2021-03-12

France

Two Black actors crowned Best Newcomers at France's César film Awards

France's equivalent to the Oscars crowned Jean-Pascal Zadi and Fathia Youssouf as this year's rising stars during a ceremony at the Olympia on Friday evening.

12/03/2021

USA

Minneapolis to pay George Floyd's family $27m

The civil lawsuit settlement comes as jurors are being selected for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who held Floyd down with a knee to the neck for nearly nine minutes.

12/03/2021

Europe Decoded

Viral photo of empty Geneva hospital is 'misinformation'

A viral photo on Twitter of an empty hospital corridor in Geneva is "misinformation", Swiss authorities have said.

12/03/2021

No Comment

Huge plume of smoke as Mount Etna erupts again

Explosions from Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, sent a 4 kilometre-high plume of smoke into the sky on Friday.

12/03/2021

Germany

Third conservative MP in Germany resigns amid corruption allegations

A third conservative politician from German Chancellor Angela Merkel's bloc has resigned over corruption allegations.

12/03/2021

USA

Netflix tests a crackdown on users sharing account passwords

The popular streaming service has been asking some users of the popular streaming site to verify their account via email or text, or to “verify later."

12/03/2021

Italy

Multiple Italian regions to lockdown amid rising COVID cases

Italy will move several regions to "red zones" with shops and restaurants closed amid rising coronavirus cases.

12/03/2021

Spain

Police seize drug 'submarine' designed to smuggle narcotics into Spain

Similar drug-smuggling vessels have in the past been discovered at sea, especially near Central and South America.

12/03/2021

World

Mary Robinson gives her insight on Europe's biggest challenges

"COVID has exacerbated all of the inequalities" - Mary Robinson, chair of the Elders, discusses the pressing issues affecting Europe today.

12/03/2021

Spotlight

How is life getting back to normal in Fukushima 10 years after the disaster?

In partnership with The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

The Kato family are farmers in Fukushima, they are one of the groups that suffered the most after the disaster 10 years ago because consumer confidence had collapsed. But now they say they don't see much apprehension over their produce and they're happy to be back home.

12/03/2021

My Europe Series

Plans to build an airport in Albania threatens migrating bird flyways

The mayor of Vlora in Albania sees his region as the "future queen of the Mediterranean" and he's happy for infrastructural development to increase tourism. But plans to build an airport in an environmentally protected area are leaving bird experts horrified.

12/03/2021

World News

More twins born than ever before amid rise in fertility treatments

Rates of twin births have more than doubled in Europe over the past 30 years and soared by 71 per cent in North America, according to research by the University of Oxford.

12/03/2021

My Europe Series

Europe's week: A year of the COVID pandemic and women's day

These have been the key talking points in Brussels this week.

12/03/2021

Sport

Spain vs. Kosovo World Cup qualifier to go ahead with flags & anthems

Spain does not recognise Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 but states that this month's match will go ahead with national flags and anthems under FIFA rules.

12/03/2021

Green News

Takeaway food could have a staggering impact on your carbon footprint

Delivery companies are looking for environmental solutions after the pandemic created a surge in order numbers.

12/03/2021

Nigeria

Nigeria: Gunmen abduct 30 students in school school attack

The latest abduction took place late Thursday night at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, in the Igabi local government area of Kaduna state, police said.

12/03/2021

Business Planet

Smart solution: how business clusters drive innovation

In partnership with The European Commission

Business Planet heads to Iasi in Romania to see how one tech company got its pharmacy app off the ground thanks to being part of a cluster.

12/03/2021

World News

EU's COVID vaccine distribution is unfair, says Austrian chancellor

He accused some member states of signing non-disclosure agreements about vaccine contracts and called for "transparency and clarification" on vaccine contracts.

12/03/2021

Spotlight

Experts say Fukushima "is a completely different story" to Chernobyl

In partnership with The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

Authorities behind the scenes of the Fukushima nuclear plant clean-up show where they're at with decommissioning and decontaminating. Experts say it's nothing like Chernobyl.

12/03/2021

Hungary

Match us and publish vaccine contracts, Hungary tells EU

Hungary became the first EU country to order the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine. Now it's published its contract with Russia for the jabs.

12/03/2021

Stays

Is home swapping the perfect solution for a post-COVID holiday?

Move over hotels, home swapping is forecast to rocket for holidaymakers following COVID-19.

12/03/2021

United Kingdom

Body of missing woman Sarah Everard found in woodland, say police

The body of Sarah Everard, who went missing in London on March 3, has been found, police confirm.

12/03/2021

Nature

Poland set to resume logging in one of Europe's last primeval forests

Logging in Bialowieza forest was suspended in 2017 after a ruling by the European Court of Justice.

12/03/2021

Slovakia

Slovakia's health minister quits over buying Russia's COVID-19 vaccine

He resigned to avoid Slovakia's ruling coalition crumbling apart.

12/03/2021

Germany

German coronavirus situation 'remains tense' amid rise in infections

Germany has begun exiting lockdown but health officials warned that the situation remains tense amid a rise in infections.

12/03/2021

Europe News

EU's 'vaccine passports' only valid with EMA-approved COVID jabs

It raises a potential problem for Europeans who have had the Russian or Chinese vaccine.

12/03/2021

Experiences

How Ancient Roman ruins can teach the world about accessible travel

We explore the iconic Roman Colosseum from an accessibility perspective.

12/03/2021

World

Scientists race to find 'universal vaccine' effective against variants

Delphine Guyon-Gellin is the manager of the 'universal vaccine' project at Osivax based in Lyon. She says, "We are targeting a part inside the virus, which is not accessible for the antibodies, so we train the immune system to develop another type of response: a cellular immunity"

12/03/2021

World

Germany 'super election year' starts with state and regional ballots

On Sunday two German states with a combined population of over 15 million people will elect new regional governments. It's the start of the so-called 'super election year' culminating with federal elections in September.

12/03/2021

Myanmar

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi charged with illegally taking $600,000

Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested during the February 1 coup. This is the fifth offence she has been charged with since then.

12/03/2021