Giorgio Napolitano is reelected as Italy’s president. Giorgio Napolitano has been reelected as the president of Italy, after accepting an appeal by the country’s major political parties to stand for a second term. In their sixth round of voting, 1,007 Italian lawmakers and regional representatives voted for Napolitano, 87, on Saturday, putting an end to a two-month political deadlock. “I... 

People protest against government austerity policies at Lisbon’s main square, Praca do Comercio, March 2, 2013. Portugal has announced a fresh round of spending cuts in order to obtain the approval of international lenders and secure additional funds for the debt-ridden country. The Portuguese government said on Thursday that it plans 800 million euros of spending cuts this year on public sector... 

A B-2A bomber releases a test version of the new B61-11 gravity bomb over the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, November 20, 1996 The Pentagon and NATO’s multibillion-dollar war budgets are financed by massive economic austerity measures, impoverishing people in the US and NATO member-states in order to build advanced nuclear weaponry justified by the ‘Iran threat.’ While the Pentagon’s modernization... 

Portuguese people protesting against austerity measures The economic crisis in Portugal is forcing an increasing number of people in the recession-mired eurozone country to turn to food banks for help. “We have more people asking for our help every year, the list is growing so fast that we had to do something that isn’t our policy: create a waiting list,” said Rogerio Figueira, a volunteer with... 

A trade union representative gives a speech in Brussels, Belgium, against austerity policies on March 14, 2013. Thousands of Europeans have staged a rally near the European Union (EU) headquarters in Brussels to protest against anti-austerity measures. About 15,000 protesters and trade union representatives from Belgium, Britain, France, Germany and other European Union countries gathered in the Belgium... 

Spaniards stand in line outside an unemployment office in Madrid. The Spanish Labor Ministry says the number of people who are officially registered as unemployed in Spain has surpassed a record five million. The ministry released the data on Monday, also announcing that the number of the people who registered for unemployment benefits increased by 59,444 or 1.2 percent in February, compared to a month... 

Greek pensioners shout slogans during a march in central Athens to protest against the government’s austerity measures. Greek pensioners have demonstrated in Athens to protest against the government’s harsh austerity measures and highlight the consequences of the program on their life. On Thursday, hundreds of elderly braved the heavy rain in the capital and marched to the country’s Labor... 

Millions of people have pressed for the resignation of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy over accusations of political fund embezzlement. An online count on Thursday showed over a million people have signed a petition to oust the Spanish premier and accuse him of receiving thousands of euros in a corruption scandal that lasted for 12 years. “I demand the immediate resignation of Prime Minister... 

Water cannons have been used against stone-throwing demonstrators in the Belgian city of Namur, as thousands rallied against the closure of a factory that will put an end to 1,300 jobs. Dozens of riot police were deployed to quell the tensions. Many protesters are wearing respirators to protect themselves against the police crackdown. The rally followed an announcement by ArcelorMittal, the world’s... 

French car sales slump 7.8% percent in October. France’s Renault has announced some 7,500 layoffs by 2016 as the floundering company seeks to sharpen its competitive edge. Renault said on Tuesday that it has settled with unions over making 5,700 redundancies through natural attrition after making employees retire three years earlier. “If an agreement is signed with unions, this staff redeployment... 

Greek lawmakers have approved a new tax legislation intended to increase government revenues by 2.3 billion-euro (3 billion USD) in the following months. The new tax bill was approved with the support of the majority of the lawmakers in the 300-member parliament early on Saturday. The new legislation aims to tax any income above 42,000 euros (56,000 USD) per year at 42 percent. The passage of the... 

Demonstrators take part in an anti-government protest in Ljubljana, Slovenia on December 21, 2012. Thousands of Slovenians have taken to the streets in the capital Ljubljana to express their anger over new austerity measures imposed by the government. The demonstration, which was reportedly attended by more than 5,000 people, took place on Friday near the country’s parliament where protesters chanted... 

Demonstrators hold “No” signs while surrounding the Spanish parliament to protest against spending cuts in Madrid. The Spanish parliament has adopted a 39-billion-euro (52-billion-US dollar) austerity package as the debt-ridden eurozone country battles to reduce its budget deficit. On Thursday, the lawmakers voted for the cuts in the 2013 budget, which slashes spending for health care and education,... 

European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member Erkki Liikanen Member of the European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council Erkki Liikanen warns that the worsening financial condition in the eurozone may endanger the ‘German economy’. “Economic developments are causing us concern. No country is immune to the effects of the (EU) debt crisis. Not even the German economy,” said Liikanen on... 

Jobless Greeks wait outside an unemployment bureau in the capital Athens. The official Greek unemployment rate has risen to 26 percent as the near-bankrupt eurozone country heads toward a sixth year of recession. The Greek statistics office ELSTAT announced on Thursday that the jobless number rose to 1.295 million in September, pushing up the unemployment rate from 25.3 the previous month and 18.9...