Europe

There’s no point abandoning your cubicle  if you’re just going to spend your time in hotels. It’s great staying in five-star accommodation, sinking into king-size beds and having staff bring you food at silly hours, but it’s expensive and unsustainable – especially if you have a family. Going abroad should be about exploring– being outside, absorbing the atmosphere and experiencing new things. Nothing allows you to get to the heart of nature and local culture than an active camping holiday. What’s more, it’s much friendlier on the old wallet! Modern camping provides cheap holidays Camping has changed. Once associated with muddy sleeping bags, tents that rattled in the wind and meals out of cold tins, now it’s about modern tents and lodges, beautifully maintained parks and great locations. There’s a growing appetite for more authentic holiday experiences, and active camping holidays tick all the right boxes. One of the best advantages about camping, of course, is the price. Whether you’re traveling as a couple or as a family, at home or abroad, campsites are by far and away cheaper than hotels and offer perfect solutions whatever the budget. Top campsites with great facilities Campsites have become quite sophisticated, too. They have facilities for everyone, including children, and act as a great base if you’re into walking, cycling, fishing – or any other activity you can think of. If you’ve got an image of a lonely tent in an overgrown field, wipe it from your mind. These days you can get large tents, with social areas at the front – which is great if you’re traveling in a group. Sites now also have small wooden lodges, which are filled with all the self-catering equipment you’ll need, and larger lodges have kitchens and decking at the front for barbecues – making it cheaper to eat if your food budget can’t stretch to restaurant meals every night of the week. Campsites in Europe even provide facilities like swimming pools, kids’ entertainment and sports clubs, which is great if you’ve got a family. Some of the accommodation and campsites from providers such as Eurocamp.co.uk for example give you an idea of how traditional camping has evolved. Flexible holidays Whether it’s a tent, a camper van, a caravan or a wooden lodge, they give you a place to eat and sleep, leaving you to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. Arrive whenever you want, stay for as long as you like and enjoy the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It’s the sort of flexibility and affordability that you just don’t get from package holidays. Related posts: Yusufeli and rainy camping Camping outside a Bulgarian Monastery Resources for Resourceful Travelers

When the top two teams in Europe clash in the annual Champions League final, it can be just a single moment of inspiration that proves the difference. Having endured the months-long journey to that winner-take-all match, players from both sides are battled tested but not all are ready to seize the moment.Zinedine Zidane was ready.More...

After a few weeks of waiting, the highly anticipated matchup of German rivals is set to commence on Saturday in London. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are already rivals in Bundesliga play in their native country, but that rivalry will reach its boiling point on Saturday night, as the two German clubs square off for the 2013 UEFA Champions League title. Bayern and Dortmund have faced each other four times this season, with the Bundesliga champs winning two and the other two matches ending in draws. The two German clubs managed to defeat Real Madrid and Barcelona en route to the Champions League final, with Bayern dominating a Lionel Messi-less Barca and the Borussians hanging on for a 4-3 aggregate victory over Madrid. The title will now be decided in London's Wembley Stadium. As Fox Sports posted on Twitter, the stadium is already rocking and ready for the German invasion of fans, of sorts, that has already descended to watch these two clubs battle it out. With the match right around the corner, we've got you covered with a last-minute preview of the match, complete with each team's projected lineups and some top storylines to follow during this all-German final. Event InformationWhere: Wembley Stadium in London, EnglandWhen: Saturday, May 25 at 2:45 p.m. ETWatch: Fox and Fox DeportesLive Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go Probable Lineups BAYERN MUNICH BORUSSIA DORTMUND Pos. Player Pos. Player G Manuel Neuer G Roman Weidenfeller (c) D Philipp Lahm (c) D Lukasz Piszczek D Jerome Boateng D Neven Subotic D Dante D Mats Hummels D David Alaba D Marcel Schmelzer M Bastian Schweinsteiger M Sven Bender M Javi Martinez M Ilkay Gundogan M Arjen Robben M Jakub Blaszczykowski M Thomas Mueller M Marco Reus M Franck Ribery M Kevin Grosskreutz F Mario Mandzukic F Robert Lewandowski Coach Jupp Heynckes Coach Juergen Klopp InjuriesBayern MunichToni Kroos, OUT Holger Badstuber, OUT Borussia DortmundMario Gotze, OUT Top StorylinesBayern DominanceIn addition to not dropping a match against Borussia Dortmund this season, Bayern has been victorious in each of its last 14 matches—the one exception being a draw to Dortmund on May 4 that helped provide a window to how tense this match could be. With only a valid argument to be made for a handful of other Premier League and La Liga teams, Bayern has been the best team in Europe this year—the Champions League legs have helped prove that assertion to be right on target. On a historical level, Bayern has also dominated the group and elimination stages of Champions League play. This will be Bayern's third appearance in the last four years in the Champions League final, and they have been unable to finish the job in the match after losing to Inter Milan in 2010 and Chelsea in last year's thrilling CL finish. With experience, a revenge-factor of sorts and the four previous matches between these two teams during the 2012-13 calendar season, Bayern figure to have all the momentum heading into this mother of all European finals. Gotze's AbsenceMario Gotze has proven himself as one of the biggest rising stars in Europe this season, scoring 20 goals in 43 games (all competitions) this season. As fans descend on Wembley Stadium, they'll notice that Gotze won't be in action for this Champions League final:He's also joining up with the team on the other side of the field next season. Expected to join Bayern when the 2013-14 season commences, Gotze would have already been in a weird place if he was on the pitch for this match. He won't be, though, and Borussia Dortmund will have their hands full in replacing his production. As noted by OptaFranz, he's not an easy player to replace for a match of this magnitude:However, Dortmund is a pesky squad who has no problem playing the underdog role in any given match. Additionally, Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus are fine players, capable of playing a solid match to force the ball on the attack. Will Dortmund crumble without Gotze, or r

Real Madrid offered Santos more money but the Brazil international, 21, has chosen to jump the Sao Paulo ship to join Camp Nou on a five-year deal By Pilar Suarez Barcelona have secured a deal to sign Santos starlet Neymar for an estimated €28 million on Saturday. The Brazil international will join Camp Nou on a five-year contract having rejected overtures from Real Madrid – who are believed to have offered the Sao Paulo club €7m more than the Blaugrana to no avail. The forward will earn a base amount of €7m-per-year at Camp Nou which, although is less than he was being offered by the Santiago Bernabeu side, will see him earn extra due to an agreement with international sports brand Nike. Neymar has been on the radar of numerous top European clubs for a couple of years, having shone in South America and earned plaudits including a Ballon d’Or nomination for the 2013 edition. The Selecao starlet has been tentatively linked with the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain but by far the favourites to snap up the 21-year-old were La Liga giants Barca – whose increasing interest Goal revealed in April – and Madrid. The new Primera Division champions, Barca, have beaten their arch-rivals to the signing of Neymar, though, and will see the attacker join this summer ahead of the 2013-14 season. As part of the deal, the Catalunya club will play the Brazilian in two friendlies – valued each at €2 million – in the near future, with one on each continent. The Brazilian will join other South Americans on Camp Nou turf including the likes of Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Javier Mascherano and national team-mates Dani Alves and Adriano. Neymar has said in the past that he wanted to wait to move to Europe until after World Cup 2014 but, due to his contract running out next year, Santos’ hand has been forced in order to make money from the player they have nurtured.

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Japan, Recalls, Safety, Hatchback, Nissan, Australia, UK, Middle East, South America A possible issue with a steering wheel bolt in the Nissan Micra (shown) and Cube from the 2002 to 2006 model years has Nissan recalling roughly 841,000 units on four continents, as well as Oceania and the Middle East. On the affected cars, the bolt may not have been tightened properly, which could lead to a loss of steering in a worst-case scenario. According to Reuters, there haven't been any reports of accidents or injuries due to the fault, however. The Micras affected were built in the UK and Japan, the Cubes in Japan. Nissan has yet to say when the recall will begin, but when it does, owners can take their cars to dealers for repairs; the bolt with either be tightened or, if necessary, a new steering wheel installed.Nissan recalling 841k vehicles overseas for steering wheel trouble originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

The debate about U.S. natural gas exports goes to show just how quickly technology can change things. In a profound reversal of expectations, the U.S. could now become a major exporter of natural gas by the end of this decade, as opposed to a major importer, which was the conventional view just five years ago. This about-face is largely the result of an unforeseen surge in shale gas production, made possible by radical advances in drilling technologies. The resultant glut of natural gas led to a collapse in its price, which fell from more than $10 per MMBtu in 2008 to under $2 per MMBtu in spring of last year. While prices have rebounded this year, they're still well below those in Asia and Europe -- a disparity that has created lucrative opportunities for U.S. natural gas exports in the form of liquefied natural gas, or LNG. This is where the debate arises. Some argue that exporting LNG to foreign markets would lead to higher domestic prices, eroding the benefits millions of American consumers enjoy in the form of lower heating bills, as well as the competitive advantage that manufacturing and other energy-intensive U.S. companies enjoy. But others say that exports will create tens of thousands of jobs and boost the nation's economy, while simultaneously improving U.S. energy security and geopolitical leverage. They maintain, unlike the skeptics, that a reasonable policy of LNG exports will not result in meaningfully higher domestic gas prices. Which side has it right? LNG exports and gas prices According to a report issued Monday by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a non-profit, non-partisan public policy organization, the latter group -- the one pushing for LNG exports -- is on the right track. The BPC report, which aimed to explore the dynamics of natural gas prices under different supply and demand situations over the next several decades, finds that that the U.S. is awash in so much natural gas that it can easily export the stuff without causing a sharp spike in domestic prices. It concludes that even in a worst-case scenario -- which assumed a low level of domestic supplies and a high level of demand -- U.S. gas prices are unlikely to approach their previous peaks. Furthermore, the BPC study argues that natural gas prices drive exports, not the other way around. "The price of U.S. natural gas will influence LNG export levels far more than LNG exports will influence domestic prices," the report states. It then goes on to assess the possibilities for both exports and prices under various demand and supply situations. Under a high-demand, low-supply scenario, it finds that LNG exports would reach 2 billion cubic feet per day in 2020, while under a high-supply and low-demand scenario, they would be about 6.4 billion cubic feet per day.   With respect to prices, the study determined that gas prices would be $0.97 per MMBtu higher than the reference case scenario under its low-supply, high-demand scenario, while in a high-supply, low-demand scenario they would be $0.86 per MMBtu lower than the reference case in 2020.   What's next? Going forward, the Department of Energy is likely to approve additional LNG export projects to countries that don't have free-trade agreements with the United States. Thus far, the department has given the go-ahead to just two ventures: Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana, which was green-lighted in 2011, and the Freeport LNG project in Texas -- a $10 billion facility partly owned by ConocoPhillips , Dow Chemical , and Osaka Gas -- which received permission last week. The DOE has said it will work through the remaining applications in the order they were received. That means the next projects up for review are likely to be the Lake Charles LNG facility in Louisiana, which is owned by subsidiaries of Southern Union , and the Cove Point LNG terminal in Maryland, a facility operated by utility company Dominion .   Though Freeport's approval bodes well for additional authorizations of

Perhaps no other discussion on energy-related topics has been as polarizing as the debate over the general direction of oil prices over the next several years. On the side of the bears, Citigroup argued in a recent research paper that global oil demand is "approaching a tipping point." The combination of falling demand in developed countries and two other factors -- the transition toward natural gas as a fuel source and improving fuel efficiency for new vehicles -- led the bank to conclude that, by the close of the decade, oil prices are "likely to hover within a range of $80-90/bbl." On the other hand, the bulls argue that prices will remain buoyed by the high marginal costs of production for unconventional oil -- which includes U.S. shale and Canada's oil sands and continues to gain a larger share of the total market -- and that rising demand from emerging economies will push prices generally higher over the next several years. According to estimates by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, oil prices could close out the decade in a range of $150 to $270 per barrel, bolstered by emerging-market growth.   Though the debate continues to rage, the oil bears just got a new supporter on their side. And one with a great deal of credibility and clout. Let's look at why he thinks oil prices could fall over the next few years. Eni's chief executive forecasts lower oil prices According to Paolo Scaroni, chief executive of Eni, one of the largest energy companies in Europe, oil prices are likely to fall over the next few years. Barring an unexpected surge in global economic growth, the combination of stagnant oil demand and surging new supplies means that oil prices are "more likely to go down than up" over the next two to five years, he said. Scaroni's forecast is predicated upon his view that the huge disparity that currently exists between oil and U.S. natural gas prices (on an energy equivalent basis) is an anomaly that will be corrected over time. Currently, the benchmark U.S. gas price at Henry Hub is a little over $4 per MMBtu, while liquefied natural gas imported to Asia fetches around $15 per MMBtu. Meanwhile, oil remains about six times as expensive as U.S. natural gas on a BTU-equivalent basis. Over time, Scaroni argues, market forces will act to narrow both gaps. "These two anomalies, once corrected, move us toward a world in which gas prices are higher and oil prices are lower," he was quoted as saying in the Financial Times. Indeed, the price difference between oil and natural gas has already led to a surge of demand from the U.S. transport sector, especially among long-haul trucking fleets. Growing demand for natural gas For instance, Waste Management reckons that, over the next five years, four-fifths of the new trucks it buys will run on natural gas and that, by 2017, its fleet will burn more gas than diesel. Similarly, truck maker Navistar estimates that, within a couple of years, a third of the new trucks it sells will burn natural gas instead of diesel.   Though adoption rates for natural gas vehicles outside long-haul trucking have been disappointingly low, a host of companies are working hard to change that. For instance, engine manufacturer Westport Innovations is collaborating with auto manufacturers to develop more advanced dual-fuel technologies for passenger vehicles, such as Ford's F-450 and F-550 Super Duty Chassis Cab trucks.   Meanwhile, Clean Energy Fuels is plugging away at developing the other necessary component to promote natural gas vehicle usage -- refueling infrastructure. The Seal Beach, Calif.-based company already fuels tens of thousands of vehicles each day at various strategic locations across North America and is planning on building an additional 70 to 80 LNG fueling stations this year.   Final thoughts If the shift toward natural gas in the U.S. transport sector picks up speed, it could have significantly implications for oil prices, according to Scaroni. Even

Third leg of the 2006 tour. Click the city to download the show and the date for the setlist.#33 Dublin (08/23/06)#34 Leeds (08/25/06)#35 Reading (08/27/06)#36 Netherlands (08/29/06)#37 Belgium (08/30/06)#38 Barcelona (09/01/06)#39 Vitoria (09/02/06)#40 Libson (09/04/06)#41 Libson (09/05/06)#42 Madrid (09/07/06)#43 Marseille (09/09/06)#44 Paris (09/11/06)#45 Switzerland (09/13/06)#46 Bologna (09/14/06)#47 Verona (09/16/06)#48 Milan (09/17/06)#49 Torino (09/19/06)#50 Pistoia (09/20/06)#51 Prague (09/22/06)#52 Berlin (09/23/06)#53 Vienna (09/25/06)#54 Croatia (09/26/06)#55 Athens (09/30/06)

ON the day Paris was liberated from Nazi occupation, two trucks screeched to a halt in front of the Ritz. Out jumped several dozen French Resistance fighters, armed to the teeth and led by a burly American with a large mustache. The French “irregulars” were so in awe of the man they referred to as “le grand capitaine” that they had taken to copying what the photographer Robert Capa called his “sailor bear walk” and machine-gun diction, “spitting short sentences from the corners of their mouths.” The leader swaggered up to the hotel bar and placed his order: “How about 73 dry martinis?” Ernest Hemingway went on to liberate the Ritz of a great deal of alcohol. “We drank. We ate. We glowed,” recalled one of his men. That cameo is just one of many unforgettable scenes in the final installment of Rick Atkinson’s epic trilogy about America’s war in Europe, a book that stitches a multitude of such small but telling moments into a tapestry of fabulous richness and complexity. Atkinson is a master of what might be called “pointillism history,” assembling the small dots of pure color into a vivid, tumbling narrative. more from Ben Macintyre at the NY Times here.

Posted by news intern Ansel Herz The Broken Bridge: There was no posted height limit on the I-5 Skagit River bridge and the bridge had a history of "high load hits" by trucks. The Mayor of Burlington had reportedly lobbied for years to upgrade the bridge. Here's how to get around the freeway closure. How Central American Migrants Cross the Border: They huddle near water pipes, catch rides on freight trains, and fight off drug cartels, according to a reporter who embedded with them. Holder Approved Going After FOX Reporter: Why, though? As The Daily Show points out, the guy reported that North Korea would respond to sanctions with more nuclear tests, which is kind of like reporting, "Jon Stewart is Jewish!" Mom Says Police Killed Her Son For No Reason: Police in Fife say that after a long standoff with a belligerent suspect, they shot and killed him when he dangled his son over a balcony. The man's mother tells a very different story. She says the police rescued her grandson, and then, "Not even two seconds later they ran down the driveway, in the gate, ramrodded the door and then I heard two shots." Look, More Riots in Europe: Take note, Goldy. About 30 cars were set ablaze in a fifth night of violent protests by poor and largely immigrant youth in Stockholm, "despite Sweden's reputation for equality." Africa Still Rising: The African Union is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a summit, and Ethiopia's Prime Minister says the organization's Pan-Africanist aspirations remain relevant to this day. Brazil will cancel $900 million in debt in order to boost ties. Thomas Sankara and other African revolutionaries would be proud, one hopes. Two Full-Time Rangers at Seattle Parks: Interim SPD Chief Jim Pugel says uniformed but unarmed rangers will patrol Cal Anderson and Occidental Parks, working closely with police, linking homeless people with services and settling small disputes that arise. Intermittent Sun and Rain Showers This Memorial Day Weekend: That's according to Cliff Mass, anyway. Enjoy it! [ Comment on this story ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]