Latest Culprit in E. coli Crisis: Egyptian Seeds

At odds with Germany over ECB, deflation, budget enforcement

(NEWSER) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday called for changing the eurozone treaty to make a tighter, stronger union, and demanded more budget discipline, increased help for foundering economies, and replacing countries' veto rights with qualified majorities, reports Reuters . He also called for the European Central Bank to be more interventionist and fight possible deflation. "Let us not hide it, Europe may be swept away by the crisis if it doesn't get a grip, if it doesn't change," he warned. "We don't have the right to let such a disaster happen." More»

Belgian division to be nationalized; Belgium, France offer guarantees

(NEWSER) - Leading Franco-Belgian bank Dexia has agreed to a government rescue plan—making it "the biggest euro zone bank failure in quite some time," one analyst tells the New York Times . The plan will nationalize Dexia's Belgian banking division in a $5.4 billion government buyout; meanwhile, Belgium, France, and Luxembourg are providing the bank with $121 billion in guarantees, Reuters reports. Belgium will cover 60.5% of the guarantees, with France providing 36.5% and Luxembourg the rest. More»

Researchers trace sprout seeds to British company

(NEWSER) - A deadly strain of E. coli that killed 46 people in Germany appears to have resurfaced in France just at a time when hordes of Americans are heading overseas for vacation. The bacteria has landed eight people in Bordeaux hospitals as health officials scramble to locate the source of the contamination. Most of the sick interviewed to date attended an open house at a local children's recreation center and reported eating sprouts, believed to be the cause of the outbreak in Germany. The sprouts in France, however, have been traced to seeds provided by British company Thomson & Morgan, reports CNN . More»

Hard-hit Germany blames cucumbers from Spain

(NEWSER) - A deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe linked to tainted cucumbers and other vegetables is getting worse, report the Wall Street Journal and AP :

• The toll: Sixteen people are dead (15 in Germany and one woman in Sweden who had just traveled to Germany); more than 1,000 people are sick in Germany alone, with 373 having the most serious form of E. coli. Hundreds more cases are reported throughout Europe.

Dozens perish after violent winter storm devastates western Europe

(NEWSER) - Dozens died this weekend as devastating storms swept across western Europe, destroying seawalls, uprooting trees, and causing widespread flooding. France bore the brunt, with as many as 50 people killed, including 25 in the town of l'Aiguillon sur Mer, 300 miles southwest of Paris on the Atlantic coast. Deaths were also reported in Spain, Portugal, and Germany. More»