Five Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

[rpannier]

5. Second Romanian Minister Resigns As Scandal Over 'Horror' Retirement Homes Escalates

Romania's Family and Youth Minister Gabriela Firea has resigned, the second member of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu's leftist-led government to become a casualty of a national scandal over revelations about the abusive treatment of people interned in a complex of private retirement homes near Bucharest.

Firea announced her resignation in a Facebook post on July 14 after a private meeting with Ciolacu, who is also her Social Democratic Party (PSD) boss.

"I had a meeting with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu several minutes ago and I handed in my resignation as minister for family, youth, and equality of chances," Firea wrote.

Firea's resignation came a day after Labor Minister Marius Budai left the government after it was revealed that he ignored an official warning from an NGO about the abuses perpetrated at three retirement homes operated in Voluntari, a small town on the outskirts of Bucharest, by an organization called St. Gabriel the Brave.

https://www.rferl.org/a/romania-second-minister-firea-resigns-retirement-homes-abuse/32503848.html

4. Police call off search for missing two-year-old Emile in French Alps

Police in France have called off the search for a toddler who went missing last Saturday in the south-eastern alpine village of Le Vernet.

Hundreds of police officers, soldiers, and volunteers led desperate efforts to locate the two-and-a-half-year-old, named Emile, who was last seen by two neighbours leaving the family home alone.

snip

Local prosecutor Rémy Avon said in a statement that said the "physical search" could go no further, but added that "the investigation into the causes of his disappearance will continue, notably through analysis of the considerable amount of information and elements gathered over four days."

https://www.euronews.com/2023/07/13/police-call-off-search-for-missing-two-year-old-emile-in-french-alps

3. Polish Doctors Examine Georgia's Saakashvili After Video Showing Extreme Weight Loss

Polish doctors have begun examining imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on July 12. Morawiecki said at his request a team of Polish doctors began the medical examination. "We do not leave our friends in trouble,” he said without providing details about the examination. Ukraine last week announced its readiness to discuss transporting Saakashvili to Ukraine for treatment after a video of Saakashvili's interrogation showed severe weight loss and a generally unhealthy appearance. Saakashvili, a Ukrainian citizen, is currently in a clinic in Tbilisi and accepts only limited treatment, the clinic said.

https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-saakashvili-polish-doctors/32500962.html


2. Court grants reprieve to brown bear that killed Italian jogger

An Italian court has suspended a ruling that a brown bear should be put down for mauling to death a jogger in the Alps.

The animal, a 17-year-old female identified as JJ4, was captured after the fatal attack on Andrea Papi, 26, near his village of Caldes on 5 April. He was the first person in Italy to be killed in a bear attack in modern times.

Judges at the Rome administrative court, known as the council of state, said on Friday that while the bear should be kept in captivity for public safety, the cull order was “disproportionate” and unnecessary.

It was another reprieve for the bear, whose fate has grabbed media attention since the attack. The head of the province of Trento, where the attack took place, has pushed for the bear to be destroyed, while animal rights groups have fought for it to be spared.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/14/brown-bear-jj4-killed-jogger-granted-reprieve-italian-court


1. Tempers Flare In Kosovo's Parliament Over Wiretaps Of Contact With Fugitive Serbian Party Chief

A fight broke out on July 13 during a session of Kosovo's parliament following the publication of wiretapped recordings involving the head of the ruling Vetevendosje parliamentary group, who admitted she had spoken with the wanted deputy head of the Serbian List party.

The brawl erupted after an opposition lawmaker threw water on Prime Minister Albin Kurti as he spoke about the controversy touched off by the release of the recordings.

The wiretapped conversations of Mimoza Kusari-Lila, head of Kurti's Vetevendosje, speaking with the Serbian List deputy head, Milan Radoicic, were released earlier this week.

https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-brawl-contacts-radoicic/32503155.html

[TexasTowelie]

1. I was aware of #3, but the rest slipped under my radar.

That's somewhat disappointing considering all of the videos that I post from European media.

[rpannier]

2. A lot of my stuff leans toward eastern Europe

RFERL does a good job of covering the region.
Most news sources I find cover Europe to Germany, they hit the northeast a bit, and then ignore anything in the SE, except for Greece
I have fund that region to be the most volatile and unpredictable in Europe

[Wounded Bear]

6. Yeah, well, there is about 1,000 years of history of that volatility...

in the Balkans and SE Europe. Lots of ethnic groups still searching for their own national identity. Events there triggered WWI. They weren't the "cause" so to speak, but they provided the spark that ignited the powder keg that was Europe of the time.

[2naSalit]

3. Thanks...

Would have missed those.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Thanks for these informative posts.

[malaise]

5. Thanks - Long time no see

[FakeNoose]

7. K & R thanks for this