Europe News: News and Headlines from Europe - The Washington Post

Merkel says she’s open to ‘stimulus’ for Greek economy

Anthony Faiola, Michael Birnbaum — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:58:38 EST

ATHENS – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that she wants to keep Greece on the common euro currency and would be open to “stimulus” that would help foster growth in the troubled European country.

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Moscow police clear occupied park

Will Englund — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:05:23 EST

MOSCOW — Police cleared a campsite occupied by political protesters in the Russian capital early Wednesday morning, despite assurances that they would wait until noon. Within hours, another gathering had begun in a small park near the Barrikadnaya metro station, named for the barricades of Russia’s 1905 revolution.

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Greece fails to form new government, calls new elections

Anthony Faiola — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:15:00 EST

ATHENS — The threat of a full economic collapse in Greece escalated Tuesday after warring political factions here failed to forge a new government, triggering fresh elections and heightening chances that this rudderless Mediterranean nation could be forced to abandon the euro.

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Hollande proposes ‘new pact’ for Europe in inaugural address

Michael Birnbaum, Edward Cody — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:47:00 EST

BERLIN — Newly installed French President Francois Hollande declared Tuesday that he wanted to “renegotiate” Europe’s response to its economic crisis to focus on stimulating growth, as he opened a new chapter in Europe’s push-pull dispute about whether countries should fix themselves through spending or saving.

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Hollande, new French president, forced to backtrack on Afghanistan pullout vow

Edward Cody — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:23:00 EST

PARIS — Sworn in Tuesday as president of France, Francois Hollande has already been forced by the unforgiving calculus of military logistics to backtrack on his campaign promise to pull all French forces out of Afghanistan by the end of this year.

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Germany remains opposed to calls for economic stimulus in Europe

Michael Birnbaum — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:22:00 EST

BERLIN — French President-elect Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have each been prescribing the same salve — growth — to ease Europe’s economic ills. But the medicines vary sharply on either side of the Rhine.

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Vladimir Putin sending Dmitry Medvedev to Camp David summit

Kathy Lally — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:07:00 EST

MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin’s decision to skip the Group of Eight summit at Camp David next week suggests that Russia’s strong-man president has encountered unfamiliar challenges in the first days of his new term, compelling him to hunker down and demonstrate here and abroad who is in charge.

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Europe signals openness to relaxing Greek timetable, lowering loan rates

Michael Birnbaum — Wed, 9 May 2012 15:26:00 EST

BERLIN — As another day passed with Greece no closer to a working government, European officials suggested Wednesday that they had a new tool in their mission to keep the shared euro currency with all its partners: time.

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Russia’s Victory Day marked by persistence of protesters

Kathy Lally — Wed, 9 May 2012 12:30:00 EST

MOSCOW — Russia commemorated its World War II victory Wednesday, reminding its citizens of their capacity for suffering and sacrifice. With the weather brought to heel for the moment, 14,000 uniformed men marched smartly through Red Square, and President Vladimir Putin spoke of glory, triumph and grief.

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