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The European Parliament on Wednesday (13 June) approved draft laws that would strongly increase Brussels' power over eurozone countries' budgets. But they tempered the previously austere proposals with measures for growth, debt redemption and democratic scrutiny. "This is the core of a fiscal union," said Austrian MEP and socialist leader Hannes Swoboda. "This is the first time that there is a structural solution [to the eurozone crisis] on the table," said Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt. His Green counterpart Daniel Cohn-Bendit called it a "milestone" for the strength of agreement among MEPs. The pair of laws—also known as the two-pack—is among...

Some of you have already heard of this amazing singing group, but many of you have not. Let's fix that. Here's just a great little musical interlude for your Easter Sunday morning. No, it's not Easter music....but amazing, nonetheless. The group is called Perpetuum Jazille from Slovenia. I've picked three favorites to share with you, two of which are their renditions of songs by the band Toto (done a capella; as you've never heard them before). First, "Africa" (my absolute favorite); a stunning vocal arrangement (turn up your speakers, especially for the beginning "human rainstorm"): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09LQlfMmW7s Second, from the same...

Once again the world economy has proved the naysayers wrong and there's been a "real rebound" so far this year, Barclays CEO Robert Diamond told CNBC Wednesday. "One of the lessons we’ve learned in the last couple of years is every time it’s doom and gloom ... the economy is far more resilient," he said. "We see China at 8 percent to 9 percent growth, and reduction in unemployment [cnbc explains] in the U.S. So we’ve seen a real rebound." That even extends to Europe, which was stabilized by the European Central Bank's [cnbc explains] second liquidity injection. President Mario...

FITCH GOES ON RAMPAGE: CUTS SPAIN, ITALY, BELGIUM, CYPRUS, AND SLOVENIA Simone Foxman January 27,2012 Fitch just cut the long-term issuer ratings of 5 EU countries: Belgium: AA+ to AA Spain: AA- to A Italy: A+ to A- Cyprus: BBB to BBB- Slovenia: AA- to A It affirmed Ireland's BBB+ rating with a negative outlook. Borrowing costs have been sinking for these countries lately–particularly for Italy and Spain—after the European Central Bank announced liquidity support measures in early December that have lessened mounting worries about the health of the banking system. While Fitch says that it supports EU leaders actions...

Europe's Left has suffered a calamitous six months. Socialist governments have met historic defeats in Portugal and Spain. Greece’s Pasok party was toppled by an EU technocrat Putsch. Ireland’s soft-Left Fianna Foil lost every seat in Dublin. Almost 97pc of the European Union’s population is now governed by conservative or Right-leaning coalitions, or EU-imposed mandarins. All that is left to social democrats is Austria (8.4m), Denmark (5.5m), and Slovenia (2.1m). The whole machinery of the European Union (EU) system is under the control of the Right, with variants of Rhenish corporatism in the Council, and pre-modern Hayekians at the European...

...Turkey has grown in influence and authority as a regional power in the Western Balkans, Central and South Asia and the Horn of Africa. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has been a key interlocutor, not least on Afghanistan where he made a huge personal contribution to last month's conference in Istanbul. With Turkey as host, for the first time, Afghanistan's neighbours have agreed to implement political and security measures to underpin the cause of reconciliation... Turkish economic growth has been exponential. Turkey is the 16th largest economy in the world and will assume the Presidency of the G20 in 2015....

The world court ruled Monday that Greece was wrong to block a bid by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to join NATO in 2008 because of a long-running dispute over the fledgling country's use of the name “Macedonia.” In a 15-1 ruling, the court found that Greece's veto breached a provisional 1995 deal under which Greece had agreed not to block membership of the country in international organizations if it used the name FYROM, while the matter was submitted to further negotiations. More than 15 years later, mediation over the name is still ongoing. The victory is partly...

Greek debt is now out of control. This disturbing conclusion, issued by a parliamentary committee, comes from Athens itself. Asphyxiated by a recession severer than expected and undermined by the black economy, the country looks unlikely to meet its repayment deadlines. by Jean Quatremer The scene takes place in Hydra, an island in the Saronic Gulf, two hours by boat from Pireas, frequented by Greek high society, including Prime Minister George Papandreou. On an August night, at the end of a dinner in a well known tavern, the owner brings out the bill for her ten guests: 150 euros. The...

Slovenians Reject Raising Retirement Age Sunday, June 5th, 2011 at 10:30 pm UTC Posted 1 hour ago Voters in Slovenia have soundly rejected plans to gradually raise the retirement age. Unofficial results show 72 percent voted against the referendum while just 28 percent voted in favor of it. European Union officials had urged Slovenians to support raising the minimum retirement age from 60 to 65. They say the country's aging population is putting a strain on the Slovenian economy. Slovenian opposition leader Janez Jansa calls the referendum's defeat a no-confidence vote in the left wing government. Parliament passed the law...

Did you know that the EU has ensured that there has been no war between its members for last 60 years?

Croatia, Kosovo and Montenegro have started to count their populations as part of a year of censuses across the ethnically tense Western Balkans to keep up with EU countries doing the same... Because of the painful history organisation of the count sparked debate and controversy throughout the region: from Macedonia, where ethnic Albanians fear that their importance will be reduced, across Montenegro, where there are complaints that Serbs are being "assimilated", to Bosnia which did not even manage to adopt a census law. In Kosovo, where the last census was held in 1981 while it was still a province in...

...Mr. Soros is the sugar daddy of the Democratic Party and the modern left. His net worth is more than $7 billion. He is one of the richest and most influential men in the world. Almost every major liberal organization, think tank or media outlet has been the beneficiary of Mr. Soros' largesse. The Nation magazine, Mother Jones, Media Matters, MoveOn.org, NPR and the Center for American Progress - all together they have received tens of millions of dollars from the financier. They serve as front groups and propaganda vehicles to promote Mr. Soros' brand of transnational socialism. ..Mr. Soros...

Slovenia has elected its first black mayor, an immigrant from Africa known as the "Obama of Piran," the town where he lives. In fact, Peter Bossman, a Ghana-born physician, could be the first black mayor elected anywhere in his region of Europe. Bossman, who settled in this tiny Alpine nation in the 1970s to study medicine in what was then known as Yugoslavia, won a runoff election in Piran on Sunday with 51.4 percent of votes. The 54-year-old candidate is a member of Slovenia's governing Social Democrats. He runs a private practice and was previously a member of the Piran...

The Iska River in Slovenia vanished overnight after residents reported hearing loud crashing sounds. CBSNews.com's Felipe Maya reports. (Video) Iska River in Slovenia Vanished Overnight The Iska River in Slovenia vanished overnight. Residents reported hearing loud crashing and drumming sounds during the night and woke up to find the river was gone. Fish were found flopping on the dry river bed. The river may have moved underground after a crack opened in the riverbed. However, no earthquake was reported. There is another video about the vanishing river

We've always heard anchors don't need to wear pants when they're sitting at the news desk. But this anchor in Slovenia makes the mistake of rolling away from the desk before the camera is off. Watch how it happens...

JOHANNESBURG – Landon Donovan insisted the Americans had a historic victory “stolen” from them after their dramatic World Cup comeback to tie Slovenia 2-2 at Ellis Park on Friday. “They [the officials] stole a goal from us,” said Donovan, who launched the U.S. revival with a brilliant strike at the start of the second half. “It was a good finish and a good goal. It was the guy’s [Coulibaly’s] first World Cup and maybe he got caught up a bit. This is the World Cup and you can’t just take away a goal from a team like that.” With the...

OTTAWA — At the request of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will make an official visit to the Republic of Slovenia, from October 21 to 22, a State visit to the Republic of Croatia, from October 23 to 27, and a State visit to the Hellenic Republic, from October 29 to 31, 2009, during which she will be accompanied by her husband His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond. “Slovenia and Croatia are young democracies whose roots reach back through centuries of history. Canada is young, but it...

Planters mark the border between Obrezje, Slovenia, foreground, and Bregana, Croatia — and between a NATO and European Union member and a nonmember. OBREZJE, Slovenia — Customers at Kalin, a rustic, 180-year-old tavern, can eat roast pork dinners here in Slovenia, step a few yards across the room to Croatia to use the bathroom, saunter back to Slovenia to pay the bill and end their meal on Croatian soil over a game of billiards and a shot of local pear brandy. They can do so because of the vagaries of history and an accident of geography. To prevent any confusion,...

A border row dating back to the collapse of Yugoslavia is threatening Croatia's chances of completing EU membership talks this year and becoming the bloc's 28th member by 2011. Slovenia, the first former Yugoslav nation to join the EU in 2004, has been blocking talks with Croatia because of the 18-year-old dispute, which mainly concerns a small bay in the Adriatic Sea. Seen from a boat, Piran is a glorious sight - a Venetian-style city built of limestone and marble, lapped by the blue waters of the Adriatic. It's easily missed on a map, but this small bay of just...

KRAKOW, Poland, Feb 20, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) -- NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer expressed concern on Friday that politics in Slovenia might prevent Croatia from formally joining NATO at a summit in early April. "It gives me reason for concern that we might not see a situation at the summit in Strasbourg and Kehl that we can greet Albania and Croatia in the NATO family," he told a press conference at an informal NATO defense ministers' meeting. "I think everyone involved, including in Slovenia, should do everything they can to make that happen," he said....