Europe news

MSC Cruises goes in big on the U.S. market The MSC Meraviglia arrived here on Monday from Europe, with MSC Cruises executives noting more than once that it is the largest cruise ship to dock in Manhattan. The Meraviglia (pronounced Mer-a-VEE-lia) is sailing three cruises from New York, and then it will reposition to Miami for the winter season. The Meraviglia joins the MSC Seaside, the line’s year-round ship in the Caribbean, and the MSC Divina and MSC Armonia this fall. For the first time, MSC has four ships serving the North American market simultaneously. American Airlines Extends Boeing 737 MAX Cancellations Into January Officials from American Airlines announced Wednesday they are extending the cancellation of Boeing 737 MAX flights through at least January 15. According to Reuters.com, American revealed it believes software updates to the 737 MAX fleet will soon be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will lead to the “recertification of the … [Read more...] about Travel News: October 10, 2019

Eric Tabanou, director of the France Tabac, factory in the Dordogne region of southwest France, said keeping the country's last tobacco processing site open became unviable. AFP/Mehdi FEDOUACH Anti-smoking campaigners may cheer its demise, but for its workers and local tobacco growers, the closure of the France Tabac factory after 34 years of operation is a devastating blow to the Dordogne region of southwest France. "It's a fine mess," lamented Chanquoi, 61, who has worked for over 30 years at the factory in the town of Sarlat-la-Caneda. "It makes you well up a bit, it's hard. I am at the end of my career, but for my friends ... who have a decade of career ahead of them, it is tough," he added. In its heyday after opening in 1985 in one of France's main tobacco growing regions, the factory was a mainstay of the local economy, extending over 10 hectares and processing 20,000 tonnes of tobacco leaves from France and Europe every year. "Our know-how is recognised across all of … [Read more...] about Final puffs for France”s last tobacco factory

US President Donald Trump has angered even his own Republican allies with the Syria pullout decision AFP/Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS The White House issued a late-night statement Sunday that it was effectively abandoning the Kurds who did most of the fighting alongside US forces to drive Islamic State extremists from northern Syria. Trump defended this in tweets Monday as part of his longstanding wish to end US military entanglements in the Middle East, or what he branded "ridiculous Endless Wars." The US pullout from Turkish border areas will allow Ankara, which has spent decades fighting Kurdish guerrilla groups, to launch cross-border operations. And it weakens the US hand in the broader chess game of Syria's civil war, involving Iran, Russia, European powers and Israel. In a sense there should be no surprise. Railing against the costly occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and - despite his bellicose rhetoric - holding off from military strikes against Iran, Trump believes he is … [Read more...] about Trump walks away from Syria and Republican allies

Updated 5:36 am CDT, Tuesday, October 8, 2019 LIEVIN, France (AP) — The Louvre has opened a new art conservation center some 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Paris to protect the museum's priceless artworks from its flood-prone reserves. The Louvre Conservation Center was inaugurated Tuesday in Lievin in northern France, near another outpost of the museum, the Louvre-Lens. Protecting the museum's works from the nearby Seine River has taken on additional urgency in recent years, as severe floods in 2016 and 2018 forced the Louvre to evacuate artworks and close exhibits. Officials hope to store some 250,000 artworks at the new center in five years' time. About half of the newly-constructed building's sprawling space will house art from the famed Paris museum, the world's biggest. Conservation workrooms, study halls and a photo studio in the new center will be used for research. … [Read more...] about Louvre opens center to protect art from flooding

Updated 5:40 am PDT, Wednesday, October 9, 2019 Police officers cross a wall at a crime scene in Halle, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. A gunman fired several shots on Wednesday in the German city of Halle. Police say a person has been arrested after a shooting that left two people dead. (Sebastian Willnow/dpa via AP) less Police officers cross a wall at a crime scene in Halle, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. A gunman fired several shots on Wednesday in the German city of Halle. Police say a person has been arrested after a ... more Photo: Sebastian Willnow, AP Photo: Sebastian Willnow, AP Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Image 1 of 4 Police officers cross a wall at a crime scene in Halle, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. A gunman fired several shots on Wednesday in the German … [Read more...] about The Latest: Footage shows apparent shooting in Germany