Europe

Germany tries ‘serial killer’ nurse over worst post-war spree

  BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German nurse Niels Hoegel, already serving a lengthy term for previous killings, will go on trial before anguished relatives Tuesday over the murders of around 100 more people — a spree prosecutors say is unprecedented in the post-war period. The 41-year-old is accused of intentionally administering medical overdoses to patients in his care in order to be able to bring them back to life at the last moment. He rarely […]

Strong 6.8 magnitude quake strikes off Greece: USGS

  ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off Greece on Friday, and was felt in the tourist hotspot island of Zante, monitoring agencies said. It struck off the southern part of the island, also known as Zakynthos, in the Ionian Sea at 1.50 am (2250 GMT Thursday), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Local media reported damage caused by landslides and electricity outages. USGS said the quake, which struck at a […]

France says ready to back sanctions against Khashoggi killers

PARIS, France (AFP) — France is ready to back “international sanctions” against those responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Elysee Palace said after President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone to King Salman Wednesday. The French president “informed (King Salman) of his profound indignation at the crime and demanded that all possible light be shone on the circumstances that led to this drama”, his office said in a statement. Saudi Foreign Minister […]

Around 20 injured in Rome escalator incident

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Around 20 people were injured Tuesday when an escalator leading to a metro station in central Rome collapsed in an accident believed to have been caused by Russian football fans, Italian media said. The AGI news agency said that “a large group of CSKA fans, probably under the influence of alcohol, began to jump together, provoking the collapse” of one part of the escalator. CSKA Moscow was playing Roma in a […]

May to say Brexit ’95 percent’ settled as MP mutiny fears rise

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May will tell Britain’s parliament on Monday that Brexit negotiations are “95 percent” complete but that she cannot accept the European Union’s Northern Ireland border proposals — as she faces down an increasingly mutinous faction within her own party. May has been on the receiving end of a furious backlash from Brexit hardliners in her own party after indicating at an EU summit last week that she […]

Royals Harry and Meghan go barefoot on Bondi

  by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — British royals Harry and Meghan kicked off their shoes and donned tropical garlands Friday as they hit Sydney’s famed Bondi beach for the latest stop on their Australian tour. Expectant Meghan put on a summer dress and set aside her high heels, while Harry ditched his usual suit for chinos as the couple lapped up cheers from Australian fans and enjoyed Bondi’s surf. Despite […]

Two pilots killed in Ukraine fighter jet crash: military

KIEV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine’s military said Tuesday that two pilots died when a Sukhoi fighter jet crashed during military exercises with the United States and other NATO countries. The Sukhoi-27 plane crashed at around 5:00 pm local time (1400 GMT) “during a training flight”, the army general staff said on its Facebook page, adding that “the bodies of the two pilots have been found”. The circumstances of the crash are being investigated, the statement […]

Deadly floods hit southwest France

by Charlotte DURAND Agence France Presse VILLEGAILHENC, France (AFP) — At least 11 people died when violent rainstorms turned rivers into raging torrents in southwest France on Monday, prompting some of the deadliest flooding in years, officials said. The equivalent of three months rainfall was dumped overnight in the region of Carcassonne in just a few hours, sending rivers over their banks, including the Aude, which reached levels not seen in 100 years. Local authorities […]

Six dead as heavy storms hit southwestern France

TOULOUSE, France (AFP) — At least six people died after heavy storms swamped parts of southwestern France, flooding rivers and cutting roads, officials said Monday. The Aude department, which includes the fortress city of Carcassonne, was particularly badly hit. One woman was swept to her death by rising waters in the Aude village of Villardonnel, and at least four died overnight in Villegailhenc, local authorities said. A sixth person also died in the department, authorities […]

Brexit could rewrite the rules in Channel fishing fights

by Chloé COUPEAU with Robin MILLARD in Brixham Agence France Presse PORT-EN-BESSIN-HUPPAIN, France (AFP) — With tensions already high between the French and British fishing fleets after a confrontation over scallops, Brexit could change the game completely by redrawing battle lines in the Channel. French fishermen are anxious to avoid a Brexit that could shut them out of British territorial waters, while in British ports, trawlermen hope such moves could reinvigorate their fishing industry. The […]

Merkel’s Bavarian allies suffer historic election losses

by Ralf ISERMANN with Frank ZELLER in Berlin Agence France Presse MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CSU allies suffered historic losses in Bavaria state elections Sunday, dealing a blow to her fragile three-party coalition government. The Christian Social Union (CSU) scored 37 percent, a steep 10-point drop from four years ago in the wealthy Alpine state it has ruled almost single-handedly since the 1960s. As a result, it loses its absolute […]

‘Zombie’ storm Leslie smashes into Portugal

by Thomas CABRAL Agence France Presse LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Violent storms hit Portugal early on Sunday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power before carrying heavy rain on into Spain, authorities said. Leslie, which was a category one hurricane but weakened to a post-tropical storm as it made landfall late Saturday, left 28 people with minor injuries, civil defense commander Luis Belo Costa told reporters. The region around the capital Lisbon and the […]