Europe

PARIS—French President Emmanuel Macron has delayed a government reshuffle, raising new questions about the depth of political experience in his party and his own ability to keep his administration on track after several resignations. The president and his prime minister have been weighing the reshuffle for a week following the departure of three ministers since […]

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal assisted in the clean-up operation after a devastating flood hit his native island of Majorca, leaving a trail of piled vehicles and damaged infrastructure from surges of water and mud. “Sad day in Majorca,” the 32-year-old Majorca native said on Twitter. “My sincere condolences to the relatives of the deceased […]

STOCKHOLM—A Danish woman is wanted by Interpol on allegations that she scammed the welfare system out of more than $17 million, several Danish media have reported. Danish authorities believe Anna Britta Troelsgaard Nielsen, 64, who was employed for 40 years at Socialstyrelsen, a government agency under the Ministry of Social Affairs, made over 274 payments […]

THESSALONIKI, Greece—Two women and a girl who were believed to be migrants were found dead with their throats slashed on Oct. 10, near Greece’s northeast border with Turkey, Greek authorities said. The victims appeared to be of North African, Middle Eastern or Asian origin, but their nationalities and identities were unknown, police said. An initial […]

CARACAS, Venezuela—Venezuela’s chief prosecutor doubled down on Oct. 10, on claims that a jailed opposition activist killed himself, while the Trump administration condemned the government of President Nicolas Maduro for its alleged involvement in the suspicious death. Attorney General Tarek William Saab appeared on state TV and said preliminary findings rule out foul play in […]

A rocket carrying two astronauts on their way to the International Space Station suffered a booster malfunction, forcing them to abort the flight and return to Earth in a “ballistic re-entry mode.” Russian Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and US astronaut Nick Hague of NASA were on board, but their lives are not in danger, according to […]

The sidewalks of downtown Zurich were filled with pedestrians who stopped to watch and record the whirlwind of colors from a marching band. The European Tian Guo “Celestial” Marching Band led a procession on Oct. 5, to help raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong. “With this parade we want […]

Fiercely proud French bakers, fearing their artisanal expertise is under threat from poor-quality, mass-produced bread, are pushing for the traditional French baguette to be recognized by UNESCO as a piece of intangible cultural heritage. Man may not live by bread alone, but the iconic French stick is a mainstay of meals across the country, from homes to […]

MOSCOW—Russian authorities opened an investigation on Oc.t 10, after a plane with 91 passengers on board rolled off the runway on landing in Russia’s far east. The Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet-100, which was on an internal flight, landed in the region of Sakha in the early hours of Wednesday, but then came off the runway for […]

SOFIA—A Bulgarian man has been detained in Germany over the rape and murder of television journalist Viktoria Marinova, officials said on Oct. 10, as Prime Minister Boyko Borissov defended his government’s record on press freedoms. The suspect was identified by Bulgarian authorities as Severin Krasimirov from Ruse, Marinova’s hometown where her body was found in […]

ISTANBUL—The Latest on the disappearance of a Saudi journalist who went missing after visiting his country’s consulate in Istanbul (all times local): 11 a.m. A private Turkish television channel close to the country’s president has aired surveillance video of missing writer Jamal Khashoggi walking into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and a black van leaving […]

MADRID—Torrential rainstorms caused flash flooding on the Spanish island of Mallorca, killing at least six people and leaving nine others missing on Oct. 10, authorities said. Two of the victims were British nationals, said Antonia Bauza, the deputy mayor of Sant Llorenc, the town hardest hit by the downpours, which is about 60 kilometers (40 […]

Mixed martial arts champion and national hero Khabib Nurmagemedov was swarmed by thousands of jubilant fans after returning home to the Russian republic of Dagestan following his Oct. 6 win over the Irish fighter Conor McGregor. Nurmagomedov’s fourth-round submission win at the UFC 229 event in Las Vegas, Nevada, was marred by a ringside brawl sparked […]

LONDON—For Italy’s sovereign debt the timing could hardly be worse: A budget standoff with Brussels is driving the country’s bond yields to new peaks, just as two credit agencies are weighing whether to cut their ratings to within one notch of “junk.” But as markets move to price in chances of the eurozone’s biggest sovereign […]

BERLIN—German exports unexpectedly fell in August, data showed on Oct. 9, in a fresh sign that manufacturers in Europe’s largest economy shifted into a lower gear over the summer months. The Federal Statistics Office said seasonally adjusted exports edged down by 0.1 percent on the month, missing a Reuters forecast of a 0.3 percent rise. […]

The Braunewell family has been practicing the ancient art of viticulture in the picturesque hills above the Rhine River since the middle of the 17th century. This year’s grape harvest, at the end of Germany’s second-warmest summer on record, was their earliest ever. Across Germany, the “Weinlese” is in full swing, and vintners are delighted […]

LONDON—British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Oct. 9 that in the absence of any explanation by Hong Kong for its refusal to grant a visa to a senior UK journalist he could only conclude it was politically motivated. Chinese-ruled Hong Kong last week rejected an application to renew the work visa of Victor Mallet, […]

South Korea is on alert after a recent Bloomberg report has revealed that Chinese “spy chips” have purportedly been mounted on servers made by San Jose-based tech company Supermicro. Business Korea, an English-language business and financial magazine in South Korea, reported widespread use of Supermicro servers among the country’s financial institutions, large corporations, and government-run […]

RUSE, Bulgaria—Bulgarian police have detained a Romanian citizen of Ukrainian origin for 24 hours and were checking his alibi as they investigated the rape and murder of TV anchor Viktoria Marinova, whose body was found in a park in her Danube hometown of Ruse. “We have in custody a person whose alibi we are checking, […]

The European Commission is urgently recalling a popular “squishy” toy following fears it may be mistaken for food, and cause children to choke on it. The label of the squeeze toy reads “Squishes – Slow Rising Scented Squishy,” according to the EC’s Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products. The foam toy is shaped like a […]