Iran bans imports of goods from 100 European firms Iran reportedly plans to ban imports from European companies as part of its countersanctions against the European Union (EU). Deputy President of Iran Trade Promotion Organization Sasan Khodaei confirmed that Iran has banned imports from 100 European countries. In an interview with Press TV on Wednesday, Khodaei said Tehran has imposed sanctions against... 

The Portuguese Government is convinced that the ongoing austerity measures and economic restructuring will enable the country to return to the credit market in 2013, but recent projections refute this assertion. Foreign politicians and economists predict that Portugal, like Greece, will exit the Eurozone. What do the Portuguese think about this? According to Ernst & Young, if the interest rate... 

Another scandal is brewing in the relations between Belarus and the European Union. This time, it goes about the death sentences against two young men, who were found guilty of conducting the terrorist act in the subway system of the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The largest terrorist act in the history of Belarus took place on April 11, 2011. The explosion ripped through the busiest station of the Minsk... 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton The United States says it has exempted 11 nations including 10 European Union members and Japan from tough new sanctions on Iran as they have reduced oil purchase from Tehran. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement on Tuesday that the exemption covers financial institutions from 11 nations – Belgium, Britain, the Czech Republic, France,... 

The Spanish government’s debt has hit a record high as Madrid struggles to cut expenses and escape the eurozone debt crisis. According to data published by Bank of Spain on Friday the country’s debt reached 734.96 billion Euros (USD 960 billion) at the end of 2010. This is equivalent to 68.5 percent of Spain’s gross domestic product (GDP), while three months earlier Spain’s public debt... 

Hungary deputy PM Semjén appalled at British government position on Christian cross. The co-ruling Christian Democrats are “shocked and appalled” by the British government’s claims that Christians should not wear a cross or crucifix openly at work because it is not a “requirement” of the Christian faith, party leader Zsolt Semjen said on Monday. The ban is clearly anti-Christian and a harsh... 

Red Crescent in Syria EU foreign ministers have united to speak against military intervention in Syria, saying sanctions appear to be working. Meanwhile the UN humanitarian mission is slowly making its way in the troubled country. On Friday EU foreign ministers gathered in Copenhagen for an informal meeting in which the issue of Syria topped the agenda. Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle,... 

China's Ambassador to the European Union Wu Hailong China’s ambassador to the European Union says any potential military confrontation with Iran over its nuclear energy program will be a “disaster” for the global economy. “I couldn’t think of any worse proposals to resolve the Iranian issue than resolving it by force,” Wu Hailong said in a Friday briefing with foreign... 

Just few days ago the EU has released an amazing 1 minute video meant to unite Europeans against foreign possible threats. Some newspapers, such as the Daily Mail for example accused the video of being racist but with EU’s 100 million (official) to 200 million (unofficial) non-European immigrants, the EU is anything BUT racist. Most Europeans countries opened their doors to foreigners in the... 

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus The Belarusian president made this shocking statement in response to German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle’s report that Berlin is recalling its ambassador from Minsk. Lukashenko lashed out at the European Union in general and at Westerwelle in particular after the EU imposed new sanctions against a number of Belarusian government officials. “It is... 

Official figures by the Eurostat data agency show the eurozone unemployment rate has hit an all-time high of 10.7 percent in January 2012. According to the latest figures released on Thursday, more than 16.9 million men and women were unemployed in the euro area in January. The latest number of unemployed people in the eurozone in January increased by 1.4 million compared with the same month in 2011. Meanwhile,... 

Thousands of Czech university students rally in central Prague on February 29, 2012. Massive demonstrations across Europe have taken issue with the austerity measures adopted by the European governments against economic adversity. The protests were held on Wednesday in the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Belgium, and Spain against government economic reforms aimed at dealing with the unprecedented... 

A self-made euro sign is attached to the tip of a christmas tree in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. European Commission has predicted that the eurozone currency bloc faces a deeper recession than previously anticipated, with a 0.3 percent contraction in its GDP now tipped for 2012. The commission previous forecast in November said the economic output... 

Iran says only European companies with 2 to 5 year contracts can but Iranian crude. A top Iranian oil industry official has said some European states have started negotiations with Tehran in order to purchase Iran’s crude oil. “Only European companies with a 2- to 5-year contract with Iran can purchase the country’s crude, otherwise [Tehran’s] relations with those companies will be reconsidered,”... 

The EU has suspended the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and referred the text to the European Court of Justice to investigate possible rights breaches. The European Commission decided on Wednesday to ask the EU’s top court “to clarify that the ACTA agreement and its implementation must be fully compatible with freedom of expression and freedom of the internet.” The...