Europe

“Because at that time we saw that new cases all over Europe [and] actually [they] had been in the skiing places in the Alps, in Italy, Austria. I mean this is a crowded place, the ski resorts, and then you have these cabins that you go up the mountain and these are really crammed. Yeah, it’s just perfect for such a virus. I mean I am pretty sure that this contributed to the wide spread in Europe.” … [Read more...] about Europe should brace for second wave, says EU coronavirus chief

Looking at the impact on Europeans over 30-year intervals, the team found that two in three people in Europe could be affected by weather-related disasters annually by the period 2071-2100 – an estimated 351 million people. By contrast, between 1981 and 2010, 25 million people were exposed – just 5% of Europe’s population. … [Read more...] about Extreme weather deaths in Europe ‘could increase 50-fold by next century’

Poland becoming an authoritarian state - top judge Poland's presidential poll halted over coronavirus Surge in Polish coronavirus cases linked to mine After the results came through on Monday, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) criticised the conduct of the campaign. … [Read more...] about Poland presidential election heads for second round

History of a global icon Hagia Sophia's complex history began in the year 537 when Byzantine emperor Justinian built the huge church overlooking the Golden Horn harbour With its huge dome, it was believed to be the world's largest church and building It remained in Byzantine hands for centuries apart from a brief moment in 1204 when Crusaders raided the city In 1453, in a devastating blow to the Byzantines, Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II captured Istanbul (formerly known as Constantinople) and the victorious conqueror performed Friday prayers inside Hagia Sophia The Ottomans soon converted the building into a mosque, adding four minarets to the exterior and covering ornate Christian icons and gold mosaics with panels of Arabic religious calligraphy After centuries at the heart of the Muslim Ottoman empire, it was turned into a museum in 1934 in a drive to make Turkey more secular Today Hagia Sophia is Turkey's most popular tourist site, attracting more than 3.7 million visitors a year … [Read more...] about Hagia Sophia: Pope ‘pained’ as Istanbul museum reverts to mosque

France and Italy, the second and third biggest economies in the monetary union area, fell into recession as the EU’s statistical agency Eurostat reported a bigger fall in gross domestic product in the quarter ending in March than the financial markets had been expecting. … [Read more...] about As eurozone records 3.8% slump ECB chief warns of worse to come