions for this year until more data became available. | | | Frankfurt's DAX slips below 4,000 points
On the markets: Germany's DAX index has slipped below 4,000 points for the first time in more than four years. Following an early rally, the DAX has now lost almost two per cent on the day. The Frankfurt stock exchange was pulled down by bad news from the opening of the markets in America. There, a sell-off of technology stocks has seen the Dow and the Nasdaq drop into negative territory. | | | Binyam Mohamed released to Britain from Guantanamo
A former British resident who claims he was tortured in Morocco and Afghansitan under the CIA's secret rendition program has been returned to Britain. Binyam Mohamed landed at a military base west of London after being released from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. His lawyers say he is not ready to talk about his time in detention. The thirty-year-old Ethiopian citizen was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. The US accused Mohamed of conspiring to bomb the country's transportation network, but he has never stood trial. | | | Egypt makes arrests following tourist bombing
Egyptian authorities have arrested at least three people in connection with a bomb attack in a Cairo bazaar that killed a French girl and injured 21 other people, mainly tourists. The detainees, all Egyptians, were allegedly nearby at the time of the explosion on Sunday evening. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamist militants have targeted locations in Egypt popular with tourists in the past. Police have stepped up security in the wake of the bombing. | | | Over a million Germans take to streets to celebrate carnival
More than one million Germans have braved the rain to take to the streets of cities here in the Rhineland to take part in the Rose Monday carnival festivities. More than 10,000 performers and marching bands have been taking part in the parade in Cologne. Many of the floats have had political themes, depicting figures such German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama. | | | British film, 'Slumdog Millionaire' scoops eight Oscars
At the Oscar awards ceremony in Los Angeles, the Best Picture award has gone to “Slumdog Millionaire,” a rags-to-riches tale set in Mumbai, India. The film's British director, Danny Boyle, also won Best Director. Kate Winnslet won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in “The Reader” and Sean Penn won Best Actor for his performance in “Milk.” The German film “Spielzeugland” or “Toyland” won Best Live Action Short Film. In a rare move, the judges awarded a posthumous Oscar to the late Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor in “The Dark Knight”.
| | | Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers say they will accept a cease-fire
Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels say they are willing to accept a cease-fire with the government but that they will not disarm. That's according to a letter sent to the United Nations, the United States, the EU, Japan and Norway, which have been trying to mediate a peace process. Sri Lanka's government offered the Tigers an amnesty at the beginning of the month if they agreed to surrender. The Tigers have been fighting for an independent homeland in the north and east of the country since the early 1980s. Currently around 250,000 civilians are thought to be trapped in a rebel-held zone in the north of the country.
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EU Casts Doubt on Netanyahu's Commitment to Peace
