Kosovo’s government has postponed the implementation of new rules that would force people in majority ethnic-Serb areas to swap their Serbian-issued car number plates for Kosovan-issued ones. The rules were due to come into force at midnight on Monday. But on Sunday ethnic Serbs in the north barricaded roads and armed men fired shots in protest. The rules’ implementation has been delayed for a month following consultations with the US and EU. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, after years of strained relations between its Serb and mainly Albanian inhabitants. It has been recognised by the United … Continue reading Kosovo postpones new car number plate rules amid tensions

Three men have been killed during traditional bull-running festivals in Spain, according to reports. All are said to have been taking part in the events, where bulls are released to charge through towns with people running ahead of them, in the east of the country around Valencia. The men all died from injuries sustained in the last two weeks at seperate events. One one of them, a 56-year-old man was tossed in the air by a bull resulting in a severe brain injury. He died on Tuesday in hospital in Valencia, nine days after the event. A man, aged 50, also died … Continue reading Three killed in a fortnight in Spanish bull-running festivals

A knife-wielding attacker has stabbed several people in a shelter for asylum seekers in southern Germany, killing one man and wounding at least five people. German news agency DPA reported today that the attacker, reportedly a resident of the shelter, knocked on the doors of the rooms of the building in Kressbronn on Lake Constance, Sunday evening. When residents opened their doors at around 10pm, he stabbed them.A forensics expert takes pictures of the scene in Kressbronn, southern Germany One man died of his injuries instantly, one seriously injured man was flown to a hospital, and four other injured people were … Continue reading Asylum seeker goes on stabbing rampage that leaves one dead

At least four people were stabbed and injured in Numedal southeast of Norway on Friday, with one of the victims left in a critical condition by the attack, the police have said. The suspect has been apprehended, the force added. “I can confirm we have the offender under control,” a police spokesperson told Reuters. The knife attack came two days after a Danish man pleaded guilty to stabbing five people to death in a small Norwegian town last October. Espen Andersen Braathen, 38, also admitted attempting to murder 11 others with a bow and arrow as he randomly targeted people in … Continue reading Just in: Four stabbed in knife attack in Norway

Spain has approved a draft bill that would remove the requirement for 16 and 17-year-old girls to have parental consent before terminating a pregnancy. The new bill is aimed at reforming a previous abortion law approved by the conservative People’s Party in 2015. Government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez said the bill represented “a new step forward for democracy”. If the bill is approved, Spain will become the first country in Europe to offer its workers paid menstrual leave. In Spain, voluntary abortion is allowed up until the 14th week of pregnancy. But doctors in traditionally Roman Catholic Spain will still be … Continue reading Spain to allow girls over 16 to opt for abortions

Former Socialist Elisabeth Borne was on Monday named as France’s second ever female Prime Minister.Newly named French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne President Emmanuel Macron announced the 61-year-old divorced mother-of-one would head his new government. It follows Edith Cresson, who is now 88, serving as prime minister in a Socialist administration for just under a year ending in 1992. Following the news of Ms Borne’s appointment, Ms Cresson said “It was about time that there was another woman in the job, and I know Madame Borne is a remarkable person with a lot of experience. It’s a very good choice”. Ms Borne is a low-profile … Continue reading Elisabeth Borne becomes France’s second female Prime Minister

A French policeman has been arrested and placed in custody after he shot dead two people and injured a third when their car refused to stop at a checkpoint at a popular Parisian tourist site. The shooting occurred on the ancient Pont Neuf in the heart of the French capital on Sunday night, as partisans of French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated his re-election. The unidentified officer has admitted opening fire with his police-issue Heckler and Kock G36 assault rifle after the car – a Volkswagen Polo – came speeding towards his patrol on the historic bridge.  An investigating source said the car … Continue reading Update: French policeman is arrested for shooting dead two unarmed people

Police in Paris shot two people dead and severely wounded a third tonight after a car failed to stop on the oldest bridge in the French capital. The incident happened on the ancient Pont Neuf, in the centre of the city, soon after Emmanuel Macron’s re-election as president on Sunday night. “A car came rushing towards police soon after midnight, and refused to stop,” said an investigating source. “One of the police officers opened fire, killing two people and wounding a third.” In the early hours of Monday, an examining magistrate attended the scene, which was closed to traffic. The IGNP … Continue reading French police shoot two dead after car fails to stop at checkpoint

A jailed Corsican nationalist, whose prison assault sparked protests on the French Mediterranean island, has died. Yvan Colonna, 61, who had been serving a life sentence for murdering a local official, was beaten by another inmate, a Cameroonian jihadist, on 2 March. The attack left Colonna in a coma and he had been receiving treatment in a hospital in the south of France. The assault provoked riots in Corsica, where many see him as a hero in its campaign for independence from France. Colonna was jailed two decades ago for shooting dead Corsica’s top official in 1998, following a five-year … Continue reading Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna murdered in prison

At least six people have been killed after a car drove into a crowd of carnival-goers in southern Belgium. The incident happened in the small town of Strépy-Bracquegnies, about 30 miles (50km) south of the capital Brussels. The car drove at high-speed into dozens of people who were preparing to take part in a traditional parade on Sunday morning. Around 40 people were injured and several are in a serious condition, the town’s mayor said. “There were about 150-200 people who were following the parade and [the] car arrived from behind and drove into the crowd,” Jacques Gobert said. “It … Continue reading Six killed after car drives into crowd in Belgium

Croatian officials criticized NATO Saturday for what they said was its slow reaction to a military drone that apparently flew from the Ukrainian war zone through the airspace of three NATO member states, before crashing in the Croatian capital. The Russian-made unmanned aircraft crossed Romania and Hungary before entering Croatia and slamming late Thursday into a field near a student dormitory. Some 40 parked cars were damaged but no one was injured after a loud blast. NATO said the alliance’s integrated air and missile defense had tracked the object’s flight path. But the Croatian prime minister said the country’s authorities … Continue reading Croatia criticizes NATO after crash of Russian-made drone

France has passed a new law criminalizing the use of so-called “conversion therapy” to attempt to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ people. The measure was passed unanimously by the National Assembly, 142 votes to 0. Anyone convicted under the new law could face fines of up to €30,000 (£25,000) and two years in jail. President Emmanuel Macron praised the move, tweeting that “being oneself is not a crime”. The law had already been overwhelmingly backed in the French upper house, the Senate, where it was passed by 305 votes to 28, with the conservative Republicans party … Continue reading LGBT rights: New French law to criminalize ‘conversion therapy’