PARIS - France is among the world’s top users and exporters of nuclear power.  Roughly two-thirds of French electricity is derived from it.  So it may not be surprising that French President Nicolas Sarkozy made a strong pitch for the use of nuclear energy at an international conference in Paris.
Mr. Sarkozy said energy demand will […]

LONDON - The British government says it is banning the Somali militant group, al-Shabab and designating it a terrorist organization.
The British Home Office said the move to ban al-Shabab is necessary.
Al-Shabab is a militant Islamic group fighting for control of Somalia against the country’s transitional government.  The group has pledged its allegiance to al-Qaida and […]

PARIS - The European Union’s executive arm is calling for a ban on commercial fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna, giving a powerful push for an international treaty to that effect.  Such a move has drawn sharp protests, even as environmentalists applaud it.
The European Commission’s recommendation for its 27 member states to support a ban against […]

MOSCOW - Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is calling for major police reforms, including a 50 percent reduction in the number of officials working at Interior Ministry headquarters and sub-units.  The Kremlin leader is also seeking to increase compensation for Interior Ministry police.
President Medvedev says there is a need to eliminate Interior Ministry functions that are […]

PARIS - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he hopes strong international sanctions on Iran will forestall the need for a military strike designed to end the country’s chances of developing a nuclear weapon.  Gates spoke in Paris, where he and his French counterpart Herve Morin agreed it is time for sanctions after months of […]

WASHINGTON - Romania has agreed to host missile interceptors as part of a revised U.S. plan to protect Europe from ballistic missiles fired from Iran. Both the United States and Romania said Thursday the system is not directed against Russia.
Romania has become the first European country to formally accept a role in the Obama administration’s […]

LONDON - The British government is raising its terror threat level to severe, saying a new terrorist attack in Britain is likely.  The United States recently raised security measures following a failed bombing attempt on a U.S. bound plane in late December. 
British Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced the British terror threat level was going up […]

LONDON - The British government has banned an Islamic group under the country’s counter-terrorism laws.  Islam4UK had planned to stage a march through the British town Wootton Bassett to honor Muslims killed in Afghanistan.
Britain’s home secretary has announced that from Thursday it will be a criminal offense to be part of the radical Islamic Group […]

LONDON - The British government has confirmed that the young Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight on Christmas Day was refused entry into Britain earlier this year and his name was added to a so-called watch list. 
Somehow, somewhere, security officials did not pick up on the information at their disposal […]

LONDON - Queen Elizabeth, the symbolic head of the British military, speaks of the loss felt by many, in this, the deadliest year to date for British forces in Afghanistan.
In her annual Christmas message, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth the Second has paid tribute to those serving in her country’s armed forces.
The Queen, the symbolic head of […]

MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blames U.S. negotiators Thursday for slowing efforts over the past week.  And he said that while negotiations have improved, it is “unlikely” a deal could be signed when Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama attend the United Nation’s climate summit in Copenhagen this week.
U.S. and […]

ROME - Police say Berlusconi was struck with a statuette by a man with mental problems who was immediately taken into custody.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was busy shaking hands and signing autographs after holding a political rally for his conservative supporters in Milan. Suddenly out of the blue, police say he was struck by a […]

OSLO - U.S. President Barack Obama has formally accepted the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway.  The president spoke at length about the circumstances that push nations to war, and prompt them to seek peace.
President Obama says he accepts the peace prize with humility, well aware of the controversy that surrounded the […]

GENEVA - The “Yes” vote - to amend the constitution in favor of banning minarets - stunned experts who had predicted the measure would be rejected.  It also sent ripples of anxiety across the country’s Muslim community, which makes up about six percent of Switzerland’s population.
Some 57.5 percent of voters backed the initiative, which was […]

GENEVA - Swiss voters are casting ballots Sunday in a referendum on amending the country’s constitution to ban the construction of Islamic minarets.
The nationalist Swiss People’s Party and a fringe party, the Federal Democratic Union Party, are behind the controversial proposal.
Many nationalists say they have no problem with the construction of mosques in Switzerland.  But […]

PARIS - The European Union has chosen its first full-time president - Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy. Leaders of the 27-member bloc also chose a woman for the second top job - British commissioner Catherine Ashton, who will be the EU’s new foreign policy chief
At a press conference in Brussels, the European Union’s President-elect […]

LONDON - Britain’s prime minister says the UK will send more troops to Afghanistan if other allies do the same. Speaking on British radio, BBC’s Radio Four, Gordon Brown said he’s confident of that support.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said British envoys are being sent out to talk with coalition partners and NATO allies to make […]

MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine he will cut off the country’s gas supplies if it siphons fuel from export lines. Mr. Putin made the statement in Moscow following a meeting with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann. His warning carries an implicit threat that Europeans this winter could again face shortages of […]

BERLIN - The German capital will commemorate on Monday the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago - on November 9, 1989. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to converge on the city and world leaders have begun arriving in Berlin for festivities that include a variety of open air events. The anniversary provides […]

MOSCOW - Joseph Stalin’s grandson has sued a prominent Russian newspaper for libel, claiming Novaya Gazeta is tarnishing the former Soviet leader’s good name. The news comes on the heels of a United Nation’s committee finding that Russia does not do enough to protect those who go against Russian authorities or protect its citizens from […]

BERLIN - Three leaders who had key roles in the reunification of Germany gathered Saturday to share their memories of the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Germany’s ex-chancellor Helmut Kohl, former U.S. president George Herbert Walker Bush, and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev were honored at a gathering in Berlin for their efforts in reunifying Germany.
Former […]

PARIS - A French magistrate has ordered former President Jacques Chirac to stand trial on embezzlement charges dating back to the 1990s, when he was mayor of Paris. The order is unprecedented, and follows several other trials targeting former high-level politicians.
Former President Jacques Chirac did not respond directly to news he has been ordered to […]

BUDAPEST - Hungary is commemorating its crushed 1956 Revolution against Soviet domination and the 20th anniversary of its declaration as a republic and the end of communism. The ceremonies come however as opinion polls show a growing number of Hungarians are dissatisfied with the political changes that have occurred since then.
The Hungarian flag was raised […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has secured the Czech Republic’s support for U.S. missile defense plans after winning the backing of fellow NATO allies Poland and Romania.
Biden met Friday with Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, who said his country is ready to participate in the new plan.
Biden said Washington will send a high-level […]