European Union

Stories 421 - 440 | << Prev   Next >>

NATO Boots 2 Russians for Spying on HQ

Moscow charges expulsion is ploy to sabotage relations

(Newser) - NATO has expelled two Russian diplomats from its Brussels headquarters for spying, officials announced. The expulsion of the diplomats, one of whom is the son of Russia's EU ambassador, provoked an angry response from Moscow, which accused NATO of deliberately sabotaging relations. The spy scandal is the most serious rift...

Iceland PM Wins Mandate in Crisis Election

Leftist coalition seeks EU membership after economy's collapse

(Newser) - Iceland's interim center-left government, which came to power in February after the spectacular collapse of the nation's economy, has won a resounding victory in a snap election, reports the Times of London. The "great, historic victory" was an endorsement of her plans to have Iceland "start thinking about...

IMF: Blame Europe for Longer Recession

EU policy blunders likely to result in longer slowdown for rest of world

(Newser) - The European economy will sink deepest out of all global economies, bounce back slowest—and delay recovery for the rest of the world to boot, according to the IMF's latest forecast. The agency predicts the EU's economy—at $18 trillion, nearly a third of the world's total—will shrink 4%...

Berlusconi Taps Babes as Italy's EU Reps

From strip joints to Italian cabinet to Strasbourg

(Newser) - A bevy of beauties with no previous political experience have been tapped by randy Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi to represent Italy in European Parliament elections, reports the Times of London. But first, they're undergoing a crash course in politics and current affairs. Berlusconi, 72, has surrounded himself with models, stars...

Tech Leaders Unite Against Microsoft

Nokia, IBM, Oracle join EU antitrust case over Explorer's dominance

(Newser) - A technology consortium whose members include IBM, Nokia, and Oracle has joined the European Commission’s antitrust case against Microsoft, the Financial Times reports. The consortium, Ecis, joins Google and the Mozilla Foundation in accusing Microsoft of using Windows to distort the web browser market in favor of Internet Explorer....

Why Italy Still Loves Crude Berlusconi

(Newser) - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has appalled the world with his crass remarks, yet somehow remains popular at home. "Is there a logic to what might seem like a strange form of Tourette's syndrome?" asks Alexander Stille, analyzing the gaffe-prone pol in The New Republic. The answer to Berlusconi's...

'Gay' Elephant Gets Polish Pol Riled Up

(Newser) - A Polish lawmaker is incensed over a local zoo's acquisition of an elephant that might be gay, Reuters reports. “We were supposed to have a herd, but as Ninio prefers male friends over females how will he produce offspring?” the flustered lawmaker said. Zoo officials said the 10-year-old elephant...

US Seeks to Join Nuke Talks With Iran

(Newser) - The US wants to be a direct party to nuclear talks between Iran and the UN, CNN reports. Washington had stayed away from earlier negotiations because it has no diplomatic relationship with the country, but the State Department said today it had asked an EU official to invite Iran to...

EU Prohibits 6 Kazakh Airlines From Airspace

Cites safety, won't say if Borat mockery lies behind ban

(Newser) - The European Union has banned six Kazakh airlines from its airspace, citing safety reasons, the Guardian reports today. No specific reason was given, though perhaps comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s skit about Borat flying on “Air Kazakh”—a rickety plane with a drunken one-eyed pilot—may have finally...

Obama in Turkey: US Not at War With Islam

(Newser) - President Obama addressed the Turkish parliament today, and used the opportunity to extend an olive branch to the Muslim world, the New York Times reports. “The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam,” said Obama. “America’s relationship with the Muslim world...

Sarko: Butt Out of Turkey's EU Bid, Obama

Franco-US relations sour over Turkey tiff

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy put an end to Barack Obama's European honeymoon when the US leader pushed for Turkey's membership in the European Union, reports the Times of London. The move would signal that Muslims are "our friends, neighbors and partners," Obama suggested. Sarkozy, who opposes Turkey's membership,...

Popular Prez Faces Uphill Battle in Euro Meetings

Popular prez faces 'tense discussions': analysts

(Newser) - Obama may be a big hit in Europe, but that doesn’t mean his upcoming foreign trip is going to be easy. Overseas, he’ll be pushing for a new take on Afghanistan, fighting against weapons proliferation, and calling for Europeans to join together to fix the global economy, the...

EU Prez Slams Obama's Call for Stimulus as 'a Way to Hell'

So what if Czech PM's gov't has collapsed

(Newser) - Mirek Topolanek, the Czech prime minister whose government collapsed last night, today blasted President Obama’s economic ideas, calling further stimulus “a way to hell.” Topolanek spoke before the European Parliament just hours after Obama called on the world to share the burden of economic stimulus, the BBC...

Czech Government Falls on Eve of Obama Visit

Collapse endangers plans for missile defense installation

(Newser) - The Czech prime minister announced his resignation last night after his government lost a confidence vote in parliament, reports the New York Times. The ouster of Mirek Topolanek comes at an awkward moment: Not only do the Czechs hold the rotating EU presidency, but Barack Obama is scheduled to visit...

US-Style Stimulus Might Not Be Right for Europe
US-Style Stimulus Might Not Be Right for Europe
OPINION
Mar 24, 2009 10:04 AM CDT

US-Style Stimulus Might Not Be Right for Europe

To each economy its own, says central bank head

(Newser) - Today, in newspapers worldwide, President Obama called on nations to stimulate their economies, but Europe isn't sold on the idea. Europe's leaders are viewed as cautious, but perhaps their “policy is appropriate for European conditions,” Jack Ewing writes in Der Spiegel. For one thing, Europe already spends much...

Decriminalize Incest? Romania Is Not Alone

Bucharest aims to match laws in 3 EU nations

(Newser) - As the Josef Fritzl case echoes across Europe, Romania is considering a new approach to incest: legalizing it, the AP reports. The Justice Ministry is contemplating the move amid wider legal reforms, arguing that decriminalization would sync its stance with EU members France, Spain, and Portugal. “Not everything...

Robot Fish Will Help Battle Pollution
Robot Fish
Will Help
Battle Pollution
Mar 20, 2009 10:51 AM CDT

Robot Fish Will Help Battle Pollution

High-tech 'carp' find chemical contaminants in Spanish harbor

(Newser) - Robots will soon be patrolling the harbor of Gijon, Spain, and if all goes well, the local sea life won't notice a thing, reports the Financial Times. The pollution-detecting bots cost $30,000 each and are modeled after carp, complete with shiny scales and an undulating swimming motion. "We...

EU Rules Starve Spanish Vultures

(Newser) - Madrid’s regional government hopes to relax EU laws that call for rotting livestock to be removed from fields—a precaution against mad cow disease—because the removal denies carrion-munching vultures a meal, the AP reports. “When a sheep or cow dies in the countryside,” said one ornithologist,...

EU Maternity Benefits May Triple

(Newser) - Maternity leave benefits in the EU are set to triple if a new proposal goes through, the Telegraph reports. New moms would see a bump from 14 to 18 weeks of paid leave under the plan and would get a full paycheck during that time—rather than lower sick-pay rates....

Stimulus Sours Obama's European Honeymoon

US urges more spending; EU focused on regulation

(Newser) - European leaders’ love affair with President Obama has hit its first snag: Obama is pushing Europe to spend more to battle the financial crisis, while Europe would prefer to focus on stricter regulation, the Los Angeles Times reports. “The Americans should be more modest about giving lessons, because the...

Stories 421 - 440 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser