Skinny French Women Feel Fat: Study

Nine of 17 member states post a fall

(NEWSER) - For the first time since 2009, the eurozone economy contracted last quarter. The fourth quarter of 2011 saw the GDP shrink 0.3% compared to the third quarter; the last quarterly contraction occurred during the second quarter of 2009 when the GDP dropped 0.2%. Meanwhile, the GDP grew just 0.7% compared to a year earlier, the smallest gain since the fourth quarter of 2009. Nine of the 17 member states posted a fall, and economists are forecasting more contraction to come, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Some fear feisty new nation could inspire separatists elsewhere

(NEWSER) - A meeting of EU officials today to discuss Kosovo is likely to reveal deep-seated divisions within the European Union. While Britain, France and Germany are expected to recognize the newly independent Kosovo immediately, other states like Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Spain worry about the message such recognition will send to their own restive separatists, BBC reports. More»

Jeremy Wagner warns of riots, 'biggest mass default in history'

(NEWSER) - With the euro crisis spreading even to mighty Germany last week—when investors ignored a bund auction and sovereign debt yields grew more expensive than the UK's—it is clear now that the euro crisis is not just about the debts of the poorer, peripheral countries like Greece and Portugal, or even the entitlement-swollen troubles of bigger countries such as Italy and Spain. "What we are witnessing is awesome stuff—the death throes of a currency," writes Jeremy Wagner in the Telegraph , calling the potential collapse "eurogeddon." More»

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»

Dow drops below 10,000 for first time since Nov. 4

(NEWSER) - Stocks plummeted today as investors continued to worry about several European countries' ability to maintain their national debt and pondered a Wall Street Journal report that said the Fed may consider tightening credit this year.

• The Dow fell 103.84 points to close at 9,908.39.
• The Nasdaq lost 15.07, closing at 2,126.05.
• The S&P 500 dropped 9.45 to settle at 1,056.74.