Europe

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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,...

Nice Trip, Now Get Back to Work, Mr. President

(Newser) - President Obama got his usual hero's welcome overseas, but this trip seemed "jarring and discordant" back in the US, writes Cynthia Tucker in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Our economic news keeps getting worse by the day, yet at summit after summit, “photos of the Obamas in resplendent, gold-bedecked palaces...

Ravaged by War, Bitter Afghans Sneak Into Europe

Conditions aren't much better, but youth want escape from war, death

(Newser) - Fed up with years of war and shaky government, young Afghans are forking over their life savings to be smuggled into Europe, the New York Times reports. An American-led invasion once inspired optimism, but 18,000 residents sought asylum in Europe last year, nearly double the total in 2007. “...

Giant Ant Colony Spreads Across World

Insects from different continents treat each other as family

(Newser) - In what may be a first for the animal kingdom, one giant family of ants has established itself in different parts of the world, the BBC reports. Researchers studying the species known as Argentine ants in Europe, the US, and Japan found that they had a strikingly similar chemical profile,...

Americans Work Hard, But Their Kids Are Lazy

(Newser) - Americans may jaw about their grueling work weeks and meager vacations, but their kids? While European and Asian children are logging in long school days and pounding out homework, US students are taking time off, the Economist reports. With one of the world's shortest school weeks and longest summers—which...

Obama's Mideast Success Jacks Expectations

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s trip to the Middle East has established even higher standards for his presidency, Politico reports. Obama is using his global celebrity to restart Israel-Palestine talks and improve relations between the West and the Muslim world, proving he’s “not a president who has ever shied away...

Obama Keeps Snubbing Sarko
 Obama Keeps 
 Snubbing Sarko 
OPINION
Jun 7, 2009 1:01 PM CDT

Obama Keeps Snubbing Sarko

European leaders feel burned after visit by popular president

(Newser) - President Obama’s dizzying, 2-day jaunt through Europe left two people smarting in his dust: Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. France’s president and Germany’s chancellor learned that Obama, not one to pal around with European leaders, keeps his distance. “Obama is not out to play buddy-buddy with...

27 Nations Vote in Massive EU Election

Across continent, angry voters set to punish ruling parties

(Newser) - Citizens of 27 nations begin voting today for elections to the European Parliament, and across the continent voters are expected to punish ruling parties and encourage the opposition, including the extreme right. From Ireland to France to Hungary, governments are braced for a protest vote spurred by the economic meltdown,...

Ryanair Serious About Pee Fee
 Ryanair Serious About Pee Fee 
Jun 2, 2009 1:56 PM CDT

Ryanair Serious About Pee Fee

(Newser) - Ryanair’s CEO isn’t joking about ripping two of the three toilets out of his planes and charging for the use of the remaining one, the Guardian reports. “We are serious about it,” said Michael O’Leary, nicknamed “Michael O’Really” by industry skeptics. “We...

Mickey D's Aims to Mug Starbucks in Europe

(Newser) - Just as Starbucks is scaling back its European expansion, McDonald's plans to open hundreds of new outlets offering high-end coffees and pastries on the continent, reports the Financial Times. “We can become the biggest seller of coffee in Europe,” boasted McDonald's chief financial officer. The company plans to...

German Economy Dives 3.8%
 German Economy Dives 3.8% 

May 15, 2009 7:28 AM CDT

German Economy Dives 3.8%

Quarterly fall in GDP is worst in over 40 years

(Newser) - The German economy has suffered its worst decline in more than 40 years, with GDP shrinking by 3.8% in the first quarter of 2009. The fall is the most severe on record and worse than economists had predicted, reports the Guardian. News of the contraction in Europe's largest nation...

Europe's Jobless Thrive as US Counterparts Struggle

European safety nets make joblessness easier, recovery more difficult

(Newser) - On either side of the Atlantic, different narratives are playing out among the unemployed, the Wall Street Journal reports. While Americans left jobless by the recession struggle to pay insurance and bills, Europe’s social safety nets provide many with the majority of their former incomes and cover health-care costs....

Fiat Aims for GM's Opel to Forge Huge Carmaker

(Newser) - Already partnered with Chrysler, Fiat is intensifying its pursuit of GM's German Opel unit to forge one of the world's biggest car companies, the Wall Street Journal reports. Fiat's CEO Sergio Marchionne plans to meet tomorrow with German officials seeking an investor as GM restructures. Billions in debt, Fiat needs...

Butt Wait a Sec: First Lady Derrières Shouldn't Matter

(Newser) - European reporters celebrated the “battle of the bottoms” between Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Princess Letizia of Spain last week, a display “so bonkersly old-fashioned that I hardly know what to say,” India Knight writes in the Times of London. Beauty is worth praising, she admits, but why does...

Cops, Protesters Clash at May Day Rallies

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of European workers feeling the pinch of the economic crisis rallied at May Day protests today from Moscow to Berlin to Istanbul. Violence and clashes between police and angry protesters disrupted some events, including in Greece, Germany, and Turkey. But overall participation fell short of what many...

US 'Close' on Fate of Gitmo Prisoners

First group may be released to Va.

(Newser) - The US is close to deciding whether to free an initial group of Guantanamo detainees, AP reports. Attorney General Eric Holder didn't specify how long it would be before Gitmo closes, but said he must first determine how many prisoners will be released or tried. "We're doing these all...

Obama's Apologies Create a Sorry Situation: Rove

No reason for contrition in GOP pundit's mind

(Newser) - Barack Obama has finished his "international confession tour," and Karl Rove can’t figure out what it was supposed to accomplish. After his public apologies on two continents, "our adversaries rejoiced," Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal. David Axelrod swears this will yield “very,...

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...

Spanish Price Collapse Could Signal New Global Woes

'It’s like the front line of a new virus outbreak'

(Newser) - Spain has suffered a major blow from the global economic crisis, with sky-high unemployment that could soon reach 20%, and merchants across the country are taking a drastic step: slashing retail prices. While lower costs in shops and restaurants might sound appealing, it's actually very bad news—the first sign...

'Fatuous' Obama Does US No Favors: Krauthammer
'Fatuous'
Obama Does
US No Favors: Krauthammer
OPINION
Apr 10, 2009 10:28 AM CDT

'Fatuous' Obama Does US No Favors: Krauthammer

Big talk yields little help from European allies

(Newser) - President Obama is out in the world, "acting the philosopher-king who hovers above the fray" and badmouthing past American actions, and to what end? Charles Krauthammer, writing in the New York Times, doesn't see any satisfactory answers. "I'm not against gift-giving in international relations," he writes. "...

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