European Union

09 July 2007 -- It is the beginning of a new era for smokers in England. No more lighting up in closed public places, including in pubs and private clubs. Other parts of Britain already have such bans.

Smokers. They used to be easy to spot -- in pubs, restaurants, offices. But that is changing.

A new smoking ban against lighting up in enclosed public spaces went into effect July 1st. It is part of the government's efforts to reduce smoke-related illnesses and death. Liam Donaldson of the Health Department says the ban will save thousands of lives.    » read more »

10 July 2007 -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy has notified European Union finance ministers that he may not be able to wipe out his country's budget deficit by the EU deadline of 2010.

Mr. Sarkozy was in Brussels Monday to speak to finance ministers from the 13 EU nations which use the euro as their currency.

The president said he may be able to balance the French budget by 2012.

Luxembourg's finance minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, said it is good news for Europe that France is trying to reform its finances.    » read more »

July 5, 2007 -- On Thursday, June 28, 2007, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and EU Commissioner Franco Frattini initialed an international agreement between the United States and the European Union on the transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from air carriers operating transatlantic flights to and from the U.S.

Secretary Chertoff issued the following statement about the agreement:    » read more »

03 July 2007 -- France in the summer is one of the world's top tourist destinations. Many visitors come specifically to watch the Tour de France, which begins on July 7th. It is the most prestigious, professional cycling event in the world and the world's biggest free sporting event. Thousands of spectators line city streets, rural roads and mountain passes for the 23-day race of more than 3,500 kilometers. While fan interest remains high, the sport has been tarnished by a number of scandals involving athletes using performance-enhancing drugs to gain a competitive edge.    » read more »

02 July 2007 -- Barbra Streisand recently performed her first-ever concert in France...and along the way collected the Legion of Honor. The 65-year-old singer, who has sold more than 71 million records in the United States alone, received the honor June 28 in Paris.

Newly-elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy said "You are the America that we love. Women like you...do a lot to bring our two peoples together."    » read more »

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2007 - The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved a US$5 million grant in additional financing for the Kosovo Energy Sector Clean-up and Land Reclamation Project. The project will support the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) and the Kosovar authorities in their efforts to clean up a gasification plant, enhance the country’s long-term power development and electricity supply, and mitigate an urgent risk to public health and the environment in Kosovo.    » read more »

Project will enable hiring of Transaction Advisory, and Legal and Regulatory Advisory services

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2007 -- The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved US$2 million in additional financing for the Lignite Power Technical Assistance Project. The grant is provided by the International Development Association (IDA) to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), on behalf of Kosovo.    » read more »

28 June 2007 -- Authorities in Greece say the longest heat wave ever recorded in the country has killed at least 10 people in the past week, including two firefighters trapped early Thursday north of Athens.

Two other men escaped the inferno that continued to lay waste to heavily-forested areas in the center of the country. Authorities told Reuters that firefighters already hampered by strong northerly winds also are encountering exploding World War II ordnance in forests north of the capital.    » read more »

6/27/2007 - GALWAY, Ireland (AFPN) -- Michael Patterson, a 64-year-old cattle farmer, was born and raised in Ballinlough, a county just outside Galway, Ireland. He's never flown in any aircraft, let alone one that streaks across the sky at 500 miles per hour. Yet as he watched the Air Force Thunderbirds perform over his native country June 24, Mr. Patterson felt the urge to touch the sky.    » read more »

26 June 2007 -- A heat wave has killed dozens of people in Central and Southeastern Europe, most in Romania, where authorities have issued a code orange alert in the capital Bucharest and in eight counties. There are also concerns about energy supplies, because of the increased use of air conditioners. Stefan Bos reports for VOA from Budapest on how the heat wave is having an impact on people in the region.

Patients in Budapest's Szent Ferenc (Saint Franciscus) Hospital may be forgiven for demanding cool air these days.    » read more »

26 June 2007 -- German authorities say they have found bird flu in wild swans in a second German state.

Officials Tuesday confirm that the H5N1 strain killed three swans near the city of Leipzig in eastern Germany.

The virus was found in six swans last week in a pond in Nuremberg, about 200 kilometers to the south. These are Germany's first bird flu cases in more than a year.

Experts are investigating whether the cases are tied to recent bird flu outbreaks in Hungary and the Czech Republic.    » read more »

26 June 2007 -- The international conservation group Greenpeace accuses Spain of overdeveloping its Mediterranean coastline, which it says could cause irreversible damage.

Greenpeace says in a new report that Spanish developers plan to build more than 200,000 hotel rooms and hundreds of golf courses and marinas.

The group says Spanish police are currently investigating more than 100 cases of corruption that it says has led to illegal building along protected coastal areas.

Spanish officials have not yet responded to Greenpeace.    » read more »

26 June 2007 -- A record-breaking heat wave over southeastern Europe and parts of the Middle East is expected to continue, closing out what experts say will be the hottest June ever recorded in the region.

Temperatures reached a stifling 46 degrees Celsius Monday in Athens, forcing government offices to close. Greek authorities say the heat killed two elderly women while another death was reported on Cyprus.

Romanian authorities say the heat has killed 25 people.    » read more »

22 June 2007 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair steps down June 27th after a decade in power during which he re-energized his Labor Party, embarked on an interventionist foreign policy and forged ever-closer ties with the United States. But, as Mr. Blair hands over the reins of power one damaging decision follows him out of office, his unfailing support for the war in Iraq. VOA's Sonja Pace takes a look at the Blair legacy in this report from London.    » read more »

June 18, 2007 -- PARIS -- At a ceremony held Monday at the International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, France, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain signed two agreements defining the terms of cooperation on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder mission.    » read more »