The French and German leaders emergency talks with Greece's PM

The euro zone planning to save Greece from bankruptcy is not up for renegotiation, Germany has warned, ahead of urgent talks with Greece and France.

Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said "[What] we just agreed last week cannot be placed back on the table". Greek PM George Papandreou is to meet France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel later on Thursday.

The meetings come a day after Mr Papandreou said Greece would hold a referendum on the euro zone rescue plan. Overnight, Greece's cabinet gave unanimous backing to Mr Papandreou's controverisial plan for a public vote, which could take place in December.

He told an emergency cabinet meeting a referendum would offer "a clear mandate" for austerity measures demanded by euro zone partners.

Earlier, stock markets recorded big drops amid shocked reactions in euro zone capitals to the referendum announcement.

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Australia floods force evacuations, recede in coal mine area

Floodwater eased in Australia's major coal mining area on Tuesday to allow some mines to leisurely start again make although most remain idle as overwhelming floods affect some 200,000 people and force towns to be evacuate. Floods have snowed under or disrupted life across an area the size of France and Germany combined, according to the prime minister of Queensland State, and more people evacuated their homes on Tuesday as others build moats and sandbag levees to stop waters rolling downstream.

The climate bureau has declared flood caution for seven river systems in Queensland, with monsoon rains forecast for the state's steamy north and thunderstorms for the southeast. The state is the world's biggest exporter of petroleum used in steel-making and the floodwater have brought manufacture and shipments abroad to a virtual idle, approaching world coal prices higher.

Queensland supply Council said it would take until next week to determine when exports would return to normal. "This is a three part drama: first mining construction has to resume, then transport and then ports," said a payment spokesman. a lot of miners sent home to defend their houses and family were now cleaning-up property as waters recede, while others could not come again to mines since rail lines and roads were still flooded.

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