Europe

Monarch Airlines collapses leaving 110,000 stranded abroad

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Monarch Airlines ceased trading Monday, triggering a move by the British government to bring home 110,000 customers stranded abroad. The British airline and its holidays business entered administration, with KPMG appointed to oversee the financial chaos. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority described the situation as “the biggest ever UK airline failure,” adding that “all future holidays and flights provided by these companies have been cancelled and are no longer operating.” […]

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Brother of gunman who attacked French Jews goes on trial

by Pierre Rochiccioli Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) – Five years ago, Mohamed Merah went on a nine-day shooting spree in southern France, killing three soldiers and gunning down a teacher and three children at a Jewish school before being shot dead by police. On Monday, his brother’s trial opens under tight security in Paris, where he faces charges of helping to plan the assault. Abdelkader Merah is the first to face a trial arising […]

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Catalan leader threatens independence after chaotic vote

by Marianne Barriaux with Daniel Silva in Madrid Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – Catalonia’s leader Carles Puigdemont said the region won the right to break away from Spain, with his government claiming on Monday that 90 percent of voters backed independence in a banned referendum marred by clashes. However Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy declared the Sunday plebiscite had been blocked, saying “today there has not been a self-determination referendum in Catalonia,” a region […]

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Barricades and sit-ins as Catalan voters face police

by Marianne Barriaux and Anna Cuenca Agence France-Presse BARCELONA, Spain – It was still pitch black when would-be voters lined up in Barcelona early Sunday, braving rain as they hoped to cast ballots in referendum, banned by Spain’s government, on independence for Catalonia. As dawn broke, though, those hopes diminished as news spread that riot police were on the way. And then they arrived. At one polling station, armed, helmeted police broke in to seize ballot boxes prepared […]

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Two women stabbed to death in Marseille knife attack

by Francois Becker with Adam Plowright in Paris Agence France Presse MARSEILLE, France — A suspected Islamist knifeman killed two women at the main train station in the French Mediterranean city of Marseille on Sunday before being shot dead by soldiers patrolling there, local officials and police said. One of the victims was fatally stabbed while the other had her throat slit by the assailant who is believed to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is […]

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Italy orders N. Korea ambassador home over missiles

ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italy has ordered North Korea’s incoming new ambassador to leave the country in a protest over Kim Jong-Un’s missile launches and nuclear tests. Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano announced the move in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, published on Sunday. “We have taken the firm decision to interrupt the accreditation procedure. The ambassador will have to leave the country,” Alfano said. “We want to make Pyongyang understand that isolation is […]

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Football: 29 hurt as French stadium barrier collapses

AMIENS, France (AFP) – Twenty-nine fans were hurt, five of them seriously, when a barrier collapsed Saturday at a stadium in the northern French city of Amiens as away supporters celebrated their opening goal. A fence separating Lille fans from the pitch gave way as they surged forward to celebrate the goal against Amiens, a regional rival that has just been promoted to the top flight in French football. Several tumbled about one and a half meters (five […]

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EU leaders to debate Macron’s grand plan

by Alex Pigman Agence France-Presse TALLINN, Estonia (AFP) — European Union leaders will meet over dinner in Estonia on Thursday for a frank debate on the future of Europe, featuring first impressions of French President Emmanuel Macron’s new vision for the bloc.Most of the EU 28’s leaders are coming to Tallinn, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, although Brexit negotiations are not expected to be on the menu. The discussion on the EU’s future will take place over […]

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Tens of thousands evacuated from Ukraine arms depot ‘sabotage’ blasts

by Andriy Perun Agence France-Presse KALYNIVKA, Ukraine – Ukrainian authorities evacuated more than 30,000 people Wednesday from the central Vinnytsia region after a huge arms depot storing missiles caught fire and exploded in what prosecutors said was a possible act of “sabotage.” It was the second major incident affecting a large Ukrainian weapons storage site this year. Kiev had blamed a deadly March munitions blast on Moscow and its Russian-backed insurgents fighting Ukrainian forces in the war-wracked east. […]

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Ammunition depot explodes in central Ukraine

KALYNIVKA, Ukraine (Reuters) — Explosions at a military ammunition depot in central Ukraine were seen in the early hours of Wednesday (September 27), 240 kilometers (168 miles) from the capital. Blasts also occurred late on Tuesday (September 26) at the military base near Kalynivka in the Vynnytsya region, 270 kilometers (168 miles) west of Kiev, Ukrainian emergencies service said in a statement. One person was injured, it said. Rescue teams were evacuating nearby villages in the […]

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Macron vows ‘essential cooperation’ with Germany after Merkel win

PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her election win, promising that the two key European partners would keep up their “essential cooperation.” “I called Angela Merkel to congratulate her. We will continue our essential cooperation with determination for Europe and for our countries,” Macron said on Twitter. Merkel won her fourth term in office on Sunday, scoring around 33 percent of the vote with her […]

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Merkel- Complicated times ahead

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) — Germany’s conservative chancellor Angela Merkel may have won her fourth consecutive national election on Sunday (September 24), but she faces a huge challenge in trying to forge a three-way alliance between parties far apart on the political spectrum. Speaking to her supporters, Merkel said the coming weeks would not be easy. Despite winning most votes, Merkel’s bloc slumped to its worst result since 1949 and, just as significant in terms of […]

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