Spiegel
December 31, 2009
Spain has been pummeled by the economic crisis, rising unemployment and corruption scandals. At the moment, Spain’s only ray of hope is its upcoming assumption of the rotating presidency of the European Union. But the bloc’s new top brass, Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton, might just spoil Spain’s turn at the EU helm.
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BBC
December 31, 2009
Lithuania has shut down its one and only nuclear power station in Visaginas.
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The New York Times
December 30, 2009
WASHINGTON — Conservative bloggers and opinion outlets in recent days have expressed mounting alarm about an executive order by President Obama that extended certain privileges and immunities to the International Criminal Police Organization, better known as Interpol.
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The New York Times
December 30, 2009
LONDON — Never before has Europe’s monetary union seemed so fragile. Day by day, fears are growing that Greece or another weak country may default on its sovereign debt obligations, forcing the richer countries in Europe to ride to the rescue or risk having one or more of its most vulnerable members leave the 16-nation euro zone.
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Spiegel
December 28, 2009
A growing roster of central bankers and politicians are opposed to the idea of an IMF bailout for Greece. They argue it would violate European Union law and that the bloc is big enough to solve the problem on its own.
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Spiegel
December 28, 2009
German Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen talks to SPIEGEL about the failure of the Copenhagen climate summit, why neither China nor the US can take the lead in the fight against global warming and Germany’s role in the new world order.
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The Wall Street Journal
December 28, 2009
As much of northwestern Europe basks in a cold and unusually white Christmas, the continent’s failure to confront its urgent energy-security concerns is a disgrace.
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The New York Times
December 28, 2009
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday raised publicly for the first time the prospect of maintaining Israeli forces along the eastern border of a future Palestinian state to prevent arms smuggling.
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BBC
December 28, 2009
Russia has warned that a price dispute with Ukraine could cause it to cut oil deliveries to three EU countries, Slovakia has said.
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The Atlantic Partnership is a nonpartisan initiative that aims to foster debate about the relationship between the United States and Europe while promoting the benefits of a strong and stable Atlantic community of nations.
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Spain takes over EU presidency
EuropeanVoice
December 31, 2009
Spain took over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU today, the first full term under the Lisbon treaty rules which introduced two new, powerful institutional figures, the president of the European Council and the high representative for foreign and security policy.
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