Rebel News - Independent News and Analysis

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has criticized Stockholm over a Swedish parliament resolution that branded the World War I killing of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire as 'genocide.'

"The resolution on Armenian allegations which was approved by the Swedish Parliament does not have any credibility. Those who made this decision and voted in favor of the resolution were not historians," Gul said on Thursday.

Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Stockholm after the Swedish parliament branded the killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War I as "genocide."

"We strongly condemn this resolution, which is made for political calculations. It does not correspond to the close friendship of our two nations. We are recalling our ambassador for consultations," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement released on Thursday. He also cancelled a Stockholm visit scheduled for next week.

Ukraine's newly appointed Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has promised to push through a realistic budget and to meet Kiev's obligations to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Ahead of his appointment, Azarov, who is a former finance minister, had said that Ukraine's economy was in a dire situation.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner claims that the UN Security Council (UNSC) is drafting new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

According to Kouchner, the UNSC is working on drafting economic sanctions to restrict Iranian banks abroad and insurance of shipments to and from Iran but has yet to reached an agreement yet, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Greek police have clashed with protesters on the streets of Athens as strikes against government's austerity measures paralyze the city.

Violence erupted on Thursday in the capital with riot police firing tear gas at hooded youths, who hurled firebombs and vandalized stores near parliament, AFP reported.

Greek Police have fired teargas to disperse a small group of protesters outside parliament, as the cash-strapped country was hit with a fresh general strike.

Thursday's clashes broke out in Athens between police and around 30 protesters demonstrating against the government's unpopular austerity measures, a package passed into law last Friday.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has taken a swipe at the country's opposition for preventing his People of Freedom party (PDL) from regional elections.

The Italian prime minister, who is also enmeshed with bribery charges, accused the members of the center-left opposition party of barring his party's candidates from registering in Rome electoral offices, calling for a pro-government demonstration on March 21 in Rome.

Moscow has once again hit out at Washington's plans for stationing a missile system in Eastern Europe.

Russia cannot allow US plans to deploy elements of its missile system in Europe to threaten the effectiveness of its nuclear deterrent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Traffic police in Moscow have been accused of making a road block using the cars of passing motorists in an attempt to stop a speeding vehicle. The story came to light after a man claiming to be a witness posted his account of the story on the internet. rt's Sarah Firth has the details.

The European Parliament backs the findings of a UN investigation that highlights Israel's war crimes in Gaza during the December 2008-January 2009 incursion into the costal region.

On Wednesday, European Parliament passed a resolution calling on the European Union to "demand the implementation of the Goldstone report's recommendations."