http://www.earthtimes.org The Earth Times online newspaper, serving the planet with world news and current affairs that matter en-us PHP/4.4.4 http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205754,thousands-protest-as-french-public-sector-workers-strike--summary.html Paris - Tens of thousands of French public sector workers and students demonstrated throughout the country Thursday and teachers and civil servants carried out a 24-hour strike to protest government-planned job cuts. Unions said that up to 60,000 peo... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 16:07:29 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205754,thousands-protest-as-french-public-sector-workers-strike--summary.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205751,swedish-armed-forces-brace-for-spending-cuts.html Stockholm - Hakan Syren, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, Thursday warned that requested spending cuts will seriously impair the country's ability to defend itself and also carry out international peacekeeping missions. The government h... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 15:21:07 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205751,swedish-armed-forces-brace-for-spending-cuts.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205749,serbian-ultra-nationalists-to-rule-belgrade--summary.html Belgrade - Parties opposing close Serbian ties with the West announced a preliminary deal Thursday to govern the capital Belgrade, signalling the prospect that anti-Western policy will also dominate the nation's newly-elected parliament. The ultra-na... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 15:14:00 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205749,serbian-ultra-nationalists-to-rule-belgrade--summary.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205727,german-charged-with-spying-for-saudi-arabia.html Berlin - A 73-year-old German man has been charged with spying for Saudi Arabia's intelligence service, the federal prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The man is alleged to have regularly provided information to Saudi agents in Berlin from Decembe... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 13:52:06 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205727,german-charged-with-spying-for-saudi-arabia.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205720,sister-of-spanish-princess-fails-to-win-protection-from-the.html Madrid - A Spanish court Thursday rejected a request by Telma Ortiz, sister to Crown Princess Letizia, for a prohibition on the press and television channels from publishing pictures or footage of her, her companion or baby. Maria Lourdes Perez Padil... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 13:32:23 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205720,sister-of-spanish-princess-fails-to-win-protection-from-the.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205707,parliament-approves-danish-citizenship-for-princes-fiancee.html Copenhagen - Parliament Thursday passed a bill that gives Danish citizenship to Marie Cavallier, the French-born fiancee of Prince Joachim. The bill was passed by a unanimous parliament with abstentions by the opposition socialist Red-Green Alliance.... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 12:51:03 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205707,parliament-approves-danish-citizenship-for-princes-fiancee.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205700,serbian-ultra-nationalists-to-rule-belgrade.html Belgrade - Parties opposing Serbia's closer ties with teh West Thursday announced a coalition deal to govern the capital Belgrade, signalling the prospect of anti-Western policy also dominating the upcoming parliament. The ultra-nationalist Serbian R... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 12:39:06 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205700,serbian-ultra-nationalists-to-rule-belgrade.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205693,berlusconi-wins-senate-confidence-vote.html Rome - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's newly elected centre-right government, won Thursday the second of two parliamentary confidence votes. The upper house Senate approved the government with 173 votes for, and 137 against. Two of the 312... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 12:27:10 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205693,berlusconi-wins-senate-confidence-vote.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205691,islamic-terrorism-a-threat-to-germany-report-says--summary.html Berlin - Islamist terrorists are increasingly setting their sights on Germany and view the country as an operational area, the nation's domestic intelligence service said Thursday. Germany's growing military presence in Afghanistan and its involvem... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 12:15:00 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205691,islamic-terrorism-a-threat-to-germany-report-says--summary.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205689,germany-clean-up-of-world-war-i-poison-gas-plant-finished.html Mainz, Germany - The clean-up of a former plant which made horrific German poison-gas shells used in the First World War is complete after 20 years of work, an official told legislators Thursday. The Espagit factory in Hallschlag, Rhineland Palatinat... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 12:15:00 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205689,germany-clean-up-of-world-war-i-poison-gas-plant-finished.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205679,kidnap-victim-kampusch-testifies-in-court-battle.html Vienna - Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch, 20, took the witness stand on Thursday in a case deliberating her mother's alleged complicity in her disappearance. Kampusch's mother, Brigitta Sirny, contests claims by a retired judge that she was ... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 12:03:31 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205679,kidnap-victim-kampusch-testifies-in-court-battle.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205675,thousands-of-spaniards-demonstrate-against-eta-terrorism.html Madrid - Thousands of people all over Spain staged silent rallies Thursday to protest the killing of a police officer by suspected activists of the militant Basque separatist group ETA. Juan Manuel Pinuel, an officer with the paramilitary Civil Guard... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 11:57:02 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205675,thousands-of-spaniards-demonstrate-against-eta-terrorism.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205668,eu-aid-chief-presses-for-visas-on-myanmar-mercy-mission.html Brussels - The European Union's top aid official on Thursday pressed authorities in Myanmar to grant visas and freedom of movement to aid workers, officials in Brussels said. EU aid commissioner Louis Michel held a positive first meeting with Myanm... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 11:38:04 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205668,eu-aid-chief-presses-for-visas-on-myanmar-mercy-mission.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205660,al-qaeda-planning-euro-2008-attack.html Fribourg, Switzerland - Calls by Al-Qaeda extremists to attack Switzerland and Austria during Euro 2008 are being taken seriously by authorities, a senior Swiss security official said. Messages on sos minbar and As-Sahab , two internet sites favou... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 11:15:05 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205660,al-qaeda-planning-euro-2008-attack.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205656,norwegian-flags-best-for-may-17-celebrations-in-oslo--feature.html Oslo - People all over Norway are dusting down their suits and tweaking their bowties in preparation for May 17 Saturday. The glorious 17 is when jubilation over the country's constitution day and the effects of sudden exposure to sunlight produce a ... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:05 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205656,norwegian-flags-best-for-may-17-celebrations-in-oslo--feature.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205637,strikes-disrupt-transport-and-government-services-in-greece--update.html Athens - Strikes by union groups upset by Greek government privatisation plans and pension reforms disrupted air transport and state services on Thursday. Ships remain anchored at the ports of Pireaus near Athens and in the northern port city of Thes... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 09:53:00 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205637,strikes-disrupt-transport-and-government-services-in-greece--update.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205634,italy-and-romania-to-hold-talks-on-immigration.html Rome - Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni and his Romanian counterpart Cristian David were to focus on immigration and crime in talks scheduled later on Thursday. The meeting in Rome comes amid moves by Italy's new conservative government to ti... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 09:41:03 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205634,italy-and-romania-to-hold-talks-on-immigration.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205624,islamic-terrorism-a-threat-to-germany-minister-says.html Berlin - Islamic terrorism is the greatest threat to the security and stability of Germany, Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in Berlin on Thursday. Germany had been lucky to escape terrorist attacks because of preventive measures taken by th... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 09:13:09 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205624,islamic-terrorism-a-threat-to-germany-minister-says.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205600,black-thursday-expected-in-france-as-public-sector-workers-strike.html Paris - A strike by unions representing teachers, secondary school students and public sector workers is expected to shut French schools and greatly reduce other public services Thursday. The schools job action was called by nine unions representing ... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 08:04:06 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205600,black-thursday-expected-in-france-as-public-sector-workers-strike.html http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205592,danish-government-plans-to-regulate-what-judges-can-wear-in.html Copenhagen - Danish judges, bishops, Muslim associations and politicians Thursday continued to debate the merits of a proposed ban against allowing judges to wear a Muslim head scarf or hejab or other religious symbols like a crucifix, turban or skul... Europe,World Thu, 15 May 2008 07:15:03 GMT http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/205592,danish-government-plans-to-regulate-what-judges-can-wear-in.html