Topic: Western Europe

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Bestselling books the week of 5/19/13, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.
Roe v. Wade anniversary: Study says 'unsafe' abortions on rise

Roe v. Wade, the landmark legislation legalizing abortion in the United States, marks its 39th year this week. As Americans debate abortion rights in the midst of an election year, a new study indicates abortion rates are steadying worldwide, though the frequency of dangerous abortions is rising. Here are the answers to five questions related to abortion laws globally, and their effects on women.
Jack-o'-lanterns and more: five symbols in the history of Halloween
Norway attacks put spotlight on Europe's right-wing parties. Who are they?
Europe on alert: fall 2010 terror plots

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Bestselling books the week of 5/19/13, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.
All Europeans related? Genes reveal a continent of cousins.

All Europeans are related, sharing a common ancestor as recently as 1,000 years ago, according to a gene study published today.
To save more newborns, focus on the poor, report says

Save the Children reports that income inequality in developing and developed countries alike is a key factor in newborn death rates. The US has the highest such rate in the developed world.
Focus With no jobs in the city, country life is coming back to Spain

After decades of population loss to cities, rural areas in Spain – and across Europe – have been gaining allure as havens from the ongoing recession.
Global News Blog Switzerland shuts the door on EU migrants: A new 'us vs. them' in Europe?

News that Switzerland is capping residence permits for Western Europeans reached the Monitor's Europe bureau chief as she was having her own intolerable immigration experience.
Terrorism & Security Taliban seize international hostages from helicopter

A helicopter carrying foreign nationals made an emergency landing due to poor weather conditions in Afghanistan, where they were seized by the Taliban.
Africa Monitor The social (studies) network: Africa's cellular education revolution

Africa is the fastest-growing market for cellphones in the world, and they're increasingly being used to power the continent's educational breakthroughs.
Stefan Karlsson Euro countries take deficit limits with grain of salt

When governments pledge to meet certain deficit limits, it is worth nothing if the people who enforce the rules are the politicians themselves, Karlsson writes.
Progress Watch Why juvenile incarceration reached its lowest rate in 38 years

The juvenile incarceration in the US rate has fallen 41 percent in the past 15 years, reaching the lowest level since 1975, a new study finds. What is behind the rapid decline?
Energy Voices Who will clean up after the nuclear plants?

Older US nuclear power plants built are coming to the end of their operational lives as their operating licenses expire, Daly writes. So, where to store the nuclear waste?
Global News Blog Good Reads: Women in crime, democracy's era, digital mapping, a history in heels

This week's good reads include an interview with a photographer who documented female prisoners in Mexico, debunking theories about which nations are 'ready' for democracy, how smart phones disorient their users, and the surprising history of high heels.
Focus Behind the falling US birthrate: too much student debt to afford kids?

The record-low birthrate in the US is showing no signs of bouncing back, even with the economy on the mend. Evidence is growing that huge student debt may be deterring people from starting families.
Kazakhstan passenger jet crashes, second in a month

At least 20 people died when the SCAT airlines jet crashed in heavy fog near Almaty, Kazakhstan. SCAT is banned from flying within the European Union.
Terrorism & Security After deaths and escapes, Algeria hostage crisis still not over

Islamist militants have taken gas plant workers from at least ten countries - including the United States - hostage in the Saharan desert.
Stefan Karlsson Japan's new inflationary strategy: wrong target

The cause of Japan's deflation isn't monetary, it's demographic. Inflationary policy won't work in the long term.
Israeli minister charged with breach of trust, but evades more serious charges

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will likely come under heavy pressure to resign after today's charges from the Israeli attorney general.
Greece seen as most corrupt European nation, survey says

Transparency International ranks Greece, along with other European countries racked by the financial crisis, poorly in its 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Congo rejects rebels' truce talks proposal

Rebels fighting against the Democratic Republic of Congo government have made their way to just outside the city of Goma, while refugees again flee from the rebel attack.
Polish city of Wroclaw comes to terms with its German past

Communist Poland tried to stamp out Wroclaw's history – as the once-German city of Breslau – upon taking control of the city after World War II. But Wroclaw now is embracing its past.
New world requires new strategies

Democracy and digitalization make urgent demands. How, and how fast, can the US adjust?
Pussy Riot: the anonymous band behind the high-profile conviction (+video)

Pussy Riot – which has members beyond the three convicted – isn't your typical band that performs songs back to back in a live concert. But the group now has worldwide recognition and is expected to continue recording.
The Rise of Rome

Classicist Anthony Everitt recounts the story of Rome's ascent to greatness as a republic and empire.
Double Cross

The wonderfully entertaining story of the spies who made D-Day possible is both improbable and true.
Chapter & Verse 'Why Nations Fail': Will this be China's century?

MIT economist Daron Acemoglu analyzes the Chinese system and the challenges the country may face.
Cover Story How Latin America is reinventing the war on drugs

Frustrated with US dictates, countries across the region are floating new ideas to curb drug trafficking, from 'soft' enforcement to legalization.