http://www.mail.com/locations/1338-eastern-europe.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/1338-eastern-europe.html http://www.mail.com/news/us/1763560-european-court-condemns-cia-landmark-ruling.html PARIS (AP) — A European court issued a landmark ruling Thursday that condemned the CIA's "extraordinary renditions" programs and bolstered those who say they were illegally kidnapped and tortured as part of an overzealous war on terrorism. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that a German car salesman was an innocent victim of torture and abuse, in a... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 22:57:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1763560-european-court-condemns-cia-landmark-ruling.html 2012-12-13T22:57:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1764006-israeli-fm-charged-with-breach-trust.html JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's powerful foreign minister was charged Thursday with breach of trust for actions that allegedly compromised a criminal investigation into his business dealings, throwing the country's election campaign into disarray just weeks before the vote. While Avigdor Lieberman was cleared of more serious allegations against him, the indictm... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:57:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1764006-israeli-fm-charged-with-breach-trust.html 2012-12-13T20:57:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763340-russia-positions-fall-syrian-regime.html BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's most powerful ally and protector, Russia, began positioning itself Thursday for the fall of President Bashar Assad, saying for the first time that rebels might overthrow him and preparing to evacuate thousands of Russian citizens from the country. The head of NATO echoed the Russian assessment, saying the Syrian government is near co... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763340-russia-positions-fall-syrian-regime.html 2012-12-13T20:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1764830-bode-miller-wont-race-until-february.html VAL GARDENA, Italy (AP) — Bode Miller likely won't start his season until February as part of his cautious return from left knee surgery. There's also a chance he might sit out the entire season. Meanwhile, Miller is taking care of his new wife, who he hit in the eye with a golf ball Wednesday. Miller's knee first bothered him last winter when he was comp... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1764830-bode-miller-wont-race-until-february.html 2012-12-13T17:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1764128-lawyer-killed-kremlin-critic-worked-uk-spies.html LONDON (AP) — Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian agent-turned-Kremlin critic, was a "registered and paid" agent working for Britain's foreign intelligence agency when he died after being mysteriously poisoned, a lawyer representing his widow told an official hearing Thursday. Another lawyer said the U.K. has evidence the Russian government was behind Litvinenko's death... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1764128-lawyer-killed-kremlin-critic-worked-uk-spies.html 2012-12-13T17:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763660-ukraine-parliament-speaker-elected-amid-brawls.html KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's newly elected parliament on Thursday approved two presidential allies for the posts of prime minister and parliament speaker, but the vote was nearly overshadowed by a violent brawl between government supporters and opposition lawmakers. The Party of Regions led by President Viktor Yanukovych and its allies secured a majorit... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1763660-ukraine-parliament-speaker-elected-amid-brawls.html 2012-12-13T15:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1763684-russias-putin-calls-us-trade-bill-unfriendly.html MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday lambasted a U.S. bill imposing sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations, saying that it hurts Russian-American relations. Congress last week passed a bill penalizing Russian officials accused of rights violations. The Russians have bristled at the bill, which they interpr... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:01:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1763684-russias-putin-calls-us-trade-bill-unfriendly.html 2012-12-13T12:01:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763426-russia-acknowledges-assad-losing-control.html MOSCOW (AP) — Syria's most powerful ally, Russia, said for the first time Thursday that President Bashar Assad is losing control of his country and the rebels might win the civil war, dramatically shifting the diplomatic landscape at a time of enormous momentum for the opposition. While Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov gave no immediate signal tha... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 11:20:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763426-russia-acknowledges-assad-losing-control.html 2012-12-13T11:20:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1761678-cheese-7500-years-ago.html LONDON (AP) — Little Miss Muffet could have been separating her curds and whey 7,500 years ago, according to a new study that finds the earliest solid evidence of cheese-making. Scientists performed a chemical analysis on fragments from 34 pottery sieves discovered in Poland to determine their purpose. Until now, experts weren't sure whether such sieves w... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1761678-cheese-7500-years-ago.html 2012-12-12T19:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761576-ap-interview-romanian-pm-reappointment.html BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta should feel like his political battles will become much easier, after his center-left alliance won a sweeping majority in last weekend's parliamentary elections. With 68 percent of seats in Parliament, the alliance could expect the president to quickly reappoint Ponta, letting the government g... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:30:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761576-ap-interview-romanian-pm-reappointment.html 2012-12-12T16:30:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761120-un-court-convicts-bosnian-serb-genocide.html THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A U.N. war crimes court convicted a former senior Bosnian Serb army commander Wednesday of genocide for playing a key role in Europe's worst massacre since World War II and sentenced him to life imprisonment, delivering another measure of justice to survivors still hunting for the remains of their husbands and sons. In a majo... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:39:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761120-un-court-convicts-bosnian-serb-genocide.html 2012-12-12T15:39:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1761360-polish-energy-advisor-using-coal-energy.html WARSAW, Poland (AP) — An advisor to the Polish government says the country should keep using its coal for decades to come, despite a European Union policy of replacing the polluting fossil fuel with cleaner sources. Krzysztof Zmijewski, an expert on carbon gas emissions, said Wednesday that as global demand for energy rises, Poland should continue to use ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:38:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1761360-polish-energy-advisor-using-coal-energy.html 2012-12-12T15:38:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760948-russian-opposition-activist-to-siberia.html MOSCOW (AP) — A jailed Russian opposition activist who claims he was kidnapped and tortured will remain in custody and may be sent to Siberia as part of a 15-year-old investigation into the theft of 500 fur hats. Moscow's Basmanny district court ruled Wednesday that Leonid Razvozzhayev should be held until April, granting the request of investigators who ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:19:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760948-russian-opposition-activist-to-siberia.html 2012-12-12T15:19:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760420-putin-rejects-foreign-advice-democracy.html MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday angrily rejected what he described as attempts to enforce foreign patterns of democracy on Russia and vowed to preserve the nation's identity against interference from abroad. Putin's speech was his first state-of-the nation address since winning a third term in March's election despite a wave of massive... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:40:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760420-putin-rejects-foreign-advice-democracy.html 2012-12-12T12:40:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760884-serbias-billionaire-retail-tycoon-detained.html BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia's billionaire retail tycoon and one of the Balkan country's most influential figures was detained Wednesday in what the nationalist government said is a major anti-corruption sweep. Miroslav Miskovic, one of the richest people in impoverished Serbia, is the owner of Delta Holding company which deals with retail, real estate,... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760884-serbias-billionaire-retail-tycoon-detained.html 2012-12-12T12:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760652-rosneft-buys-half-tnk-bp-28-billion.html MOSCOW (AP) — Rosneft has signed an agreement to purchase 50 percent in Russia's third-largest oil producer TNK-BP for $28 billion, having earlier acquired the other half from BP. Rosneft and AAR, a consortium of Russian shareholders in TNK-BP, said in a statement on Wednesday that they struck the final deal in Munich this morning. State-owned Rosneft pre... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 10:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1760652-rosneft-buys-half-tnk-bp-28-billion.html 2012-12-12T10:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1758224-russian-opera-diva-vishnevskaya-dies-86.html MOSCOW (AP) — World-renowned Russian opera diva Galina Vishnevskaya, who with her husband defied the Soviet regime to give shelter to writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn and suffered exile from her homeland, has died at 86. Moscow's Opera Center, which Vishnevskaya created, said the singer celebrated internationally for her rich soprano voice died Tuesday in th... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:45:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1758224-russian-opera-diva-vishnevskaya-dies-86.html 2012-12-11T18:45:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1758102-heavy-snow-balkans-deep-freeze.html PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Blizzards blocked roads, stranded villages, disrupted power supplies and temporarily shut down an airport in the Balkans on Tuesday, the fourth straight day of tough winter weather in the region of southeastern Europe. In one of the worst-hit areas, snowdrifts and avalanches blocked roads in hilly northern Montenegro, where ab... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:06:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1758102-heavy-snow-balkans-deep-freeze.html 2012-12-11T18:06:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1758594-ex-policeman-faces-trial-politkovskayas-murder.html MOSCOW (AP) — The son of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya on Tuesday criticized the authorities' deal with a former police officer accused of involvement in her 2006 killing, saying it wouldn't help to determine who ordered the murder. Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, who is accused of helping track Politkovskaya's movements, is set to go on trial Wednesday aft... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1758594-ex-policeman-faces-trial-politkovskayas-murder.html 2012-12-11T16:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1757914-experts-russia-to-stay-course-assad.html MOSCOW (AP) — Recent hopes that the Kremlin would end its support of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad melted quickly, and analysts say Moscow ultimately may change its stance only if Assad ends up cornered. Russia's refusal to join the West in calling for Assad's ouster is rooted both in a sober geopolitical calculus and deep suspicions about Western intenti... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1757914-experts-russia-to-stay-course-assad.html 2012-12-11T15:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757848-us-visa-cancelled-to-prosecutor-tymoshenko-case.html KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The United States has canceled the visa of a Ukrainian prosecutor in charge of the case of jailed former premier Yulia Tymoshenko, the latest sign of growing international pressure on Ukraine. The U.S. Embassy in Kiev said Tuesday that a long-term visa issued to Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin has been revoked. The Embassy woul... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:30:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757848-us-visa-cancelled-to-prosecutor-tymoshenko-case.html 2012-12-11T10:30:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755568-deep-divides-dubai-un-talks-internet.html DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Talks over possible new U.N. regulations for the Internet were deeply divided Monday, with Russia and others advocating for more government control, while a U.S.-led bloc warned against rules that could restrict freedoms in cyberspace. The Dubai conference, which wraps up later this week, is not empowered to bring about ... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755568-deep-divides-dubai-un-talks-internet.html 2012-12-10T15:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755282-romania-govt-easily-wins-parliamentary-elections.html BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's government has swept to victory in a parliamentary election but even that convincing win may not defuse the rancorous rivalry between the country's two top politicians. The center-left alliance led by Prime Minister Victor Ponta won nearly 60 percent of the vote, trouncing President Traian Basescu's center-right allies,... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:29:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755282-romania-govt-easily-wins-parliamentary-elections.html 2012-12-10T15:29:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1755604-russia-promises-tit-for-tat-response-to-us-bill.html MOSCOW (AP) — Russia will quickly retaliate against U.S. officials after the U.S. Congress approved a bill imposing sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations, the lower house's speaker said Monday. The legislation passed last week primarily aimed to end Cold War-era trade restrictions that have held back American businesses which w... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1755604-russia-promises-tit-for-tat-response-to-us-bill.html 2012-12-10T11:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1755260-kazakhstan-mulls-russias-cosmodrome-lease.html ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — The head of Kazakhstan's space agency said Monday that Russia's lease of a launch facility in the Central Asian nation, the only site worldwide currently being used to get astronauts to the International Space Station, may be suspended. Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency cited Kazcosmos head Talgat Musabayev as telling parliament th... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 06:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1755260-kazakhstan-mulls-russias-cosmodrome-lease.html 2012-12-10T06:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754262-ap-exclusive-georgia-details-nuke-investigations.html BATUMI, Georgia (AP) — On the gritty side of this casino resort town near the Turkish border, three men in a hotel suite gathered in secret to talk about a deal for radioactive material. The Georgian seller offered cesium, a byproduct of nuclear reactors that terrorists can use to arm a dirty bomb with the power to kill. But one of the Turkish men, wearin... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 04:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754262-ap-exclusive-georgia-details-nuke-investigations.html 2012-12-10T04:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1753958-syrias-civil-war-spills-lebanon-4-dead.html BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's civil war spilled over into neighboring Lebanon once again on Sunday, with gun battles in the northern city of Tripoli between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad's regime that left four dead. Nine Syrian judges and prosecutors also defected to the opposition. It was the latest setback for the regime, which appears inc... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1753958-syrias-civil-war-spills-lebanon-4-dead.html 2012-12-09T19:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1754174-eu-leaders-norway-to-pick-up-nobel-peace-prize.html OSLO, Norway (AP) — European Union leaders on Sunday hailed the achievements of the 27-nation bloc, but acknowledged they need more integration and authority to solve problems, including its worst financial crisis, as they arrived in Norway to pick up this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Conceding that the EU lacked sufficient powers to stop the devastating 199... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1754174-eu-leaders-norway-to-pick-up-nobel-peace-prize.html 2012-12-09T18:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1753904-6-dead-heavy-snow-hits-balkans.html BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have killed at least six people and caused travel chaos across the Balkans, with rescue teams struggling to reach passengers stranded in buses and cars in Serbia on Sunday. Officials said four people have died in Croatia and two in Serbia as a result of blizzards in the region of southwester... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 15:13:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1753904-6-dead-heavy-snow-hits-balkans.html 2012-12-09T15:13:00Z