The Prague Post Online: News: European Roundup

October 12th, 2008

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UK Police detained a total of eight suspects, several believed to be doctors, after two unexploded car bombs were discovered in central London June 29 and a vehicle in flames rammed into the Glasgow airport June 30. Police are investigating the possibility that the incidents were connected to an al Qaeda terrorist plot, Reuters reported. The eighth suspect was detained in Australia.

PORTUGAL Portugal took over the European Union presidency July 2. Prime Minister Jose Socrates launched the six-month term, which it takes over from Germany, in the town of Porto. Portugal’s presidential priorities are economic reform, the EU treaty and defining Europe’s place in the world, according to the BBC.

UK A smoking ban that came into effect July 1 in England bans lighting up in all public buildings, including pubs, clubs, restaurants and shopping malls. Breaking the ban carries a fine of £50 ($101/2,130 Kč). Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have bans in effect.

UK A Scottish judicial review board ruled June 28 that a man might have been wrongly convicted of participation in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. The 800-page report concluded that “a miscarriage of justice may have occurred” in the case of Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence officer. Al-Megrahi is now appealing the verdict.

GERMANY Travelers across Germany faced delays after rail workers staged early morning warning strikes July 2, German daily Der Spiegel reported. The strikes came after labor talks broke down. The two rail workers’ unions are calling for a salary raise of 7 percent, while Deutsche Bahn has offered two raises of 2 percent each.

GREECE Massive wildfires on the outskirts of Athens claimed two lives by June 28 and emitted a thick black cloud over the city. The fires began June 27 and by the next day had engulfed thousands of acres across the country. Police declared at least one fire the result of arson.

BOSNIA Slovak diplomat Miroslav Lajčák took over as the peace overseer for Bosnia July 2. Lajčák has said his goal will be to get Bosnia to comply with reforms demanded by the West. He is the sixth holder of the post since the end of the Bosnian war and will serve for one year.

SPAIN Two people charged with trying to extort the parents of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann appeared in Spanish court June 30, police told the BBC. Italian Danilo Chemello, 61, and Aurora Pereira Vaz, 54, from Portugal, are believed to have been attempting to extort the McCann family by promising information on her whereabouts. Madeleine was kidnapped May 3 from a Portugal hotel room.

CYPRUS A U.S. diplomat who had been missing since June 28 was found dead July 2 in the hills outside of Nicosia. Lt. Col. Thomas K. Mooney, 45, worked as a defense attaché in the Nicosia-based embassy. He was last seen leaving in his car in the afternoon of June 28 and the car was found near his body. The cause of death remains under investigation.

SERBIA About 600 ethnic Albanians demonstrated in Kosovo June 30, demanding a referendum to end the political deadlock regarding its demand for independence, according to Reuters. The crowd lobbed rolls of toilet paper at parliament and mocked political effigies. The protest ended peacefully.

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