England: Worst floods in 60 years
Emergency workers rescued hundreds of trapped people Monday as water swallowed swaths of central England in the worst flooding to hit the country for 60 years. Officials said some rivers were still rising, with the western section of the rain-swollen River Thames on the verge of bursting its banks. Hundreds of thousands of people were without electricity or drinking water, and farmers saw their summer crops destroyed. A stadium in Oxford was stocked with blankets, food and bedding for up to 1,500 people in case the River Thames burst its banks.
Wales: Sacred bull might be killed
The decision to slaughter a bull revered as sacred by his Hindu caretakers is justified, a British court ruled Monday, overturning a decision by a lower court last week. The ruling could spell the end for Shambo, a 6-year-old Friesian bull at the Skanda Vale monastery, whose life has been in jeopardy since he tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in April.
Belgium: EU mulls Darfur mission
European Union nations meeting in Brussels agreed Monday to start planning for a possible 3,000-member peacekeeping mission to Chad to help provide security and aid to tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the conflict in neighboring Darfur region of Sudan. A meeting of EU foreign ministers said any mission had to be backed by the United Nations “with a clearly defined exit strategy” and in cooperation with the African Union, neighboring countries and humanitarian aid groups.
France: Bid for record ends in death
A veteran pilot trying to break a speed record was killed Monday when his small, experimental plane crashed into a Basel, Switzerland, apartment building and playground shortly after taking off across the border in France. Six people on the ground were slightly injured, authorities said. Hans Georg Schmid was trying to break a world record for a solo single-engine flight over 4,970 miles with a C1-D class of plane, aiming to reach Oshkosh, Wis., in 30 hours.
From Herald news services
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