Europe

Czech Republic: New Tourist Police in Prague

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

A new tourist police squad is in place for the summer in Prague’s main tourist areas. In the stretch between Wenceslas Square and Prague Castle via Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge, at least seven special police are on patrol from 10 a.m. to midnight. Their mission is to combat street crime, especially pickpockets [read more]

Italy: Thieves Use Drugs to Rob Tourists

Date: May 28th, 2008 |

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Thieves on Italian trains are increasingly using drugs to sedate victims before making off with their possessions. One method they use is to board sleeper trains and spray a narcotic into cabins before helping themselves to luggage. In a related incident, an elderly American tourist on his way to Hungary after a Mediterranean cruise with [read more]

Switzerland and Austria: Euro 2008 Soccer Tournament June 7-29

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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Switzerland and Austria will host the Euro 2008 soccer tournament June 7-29, and because it is a major sporting event that is expected to draw 5 million fans, concerns have surfaced about possible terrorist attacks. Posts have appeared on Islamist web sites calling for attacks on the tournament, but Swiss authorities have stated that they [read more]

United Kingdom: Strike on London Underground

Date: April 2nd, 2008 |

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A 72-hour strike on the London Underground is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. April 6 and end at the same time April 9. The two labor unions calling for the strike represent 7,500 station staff and drivers who are protesting what they consider a compromise of safety but what management says has nothing to [read more]

Spain: Authorities Worry About ETA Summer Violence

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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In the past few weeks the Basque separatist group ETA has assassinated a former politician and detonated a car bomb outside a police station in Calahorra in northern Spain, raising fears among security officials that the group may be planning attacks on tourist areas this summer. The concern arises from an assessment that ETA is [read more]

Norway: Young Speedsters a Menace on the Highways

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

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Authorities in Norway are concerned about the high rate of traffic fatalities this year, with 106 deaths so far since January, up 50 percent from last year. Historically, most traffic deaths occur here from June through August, so the numbers are troubling. Many of the fatal accidents have involved speeding, intoxication, or both, and young [read more]

Italy: Naples Garbage Still Rots, Raises Health Concerns

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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For months Naples has been living in a garbage heap because all dumps are full and there has been no place to haul away debris. Now the U.S. military is sampling tap water and soil for pesticides and other pollutants to gauge the health risks to its personnel of living in and around the city. [read more]

Poland: Crime in Warsaw

Date: April 2nd, 2008 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Warsaw reported that crime throughout the country is declining but there are places in Warsaw known for criminal activity that are best avoided. Two separate incidents since mid March occurred in the evening near the Wilanow Bus Stop when American juveniles were accosted by young Polish men. No one was seriously [read more]

Italy: Naples Garbage Cleanup Making Progress

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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The piles of uncollected garbage that plagued Naples the past several months are gone from the center of the city thanks to the efforts of “trash tsar” Gianni De Gennaro, but the damage has been done to the area’s tourism industry. Business at hotels and restaurants has dried up and the city is largely empty [read more]

Germany: Berlin Transit Strike Extended

Date: March 12th, 2008 |

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Striking transit workers in Berlin threatened to extend their strike through March 23 because negotiations were making little progress. Berlin’s bus, tram and underground network will be disrupted should the strike continue. A threatened nationwide rail strike was averted when negotiators reached agreemen [read more]