Rebel News - Independent News and Analysis

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has rejected pressure by the US and a number of other nations for a faster appreciation of the Chinese currency.

"A country's exchange rate policy and its exchange rates should depend on its national economy and economic situation," DPA quoted Wen as saying on Sunday.

Opinion polls suggest heavy losses for French President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling party in France's March 14 regional elections.

French citizens go to the polls on Sunday in order to decide the governments for 26 regions in metropolitan France and the overseas territories.

Thousands of Indonesians have held rallies in cities across the country to protest a visit by the US president later this month.

The rallies have been staged by the Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir. The protesters shouted slogans against Barack Obama and his war policies.

Vatican officials have denounced attempts to link Pope Benedict XVI to a child abuse scandal in his German homeland.

"The accusations are failed attempts to involve the Holy Father" in the sexual abuse scandals, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Saturday.

Finland's foreign minister claims consensus in the European Union for new Iran sanctions over its nuclear program vowing to act unilaterally without a UN resolution.

Following the footsteps of the US, Alexander Stubb, whose country is hosting a meeting of EU foreign ministers and Turkey, announces that the European bloc will impose unilateral sanctions on Tehran in case Beijing and Moscow refuse to support a similar move at the UN Security Council.

With Israel making apparent efforts to build a case for war on Tehran, the Obama administration reportedly considers denying Tel Aviv the military items needed for an attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak had reportedly required the urgent delivery of a long list of US-made military equipment, including systems needed by the Israeli Air Force, certain types of missiles and advanced electronic war equipment; military sources told DEBKA on conditions of anonymity.

China says the United States violated its sovereignty by selling arms to Taiwan and welcoming the Dalai Lama to the White House.

"The responsibility for the serious disruption in US-China ties does not lie with the Chinese side but with the US," Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in response to a question at a news conference on Sunday.

Following a restriction on al-Aqsa mosque compound (Temple Mount), Israel has extended the closure on the occupied West Bank to avoid tensions erupting over plans to build new housing units in east Jerusalem al-Quds.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak extended the lockdown previously due to end Saturday night, to the following Tuesday at midnight, AFP reported Sunday.

A powerful blast hits the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, a few hours after a series of explosions left 35 people killed in the city.

The explosion stroke a district in southern part of the city early Sunday morning, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The United Arab Emirates hopes the international community will solve its row with Iran over its nuclear activities "through diplomatic means” before any international sanctions are imposed by the UN Security Council.

“The UAE expects the international community to resolve its dispute with Iran by means of diplomatic channels before taking the decision to slap a new round of sanctions on Tehran,” UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said at a joint press conference with visiting Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.