European Union

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Hacker Morphs Spanish Prez Into Mr. Bean

Prankster hijacks Spain's EU site

(Newser) - A hacker yesterday redirected visitors to Spain's EU presidency website to a page replacing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's image with that of Mr. Bean. The goofy, benign comedy character appeared with the words: "Hi there." Zapatero's resemblance to Rowan Atkinson's bumbling character is a long-running joke...

EU Closes Microsoft Antitrust Case

No fines assessed, thanks to deal to add browsers on Windows 7

(Newser) - The EU formally ended its decade-long antitrust battle against Microsoft today, consummating a deal made this summer. Microsoft has agreed to include rival browsers, including Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome, on European releases of Windows 7. In exchange, it won’t be assessed yet another fine—EU regulators have fined...

Neapolitan Pizza Wins Protected Status

EU moves to protect 'mother of all pizzas' from imitations

(Newser) - Is the base more than an eighth-of-an-inch thick? Mozzarella from cows, not buffalo? Tomatoes not San Marzano? If not, that's not a Neapolitan pizza and you'll now be breaking EU law if you call it one. Neapolitan pizza—according to many, the mother of all pizzas—was granted the EU's...

EU to Call for Divided Jerusalem

Israel outraged, Livni says move 'not helpful and wrong'

(Newser) - European Union foreign ministers will call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with East Jerusalem serving as the capital of Palestine, when they meet in Brussels next week. A Swedish draft of the resolution obtained by Haaretz implies that the EU would recognize a Palestinian declaration of statehood....

Europe Divided on Medicinal Pot

Chances of unified marijuana policy up in smoke

(Newser) - Wildly different laws among the EU's 27 nations mean a unified policy on medicinal marijuana is expected to remain a pipe dream for many years to come. The Netherlands has not only legalized medicinal marijuana, but set up a government bureau to ensure users get top-quality pot. Sweden, Britain, and...

Poor Nations Stiffed on Climate Pledges

Billions in promised cash unaccounted for

(Newser) - Huge sums of money promised by EU countries to help poor nations cope with climate change have melted away faster than Arctic ice. The EU and five other industrialized nations promised developing countries $410 million a year in the 2001 Bonn declaration, but the UN funds set up to deal...

Court Bans Crucifixes in Italian Classrooms

Government plans to appeal European decision

(Newser) - A European court has ruled that the presence of crucifixes in Italian classrooms violates religious freedom. In a decision denounced by Italian politicians, the court said the compulsory display of the crucifix prevents parents from raising kids with the religion of their choice and restricts the "right of children...

Sarko's $400K Shower Steams French
 Sarko's $400K 
 Shower Steams French 
CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION
Oct 28, 2009 2:58 PM CDT

Sarko's $400K Shower Steams French

French president's turn as EU chief cost double the usual amount

(Newser) - The French Senate is perhaps understandably miffed at the outrageous price tag of Nicolas Sarkozy’s 6-month stint as president of the European Union. The half-year job of hosting meetings and events appears to have cost $262 million, which is borne mostly by the host nation, an official tells the...

Early Irish Returns Show Win for EU Treaty

(Newser) - On the second try, Ireland has delivered "a convincing win" for the European Union's reform treaty, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said today, with the "yes" vote running about 60%  nationwide in early returns. "I'm absolutely delighted for the country. It looks like a convincing win...

Blair Set to Become First European President

Ex-PM expected to become President Blair if Irish pass treaty

(Newser) - Tony Blair could be installed as Europe's first-ever president within weeks if Ireland, in voting today, approves the treaty creating the job. Nicolas Sarkozy believes Blair is the best man for the job, sources tell the Times. Angela Merkel initially believed the job should go to somebody from a country...

EU Report: Georgia Started War
 EU Report: Georgia Started War 
Sep 30, 2009 8:30 AM CDT

EU Report: Georgia Started War

But Russia broke international law, militia committed genocide

(Newser) - Georgia was responsible for triggering last summer’s war with Russia, a European Union investigation has concluded. But Russia was far from blameless, laying the foundation for the war and breaking international law by invading. The report, which was reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, also accuses Russian-backed South Ossetian...

Euro Bulb Ban Begins, But Many Take Dim View of CFLs

Consumers stockpile aesthetically pleasing old-school bulbs

(Newser) - Though proponents plug the financial savings and good climate karma of compact fluorescent light bulbs, not everyone thinks the European ban on most incandescent bulbs that kicks in tomorrow is such a bright idea, the New York Times reports. Consumers across the continent are hoarding old-school bulbs, worried over the...

All That Folic Acid May Give You Cancer

Fortified cereals, breads, vitamins could overwhelm your liver

(Newser) - Health experts once trumpeted folic acid, but now warn against taking too much of a good thing, the Economist reports. For more than 10 years, aspiring mothers have been told to down double the recommended dose with vitamin pills, and some countries have added folic acid to grain products. It's...

Teen to Blame for Exploding iPhone? So Says Apple
Teen to Blame for Exploding iPhone? So Says Apple
ANALYSIS
Aug 29, 2009 5:11 PM CDT

Teen to Blame for Exploding iPhone? So Says Apple

Company points finger as EU launches inquiry

(Newser) - Tales of spontaneously combusting iPhones across Europe may be fodder for easy jokes, but the whole "business is no laughing matter," writes JR Raphael for PC World. The EU has opened a formal inquiry into the latest incident, in which a French teenager says an exploding screen sent...

10 EU Countries, Others, in Deals to Take Gitmo Detainees

White House upbeat on 80 cleared for release

(Newser) - The White House, in talks ranging from Australia to Georgia, is making progress on its attempts to resettle Guantanamo Bay detainees, the Washington Post reports. Ten EU countries have agreed to take detainees; the US is negotiating with Saudi Arabia to accept Guantanamo's 98 Yemenis; and 11 detainees, including four...

To Appease EU, Microsoft Offers Browser Choice With Windows 7

Company allows rivals, settles antitrust case

(Newser) - Microsoft will offer a choice of web browsers to European users of the new Windows 7 operating system to avoid an antitrust fine, Bloomberg reports. “When you’re looking at ongoing fines in a downturn, it makes more sense to settle,” one analyst says. The EU says the...

Its Economy in Ruins, Iceland Votes to Join the EU

(Newser) - Iceland held fast to its independence as it rocketed to become one of the world's richest nations. But after a spectacular bust that decimated its currency and felled its government, the island nation has voted to join the EU. The accession plans are a victory for the country's new PM,...

EU Slaps Gas Firms With $1.5B Fine for Price-Fixing

(Newser) - The European Union's powerful competition commissioner slapped two energy companies with record fines of $1.53 billion today for cartel misbehavior. GDF Suez and E.ON, two of the world's biggest gas producers, colluded to avoid competition in French and German energy markets and drive up prices. It's the first...

Crash Renews Focus on Developing World's Air Safety

Yemen crash prompts concerns

(Newser) - After yesterday’s Yemeni Airbus crash, international watchdogs are taking a closer look at airline safety in developing countries, Bloomberg reports. The European Union may add Yemen to a list of more than 90 dangerous airlines from around the globe. Regulators in developing countries “tend to be under- supported...

Iran Bars EU From Nuke Talks
 Iran Bars EU From Nuke Talks 
Jul 1, 2009 1:32 PM CDT

Iran Bars EU From Nuke Talks

(Newser) - The European Union is “disqualified” from participating in further nuclear talks with Iran, the country’s top general said today, accusing it of “interference” in post-election riots. At the same time, the EU is considering withdrawing its ambassadors in response to the arrest of nine British embassy staffers...

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