World Briefs

Chatting on a mobile phone in front of Westminster Cathedral, Colin Firth went almost unnoticed.

Shoppers and tourists flocked past as The King’s Speech star worked on scenes for his latest film.

Dressed in a nondescript grey suit, a pair of glasses and with ruffled hair, few appeared to recognise the A-list star standing next to a newly-assembled flower stand.

Many ignored him entirely, taking pictures of the London landmark instead.

But some onlookers – drawn by the sight of cameramen and security guards – paused to watch the 50-year-old as he ran through his lines.

Behind him, crew members hosed down an area in front of the cathedral, creating the impression of recent rain.

Colin, who was recently awarded a CBE for his Oscar-winning performance as stuttering monarch King George VI, is starring opposite Cameron Diaz in a remake of 1966 crime caper Gambit.

In the new version, scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen, he plays a London art curator who tries to con a wealthy collector into buying a fake Monet painting.

Cameron stars as a Texan rodeo worker who is roped into the plot.

The original version – with Sir Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine – was nominated for three Oscars.

Moody’s puts Italy credit under review

Moody’s is warning that it may reduce Italy’s credit rating over concerns about the country’s ability to spur growth and reduce public debt, one of the highest in Europe.

It also cited fragile market sentiment for European countries with high levels of public debt, which pushes up borrowing costs.

The warning follows a similar move by Standard and Poor’s, which cut its rating outlook for Italy’s debt from stable to negative. Moody’s currently rates Italy an Aa2.

The head of the eurogroup, Jean-Claude Juncker, warned yesterday that the Greek debt crisis could spread to at least five other European countries, including Italy, if it is not cautiously managed.

Marines fire on passenger plane

South Korean Marines fired rifles at a civilian plane as it was descending to land after mistaking it for a North Korean military aircraft, an airline official said yesterday.

The Asiana Airlines jet, carrying about 119 people, was undamaged and no one was hurt.

An Asiana official confirmed that marines fired small weapons at one of the airline’s planes coming from China and that there was no damage.

Two marine guards stationed on Gyodong island near the border fired rifle rounds at the flight as it approached Incheon International Airport west of Seoul, mistaking it for a North Korean military plane, the Yonhap news agency said.

The jet was flying out of range of the rifles and avoided damage, it said.

Flooded China river reaches highest level

A flooded river in eastern China is at its highest level in more than 50 years, and thousands of train passengers were stranded after landslides buried parts of a railway line in the south west, officials said.

Flooding in China over the past two weeks has left more than 170 people dead or missing and forced out residents in regions along the Yangtze River.

Since Monday, flooding and rains have killed 25 people, left 25 missing and forced about 671,200 to evacuate from their homes across the south, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a report on its website.

The landslides and mudslides have toppled homes and blocked roads, and the torrential rains that caused them are forecast to last through the weekend.

Rebels blamed for border skirmishes

Burma’s government has blamed ethnic Kachin rebels for starting a week of fighting along the country’s north eastern border with China.

The state-run New Light of Burma reported yesterday that the army battled rebels only to protect a major Chinese-built hydroelectric power project that had come under threat.

The government’s comment was the first by the repressive nation’s rulers since fighting broke out with the Kachin Independence Army on June 1, displacing at least 10,000 people.

IMF reduces US growth prediction

The International Monetary Fund said the US economy will grow at a slower pace this year than previously estimated, dragged down by higher oil prices and lower factory output.

The lending organisation also warns that the European debt crisis poses a growing threat to the global economy.

It says investors are increasingly concerned that Greece’s government will not be able to implement the changes necessary to avoid defaulting on its debt.

The US is forecast to grow 2.5 per cent this year, down from the IMF’s April estimate of 2.8 per cent. That is also below the 2.9 per cent growth recorded in 2010. The global economy will likely grow 4.3 per cent, down from an earlier estimate of 4.4 per cent.

The IMF said large budget deficits in the US and Japan could also threaten the recovery.