International Business News - Europe http://www.ibtimes.com/rss/feed/europe.rss All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 120 30 http://www.ibtimes.com/rss/feed/europe.rss http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif Herman Van Rompuy, the European Union's new president, may not be very well known around the world but he's already winning fans in Japan -- as a poet rather than a politician. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091122/eu-president-wins-fans-japan-aspoet.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224530-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091122/eu-president-wins-fans-japan-aspoet.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091122/eu-president-wins-fans-japan-aspoet.htm Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:52:22 EST President Dmitry Medvedev scolded leaders of Russia's ruling party on Saturday for "bad political habits" and ordered them to win future elections fairly. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091121/russias-medvedev-raps-ruling-party-over-elections.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224515-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091121/russias-medvedev-raps-ruling-party-over-elections.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091121/russias-medvedev-raps-ruling-party-over-elections.htm Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:54:03 EST NATO took command of the training of the Afghan army and police on Saturday to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091121/nato-takes-command-afghan-army-police-training.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224512-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091121/nato-takes-command-afghan-army-police-training.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091121/nato-takes-command-afghan-army-police-training.htm Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:29:10 EST The U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee condemned Iran on Friday for a violent crackdown on protesters after presidential elections this year that the Iranian opposition says were rigged. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/ucommittee-slams-iran-post-election-crackdown.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/ucommittee-slams-iran-post-election-crackdown.htm Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:22:39 EST Herman Van Rompuy's appointment as the first European Union president provoked fears in Turkey that he might hinder Ankara's hopes of joining the bloc, with some media declaring outright that he is anti-Turkish. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/eu-president-raises-fears-aspirant-turkey.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224484-new-eu-president-raises-fears-in-aspirant-turkey.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/eu-president-raises-fears-aspirant-turkey.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/eu-president-raises-fears-aspirant-turkey.htm Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:16:43 EST European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, who is little known outside his own country, as the bloc\'s first president on Thursday to lead efforts to make it more influential on the world stage. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/eu-names-belgian-pm-van-rompuy-as-first-president.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224458-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/eu-names-belgian-pm-van-rompuy-as-first-president.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/eu-names-belgian-pm-van-rompuy-as-first-president.htm Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:18:50 EST Lifeboats and military helicopters rescued hundreds of people overnight in northern England as torrential rain flooded homes and washed away bridges. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/britain-hit-floods-after-record-rainfall.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224449-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/britain-hit-floods-after-record-rainfall.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091120/britain-hit-floods-after-record-rainfall.htm Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:51:45 EST European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, a man little known outside his home country, as the bloc's first president on Thursday to lead efforts to make it more influential on the world stage. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091119/belgian-van-rompuy-becomes-eus-first-president.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224426-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091119/belgian-van-rompuy-becomes-eus-first-president.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091119/belgian-van-rompuy-becomes-eus-first-president.htm Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:39:31 EST Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was on course on Thursday to become the European Union's president and Briton Catherine Ashton to become its foreign affairs chief, EU officials said http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091119/belgian-briton-on-course-eu-top-jobs.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224391-belgian-briton-on-course-for-eu-top-jobs.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091119/belgian-briton-on-course-eu-top-jobs.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091119/belgian-briton-on-course-eu-top-jobs.htm Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:41:22 EST NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Tuesday he was confident the alliance would substantially increase its forces battling Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091117/nato-chief-confident-big-troop-increase.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224223-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091117/nato-chief-confident-big-troop-increase.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091117/nato-chief-confident-big-troop-increase.htm Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:15:41 EST The Russian and U.S. presidents said on Sunday they hoped to strike a new deal for arms cuts by the end of the year. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091116/russias-leaders-discuss-arms-pact-iran.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224153-russias-leaders-discuss-arms-pact-iran.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091116/russias-leaders-discuss-arms-pact-iran.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091116/russias-leaders-discuss-arms-pact-iran.htm Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:15:06 EST French Budget Minister Eric Woerth said on Sunday he was horrified by a publicity stunt that attracted huge crowds hoping for a cash handout and led to serious violence when it was canceled for safety reasons. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091115/web-sites-cash-handout-stunt-horrifies-french-minister.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224117-people-wait-forbus-which-is-part-ofpublicity.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091115/web-sites-cash-handout-stunt-horrifies-french-minister.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091115/web-sites-cash-handout-stunt-horrifies-french-minister.htm Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:24:02 EST The International Monetary Fund is studying a wide range of possible ways to impose a levy on banks, including taxes on profits, assets and financial transactions, its chief economist said on Friday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/imf-studies-range-possible-levies-on-banks.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224082-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/imf-studies-range-possible-levies-on-banks.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/imf-studies-range-possible-levies-on-banks.htm Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:51:12 EST Thirty-five people missing after a series of blasts at an arms depot in Russia are unlikely to be found alive, the governor of the region where the explosions took place was quoted as saying on Friday by Interfax news agency. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/hopes-fade-35-missing-russian-blasts-report.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224063-hopes-fade-for-35-missing-in-russian-blasts-report.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/hopes-fade-35-missing-russian-blasts-report.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/hopes-fade-35-missing-russian-blasts-report.htm Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:34:58 EST The French navy captured 12 suspected pirates off the coasts of Somalia and the Seychelles Thursday, an army spokesman said Friday, as part of Europe's anti-piracy mission in the area. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/france-captures-12-suspected-somali-pirates.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224049-france-captures-12-suspected-somali-pirates.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/france-captures-12-suspected-somali-pirates.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091113/france-captures-12-suspected-somali-pirates.htm Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:35:48 EST Former Prime Minister Tony Blair will face questioning next year about Britain's entry into the Iraq war from a committee which has heard the decision was illegal and based on deception, its chairman said on Friday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/british-ex-pm-blair-faces-iraq-inquiry-next.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224025-british-ex-pm-blair-faces-iraq-inquiry-next-year.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/british-ex-pm-blair-faces-iraq-inquiry-next.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/british-ex-pm-blair-faces-iraq-inquiry-next.htm Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:30:38 EST Industrial production in the Eurozone continues to increase, suggesting that the region's overall economy may post a growth for the first time in over a year. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/eurozone-industrial-output-continues-rise.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/224005-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/eurozone-industrial-output-continues-rise.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/eurozone-industrial-output-continues-rise.htm Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:07:58 EST A draft declaration to be made at next week's world food summit ducks new targets on agricultural aid and the fight against hunger, but France said on Thursday it wanted firmer pledges on finance and market regulation. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/food-summit-dilutes-aid-targets-france-wants-more.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/223991-food-summit-dilutes-aid-targets-france-wants-more.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/food-summit-dilutes-aid-targets-france-wants-more.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/food-summit-dilutes-aid-targets-france-wants-more.htm Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:41:02 EST Russia's pro-Western opposition on Thursday dismissed President Dmitry Medvedev's promises to reform the political system as empty and said they saw little prospect of an easing of Kremlin domination. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/russian-opposition-slates-medvedev-election-reforms.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/223979-.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/russian-opposition-slates-medvedev-election-reforms.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091112/russian-opposition-slates-medvedev-election-reforms.htm Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:10:33 EST A man who stabbed a pregnant Egyptian woman to death in a German courtroom in front of her husband and three-year old son was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday, a court spokesman said. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091111/german-courtroom-killer-sentenced-life-jail.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/223919-german-courtroom-killer-sentenced-to-life-in-jail.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091111/german-courtroom-killer-sentenced-life-jail.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20091111/german-courtroom-killer-sentenced-life-jail.htm Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:33:06 EST