Flash floods hit southern Germany on Sunday, killing at least one person, turning roads into rivers, and adding to the flooding devastation that has claimed the lives of more than 180 people across Europe in recent days. Some vehicles were swept away and swathes of land were buried under thick …
Read More »Death toll rises to 170 in Germany and Belgium floods (Videos)
The death toll in devastating flooding in western Germany and Belgium rose to at least 170 on Saturday after burst rivers and flash floods this week collapsed houses and ripped up roads and power lines. Some 143 people died in the flooding in Germany’s worst natural disaster in more than …
Read More »Iraq voices solidarity, condolences for flood victims in Germany and Belgium
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed solidarity with the German and Belgian government and people in the aftermath of the horrific floods that stroke the Rhineland. In a statement issued earlier today, Saturday, the Ministry said, “we express sentiments of sympathy for the scores of victims and missing civilians and …
Read More »Wildfire in Spain’s Costa Brava forces hundreds from their homes
Firefighters used water-carrying planes on Saturday as they battled to control a wildfire in Spain’s Costa Brava region that has forced 350 people to be evacuated from their homes, the regional fire service said. The blaze, which police think was caused by a discarded cigarette, tore through more than 400 …
Read More »Greece’s Mykonos bans music, imposes curfew amid rise in COVID-19 cases
Greece banned music in restaurants and bars and imposed a nighttime curfew on its popular holiday island of Mykonos on Saturday after a rise in new coronavirus infections there. Known as the party island of the super-rich, Mykonos is one of Greece’s most popular destinations, attracting more than a million …
Read More »Thousands protest against forced COVID-19 vaccinations in France
Thousands marched across France on Saturday to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to force vaccination of health workers and require a COVID-19 free certificate to enter places such as bars, restaurants, and cinemas. Macron this week announced sweeping measures to fight a rapid surge in coronavirus infections, which protesters …
Read More »Russia rejects Guardian article about support for Trump in 2016
Russia has dismissed as “false” and “great pulp fiction” a recent article by The Guardian about Moscow’s alleged secret efforts to ensure Donald Trump’s victory in the United States’ 2016 presidential election. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made the comments during a press conference on Friday, after the British newspaper reported a day earlier, citing …
Read More »Hijab ban: EU court backs businesses who sack religiously dressed women
Shock has rippled through the Muslim community after the European Union’s Highest Court ruled that businesses can sack Muslim women for wearing the hijab if they work face-to-face with customers or if the wearing of the religious clothing causes workplace conflicts.
Read More »Engine failure forced Russian plane to make hard landing, investigators say
Russian investigators said on Saturday engine failure had caused a small passenger plane to make a forced landing in Siberia a day earlier, flipping the aircraft upside down but causing no serious injuries among the 18 people on board. Fears had swirled over the fate of the Russian Antonov An-28 …
Read More »Dutch remain on high alert for flooding of swollen rivers
Emergency services in the Netherlands remained on high alert on Saturday as overflowing rivers threatened towns and villages throughout the southern province of Limburg. Tens of thousands of residents in the region have been evacuated in the past two days, while soldiers, fire brigades, and volunteers worked frantically throughout Friday …
Read More »German floods kill at least 133, search for survivors continues
Rescue workers searched flood-ravaged parts of western Germany for survivors on Saturday as water levels remained high in many towns and houses continued to collapse in the country’s worst natural disaster in half a century. At least 133 people have died in the flooding, including some 90 people in the …
Read More »Hackers target Russian Defense Ministry’s website from abroad
The Russian Defense Ministry’s website has come under a cyberattack from outside of Russia that paralyzed the portal for an hour, the ministry has announced. The Defense Ministry said it had been hit by a distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Friday. “The source of the attack on the… Defense Ministry’s website …
Read More »At least 126 dead in Europe floods, 1,300 still missing (Videos, Pictures)
At least 126 people have died in devastating floods across parts of western Germany and Belgium, officials said Friday, as search and rescue operations continued for hundreds more still unaccounted for or in danger. Authorities in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate said 60 people had died there, including 12 residents …
Read More »Eiffel Tower reopens after eight-month COVID closure
The Eiffel Tower reopened on Friday after an eight-month shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, its longest closure since World War Two. As a countdown clock at the foot of the tower turned to zero, there were cheers and applause from visitors queuing to get in, a brass band …
Read More »US Black Hawk helicopter makes emergency landing in downtown Bucharest (Videos)
A Black Hawk helicopter belonging to the U.S. military made an emergency landing on a Bucharest street on Thursday, tearing down two public street lights and stopping traffic but making no casualties. The helicopter was part of a group of six which were rehearsing ahead of events to mark Romanian …
Read More »Further flooding feared in western Germany with death toll above 80 (Pictures)
Further flooding was feared in western Germany on Friday as a breach at another dam loomed and the death toll rose to more than 80 in what is Germany’s worst mass loss of life in years. Entire communities lay in ruins after swollen rivers swept through towns and villages in …
Read More »EU lawmaker gets backing for tougher EU tech rules
A key EU lawmaker at the European Parliament steering the debate on tough new rules aimed at Facebook (FB.O), Google (GOOGL.O) and other large online platforms, secured backing to beef up Europeans’ fundamental rights in the draft rules. Proposed by the European Commission in December last year, the Digital Services …
Read More »Official investigation finds EU border agency failed to protect human rights of refugees
The European Parliament (EP) has found that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency — known as Frontex — has failed to protect the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers who tried to reach Europe. Following four months of investigation by legislators of the EP, one of three legislative …
Read More »French police fire tear gas as thousands protest against new coronavirus rules
French police officers have fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators who took to the streets of the capital, Paris, to protest against the new coronavirus restrictions, as the country looks to avoid a surge in more cases with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. More than 19,000 people, …
Read More »One dead, hundreds evacuated in German freak floods
A fireman drowned and the army was deployed to help stranded residents on Wednesday after heavy rain triggered once-in-25-year floods in parts of western Germany, disrupting rail, road, and river transport in Germany’s most populous region. The German Weather Service issued an extreme weather warning for parts of three western …
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