1. BRICS to found development bank

    BRICS nations have agreed to establish a development bank to fund infrastructure* in the five emerging economies.

    Brazil’s central bank chief said progress was being made on a deal to establish currency swap lines* that would encourage trade, which is likely to be worth in the region of US$100 billion. China would contribute US$41 billion, and Brazil, Russia and India would each contribute US$18 billion, with the remaining US$5 billion from South Africa coming, a BRICS official said.

    2. Financial crisis leads to suicide surge

    The harsh spending cuts introduced by European governments to tackle their debt problems have not only worsened the recession* — they are also being partly blamed for outbreaks* of diseases not normally seen in Europe and an increase in suicides, according to new research.

    Since the crisis first struck in 2008, state-run welfare and health services across Europe have seen their budgets cut, medical treatments rationed*.

    3. Italy FM resigns

    Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi resigned* on March 27, in protest against the government’s decision to send back to India two Italian marines* who are accused of killing Indian fishermen.

    Terzi’s decision to quit came four days after the Italian Government reversed its earlier decision not to send the marines back to India. Massimiliano Latore and Salvatore Girone face murder charges for the shooting deaths of two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in February last year.

    4. Policeman jailed for selling stories

    A former policeman was jailed on March 27 for selling information to Britain’s top-selling newspaper, The Sun.

    Ex-policeman Alan Tierney was jailed for 10 months by a judge at England’s Old Bailey central criminal court in London.

    Tierney gave the tabloid, which is owned by media baron* Rupert Murdoch, tip-offs about the arrests of the mother of English footballer John Terry, and he also gave them information about Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.

    Tierney, 40, admitted misconduct in public office earlier this month.

    5. U.S. deploys bombers over S. Korea

    Two nuclear-capable U.S. B-2 stealth bombers* flew what the U.S. military described as “deterrence” missions over South Korea on March 28.

    The two planes, flying out of Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri, flew the 20,900-kilometer round trip* in a “single continuous mission,” dropping dummy bombs on a target range in the South, the U.S. military said in a press release.

    6. N. Korea warns Seoul of ‘state of war’

    North Korea warned Seoul on Saturday that the Korean Peninsula had entered “a state of war” and threatened to shut down the Kaesong Industrial Park where several South Korean companies have settled.

    Analysts say a full-scale conflict is extremely unlikely. But North Korea’s continued threats toward Seoul and Washington, including a vow to launch a nuclear strike, have raised worries that a misjudgment between the sides could lead to a clash.

    7. Eiffel Tower evacuated after threat

    The Eiffel Tower was evacuated on Saturday night after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat, police said.

    Nearly 1,400 people were sent away from the tourist attraction following a request from tower operators after the warning, a Paris police official said. Police then searched the monument with sniffer dogs.

    No explosives were found and the site was reopened. The police allowed the public back after the search. (SD-Agencies)