by Associated Press BC-AP--Europe News Digest, AP Associated Press - 1 October 2014 07:23-04:00 TOP STORIES IN EUROPE at 1130 GMT: GERMANY-NAZIS BERLIN — The Simon Wiesenthal Center has identified dozens of former members of Nazi mobile death squads who might still be alive, and is pushing the German government for an investigation, The Associated Press has learned. The Wiesenthal Center's top Nazi hunter, Efraim Zuroff, told the AP on Wednesday that in September he sent the German justice and interior ministries a list of 76 men and four women who served in the so-called Einsatzgruppen. By David Rising. SENT: 480 words. UKRAINE DONETSK, Ukraine —Rebels in eastern Ukraine appeared to be successfully closing in on the government-held airport in Donetsk Wednesday, a strategic victory for the pro-Russian separatists that further undermines a shaky cease-fire in the region.. By Darko Vojinovic. SENT: 350 words, photo. WAR CRIMES-KARADZIC THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic insisted Wednesday that United Nations prosecutors do not have "a shred of evidence" linking him to atrocities throughout the Bosnian war, and accused them of putting the entire Serb people on trial. In an 874-page written brief summarizing his defense, Karadzic said he should not be convicted by the U.N.'s Yugoslav war crimes tribunal, but acknowledged that, as wartime leader of the breakaway Serb entity in Bosnia, he "bears moral responsibility for any crimes committed by citizens and forces of Republika Srpska." By Mike Corder. SENT: 330 words, photo. SPAIN-BOMB-BLAST MADRID — Spain's Interior Ministry is blaming an outlawed separatist group for a bomb explosion outside a town hall in the northwestern region of Galicia. Ministry delegate for the region Samuel Juarez said all signs indicated the explosion Wednesday outside the town hall of Baralla was the work of Galician Resistance, a small but violent group that seeks independence for the region. SENT: 130 words. GREECE-MIGRANT SMUGGLING THESSALONIKI, Greece — Greek police say they have arrested seven people, including an airline pilot and a ground crew staff member, on suspicion of participating in a ring smuggling migrants onto flights from Thessaloniki to other EU countries. Giorgos Pantelakos, head of Thessaloniki's immigrant division, said the ring allegedly provided forged identity cards and passports and arranged to put migrants on flights to other EU countries, mainly Germany. The ring, believed to be active since October 2013, charged the mainly Syrian migrants an estimated 3,000-4,000 euros each. SENT: 130 words. BRITAIN-GUANTANAMO DETAINEE LONDON — British prosecutors have dropped terrorism charges against a former Guantanamo Bay detainee who is a high-profile advocate for the rights of terror suspects. Moazzam Begg had been due to stand trial next week on seven counts relating to the war in Syria. SENT: 130 words. BRITAIN-MISSING GIRL LONDON — British police searching for a missing 14-year-old girl say they have found a body, and are hunting a Latvian convicted killer seen nearby around the time she disappeared. Alice Gross was last seen Aug. 28 as she walked along a canal near her west London home. SENT: 130 words, photos. BUSINESS & FINANCE: PARIS MOTOR SHOW-WHAT TO EXPECT PARIS — European carmakers are hoping to impress with new models at this week's Paris Motor Show and prove they have come out stronger from years of economic cost-cutting. The glitz of Paris has been dimmed in recent editions of the world's oldest car show, as cash-strapped customers shunned showrooms, CEOs begged for bailouts and workers fought for their jobs. While it's too early to break out the champagne, carmakers can at least hope the worst is past. Along with global powerhouses like Ford and Toyota, they will try to wow with the high technology of prototypes and supercars, but also with potential big sellers, such as the increasingly popular compact SUVs. By Greg Keller. SENT: 650 words, photos. EUROPE-EUROFIGHTER BERLIN — The German military says a manufacturing fault has been discovered in the Eurofighter jet affecting the aircraft's fuselage, leading it to suspend deliveries. Germany's Bundeswehr says the error involves drill holes on the rear of the planes' fuselage and results from insufficient sanding-down by manufacturer BAE Systems. It said it isn't yet clear what effects that might have on the planes' longevity and, as a result, the plane makers took the precaution of cutting their authorized life span from 3,000 to 1,500 flying hours. SENT: 130 words, UPCOMING: 300 words by 1230 GMT. FRANCE-ECONOMY PARIS — France's Socialist government has detailed a 21 billion-euro ($26.5 billion) cost-cutting plan, the deepest-ever spending cuts in the country's modern history. A significant part of the savings in the 2015 budget presented Wednesday is to be made on France's generous welfare system. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 300 words by 1400 GMT. BRITAIN-TESCO LONDON — Tesco, one of the world's largest food retailers, says U.K. authorities are conducting a full investigation after its half-year profit was overstated by 250 million pounds ($407 million). Tesco said Wednesday it will cooperate fully with the Financial Conduct Authority probe. The company had already launched an internal investigation conducted by Deloitte. SENT: 130 words. News Topics: General news, Aircraft parts manufacturing, Missing persons, Automobile manufacturing, War and unrest, Aircraft manufacturing, War crimes, Nazism, Aerospace and defense industry, Industrial products and services, Industries, Business, Consumer product manufacturing, Consumer products and services, Government and politics People, Places and Companies: Radovan Karadzic, Thessaloniki, United Kingdom, France, London, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Spain, Europe, Paris, Ukraine, Greece, Donetsk, Western Europe, England, Eastern Europe Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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