Europe

Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, accused of masterminding a vast doping network, has refused to name his clients. The case stems from a 2006 raid in which Spanish police seized some 200 bags of blood, in the "Operation Puerto" investigation.

Doping Trial May Reach Far Beyond Spain, And Cycling

6:42am February 18, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

A famous doctor is on trial in Spain, accused of masterminding one of the world's largest sports doping rings. Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes' client list is believed to include at least one former teammate of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. The doctor says he treated athletes from other sports, as well.

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A protest banner in Valencia, Spain, reflects the view that the city's economic woes are a result of political corruption.

World News

Activists Offer Protest Tour Of Spain's Modern Ruins

10:05am February 16, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

A new form of alternative tourism is cropping up across Europe, with people eager to see the shattered remains of the continent's boom-and-bust economy. In Valencia, Spain, those tours take tourists past the city's many deserted construction projects.

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Pope Benedict XVI, who announced his resignation Monday, was an ardent defender of Catholic tradition. For a quarter-century before he become the pontiff in 2005, he served as the chief enforcer of Catholic orthodoxy.

Pope Benedict XVI: A Champion Of Catholic Tradition

1:52pm February 11, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Pope Benedict XVI, who announced his resignation Monday at age 85, was a deeply conservative pontiff who sought to strengthen the church's core beliefs. But he also faced a number of difficult issues in a rapidly changing world.

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Pope Benedict XVI To Resign Feb. 28

11:41am February 11, 2013

Pope Benedict announced Monday morning he is retiring at the end of the month. He will be the first pontiff to step aside in six centuries.

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Vatican 'Surprised' By Pope's Resignation Announcement

11:41am February 11, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he will resign on February 28 because he no longer has the strength to fulfill the duties of his office. For more details, Renee Montagne speaks with journalist Josephine McKenna in Rome.

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World News

Bulgaria Links Hezbollah To Deadly Attack On Israelis

8:51am February 10, 2013

by Michele Kelemen

The attack at a Black Sea resort town last July killed five Israeli tourists and one Bulgarian citizen. In response, the White House called Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, a "real and growing threat not only to Europe, but to the rest of the world."

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World News

Spain's Wind Farms Break Energy Record

12:28pm February 08, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

For the first time, electricity production from Spanish wind mills topped that of nuclear, coal and solar. Spain's location in the south of Europe means it's endowed with lots of sunshine and clear windy skies — which it's put to use becoming a leader in renewable energy.

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Employees of Hellenic Postbank protest during a strike against the bank's privatization in Athens, in December.

Privatization Of Greek Assets Runs Behind Schedule

3:07pm February 07, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

The sweeping fire sale is a requirement for multibillion-euro bailouts. And the Chinese, Russian and Arab companies lining up to take advantage of the steep discounts are making Greeks and other Europeans nervous.

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Georgia Kolia, 63, has two adult children, both unemployed. She works as a volunteer distributing loaves of bread at the Agia Zonis Orthodox church soup kitchen for the poor in Athens, Greece, in April 2012.

World News

For Greeks, Painful Cuts Keep Tearing At The Social Fabric

6:12pm February 06, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

Three years of austerity measures are hitting ordinary Greeks hard. Unemployment is nearly 27 percent and rising, and the once dependable safety net of welfare benefits is being pulled in. Further cutbacks and tax hikes are about to kick in.

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Sergei Filin, artistic director of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre's Bolshoi Ballet, was nearly blinded by an attacker on Jan. 17.

In Moscow, Scandals Shake A Storied Ballet

1:47pm February 05, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

The Bolshoi Ballet is deeply beloved in Russia. But a series of recent scandals — capped by a nasty acid attack on the company's artistic director in mid-January — has sent shock waves through artistic circles.

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