Germany shuts 9/11 plotters’ mosque in Hamburg
August 9, 2010
German police have shut down the Hamburg mosque where the 9/11 hijackers met before their suicide attacks on the US in 2001.
Police said they believed the Taiba mosque was again being used as a meeting point for extremists.
Greek police clash with hauliers amid crippling strike
July 29, 2010
Greek police have fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of lorry drivers protesting in Athens.
The drivers are refusing to obey an emergency government order for them to end a crippling strike.
EU to tighten sanctions over Iran nuclear programme
July 26, 2010
EU foreign ministers are set to formally approve restrictions on Iran’s energy sector, to block its controversial nuclear programme.
Sanctions will target foreign trade, financial services, and the oil and gas sectors - the backbone of the economy.
Troops patrol French village of Saint-Aignan after riot
July 19, 2010
Three hundred soldiers are patrolling a normally tranquil village in France’s Loire Valley after dozens of armed travellers clashed with police.
The riot erupted on Sunday morning in Saint-Aignan after a gendarme had shot and killed a traveller who had driven through a checkpoint, officials said.
Solar-powered plane lands safely after 26-hour flight
July 8, 2010
An experimental solar-powered aircraft launched on Wednesday has landed safely in Switzerland after successfully flying through the night.
The feat is a step toward the makers’ aim of circling the globe using the power of the Sun to fuel the plane.
The aircraft used super-efficient solar cells and batteries to stay in the air after the Sun’s rays had faded.
The plane touched down at an airfield about 30 miles (50 km) from the Swiss capital Bern at 0900 (0700 GMT).
The plane landed at Payerne airport after a total flight time of 26 hours.
During the flight it reached a height of 8,700 m (28,543 ft).
It is the longest and highest flight recorded by a solar-powered plane.
The four-engine aircraft was steered by Andre Borschberg, a former fighter jet pilot from Switzerland.
The plane has 12,000 solar cells arranged on its wingspan which collected enough energy to power the plane for the flight.
‘Perpetual flight’
The designers, the Solar Impulse team led by Mr Borschberg and fellow aviator Bertrand Piccard, say that this proves that a plane can be kept in the air around the clock.
“It’s the first time ever that a solar airplane has flown through the night,” Mr Piccard told journalists.
“That was the moment that proved the mission was successful, we made it.”
The plane emerged from the darkness of night with three hours power remaining in its batteries, more than had been expected.
“Nothing can prevent us from another day and night, and the myth of perpetual flight.”
The team will now build a new, more advanced, model of the plane.
They aim to circumnavigate the globe by 2013.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
Bronislaw Komorowski leads Polish presidential poll
July 5, 2010
Bronislaw Komorowski, Poland’s acting president, appears to be heading for victory in a close presidential election after hours of uncertainty.
He now has 52.6%, with rival Jaroslaw Kaczynski on 47.4%, with 95% of votes counted.
Polls open in Polish presidential election run-off
July 4, 2010
The people of Poland are voting in a run-off election to determine the country’s next president.
Observers say the final result between Bronislaw Komorowski and Jaroslaw Kaczynski could be close.
Mr Komorowski has been acting president since his predecessor, Mr Kaczynski’s twin brother Lech, was killed in a plane crash as he travelled to Russia in April.
Hillary Clinton oversees US missile base deal in Poland
July 3, 2010
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has overseen the signing in Poland of a key missile base agreement.
The deal sets up a permanent US missile base as part of a revamped version of the controversial missile defence shield.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces electoral test
June 30, 2010
Voting has begun for a new German president in what is being seen as a test of the popularity of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.
The role is largely ceremonial but the election may also become a verdict on her raft of austerity measures.
Italian mafia boss arrested in France
June 27, 2010
A top mafia boss and one of Italy’s most wanted men has been arrested in the south of France after a decade on the run, officials said.
Giuseppe Falsone is thought to be the mafia boss for the province of Agrigento in Sicily.