A woman has been arrested in the southern Swiss city of Lugano after allegedly injuring two other women in a suspected terror attack at a store, she attempted to choke one and stabbed another in the neck with a knife before being stopped by shoppers, police say. One victim is believed to have serious but not life-threatening injuries, while the other was lightly wounded. The suspect, 28, was known to federal police from an investigation into “jihadist terrorism” back in 2017, a Swiss national, she lived locally in the Italian-speaking Ticino region, a department store in Lugano was the scene … Continue reading Two hurt in suspected terror incident in Switzerland

Austria’s interior minister has admitted that a warning from Slovakia last summer about a gunman who went on the rampage in the center of Vienna was not followed up, four people were fatally shot and 23 others wounded on Monday night. Police in Slovakia revealed they had tipped off Austrian authorities about “suspects from Austria” trying to buy ammunition in July, reports suggest the trip to buy bullets failed as the gunman had no licence, it has also emerged he was released early from a jail sentence last December for trying to join jihadists in Syria, according to German media, … Continue reading Update: Austria admits failing to act on Slovak warning on gunman

Gunmen armed with rifles have opened fire in six different locations in central Vienna, killing two people and wounding several more, police say. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called it a “repulsive terror attack” and said one gunman was also killed, police were searching for at least one attacker who was still at large, the interior minister said. The shootings took place near Vienna’s central synagogue but it is not yet clear if that was the target, one of the victims was killed at the scene of the shootings while a second woman died later in hospital from her wounds, Mayor … Continue reading Developing Story: Gunmen hunted after deadly terror attack in Vienna

The fire broke out in the early hours of Monday morning.    A fire has broken out at a refugee camp on the Greek island of Samos, just three days after the region hit by a devastating earthquake, around fifteen tents were destroyed in the blaze, according to a statement by Greece’s Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Authorities do not know what caused the fire, which broke out at the Samos Health Centre early on Monday morning, residents immediately evacuated the tents, as around twenty firefighters brought the incident under control in a few hours. There were no reports of any injuries, It’s … Continue reading Fire breaks out at refugee camp on Greek island of Samos

A man wielding a knife outside a church in the southern French city of Nice slit the throat of one person and injured several others in an attack on Thursday morning, officials said. The suspected assailant was detained shortly afterwards, a police source said, while interior minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that he had called a crisis meeting after the attack. More details soon… Continue reading Two people stabbed to death in Knife attack in France

Violent protests broke out across Italy on Monday over new restrictions to curb the country’s second wave of Covid-19, clashes were reported in several major cities including Turin, where Molotov cocktails were thrown at officers, in Milan tear gas was used to disperse protesters, while violence was also reported in Naples. The demonstrations began soon after the national government’s order to close restaurants, bars, gyms and cinemas came into effect at 18:00 local time. Many regions have also imposed night-time curfews including, Lombardy where Milan is, and Piedmont, where Turin is. Protests also broke out in about a dozen other … Continue reading Protests erupt across Italy over Covid-19 lockdown measures

Police in Poland have used pepper spray against hundreds of people protesting in Warsaw against a court ruling that almost completely bans abortions, protesters clashed with riot police outside the home of Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. It follows Thursday’s ruling from the top court that ending the life of a deformed foetus is unconstitutional. It means abortion is only valid in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the mother’s life, Poland’s abortion laws were already among the strictest in Europe and it is estimated that about 100,000 women seek a termination abroad each year to get around … Continue reading Update on Poland abortion ruling: Police use pepper spray against protesters

French police have launched an investigation after two women were stabbed near the Eiffel Tower in an apparent racist incident, the victims were injured with a knife near the famous Paris monument on Sunday, after an altercation involving “an unleashed dog”. Police confirmed in a statement that they had intervened “following a police call for help for two women with stab wounds at the Champ-de-Mars” at approximately 8pm (18:00 GMT), two other women were in police custody on Tuesday, according to the Paris public prosecutor’s office, and an investigation for attempted intentional homicide has been opened. Paris firefighters confirmed on … Continue reading Two women stabbed at Eiffel Tower in apparent racist attack

Amsterdam is famed for being cycle friendly, but now authorities are harnessing flower power to make the city safer for pedestrians, Dutch officials are placing wooden plant and flower boxes along the railings of the city’s iconic bridges, stopping bicycle parking on the bridges in the Damstraatjes district, a spokesperson for the city told reporters. The technique, which has already been used in other areas of Amsterdam, such as Haarlemmerstraat, is designed to allow more space for pedestrians on the sidewalk. Space for pedestrians is important, now more than ever due to the large number of parked bicycles on the … Continue reading Amsterdam uses flower power to make streets safer

French police have raided the homes of senior government and health officials as part of an investigation into their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Health Minister Olivier Véran and the director of the national health agency, Jérôme Salomon, are among those whose properties were searched on Thursday, it comes after a court launched an inquiry earlier this year into the government’s handling of the pandemic, it has faced criticism over shortages of equipment and slow response times. Prime Minister Jean Castex is also under investigation, French media report, as is his predecessor Edouard Philippe and Mr Véran’s predecessor Agnès Buzyn, … Continue reading Coronavirus: French police raid ministers’ homes in pandemic inquiry

The Spanish government has said it wants to change the law to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to seek an abortion without parental permission. Equality Minister Irene Montero said women should have the right to “decide about their bodies”, in 2015, the ruling Popular Party (PP) changed Spain’s abortion laws and mandated parental consent for those aged between 16 and 18. Abortion is legal in Spain in the first 14 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy, on Wednesday, Ms Montero said the reform was “more than necessary”. She added that other measures would be introduced, including a greater focus on sex education … Continue reading Spanish Government works to repeal ‘parental consent’ rule over abortion