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A parliamentary hearing on Ukraine’s budget was suspended on Tuesday when opposition deputies alleged that the deputy finance minister presenting the budget report was drunk.

Anatoly Myarkovsky, the first deputy finance minister, spoken for 10 minutes on the budget. But when questions were invited, deputies from Ukraine’s opposition yelled out “He’s drunk”. One deputy even shouted: “Anyone within five metres can tell he reeks of someone who has been drinking vodka. Mr. Speaker, go and sniff for yourself.”

Speaker Volodymyr Rybak suspended the budget hearing until it had been clarified whether or not Myarkovsky had indeed been under the influence of alcohol.
Myarkovsky himself left the chamber as Rybak was speaking. There was no formal word from his office.

A deputy from the ruling Regions party, Volodymyr Makeyenko, sprang to Myarkovsky’s defence. “There wasn’t any smell of alcohol coming from the deputy minister. I have known him for 20 years and he’s a responsible person – these allegations are just an attempt by the opposition to undermine the proceedings,” he told journalists later.

Ukraine’s parliament is often a theatre for physical tussles and fist-fights among deputies. A parliamentary session had to be cancelled in December last year after a brawl broke out among MPs.

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Bosnians say they will continue to protest over the case of a baby girl who died after political and bureaucratic wrangling led to crucial delays in potentially life-saving treatment.

Three-month-old Berina Hamidovic needed to travel to Serbia for surgery but had no passport. Her parents also said Bosnian health authorities refused to cover the cost.

“We’ll be coming here until this situation is resolved, peacefully, and we hope that some higher force will help us to solve this problem,” said a protester outside parliament in Sarajevo.

“They have let us down. The state has failed us. We’ve been giving them full support, we pay them, and we pay them to be there for us when we need them. But they have been letting us down in most difficult times,” added a second woman.

Berina had a hole near her windpipe. An operation in Bosnia was unsuccessful; by the time her parents did get her past border police and reach Belgrade she had contracted an infection that proved fatal.

Even before she died there had been protests over thousands of newborn babies denied passports and medical cards – because politicians – divided along ethnic lines – could not agree on a system for issuing ID numbers.

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Most adults in developed countries support gay marriage or some kind of legal recognition for same-sex couples, according to an Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

Of the 12,484 adults questioned in the survey, 52 percent of people favour full marriage equality for gays and 21 percent support legal recognition but not marriage. “What we see is that in every one of the 16 countries we surveyed, there is a majority in favour of allowing same sex couples to have some sort of legal recognition,” observed Nicolas Boson, a senior vice president at Ipsos. “In nine out of 16 countries we see an outright majority in favour of full marriage equality.”

Sweden, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Canada and France – all countries where same-sex marriage is legal – showed majority support for full equality for same sex couples, as did most Germans, Britons and Australians. However, in Argentina, which also recognises gay marriage, only 48 percent of people favoured marriage equality for gay couples.

Adoption

Almost 60 percent of adults polled believed gay couples should have the same adoption rights as heterosexuals and 64 percent thought same-sex couples were equally likely to raise children successfully. It would seem that this is not a view shared by Russia, where homophobia has, historically, proved prevalent. The Russian parliament is currently deliberating a law which would eventually forbid homosexual couples and single people from adopting Russian children, even if their own countries have legalised same-sex marriage.

The impact of social media and religion

Within the 16 nations polled, social media and religion were shown to impact upon attitudes toward gay marriage and equal rights for same-sex couples. According to the survey, people who are active on social media are more likely to support same-sex couples. In contrast, only 27 percent of people who align to a religion were likely to express support for a legal status for same-sex couples. “Poland has the most opposition to adoption to same-sex couples and it is probably one of the most religious countries in the survey,” said Boyon.

Opposition

Although only 14 percent of the adults questioned in the poll objected to same-sex marriage or any type of legal recognition, opposition was notably highest in Hungary, South Korea, Poland and Japan, with 37 percent of those questioned saying they were unsure about how they felt. In Japan just 5 percent of people said they knew someone who was lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) and in South Korea the number dropped to 3%. “It is likely there is still a stigma attached to the issue in those countries,” said Boyon.

The US is the next country due to rule on same-sex marriage, with the Supreme Court set to announce their decision later this month.

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The second and final day of the G8 summit sees the heads of state and government attempting to stride boldly into the Syrian conflict and questions of terrorism, and find solutions.

However the unity on show for the world’s press has a huge crack in it, as Russian President Vladimir Putin finds himself increasingly isolated as the other leaders close ranks and try to get him to tone down his support for Bashar al-Assad.

Russia’s line, that it is better to have the devil you know in Damascus rather than taking a high-risk roll of the dice by backing the opposition and possibly sowing instability, is being drowned out by the rising civilian casualty figures in Syria.

Putin’s discomfort was plain for all to see, and smiles and handshakes cannot detract from the real possibility the leaders may issue a Syria statement as the G7, with Russia abstaining.

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Getting ready to go back on air, a Greek court has ruled that state broadcaster ERT must have its signal restored.

Though all sides appear to claim victory the news is bitter-sweet for ERT’s 2,700 employees who found themselves out of a job six days ago. It is not clear how many of them will be re-hired by the new broadcaster NERIT, or even how many will resume work in the interim period.

“It is the government’s responsibility to turn the signal back on. They should have already done that. We question why they haven’t done it yet. We question why they have not said anything about this,” said ERT Union President Panagiotis Kalfagiannis.

The ruling appears to support the Greek prime minister’s plan for a cheaper, streamlined broadcaster to replace ERT eventually.

It has also settled disputes between the Greek coalition partners which threatened to send the country back to the ballot box.

The Greek government has not come out of the controversy unscathed. The coalition will meet again for talks to bridge the gap created by the latest measures taken to please international lenders.

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Berlin has been getting ready for Obama. The second-term US president will give a speech in the symbolic city on Wednesday.

Barack Obama is still popular with Berliners, but not with the same rapture as in 2008, before his historic first entry into the White House. Then, Obama said: “This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom.”

Berlin has been inspiring American presidents for 50 years.

Kennedy declared US support for democratic West Germany two years after the Eastern Bloc Communists isolated West Berlin by land by building the Wall. His words rang around the world.

Kennedy said: “As a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’”

Michael Haltzel, Senior Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, and a former vice-presidential adviser, told euronews correspondent Stefan Grobe: “Absolute jubilation, it was brilliant. I can’t think of another visit by any American president anywhere that had that kind of immediate emotional impact. It was fantastic.”

Haltzel contrasted Kennedy’s oratory with Reagan’s speech shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 20 years later, when he demanded his counterpart in Moscow prove he was sincere about perestroika.

In 1987, Reagan said: “Mister Gorbachov, open this gate.”

Haltzel said: “I think this was a very important speech and I think a welcome speech. And I don’t think the reaction that President Reagan got in Berlin at that time is remotely comparable to the reaction John Kennedy got in ’63, but it was a different time.”

Clinton and Chancellor Kohl strolled through the Brandenburg Gate in 1994 once Germany’s eastern and western halves had again become one country, after the Iron Curtain no longer divided Europe.

Clinton said: “Nothing will stop us; all things are possible: nichts wird uns aufhalten, alles is möglich, Berlin ist frei! Berlin is free!”

Haltzel said: “It was the right thing to say at the time. It was a few years after German reunification. I think he was praising normality – which is always a good thing. But I don’t think it compares either with the ’63 speech by Kennedy or the ’87 speech by Reagan.”

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Berlin has been getting ready for Obama. The second-term US president will give a speech in the symbolic city on Wednesday.

Barack Obama is still popular with Berliners, but not with the same rapture as in 2008, before his historic first entry into the White House. Then, Obama said: “This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom.”

Berlin has been inspiring American presidents for 50 years.

Kennedy declared US support for democratic West Germany two years after the Eastern Bloc Communists isolated West Berlin by land by building the Wall. His words rang around the world.

Kennedy said: “As a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’”

Michael Haltzel, Senior Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, and a former vice-presidential adviser, told euronews correspondent Stefan Grobe: “Absolute jubilation, it was brilliant. I can’t think of another visit by any American president anywhere that had that kind of immediate emotional impact. It was fantastic.”

Haltzel contrasted Kennedy’s oratory with Reagan’s speech shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 20 years later, when he demanded his counterpart in Moscow prove he was sincere about perestroika.

In 1987, Reagan said: “Mister Gorbachov, open this gate.”

Haltzel said: “I think this was a very important speech and I think a welcome speech. And I don’t think the reaction that President Reagan got in Berlin at that time is remotely comparable to the reaction John Kennedy got in ’63, but it was a different time.”

Clinton and Chancellor Kohl strolled through the Brandenburg Gate in 1994 once Germany’s eastern and western halves had again become one country, after the Iron Curtain no longer divided Europe.

Clinton said: “Nothing will stop us; all things are possible: nichts wird uns aufhalten, alles is möglich, Berlin ist frei! Berlin is free!”

Haltzel said: “It was the right thing to say at the time. It was a few years after German reunification. I think he was praising normality – which is always a good thing. But I don’t think it compares either with the ’63 speech by Kennedy or the ’87 speech by Reagan.”

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NATO has handed over full control to Afghanistan’s own security forces for the first time since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001.

In a ceremony that was attended by around 2,000 people, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised the Afghan soldiers, saying: “They have fought to ensure that international terrorism no longer finds a safe haven in Afghanistan and many have shed their blood for this cause.”

The handover day is seen as a predominately symbolic, rather than strategic, milestone; as many regions had already been handed over to Afghan forces.

In a statement, General Joseph F. Dunford, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said: “Challenges lie ahead. But today’s announcement recognises the ability of a sovereign Afghanistan to meet those challenges. The Afghan people will see their sons and daughters providing security. The enemies of Afghanistan will see a capable, credible force.”

NATO-led ISAF, which was set up in 2001, announced that since early June under 100,000 NATO troops from 50 countries were in Afghanistan, of which, more than two thirds are US troops. However, around half of these will return to the US by early 2014.

It is still not exactly clear how many soldiers will remain in the country after the 2014 deadline as some will stay to assist with counter terror operations.

Image source: ISAF

There has been some doubt about whether or not the Afghan troops are ready for the transition but Rasmussen insisted they are. “Time and time again, we have seen them dealing quickly and competently with complex attacks, defeating the enemies of Afghanistan, and defending and protecting the Afghan people,” he declared.

The security forces have rapidly expanded from 40,000 in 2009 to 185,000 today and still face several problems such as a high desertion rate and a steep rise in casualties since it assumed greater control.

The overall success of the Afghanistan mission has been a talking point for many during this final stage of shifting control. Some argue that success can be measured by the reduction in Al-Qaeda’s strength in the country, which was one of the original goals.

However figures from the UN regarding civilian deaths show a difference story, with a 24% rise in the first half of 2013, compared with the same period in 2013. The Taliban still have a hold in some parts of the country and many wonder whether they would be capable of retaking Kabul once NATO leaves.

It has also been announced that Afghanistan’s High Peace Council will travel to Qatar for peace talks with the Taliban, a move which is seen as a first step forward in a potential peace process. Talking about the Qatar trip, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said, “We hope that our brothers the Taliban also understand that the process will move to our country soon.” There has not yet been a response from the Taliban.

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Three Femen activists have been arrested in Ukraine after staging a topless protest against the visit of President Lukashenko of Belarus.

In Kiev they tried to wake him at night outside the building where he was staying, calling him a dictator and accusing his government of repression.

Among those detained was Oleksandra Shevchenko, recently deported from Tunisia.

Femen claims that in December 2011 its activists were kidnapped and roughed up by Belarussian security services who left them in a forest near the Belarus-Ukraine border.

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An Australian woman is seeking a clear diagnosis on whether or not she has an extremely rare condition described as foreign accent syndrome.

Leanne Rowe from Tasmania claims a bus crash eight years ago left her with a French accent, even though she’s never been to France.

Doctors say the syndrome is caused by tissue damage to part of the brain, affecting speech.

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The billion-euro Herschel space telescope has been switched off. On Monday its controllers emptied the satellite’s fuel tanks and commanded the observatory to sever all communications.

The spacecraft is now in a slow drift around the Sun, around 2.14 million km from Earth.

Mission controllers sent the final command to the Herschel satellite on Monday at 12:25 GMT (14:25 CEST), marking the end of operations for ESA’s hugely successful space observatory. Herschel’s scientific mission had already ended in April after the exhaustion of the crucial liquid helium that cooled the observatory’s instruments close to absolute zero. However, the spacecraft had to be kept active for a few more weeks, during which the final manoeuvres and ‘passivation’ activities were to be performed.

Almost immediately after helium exhaustion, engineers at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt also seized the rare opportunity to conduct a series of technological tests on the satellite, which remained fully functional although no longer capable of scientific observation.

“Normally, our top goal is to maximise scientific return, and we never do anything that might interrupt observations or put the satellite at risk,” says Micha Schmidt, Herschel’s Spacecraft Operations Manager at ESOC. “But the end of science meant we had a sophisticated spacecraft at our disposal on which we could conduct technical testing and validate techniques, software and the functionality of systems that are going to be reused on future spacecraft. This was a major bonus for us.”

Micha says that requests for in-orbit validation and analysis of hardware and software came from the mission control teams at ESOC, from the European industry teams that built the satellite and its components and from science instrument teams.

“For example, the ExoMars team asked us to do some validation using Herschel’s Visual Monitoring Camera, a similar model will fly on their mission. And the Euclid team asked us for some reaction wheel tests.”

The final command issued on Monday was the last step in a complex series of flight control activities and thruster manoeuvres designed to take Herschel into a safe disposal orbit around the Sun and passivate its systems.

The most spectacular event came on 13–14 May , when Herschel depleted most of its fuel in a record 7-hour, 45-minute thruster burn.

This was the main manoeuvre in a series that ensured the satellite was boosted away from its operational orbit around the L2 Sun–Earth Lagrange Point and into a heliocentric orbit, further out and slower than Earth’s.

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Boeing’s ambitions were grounded as rival Airbus pipped them to the post to win Easyjet’s business. The low-cost flight company said it would expand its fleet with 135 airbus jets at the cut price cost of 8.9 billion euros.

One hundred of the planes bought will be the next generation fuel efficient Airbus320neo. Easyjet hopes to boost its seat capacity by five percent.

At the Paris Airshow the airline said the selection process was very competitive with Airbus slashing its list price to make the winning bid.

According to Airbus the order will support almost 2,500 jobs. However, the sale goes against the wishes of Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou. As the largest shareholder he has been a vocal critic of the fleet upgrade.

The deal is still subject to shareholder approval. But Easyjet hopes that it will help them gain ground in the low-cost flight market.

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Boeing’s ambitions were grounded as rival Airbus pipped them to the post to win Easyjet’s business. The low-cost flight company said it would expand its fleet with 135 airbus jets at the cut price cost of 8.9 billion euros.

One hundred of the planes bought will be the next generation fuel efficient Airbus320neo. Easyjet hopes to boost its seat capacity by 5 percent.

At the Paris Airshow they said the selection process was very competitive with Airbus slashing its list price to make the winning bid.

According to Airbus the order will support almost 2,500 jobs. However, the sale goes against easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou. As the largest shareholder he has been a vocal critic of the fleet upgrade.

The deal is still subject to shareholder approval. But Easyjet hopes that it will help them gain ground in the low-cost flight market.

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It began as a lone silent protest in Istanbul’s Taksim Square: one person standing still, staring into space. No chants, no banners, no slogans.

Hours after the first silent protesters took their stand, many others had flocked to join them, defying the Turkish government’s ban on public gatherings in the square.

The new form of expression came after previous rallies were broken up. A similar tactic was adopted by demonstrators in Ankara.

The aim was to take it in turns to prolong the protest but in Istanbul the police had other ideas. After several appeals to leave the square officers intervened in the evening. People were led away quietly and taken away in a bus.

The Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc has raised the idea of deploying troops but later claimed his comments were taken out of context.

“They call the protesters provocateurs, but I think the government and the prime minister are the biggest provocateurs. They don’t see these people, they don’t understand, they don’t want to see what these people are looking for,” said one woman in Istanbul.

More arrests followed on Tuesday morning. Dozens of people have been detained in Istanbul, Ankara and the western city of Eskisehir as the authorities continue their clampdown on the protest movement.

The protests against the government and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policies and style are well into their third week.

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A 98-year-old man has been charged in Hungary with war crimes committed while he served as a Nazi officer nearly 70 years ago.

Laszlo Csatary was named last year as the ‘most wanted Nazi war criminal’ by the Jewish Nazi-hunting NGO, the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Csatary was found guilty in absentia in 1948 of whipping and torturing Jewish prisoners and helping deport them to Auschwitz and other concentration camps during the Holocaust. After receiving the death sentence, he spend decades in hiding. Initially he sought refugee status under an assumed name in Canada until 1997, when he was deported after it was discovered he lied in his application for citizenship. He was eventually found last year by British tabloid journalists in a residential area of Budapest, and was subsequently arrested and placed under house arrest.

A spokesperson for the Budapest Chief Prosecutor’s Office said “He is charged with the unlawful execution and torture of people, committing war crimes partly as a perpetrator, partly as an accomplice.”

He denies any guilt and is expected to got to trial within three months.

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Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in Brazil in a wave of anger against the way the country is being run.

It began as a protest over rising public transport costs but is fast spreading into a far wider revolt – over corruption, public services, and spending on the football World Cup.

They poured into the streets of Rio de Janeiro and several other cities, many responding to calls via social media. Traffic was halted and public buildings besieged.

Although the atmosphere was mostly festive, there were some outbreaks of violence.

Buildings were damaged and in Rio there were clashes between protesters and police.

A modest rise in bus fares in Sao Paolo has sparked a mass protest against the authorities. There were chants of “the people have awakened” and “Brazil is changing”.

The demands are diverse. Many people say they are tired of various grievances: corruption, nepotism, taxes, prices, poor public services.

“It is a cry from society against the corruption that is messing up the country. I recognise that some of protesters’ ideas are wrong. I don’t support 100 percent of it, but I think that in some way society has got tired and is going to say something,” said one young man taking part in the demonstrations.

The protests come as Brazil hosts the Confederations Cup, seen as a dry run for next year’s World Cup.

Many resent billions being spent on new stadiums, arguing public services, health and education are neglected.

The government hopes the sporting events including the 2016 Olympics will boost Brazil’s world standing.

The protests are a clear challenge to its priorities.

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Greece’s government has been forced to back down over the shutdown of the country’s national broadcaster after a court ordered ERT back on air.

The ruling follows last week’s sudden switch-off ordered by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in a bid to save money and please foreign lenders.

The subsequent outcry from journalists, unions and the government’s coalition partners exposed rifts with Samaras’s allies and threw up the spectre of a snap election.

“The court ruling ordering the reopening of the public broadcaster has at least for the time being eased tension between the three partners in the Greek coalition government. But the ERT issue seems to be only the tip of the iceberg in an uneasy relationship that at any time could lead to an early general election,” said euronews reporter Stamatis Giannisis.

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Journalists at ERT reacted with applause and cheers to news of the court ruling ordering the reopening of the Greek broadcaster.

But their relief is only temporary as the court appears to have vindicated Prime Minister Samaras’s stance that a leaner, cheaper, public broadcaster must eventually be set up.

It will mean a drastically changed company with whole departments disappearing when it is relaunched much to the dismay of journalist Marina Demertzian:

“Of course we feel relieved, but we still have a long way to go. We need to discuss with each other, we need to consult with lawyers and we need to decide what to do next. Nothing is finalised, but personally, I wouldn’t want to work for an ERT which doesn’t have its own orchestra anymore.”

Even with the station back on air, it will still be a reduced service and many employees have vowed to continue their occupation of the station.

Reporting for euronews, Nicoleta Drouga said:

“Mixed emotions for the employees; they are still insecure about their jobs and are concerned that very soon the national broadcaster will be turned into something different from what the viewers knew and loved.”

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Diplomatic ‘bons amis’ apart British Prime Minister David Cameron is discovering that hosting a G8 summit is a tough job.

Transatlantic trade and sorting out Syria have dominated the first day in Northern Ireland, but resulting in widely differing degrees of success.

The US and the European Union have however, agreed to launch talks on creating between them a free-trade zone.

“We’re talking about what could be the biggest bilateral trade deal in history, a deal that will have a greater impact than all the other trade deals on the table put together,” announced Prime Minister Cameron.

Trade between the two is worth 455 billion euros per annum but negotiations will not be easy with each side wanting to safeguard particular industries.

“Trade is critical, but it is not alone a silver bullet. It has to be part of a comprehensive strategy that we pursue on both sides of the Atlantic,” warned President Obama.

Later Cameron hosted a dinner where the situation in Syria was the main topic. The US, Britain and France are mulling over supplying military aid to the so-called moderate opposition.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin remains infuriated by this prospect and has vowed to press ahead with delivering arms to the Assad regime.

And there is still no set date for a Geneva peace conference.

“At the end of day one of this summit, Russia and its fellow G8 members remain miles apart on Syria.
The US and its allies are insisting on a peaceful transition of power, while Moscow still refuses to drop its support for its longtime ally, President Assad. As the killing continues, the prospects for long-awaited peace talks in Geneva are looking very bleak indeed,” said euronews reporter James Franey.

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The start of end-of-year exams in Portugal was disrupted on Monday as teachers went on strike
.
The education ministry says around a third of students sitting exams were affected, while teachers’ unions claimed 90% of their members had stopped work to protest at austerity measures slashing jobs and lengthening the working week.

“We’re very anxious. We don’t know when we can come back to sit our exams. The country wants to go forward, but a strike is being held on the day of a national exam,” said one student.

The education ministry says any student who was unable to sit the exam will be able to on July 2.

“I agree with the teachers’ strike. Although the Ministry says that the strike affects students, I think that the rules that are imposed on teachers have also been undermining the students throughout the year,” said another student in Lisbon.

The strike followed demonstrations at the weekend. Portugal’s two union federations have called for a general strike on June 27 in an atmosphere of hardening resistance to the cuts.

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As Russia and the West clash over how to bring an end to the Syria conflict, President Bashar al Assad has issued a warning in an interview with a German newspaper.

Speaking for the first since Friday’s decision by the US to supply arms to Syrian rebels, Assad said Europe will pay the price if it follows Washington’s lead.

He went on to say such a move will backfire as it will spread terrorism leading to Europe’s own backyard becoming a haven for terrorists with extremist ideologies.

Syrian rebels are calling for the West to help arm them against the superior weaponry of Assad’s forces. After having lost the strategically important city of Qusair, they claim regime troops with the help of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants are now planning to re-take Aleppo thus cutting off opposition supplies from nearby Turkey.

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Several hundred striking trade unionists and leftist groups marched in Istanbul on Monday in support of the Gezi park protesters. They attempted to enter Taksim square, but were forced back by police and the crowd was dispersed when the police used rubber bullets and water cannons.

But it was nothing like the violence over the weekend that saw Gezi park cleared of its tents, and hundreds of arrests and injuries. Although the unions’ call for strike action mobilised hundreds of thousands across the country, the prime minister may have ridden out the storm.

“This small-scoped social action in Turkey was not read correctly so it was likened to social actions in North Africa and the Middle East. Some who pretended to be friends have showed how insincere and how artificial they were immediately,” said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The weekend also saw hundreds of thousands turn out in rallies to support their prime minister, whose support from the conservative rural electorate remains solid.

Meanwhile trees are being planted in Gezi park, and the surroundings are being cleared of debris from the 18 days of protests.

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A Greek court has ordered state broadcaster ERT back on air after ruling that the government acted illegally in abruptly shutting it down.

The move comes less than a week after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras closed it down suddenly claiming the operation was corrupt and it need of cost-cutting reform.

But the court has defended the government’s right to close the broadcaster to restart a cheaper version.

The decision has also offered all three sides in Greece’s coalition a way out of an impasse that had raised the spectre of a snap election.

Samaras’ PASOK and Democratic Left partners, who risk humiliation and the loss of any future say in the coalition, have previously rejected his offer of a limited restart of broadcasts.

Our correspondent in Athens, Stamatis Giannisis, says even if the prime minister must reverse his decision, he is still determined to carry out root-and-branch reforms to prove to his supporters that he is not willing to give up austerity measures regardless of the political cost.

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The mayor of Montreal, Michael Applebaum, has been arrested on fraud charges linked to real estate deals worth tens of thousands of euros.

It is the latest in a series of scandals involving Canadian local politics and comes months after his predecessor Gerald Tremblay quit over corruption accusations.

َApplebaum is Montreal’s first Anglophone mayor in a century and pledged to stamp out fraud when he took office last November.

He faces charges relating to acts he is said to have committed as leader of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough between 2006-11.

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Iran’s new president Hassan Rohani has vowed more transparency over its nuclear programme but neighbouring Israel is not convinced.

“The Iranian election clearly reflects deep disaffection of the Iranian people with its regime. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the power to change Iran’s nuclear ambitions which are determined and guided not by the president but by the supreme ruler Ayatollah Khamenei,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The European Union has also reacted to the new political landscape in Iran, with the EU’s foreign policy chief hoping for a swift diplomatic solution on the nuclear issue.

“I will continue with my work to urge Iran to work closely with me and with the E3 plus 3 to build confidence in the nature of a nuclear programme,” said EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton.

Rohani will be hoping to ease economic sanctions placed on his country due to its enrichment of uranium. Western powers fear the programme could enrich uranium to nuclear weapons-grade material.

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A corruption scandal has finally claimed the head of Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas, who has handed in his resignation to President Milos Zeman.

He says he will retire from politics, and his centre-right three-party coalition is now scrambling to find a new prime minister to avoid early elections. However in the current climate it is unsure if the replacement would win a parliamentary vote of confidence.

Necas said goodbye to party workers after leaving office, and will serve out his remaining time as a member of parliament.

“I am leaving politics. Now I will be a simple MP and continue my parliamentary work. Sooner or later there will be elections, the latest in May next year, when I will not stand. The president does not want early elections,” he said.

The Czech republic could be on the verge of a period of political instability triggered by the scandal, which has seen police raids on party offices and the arrests of seven people, notably Necas’s closest advisor, who is suspected of bribery and abuse of power.

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