France : Death of Lazare Ponticelli , last ‘poilu’ (veteran) of World War I

23/12/08 16:31 CET

best of 2008

Bankia needs further massive bailout

Spain’s Bankia has reportedly asked the government for a 19 billion euro bailout. That would take the total cost of rescuing the country’s fourth-biggest bank to around 24 billion euros. The state…

Spain acts to clean-up banks after downgrade

Egypt: Islamist set to take on military man in election…

With most of the votes counted in Egypt’s landmark presidential election, the Muslim…

Hollande takes withdrawal message to Kabul

French President François Hollande has wasted no time in taking his message of an early French…

Afghan exit is 'fraught with peril for NATO'

Ukraine dispute over Russian-language continues

Ukraine’s parliamentary speaker has cancelled Friday’s session after the row over use of the Russian language rumbled on for a second day. Thursday’s session ended in blows…

Economic troubles lead to healthcare troubles in Greece

The state of healthcare in Greece is suffering because of the country’s economic crisis, with many people unable to afford to visit the hospital or pay for medicines. Some chemists are…