UK Lockdown Causes Biggest Drop in New Car Sales Since World War Two

British new car sales fell nearly 30% last year in their biggest annual drop since 1943 as lockdown measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus hit the sector, a trade industry body said Wednesday. Demand stood at 1.63 million cars in 2020, preliminary data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed. It …

French Health Minister Details Plan to Accelerate COVID-19 Vaccinations

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said Tuesday the nation was going to “amplify, accelerate and simplify” its COVID-19 vaccination program after coming under fire for the initial slow roll out of the program.In an interview with French radio, Veran said more than 2,000 doctors, nurses and other health care workers have received vaccinations. He also …

Conditions Deteriorate for Thousands of Migrants Stranded in Bosnia

Conditions continue to deteriorate for thousands of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers stranded in Bosnia as politicians fail to reach a solution to alleviate their plight, the International Organization for Migration warned.About 6,000 migrants are housed in official accommodation centers in Bosnia while nearly 3,000 other migrants, including women and children, are sleeping outdoors in Una …

Norway Says More Than 50% of New Cars Are Electric

A report released Tuesday says Norway has become the first country in the world in which 50 percent of all new cars it sold are electric.Norway’s Road Traffic Information Council (Opplysningsradet for Veitrafikken) says electric vehicles accounted for 54.3 percent of new car sales in 2020, up from 42.4 percent a year earlier.The group says …

Public Frustration Grows as France’s Vaccination Campaign Lags 

In France, public frustration with the government is growing as the nation’s coronavirus immunization campaign gets off to a slow start. In response, officials say they will speed up and widen the vaccine rollout.As of Monday, only 2,500 people had received the vaccine against COVID-19 in France — most of them nursing home residents and their …

New COVID-19 Lockdowns in Britain; New Variant Found in New York

Britain’s prime minister announced a fresh round of lockdowns Monday, closing schools and nonessential shops, as the country begins vaccinating health care workers and the elderly.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people must stay at home until at least mid-February, noting that British hospitals are under more strain now than they have been at any point …

Heavy Snow Buries Parts of Northern Italy

European weather forecasters say about 2 meters (over 6 feet) of snow fell early Monday in parts of northern Italy’s alpine region, blocking roads and burying cars and houses in some areas.From its Twitter account, the Alpine-Adriatic Meteorological Society posted video from Italy’s northeastern area of Comelico, near the border with Austria. Snow blocked the …

Scotland to Impose Full Lockdown as COVID-19 Cases Surge

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Monday the country will impose a total lockdown for the rest of January as a surging number of COVID-19 cases threatens to overwhelm hospitals.Speaking before parliament, Sturgeon said she is more concerned about the current situation than at any time since the pandemic began last March. She said the …

British Health Secretary Doesn’t Rule Out New Restrictions as Coronavirus Continues to Spread

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday the government is not ruling out new restrictions as the coronavirus continues to spread even in areas with the strictest constraints.In television interviews, Hancock said a new variant spreads more easily than the original strains of the virus and Britain’s three-tiered system of restrictions is proving less effective …

Hope Fades in Norway Landslide That Left 7 Dead; 3 Missing

Norwegian officials insisted Monday that there was “still hope” in finding survivors in air pockets five days after a landslide killed at least seven people as it carried away homes in a village north of the capital. Three people are still missing.   Police spokesman Roger Pettersen said search efforts in the landslide-hit village of …

7th Body Recovered from Norway Mudslide; 3 Still Missing

Rescue workers have uncovered a seventh body from a landslide that buried homes in a village near Norway’s capital, police said Sunday, but hopes persist that three people still missing might yet be found alive. The tragedy occurred early Wednesday when several houses were destroyed and shifted hundreds of meters under a torrent of mud in the village of Ask, 25 kilometers (15 miles) …

Spanish-flagged Boat Rescues 265 Migrants in Mediterranean

A Spanish-flagged humanitarian ship on Sunday was seeking a port of safety for 265 migrants its crew rescued from the Mediterranean Sea in the last few days. The Open Arms charity tweeted that its vessel on Saturday had safely brought aboard 96 migrants who had been adrift in a wooden boat with without life vests in …

Johnson: Scotland Must Wait a Generation for New Vote

Another Scottish independence referendum should not take place for a generation, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday, as Scotland’s leader renewed calls for a fresh vote in the wake of Brexit.   “Referendums in my experience, direct experience, in this country are not particularly jolly events,” the prime minister told BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show.”   “They don’t …

Pope Criticizes People Going on Holiday to Flee COVID Lockdowns

Pope Francis condemned on Sunday people who had gone abroad on holiday to escape coronavirus lockdowns, saying they needed to show greater awareness of the suffering of others.Speaking after his weekly noon blessing, Francis said he had read newspaper reports of people catching flights to flee government curbs and seek fun elsewhere.”They didn’t think about …

Fifth Body Found in Norway Mudslide; 5 Still Missing

Rescue workers have uncovered a fifth body four days after a landslide buried homes near Norway’s capital, police said Sunday, as the search goes on for five people still missing.The tragedy occurred in the early hours of Wednesday when houses were destroyed and shifted hundreds of meters under a torrent of mud at the village …

Hundreds Charged With COVID Violations After French New Year’s Rave

More than 1,200 revelers were booked for breaking coronavirus restrictions as an illegal rave in northwestern France ended Saturday after more than two days of partying that saw clashes with police.Police had failed to stop the underground event, which drew around 2,500 people from Thursday night to two empty warehouses in Lieuron, south of the …

In Graying Italy, the Old Defy Biases Laid Bare by Pandemic

From his newsstand at the bottom of two hilly streets in Rome, Armando Alviti has been dispensing newspapers, magazines and good cheer to locals from before dawn till after dusk nearly every day for more than a half-century.“Ciao, Armando,” his customers greet him as part of their daily routine. “Ciao, amore (love)” he calls back. …

EU-China Investment Deal Threatens US-Europe Relations

Just weeks before taking office, the incoming U.S. administration of President-elect Joe Biden has received an unwelcome housewarming gift from the European Union in the form of a wide-ranging investment treaty agreed to in principle between the EU and China. The agreement, concluded this week after seven years of talks, is a significant coup for Germany, …

Lives of 900 Migrants in Bosnia at Risk as Impasse Over Shelter Continues 

Humanitarian agencies are urging Bosnian authorities to resolve their differences and provide immediate protection for hundreds of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers who are living without shelter in wintertime temperatures.About 900 people have been stranded for more than a week near the former Lipa Emergency Tent Camp in northern Bosnia. They have been living in dire …

British Firms Mull Relocating To ‘Other Side of Brexit Curtain’

Despite Britain sealing a post-Brexit deal with the European Union, one that will allow for tariff-free trade in goods, some British firms are considering fully or partially relocating their businesses to mainland Europe, saying they fear for their prospects if they don’t.   How many is unclear — no one is yet keeping tally.   …

Pope Reappears After Pain Flare-up, Calls for Peace in New Year Message

Pope Francis reappeared Friday after chronic sciatic pain forced him to miss the Church’s New Year services and made no mention of his ailment as he delivered his traditional appeal for world peace.   The pope was unable to attend services Thursday and again Friday morning because of the sciatica – a relatively common problem …

Into the Brexit Unknown, a Divided United Kingdom Goes It Alone

The United Kingdom exits the European Union’s orbit Thursday, turning its back on a tempestuous 48-year liaison with the European project for an uncertain post-Brexit future in its most significant geopolitical shift since the loss of empire.Brexit, in essence, takes place at the strike of midnight in Brussels, or 2300 London time (GMT), when the …