Europe – World Top News Now

13Oct

By AdminsNo Comments

Floods trap people in cars in Spain’s Catalonia region

BBC Floods caused by torrential rain have left a number of people trapped in vehicles in Spain's north-eastern Catalonia region, officials say. Videos on social media have emerged showing torrents of muddy water sweeping through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara in the Tarragona province, and moving everything in their path. The highest red alert has been declared in the coastal province by Spain's national weather agency AEMET. So far there have been no reports of any deaths or injuries. Catalonia's Civil Protection agency urged residents in Tarragona's Ebro Delta to stay indoors, as AEMET warned of 180mm (7in) of rain in 12 hours in the area. "The situation is complicated, and more rain is forecast," Cristina Vicente, a senior official at the agency, was qu...

7Oct

By AdminsNo Comments

France in fresh political crisis as PM Lecornu quits after 26 days

France is facing further political chaos after the country's latest prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, resigned after just 26 days in the role. Hours after quitting, Lecornu accepted a request from French President Emmanuel Macron to work on a plan for the "stability for the country" by Wednesday evening. That unexpected twist capped a day of political upheaval which saw stocks fall sharply on the Paris exchange amid concerns over the political parties' ability to tackle the country's economic woes. Lecornu's shock resignation on Monday morning came the day after he unveiled his cabinet, and made him the third French PM to leave office since last December. His ministerial line-up had been fiercely criticised across the board by parties in the National Assembly, which threatened...

15Sep

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Romania condemns ‘irresponsible’ Moscow after Russian drone breaches its airspace

Romania has condemned Moscow's "irresponsible actions" after alleging that a Russian drone breached Romanian airspace during an attack on neighbouring Ukraine, prompting Bucharest to scramble fighter jets. The Russian drone used in attacks on Ukraine entered Romanian airspace at 6.05pm on Saturday (1.05am Sunday AEST), according to Romania's defence ministry. The incident comes days after Poland shot down Russian drones that had violated its airspace – prompting NATO allies to pledge to beef up defences on the alliance's eastern flank. Pilots of the Romanian Air Force fly F-16 fighter jets above the runway of the Aurel Vlaicu airport, on the first day of the Bucharest International Air Show, BIAS, in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, August 30, 2025. (AP) The dron...

15Sep

By AdminsNo Comments

Trump demands NATO countries stop buying Russian oil

US President Donald Trump says he believes the Russia-Ukraine war would end if all NATO countries stopped buying oil from Russia and placed tariffs on China of 50 per cent to 100 per cent for its purchases of Russian petroleum. Trump posted on his social media site that NATO's commitment to winning the war "has been far less" than 100 per cent and the purchase of Russian oil by some members of the alliance is "shocking." As if speaking with NATO members, he said on Saturday: "It greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power, over Russia". US President Donald Trump has demanded NATO countries stop buying Russian oil and place tariffs on China. (Pool via AP) (AP) Since 2023, NATO member Turkey has been the third largest buyer of Russian oil, af...

3Sep

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Germany’s far-right AfD suffers series of candidate deaths ahead of local vote

As many as six candidates for Germany's far-right AfD have died in recent weeks ahead of local elections in the big western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Police have made clear there is no evidence of foul play in the deaths, but it means that new ballots will have to be printed and some postal voters will have to recast their ballots. North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of 18 million and a reported 20,000 candidates will run for office in its 14 September local elections. The number of deaths has nevertheless raised questions on social media. The state's interior ministry has pointed out that candidates from other parties, including the Greens and Social Democrats, have also died. The AfD became Germany's second biggest party in February's federal elections, spreading f...

28Aug

By AdminsNo Comments

German cabinet backs voluntary military service, opening door to conscription

Christian Mang/Getty Images The government wants an 80,000 increase in soldier numbers by 80,000 by the early 2030s Germany's cabinet has passed a draft bill which will introduce voluntary military service. The bill could also lead to conscription if more troops are needed. It's part of a move to boost German national defences, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Compulsory military service in Germany was ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany's military a priority given the threat from Russia and said "we are now back on the path to a military service army". He summed up his thinking earlier this year saying: "We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don't have to defend our...