European Union

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Pirate Hostages Brace for Christmas at Sea

More than 260 remain off Somalia's coast in 14 hijacked vessels

(Newser) - More than 260 hostages will spend Christmas with pirates off Somalia’s coast, CNN reports. At least 14 vessels remain in pirate custody as a tumultuous year—with nearly 100 attacks on cargo ships, oil tankers, and yachts—nears its end. The EU, China, and Iran have stationed naval vessels...

EU Considers Taking Gitmo Prisoners
EU Considers Taking Gitmo Prisoners
Dec 23, 2008 5:01 AM CST

EU Considers Taking Gitmo Prisoners

Allies offer to help Obama 'clean up Bush's mess'

(Newser) - European Union countries are considering giving Barack Obama a helping hand by accepting released Guantanamo Bay prisoners for resettlement, the Washington Post reports. Requests from the Bush administration to take Gitmo detainees were flatly rejected by the EU, but Portugal has now signaled its willingness to accept some prisoners and...

China May Launch Pirate Patrol
 China May Launch Pirate Patrol 
Dec 18, 2008 2:09 AM CST

China May Launch Pirate Patrol

Officials weigh Chinese naval mission in 500 years

(Newser) - China is poised to embark on its first naval combat mission in 500 years—to take on pirates off the coast of Somalia, reports the Financial Times. Any patrols launched would be closely monitored by the US, Russian and British navies, concerned about China's growing  military power. 

Japan, EU Boost Economies as Bailout Dies

New stimulus packages announced to avert global paralysis

(Newser) - Japan and the European Union announced new measures to bolster their economies in the wake of the collapse of the US auto industry bailout. The Japanese government multiplied its bank recapitalization fund sixfold, to $131 billion, and announced an $11 billion package to save jobs. "We are working at...

French-German Relations Cool Ahead of EU Summit

France, Germany, UK clash over handling recession

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy began his six-month European Union presidency by quibbling with Germany, and he appears to be ending his term the same way, Bloomberg reports. Half a year after clashing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel over a Mediterranean alliance, Sarkozy shrugged off the traditional France-Germany pre-summit chat and...

14 al-Qaeda Suspects Arrested During EU Summit

Huge police operation as European leaders arrive in Brussels

(Newser) - Belgian police have arrested 14 people with suspected links to al-Qaeda, including 3 who allegedly were planning an attack. The Guardian reports that the suspects may have been planning a suicide bombing at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, which opened today and is being attended by all the...

EU May Turn Off Edison's Bulbs

Switch to low-energy bulbs could save $12b a year

(Newser) - The European Union may ban incandescent light bulbs, replacing them with low-energy lighting that would slash 13.2 million tons of carbon emissions and create energy savings equal to taking 11 million European households off the grid, reports the BBC. A new report urges the European parliament to follow the...

China Warns of Sanctions for Sarkozy-Dalai Lama Meeting

Dalai Lama criticism of China's lack of 'moral authority' sparks Beijing fury

(Newser) - China is making noises about possible trade sanctions against France to protest President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to meet tomorrow with the Dalai Lama in Poland, reports the Times of London. Such a meeting threatens the "long-term development of ties" with France, warned a Chinese official. China has already pulled...

EU Repeals Straight Banana, Curvy Cucumber Laws

Rules set tight standards for produce size, shape, color

(Newser) - The EU took a U-turn on curved cucumbers and bent bananas and voted to repeal strict laws that ban the sale of imperfect produce, the Washington Post reports. Shops are barred from selling cauliflower less than 4.33 inches in diameter and not-green-enough asparagus until July, when such laws—long...

EU Unveils $260B Stimulus Package
EU Unveils $260B Stimulus Package
Nov 26, 2008 3:55 PM CST

EU Unveils $260B Stimulus Package

Struggling industries, member governments targeted in 2-year plan

(Newser) - The European Union Commission passed a $260 billion stimulus package today intended to boost its members’ economies during the next 2 years, Der Spiegel reports. The plan calls for more funds than most economists expected, but as the commission president Jose Barroso put it: “Exceptional times call for exceptional...

China Scraps Summit Over EU Meetings With Dalai Lama

Relations between Brussels and Beijing hit a new low

(Newser) - The Chinese government canceled a summit with leaders of the EU in response to the plans of several European countries to host the Dalai Lama next month, the Financial Times reports. The summit was to address the global financial crisis, and an EU statement expressed regret that China pulled out....

15-Nation Eurozone Falls Into Recession

New figures confirm bloc's first ever contraction

(Newser) - The 15-nation eurozone has entered recession for the first time since the introduction of the common currency in 1999. The bloc's GDP contracted 0.2% in the second quarter, worse than expected, according to new figures released today. Several individual European nations, including giant Germany, are already contracting, and forecasters...

Court: Lego Can't Trademark Bricks' Shape

Competitor argued that blocks' shape served 'technical' purpose

(Newser) - A European Union court ruled today that Lego can’t trademark the shape of its iconic toy building blocks, Bloomberg reports. The court supported a 2006 decision by the EU trademark agency that said because the raised circles on Lego blocks serve a “utilitarian function,” they are ineligible...

Europe's Culture Gets Virtual Backup

EU plans to digitize 10,000 artifacts

(Newser) - European culture is going digital. Priceless items such as the Magna Carta, the Mona Lisa, and the Gutenberg Bible will eventually be accessible worldwide for free on “Europeana,” an online encyclopedia funded by the European Union. It plans to match Google Library Project’s 10 million artifacts by...

In Financial Crisis, Europe Leads the Way (for a Change)

Investment in banks proved better strategy than mortgage bailout

(Newser) - The US has long considered Europe to be the economic equivalent of a doddering old uncle, but this week it was oldster leading whippersnapper America by the hand through the most serious crisis since the Depression. Europe, seeing the need for a sturdier fix than the mortgage-bailout Band-aid Washington proposed,...

Global Markets Rally After Rescue Talks

Banks gain big in European trading

(Newser) - Asian and European markets were up today following announcements by global leaders of wide-ranging economic rescue packages. France's Cac 40 index and London's FTSE 100 index both bounced more than 5%, with banking shares posting some of the biggest gains, the BBC reports. Australia's main index jumped 5.6% and...

Euro Leaders Hope to Emerge With Crisis Action Plan Today

Europe scrambles to shore up banks

(Newser) - European leaders hoped to emerge today from a meeting in Paris with a detailed unified action plan to address the continuing worldwide economic crisis, Reuters reports. Banks continued to hold emergency talks today with officials in the British government, which is about to purchase major equity stakes in the nation's...

Russian Army Leaves Georgian Buffer Zones

Troops will stay in breakaway regions; EU forces to remain

(Newser) - Russian troops have withdrawn from the “buffer zones” that separate the secessionist republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from the rest of Georgia ahead of Friday's deadline, the BBC reports. Though Russia plans to keep 7,600 troops inside the breakaway republics themselves, the move "paves the way...

Europeans Seek Unified Credit Crisis Strategy

As individual states act, leaders scramble for coordinated measures

(Newser) - Finance ministers are meeting today to hash out a plan to steady Europe’s banking system, but resolution continued to be elusive, the New York Times reports. They raised the minimum level for deposit guarantees to €50,000, though some pushed for higher limits; the EU has not developed...

Some Georgians Doubt Russia Means to Leave

Troops build military road even as Friday pullout deadline looms

(Newser) - The fact that Russian troops continue to upgrade a dirt road that connects a town near Georgia’s capital with the capital of the breakaway area of South Ossetia has many Georgians in the area believing Moscow isn’t serious about Friday’s deadline to withdraw troops, the Christian Science ...

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