In brief: Greek prime minister appeals to Russian economic forum

St. Petersburg, Russia – With his Balkan nation on the brink of economic collapse, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told a Russian economic forum Friday that he was in search of “new harbors” from the storm of criticism and crippling austerity measures imposed on Greece by its creditors.

At the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Tsipras cast Greece as a ship navigating troubled waters as it faces a June 30 deadline for a $1.8 billion loan payment that it can’t cover without borrowing more.

The quest for new refuge sounded to many like an appeal for a Russian loan to tide Athens over the looming debt payment. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Tsipras made no appeal for direct financial aid during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Japan plans to continue Antarctic whale hunts

Tokyo – Japan says it plans to resume whale hunts in the Antarctic later this year, even though the International Whaling Commission says Tokyo hasn’t proven that the mammals need to be killed for research.

The IWC’s Scientific Committee said in a report Friday that it wasn’t able to determine whether lethal sampling is necessary for whale stock management and conservation.

Japanese officials said Friday they will submit additional data to support their argument. They said Japan still plans to resume whaling in the Antarctic this winter season.

Assange passes third year in Ecuador’s London embassy

London – Julian Assange marked three years inside Ecuador’s London embassy Friday, still facing arrest should he ever step outside.

The WikiLeaks founder entered the building on June 19, 2012, to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning about alleged sexual assaults.

British police stand outside the diplomatic mission, ready to detain him if he leaves. London’s Metropolitan Police says the round-the-clock operation has cost $17.6 million through April.

Sweden wants to question Assange over alleged rape, sexual molestation and coercion involving two Swedish women he met in 2010. Assange denies the allegations and believes extradition to Sweden is merely the first step in efforts to bring him to the U.S. over WikiLeaks’ secret-spilling activities.