German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger German justice minister says the European Union needs tougher data protection laws, with sanctions against US firms that violate them. German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said Monday that Germany’s strong privacy rules serve as the ideal standard for the 28-member EU, amid revelations of intruding US surveillance... 

Italian Five Star Movement opposition leader Beppe Grillo Italian opposition leader has used harsh language against lawmakers, saying they have “sold their soul to the German devil” and the only way out of the recession is to exit the euro or face a default. “Italian politicians have sold their soul to the German devil in return for their survival, at the expense of the people, who have to suffer... 

Members of the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, wave the Hezbollah flag during a rally marking the party’s Martyrs’ Day in Beirut. The European Union has put what it calls the military wing of the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, on its terror blacklist. The decision was made unanimously after hours of discussions by the EU’s 28 foreign ministers at their monthly meeting.... 

By early 2013 a long-term strategic goal of the U.S. foreign policy became clear. The goal is to create two economic unions to confront the growing power of the BRICS member countries and form two large markets under the control of the United States in the Atlantic and Pacific areas without the participation of China and Russia. The Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific Partnership aim at creating an “economic”... 

Greek workers march in protest during a day of general strike in Athens on July 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of Greek public sector workers have staged a new day of protest ahead of a parliamentary vote that would facilitate the layoff of thousands of workers. The Wednesday protest gathered municipal workers and mayors in Athens just before lawmakers sit to vote a bill that will put 4,200 civil servants... 

Communists of Moldova announced the possibility of a “velvet revolution” in the country. This fall Moldova is to sign an association agreement with the European Union and further distance itself from Russia. In this situation, a “peaceful” revolution seems quite real. Could that be that someone wants to destabilize the situation through raising the Transdniestrian issue once... 

Britain has blocked talks between the US and the European Union on the US spying on the EU saying the bloc has no authority to discuss Americans’ methods to safeguard their national security. The EU and the US were to form two working groups on intelligence and espionage and on data privacy and the US National Security Agency’s Prism program and sit down for talks in Washington on Monday for talks. However,... 

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis Greek staff unionists have physically assaulted Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis amid protests against job cuts tied to Greece’s bailout, officials say. The mayor’s office said Kaminis was “physically attacked” on Sunday while he was leaving a Confederation of Greek Municipalities (KEDE) meeting, where he held discussions about the austerity measures and their affects... 

A homeless sleeps at the entrance of a bank in Milan, Italy on June 27, 2013. Recent figures released by the Eurostat data agency show the eurozone unemployment rate has hit its previous record-high of 12.1 percent in May. According to the data, the jobless rate rose 0.1 percentage in May after the previous months’ figures were amended down from 12.2 percent to 12.0 percent. Approximately 19.22... 

The European Parliament has asked for “full clarification” about the latest disclosure that the U.S. has spied on European Union offices both in the U.S. and in Europe, warning EU-U.S. relations would be severely affected. “I am deeply worried and shocked about the allegations of U.S. authorities spying on EU offices,” said the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz in a statement... 

Roughly 80 percent of all the packaged foods sold within the United States contain chemicals outlawed in other parts of the world, Britain’s Daily Mail reports. Six common food additives found in an estimated 8-out-of-10 products sold in American stores are banned outside of the US, the Mail claims, putting millions of Americans at risk of consuming chemicals considered too dangerous for humans... 

Protesters attend an anti-government protest in downtown Sofia on June 16, 2013. Thousands of people have demonstrated in the Bulgarian capital for the eighth straight day, demanding the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski. Up to 10,000 protesters gathered in front of the government headquarters in downtown Sofia on Friday, shouting slogans against the government. The... 

The European Commission has called on US Attorney General Eric Holder to account for the country’s recent spying revelations that has also targeted the Europeans, a report says. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said on Tuesday that it demands the United States to provide assurances that EU citizens and companies have received the same fundamental respect and rights as US residents when it... 

A news survey shows that most French people disapprove of socialist President Francois Hollande’s leadership and believe that the European Union (EU) is led in the wrong direction. The survey, carried out by Gallup in six EU countries and released on Wednesday, indicated 51 percent of the French disapprove of Hollande’s leadership role in Europe. Hollande’s popularity, which had... 

The German government has struck a deal with the “Jewish Claims Conference” that will pay 772 million Euros (1 billion dollars) over 3 years as additional reparations to solely Jewish individuals that lived in German occupied territories in World War II. This money is not only for Jews that were imprisoned in concentration camps, but also applies to Jews who lived in open Ghettos within the German...