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Angela Merkel: Germany's 'Frau Nein' By Stephen Evans BBC News, Berlin When Margaret Thatcher wanted to show how she certainly wouldn't be caving in to any outside pressure, she just stood in front of a battery of television cameras, looked them straight in the lens and said: "The lady is not for turning". Chancellor Merkel has a different style but her intransigence seems comparable. She's "Madame Non" in French papers. "The Iron Chancellor" grabs the headline writers. And "Frau Nein" is a favourite, too. “The German constitution makes strict rules about parliament determining budgets - not Brussels” End Quote And as she heads to yet another summit billed as the one to save the euro, she's made it as plain as the Brandenburg Gate that there will be no open-ended collective commitment to pay the debts of individual countries in the eurozone. ...

Amit Gupta and the social media search for a cure By Kate Dailey and Matt Danzico BBC News Magazine The BBC visits the Punjabi Professional Happy Hour in New York City to find out how potential donors are registering to help Mr Gupta's campaign Does social media amplify our sense of responsibility to one another? Amit Gupta, a cancer patient and tech entrepreneur, tests the strength of the web. When Amit Gupta was diagnosed with acute leukaemia, the 32-year old technology entrepreneur did what most people in that position do: turned to his friends and family to find a bone marrow donation. But Mr Gupta, who founded the photo site Photojojo, has a few more friends to draw from than the average cancer patient: 17,700 on Twitter, 13,000 on Facebook (plus 422 subscribers) plus a strong web presence on Tumblr, Flickr and other social media platforms...

S&P warns euro nations of possible credit downgrade   The euro fell on news of the S&P announcement Ratings agency Standard and Poor's has put almost the entire eurozone, including Germany and France, on "credit watch" due to fears over the impact of the debt crisis. S&P's move means six countries with top AAA ratings would have a 50% chance of seeing their ratings downgraded. The news came as a surprise to investors and saw stocks fall back on early gains as the euro also fell. France and Germany say a new EU treaty is needed to tackle the crisis. The proposal came after talks in Paris between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They said all 17 eurozone states should should face greater checks on their budgets and sanctions if they run up deficits, and that a new treaty should be completed by March to ensure such a crisis never happens again. “S&P says it wants eurozone lea...

ایڈز:معاشرے کی سوچ میں تبدیلی آ رہی ہے ریاض سہیل بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، کراچی لاڑکانہ میں ایڈز کے مریضوں کی تعداد دیگر علاقوں سے زیادہ ہے پاکستان میں ایڈز کے مریضوں کی تعداد ایک لاکھ چھ ہزار تک پہنچ گئی ہے اور صوبہ سندھ کے ایڈز کنٹرول پروگرام کے مطابق ان مریضوں میں سے نصف کا تعلق صوبہ سندھ سے ہے۔ یکم دسمبر کو دنیا بھر میں ایڈز سے آگاہی کا عالمی دن منایا جاتا ہے۔ اسی سلسلے میں سندھ میں ایڈز کنٹرول پروگرام کے ڈپٹی پروگرام مینیجر قمر عباس نے بی بی سی اردو سے بات کرتے ہوئے بتایا ہے کہ سندھ میں حکومتی اور نجی سطح پر جو نیٹ ورک بنایا گیا ہے، اس سے لوگوں میں ایڈز کے بارے میں شعور پیدا ہورہا ہے۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ’جو لوگ پہلے اسے بدنامی کا سبب سمجھتے تھے اب ان کی سوچ میں تبدیلی آرہی ہے اور اس تبدیلی کی وجہ سے اس مرض کی تشخیص میں اضافہ ہو رہا ہے‘۔ سندھ میں غیر سرکاری تنظیموں کی مدد سے کچھ سیکس ورکرز، خواجہ سراؤں، ٹرک ڈرائیوروں اور نشہ آور انجکشن استعمال کرنے والوں کے ٹیسٹ بھی کیے گئے جن میں سے چند لوگ ایچ آئی وی پازیٹو سامنے آئے۔ ماہرین کا کہنا ہے کہ ...

Eurozone: France and Germany call for tougher Europe treaty Mr Sarkozy said things in Europe could not continue as they were The leaders of France and Germany say the EU needs a new treaty to deal with the eurozone debt crisis. The statement from French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel came after they held crisis talks in Paris. Mr Sarkozy said a new treaty should be in place by March to ensure such a crisis never happened again. They said eurozone states should face greater checks on their budgets and sanctions if they ran up deficits. The Paris talks come ahead of an EU summit on Friday that is being seen as crucial for the future of the single currency. Mrs Merkel said France and Germany wanted to see "structural changes which go beyond agreements". The two leaders said they wanted treaty changes to be implemented by all 27 EU member states, but if that was not possible, just the 17 states which ...

Antarctic's hidden world revealed   By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News, San Francisco Ever wondered what Antarctica would look like without all that ice? Scientists have produced the most detailed map yet of the White Continent's underbelly - its rock bed. Called simply BEDMAP, this startling view of the landscape beneath the ice incorporates decades of survey data acquired by planes, satellites, ships and even people on dog-drawn sleds. It is remarkable to think that less than 1% of this rock base projects above the continent's frozen veil. In the map at the top of this page, the highest elevations are marked in red/black. The light blue colour shows the extent of the continental shelf. The lowest elevations are dark blue. You will note the deep troughs within the interior of the continent that are far below today's sea level. An animated v...