http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-etruscan-roots-of-the-twilight-saga-1824664.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-etruscan-roots-of-the-twilight-saga-1824664.html ]]> <p> Were there vampires in Volterra? Probably not, but the Etruscans had their own brigade of gods and demons representing night, death and resurrection. </p> Features Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:08:29 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/european-leaders-choose-the-path-of-least-resistance-1824103.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/european-leaders-choose-the-path-of-least-resistance-1824103.html ]]> <p>Britain last night secured the job of the EU's first "foreign minister" for Baroness Ashton of Upholland after Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy was crowned as the first "President of Europe", quashing any hopes Tony Blair might have still been harbouring of assuming the role.</p> Europe Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-26yearold-victim-of-the-first-world-war-1824135.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-26yearold-victim-of-the-first-world-war-1824135.html ]]> <p>Maité Roël is just 26 and she is the youngest victim of the First World War. And when she walks to meet me past the old churchyard in her village of Bovekerke, she limps, ever so slightly, on her left leg, the living ghost of all those mutilated, long-dead men whose memory the world honoured on Armistice Day earlier this month. She even holds a First World War veteran's card – "mutilée dans la guerre" – and when she shows it to the local railway ticket inspectors for reduced fare train trips, they suspect her – with awful inevitability – of stealing it from dead grandfather or great-grandfather.</p> Europe Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/baroness-ashtons-eu-role-gives-britain-a-powerful-voice-1823742.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/baroness-ashtons-eu-role-gives-britain-a-powerful-voice-1823742.html ]]> <p> Gordon Brown insisted tonight that Britain would remain a powerful voice in Brussels after Labour peer Baroness Ashton was appointed as the European Union's first foreign minister. </p> Europe Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:43:46 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-eu-job-contest-dawns-dont-wait-up-1823222.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-eu-job-contest-dawns-dont-wait-up-1823222.html ]]> <p>The finals of the European Job Contest will take place in Brussels tonight, without the cheap glitter of the musical version but with the same sort of secret, national horse-trading and, most probably, the same kind of unmemorable winners. </p> Europe Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italys-northern-league-in-white-christmas-immigrant-purge-1823231.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italys-northern-league-in-white-christmas-immigrant-purge-1823231.html <p>The local council of the northern Italian town of Coccaglio is dreaming of a White Christmas this year. </p> Europe Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/meredith-murder-suspect-argued-with-her-moments-before-death-1822831.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/meredith-murder-suspect-argued-with-her-moments-before-death-1822831.html ]]> <p> The man convicted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher in Italy today claimed he heard her arguing with housemate and suspect Amanda Knox minutes before her death. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:22:25 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/former-ss-man-charged-with-58-murders-after-student-traces-him-1822598.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/former-ss-man-charged-with-58-murders-after-student-traces-him-1822598.html <p> A former SS sergeant who worked unnoticed for decades as manager of a rail station has been charged with 58 counts of murder after a student doing undergraduate research uncovered his alleged involvement in a massacre of Jewish forced labourers. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:14:18 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nothing-presidential-about-new-eu-presidents-job-1822422.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nothing-presidential-about-new-eu-presidents-job-1822422.html ]]> <p>Europhobes and Europhiles may rarely agree but they are conspiring – not for the first time – to foist a grand illusion on the European public. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/till-death-us-do-not-part-french-woman-marries-dead-fianc-1822425.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/till-death-us-do-not-part-french-woman-marries-dead-fianc-1822425.html <p>The bride wore white but, as the mayor sadly pointed out, she was a widow before she left the town hall. By special permission of the French President, Magali Jaskiewicz, a 26-year-old-mother of two from eastern France, has married her dead fiancé. </p> Europe Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/90yearold-charged-with-ss-jewish-massacre-1822220.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/90yearold-charged-with-ss-jewish-massacre-1822220.html <p> A 90-year-old former member of the SS has been charged with 58 counts of murder for the 1945 killings of Jewish forced labourers in Austria. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:04:51 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/gaddafis-night-in-with-500-attractive-girls--and-the-koran-1821752.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/gaddafis-night-in-with-500-attractive-girls--and-the-koran-1821752.html ]]> <p>The mysterious host asked the Italian hospitality agency for "500 attractive girls between 18 and 35 years of age, at least 1.7 metre high", and if the women who answered the call were in the dark about their duties, they must have felt confident that the event would be an interesting one.</p> News Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vanessa-mock-shadowy-race-but-with-the-right-result-1821753.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vanessa-mock-shadowy-race-but-with-the-right-result-1821753.html <p>It is nothing new for the EU to be blasted for being an opaque and shadowy bureaucratic behemoth, but the search for an EU President has triggered some of the most strident criticism yet of the way Brussels operates. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iron-lady-of-the-north-in-late-bid-for-eus-top-job-1821755.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/iron-lady-of-the-north-in-late-bid-for-eus-top-job-1821755.html ]]> <p>Flame-haired Latvian Vaira Vike-Freiberga, known as the "Iron Lady of the North", is leading a pack of late contenders who have dashed into the closing round of the race to become the EU's first president. </p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechoslovakia-the-unfinished-revolution-1821756.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechoslovakia-the-unfinished-revolution-1821756.html ]]> <p>The patron saint of the Czechs stares from his plinth in the centre of Prague with a genial, perplexed expression. It is 20 years since Good King Wenceslas last looked out on the frozen and cheerless political landscape of Communism. But each day, he still confronts rival forces contending for the soul of the Czech people. The equestrian statue of the martyred 10th-century King of Bohemia gazes out at well-dressed Czech shoppers – in ranks deep and crisp and even – as they make for Marks & Spencer and Debenhams and the two McDonald's on Wenceslas Square.</p> Europe Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechs-mark-20th-anniversary-of-velvet-revolution-1821591.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechs-mark-20th-anniversary-of-velvet-revolution-1821591.html ]]> <p> Vaclav Havel is small, frail and as usual he’s wearing a badly-fitting suit and an open white shirt. You feel he would be smoking, but he isn’t allowed to now. </p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:34:22 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/three-britons-killed-fleeing-dutch-police-1821525.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/three-britons-killed-fleeing-dutch-police-1821525.html <p> Three Britons died and a fourth was fighting for his life in a Dutch hospital today after a high-speed crash while escaping from police. </p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:32:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dutch-first-in-europe-to-adopt-green-tax-for-cars-1821268.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dutch-first-in-europe-to-adopt-green-tax-for-cars-1821268.html <p>The Dutch government is to become the first country in Europe to introduce a green tax to replace annual road tax on cars. </p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/someone-wants-to-kill-me-claims-berlusconi-1821270.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/someone-wants-to-kill-me-claims-berlusconi-1821270.html <p>Silvio Berlusconi's personal, political and legal problems are mounting, leading the Italian Prime Minister's media and political allies to speak of a plot against him and a risk of an early election.</p> Europe Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-lichfield/john-lichfield-what-a-relief-to-be-driving-in-disguise-1821280.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-lichfield/john-lichfield-what-a-relief-to-be-driving-in-disguise-1821280.html <p>By their cars shall you know them. Not any more, it appears. Parisian motorists, disliked all over France for being over-aggressive, under-friendly and simply for being Parisian, have found a way to camouflage their origins. </p> John Lichfield Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlusconis-only-fear-divorce-1820972.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlusconis-only-fear-divorce-1820972.html ]]> <p>Silvio Berlusconi is so far above the law he's practically in orbit. He's not afraid of judges, prosecutors, police, traffic cops, dog wardens or even criminals. There's only one person in Italy who scares him: his wife of 19 years, Miriam Bartolini, better known by her <i>nom d'arte</i>, Veronica Lario. And this weekend, she's preparing to unleash the weapon that could at last do him serious damage – an acrimonious, contested divorce.</p> Europe Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/funeral-held-for-venetians-dying-city-1820403.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/funeral-held-for-venetians-dying-city-1820403.html ]]> <p> Residents of Venice will stage a mock funeral today to highlight the dramatic decline in its population, which has led to it being called a dying city. A symbolic red coffin will pass along the city's canals with an escort of gondolas in a lament for the decline of the once-thriving lagoon port. </p> Europe Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/meet-haiku-herman-will-europe-make-him-a-very-famous-belgian-1820404.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/meet-haiku-herman-will-europe-make-him-a-very-famous-belgian-1820404.html ]]> <p>One is a young, dynamic reporter with a blond quiff who roams the world in search of adventure. The other is a greying, diminutive politician with glasses, a penchant for poetry and a love of country life. On the face of it, Belgium's national hero, Tintin, could not be more different from the man who is tipped to be chosen as the European Union's first president next week. </p> Europe Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/police-whistleblowers-a-youtube-hit-1820405.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/police-whistleblowers-a-youtube-hit-1820405.html ]]> <p>The Russian police force is under fire after a series of online videos from current and former officers appeared, denouncing it as permeated with corruption and malpractice. </p> Europe Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/merciless-ikea-memoir-flatpacks-a-punch-1820541.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/merciless-ikea-memoir-flatpacks-a-punch-1820541.html ]]> <p>The wholesome Scandinavian image of furniture and lifestyle giant Ikea has been rudely shaken by a new book which claims the company is hostile to foreign employees and uses Stasi-style secret police methods to spy on its thousands of staff worldwide.</p> Europe Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/medvedev-promises-new-era-for-russian-democracy-1819927.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/medvedev-promises-new-era-for-russian-democracy-1819927.html ]]> <p>In his biggest speech since taking office yesterday, President Dmitry Medvedev laid out a harsh critique of the state of Russia and unveiled a blueprint for its reform.</p> Europe Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/child-rape-accused-priest-first-suspended-in-1964-1819307.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/child-rape-accused-priest-first-suspended-in-1964-1819307.html <p> An elderly Irish Catholic priest facing extradition from the US over charges of child sex abuse was first suspended from service 45 years ago, it was revealed last night. </p> Europe Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:57:28 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/man-guilty-of-stabbing-veil-martyr-to-death-in-court-1819036.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/man-guilty-of-stabbing-veil-martyr-to-death-in-court-1819036.html <p>It started with a seemingly trivial argument about a swing in a children's playground, but soon spiralled into one of the most shocking racist murders Germany has witnessed since its reunification.</p> Europe Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/secret-struggle-with-depression-of-goalkeeper-driven-to-take-his-own-life-1819037.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/secret-struggle-with-depression-of-goalkeeper-driven-to-take-his-own-life-1819037.html ]]> <p>He was the captain of his club, the rock at the heart of the German national team's defence, and expected to be first pick in goal for his country at the 2010 World Cup. But Robert Enke committed suicide by throwing himself under a train. Yesterday, his widow revealed that his professional excellence masked a devastating depression he had been battling for years.</p> Europe Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlusconi-abandons-casting-couch-1819041.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlusconi-abandons-casting-couch-1819041.html ]]> <p>The era of fast-tracked careers for pretty faces in Prime Minister's Silvio Berlusconi's TV empire, which led to rumours of a casting couch, could be at an end. Young starlets wanting jobs on the Premier's Mediaset programmes must demonstrate appropriate professional skills and training, according to a stern memo from Berlusconi's son Piersilvio, Mediaset's vice-president.</p> Europe Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/et-phone-rome-vatican-hosts-alien-life-study-1818707.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/et-phone-rome-vatican-hosts-alien-life-study-1818707.html <p> The Vatican has hosted a conference to study the possibility of alien life in the universe and its implication for the Catholic Church. </p> Europe Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:44:17 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/german-keeper-enke-dies-after-being-hit-by-express-train-1818312.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/german-keeper-enke-dies-after-being-hit-by-express-train-1818312.html ]]> <p>German football was in shock after it was confirmed that the national team goalkeeper Robert Enke was killed in an incident at a railway level crossing yesterday. </p> News & Comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/in-their-own-words-east-berliners-on-the-wall-1817827.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/in-their-own-words-east-berliners-on-the-wall-1817827.html ]]> Europe Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:22:02 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-joy-of-freedom-20-years-on-1817707.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-joy-of-freedom-20-years-on-1817707.html ]]> <p> It was the same sort of miserable November weather, grey and drizzling; the mass of humanity was large, chaotic and giddy as then; and there in the midst of it, three figures as solidly "eastern" as any of those who teemed across the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. </p> Europe Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sarkozy-challenged-over-claims-of-smashing-wall-1817709.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sarkozy-challenged-over-claims-of-smashing-wall-1817709.html ]]> <p>President Nicolas Sarkozy became embroiled in a bizarre verbal ping-pong match yesterday after he announced that he had personally helped to demolish the Berlin Wall on the first day of its fall 20 years ago. </p> Europe Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/oxfordbased-guru-accused-of-torturing-french-aristocrats-1817714.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/oxfordbased-guru-accused-of-torturing-french-aristocrats-1817714.html <p>To his followers in a large suburban Oxford house, Thierry Tilly is a "super-man" – a secret agent for a centuries-old, Da Vinci Code-style, secret society, sworn to protect the world from evil. </p> Europe Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dictators-wife-defiant-over-forced-adoptions-1817710.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dictators-wife-defiant-over-forced-adoptions-1817710.html ]]> <p>More than 2,000 Germans are still searching for family members lost as a result of the forced adoption policies instigated by Margot Honecker. The widow of Erich Honecker, the East German dictator who ordered the building of the Berlin Wall, lives in exile in South America on a German state pension. And 20 years after the collapse of the Iron Curtain she remains unrepentant. In a rare interview recently the 82-year-old insisted that people "lived good lives" under the regime headed by her husband.</p> Europe Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/world-leaders-in-berlin-to-mark-fall-of-wall-1817583.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/world-leaders-in-berlin-to-mark-fall-of-wall-1817583.html ]]> <p> World leaders past and present gathered in the German capital today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall, which led to German reunification and hastened the demise of the Soviet Union. </p> Europe Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:41:06 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/john-reid-the-enduring-implications-of-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-1817560.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/john-reid-the-enduring-implications-of-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-1817560.html <p> The fall of the Berlin Wall, on November 9, 1989, was one of history’s truly epochal moments. During what became a revolutionary wave sweeping across the former Eastern Bloc countries, the announcement by the then-East German Government that its citizens could visit West Germany set in train a series of events that led, ultimately, to the demise of the Soviet Union itself. </p> Europe Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:56:50 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pms-lastditch-appeal-to-merkel-for-blair-eu-presidency-1817258.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pms-lastditch-appeal-to-merkel-for-blair-eu-presidency-1817258.html <p> Gordon Brown will make a last-ditch appeal today to Angela Merkel to rally behind Tony Blair as the first president of Europe. </p> Europe Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/a-bridge-opened-ndash-and-then-the-wall-fell-1817277.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/a-bridge-opened-ndash-and-then-the-wall-fell-1817277.html ]]> <p>Twenty years to the day since the Berlin Wall was first breached, the city will today play host to a celebration of the momentous changes brought about by the fall of a monument to a repressive regime. </p> Europe Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-fall-of-the-wall-20-years-on-1817167.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-fall-of-the-wall-20-years-on-1817167.html ]]> <p> <b><u>Wednesday 8 November 1989 - East German cabinet quits</u></b> </p> <p> <i>By Patricia Clough in Bonn</i> </p> <p> The East German government yesterday yielded to pressure from vast demonstrations and the rapid haemorrhage of its young people, and resigned to make way for change. </p> Europe Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-benelux-rat-pack-scrabbling-for-presidency-1817341.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-benelux-rat-pack-scrabbling-for-presidency-1817341.html <p> As history is celebrated on the streets of Berlin today, behind the scenes, another, though more discreet, chapter in European history may also be penned in that same city. </p> Europe Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:08:15 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/john-reid-the-enduring-implications-of-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-1817149.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/john-reid-the-enduring-implications-of-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-1817149.html <p> The fall of the Berlin Wall, on November 9, 1989, was one of history’s truly epochal moments. During what became a revolutionary wave sweeping across the former Eastern Bloc countries, the announcement by the then-East German Government that its citizens could visit West Germany set in train a series of events that led, ultimately, to the demise of the Soviet Union itself. </p> Europe Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:49:02 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ios-graphic-fall-of-the-wall-1816849.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ios-graphic-fall-of-the-wall-1816849.html Europe Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:01:49 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/20th-anniversary-special-two-days-that-destroyed-a-wall-ndash-and-a-world-order-1816843.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/20th-anniversary-special-two-days-that-destroyed-a-wall-ndash-and-a-world-order-1816843.html ]]> <p>November 1989, and East Germany, a repressive communist state that has known only dogmatic certainties under the shelter of the Soviet bloc, is now in uncharted territory. For the past few weeks, tens of thousands of its citizens have escaped through liberalising Hungary, and millions have taken part in demonstrations calling for multi-party elections, freedom to travel, independent media – indeed anything but the failing leadership of old men schooled in Moscow's ways.</p> Europe Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-fall-of-the-wall-for-some-theres-little-to-celebrate-1816844.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-fall-of-the-wall-for-some-theres-little-to-celebrate-1816844.html ]]> <p>It is unlikely that many residents will be wildly celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in the German capital's sprawling tower-block suburb of Marzahn-Hellersdorf tomorrow night.</p> Europe Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-fall-of-the-wall-red-dusk-was-a-rare-bright-spot-in-20th-century-1816845.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-fall-of-the-wall-red-dusk-was-a-rare-bright-spot-in-20th-century-1816845.html ]]> <p>The collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's President Vladimir Putin famously once proclaimed, was "the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the century". Putin was speaking as a former Soviet apparatchik, in language calculated to stoke ever-combustible Russian nationalism, articulating his country's grievances against a world which no longer gave it the respect it believed due.</p> Europe Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-berlin-wall-where-are-they-now-1816847.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-berlin-wall-where-are-they-now-1816847.html <p><b>The Berlin Wall</b> </p> Europe Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/50000-dead-starfish-found-on-irish-beach-1816242.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/50000-dead-starfish-found-on-irish-beach-1816242.html <p> Extreme weather conditions have killed tens of thousands of starfish and left them strewn across a sheltered beach. </p> Europe Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:59:50 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fury-on-the-streets-as-axe-hovers-over-german-workers-1815739.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/fury-on-the-streets-as-axe-hovers-over-german-workers-1815739.html ]]> <p>Thousands of Opel workers staged lightning strikes and angry protests across Germany yesterday after the sudden refusal by the car giant's American parent company, General Motors, to sell off its European operations.</p> Europe Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/backlash-at-cameron-over-euro-referendum-1815741.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/backlash-at-cameron-over-euro-referendum-1815741.html <p>David Cameron suffered a backlash at home and abroad yesterday as his new policy on Europe upset Tory Eurosceptics and some of Britain's European Union partners.</p> UK Politics Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sin-city-show-celebrates-the-paris-brothel-that-was-loved-by-cary-grant-1815759.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sin-city-show-celebrates-the-paris-brothel-that-was-loved-by-cary-grant-1815759.html ]]> <p>It was sleaze all right, but sleaze of a refined and exclusive kind. Throughout their long heyday, the brothels of Paris were as alluring and luxuriously chic as any gentlemen's club or aristocratic salon. </p> News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-minister-eu-wont-bend-rules-for-tories-1815393.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-minister-eu-wont-bend-rules-for-tories-1815393.html <p> A renegotiation of EU institutions to suit the Conservatives if they win power is "out of the question" and London risks isolation if it makes such demands, France's minister for Europe said today. </p> Europe Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:26:15 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/court-ruling--keeps-fairer-sex-off-the-fairway-1814797.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/court-ruling--keeps-fairer-sex-off-the-fairway-1814797.html <p>A premier Dublin golf club can continue to block women from membership, the Irish Supreme Court has decreed, in a ruling that a dissenting judge argued was discriminatory.</p> Europe Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cia-agents-sentenced-in-italy-rendition-case-1814799.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cia-agents-sentenced-in-italy-rendition-case-1814799.html ]]> <p>In a stiff rebuke from across the Atlantic to the policies of former US president George Bush, a judge in Milan yesterday sentenced 23 American citizens to up to eight years in prison for their part in the secret abduction of a Muslim cleric in 2003 and his rendition for questioning in Egypt, where he was imprisoned and tortured.</p> Europe Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechs-leave-cameron-stranded-over-lisbon-treaty-1814182.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czechs-leave-cameron-stranded-over-lisbon-treaty-1814182.html ]]> <p>Europe's leaders celebrated last night after the Lisbon treaty was finally ratified after two years of delay, paving the way to the creation of a new-look European Union.</p> Europe Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/crucifixes-banned-from-italian-schools-1814200.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/crucifixes-banned-from-italian-schools-1814200.html <p>The European Court of Human Rights has said that the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms, prompting an angry reaction from the Catholic Church and government officials in Rome. </p> Europe Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/father-of-anthropology-dies-aged-100-1814203.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/father-of-anthropology-dies-aged-100-1814203.html <p>Claude Levi-Strauss, widely considered the father of modern anthropology for work that included theories about the similarities between tribal and industrial societies, has died aged 100. </p> News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/karadzic-plays-for-time-in-court-debut-1814202.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/karadzic-plays-for-time-in-court-debut-1814202.html ]]> <p>The former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic appeared before the international war crimes tribunal for the first time yesterday, but only to repeat that he needed more time to prepare his defence. </p> Europe Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-anthropologist-claude-levistrauss-dies-1814037.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/french-anthropologist-claude-levistrauss-dies-1814037.html <p> Claude Levi-Strauss, widely considered the father of modern anthropology for work that included theories about commonalities between tribal and industrial societies, has died. He was 100. </p> Europe Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:02:48 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czech-court-endorses-eu-reform-treaty-1813752.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/czech-court-endorses-eu-reform-treaty-1813752.html <p> A Czech court ruled today that the EU reform treaty is in line with the country's constitution, removing the proposed charter's last legal hurdle and intensifying pressure on President Vaclav Klaus to sign the document already ratified by the other member nations. </p> Europe Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:20:33 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/web-users-targeted-for-madeleine-mccann-video-1813748.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/web-users-targeted-for-madeleine-mccann-video-1813748.html ]]> <p> British police appealed today for internet users worldwide to spread a new video aimed at pricking the conscience of the key witness who knows what happened to Madeleine McCann. </p> Europe Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:39:54 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/miliband-met-by-icy-reception-on-debut-mission-to-moscow-1813638.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/miliband-met-by-icy-reception-on-debut-mission-to-moscow-1813638.html ]]> <p>David Miliband's demands that the man suspected of involvement in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko be extradited to London were again refused by the Russian government in high-level talks in Moscow yesterday.</p> Europe Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/first-black-female-winner-for-frances-top-literary-prize-1813643.html http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/first-black-female-winner-for-frances-top-literary-prize-1813643.html ]]> <p>The French-Senegalese writer Marie NDiaye yesterday became the first black woman to win the Prix Goncourt, France's most prestigious literary prize.</p> News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/merkels-home-town-rises-from-the-ashes-1813644.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/merkels-home-town-rises-from-the-ashes-1813644.html ]]> <p> The bit of rural ex-Communist hinterland in which Angela Merkel grew up has undergone an imaginative makeover since the 55-year-old pastor's daughter embarked on her political career. Ms Merkel, now one of the world's most powerful leaders, will today address the US Congress in a symbolic speech marking two decades since the collapse of the Berlin Wall.</p> Europe Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/row-is-brewing-with-catholic-church-over-visionary-claims-at-shrine-1813427.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/row-is-brewing-with-catholic-church-over-visionary-claims-at-shrine-1813427.html <p> A stand-off between Catholic Church authorities and a self-proclaimed visionary threatens to escalate into a major showdown next month. </p> Europe Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:13:03 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/at-least-two-killed-in-tenerife-landslide-1813418.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/at-least-two-killed-in-tenerife-landslide-1813418.html <p> A landslide has killed at least two people and may have buried another two on the popular holiday island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, the Spanish government said last night. </p> Europe Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:54:48 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/karadzic-to-end-tribunal-boycott-1813332.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/karadzic-to-end-tribunal-boycott-1813332.html ]]> <p> Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic will boycott his genocide trial again today but will attend a hearing tomorrow on how to get the case back on track, one of his legal advisers said. </p> Europe Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:53:14 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mafia-boss-captured-after-16-years-on-run-1813194.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mafia-boss-captured-after-16-years-on-run-1813194.html ]]> <p>Italian police arrested one of the country's most wanted mafia bosses yesterday, dealing a blow to one of the most powerful criminal clans in the region around Naples. </p> Europe Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/polanski-offers-swiss-a-sizeable-bail-in-cash-1813196.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/polanski-offers-swiss-a-sizeable-bail-in-cash-1813196.html <p>A lawyer for film director Roman Polanski, who has been held in a Swiss prison since September, says a new bail offer – of a "very, very significant" cash amount – will be filed today. </p> Europe Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lorcas-grave-awakens-other-ghosts-1813199.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/lorcas-grave-awakens-other-ghosts-1813199.html ]]> <p>The excavation of a mass grave on a Granada hillside where the poet Federico Garcia Lorca was murdered during the Spanish Civil War has reinforced calls for the area to be investigated. "Lorca was just one of 4,000 executions on a roadside just a kilometre long," says Juan Antonio Lopez Diaz, a Granada University professor. "There are so many bodies there that pine trees were planted just to stop them being uncovered by rainfall erosion."</p> Europe Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/british-woman-killed-by-landslide-on-tenerife-1813147.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/british-woman-killed-by-landslide-on-tenerife-1813147.html <p> Two people died after a landslide on to a beach today on the Spanish island of Tenerife, though no one is believed to be trapped beneath the rocks, local emergency services said. </p> Europe Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:06:51 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/miliband-in-key-visit-to-russia-1813015.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/miliband-in-key-visit-to-russia-1813015.html <p> Foreign Secretary David Miliband is making his first official visit to Russia today. </p> Europe Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:11:51 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/east-germans-watch-transfixed-as-their-country-falls-apart-1812783.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/east-germans-watch-transfixed-as-their-country-falls-apart-1812783.html ]]> <p><b>25 October 1989</b></p> Europe Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/is-miliband-set-to-desert-sinking-ship-1812917.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/is-miliband-set-to-desert-sinking-ship-1812917.html ]]> <p>David Miliband's chances of becoming foreign minister of Europe increased dramatically yesterday after it emerged that the most senior figure in the EU is privately leading a campaign on behalf of the Foreign Secretary.</p> UK Politics Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/how-bid-was-doomed-to-fail-from-the-start-1812259.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/how-bid-was-doomed-to-fail-from-the-start-1812259.html <p>As Nicolas Sarkozy said, it is a golden rule in Brussels that an early frontrunner rarely makes it to the finish line. And during this week's European summit, it became clear that Tony Blair's race to become EU President had well and truly run aground.</p> Europe Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/merkel-and-sarkozy-unite-to-end-blairs-european-dream-1812260.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/merkel-and-sarkozy-unite-to-end-blairs-european-dream-1812260.html ]]> <p>Tony Blair's hopes of becoming the first President of Europe have been dealt a potentially lethal blow by France and Germany. The European Union's two most powerful nations appeared to slam the door on a bid by the former prime minister to become President of the European Council.</p> Europe Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/my-parents-dont-know-that-we-are-living-like-this-1812265.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/my-parents-dont-know-that-we-are-living-like-this-1812265.html <p> Every morning Ismail Safi is woken up by the dew that has seeped through his blue blanket and on to his clothes. His current home is a strip of concrete under a canal bridge in eastern Calais where 17 fellow Afghan refugees sleep together in an attempt to keep warm as the early morning traffic passes overhead. </p> Europe Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/girls-bid-to-sail-around-world-blocked-1812267.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/girls-bid-to-sail-around-world-blocked-1812267.html <p>A girl who wants to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world is still too inexperienced to be allowed to set off on her quest, a court ruled yesterday.</p> Europe Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sleeping-rough-at-12-ndash-the-boys-who-dreamt-of-britain-1812264.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sleeping-rough-at-12-ndash-the-boys-who-dreamt-of-britain-1812264.html ]]> <p>Dozens of children – sent from Afghanistan by their parents in the hope of finding a better life in Britain – are sleeping rough on the streets of Calais following the demolition of the town's last remaining asylum camp, an investigation by The Independent has found.</p> Europe Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/history-made-as-chirac-is-told-to-stand-trial-1812278.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/history-made-as-chirac-is-told-to-stand-trial-1812278.html ]]> <p>Jacques Chirac, the former French president, was ordered to stand trial for alleged corruption while he was mayor of Paris. He is accused of embezzling taxpayers' money to pay more than 20 political cronies for posts that turned out to be non-existent. Mr Chirac now becomes the first former head of state in French history to be put on trial. </p> Europe Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-man-with-no-name-relives-horrors-of-stasi-1812287.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-man-with-no-name-relives-horrors-of-stasi-1812287.html ]]> <p>The award-winning film The Lives of Others, which exposed the workings of East Germany's hated secret police, always seemed a bit of a joke to Wolfgang Arndt. The 50-year-old does not need to be told what the Stasi did. He was spied on by its agents since his school days, arrested and detained, beaten and drugged by its officers and subsequently jailed for six years. </p> Europe Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-likely-to-face-battle-for-presidency-says-brown-1811999.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-likely-to-face-battle-for-presidency-says-brown-1811999.html ]]> <p> Gordon Brown today acknowledged that Tony Blair is likely to face a stiff battle to become the first president of the European Union. </p> Europe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:52:36 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brown-hails-breakthrough-in-climate-talks-1811941.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brown-hails-breakthrough-in-climate-talks-1811941.html ]]> <p> Gordon Brown declared a "breakthrough" in climate change talks today as EU leaders named the price of tackling carbon emissions. </p> Europe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:17:02 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/jacques-chirac-to-stand-trial-for-corruption-1811887.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/jacques-chirac-to-stand-trial-for-corruption-1811887.html ]]> <p> Former French President Jacques Chirac has been ordered to stand trial in an alleged corruption scandal dating back to his tenure as Paris mayor, a judicial official said today. </p> Europe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:02:58 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/browns-baroness-emerges-from-the-shadows-1811702.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/browns-baroness-emerges-from-the-shadows-1811702.html <p>Baroness Cathy Ashton is one of the lowest-profile ministers to have served in Gordon Brown's Cabinet. But she has impressed observers since moving to Brussels last year to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner.</p> Europe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/support-for-blair-crumbles-despite-pms-rescue-mission-1811703.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/support-for-blair-crumbles-despite-pms-rescue-mission-1811703.html ]]> <p>Tony Blair's prospects of becoming the first EU President were fading last night despite a last-minute plea from Gordon Brown to Europe's leaders to "get real" and back his predecessor for the post.</p> Europe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/browns-opposition-to-climate-change-plea-1811704.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/browns-opposition-to-climate-change-plea-1811704.html <p>Next month's crucial climate change conference in Copenhagen could be jeopardised by European wrangling over the cost of tackling global warming, Gordon Brown warned EU leaders.</p> Europe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/camorra-assassin-escapes-as-naples-looks-the-other-way-1811728.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/camorra-assassin-escapes-as-naples-looks-the-other-way-1811728.html <p>Even by the mafia's brutal standards, the killing of a man smoking a cigarette outside a central Naples bar in broad daylight was shocking in its ruthlessness.</p> Europe Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/edward-davey-the-wrong-brit-for-the-wrong-job-1811451.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/edward-davey-the-wrong-brit-for-the-wrong-job-1811451.html <p> It’s a long-standing gripe of pro-Europeans that historically Britain has played a poor hand in Europe. </p> Commentators Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:24:21 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-bid-for-eu-presidency-wins-support-from-brown-1811143.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/blair-bid-for-eu-presidency-wins-support-from-brown-1811143.html ]]> <p>Gordon Brown travels to Brussels today to press the case for Tony Blair to become the first president of the European Union, but indications from around the continent last night suggested the appetite for Blair was waning and that he might have a fight on his hands.</p> Europe Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlusconis-scarlet-fever-gives-way-to-red-mist-1811149.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/berlusconis-scarlet-fever-gives-way-to-red-mist-1811149.html ]]> <p>Most people who contract a serious illness take to their beds and try to sleep it off – but not Silvio Berlusconi.</p> Europe Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ss-man-goes-on-trial-for-wwii-murders-1811155.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ss-man-goes-on-trial-for-wwii-murders-1811155.html ]]> <p>A former member of the Waffen SS went on trial yesterday on three counts of murder for the killings of three civilians in the Netherlands during the Second World War.</p> Europe Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pound250000-eu-presidential-shower-sarkozy-never-used-1810743.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pound250000-eu-presidential-shower-sarkozy-never-used-1810743.html <p> French financial watchdogs slammed President Nicolas Sarkozy for spending £160m on his country's six months in charge of the EU - including £250,000 on a personal presidential shower which he never used. </p> Europe Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:42:33 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-big-question-should-radovan-karadzic-be-forced-to-turn-up-for-his-own-trial-1810456.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-big-question-should-radovan-karadzic-be-forced-to-turn-up-for-his-own-trial-1810456.html Europe Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/convicted-war-criminal-back-in-belgrade-1810498.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/convicted-war-criminal-back-in-belgrade-1810498.html ]]> <p>Radovan Karadzic's successor as Bosnian Serb president left a Swedish prison yesterday and arrived in Belgrade after winning early release from her sentence for committing war crimes.</p> Europe Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/caught-by-wiretap-karadzic-boasting-about-genocide-plans-1810499.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/caught-by-wiretap-karadzic-boasting-about-genocide-plans-1810499.html ]]> <p>Painting him as "the supreme commander" and "hands-on leader", prosecutors yesterday opened their war-crimes case against Radovan Karadzic and dramatically revealed the existence of wiretaps which could see the former Bosnian Serb leader incriminated by his own voice.</p> Europe Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/scientology-fined-163545000-in-first-conviction-for-fraud-1810519.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/scientology-fined-163545000-in-first-conviction-for-fraud-1810519.html ]]> <p>The Church of Scientology was branded an "organised fraud" by a French court yesterday and fined €600,000 (£545,000) for preying financially on vulnerable believers.</p> Europe Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/europes-revolution-living-complex-10-a-monument-to-the-failures-of-reunification-1810525.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/europes-revolution-living-complex-10-a-monument-to-the-failures-of-reunification-1810525.html ]]> <p>Twenty years ago, the prosaically named Living Complex 10 was the pride and joy of the East German mining town of Hoyerswerda. Now Wolfgang Kietschke is one of the last people still living there, huddled away in his small ground-floor flat with just a small dog for company. </p> Europe Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000