EU food safety experts are due to meet in Brussels to address the scandal over mislabelled horsemeat. The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain will draw up plans for large-scale testing of beef products to check if they contain horse DNA. On Thursday the French government suspended the licence of processing firm Spanghero, saying… Continue reading Horsemeat scandal: EU food safety experts plan response after Brussels meeting
Category: Europe News
Europe news
Pope Benedict XVI will withdraw into seclusion after stepping down
Pope Benedict XVI has hinted he will withdraw into seclusion after stepping down at the end of this month. “Even if I am withdrawing into prayer, I will always be close to all of you… even if I remain hidden to the world,” he told a meeting of Roman priests. Pope Benedict XVI, 85, shocked… Continue reading Pope Benedict XVI will withdraw into seclusion after stepping down
Meteor shower hits central Russia injuring at least 100 people in Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions
A meteor shower has exploded over Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions, central Russia, injuring dozens and shattering windows. Brightly burning rocks could be seen for hundreds of kilometres as they crashed into the Ural region. Chelyabinsk residents reported shaking ground, windows being shattered and car alarms being set off during the shower. The traces from falling… Continue reading Meteor shower hits central Russia injuring at least 100 people in Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions
French processor Spanghero mislabelled horsemeat
French government has announced today that meat processing company Spanghero knowingly sold horsemeat labelled as beef. Spanghero’s licence is being suspended while a probe continues, agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll said. The firm has denied the allegations, saying it only ever dealt in meat it believed to be beef. A widening scandal over mislabelled horsemeat… Continue reading French processor Spanghero mislabelled horsemeat
Horsemeat detected in German lasagne
Horsemeat has been detected in frozen lasagne on sale in Germany and supermarkets have started removing the product from their shelves. Real supermarket chain said it had withdrawn TiP frozen lasagne – the latest tainted processed food to figure in a Europe-wide scandal. Other German retailers including Tengelmann and Rewe are now checking their processed… Continue reading Horsemeat detected in German lasagne
Horsemeat scandal: European Commission recommends 3 months of EU-wide testing of beef
The EU has outlined an “intensive monitoring plan” to tackle the widening scandal over mislabeled horsemeat. All members would be asked to carry-out random DNA tests on beef products for traces of horsemeat for the next three months, the health commissioner said. He was speaking after a crisis meeting with ministers from the UK, France… Continue reading Horsemeat scandal: European Commission recommends 3 months of EU-wide testing of beef
Pope Benedict XVI holds final public Mass at Ash Wednesday ceremony
Pope Benedict XVI has held his last Mass as Pope in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome following the shocking announcement of his resignation. The pontiff presided over an Ash Wednesday ceremony marking the start of the Roman Catholic Church’s season of Lent. It came two days after the surprise announcement that Pope Benedict XVI, 85,… Continue reading Pope Benedict XVI holds final public Mass at Ash Wednesday ceremony
EU and US begin formal talks on free-trade agreement
The European Union and the US will begin formal talks on a free-trade agreement, paving the way for the biggest trade deal in history. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made the announcement following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. A deal would bring down trading barriers between the two biggest economies in… Continue reading EU and US begin formal talks on free-trade agreement
Woman’s Day and Chi magazine publish Kate Middleton bikini photos taken in Mustique
Kate Middleton and Prince William faced fresh anguish over privacy today after Italian and Australian magazines published photographs of the pregnant duchess in a bikini and more publications round the world lined up to do the same. Palace sources condemned the “violating” pictures, which show the couple walking along a beach while holidaying on the… Continue reading Woman’s Day and Chi magazine publish Kate Middleton bikini photos taken in Mustique
EU agriculture ministers to tackle horsemeat scandal
EU agriculture ministers are to hold talks on the horsemeat scandal that has reportedly affected up to 16 countries. Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney will chair the Brussels talks, which will seek ways to restore consumer confidence in meat products. This comes after the discovery that meat sold in Europe labeled as beef contained horsemeat.… Continue reading EU agriculture ministers to tackle horsemeat scandal
Pope Benedict XVI first public appearance since announcing resignation
Pope Benedict XVI made his first public appearance since announcing his resignation and thanked the public for their “love and prayers”. The Pope was cheered by crowds as he entered and began speaking, at a weekly audience in a hall at the Vatican. Pope Benedict said he resigned because he was aware of his own… Continue reading Pope Benedict XVI first public appearance since announcing resignation
Vatican confirms Pope Benedict XVI has a pacemaker
The Vatican has acknowledged that Pope Benedict XVI has had a pacemaker for years, one day after his resignation. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi reiterated that Pope Benedict was not stepping down because of any specific illness. The Pope’s last public appearance will be his final mass in Saint Peter’s Square on February 27, Federico Lombardi… Continue reading Vatican confirms Pope Benedict XVI has a pacemaker
Pope Benedict XVI will not interfere in choosing his successor
Pope Benedict XVI will not interfere in choosing his successor after his shock decision to resign at the end of the month, the pontiff’s brother has said. Georg Ratzinger said the Pope would only “make himself available” if he were needed. Pope Benedict XVI said on Monday he would resign after nearly eight years as… Continue reading Pope Benedict XVI will not interfere in choosing his successor
Sarai Sierra murder: Turkish police hone in on 5 people after collecting 51 DNA samples
Turkish police investigating the murder of Sarai Sierra have honed in on five people after collecting 51 DNA samples, it was revealed today. Though authorities will not have results for two weeks, they have managed to narrow it down to a small group of Sarai Sierra’s internet contacts as well as the homeless people who… Continue reading Sarai Sierra murder: Turkish police hone in on 5 people after collecting 51 DNA samples
Tesco DNA tests reveal some Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese contains 60% horsemeat
UK retailer Tesco’s DNA tests have revealed that some of its Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese contain 60% horsemeat. The meal, withdrawn from sale on Tuesday, came from the French factory producing Findus beef lasagne, also at the centre of a row over horsemeat. Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has told MPs of plans to test… Continue reading Tesco DNA tests reveal some Everyday Value Spaghetti Bolognese contains 60% horsemeat
Hairdresser loses £26,000 by paying her wages into wrong Nationwide account for two years
A British hairdresser, who paid £26,000 ($42,000) of wages into the wrong bank account over two years has been left unable to get her missing money back – after the recipient spent it. The woman logged onto the joint Nationwide account that she shares with her husband in May 2010 to arrange for £1,000 to… Continue reading Hairdresser loses £26,000 by paying her wages into wrong Nationwide account for two years
Romanian abattoirs not to blame in horsemeat scandal, says PM Victor Ponta
Romanian PM Victor Ponta has denied allegations that two abattoirs in his country sold horsemeat purporting to be beef to European food companies. Victor Ponta said checks had been carried out and there had been no breach of rules and standards. The abattoirs had been linked to the contamination of processed meat products sold in… Continue reading Romanian abattoirs not to blame in horsemeat scandal, says PM Victor Ponta
Pope Benedict XVI resignation full text
Pope Benedict XVI has announced today his resignation after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church, saying he is too old to continue at the age of 85. Here is the full text of Pope Benedict XVI statement from the Vatican: “Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only… Continue reading Pope Benedict XVI resignation full text
Pope Benedict XVI resigns!
Pope Benedict XVI is to resign at the end of this month in an entirely unexpected development, the Vatican has confirmed. He became Pope Benedict XVI in April 2005 following the death of John Paul II. The reasons behind the 85-year-old pontiff’s surprise resignation have yet to emerge. At 78, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger… Continue reading Pope Benedict XVI resigns!
Horsemeat scandal widens to up to 16 European countries
French ministers are to hold talks with key players in the meat industry as the horsemeat scandal widens to up to 16 countries. Seven French supermarket chains have withdrawn frozen beef meals made by Findus and Comigel. The move followed the discovery that foods sold in Europe and the UK labelled as beef contained horsemeat.… Continue reading Horsemeat scandal widens to up to 16 European countries
Vorkutinskaya coal mine explosion kills 18 people in Russia
An underground blast at a coal mine in the Komi region of northern Russia has killed 18 people, officials say. Rescuers were brought in to search for people trapped below the surface at the Vorkutinskaya mine after the blast caused a tunnel collapse. The explosion is thought to have been caused by a methane gas… Continue reading Vorkutinskaya coal mine explosion kills 18 people in Russia
Canary Islands: Majesty cruise ship accident leaves 5 crew members dead
Five crew members have died after a lifeboat they were in fell from Majesty cruise ship docked in the port of Santa Cruz de la Palma in the Canary Islands. The accident happened on the Majesty, operated by UK-based Thomson Cruises, during a routine safety drill. Those killed include three Indonesians, a Filipino and a Ghanaian.… Continue reading Canary Islands: Majesty cruise ship accident leaves 5 crew members dead
Fox attacks four-week-old baby boy as he sleeps
A four-week-old baby boy from London, UK, was dragged from his cot by a fox before the animal tore his finger off. The child was asleep in his cot when his mother, in the next room, heard a piercing scream then a heavy thud as the baby was flung to the floor. Local residents said… Continue reading Fox attacks four-week-old baby boy as he sleeps
Sarai Sierra’s husband alerted her secret lover Taylan K that she was missing
Steven Sierra, husband of New York mother bludgeoned to death during a solo trip to Istanbul, alerted her alleged lover Taylan K that she was missing on the day she failed to return home it’s been revealed. Sarai Sierra’s husband frantically messaged the Turkish man since accused of having sex with her in a desperate… Continue reading Sarai Sierra’s husband alerted her secret lover Taylan K that she was missing
Lynsay Jackson, David Coulthard’s sister, found dead at her Scottish home
Lynsay Jackson, sister of former Formula One driver David Coulthard, has been found dead at her home in the south of Scotland. Police said they were not treating Lynsay Jackson’s death as suspicious. Lynsay Jackson, 35, was found in her home in the village of Crossmichael, Kirkcudbrightshire, on Saturday morning. She was married with an… Continue reading Lynsay Jackson, David Coulthard’s sister, found dead at her Scottish home