Europe news stories on Newser

Europe Finally Gets It: Austerity Isn't the Answer

Matt Cantor — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:08:17 CDT

Paul Krugman is applauding France and Greece for the results of their elections : "Time is clearly running out for the strategy of recovery through austerity—and that’s a good thing," writes the longtime critic of austerity measures in the New York Times . Austerity measures depend on a false "confidence fairy"...

Organs From US Troops Save Lives in Europe

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 05 May 2012 06:26:15 CDT

Since 2006, organ donations from mortally wounded US troops have saved around 140 European lives, reports USA Today . The families of 36 American servicemembers who were declared brain dead from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan agreed to donate their hearts, kidneys, lungs, livers, and pancreases to patients in Europe. It's...

'Fairy Tale' of Austerity Is Finally Dead

John Johnson — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:50:05 CDT

Paul Krugman doesn't use the words "I told you so," but he does pronounce the notion that austerity measures would fire up Europe's economy good and dead. European policy-makers had the misguided idea—one embraced by Republicans in the US—that cutting back on spending would spur confidence, he writes...

4 Things Obama Must Do to Win

Matt Cantor — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:55:58 CDT

President Obama's economic message is that "we're on the right track" and we should give him more time. But if the economy "stalls"—about a 50-50 chance—the message won't hold up, writes Robert Reich in the Guardian . It's time for Obama to present a "clear, bold strategy" that contrasts...

Europe's Woeful Trend: 'Suicide by Economic Crisis'

John Johnson — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:46:00 CDT

When a 77-year-old Greek retiree committed a very public suicide over his mounting debts, he became a face of Europe's financial crisis. But he is far from alone, reports the New York Times . Suicides, especially among men, are spiking in hard-hit nations such as Greece, Ireland, and Italy, with newspapers...

Eurozone Economy Shrinks

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:11:06 CST

For the first time since 2009, the eurozone economy contracted last quarter. The fourth quarter of 2011 saw the GDP shrink 0.3% compared to the third quarter; the last quarterly contraction occurred during the second quarter of 2009 when the GDP dropped 0.2%. Meanwhile, the GDP grew just...

300 Dead in European Cold Snap

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:10:00 CST

Now in its second week, a European cold snap has claimed more than 300 lives and sent hundreds more to hospitals, the Telegraph and BBC report. Some temperatures have plunged as low as -40 Fahrenheit. Ukraine still has it worst with 131 officially dead—most of them homeless—and 1,...

Death Toll Rises in European Cold Snap

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:02:00 CST

While much of the US basks in unseasonably warmish weather, Europe continues to be locked in a deep freeze that's getting even colder. More than 100 people have died in Ukraine, Italy is suffering its coldest winter in 27 years, and conditions are so severe in Serbia that thousands have...

11K Serbians Trapped by Snow

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:50:24 CST

Eastern Europe's week-long cold snap shows no sign of relenting, with increasingly tragic consequences: The death toll has risen to 114, and some 11,000 Serbians living in remote villages are trapped, reports the AP . Heavy snow and blizzards have made the roads impassable, stranding those living in some 6,...