Tag Archives: europe

As avian influenza (bird flu) continues to spread among wild birds in the European Union, officials are warning of the potential for a future human pandemic. On Wednesday, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued an alert noting that “transmission between bird and mammal species has been observed, particularly in fur animal farms, where outbreaks have been reported.” Although it …

Greece has approved the purchase of 35 UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters from U.S defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp in an effort to modernize its armed forces, two people with knowledge of the deal told Reuters. “The deal passed by the parliament’s committee is to buy 35 helicopters for $1.24 billion,” a government official told Reuters. A second person confirmed the approval, …

Pope John Paul II, the third-longest serving pope, passed away on this day in history, April 2, 2005, at age 84. The pope had been in rapidly declining health in the last few days of his life — and made his last public appearance on March 30, 2005. During that brief appearance, John Paul II appeared at a window and …

An American teenager and two other people were killed in avalanche near the Swiss resort of Zermatt, police said Tuesday. One person was flown to a hospital with serious injuries. The avalanche occurred at about 2 p.m. Monday in an off-piste area of the Riffelberg, above the resort and below the famed Matterhorn peak. Rescuers recovered three bodies and the …

A group of 29 migrants was rescued Tuesday off a crippled boat in the Mediterranean Sea south of Crete, Greek authorities said, on an increasingly busy migration route from North Africa to Europe. A coast guard statement said the boat was located about 27 miles south of Gavdos, a small island off Crete’s southern coast, by a passing merchant ship …

Maryse Condé, an acclaimed French-language novelist from Guadeloupe who in novels, stories, plays and memoirs imagined and redefined the personal and historical past from 17th century New England to contemporary Europe, has died at age 90. The death of Condé, winner in 2018 of an “alternate” Nobel Prize, was announced by publisher Buchet Chastel. Additional details were not immediately available. …

Norway is to increase the number of conscripted soldiers from the present 9,000 to 13,500, the Norwegian government said Tuesday. “We must have enough people with the right skills at the right time,” Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram said. “We will need more people with professional military expertise going forward.” The country’s armed forces will see a gradual increase in …

After Scotland’s Hate Crime Act took effect Monday, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, dared Scottish police to arrest her for calling “a man a man.” According to the Scottish Parliment’s website, the “Hate Crime and Public Order Bill” adds “a new crime of stirring up hatred against any of the protected groups covered by the Bill,” one of which is …

The president of Cyprus said Tuesday he has personally asked the head of the European Union’s executive arm to intercede with Lebanese authorities so that they could put a stop to boatloads of Syrian refugees from heading to the east Mediterranean island nation. President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters that Lebanon is the beneficiary of significant EU financial aid for both …

A car crashed into a river on Tuesday in southeastern Albania, killing all eight people on board, including seven suspected migrants and a local driver, Albanian police said. The driver of the vehicle lost control and veered into the Vjosa River about 150 miles southeast of the capital, Tirana, around 4 a.m., according to a police statement. Seven of the …