Yahoo! News: Europe News

Zurich Financial 3Q profits plummet 90 percent (AP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 04:23 AM CST

AP - Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services AG on Thursday reported a 90 percent drop in profit for the third quarter following write-downs of $1.1 billion due to the financial crisis and a costly hurricane season.

Two British soldiers killed in Afghanistan: ministry (AFP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 04:23 AM CST

AFP - Two British soldiers have been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan's restive southern Helmand province, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday.

Swiss insurer Zurich sees nine-month profits tumble 32% (AFP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 04:21 AM CST

AFP - Swiss insurance group Zurich Financial Services reported Thursday net income of 2.8 billion dollars (2.2 billion euros) for the nine months to September, down 32 percent from a year earlier.

BT will axe 10,000 jobs mostly in Britain (AFP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 04:19 AM CST

AFP - British telecoms operator BT Group said Thursday that it will cut 10,000 jobs by March 2009, mostly in Britain, despite unveiling an 18-percent jump in second-quarter net profit.

German economy falls into recession (AP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 04:11 AM CST

AP - The German economy, Europe's biggest, tipped into recession in the third quarter as weakening exports fueled a bigger-than-expected fall in national output, government figures showed Thursday.

Siemens says 2009 profit target now 'clearly ambitious' (AFP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 03:56 AM CST

AFP - German industrial giant Siemens warned Thursday that "challenging" global economic conditions meant its 2009 profit target was now "clearly ambitious."

Bank of Ireland 1H profit down 32 pct on bad loans (AP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 03:48 AM CST

AP - Bank of Ireland's profits fell 32 percent in the first half of its fiscal year because of swelling bad loans, the country's second-largest lender revealed Thursday.

Govt 'would not have bid for Olympics in downturn' (AFP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 03:47 AM CST

AFP - Olympics minister Tessa Jowell has admitted Britain would not have chosen to host the 2012 Games in London if it had known about the economic downturn, according to a newspaper report Thursday.

BT to cut 10,000 jobs, 2Q net profit rises (AP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 03:33 AM CST

AP - Shares at BT Group PLC, Britain's largest phone company, surged 11 percent Thursday morning after the company announced it is cutting 10,000 jobs this year to boost earnings and said net profit for the second quarter rose 18 percent on higher sales.

Conservatives expel MEP over expenses row (AFP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 03:25 AM CST

AFP - The Conservatives said Wednesday they have expelled an EU lawmaker from their party after the European Parliament required him to pay back expenses running into six figures.

Medvedev wants better relationship with Obama (AP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 02:40 AM CST

AP - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hopes for a better relationship with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama than he has with the current U.S. administration, he said in an interview broadcast Thursday.

Russia: submarine tragedy caused by sailor (AP)

Posted: 13 Nov 2008 02:01 AM CST

AP - A top investigator says a sailor set off the fire safety system on a Russian nuclear submarine last weekend that killed 20 people.

Inspired by Obama, European minorities take action (AP)

Posted: 12 Nov 2008 05:31 PM CST

AP - An Obama effect is rippling across Europe.

Britain calls for more sperm donors amid shortage (AP)

Posted: 12 Nov 2008 04:03 PM CST

AP - Britain is facing a sperm donor shortage after reversing confidentiality laws and limiting the number of women who can use sperm from one donor, fertility experts warned Wednesday.

Dutch court sentences 2 men in HIV injection case (AP)

Posted: 12 Nov 2008 03:54 PM CST

AP - A Dutch court convicted two men Wednesday for attempting to infect 14 victims with HIV in a bizarre sex case.

Britain's Brown seeks to take lead at G-20 summit (AP)

Posted: 12 Nov 2008 03:30 PM CST

AP - Gordon Brown has been one of the few leaders with a spring in his step since the world economy began to nosedive and he'll be hoping it will carry him to success at a weekend summit on the global financial meltdown.

Experts: Paranoia may be more common than thought (AP)

Posted: 12 Nov 2008 03:17 PM CST

AP - If you think they're out to get you, you're not alone. Paranoia, once assumed to afflict only schizophrenics, may be a lot more common than previously thought.

Police: No evidence of murder on British island (AP)

Posted: 12 Nov 2008 02:39 PM CST

AP - The evidence appeared to paint a shocking picture. Detectives investigating claims of widespread sexual abuse at a former home for troubled children on the island of Jersey said they found underground rooms, rusted shackles, bone fragments and a piece of a child's skull.