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December 1st, 2008
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SPAIN Three car bombs in 24 hours hit northern Spain, killing an army officer and injuring several others, reported BBC Sept. 22. Basque separatists group ETA gave a telephone warning shortly before all of the blasts. Experts say the attacks come at a time of increased turbulence in Basque politics. Spain’s Supreme Court recently declared two Basque nationalist parties illegal because of alleged links to ETA.

FRANCE The French government has backed away from instituting a tax on common household products — from plastic forks to disposable diapers — that aren’t environmentally friendly, the Associated Press reported Sept. 19. President Nicolas Sarkozy says he is opposed to taxing such products now because many citizens are worried about their declining purchasing power. A similar tax plan is already being used to encourage people to drive greener cars.
ITALY Italian airline Alitalia will lose its operating license this week unless it presents a cost-cutting rescue plan, the BBC reported Sept. 22. Alitalia is estimated to be losing more than 2 million euros every day. Last week, the airline canceled a number of flights amid rumors it could no longer afford to buy aviation fuel. Unions have blocked all attempts at takeovers so far due to fear of massive job cuts.
AUSTRIA Authorities say a small earthquake Sept. 19 set off a large World War II-era bomb in the garden of a Vienna home, the Associated Press reported. No one was injured in the explosion. Investigators speculate the bomb weighed up to half a ton. Officials say the homeowner heard a dull bang Friday evening. Experts were still on the scene Saturday to examine the crater left by the blast.
EU The European Commission wants to regulate the price of SMS messages, reported ČTK Sept. 22. The maximum cost should be 11 euro cents (2.66 Kč). The Czech Republic will play a key role in the process as it will hold the EU presidency during the negotiations and will have to help find compromises between service providers. If everything goes well, the changes are slated to go into effect next summer.
SLOVENIA Slovenia’s opposition is holding a razor-thin lead over the ruling party of PM Janez Jansa, reported BBC Sept. 22. With 99 percent of the votes counted, the Social Democrats had 30.5 percent of the vote against 29.3 percent for the center-right Slovenian Democrats, officials said. But a strong performance by the Social Democrats’ allies gives the center-left 43 seats in the 90-strong Parliament while Jansa’s allies fared badly in the polls, with some failing to reach the percent threshold.


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