At least 83 people have died in Ukraine from a cold spell that has been gripping the country, officials say. Temperatures as low as -23C (-9F) and heavy snowfall this month have left the capital Kiev and most of the country under a thick frozen layer. In western areas, vehicles were trapped in a three-day… Continue reading Ukraine freeze kills at least 83 people
Category: Europe News
Europe news
Margaret Thatcher hospitalized for bladder surgery
UK’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is recovering in hospital after having a growth removed from her bladder. Margaret Thatcher, 87, is understood to have undergone a minor operation to remove the growth. The former prime minister’s spokeswoman said Baroness Margaret Thatcher is doing “absolutely fine”. Margaret Thatcher, who has suffered from ill health in… Continue reading Margaret Thatcher hospitalized for bladder surgery
Mario Monti resigns as Italy’s prime minister
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has resigned today, keeping a promise to step down after the passing of his budget by parliament. MPs earlier passed the 2013 budget drawn up by his government with 309 votes in favor and 55 against. An announcement on whether Mario Monti will take part in elections – expected in… Continue reading Mario Monti resigns as Italy’s prime minister
Vladimir Putin backs Russian ban on US adoptions
President Vladimir Putin has defended a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, which has been proposed by the Russian parliament. Vladimir Putin said the bill, a response to the US Magnitsky Act which bars entry to Russian alleged human rights violators, was “appropriate”. Russian officials, he said, were not allowed to sit in on US… Continue reading Vladimir Putin backs Russian ban on US adoptions
Kate Middleton joins Royals at Buckingham Palace for pre-Christmas lunch
Kate Middleton was said to have cancelled all engagements this month so she could rest and recover from the bout of severe morning sickness that left her hospitalized. But there are some events that not even a convalescing Duchess of Cambridge can get out of – Firm (a nickname for the British Royal Family) commitments.… Continue reading Kate Middleton joins Royals at Buckingham Palace for pre-Christmas lunch
Mark van den Boogaard lay dead for more than a week as his parachute failed to open
Dutch police are investigating how the body of skydiver Mark van den Boogaard lay undetected in a field for more than a week. Mark van den Boogaard was not reported missing and his body was discovered by chance by rabbit hunters. His parachute had failed to open. He organized his jump with the largest skydiving… Continue reading Mark van den Boogaard lay dead for more than a week as his parachute failed to open
DSK pimping case to proceed
French judges have decided to press ahead with the prosecution of Dominique Strauss-Kahn for pimping. Lawyers for the former International Monetary Fund chief said they would appeal against the decision. DSK has admitted attending sex parties in northern France, but says he did not know that some of the women present were paid prostitutes. Last… Continue reading DSK pimping case to proceed
S&P increases Greece’s rating from selective default to B-minus
Standard and Poor’s has raised the credit rating of Greece’s sovereign debt by six levels, praising the “strong determination” of fellow European countries to help it stay in the eurozone. S&P has increased Greece’s rating from “selective default” to “B-minus”. The rating agency also praised the continuing efforts by Greece’s government to cut its spending.… Continue reading S&P increases Greece’s rating from selective default to B-minus
EU in trade deal with Singapore
The European Union and Singapore have clinched a free-trade agreement (FTA) – the second such deal between the 27-nation bloc and a major Asian trading partner. Last year EU-Singapore trade was worth about 74 billion euros ($97 billion). Singapore is the second largest Asian investor in the EU after Japan. The EU Commission says the… Continue reading EU in trade deal with Singapore
Jacintha Saldanha funeral service takes place in Shirva
The funeral of Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who apparently killed herself following a royal hoax call in London, is taking place in her Indian hometown, Shirva. Jacintha Saldanha, 46, will be buried after the service at a church in Shirva, just outside Mangalore on the south-west Indian coast. Her family arrived at the church earlier… Continue reading Jacintha Saldanha funeral service takes place in Shirva
Gerard Depardieu hands back his French passport in tax exile row
Gerard Depardieu announces he is handing back his French passport after Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault criticized him for moving to Belgium to avoid taxes. In a letter to a newspaper, Gerard Depardieu, 63, lambasted the French government for punishing “success, creation and talent”. Last week Gerard Depardieu announced he was moving to the small Belgian… Continue reading Gerard Depardieu hands back his French passport in tax exile row
Kate makes first public appearance since morning sickness at BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards
Kate Middleton will tonight attend the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards – the first sign that she is slowly recovering from the severe morning sickness that has plagued her first few weeks of pregnancy. The Duchess of Cambridge is only likely to be at the event in London for around 45 minutes… Continue reading Kate makes first public appearance since morning sickness at BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards
Jacintha Saldanha suicide note tells the Australian DJs behind royal hoax are responsible for her death
Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who committed suicide after the royal hoax phone call, left a note telling the two Australian DJs behind the prank they were responsible for her death, according to sources close to the family. In one of three apparent suicide notes, Jacintha Saldanha wrote a short letter in which she expressed her… Continue reading Jacintha Saldanha suicide note tells the Australian DJs behind royal hoax are responsible for her death
Jacintha Saldanha funeral: body taken to India for burial
The body of Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who apparently killed herself after a hoax phone call about Kate Middleton, is due to arrive in India for burial. Jacintha Saldanha’s remains are being escorted by her husband and two children from the UK to Mangalore on Sunday. The nurse was found dead on 7 December near… Continue reading Jacintha Saldanha funeral: body taken to India for burial
Jacintha Saldanha funeral will take place in India on Monday
Jacintha Saldanha’s children have described at a Mass at Westminster Cathedral the “unfillable void” she has left. Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found hanged days after answering a hoax call about Kate Middleton in accommodation attached to King Edward VII hospital last week. Her husband, Benedict, daughter Lisha, 14, and son Junal, 16, attended a Mass… Continue reading Jacintha Saldanha funeral will take place in India on Monday
Russian opposition leaders Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin, Ksenia Sobchak and Sergei Udaltsov arrested at anti-Putin rally
Police arrested prominent Russian opposition leaders at a rally against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Blogger and activist Alexei Navalny said on Twitter he had been detained at the rally in Lubyanka Square, which was banned by the authorities. Fellow opposition leaders Ilya Yashin, Ksenia Sobchak and Left Front head Sergei Udaltsov were also arrested.… Continue reading Russian opposition leaders Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin, Ksenia Sobchak and Sergei Udaltsov arrested at anti-Putin rally
Jacintha Saldanha memorial service held at the King Edward VII hospital
A memorial service has been held at the King Edward VII hospital for Jacintha Saldanha, who took a hoax call about Kate Middleton’s treatment. Jacintha Saldanha was found dead last Friday, three days after taking the call from two Australian radio DJs. A memorial mass also took place in Jacintha Saldanha’s adopted hometown of Bristol.… Continue reading Jacintha Saldanha memorial service held at the King Edward VII hospital
Maurice Herzog, first person to conquer Mount Annapurna, dies aged 93
French mountaineering legend Maurice Herzog has died at the age of 93. Maurice Herzog was famed as the first person to conquer a peak of 8,000 metres when he reached the summit of Annapurna in the Himalayas in 1950. He told the story of the expedition, in which he lost his fingers and toes to… Continue reading Maurice Herzog, first person to conquer Mount Annapurna, dies aged 93
Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov jailed for 11 years over Anna Politkovskaya murder
Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov, a former Russian police officer, has been jailed for 11 years for his role in the murder of prominent journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov was found guilty by a court in Moscow of tracking Anna Politkovskaya’s movements and providing the killer with a gun. He struck a plea bargain to qualify for a… Continue reading Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov jailed for 11 years over Anna Politkovskaya murder
Elephants drink vodka to be saved from deadly Siberian cold
Two elephants have been saved from the deadly Siberian cold by drinking vodka, officials say. They say the elephants had to be taken out into the bitter cold after the wooden trailer they were travelling in caught fire in the Novosibirsk region. The elephants, aged 45 and 48, suffered frostbite to the tips of their… Continue reading Elephants drink vodka to be saved from deadly Siberian cold
Jacintha Saldanha criticized senior colleagues in one of three suicide notes
Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse found dead following a hoax call to the hospital treating Kate Middleton, criticized senior colleagues over her treatment in one of three suicide notes, it has emerged. An inquest heard that Jacintha Saldanha, 46, left three emotional suicide notes following the prank call by Australian DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian.… Continue reading Jacintha Saldanha criticized senior colleagues in one of three suicide notes
EU leaders agree on eurozone integration roadmap
European Union leaders have agreed on a roadmap for eurozone integration beyond the deal on centralized banking supervision, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Specific dates have not yet been agreed for the phases of integration. But the EU summit chairman, Herman Van Rompuy, said a deal should be reached next year on a joint resolution… Continue reading EU leaders agree on eurozone integration roadmap
Ukraine’s Parliament brawl while Femen protest against corruption staged outside
Ukrainian parliament’s new session got off to a dramatic start with MPs brawling on the floor of the chamber while a Femen protest against corruption was staged outside. Members of feminist group Femen, whose motto is “We came, we undressed, we conquered”, stripped naked down to just black pants and knee-high black socks in temperatures… Continue reading Ukraine’s Parliament brawl while Femen protest against corruption staged outside
Jacintha Saldanha was found hanged, police confirmed
Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse fooled by a hoax call to the London hospital treating Kate Middleton, was later found hanged, an inquest has heard. Jacintha Saldanha was found dead in her nurses’ quarters on Friday, three days after the call from Australian radio presenters pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles. There were also… Continue reading Jacintha Saldanha was found hanged, police confirmed
Eurozone agrees strict bank rules
European finance ministers have reached a deal on rules for supervising eurozone banks, ahead of a new EU summit. Around 200 of the biggest banks will come under the direct oversight of the European Central Bank, which will act as chief supervisor of eurozone banks. The agreement – a key step towards banking union –… Continue reading Eurozone agrees strict bank rules