Europe - International Herald Tribune
Wed Dec 17 16:43:45 EST 2008
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Economy does little to help unions as they lose influence in France - With the global economy in a tailspin, Europe's labor movement has remained conspicuously quiet.

Vote would end British exemption from 48-hour workweek - The Parliament's decision was welcomed by trade unions but criticized by employers, who said that the downturn in the economy made it more necessary than ever to retain labor market flexibility.

French steer away from Islamic militants in bomb scare - French authorities ordered beefed-up security after the bomb scare Tuesday, for which a previously unknown group that demanded the withdrawal of France's 2,800 troops in Afghanistan claimed responsibility.

Mafia boss hangs himself in Sicily after crackdown against Cosa Nostra - Investigators believe Gaetano Lo Presti headed a Mafia clan in the city's Porta Nuova district, the Palermo police said.

Italian police arrest dozens in Mafia sweep - The raid in Palermo was aimed at preventing the city's crime bosses from reorganizing after several years in which they appeared to lack leadership.

Popularity of chess hindered by chaotic leadership - Chess requires exceptional reasoning ability, but problems besetting the game seem to defy logic.

Greek protesters unfurl banners at Acropolis - The banners proclaimed "Resistance" in four languages and called for mass demonstrations across Europe over the shooting death of a teen by police in Athens.

Caracciolo, co-founder of La Repubblica - With the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo in 1976 founded the Rome-based La Repubblica, a left-leaning newspaper that today has a daily circulation of nearly 600,000.

Doctor gets 2 life sentences in British bomb plot - A doctor who led failed car bomb attacks in Britain in revenge for U.S.-led military action in his family's native Iraq was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.

British doctor convicted in failed car bombings - A terrorism trial centering on the use of a bomb-laden Jeep to crash into Glasgow's airport terminal in June 2007 ended with the conviction of a British doctor with family roots in Iraq.

Creating the illusion of democracy in Russia's neighbors - Election observers - part of the Kremlin's efforts to bolster authoritarian regimes - show how far Russia will go to create the illusion of democracy.

Islamic militants not focus of TNT probe in Paris - Islamic militants are not the main focus of a French police investigation into the mysterious planting of dynamite in a Paris department store, the defense minister said Wednesday.

Explosives found at Paris department store - French police found a package of explosives at the Printemps department store in central Paris on Tuesday, a police spokeswoman said.

Allies see Germany trying bailout with a thimble - The country's neighbors and many of its politicians are criticizing the government for spending plans that seem tight-fisted compared to what European countries or the U.S. are preparing.

Did Sarkozy's stint change the EU for good? - For the six months that France held the European Union presidency, President Nicolas Sarkozy dominated the European stage. But has he fundamentally changed the EU, or simply burnished his image?

Protesters in Athens storm TV station to urge more demonstrators - For more than a minute, about 10 youths blocked a broadcast showing a speech by Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis. Instead, they displayed banners reading: "Stop watching, get out onto the streets."

A Portuguese tradition faces a frozen future - As frozen bacalhau — a salted, cured and dried cod — replaces its fresh counterpart in the marketplace, some mourn the shift as a loss of part of Portugal's culture.

1,500 parakeets rescued from Berlin apartment - Berlin officials say they have rescued 1,500 parakeets from a two-room apartment.

Economy does little to help unions as they lose influence in France - With the global economy in a tailspin, Europe's labor movement has remained conspicuously quiet.

Vote would end British exemption from 48-hour workweek - The Parliament's decision was welcomed by trade unions but criticized by employers, who said that the downturn in the economy made it more necessary than ever to retain labor market flexibility.

French steer away from Islamic militants in bomb scare - French authorities ordered beefed-up security after the bomb scare Tuesday, for which a previously unknown group that demanded the withdrawal of France's 2,800 troops in Afghanistan claimed responsibility.

Mafia boss hangs himself in Sicily after crackdown against Cosa Nostra - Investigators believe Gaetano Lo Presti headed a Mafia clan in the city's Porta Nuova district, the Palermo police said.

Italian police arrest dozens in Mafia sweep - The raid in Palermo was aimed at preventing the city's crime bosses from reorganizing after several years in which they appeared to lack leadership.

Popularity of chess hindered by chaotic leadership - Chess requires exceptional reasoning ability, but problems besetting the game seem to defy logic.

Greek protesters unfurl banners at Acropolis - The banners proclaimed "Resistance" in four languages and called for mass demonstrations across Europe over the shooting death of a teen by police in Athens.

Caracciolo, co-founder of La Repubblica - With the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo in 1976 founded the Rome-based La Repubblica, a left-leaning newspaper that today has a daily circulation of nearly 600,000.

Doctor gets 2 life sentences in British bomb plot - A doctor who led failed car bomb attacks in Britain in revenge for U.S.-led military action in his family's native Iraq was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison.

British doctor convicted in failed car bombings - A terrorism trial centering on the use of a bomb-laden Jeep to crash into Glasgow's airport terminal in June 2007 ended with the conviction of a British doctor with family roots in Iraq.

Creating the illusion of democracy in Russia's neighbors - Election observers - part of the Kremlin's efforts to bolster authoritarian regimes - show how far Russia will go to create the illusion of democracy.

Islamic militants not focus of TNT probe in Paris - Islamic militants are not the main focus of a French police investigation into the mysterious planting of dynamite in a Paris department store, the defense minister said Wednesday.

Explosives found at Paris department store - French police found a package of explosives at the Printemps department store in central Paris on Tuesday, a police spokeswoman said.

Allies see Germany trying bailout with a thimble - The country's neighbors and many of its politicians are criticizing the government for spending plans that seem tight-fisted compared to what European countries or the U.S. are preparing.

Did Sarkozy's stint change the EU for good? - For the six months that France held the European Union presidency, President Nicolas Sarkozy dominated the European stage. But has he fundamentally changed the EU, or simply burnished his image?

Protesters in Athens storm TV station to urge more demonstrators - For more than a minute, about 10 youths blocked a broadcast showing a speech by Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis. Instead, they displayed banners reading: "Stop watching, get out onto the streets."

A Portuguese tradition faces a frozen future - As frozen bacalhau — a salted, cured and dried cod — replaces its fresh counterpart in the marketplace, some mourn the shift as a loss of part of Portugal's culture.

1,500 parakeets rescued from Berlin apartment - Berlin officials say they have rescued 1,500 parakeets from a two-room apartment.

British doctor convicted in failed car bombings - A terrorism trial centering on the use of a bomb-laden Jeep to crash into Glasgow's airport terminal in June 2007 ended with the conviction of a British doctor with family roots in Iraq.

The Year in Pictures - The Year in Pictures: War, grief, joy, achievement, and, in May, a devastating cyclone in Myanmar.

Italian police arrest dozens in Mafia sweep - The raid in Palermo was aimed at preventing the city's crime bosses from reorganizing after several years in which they appeared to lack leadership.

Explosives found at Paris department store - French police found a package of explosives at the Printemps department store in central Paris on Tuesday, a police spokeswoman said.

British doctor is convicted in attack on Glasgow airport - A terrorism trial centering on the use of a bomb-laden Jeep to crash into the main Glasgow airport terminal in June 2007 ended Tuesday with the conviction of a 29-year-old British doctor.

Doctor convicted in British bomb case - Bilal Abdulla was found guilty of two charges of conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to cause explosions in a series of three bungled car bombings in Glasgow and London in June 2007.

Britain adds 300 soldiers to support Afghan force - Prime Minister Gordon Brown authorized an increase in troop presence over the next 10 months, but gave no indication about troop levels beyond August.

After a day of quiet, riots resume in Athens - Youths protested outside the main police headquarters of the Greek capital Monday, pelting riot police with flour and objects to protest the shooting death of a teenager. Riot forces responded with tear gas.

University in Athens, epicenter of riots, is drawing a potent mix of radicals - Conversations with those inside the Polytechnic revealed a mix of students, anarchists and immigrants protesting everything from police brutality to globalization.

George Brecht, Fluxus artist and provocateur, dies at 82 - George Brecht, a core member of Fluxus, the loosely affiliated international group of playful Conceptual artists that emerged in the early 1960s, died on Dec. 5 in Cologne, where he had lived since 1972. He was 82.

Romanian candidate for prime minister steps aside - President Traian Basescu had selected Theodor Stolojan, 65, last week to form a coalition government. But Stolojan said Monday that he was stepping aside in favor of a younger person.

On latest from Sarkozy, an editorial grain of salt - A collage of newspaper accounts shows language that makes Nicolas Sarkozy's critics say he is erratic, or his advocates to define him as dynamic; the moderate play these reports are given reflects the caution that meets much of what Sarkozy says about the world.

In Athens, the university of anarchy - Many of the violent protests that have rocked Athens in recent days have taken place in and around the Athens Polytechnic University, long occupied by anarchists who now find themselves joined by a disparate group protesting everything from police brutality to globalization to American imperialism.

Killing of migrant worker in Moscow is investigated as hate crime - The police say the victim, from Tajikistan in Central Asia, was stabbed several times and decapitated, apparently by ultranationalists who sent out an e-mail statement claiming responsibility for the crime.

Greek cities enjoy calm after week of riots - Athens was calm Sunday after eight days of the worst riots Greece has seen in decades, but youths who have protested daily since Dec. 6 have vowed to remain on the streets until their concerns are addressed.

Richer now, young Poles turn to cheap clothes - Thrift stores in Poland have become impromptu laboratories of the changing mores and attitudes in a country adjusting to newfound wealth.

Russian police arrest dozens of protesters - The arrests were the latest sign that public expression of dissent against the authorities will not be tolerated under President Dmitri Medevev any more than it was under his predecessor.