Holy See: Christmas lighting-up ceremony
17 Dec 2020
'Christmas reminds us that Jesus is our peace, our joy, our strength, our comfort’, Pope Francis said at the Vatican’s traditional lighting ceremony: ‘Let there be light.’ A 30-metre-tall spruce was placed just off-centre in St…
Venice flooded again as new dam system fails
10 Dec 2020
A massive new flood defence system called MOSE, aimed at protecting Venice's lagoon during high tide, was finally installed in October. This week St Mark's Square was again under water, after MOSE did not activate due…
Spain: lions have coronavirus
10 Dec 2020
Four lions at Barcelona Zoo have tested positive for coronavirus after being given Covid tests when a zookeeper noticed they were displaying suspicious symptoms. The lions were familiar enough with the zookeepers to allow them to…
Barnier warns Boris over fishing and finance
03 Dec 2020
Michel Barnier has warned Brexit trade talks could be plunged into ‘crisis’ if Boris Johnson puts forward more legislation that calls into question last year's divorce deal. The Brussels diplomat is worried that the Finance Bill…
Five people have been killed and thirteen seriously injured after a car zig zagged towards pedestrians in the city of Trier. Among those killed was a nine-month-old baby. A 51-year-old man with no fixed address is…
Berlin: car crashes into Merkel’s gate
26 Nov 2020
A car with an anti-globalisation slogan on its side crashed into the gate of the office of German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on 25 November. The driver is in custody, and Berlin police wrote on…