EUROPE - latest news report on Europe, European politics, society, culture, business, institutions, EEC, EU

ROMANIA

President Basescu to face Geoana in Dec. 6 run-off, exit polls show

Exit polls indicate that incumbent President Traian Basescu (right) narrowly won the first round of Romania's presidential election on Sunday but will face leftist challenger Mircea Geoana in a December 6 runoff.

WEATHER

Flood-hit Britain, Ireland brace for more rain

Residents of north-western Britain and Ireland were braced for more rain Sunday following the devastating floods of recent days, which killed one British policeman.

AFP

Spanish PM vows sweeping reforms to boost economy

With Spain facing its worst recession in decades, the government will approve this week a sweeping package of reforms aimed at changing the nation's economic growth model, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Sunday.The reforms will ...

DIPLOMACY

Armenia, Azerbaijan make 'important progress' in Nagorno-Karabakh talks

Armenia and Azerbaijan held talks Sunday on the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where ethnic Armenians broke away from Muslim Azerbaijan in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed. Oil-rich Azerbaijan has threatened to use force if talks fail.

AFP

Somali pirates holding 12-year-old hostage: Spanish skipper

A Spanish trawler captain released by Somali pirates said he is haunted by his failure to save a 12-year-old Ukrainian girl held captive for more than six months, a newspaper reported Sunday.Ricardo Blach, skipper of the Alakrana, which was freed ...

NORTHERN IRELAND

No injuries from bomb targeting Belfast police, but peace hopes shaken

A massive car bomb targeting the Belfast headquarters of a provincial police unit failed to detonate completely, resulting in a minor explosion that has nevertheless shaken hopes for the future of the peace process.

SPAIN

Thousands of farmers march against falling prices in Madrid

Thousands of Spanish farmers marched through central Madrid to the Agriculture Ministry on Saturday to demand government action on the falling prices and rising costs that are threatening to ruin their livelihoods.

ITALY

Transsexual linked to political scandal 'murdered'

A Brazilian transsexual caught up in a political scandal that prompted the resignation of Italian governor Piero Marrazzo was found burnt to death in a Rome apartment on Friday. Magistrates are treating the case as murder.

AFP

Ireland battles severe flooding

Ireland battled floods on Saturday described as a "once in 800 years event", with the government rushing to provide shelter and drinking water and soldiers sent to assist those affected.Rivers burst their banks, coastal towns were threatened by sea ...

AFP

Life term sought for US student in Italy murder trial

Italian prosecutors on Saturday demanded life imprisonment for American student Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the 2007 murder of Briton Meredith Kercher."I was Meredith's friend," Knox exclaimed, her voice choked with ...

AFP

Austria in talks with Russia over South Stream

Austria has begun talks with Russia in view of joining Moscow's South Stream gas pipeline project, Austrian newspapers reported on Saturday.The economy ministry said it had opened negotiations with Russia on Friday regarding its potential ...

FOOTBALL

Europe rocked by massive match-fixing scandal

Around 200 European football games are under investigation over match fixing allegations, including three in the Champions League. For UEFA officials, its the largest ever match-fixing scandal.

(1) comment

EUROPEAN UNION

Van Rompuy set to bring quiet diplomacy to EU top job

After weeks of backroom dealings, Belgian PM Herman Van Rompuy has been appointed the EU’s first president while Britain’s Catherine Ashton was selected the 27-nation bloc's first foreign affairs chief.

DIPLOMACY

Putin says compromise gas deal reached with Ukraine

Speaking after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko late Thursday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the two countries had reached a compromise deal on the thorny issue of gas supply.

JUSTICE

European Commission to take France to court over waste water

The European Commission announced Friday that it is taking France to court over its failure to properly treat waste water in over 60 large towns, including Avignon, Bordeaux and Lyon.

BRAZIL

Supreme court backs extradition of ex-militant Battisti

Brazil's supreme court has decided to grant the extradition of an Italian ex-militant wanted for multiple murders, Cesare Battisti. The court will decide whether or not President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will have the final say in the case.