Europe

    Ukraine's intelligence agency has thwarted a plot to attack the European Championship soccer tournament in France by arresting a heavily-armed Frenchman who wanted to cross into the European Union, officials said Monday. The Ukrainian Security Service, or SBU, said it had followed the man since December and allowed him to purchase five machine guns, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 125 kilograms (275 pounds) of TNT, 100 detonators and other weapons. He also bought 20 balaclavas before he was arrested at the Yahodyn border crossing between Ukraine and Poland last month, authorities said. The SBU "has managed to foil a series of 15 terrorist attacks which were planned to target France before and during" Euro 2016, said Vasyl Hrytsak, the security agency's chief. The ...

    The rain-swollen River Seine in Paris receded after reaching its highest level in three decades as attention turned today to other areas of France where alert warnings have been issued. From a peak of 6.10 metres (20 feet) in the early hours of yesterday, the river began to subside, falling to 5.77 metres at 8:00am (0600 GMT), the environment ministry's Vigicrues flood watch website said. However, red alerts had been issued for the Seine-Maritime and Eure departments in the northern Normandy region but were lifted early today and they passed on to the next level of orange. Alerts have also been issued in 15 other regions, including Ile-de-France, where Paris is located, Lorraine in the northeast as well as parts of the country's central areas. Meteo France has forecast sho...

    Incredible, that’s all I can say, muttered Catherine, a publishing editor, as she stared dumbfounded at the river water that had swallowed up the busy road running along the banks of the Seine near her Paris apartment. Roads and picturesque cobbled walkways in the French capital have disappeared, submerged by a vast expanse of brown river water carrying an unusual assortment of debris including logs, big wooden planks and a metal sign from a boat-club in its angry, swirling current. The rain-swollen Seine, which has spilled over on to embankments in many places in Paris, peaked at 6.07 metres on Friday night, its highest level in more than 30 years. Rising water lapped at the tops of traffic lights and trees, road signs for speed cameras poked out above the water, and a ti...

    Another picture of a baby who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while on his way to Europe has succeeded to shock the world and echoes of criticism regarding the incompetence of the leadership in Europe was voiced in the face of the ongoing crisis. A number of months after the picture of the body of Ayman Kurdi, age 3, was documented on the beach, a picture that shocked Europe and turned the world’s attention towards the refugee issue, a new and heartbreaking image of a baby who drowned is again causing the international media and world leaders to deal with the difficult refugee crisis. According to the reports, 45 people on board a ship drowned to death and 135 others were rescued by the Italian Coast Guard and European volunteers recently. During the efforts to locate sur...

    EU leaders are planning a post-Brexit future without the UK Senior EU leaders are preparing the ground for a possible Brexit vote with high-level meetings aimed at a “plan B” future of the bloc without the UK, including closer co-operation on security and defence matters. The leaders of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and other core members are likely to “double down” on closer union,the Financial Times reported, amid concern that Brexit could encourage separatist sentiments in other EU states. Officials expect a punitive approach to Britain, with an official meeting of 27 leaders – excluding David Cameron – expected shortly after a potential Brexit vote. Senior Whitehall figures have identified EU leaders’ concerns over “contagion” of anti-EU sentiment as a key reason why...

    Pictures have been posted online showing debris from the EgyptAir jet that came down in the Mediterranean on Thursday. The images show items from the stricken plane, including a child's life jacket and what appears to be part of a seat. The images were posted online on Facebook by an Egyptian army spokesman. Analysis of the debris is likely to be key to determining what happened to the flight. The images were posted after it emerged the plane sent several warning signals about smoke detected in the jet before it crashed. One aviation source said that a fire on board would likely have generated multiple warning signals, while a sudden explosion may not have generated any. Egypt said its navy had found human remains, wreckage and the personal belongings floating in the sea a...

    Egyptian authorities say they have spotted a body part, two seats and suitcases in the search for the missing EgyptAir plane, according to Greek officials. The announcement on Friday came hours after the Egyptian army announced it had found debris and passenger belongings from the aircraft 180 miles north of Alexandria. Greece’s defence minister Panos Kammenos said the items were found slightly south of where the aircraft had vanished from radar signals on Thursday morning. EgyptAir flight MH804 crashed after disappearing from the radar while carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo. The Airbus 320 lost contact at 2.45 am local time on Thursday morning. No distress call was made by the pilots and experts believe the crash was most likely the result of a terroris...

    On May 19, 2016, EgyptAir flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar. The aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 37,000 ft (11,277 m) when it went missing. There are reportedly 59 passengers and 10 crew members on board. According to the airline, contact with the flight was lost around 16 km/10 miles into the Egyptian airspace. Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said that the Egyptian navy and air force are conducting search operations in the area, in coordination with the Greek authorities. A search is under way for an EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo which has disappeared with 56 passengers and 10 crew on board - including one British national. The fate of the plane is not yet known and officials have said it is too early to rule out any possibility, ...

    General Sir Richard Shirreff, former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander of Nato, said the UK had “shrunk in to itself” and carries an “increasingly impotent stick”. He said the country now risked losing its post-Falklands global reputation for military might. The devastating attack came as Sir Richard warned Britain and the West could be at war with Russia within a year if it fails to stand up to President Vladimir Putin’s aggression. In a new book, he said the risk of conflict between the two sides is at its greatest since the Cold War and predicts they would be pushed over the edge if Russia invaded the Baltic States, who are Nato members. In the preface, Sir Richard also criticises the demise of Britain’s standing on the world stage and its creeping unwillingness to engage...

    A new poll reveals that some 80% of Britons would rather immigrate to Russia than remain in the United Kingdom. 78 percent of more than 22,000 British citizens polled by the UK tabloid, The Express, told the paper that they would readily go to Russia in exchange for free land there. This followed reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin was offering 2.5 acres of land for free to people willing to move to the country’s Far East in a bid to boost the area’s economy. One British citizen said, "There's also definitely disillusionment with the UK, with British life. We're all subservient, we won't know what's going on." Another told the paper, “It would be a lot better than living under [PM David] Cameron's and [Labour Party leader Jeremy] Corbyn’s EU law.” Other responden...