Rebel News - Independent News and Analysis

France's Defense Ministry has announced that Moscow is seeking to buy three more Mistral class warships from Paris, after reports of an agreement on the sale of one ship.

The Monday announcement may spark fresh concerns in Tbilisi, which had opposed the negotiations over purchase of the 21,300-ton amphibious assault ship.

Serbia is trying to promote itself as a major international weapons exporter, hoping to boost revenues to $500m this year. Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq, Egypt and Algeria, are among the biggest clients. In the past, Serbian arms dealers broke UN sanctions and sold weapons to Saddam Hussein, the slain Iraqi leader. Experts say the trade has since cleaned up, but the morality of some potential deals is still questioned. Al Jazeera's Barnaby Philips reports from the capital, Belgrade.

The eurozone has plunged into the biggest crisis of its 11-year-old rule, mainly because of the swelling public deficit in Portugal, Spain and Greece.

Analysts warn that the crisis portends years of belt-tightening with a vicious financial cycle - the more fears over deficit and debts grow, the more difficult it becomes for the troubled eurozone nations to borrow money.

BAE Systems says it is preparing to pay nearly $450 million in penalties — one of the heaviest fines ever paid over corporate bribery.

The world's No. 2 defense contractor will plead guilty under its agreements with the US Justice Department and Britain's anti-fraud agency for making false statements.

European stock markets fell for the third day in a row on Friday. The drop came amid increasing fears that some of the European Union's weaker economies including Greece, Spain, and Portugal might default on their debts. The concerns have also caused the euro to fall to its lowest point against the US dollar in more than eight months. Al Jazeera's Tania Page reports.

BAE Systems says it is preparing to pay nearly $450 million in penalties — one of the biggest-ever fines — over alleged corporate bribery.

The world's No. 2 defense contractor will plead guilty under its agreements with the US Justice Department and Britain's anti-fraud agency for making false statements.

The economy is in trouble again. European stock markets are rapidly falling due to concerns about debt repayment in Portugal and Greece. Portugal is facing a political crisis over the country's economic troubles. Fernando Teixeira Dos Santos, Portugal's finance minister, joins the show to discuss this. Plus, Alex Brummer, the city editor of the uk's Daily Mail newspaper, analyses the financial crisis facing Europe and Alex Stubb, Finland's foreign minister, talks about the relationship between the European Union and the US.

Balli Aviation Ltd., a UK based company, pleaded guilty to criminal charges involving the illegal export of commercial Boeing 747 aircraft from the US to Iran.

The plea agreement requires a civil penalty of $15 million, of which $2 million will be suspended as long as no additional export control violations are reported. Additionally, Balli is denied export privileges for five years.