Europe

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Big Families Win Wars
Big Families
Win Wars

Big Families Win Wars

Professor links countries' military strength to number of 'superfluous sons'

(Newser) - A nation’s military strength may be rooted in its average family size, says a popular German professor, putting Islamic countries in a good position, America on neutral ground, and Europe in dire straits. Bigger families mean “more superfluous sons to burn on the battlefield,” argues Gunnar Heinsohn....

iPhone Flies 1st Class to Europe
iPhone Flies 1st Class to Europe

iPhone Flies 1st Class to Europe

Rollout starts tomorrow; UK deal a bonanza for Apple

(Newser) - European technophiles are about to get their fingers on the iPhone’s touchpad, and thanks to some 11th-hour bargaining, O2, the UK’s largest mobile operator, will have the franchise there. But O2’s deal is “madly money-losing,” a competitor tells the Guardian, because Apple reaps as much...

Ancient Texts Fill Blanks in Climate History

Accounts by monks, soldiers, doctors help track global warming

(Newser) - Scientists are poring over the diaries of 17th century Swiss monks and Parisian physicians for data to help judge changes in Europe’s climate, the AP reports. Piecing together records from things as disparate as military campaigns and cherry blossom festivals dispels any doubt that the Earth is heating up,...

Sudan's Leader Meets Pope, Vows to Honor Ceasefire

In controversial Italy visit, Bashir pledges quiet during October peace talks

(Newser) - Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, in a rare and controversial visit to Italy, promised today to observe a ceasefire in Darfur during October peace talks. Pope Benedict used a meeting with Bashir to stress the importance of human rights, while Italy’s PM voiced “strong concerns” over the four-year genocidal...

Sarkozy-Merkel, Les Meilleurs Ennemis
Sarkozy-Merkel, Les Meilleurs Ennemis

Sarkozy-Merkel, Les Meilleurs Ennemis

Europe's No. 1 couple smile for the cameras, but tension mounts

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to Berlin yesterday, but Der Spiegel reports that the famed Franco-German alliance at the heart of Europe is under strain. Sarkozy has annoyed Angela Merkel with everything from the EU Reform Treaty to his wife's Libyan exploits. But Merkel is hardly an amie: from energy to finance,...

Europe Yawns Over US Election
Europe Yawns Over US Election

Europe Yawns Over US Election

Not convinced trans-Atlantic ties will improve

(Newser) - The next occupant of the Oval Office will not improve damaged US-European relationships, said almost half of Europeans in a recent poll. In an opinion not reflected by leaders like Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, only 35% said relations would improve, while 46% said they would not. A study sponsor...

From Chips to Chez in 135 Minutes
From Chips to Chez in 135 Minutes

From Chips to Chez in 135 Minutes

New Eurostar line cuts London-Paris transit time by 20 minutes

(Newser) - Top travel time between London and Paris should be at least 20 minutes faster thanks to track improvements that allowed a Eurostar train to set a record this morning. The test journey from Paris to St. Pancras Station, London, a 306-mile trip, took 2:03:39, the BBC reports. Regular...

After Two Years, Merkel's Still Honeymooning

German chancellor's mid-term approval rating is record 76%

(Newser) - Better than halfway through her first term as Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel is more popular than ever, Der Spiegel reports, with an impressive 76% approval rating. Her hardworking image has gotten boosts from solid diplomacy and good domestic luck, with reforms put in place by the previous government now paying...

Sarkozy: Short, Hyper, and Still Very European

The new Napoleon may signal a world turning away from America

(Newser) - A New Yorker profile compares Nicolas Sarkozy to Napoleon: He's not just short, but he's both more Euro-centric and less of a reactionary than most Americans think. In fact, Adam Gopnik, who dubs the brazen, mercurial Sarko a "human bomb," writes than the nouveau regime may signal "...

European Markets Dive
European Markets Dive

European Markets Dive

FTSE 100 Index falls lower than 6,000

(Newser) - European markets took a dive this morning—after the Dow's plunge yesterday and the overnight collapse of Asian stocks. London's FTSE 100 index has fallen below 6,000, its lowest level since last October. London weathered the storm yesterday, but had nowhere to run today, the Guardian reported, as the...

Europe Beckons; Penny-Pinchers Can Respond

Diving dollar be damned—here are 10 tips for wise budgeting

(Newser) - The euro and the pound are kicking the dollar's butt, but that doesn't mean you need to cancel your vacation plans. The Times gives you 10 tips for traveling on a shoestring:
  1. Find cheap flights abroad
  2. Find a budget hotel or rent a villa
  3. Within Europe, try the budget airlines
...

Polish Regime Continues to Crumble
Polish Regime Continues to Crumble

Polish Regime Continues to Crumble

Kaczynski sacks interior minister as early elections loom

(Newser) - Poland's Kaczynski regime came to the brink of collapse today following the dismissal of the country's interior minister on corruption allegations, writes the International Herald Tribune. The Kaczynskis, whose two years at the top of Polish politics have increasingly isolated the nation in Europe, have conceded that early elections are...

Euro Heat Wave Kills Hundreds
Euro Heat Wave Kills Hundreds

Euro Heat Wave Kills Hundreds

Most victims are elderly; Hungary hit hardest

(Newser) - More than 500 people have died in the last week in the heat wave gripping central Europe. Most of the victims lived in Hungary, with some casualties reported in nearby Romania, the BBC reports. The elderly have been hardest hit. Temperatures in some areas have reached 107 degrees; the intense...

Sarkozy and Merkel Face Off
Sarkozy and Merkel Face Off

Sarkozy and Merkel Face Off

Two ambitious heads of state struggle for European dominance

(Newser) - French president Nicolas Sarkozy is stepping up to challenge German chancellor Angela Merkel for the leadership of Europe, Der Spiegel reports, and the result  will be first-rate political spectacle. The two alpha heads of state, who met today in Toulouse, have very different styles: Merkel is restrained and accute; Sarkozy...

Euro Hotels Hot After Blackstone Deal

Stocks soar on speculation of more private equity buyouts

(Newser) - Investors are snapping up shares of some Europe's biggest hotel chains, the Financial Times reports, as the market bets that more private equity firms will tuck into new cross-Atlantic deals. They're inspired by Blackstone's $26 billion Hilton offer, and a banner year for hotel buyouts more generally.

World Bank Confirms New Prez
World Bank Confirms New Prez

World Bank Confirms New Prez

Robert Zoellick to take over July 1

(Newser) - Declaring that he's looking forward to "encouraging hope, opportunity and dignity," Robert Zoellick was elected yesterday to succeed the embattled Paul Wolfowitz as new chief of the World Bank. The Goldman Sachs investment banker and former US deputy secretary of state will officially step into office July 1....

Sarkozy Is Europe's New Clinton
Sarkozy Is Europe's
New Clinton

Sarkozy Is Europe's New Clinton

French PM scored with diplomatic charm offensive at EU summit

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy was the star of the EU’s constitutional summit last weekend, pulling victory from the jaws of defeat with a virtuoso diplomatic performance reminiscent of the former president. The new PM displayed what Der Spiegel called ‘Clintonesque ease’ in solving big problems, returning France to her traditional...

EU Leaders OK New Treaty
EU Leaders OK New Treaty

EU Leaders OK New Treaty

Brussels summit ends with hard-won deal to replace failed constitution

(Newser) - EU negotiators pulled an all-nighter and the German chancellor played a risky game of chicken with Poland en route to reaching an agreement on a treaty that will govern the 27-nation body. The deal resurrects much of the ill-fated 2005 constitution while streamlining bureaucracy and introducing a top foreign-policy position...

Dutch Do Pensions Right
Dutch Do Pensions Right

Dutch Do Pensions Right

The US should read up on Social Security in the Netherlands, reports Time

(Newser) - Governments around the world are stuck between tightfisted Anglo-American pension plans that pay only a fraction of one's past salary, and extravagant European-style social security that ends up welshing on the payments. But the Dutch have struck a balance that's working, reports Time, as sufficient amounts of money are saved...

Sarkozy Says 'Non' to Turkey's Euro Hopes

France hopes to block full membership bid

(Newser) - France is threatening to block Turkey's full membership in the European Union this month and hopes to push the nation into a "privileged partnership" short of complete participation, the Financial Times reports. It's the first time new French President Nicolas Sarkozy will flex his political muscle in an EU...

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