Europe

May says Trump ‘wrong’ on anti-Muslim videos

by Dario Thuburn and Alice Ritchie Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May repeated Thursday that US President Donald Trump was wrong to retweet anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-right group, but stressed that the US-UK’s “special relationship” would endure. May’s initial condemnation prompted an extraordinary rebuke from the US leader, who told her on Twitter: “Don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within […]

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Passenger train derails in Spain; 21 hurt

SEVILLE, Spain (Reuters) — A passenger train derailed in the Spanish province of Seville on Wednesday (November 29), leaving 21 people injured, one seriously, according to the Andalusia emergency services. The medium-distance train was traveling between Malaga and Seville and slid off the tracks in the municipality of Arahal due to adverse conditions caused by heavy rain, a spokesperson for the national transporter Renfe said. Andalusia emergency services said earlier on Wednesday that they had […]

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Peruvian farmer presses climate claim on German polluter

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – A German court will decide Thursday whether to hear a Peruvian farmer’s case against energy giant RWE over climate change damage in the Andes. Saul Luciano Lliuya argues that RWE, as one of the world’s top emitters of climate-altering carbon dioxide, must share in the cost of protecting his hometown Huaraz from a swollen glacier lake at risk of overflowing from melting snow and ice. After an initial hearing in mid-November, the court […]

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British PM May embarks on visit to Saudi Arabia, Jordan

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May left London late Tuesday for a three-day visit to the Middle East, where she will meet Saudi and Jordanian leaders in a bid to bolster regional ties. The British leader will hold talks on issues including Qatar and Yemen with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, before heading to Jordan for meetings with King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Hani Mulki. “This visit demonstrates that […]

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16 hurt fleeing false terror alert in London’s Oxford St

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Police rushed to London’s busy Oxford Street shopping district on Friday after reports that shots had been fired, sparking fears of a terror incident and leaving 16 people hurt in the panic. Armed officers locked down the area for more than an hour before the Metropolitan Police said it had not found “any trace of any suspects, evidence of shots fired or casualties.” British Transport Police said they believed the security scare […]

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Incident at London’s Oxford Circus station over: police

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Police rushed to London’s Oxford Circus on Friday, sparking fears of a terror attack, but they have now stood down after finding no evidence to support reports of shots fired, the Metropolitan Police said. “Our response on #OxfordStreet has now been stood down. If you sought shelter in a building please now leave, and follow the direction of police officers on the ground if you need assistance,” the force said on Twitter. […]

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British PM in crunch Brexit deal talks with EU chief

by Danny Kemp Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May holds a crunch meeting with European Union President Donald Tusk on Friday as hopes mount that she will offer compromises to secure a Brexit deal in December. The talks, on the sidelines of a summit with ex-Soviet states in Brussels, come a week after Tusk gave May until the start of December to make “much more progress” on divorce terms […]

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Germany seeks way out of crisis after govt talks collapse

by Frank ZELLER Agence France Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Germany’s president was to lead a push from Tuesday to save the EU’s top economy from the political turmoil sparked by the collapse of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition talks. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who takes centre stage because he can call snap elections, was to use his diplomatic skills as former foreign minister to persuade parties to return to the negotiating table. The head of state, who […]

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Germany in political turmoil as coalition talks fail

by Hui Min Neo and Deborah Cole © Agence France-Presse BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel was left scrambling for ways to drag Germany out of crisis Monday after high-stakes talks to form a new government collapsed, potentially forcing Europe’s top economy into snap elections. Germany now faces weeks, if not months of paralysis with a lame-duck government that is unlikely to take bold policy action. With no other viable coalition in sight, Germany may be […]

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Lebanon’s Hariri in Paris after Saudi ‘hostage’ rumours

by Katy Lee Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in France on Saturday from Saudi Arabia, where his shock resignation announcement two weeks ago sparked accusations that he was being held there against his will. Hariri is in Paris at the invitation of France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who is attempting to help broker a solution to a political crisis that has raised fears over Lebanon’s fragile democracy. Lebanese President […]

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Ousted Caracas mayor flees house arrest, heads to Madrid

BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) —  Fugitive Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, a key opponent of President Nicolas Maduro, traveled to Madrid on Friday after escaping house arrest in the Venezuelan capital. Ledezma, 62, had hours earlier crossed the border into neighboring Colombia, saying he intended to fly to Europe to organize resistance against Maduro’s rule, which has left millions of Venezuelans facing food and medicine shortages. The opposition leader boarded an Avianca flight from Bogota to Madrid, where he […]

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Greece in mourning, several still missing after deadly flood

by Angelos Tzortzinis Agence France-Presse MANDRA, Greece (AFP) — Greece was in mourning Thursday as rescue crews tried to locate several people missing in a flood that killed 16 people near the capital, with more thunderstorms forecast until the weekend. Authorities said at least four people were still unaccounted for in Mandra, one of three towns about 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Athens hit by a freak flood early Wednesday. The latest victim, a 50-year-old man, […]

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