Europe's top banker calls for calm

Europe's top banker calls for calm: " • Jean-Claude Trichet says euro critics will be proved wrong• Expert says euro is limping towards its end• Fears of contagion from Irish bailout are growingEurope's top central banker tried to calm the financial markets after another turbulent day when the borrowing costs of several major economies remained at unsustainably high levels.Amid signs that the contagion from Ireland's debt crisis was spreading to some of the biggest economies in the 16 nation eurozone, the premium demanded by investors to hold Spanish, Italian and Belgian government bonds compared with German bonds touched record levels.French,...

Read more »

Students ignore chill in mass rally

Students ignore chill in mass rally: " • Marches in cities across UK pass off mostly peacefully• Significant clashes with police only in LondonThe third and most peaceful mass protests against the government's higher education plans took place today as thousands of students took to the streets despite the freezing weather.Large demonstrations took place in Brighton, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and London, and there were only minor outbreaks of disorder with about two dozen arrests across the country.Students got on to rooftops, stormed their way into council buildings, and stopped traffic in dozens of town centres, many...

Read more »