European Union

27 January 2008 -- French bank Societe Generale says the rogue stock trader suspected in one of the world's largest-ever bank frauds held market positions worth $73 billion when the fraud was discovered last week.

In a statement Sunday, the bank says action was taken last week to liquidate the deals, limiting losses to $7.2 billion.    » read more »

24 January 2008 -- Tens of thousands of French teachers, hospital staff and other public sector workers marched Thursday in cities across France, joining a one-day strike against government reform plans.

Turnout estimates for Thursday's protests varied widely. The French news agency quotes the country's largest union as saying 400,000 strikers participated nationwide. Police estimates put the number at about half that figure.    » read more »

24 January 2008 -- Prime Minister Romano Prodi Thursday handed his resignation to the Italian president after losing a confidence vote in the upper house of parliament. Mr. Prodi will continue as caretaker leader while the president decides whether to hold early general elections.

For 20 months it had not been easy to maintain power for Prime Minister Romano Prodi's center-left government. The coalition has been dogged by a host of problems, including political squabbling and allegations of corruption.    » read more »

23 January 2008 -- The European Union unveiled an ambitious new plan to tackle climate change Wednesday, proposing deep emissions cuts and mandatory quotas of renewable energy by 2020.

The EU's emissions cutting plan was widely expected, although not its details. It includes setting a mandatory 20 percent quota for the use of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, by the year 2020. Most of the 27 member nations must also by 2020 cut their emissions by 20 percent from 1990s levels.    » read more »

07 January 2008 -- A strong earthquake has shaken southern Greece, but there have been no reports of casualties or serious damage.

The quake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale woke up residents of the Peloponnese region early Sunday, sending many in the streets.

Greek authorities say the quake occurred at the depth of more than 70 kilometers. It was centered about 80 miles southwest of Athens. Tremors were felt in the Greek capital.

Seismologists say two aftershocks were felt later in the morning.

Earthquakes are common in Greece.

Source: VOA News

18 December 2007 -- British Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has admitted that a government contractor has lost personal data belonging to three million student drivers.

Kelly told parliament Monday that a private contractor reported in May that a hard drive containing the names, addresses and other details of the would-be drivers were lost in the midwestern U.S. state of Iowa. She said the disc went missing from a storage facility but did not contain bank account or credit card information.    » read more »

Brest, France - 11/26/2007 - European marine scientists at a weekend shark and ray conference signed a Statement of Concern calling for improved European shark policies, bringing the total number of signatories over the 100 mark.    » read more »

27 November 2007 -- Britain is among a number of European countries cracking down on human trafficking, a virulent form of modern-day slavery. The UK is a main destination in the international human trafficking market and, in the latest drive to stop the crime, police say they are targeting gang leaders and their trade routes.

Joanne is not her real name. She wants to remain anonymous. She says that when she left her war-ravaged home in Rwanda, she thought life would get better.

"It felt like a new chapter, a new life, a new beginning and I was desperate for that," she said.    » read more »

28 November 2007 -- Riots have broken out for a third straight night in a northern Paris suburb despite heavy police presence.

Rioters burned several cars in Villiers-le-Bel Tuesday night, where the deaths of two young people whose motorbike collided with a police car Sunday set off the violence.

The riots have also spread to the southern French city of Toulouse, where police say 10 cars and a library were set on fire.

Police say the violence has injured 120 officers since Sunday. Four of the officers near Paris were seriously wounded by buckshot from hunting rifles.    » read more »

20 November 2007 -- The European Union has joined other countries in urging Japan to halt a whaling expedition that could kill at least 1,000 whales.

An EU statement issued Tuesday said there is no need to use lethal means to obtain scientific information about whales. The EU also expressed particular concern that the hunt will include the threatened humpback whale and the endangered fin whale.

Japan claims it needs to kill whales to conduct research on their reproductive and feeding patterns, and says the number it kills is too small to endanger their populations.    » read more »

12 November 2007 -- Danish parliamentary elections Tuesday appear headed for a close finish, with voter surveys showing the ruling center-right coalition facing a tough opposition challenge driven by immigration and welfare issues.

Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rassmussen, in power since 2001, called elections 15 months early, hoping to take advantage of high approval ratings and an alliance with a new center-right party, the New Alliance.

His minority two-party government has ruled with the backing of the right-wing Danish People's Party, known for its hardline stance on immigration.    » read more »

04 November 2007 -- Hungarians remembered Sunday those who died when troops from the Soviet Union crushed the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against Soviet domination and Communism. But as Stefan Bos reports from Budapest, this year's commemoration occurs during a time of political turmoil in Hungary.

Hungarians across the country mourned those who died in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.    » read more »

November 1, 2007 -- DETROIT - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today met in Lansing with the Swedish Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Eskil Erlandsson, where they discussed a variety of issues important to their respective governments, including forestry and the expansion of the alternative energy industry to create jobs in Michigan. Erlandsson also met with Michigan Department of Agriculture Director Don Koivisto and officials from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to discuss expanding economic development partnerships.    » read more »

30 October 2007 -- India and Germany have agreed to work towards finding solutions to combat climate change.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, the two sides said there is an urgent need to find effective ways to fight global warming.

The statement followed talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. Ms. Merkel put climate change high on her agenda during her visit to India - one of the world's biggest polluters.    » read more »

October 25, 2007 -- DETROIT - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today met in Detroit with the newly-appointed Swedish Ambassador to the United States, Jonas Hafström, where they discussed a variety of issues important to their respective governments, including expansion of the alternative energy industry to create jobs in Michigan. The meeting marks Hafström's first visit to Michigan since taking his new post in September.    » read more »