Europe

Historic St. Sulpice church caught fire in Paris on Sunday. The blaze had damaged the main door as well as an internal staircase. Twenty firefighters arrived at the scene to put out the fire that had engulfed the church, which was completed in the 19th century, the French BFMTV reported …

The number of people dying as a result of air pollution may exceed the number killed by smoking, a major new study suggests. German researchers estimate that as many as 8.8 million deaths per year globally can be attributed to dirty air. In Europe alone they estimate there are more …

Zinedine Zidane has made a sensational return to Real Madrid, the club he suddenly departed 10 months ago, as Santiago Solari was sacked from his position as manager. Solari, who played 131 times for Real in La Liga between 2000 and 2005, was promoted from his role in charge of …

A top official has said Germany will not ban Hezbollah’s political wing following Britain’s decision to do so. Germany is under pressure from the United States to take hard action against the Lebanese group. Niels Annen, deputy minister in the Foreign Ministry, told newsmagazine Der Spiegel that Hezbollah is a …

Prime Minister Theresa May has ostensibly delivered an ultimatum to euroskeptic MPs, claiming that if they reject her Brexit deal on Tuesday, then they run the risk of the UK never leaving the European Union. May issued the warning in a key Brexit speech in the ‘Leave-voting’ east coast English …

It was the first rebuke of the kingdom at the U.N. Human Rights Council since it was set up in 2006 and came amid growing international concern about Saudi violations of basic freedoms such as freedom of expression. The joint statement, also backed by Canada and Australia but not the …

France’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, the cardinal Philippe Barbarin, has been given a six-month suspended sentence for his role in covering up the sexual abuse of minors. Barbarin was found guilty of failing to report allegations of assaults by a priest in the 1980s and 1990s. He denied the …

The horrid moment when a man was hit in the face during Yellow Vest rallies in Paris was caught on camera, with witnesses saying the projectile was fired from a riot gun – a controversial weapon used by the French police. WARNING! The video contains images that you may find …

The German government on Friday said it would decide before the end of March whether to extend its halt on weapons shipments to Saudi Arabia, making it likely the embargo will continue beyond the current deadline of March 9. A source said the freeze in arms shipments to Saudi Arabia …

With majestic glaciers, fjords, and mountains, Norway is famous for its dramatic natural landscape. Its rugged terrain does not make traveling easy, however. More than 1,000 fjords line the Scandinavian country’s west coast, which is home to a third of the country’s population of 5.3 million. To make the 1,100-kilometer …

Firefighters battled a series of wildfires in Britain on Wednesday, including a large moorland blaze outside the northern English city of Manchester, as the country experienced its warmest winter weather on record. A fire started on Tuesday evening on Saddleworth Moor, an expanse of hills that is popular with hikers. …

Theresa May has promised MPs a vote on delaying the UK’s departure from the EU or ruling out a no-deal Brexit, if they reject her deal next month. Mrs May is making a statement to MPs on Brexit, amid the threat of a revolt by Remain-supporting ministers. The prime minister …

A former mayor of Rome has been sentenced to six years in prison for his part in the infiltration of organized crimes into the capital, and immediately vowed to appeal. “I’m innocent, I have always said it and I will repeat before the judges on appeal,” said Gianni Alemanno, mayor …

Production has been suspended at the world’s largest Nutella factory after a “quality defect” was discovered in an ingredient. A quarter of the world’s Nutella is made at the Villers-Ecalles factory in northern France, which produces around 600,000 jars of the spread every day. Confectionary company Ferrero announced in a …

Russian military police could be deployed in a proposed “safe zone” along Syria’s northern border with Turkey, Russian news agencies cited foreign minister Sergei Lavrov as saying to Chinese and Vietnamese media on Sunday. The suggestion is unlikely to appeal to Ankara, which is keen to set up the zone …

Work is continuing at pace to secure the changes Britain is seeking to its exit deal with Brussels in order to win the backing of parliament, Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman said on Friday. May discussed the changes with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday and has now spoken …

The EU has announced an additional €30 million in humanitarian assistance. Another €20 million in development funding will contribute to the reconstruction of the country’s cultural heritage, as well as the creation of jobs and opportunities for vulnerable youth. The announcement was made by Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis …

Swiss banking giant UBS has been fined €3.7bn (£3.2bn; $4.2bn) in a French tax fraud case. A court in Paris found that the bank had illegally helped French clients hide billions of euros from French tax authorities between 2004 and 2012. UBS said it had consistently contested any criminal wrongdoing …

Tech giant Microsoft said Wednesday it had detected hacker “attacks” ahead of European Parliament and national elections in the EU, in a warning to civil society groups, politicians and campaigns. The firm said a group it calls Strontium was behind the attacks, known to security firms and government agencies as …

More people in the UK have become wary of Islam’s growth in the country, a new poll has found, a factor that could spur more hate attacks against Muslims. Excerpt of a report by Hope not Hate, an advocacy group against racism and fascism, published in The Guardian newspaper on …