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Swedish Alpine skiing star Anja Paerson announced on Monday that she will retire after this week’s World Cup finals, ending a 14-year career in which she won six Olympic medals.
The 30 year old, who was unable to compete at her highest level recently due to a knee injury, made her World Cup debut at the 1998 finals in Switzerland and the season-ending event in Austria will be her last.
Paerson, a member of the International Ski Federation athletes commission, added she had not yet made plans for the future.
More about: Olympic Games, Skiing, SwedenCopyright © 2012 euronews

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos will run unopposed for the leadership of the Socialist PASOK party.?�Venizelos now looks certain to become leader in an internal ballot on March 18, replacing former prime minister George Papandreou..?�?�However, winning the next parliamentary election?� will be far harder with?�PASOK?�currently behind the conservatives in the polls.
More about: Evangelos Venizelos, Greece, Greece politics, Legislative electionCopyright © 2012 euronews

The UN and Arab League’s special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, has met President Bashar al-Assad to call for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict.
Syrian state TV said the meeting in Damascus took place in a “positive atmosphere”.
It came a day after government forces are said to have killed more than 70 people across Syria, mainly in Homs and the northern province of Idlib.
Last week the UN’s refugee agency said neighbouring Lebanon had received more than 1,500 people, mostly women and children, who’d crossed the border from Syria fleeing the violence.
One hospital in northern Lebanon has witnessed a steady flow of wounded arriving from Syria: 180 in February, almost another 40 this month.
Some say they dare not seek treatment in Syrian hospitals because they claim security forces seek out opponents of the regime among the injured and kill them.
Kofi Annan was also expected to call on President Assad to allow access for humanitarian aid.
More about: Bashar al-Assad, Ceasefire, Diplomatic mission, Kofi Annan, SyriaCopyright © 2012 euronews

There is anger in Israel at moves within the UN to investigate the effect of Jewish settlements on Palestinian human rights.
Israel is considering severing ties with the UN Human Rights Council and withdrawing its ambassador after the organisation voted to establish a fact-finding mission in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel and the residents disagree.
“The fact that Israel is repeatedly made into an scapegoat is not only infuriating, it is embarrassing to the rest of the world because once again they allow the Jews to be scapegoats for the entire world,” said Semin Navon, a Jewish settler living in the West Bank.
The Council meeting in Geneva called on Israel to co-operate fully with the mission and not obstruct the process.
“We will do all that is in our power to force the Israeli government to stop settlement building, including in Jerusalem, and to accept the 1967 borders, in an attempt to preserve the option of a two state solution in the face of an Israeli government that is tactically destroying this option,” said Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Palestinians face restrictions in most Jewish settlement areas.
A total of 36 of the Council’s 47 members voted for the mission. Ten countries abstained, including several in Europe. Only the US voted against, calling the resolution biased against Israel.
More about: Diplomatic tension, Israel, United Nations, West BankCopyright © 2012 euronews

Benfica go into their Champions League last-16 second leg against Zenit St Petersburg in Lisbon desperate to overturn a grim lack of form that began with the first leg defeat in Russia.
They lost that match 3-2 to a last-gasp Zenit goal. Benfica have failed to win anything since and let go of a five point lead at the top of the domestic league, slipping to second.
Benfica Coach Jorge Jesus said: “The fact that we arrive at the second leg with a 3-2 disadvantage can still leave us with some confidence. We believe we have every chance of going through but we are also sure that were playing against a strong team.”
Zenit welcome back some experience in the form of their goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeyev after a calf injury and the Italian international Domenico Criscito returns after missing the first leg with food poisoning.
Zenit are riding high in the Russian league at the moment, but will miss Portugal’s midfielder Danny who has had ligament surgery and Andrei Arshavin, who is ineligible because he is on loan from Arsenal, he played for them earlier in the competition.
Zenit Coach Luciano Spalletti said: “I don’t want to get into who is favourite, we will just think about getting in there and playing 90 minutes with all our quality and all we got because this is the most important match in Zenit’s history.”
Arsenal welcome AC Milan to north London and the hosts are facing a four goal first-leg mountain to climb just to draw level.
Arsenal remain unbeaten in their last 12 Champions League home games, 10 of which they have won.
Manager Arsene Wenger said the Dutch striker Robin van Persie will have a pivotal role, having scored 31 goals in all competitions this season.
The Milan coach has said there is still hard work to do by his team despite their advantage and warned against underestimating the task ahead.
But Massimiliano Allegri added that he believes his Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic is among the three best players in the world at the moment.
More about: Champions league, Football, Portugal, United KingdomCopyright © 2012 euronews

The Greek government kept talking with the troika of the EU, IMF and ECB, and also with their private lending sources, until they finally had a plan that meant Greece would not go skidding off the road out of control: history’s biggest sovereign debt restructuring deal. It will mean paying back smaller instalments but for longer.
German and French big banks agreed to accept being paid back just a quarter of the amount Greece originally signed up to pay them for the money it borrowed. That is the private sector’s concession.
That is what countries needed to go with the loan of 130 billion euros to Greece, the Second Rescue Package. Without this, an interest repayment (14.5 billion euros) for its debt which has to be made this March 20 could not happen.
The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, also notes the contribution of pension funds and insurance firms.
Christine Lagarde said: “It’s a combination of the European partners reducing the interest that they charge Greece for lending to Greece, it’s the private sector that is the banks and pension funds and the insurance companies that have bought Greek debt, accepting a haircut on their Greek debt.”
What all that is supposed to do is allow Greece to gradually reduce its debt, from 160 percent of the national income to 120 percent of GDP over the next eight years.
That is still very high for a country with a clifftop economy. It is in its fifth year of recession. The last quarter of last year saw GDP reduced by 7.5 percent, compared to 12 months earlier.
For every five cars sold before the crisis, dealers are now selling one.
December unemployment was 21 percent, double the EU average, and half of all young people are not in work. And elections are to be held in April. The next government will have a very thin patient to nurse back to health.
Despite Greece deal, eurozone could ‘explode’?�euronews spoke to?�Marc Touati, an economist and?�CEO of Assya financial company in Paris.?�euronews:“Talking about Greece -?�Athens?�has reached a deal with?�its creditors. Because?�they?�had to?�make a deal, doesn’t that mean a default was already likely?”?�Touati:“It’s clear that this is a kind of escapism,?�a hidden defect, and?�we haven’t solved the fundamental problem – that is?�the?�lack of growth. Increasing growth is the only way to reduce public debt over the medium term. For now, we’re just using a?�big bandage to plaster over bigger problems,?�and overall we’re very far from?�saving Greece.”?�euronews:“Yet this morning, international institutions are unanimous and talking about success?”?�Touati:“This is an?�incredible?�deal.?�That?�the banks and?�private investors have finally agreed to?�lose half of?�what they are due?�with regard to?�Greece -?�cancelling half of the debt. They also?�agreed to?�exchange?�old claims for new ones with the new bonds which are worth less and pay less interest in the future.?�But it is not a complete success, only?�85 percent of private debt holders have agreed?�to accept the losses in the new deal. The target was set at around 90 -?�95 percent. Moreover, the Greeks will have to go further. They have to exercise what?�are called Credit Action Clauses, which will force some creditors to accept?�the?�losses they haven’t agreed to.”?�euronews:“You’re saying we’ve only?�gained some?�time?”?�Touati:“That is what we’ve been?�doing for the last three years of the Greek crisis. We’ve?�just gained time and?�haven’t addressed the root of the problem.?�And?�it’s not?�just?�Greece that is a?�concern.?�Except for?�Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, all countries in the eurozone are hit by this, including France. For the last five years, none of these countries have experienced enough growth. They’ve only?�been paying the interest on the debt every?�year.?�“We’ve forgotten the essential thing, which is?�growth. And we’re not going to return to growth?�because of all the?�austerity measures and other things. ?�“Basically it’s useless to get a cure when you’re already dead! That’s the case with Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy. What we need above all is growth, and unfortunately nothing is being done to support growth.”?�euronews:“In practical terms what does?�this mean for the Greek people. How?�can they?�withstand this squeeze?”?�Marc Touati“Fiscal consolidation is important, but there?�also needs to be a little?�sugar?�to sweeten the pill.This would include?�encouraging?�growth, having a weaker euro, lowering interest rates, having?�a European central bank that directly buys public debt, allowing banks to finance the economy.?�Then, in parallel,?�having?�a plan to revive the eurozone, funded by eurobonds.?�“None of?�this has?�been done. The Germans don’t want it.?�It’s easy to understand their stance because today there really are too many countries?�-particularly France -?�which had lax fiscal discipline. Without growth, we can’t get out of the crisis and unfortunately this crisis will take time.”?�euronews:“You’ve just written a book called ‘If the Eurozone Exploded’.?�Do?�you believe the eurozone could still explode?”?�Touati“We must talk about real problems and?�real dangers that now?�face the eurozone. We knew from the outset that the eurozone?�would be?�threatened as long as it is not an optimal currency union with perfect integration of the various economies, tax harmonization, standardisation of regulation, a federal budget, and other mechanisms. ?�“In addition to all this, we haven’t restored growth. ?�“If we continue like this, I’m sorry to say, in the next five years, the eurozone and will certainly end up exploding.”
More about: Debt crisis, European Union, Greece, Greek debtCopyright © 2012 euronews

Safe in Arsal, in the highlands of Lebanon, Syrian refugees have braved the cold and fear of the Syrian army to get here. In the last few days, hundreds of ordinary people have run for the hills to escape the fierce bombardment of their towns and villages, near the border.
A father said: “The bullets were coming at us from all directions, then we escaped towards the south, which we had been told would lead us to Lebanon. But when we reached Lebanon, the Lebanese army was not letting people in. Some people took us in their car and drove us through the mountains until we reached Arsal. That was yesterday, in the snow and rain, with these children.”
Other groups say that only women and children are being allowed to cross the border. These two families went over at Al Joushe. They are among around 2,000 people who have fled Qusair and have not been stopped by the Syrian armed forces.
Hassanah Abu Firas, a refugee, said: “What are we supposed to do? People are sitting in their homes and they are hitting us with tanks. Those who can flee, flee. Those who can’t will die.”
Qusair is not much more than 20 kilometres from Syria’s border with Lebanon. The town of 40,000 people has been under siege by the army of President Bashar al-Assad for six months. Food and fuel can not get in. Weapons and medical supplies are smuggled in from Lebanon.
Residents said the bombardment began before an army assault on the town on Sunday: “A man drinking tea here was hit by a shell and killed. Assad’s troops fired it.”
Now that Homs has been crushed, other towns now await the Syrian army, such as Idlib. Only members of the rebel Free Syrian Army are staying. Women and children are sent off to try and make it to Lebanon. Most say they will wait for a change in government before they risk coming back.
More about: Civil War, Refugees, Syria, Unrest in the Arab worldCopyright © 2012 euronews

MIDO, the International Optics, Optometry and Ophthalmology Exhibition, is the leading global eyewear trade show held in Milan. This year it attracted more than 1,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries all over the world. From the very largest global players to the smallest start-ups, everyone was there.
MIDO is a chance for opticians, eye specialists and buyers from across the globe to network and source products.
Polaroid’s 3D glasses are equipped with unique premium 3D circular polarized lenses. Eva Dudek, the project manager with Polaroid Eyewear, said: “There are actually two big 3D technologies right now in the market, one is active that works with frames with batteries, one is passive which uses circular polarisation. All the glasses that Polaroid produces in 3D have circular polarisation and can be used in any passive 3D device such as cinema or 3D TVs.”
Electromagnetic pollution break-up poses a health risk. Italian company i.Care has developed technology based on activated silicon bio-magnets capable of converting harmful electro-smog frequencies in harmonic body forces. Professor Flavio Gazzola, an expert in electronic medical checkups, explained: “Bio-magnets are silicon microchips capable of protecting the body from the effects of electro-smog aligning the chaotic energy of electro-smog in harmony with the body’s forces.”
Sole Amico – the Sun Friend – was also unveiled at MIDO. It is a free app for iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones designed to give personalised advice on protecting the eyes and skin from UV rays. It uses information on time, weather conditions and geography as well as on the user??�s physical characteristics and age to produce advice on staying safe in the sun.
For more information see http://www.mido.it
More about: Milano, TechnologyCopyright © 2012 euronews