EUROPE NEWS AT 1200GMT

2009-02-26 14:42:05 -

TOP STORIES
NETHERLANDS-PLANE CRASH
AMSTERDAM _ Investigators take detailed photos of the wreckage of a Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 and analyze black box recordings, trying to piece together why the plane lost speed and crashed into a field, killing nine people and injuring 86. Developing. By Toby Sterling. AP Photos. AP Graphic NETHERLANDS PLANE CRASH 2.
WITH: SURVIVING CRASHES
WAR-CRIMES-KOSOVO
THE HAGUE, Netherlands _ Six high ranking Serbs including former President Milan Milutinovic hear verdicts in their trial on charges of orchestrating a 1999 campaign of murder, torture and deportation of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Developing; Hearing scheduled to start at 1315 GMT By Mike Corder. AP Photos.
IRAN-NUCLEAR-ANALYSIS
VIENNA _ Does Iran have enough uranium to make a nuclear weapon? One thing is clear _ if it doesn't today, it can speed up the process substantially through work that takes little more skill than knowing how to use a plumber's wrench. Moved. By George Jahn.
TURKEY-US-MIDEAST
ANKARA, Turkey _ U.S. Middle East special envoy George Mitchell says that predominantly Muslim Turkey's friendship with Israel gives it a unique opportunity to help achieve peace in the Middle East. Moved. By Selcan Hacaoglu. AP Photos.
SPAIN-BASQUE VOTE
MADRID _ In Spain's turbulent Basque region, political power is spelled PNV: the acronym for the nationalist party that has ruled for nearly 30 years on a platform flirting with independence. But in elections this weekend, that grip might be in jeopardy. By 1300GMT. By Daniel Woolls.
LATVIA-POLITICS
RIGA, Latvia _ Latvia's president nominates a 37-year-old member of the European Parliament to lead the Baltic country through a crippling recession that caused the government to resign last week. Moved.
EASTERN BAILOUT
WARSAW, Poland _ After significant pain in the transition to capitalism, formerly communist Eastern Europe finally got its reward in recent years: rapid job creation, unprecedented freedom to work in Western Europe, cheap mortgages that drove a boom in home ownership. But the global financial crisis has brought that dizzying growth to a halt. Moved. By Vanessa Gera. AP Photo.
WITH: EASTERN BAILOUT-COUNTRIES
CHINA-SAINT LAURENT AUCTION
BEIJING _ Beijing slams auction house Christie's for selling two imperial bronze sculptures it says should have been returned to China and vows to continue to hunt for and reclaim other similarly looted relics. Moved. By Gillian Wong.
BUSINESS & FINANCE
BRITAIN-EARNS-ROYAL-BANK-OF-SCOTLAND
LONDON _ The Royal Bank of Scotland posts a record net loss of 24.14 billion pounds ($34.4 billion) for 2008 _ the biggest in British corporate history _ and unveils a massive restructuring program that will hive off many of its international businesses. Moved. By Jane Wardell. AP Photo.
SWITZERLAND-UBS-CEO
BERN, Switzerland _ Troubled Swiss banking giant UBS AG suddenly replaces its CEO, appointing Oswald J. Gruebel _ former head of crosstown rival Credit Suisse Group _ to take over immediately. Moved. By Balz Bruppacher. AP Photos.
WORLD MARKETS
LONDON _ European markets rise as investors welcome a British program to allow struggling banks to access government insurance against future losses on toxic assets. Developing. By Louise Watt. AP Photo. AP Graphic.
FRANCE-EARNS-NATIXIS
PARIS _ French bank Natixis, whose main owners are seeking to merge, said its net loss almost doubled in the fourth quarter as it fell victim to the alleged fraud scheme of Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff and the value of its assets was hit by the financial crisis. Moved. By Emma Vandore.
GM EUROPE-PROTESTS
RUESSELSHEIM, Germany _ Tens of thousands of workers at General Motors Europe's factories demonstrate, hoping to save their jobs at Adem Opel AG and other of the troubled U.S. automaker's European divisions. Moved.
SPORTS
UEFA CUP ROUNDUP
LONDON _ Seven-time European champion AC Milan aims to move closer to its first ever UEFA Cup triumph by beating Werder Bremen at home while Ajax holds a narrow lead and home advantage against Fiorentina. By 2200 GMT. By Stuart Condie.
ENGLISH PREVIEW
LONDON _ Cruising at the top of the Premier League, Manchester United aims to take the League Cup title away from Tottenham when they meet in the final at Wembley. By 1300 GMT. By Robert Millward.
DUBAI CHAMPIONSHIPS
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates _ Top two seeds Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray play for a place in the semifinals of Dubai Tennis Championships. By 1900 GMT.
NORDIC WORLDS
LIBEREC, Czech Republic _ Finland is the favorite to take the women's cross-country relay at the Nordic skiing world championships. In the team Nordic combined event, the United States is forced to pull out after one jumper gets disqualified for losing his bib. By 1300 GMT. By Mattias Karen.
FEATURES & ARTS
IRELAND-DUBLIN ON A BUDGET
DUBLIN _ Ireland may bill itself as the land of «a hundred thousand welcomes.» Too often, tourists come away feeling like the saying really refers to exorbitant prices. It doesn't have to be like that. Much of the best that Dublin has to offer is either free or the cost of a pint of stout. With a weeklong St. Patrick's Festival full of free events around the corner _ and recession hitting Ireland hard _ Dublin's delights can be had at a discount, particularly if you're happy to live more like a real «Dub» than a jet-setter. Moved. By Shawn Pogatchnik. AP Photos.
NETHERLANDS-AMSTERDAM BY HOUSEBOAT
AMSTERDAM _ So there we were, sipping shiraz at sunset and minding our own business, when there was a rude rap at the window. And then a hiss. «Hullo? Goeiemiddag!» I said, affecting my best Dutch greeting as I spun around. «Honk!» responded the intruder: a handsome white swan pecking at a porthole of our rented houseboat on the Amstel River and hoping for a handout. That kind of thing happens when you bunk on a barge, as we did on a recent getaway to Amsterdam. Sure, we considered more conventional lodging. But in this dreamy European capital laced with canals, there's water, water everywhere, and you might as well stay on some. Moved. By William J. Kole. AP Photos.
For more features, please see the AP World Features Digest.
YOUR QUERIES: The Europe & Africa Desk in London can be reached at +44 207 427 4300.