Europe

Belgium identifies ‘man in hat’ at Brussels airport bombing

  by Lachlan Carmichael BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) —  Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini was charged Saturday with “terrorist murders” and confessed he was the man in the hat seen with the suicide bombers at Brussels airport, Belgian prosecutors said. Another man was also charged with “terrorist murders” over the Brussels subway bombing as investigators linked more clearly than ever the jihadists involved in both France and Belgium’s worst ever terror outrages, claimed by the Islamic […]

Experts warn of potential for major activity at Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano

SAN NICOLAS DE LOS RANCHOS, STATE OF MEXICO, Mexico (Reuters) – Mexican authorities warned of potential for major activity at the Popocatepetl volcano near Mexico City on Wednesday (April 6) after observing an increased level of explosive activity in recent months. In the last two weeks alone, the Popocatepetl volcano, located some 50 miles (80 km) to the southeast of the capital, has exploded on several occasions resulting in the expulsion of gases and smoking, […]

Iceland premier resigns as Panama Papers scandal widens 

by Hugues Honore with David Williams in Paris REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AFP) —  Iceland’s prime minister resigned Tuesday, becoming the first political victim of a mushrooming global scandal over hidden offshore financial dealings exposed in the so-called Panama Papers. Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was the biggest casualty of a worldwide media probe into 11.5 million leaked documents that purportedly reveal the offshore financial activities of 140 political figures, including 12 current or former heads of […]

France’s Bordeaux conducts anti-terrorism drill ahead of Euro 2016

Reuters  – The southwestern French city of Bordeaux conducted an anti-terrorism drill on Monday evening as it prepares for the UEFA Euro 2016 in June. More than 500 policemen, firefighters and health workers took part in the mock terrorist attack in the Place des Quinconces, the second largest city square in the European Union. The square will be used as an outdoor zone for fans during Euro 2016, with the capacity to hold 62,000 people. […]

New Zealand prime minister supports Helen Clark for the United Nations top job

  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Reuters) –  New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, on Tuesday (April 5) threw his support behind his predecessor, Helen Clark, following her announcement she would campaign to be the next United Nation secretary-general. New Zealand submitted a letter on Monday to the president of the 193-member General Assembly formally nominating Clark, who heads the U.N. Development Program, as a candidate to succeed Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general. “There are major global challenges […]

French security drills prepare forces for potential Euro2016 attacks

BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) – France carried out a security drill at a “fan zone” area in the city of Bordeaux on Monday (April 4) to ensure security and emergency rescue forces are prepared in the event of an attack during the upcoming Euro2016 championship. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Health Minister Marisol Touraine attended the exercises. Bordeaux will host five matches at the tournament, four in the group stages and a quarter-final. Security has become […]

Nuclear terror threat ‘constantly evolving,’ world leaders say

Washington, United States (AFP)—-World leaders reaffirmed their commitment to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of extremists on Friday but warned that the threat is “constantly evolving.” “More work remains to be done to prevent non-state actors from obtaining nuclear and other radioactive materials, which could be used for malicious purposes,” the leaders said, in a joint statement at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington. United States President Barack Obama invited dozens of world […]

Brussels airport delays reopening as Belgium lowers attacks toll to 32

by Philippe SIUBERSKI / Michelle Fitzpatrick RUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Brussels airport said it would not reopen on Wednesday despite drills to test resuming partial services after the suicide bombings that struck its departure hall and a metro train, as Belgium lowered the death toll to 32. Zaventem airport has been closed since twin bombings wrecked the departure hall on March 22, in coordinated suicide attacks that were claimed by the Islamic State group and […]

Belgium terror suspect held in Italy refuses to speak

ROME, Italy (AFP) — An Algerian held in Italy as part of a probe into fake ID documents used by the Paris and Brussels attackers was interrogated Sunday but refused to answer questions, a judicial source said. The suspect, named as Djamal Eddine Ouali, 40, was detained under a European arrest warrant near the southern city of Salerno on Saturday, and questioned in prison by prosecutors, the judge in charge of the preliminary inquiry said. […]

French national arrested in Paris region over ‘advanced terror plot’

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said police had arrested a suspect in the Paris area on Thursday who was in “the advanced stages” of a plot to attack France. While Cazeneuve said the raid in the Argenteuil neighbourhood northwest of Paris had led to a “major arrest”, he told reporters there was “no tangible evidence linking the plot to either the attacks in Paris or Brussels”. The arrested man, a French national, “is suspected of […]

Six people arrested in Brussels after attacks

by Danny Kemp and Claire Rosemberg BELGIUM, Brussels (AFP) — Six people were arrested Thursday in a series of police raids in Brussels, federal prosecutors said, two days after jihadist attacks in the Belgian capital left 31 dead. The arrests come as Belgian ministers under fire for intelligence failings over Tuesday’s Islamic State-claimed suicide blasts admitted “errors” and offered to quit. Prime Minister Charles Michel refused to accept the resignations of the interior and justice […]

Three Brussels attackers identified as nation mourns

  by Danny Kemp and Lachlan Carmichael   BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) —  Three suicide bombers who struck Brussels airport and a metro train in attacks claimed by the Islamic State were identified Wednesday, as a grieving nation observed a minute’s silence for victims of the carnage. As hundreds of mourners gathered in the city in a show of solidarity with the 31 people killed and 300 injured, prosecutors said brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui […]