France: Vulture peril A WOMAN of 86 was badly injured in Verrieres after a vulture inflicted deep wounds on her ankles and arms in what wildlife experts said was the first case of this kind in France and possibly the world. Doctors said she could lose the use of two fingers after the bird, which remains at large, severed tendons in her hand.
Don’t come FRANCE’S new Interior minister Bruno Retailleau listed his priorities at a meeting with the authorities in 21 administrations accounting for 80 per cent of France’s deportation orders. The first of these was immigration, Retailleau said, who stressed his wish to reduce both legal and illegal immigration.
Finland: Kylie tour KYLIE MINOGUE, who has now released her schedule for the European leg of next year’s Tension Tour, is booked to appear at the Espoo Metro Arena on June 23. The world tour, her biggest in 10 years, is due to start next February in Australia, after which the pop star will go on to perform in Asia and North America.
Puck stops here ATTEMPTS to sell the empty Hartwell Arena, once used for events and ice hockey in Helsinki and linked to Putin-friendly oligarchs Gennady Timchenko and the Rotenbergs, fell through once more. According to The Insider, the Russian side of the deal backed out, unwilling to sell the installation on unfavourable terms.
Ireland: Trial begins BRENDAN MULLIN, 60, a former rugby international who appeared before a Dublin court on October 8, is accused of stealing over €500,000 from the Bank of Ireland Private Bank. Mullin, who once worked for the bank, pleaded not guilty to nine of the charges against him in a case expected to last up to five weeks.
Urban foxes UNIVERSITY OF GALWAY investigators asked the public to register any sightings of urban red foxes, especially in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Derry and Water, Ireland’s largest cities. The survey aims to map the foxes’ locations and to get a better understand of human relationships with them.
Portugal: Wolf killers THREE people whose identities were not revealed were fined a total of €20,000 and received suspended sentences of between seven and 26 months for trapping and slaughtering six wolves in their Peneda-Geres national park habitat. The court heard that their deaths also endangered the renewal of their pack.
All clear THE sports pavilion at Lagao’s Espamol night school was closed and PE classes cancelled after routine tests detected the presence of the bacteria responsible for Legionnaire’s disease in the showers. The school’s deputy manager confirmed that there had been no legionella cases amongst students or staff.
Sweden: Sent home FOLLOWING a lengthy investigation, Uruguay’s ambassador to Sweden, Federico Perazza, was suspended and recalled to Montevideo on serious charges. Embassy sources revealed that Perazza had used embassy funds for personal expenses, drove the official car without a licence and had mistreated officials.
Family affair: THE government intends to introduce legislation preventing marriage between cousins, although this has been allowed until now. The Justice minister explained that marriages between cousins were often arranged by other family members, adding that this often included a background of honour-based oppression.
