The first wave of the pests emerged at the end of 2019, numbering in hundreds of billions, multiplying by a factor of 20 per generation, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The second generation in March and April numbered in the trillions. A plague that spread like wildfire — up to now.
At least 10 people were injured when an explosion erupted in a warehouse holding gas canisters in Lebanon Sunday, France24 reports. The wounded were rushed to the hospital by Lebanese Red Cross rescuers who had been sent to the site of the explosion near Lebanon’s border with Syria.
Suspected Islamist militants have killed scores of people in simultaneous attacks on two villages in Niger, near the border with Mali, security officials said.
Hungary rushed to be the first European Union state to vaccinate people against the coronavirus, amid a rising death toll. Besides Hungary, batches of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 jab arrived across the EU as authorities prepared to administer the first shots to the most vulnerable people.
Britian and the European Union avoided a messy divorce on Christmas Eve as they agreed on a trade deal worth nearly $1 trillion.
While France’s President Emanuel Macron has said vaccination against COVID-19 will not be mandatory, French Prime Minister Jean Castex got cabinet approval Monday for a bill that would require proof of vaccination in order to access public transport among locations and activities, France24 reports. The bill now passes to the French parliament.
Authorities in several European countries banned flights from Britain on Sunday amid mounting fears over an infectious new strain of COVID-19.
Church leaders and local authorities say they are preparing Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, the Biblical birthplace of Jesus, despite a reported increase in coronavirus cases. “Bethlehem is going to celebrate Christmas. And Christmas will not be canceled,” pledged Mayor Anton Salman.
A Paris court has found 14 people guilty of involvement in a series of deadly Islamist terror attacks that shook the nation and much of Europe.
Governments in several European countries have tightened coronavirus restrictions ahead of Christmas despite mounting protests and upcoming vaccines.
The U.S. government stayed away from a weekend summit marking the fifth anniversary of the controversial Paris Agreement on climate change, where world leaders expressed worries about Earth’s future.
London and Brussels have agreed to continue talks on a crucial trade deal to avoid Britain’s turbulent exit from the European Union’s orbit by the end of the month. The announcement followed difficult negotiations between the two sides to prevent a messy divorce on Sunday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France will continue to make economic and defense deals with Egypt, despite Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s heaviest crackdown on dissent in the Arab country’s modern history, the Washington Times reports. While he gave this assurance during the Egyptian leader’s two-day state visit to France, Macron emphasized that he and el-Sissi have “disagreements” on human rights issues.
Britain, France, and Germany say Iran’s apparent plan to install additional advanced centrifuges at its main nuclear enrichment facility is “deeply worrying” and contrary to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
After Britain’s exit from the European Union, or Brexit, the two sides now face deadlock over an important trade deal. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen instructed representatives to secure their annual $1 trillion in trade.
Following major protests across France, President Emmanuel Macron’s governing party announced Monday that it will “totally rewrite” a controversial new law that would have made it an offense to film and identify police officers online if there is intent to harm their “physical or psychological integrity,” Euro News reports.
A new wave of coronavirus infections is overshadowing the 35th anniversary of Europe’s border-free Schengen Area. France and Germany are among European Union member states facing significant challenges amid rising coronavirus infection in Europe ahead of Christmas.
France will have to review the restrictions it created for worship attendance to combat the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Western European nation’s highest court.
Protests roiled France on Saturday as more than 133,000 people demonstrated against a security law that would restrict photographs of police officers from being published.
Amid a mounting public outcry, France’s interior minister on Tuesday ordered an internal police investigation into police violence against migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty. He made the announcement after security forces were filmed tossing migrants out of tents while evacuating a Paris protest camp.