europe
Police clash with Catalan separatists in Barcelona
Barcelona, Nov 10 (AP/UNB) — Police in Barcelona have briefly clashed with Catalan separatists who are protesting a rally by Spain's national police forces in the Mediterranean city.
Russia hosts meeting on Afghanistan
Moscow, Nov 9 (AP/UNB) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday voiced hope that a conference on Afghanistan taking place in Moscow could help pave the way for peace talks.
Powerful underwater quake off Norwegian Arctic island
Denmark, Nov 9 (AP/UNB) — A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 struck in the Arctic Ocean Friday, northwest of a largely uninhabited and remote Norwegian island, officials said. No injuries or damage were immediately reported.
Stephen Hawking's wheelchair sells for $393,000 at auction
London, Nov 9 (AP/UNB) — A wheelchair used by physicist Stephen Hawking has sold at auction for almost 300,000 pounds ($393,000), while a copy of his doctoral thesis fetched almost 585,000 pounds ($767,000), auctioneer Christie's said Thursday.
Italy working to help Pakistani Christian in blasphemy case
Rome, Nov 7 (AP/UNB) — Italy said Tuesday that it is working to help relocate the family of a Pakistani Christian woman acquitted eight years after being sentenced to death for blasphemy, amid warnings from her husband that the family's life is in danger in Pakistan.
Spain finds 17 dead migrants, 100 survivors in Mediterranean
Madrid, Nov 6 (AP/UNB) — Spain's maritime rescue service says at least 17 people have died trying to reach Spain in boats departing from North Africa.
Storms, floods in Sicily kill at least 12 people; 2 missing
Rome, Nov 4 (AP/UNB) — Storms lashing Sicily have killed at least 12 people with torrential floods, Italian authorities said as the country's leader headed Sunday to the stricken Mediterranean island. Divers pulled out nine of those victims from a home flooded by a rapidly swelling river in the countryside near Palermo.
Pacific archipelago to vote on independence from France
Noumea, Nov 3 (AP/UNB)— Voters in New Caledonia are deciding whether the French territory in the South Pacific should break free from the European country that claimed it in the mid-19th century.
56,800 migrants dead and missing in 4 years
Johannesburg, Nov 1 (AP/UNB) — One by one, five to a grave, the coffins are buried in the red earth of this ill-kept corner of a South African cemetery. The scrawl on the cheap wood attests to their anonymity: "Unknown B/Male."
At least 9 dead as violent storms buffet Italy
Milan, Oct 30 (AP/UNB) — At least nine people have been killed over two days in Italy as heavy rains and high winds buffet much of the country.