Date: Mon, 29 May 1995 16:55:10 EDT
Sender: Internationally-Oriented Computer-Assisted Reporting List <INTCAR-L@american.edu>
From: SIMPSON@AMERICAN.EDU
Subject: Western Europe news sources - (big file) Virt.Journ. II fall 1994

Virtual Journalist Guide: Western Europe

By Anna Berglund, Jeremy Birch, Courtney Nations, and Emily Stein, Virtual Journalist, Vol.II, Fall 1994

I. Introduction

This section of the guide provides general information covering the European Union as well as particular countries in Western Europe.

With the newly developed World Wide Web sites, locating information is becoming much more efficient on the Internet. Many of the Web sites are still being cultivated in Western Europe, and new sites are springing up almost daily as servers are dropping gopher sites to join the Web. Hence, the World Wide Web gave us the best access to data available over the Internet.

Many of the listservs we explored were found to be rather cumbersome and consisted mainly of discussions and personal opinions. Clearly, sorting through such material is not a practical venue for the journalist seeking precise information.

Gophers, however, were a valuble source, but as previously mentioned, they are quickly becoming antiquated as the World Wide Web takes over. Nevertheless, gophers are still more accessible to the average Internet explorer due to the fact that Web sites can only be obtained through high-tech software such as Mosaic.

Most of the sources we found use English as their primary language. Yet in the Countries section in particular, there are several sites which employ only the official language of the server country. This guide will note those systems which do not use English as the principal language.

The rapid expansions and additions to the World Wide Web and the abundance of gopher sites make virtual research in Western Europe a rewarding task. May we stress again, however, that though this guide is a good starting point as to the serviceable Internet sites in the Continent, the unending technological advances will demand continual updates to our findings.

II. General Resources

EUnet: URL=http://www.EU.net
This web site gives the user access to a large quantity of information about any of the countries in Europe. Subjects range from sports to politics to culture to science.
CIA World Factbook: URL=http://www.ic.gov
Very specific information on a country of choice. Includes such details as country size, population, political party in power, and background infromation. You can also find specific information by subject.
Lycos: URL=http://lycos.cs.cmu.edu
Lycos indexes almost one million URLs and retrieves references according to the one or more search items you provide. Lycos will look for any word you specify as well as any related words that may be useful towards your search. Lycos lists the first 20 hits which include your specified word as well as other related words. Note that Lycos only indexes and searches WWW, gopher, and FTP sites-not telnet, news, usenets, or WAIS.
University of Michigan Library Gopher: URL=gopher://gopher.lib.umich.edu
This gopher has incredible information on Western European history and is very informative and thorough. Click on "what's new', then "clearinghouse". Topics are searchable by keyword. Additionally, this gopher contains a list of electronic sources for Western European history and culture.
CARNet Gopher: URL=gopher://.smile.srce.hr
News from all over Europe in English, provided by the Croatian Academic Research Network. This is a full text of information and daily as well as monthly news.
St. Olaf Gopher: URL=gopher://gopher.stolaf.edu
Has State Department Travel Advisories which provide a quick country-by-country background to the political and economic situation and a description of the current government. Also contains a listing of other Internet resources and is searchable by country.
Nato Gopher: URL=gopher://gopher.nato.int
Information about NATO, the Allied Command Europe, AFSOUTH, SHAPE. The NATO handbook gives information on how NATO works, its future role and structure. It also provides information on interlocking institutions, CSCE, EC, Western European Union, Council of Europe.
Echo: URL=telnet://echo.lu
European Commission Host Organization (ECHO) provides access to over twenty databases dealing with many different European subjects. This guide will cover two of these databases: EUROLIB-PER, and EURHISTAR.
* This source is rather difficult to use unless you know the common command language (CCL) well. Users will receive a CCL manual in the mail after registering. Users also receive technical sheets on all of the databases to which ECHO has access.
Dialog: URL=telnet://dialog.com
Dialog is a commercial provider of databases from around the world. To register, one must call Dialog in the US at (800) 334-2564. There is a $275 initial sign-up fee in addition to charges for access. Each database has different rates. This guide will cover two of these databases: Delphes European Business and the Hoppenstedt Directory of German Companies.
European Culture Newsgroup in the SOC Hierarchy: URL=news://soc.culture.europe
This discussion group includes press releases, current events, and news about Europe in general.

III. Lexis/Nexis

The INTLAW Library, group file ECCASE, provides access to European Union court reports and other legal news from the European Union. The WORLD Library provides information about every country in Europe, as well as in the rest of the world. It contains information on business opportunities, events, organizations and leaders. The EUROPE Library contains articles on Europe specifically and is updated daily.

The NEWS Library gives audio (such as CNN) and print (such as the Guardian from London) media transcripts.

IV. Business/Economics

Yahoo

URL=http://akebono.stanford.edu/yahoo/business/corporations
Company information provided by the companies themselves. Information from companies in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland.

QuoteCom European Financial Data

URL=http://www.quote.com/info/europe.html
European stocks and commodities description and prices. The European exchange is still being developed, but to access information already available, you can subscribe on-line for $19.95. More subscription information is available at the site.

EUnet

URL=http://www.eunet.ch
Promotes business and new products in Europe.

University of Michigan Library Gopher

URL=gopher://gopher.una.hh.lib.umich.edu
This gopher is very comprehensive.

International Market Insight: articles about potential markets, divided by country.
Foreign Trade: U.S. imports/exports by country.
Best Market Reports: here you can find information from markets in a specific European country.
Agricultural Situation Reports: Information from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK on this topic.

Echo

URL=telnet://echo.lu
The EUROLIB-PER database within ECHO is a catalogue of periodicals available from the libraries belonging to the EUROLIB group. One of the sources for the database is the European Investment Bank.

Dialog

URL=telnet://dialog.com
Dialog is a commercial database and offers information valuable to journalists doing business reporting in Europe. Within Dialog there are many different databases. Examples include:

Kompass Europe. Provides business information on over 300,000 European companies in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain , Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom. Includes company name, address, number of employees, telephone number, telex, description of business, senior executives, foreign trade status, products and activities, and language spoken. Search fee per hour: $60. To type or print: $1.80. Report cost per element: $.05
Kompass UK. Business information on British companies spanning 45,000 different classes of products, generally not including companies trading only on a U.K. regional basis. Includes company name, address, telephone number, product information, names of executives. Search fee per hour: $60. To type or print: $1.80. Report cost per element: $.05.
ICC International Business Research. Covers markets in Western and Eastern Europe. Provides analyses on European companies from leading British and international analysts. The database includes over 13,000 stockbroker reports, industry structures, market sizes, market trends, development and prospects, and profiles on major public and private companies involved in these markets. Search fee per hour: $60. Per page: $8.90. TITLES per Report plus all per-page charges: $1.00.
ICC British Company Directory. Contains a record for each company (ca. 2 million) registered in the United Kingdom as well as companies which have been dissolved since 1968. Includes company name, address, issued and nominal share capital, dates of incorporation, latest filed annual accounts and annual returns, changes of directors, special resolutions, mergers of public companies, and notification of mortgages. Search fee per hour: $30. To type or print: $1.20. Report cost per element: $.10.
ICC British Company Annual Reports. This database contains the annual reports produced by all U.K. quoted companies and provides detailed financial information on over 1,800 U.K companies. Search fee per hour: $60. Price per page: $4.10. TITLES per report plus all per-page charges: $1.00.
ICC British Company Financial Datasheets. Provides information on 205, 000 British companies, including company name, registered number, trading address, description of business, directors' names, corporate linkage, key business, ratios, growth rates, industry ratios, credit rating, credit commentary. Search fee per hour: $30. To type or print: 33.10. Report cost per element: $.50.
Hoppenstedt Directory of German Companies. This database covers 50,000 German companies-address, line of business, number of employees, sales, capital stock, branches and subsidiaries, names of executives. In German or English. Fee per hour: $90. Type or print: $3.90. Report cost per element: $.20.
Informat International Business. Provides English language abstracts, organized by industry, from business news articles in over 600 international business newspapers and journals from more than 20 countries. Search fee per hour: $90. To type or print: $1.30. Alerts (20 prints weekly): $5.

V. Countries

It is important to note that many web sites in Western Europe have only recently been developed. Although a site address may exist, it is sometimes difficult to access that site. When one is able to connect, it can be quite disappointing to find that only a "shell" exists. However, information is being added and updated rapidly to fill in the holes and make the site more useful. While it is frustrating to access a web site only to find a list of upcoming information, remember that the same site could very soon contain valuable information. Remember also that sites are being discontinued as quickly as they are being developed.

General Information

European Home Page: URL=http://s700.uminho.pt/ec.html
This web site offers information regarding specific country statistics and questions about specific countries and cities. A map of a particular country will appear and you can then click on a city of interest to narrow your focus. This web site is mainly a shell at present, though efforts are underway to fill in the appropriate data.
European Union Basics (FAQ): URL=http://www.vub.ac.be/CSNMIT/eubasics.html
Great source for information on the European Union. There are descriptions of the member countries and the Nordic countries' referendum campaigns for membership in the EU. In English.
EINet Galaxy: URL=http://galaxy.einet.net/community/World Communities/Europe
Statistics and details regarding geography, people, government, economy, communications, and defense forces of various European countries. You can access information through a variety of menus which will connect you to other gophers and web sites.
The WWW Virtual Library: URL=http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/DataSources/
Click on "Subject." The Virtual Library is a distributed subject catalog that contains information including very general and very specific information. Subjects of possible interest to Western Europe are culture, geography, The German Subject Catalog, politics, and economics.

Austria

Index of Austria: URL=http://www.ifs.univie.ac.at/austria/austria.info.html
Click on "austria_info.html." Both general and specific information about Austria. Additionally, a link to the Virtual Tourist.
Denmark
Denmark (Danmark): URL=http://info.denet.dk/denmark.html
Various information about Denmark. Denmark is a rapidly growing area on the Internet and new sources and sites appear frequently. This source lists country information as well as new web servers and sites.
DKnet WWW Server: URL=http://www.dknet.dk
Results from the 1994 Danish parliamentary elections, by county. In English or Danish.
DENet Gopher: URL=gopher://gopher.denet.dk
Daily news from Denmark in Danish. Additionally, contains weather, information servers, and links to other gophers and Veronica.

England

United Kingdom Newsgroup Hierarchy (uk=United Kingdom): URL=news://uk .*
News from Britain. See the uk.media news group in particular.

Finland

Facts About Finland: URL=http://www.funet.fi/Finland Info.html
This site is composed of a fact sheet including both general and specific information about Finland. Subject areas include industry, history, education, government, and a detailed map of the country. This site is also developing rapidly so check for improvements. In Danish.

France

Tour de France: URL=http://town.hall.org/travel/france/france.html
French culture. Travel information for France and surrounding cities and regions. Mostly tourist information and detailed lists of the climate, city attractions, accommodations, etc.
WWW Home Page for France: URL=http://www.urec.fr/france/france.html
Home page for France. Clickable maps. Lists other web sites and servers for the French region. Also lists, in French, various menus for obtaining other information regarding France. This site is in its developing stages and has made recent improvements. Keep checking for new information.
Yaleinfo: URL=gopher://yaleinfo.yale.edu/Internet-Misc
News from France in French; arrives almost daily.
Dialog: URL=telnet://dialog.com
The Delphes European Business database available through Dialog is a French database that provides information on international markets, products, industries, and companies from a European perspective. Titles of abstracts are in their original language (French, German, English, Italian, or Spanish). The abstracts themselves are in French. One thousand new sources are reviewed yearly.
* Delphes costs $30 per hour, $1.30 for viewing or printing a full record, and alerts (includes 20 prints) weekly for $5 or monthly for $10.
French Newsgroup Hierarchy (fr=french): URL=news://fr .*
The fr hierarchy contains various subgroups with menus which recall bulletin board messages posted in French.

Germany

EUnet Germany Information Services: URL=http://www.EU.net/cgi-bin/imagemap/eunetflags?413,89
This is a web site that offers good information about interests in Germany or in the German language: science, new Internet technology, classic literature, Internet shopping, and technical computer information. Includes the text of the German Constitution, maps of all the states, and a list and brief description of international organizations with German membership.
FUB CHEMnet WWW Entry Point: URL=http://www.chemie.fu-berlin.de
WWW site with material from the CIA World Factbook. Incredible Government Section, including information on the legal system, voting patterns, political parties, and leaders of Germany. Also offers an efficient section on the economy. A must see.
Uni Oldenburg-Rechenzentrum Homepage: URL=http://www.hrz.uni-oldenburg.de
This site provides information on the German Green Party. It gives an history of the party and results of the 1994 German elections to the Bundestag and the states. In German.
Dialog: URL=telnet://dialog.com
The Hoppenstedt Directory of German Companies covers 50,000 German companies with sales exceeding 2 million DM or with a minimum of 20 employees. Records include current company addresses, line of business, number of employees, sales, company stock, branches and subsidiaries, and a listing of executives and directors with positions within the company. The records are available in either English or German.
German Newsgroup Hierarchy (de=Deutsch): URL=news://de .*
The de hierarchy contains subgroups with further menus which will assist you in obtaining information, posted in German, on bulletin boards. For example, de.soc.politik is a newsgroup with various information on German politics.

Ireland

Ireland WWW Home Page: URL=http://www.bess.tcd.ie
Virtual tourist guide including information about the cities and regions of Ireland. Current events, accommodation guide, etc. Also includes other web sites in Europe.
ESO (European Southern Observitory) Homepage: URL=http://http.hq.eso.org
A general directory for on-line services in Ireland.
IRL-POL Mailing list: URL=listserv://irl-pol@irlearn.bitnet
subscribe: listserv@irlearn.bitnet
body: SUBSCRIBE IRL-POL FirstName LastName
unsubscribe: listserv@irlearn.bitnet
body: UNSUBSCRIBE IRL-POL
This is a major mailing list regarding current issues in Irish politics. It is very current, informative, and entirely politically oriented. It focuses on major events as well as speeches and controversies.

Italy

Italy Home Page: URL=http://www.mi.cnr.it/NIR-IT/Italy.html
Geography, people, government, economy, communication, and defense information about Italy. This is an excellent source which spans a great deal of basic data.
The Italian General Subject Tree: URL=http://www.mi.cnr.it/IGST
A brand-new site which covers architechure, science, economy, medicine, environment, sports, tourist information, among other miscellaneous topics.

Norway

Norway WWW Home Page: URL=http://www.nr.no/S1/byraa.html
Government reports on investigations covering varying topics. Contains facts about Norwegian press services-for example, newspaper names and editors. Also offered on this site is a list of parliamentary administrations. In Norwegian only.

Portugal

Portuguese Newsgroup Hierarcy (pt=Portuguese): URL=news://pt .*
The pt heirarchy contains various subgroups which are menus to general information and news posted on Portuguese bulletin boards. In Portuguese only.

Scotland

Akebono: URL=http://akebono.scotland.edu
This site does exist, yet it is sometimes difficult to connect. It includes various regional information about Scotland.
Scotland WWW Home Page: URL=http://www.intnet.net/pub/COUNTRIES
Scotland is just becoming acquainted with the Internet, and this source, like the previous one, is sometimes hard to locate. It does include great information about various other European countries. A must see, but remember to be patient.

Spain

EUnet Spain Home Page: URL=http://www.eunet.es
Home page for Spain. This site serves as a commercial Spanish Internet provider. A directory is listed, in both English and Spanish, and contains various web sites in Spain, and other countries. Like many Western European web sites, this site is in the developing stages.

Switzerland

ETH Zeurich Home Page: URL=http://heiwww.unige.ch/switzerland/info.html
Facts regarding almost anything involving Switzerland. Contains detailed information about the economy and geography, and is a great source for verifying data.

Sweden

Tele2-Swipnet: URL=http://www.swip.net
This is an excellent source for the journalist covering Swedish politics. It provides extensive information on the political and electoral system in Sweden and on the political parties and their platforms. Here you can also find the 1991 and 1994 Swedish election results in parliament, municipal and county council elections. The information is very detailed. This site also gives the results, by county, of the November 1994 Swedish referendum on membership in the European Union. You can find the EU information from proponents and opponents of the EU as well as the different political parties opinions about Sweden joining the EU. Neutral facts are also available. Information is available both in English and in Swedish.
Regeringsfarklaring: URL=http://www.sb.gov.se/regering/regeringsfrkl.html
This site contains a listing of Cabinet members in Sweden, their departments, and even some speeches. In Swedish.
Swedish Commercial Organizations: URL=http://www.sunet.se/sweden/soretag_e.html
Information about Swedish commercial organizations-mostly on high-tech companies which post their own data.

Wales

The COMMA Information Server: URL=http://www.cm.cf.ac.uk
Click on "guide," then "Wales." This Web site contains limited information on Welsh cities, guided tours, maps of cities, etc.

VI. Culture

The WWW Virtual Library: URL=http://hirsch.cosy.sbg.ac.at/www Virtual Library culture.html
Information regarding festivals, exhibitions, exhibits and miscellaneous cultural information from around the world, from Oktoberfest in Germany to various art exhibitions in France. This list is updated regularly and also serves as a link to other relating web sites including art, literature, education, etc. A definite starting point for cultural information and research. The information is organized by subject.
Beautiful Cultural European Home Pages: URL=http://5700.uminho.pt.cult-europ.html
This Web site contains information about such topics as schools and education, adresses of bars, city histories, and other servers. The places it covers are: Slovenija, Paris, Yugoslavia, the UK, Coimbra, Portugal, and Italy. Some of the city/country choices offer English, some do not.
The Virtual Tourist Guide: URL=http://wings.buffalo.edu/www-eur.html
Guides of countries, tourist information, etc. Click on "World" to obtain various information regarding web sites in Europe, as well as other sites in the world.
: URL=http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602
Electronic journals, documents, books, equipment, Software, contact addresses and comments, regarding cultural information in Europe. On-line magazines, newsgroups, and addresses are available for further information on European television, radio, etc. This is a newly developed web site, so be patient and keep checking for new information.
The University of Michigan Library Gopher: URL=gopher://gopher.lib.umich.edu
Click on "what's new", then "Clearinghouse." Incredible detailed and extensive information on Western European history and culture, all searchable by keyword. Additional e-mail addresses and telephone numbers are included for more detailed information, changes, and further contacts. This is a very reliable gopher covering many topics.
: URL=news://soc.culture .*
This contains discussion groups relevant to specific cultures/countries. It is based on conversations and is a good way to interact with others with the same questions and interests. In addition, you can find out about certain cultural events and upcoming attractions such as plays, concerts, lectures, etc.

VII. Current Events and News

EUnet: URL=http://www.eunet.ch
This site contains information about politics in the European Union.
Clari Netnews Europe Hierarcy: URL=news://clari.world.europe. *
This is a compilation of news briefs relevant to specific countries/regions. The articles are listed in alphabetical order, and quite often overlap. You can obtain almost any information regarding a current topic in the news.

VIII. Education

While it has been difficult to find specific web sites, newsgroups, and mailing lists that focus specifically on education in Western Europe, many gophers exist that link us to Universities there. Universities, as we know, are the most common hosts to gopher sites. Yet while we were able to reach such gophers at educational establishments, it has been difficult to find gophers that link us to general information about education. More than three dozen European Universities are accessible through gopher sites, yet most of the information listed is in reference to course schedules, student e-mail addresses, campus building hours, etc.

IX. European Information SuperHighway

: URL=http://info.learned.co.uk:70/7c/cache?europe
Fill in a search term and the computer will search for relevant information. "Europe" brings up information regarding on-line services in Europe including web sites, servers, gophers, etc. A general linking point to other European on-line services.

X. European Union

European Union Basics (FAQ): URL=http://www.vub.ac.be/CSNMIT/eubasics.html
Great source for information on the European Union. There are also descriptions of the member countries and the Nordic countries' referendum campaigns for membership in the EU. In English.
EINet Galaxy: URL=http://galaxy.einet.net/community/WorldCommunities/Europe
Statistics and details regarding geography, people, government, economy, communications, and defense forces of various European countries. Access information through a variety of menus which will connect you to other gophers and web sites.
EUnet: URL=http://www.eunet.ch
This Web site includes information about politics in the European Union.
Wiretap: URL=gopher://wiretap.spies/gov
Has full text of Maastricht Treaty.
: URL=gopher://gopher.niord.shsu.edu
From this gopher you can reach the Office for Official Publications of the European Union. It provides information as to which publications are available (there are over 10,000). You can search by keyword, but in order to see the full text, you have to order it by e-mail or telephone. At the time of publication, this server was off-line.

XI. Politics

EU Referendum

URL=http://www.swip.net
This is an excellent source for a journalist covering Swedish politics. It provides extensive information on the political and electoral system in Sweden and on the political parties and their platforms. Here you can also find the 1991 and 1994 Swedish election results in parliament, municipal and county council elections. The information is very detailed. This site also gives the results, by county, of the November 1994 Swedish referendum on membership in the European Union. You can find the EU information from proponents and opponents of the EU as well as the different political parties opinions about Sweden joining the EU. Neutral facts are also available. Information is available both in English and in Swedish.

DKnet WWW Server

URL=http://www.dknet.dk
Results from the 1994 Danish parliamentary elections, by county. In English or Danish.

Uni Oldenburg-Rechenzentrum Home Page

URL=http://www.hrz.uni-oldenburg.de
This site provides information on the German Green Party. It gives a history of the party and the results of the 1994 German elections to the Bundestag and the states. In German.

FUB CHEMnet WWW Entry Point

URL=http://www.chemie.fu-berlin.de
Has the text of the German constitution, maps of all the German states, and a list and brief description of international organizations with German membership.

ECHO

URL=telnet://echo.lu
The EUROLIB-PER database within ECHO is a catalogue of periodicals available from the libraries belonging to the EUROLIB group. Some of the sources for the database are the Council of Europe, Commission of the European Communities, and the European Parliament. The EURHISTAR database contains listings of European Community archives and private files donated by politicians and/or officials. It also contains documentation from European movements and organizations.

URL=news://alt.politics.greens
Information about what the Greens are doing as political parties in Europe.

IRL-POL Mailiing list on current Irish politics

URL=listserv:/irl-pol@irlearn.bitnet
subscribe: listserv@irlearn.bitnet
body: SUBSCRIBE IRL-POL first-name last-name
unsubscribe: listserv@irlearn.bitnet
body: UNSUBSCRIBE IRL-POL first-name last-name

This a voluminous mailing list regarding current issues in Irish politics. It is very current, informative, and entirely politically oriented. It focuses on major events as well as speeches and controversies. It is also very pro-IRA.

Copyright 1994, 1995 Christopher Simpson. All rights reserved. Single copies permitted for non-profit, educational purposes only; any other reproduction must have permission in advance. Contact simpson@american.edu for information concerning permissions or to report copyright violations. This notice must accompany any reproduction of this text.

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