The order for work to start on building the Berlin Wall was issued on 13 August 1961. East German guards sealed the border, preventing an exodus to the west. Barbed wire was gradually replaced with the concrete barrier, which remained until 9 November 1989
Continue reading...Category Archives: Europe
World’s largest urban farm to open – on a Paris rooftop
The 14,000m² farm is set to open in the south-west of Paris early next year
It’s a warm afternoon in late spring and before us rows of strawberry plants rustle in the breeze as the scent of fragrant herbs wafts across the air. Nearby, a bee buzzes lazily past. Contrary to appearances, however, we are not in an idyllic corner of the countryside but standing on the top of a six-storey building in the heart of the French capital.
Welcome to the future of farming in Paris – where a whole host of rooftop plantations, such as this one on the edge of the Marais, have been springing up of late. Yet this thriving operation is just a drop in the ocean compared to its new sister site. When that one opens, in the spring of 2020, it will be the largest rooftop farm in the world.
Continue reading...Branding cheese as feta and gruyere may be banned in Australia under EU deal
The trade minister, Simon Birmingham, has released a list of food products the EU wants protected as ‘geographical indicators’
Australia is gearing up for a fight with the European Union over the naming of hundreds of products including feta, gruyere and scotch beef as negotiations continue over an “ambitious” free trade agreement.
The trade minister, Simon Birmingham, has released a list of names the EU wants protected as part of the new trade deal – known as “geographical indications” or GIs – which are aimed at protecting European products.
Continue reading...No-deal Brexit battle set to come to head in September
Opponents of chaotic exit from EU still divided on strategy to outmanoeuvre Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson is preparing for a parliamentary battle against MPs trying to block a no-deal Brexit in the second week of September, as his cross-party opponents continue to be divided about the best way to stop the UK crashing out on 31 October.
A senior government source said Downing Street believed the first legislative showdown over no deal would be on 9 September, when parliament is due to debate a progress report on power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
Continue reading...Berlin police force embarrassed by arrest of fake policewoman
‘K’ has repeatedly posed as an officer and claims to have helped apprehend criminals
Berlin’s police force is facing considerable embarrassment over the arrest of a woman who has repeatedly posed as a police officer and claims to have helped them apprehend criminals.
The woman, identified only as ‘K’, was arrested a week ago wearing an authentic uniform and carrying equipment apparently belonging to the police.
Continue reading...Arctic wildfires spew soot and smoke cloud bigger than EU
Plume from unprecedented blazes forecast to reach Alaska as fires rage for third month
A cloud of smoke and soot bigger than the European Union is billowing across Siberia as wildfires in the Arctic Circle rage into an unprecedented third month.
The normally frozen region, which is a crucial part of the planet’s cooling system, is spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and worsening the manmade climate disruption that created the tinderbox conditions.
Continue reading...UK and Ireland commemorate 1979 Fastnet race disaster
Series of events include exhibition of portraits by Welsh artist Dan Llywelyn Hall, poetry and vigils
It was the summer storm that roared without warning into the Celtic Sea, unleashing monster waves that ambushed a fleet of 303 boats competing in the Fastnet race.
Instead of skimming along the south coast of the UK to the Fastnet Rock off south-west Ireland, sailors found themselves battling for life against howling winds and walls of water. Dozens of yachts capsized, trapping crews in their cabins and tossing others into the foam.
Continue reading...Russia honours ‘national heroes’ killed in mysterious nuclear rocket blast
Five scientists died during suspected secret testing of a nuclear-powered crusie missile
Russia has bestowed posthumous awards and praised as “national heroes” five nuclear scientists who died in a mysterious explosion at sea during a rocket engine test.
Officials have been drip-feeding information about the blast on a platform in the White Sea off northern Russia on Thursday that caused a radiation spike in a nearby city.
Continue reading...Richard Gere and Matteo Salvini clash over migrant crisis
Row follows US actor urging Italian government to ‘stop demonising asylum seekers’
Italy’s far-right deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, has clashed with Richard Gere over the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, suggesting the Hollywood star should house himself those stranded on rescue ships after the US actor urged the Italian government to “stop demonising asylum seekers”.
Gere who is currently on the island of Lampedusa, Sicily, after a visit onboard a Spanish NGO ship, Proactiva Open Arms, where he met some of the 160 migrants the vessel rescued in the strait of Sicily. The ship has been stuck for 10 days off Lampedusa due to Italy’s ban on landing migrants.
Continue reading...Wildfire rages through forest in Spain’s Canary Islands – video
A huge fire broke out on the holiday island of Gran Canaria on Saturday. Hundreds of people were evacuated as the flames burned though 900 hectares of forest
Continue reading...Man killed while riding e-scooter on French motorway
Rider was reportedly in the fast lane when he was hit from behind by a motorbike
A 30-year-old man has been killed after being hit by a motorbike while riding his e-scooter on a French motorway.
It is the third death linked to the increasingly popular mode of transport in the Paris region in four months, and has sparked further safety concerns and renewed calls for their regulation.
Continue reading...Thousands march in Moscow demanding open city elections
Scores arrested in biggest opposition rally in six years, prompted by disqualification of independent candidates
Russia’s opposition held its largest protest in years in central Moscow in a show of strength and defiance after previous rallies were forcefully dispersed with mass arrests.
Monitors from the White Counter group, an NGO that counts participants at rallies, reported that nearly 50,000 people attended the demonstration on Saturday, making it the largest opposition rally since 2013.
Continue reading...One injured in gun attack on Norwegian mosque
Police believe suspect may have killed relative before attack on man, 75, at al-Noor Islamic Centre near Oslo
One person has been injured in a shooting inside a mosque in Norway, Oslo police said on Saturday, adding that a man had been apprehended.
The suspect may also have killed a relative before launching the attack, police said. “A young woman was found dead at the suspect’s address,” assistant chief of police Rune Skjold told a news conference, adding that the man was suspected of murder.
Continue reading...Greta Thunberg takes climate fight to Germany’s threatened Hambach Forest
The felling of ancient woodland to make way for a giant coal mine brings together two linked battles for the activist
Greta Thunberg started her long journey to climate summits in the Americas by joining a treetop protest in Germany’s Hambach forest, where environmentalists have been fighting for years to stop the ancient woodland being torn up for open-cast coal mining.
The battle to save the last remaining oak and hornbeam trees reflects the young activist’s entwined fights to protect the natural world from human exploitation and to halt carbon emissions.
Continue reading...Russian nuclear agency confirms role in rocket test explosion
Rosatom says five staff died in accident that caused radiation levels to spike in Arkhangelsk
Russia’s nuclear energy agency has said an explosion that caused radiation levels to spike in the Arkhangelsk region was caused by an accident during a test of an “isotope power source for a liquid-fuelled rocket engine”.
In a statement released late on Friday, Rosatom said five of its employees had died as a result of the accident and three more were being treated for burns.
Continue reading...Berlin choir accused of gender discrimination by nine-year-old girl
German capital’s oldest musical institution violated constitution by refusing girl’s application, court to hear
A nine-year-old girl is taking Berlin’s oldest boys’ choir to court, claiming the state-run institution’s admissions criteria are gender-biased and violate Germany’s constitution.
Next week, Berlin’s administrative court will hear that the decision of the State and Cathedral Choir Berlin (SDB) to reject the girl after an audition in April this year was discriminatory because it infringed on her right to equal opportunities in state support.
Continue reading...Russian pharmacies report rise in sales of iodine near military explosion
Chemists in two northern cities sell more tablets after radiation levels spiked for a short time
Pharmacies in two northern Russia cities have reported increased sales of iodine, a chemical used to limit the effects from radiation exposure, after a mysterious explosion at a military testing site caused radiation levels to spike for a short time.
Russia’s defence ministry said a liquid-fuel rocket engine exploded during testing at a military site on Thursday, killing two and injuring six. Shortly after the explosion, gamma radiation levels in the neighbouring city of Severodvinsk reportedly jumped to 20 times their normal rate for nearly half an hour, contradicting the ministry’s assurances that all levels were normal.
Continue reading...Ex-French spy chief admits 1980s pact with Palestinian terrorists
Families of victims of 1982 Paris attack demand parliamentary inquiry over claims
Families of the victims of a 1982 terrorist attack in Paris are demanding a parliamentary inquiry after reports that the former chief of French intelligence made a secret pact with the perpetrators.
They have called on President Emmanuel Macron to declassify the top-secret file of the attack, which killed six and injured 22 others.
Continue reading...Italy moves closer to fresh elections that could bolster far right
Matteo Salvini reiterates call for snap vote as his party plans motion to dismantle coalition
Italy appears set for fresh elections that could push the country further toward the far right.
Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister, reiterated his calls for a snap vote on Friday, adding that any attempt to block his wishes and install a new ruling coalition would be unacceptable. His League party said it would present a no-confidence motion in the senate in its push to dismantle the tempestuous coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S).
Continue reading...Outdoor smoking ban escalates war over Barcelona’s restaurant terraces
Restaurateurs say ban on top of new regulations on outdoor space threatens their survival – while residents claim the city’s real issues are being ignored
Enjoying a refreshing drink or a cup of coffee on the sunlit terrace of a bar or restaurant is a cherished pastime in Barcelona – and a fundamental feature of Mediterranean life.
“Terraces are part of who we are and how we live,” says Roger Pallarols, president of the Barcelona restaurateurs association. “For many people, the terrace is like their living room, especially as most of us don’t live in large apartments. If France is Europe’s kitchen, Spain is its terrace.”
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