Europe

Napolitano nominates Renzi prime minister in Italy

Matteo Renzi has been nominated Italy’s youngest-ever prime minister. His ascension follows a daring power grab that has been welcomed by investors but has left many Italians skeptical. After receiving the mandate from President Giorgio Napolitano Monday morning, the 39-year-old Renzi must move quickly to form a new government and then deliver on his promise to lead Italy “out of the quagmire.” Over the weekend, Napolitano had consulted with the leaders of Italy’s various political factions before nominating Renzi […]

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Co-pilot hijacks Ethiopian plane, surrenders to Swiss police

(Reuters) – The co-pilot of a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines flight surrendered to Swiss authorities in Geneva on Monday after commandeering his aircraft to seek asylum in Switzerland, police said. The plane’s second-in-command, who was not carrying a weapon, took control of the plane when the pilot left the cockpit to use the toilet. After landing, he left the aircraft via a cockpit window, without harming passengers or crew, police spokesman Pierre Grangean told a news […]

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Exclusive: Opposition plan for post-war Syria ignores Assad

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis GENEVA Wed Feb 12, 2014 12:51pm EST (Reuters) – The Syrian opposition called on Wednesday for a transitional governing body to oversee a U.N.-monitored ceasefire across Syria and expel foreign fighters, in a paper that avoided any mention of President Bashar al-Assad. The confidential paper, seen by Reuters, lays out a vision of post-conflict Syria with all ethnic groups participating in a transition process aimed at restoring peace and stability. Opposition […]

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Italy, U.S. police crack big mafia drug ring

(Reuters) – Police in Italy and New York broke up a major trans-Atlantic mafia ring on Tuesday, arresting 24 people accused of plotting to move hundreds of millions of dollars in drugs between South America, Italy and the United States. The sting operation involving undercover agents and wire taps offered more evidence the Calabria-based ‘Ndrangheta had overtaken its Sicilian cousin, the Cosa Nostra, and was trying to make inroads in the United States by forging ties with […]

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Scathing U.N. report demands Vatican act against child sex abuse

An unprecedented and scathing United Nations report said on Wednesday (February 5) that the Vatican has consistently placed the reputation of the Church above the interests of child sex abuse victims. The U.N. watchdog for children’s rights demanded that the Vatican “immediately remove” all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers and turn them over to civil authorities, as well as hand over its archives on sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children. The watchdog’s exceptionally blunt paper — […]

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Italy PM Letta wins confidence vote on prison overcrowding bill

ROME Tue Feb 4, 2014 4:15pm EST (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta won a confidence vote on Tuesday which he had called to hurry a law through parliament aimed at reducing prison overcrowding. The lower house voted 347 to 200 to back the government’s decree, which must now be passed by the Senate to become law. The confidence vote, on which the survival of the government was staked, was used to eliminate time-consuming […]

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Catalan leader says Spain cannot block independence vote: report

(Reuters) – Spain cannot block a non-binding vote on Catalan independence that could become the basis for negotiations on Catalonia’s future, the president of the northeastern region said in an interview published on Sunday. “If I call a consultation, not to declare the independence of Catalonia nor to break with the Spanish state, but to know the opinion of the citizens of this country, a knee-jerk anti-democratic response from Spain would be pretty bad and disgraceful in the view […]

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Demolition experts bring down Frankfurt skyscraper

Thousands of spectators have watched the demolition of a skyscraper in Frankfurt that once formed part of the university. The collapse took all of ten seconds. Almost one ton of explosives inserted into 1,500 drilled holes were used on Sunday to raze the so-called “AfE Turm” (“AfE Tower”), standing at 116 meters (381 ft). Police estimate that more than 10,000 people gathered in the center of Germany’s financial hub Frankfurt to watch the spectacular demolition. […]

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Global arms trade shrinks in 2012, US and European companies dominate

An annual report by Sweden’s SIPRI research institute has identified a slight year-on-year reduction in global arms sales for 2012. The report ranks the 100 most successful companies selling military equipment. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published its SIPRI Top 100 league table on Friday. Overall, revenue for the world’s 100 top arms dealers dropped by 4.2 percent in 2012 compared to the previous year. SIPRI’s top 100 companies generated $395 billion (around 290 billion […]

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