Europe

Italy: Venice Promotes Refilling Water Bottles at Fountains

Date: June 11th, 2008 |

With some 19 million visitors a year and the majority of them wandering the city during the hot summer months, Venice is left with millions of plastic water bottles to dispose of when the tourists leave. Authorities are combating the scourge with a campaign to persuade visitors to refill their bottles at the city’s 122 [read more]

Czech Republic: New Tourist Police in Prague

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

No Comments

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 |

1 comment

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 |

No Comments

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 |

No Comments

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]

Balkan Region: UN Report Calls Balkans One of Europe’s Safest Places

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

No Comments

According to a UN report, the Balkan region is now one of the safest in Europe. The report found that this region that was wracked by violence and war in the 1990s now has lower rates of homicide, robbery and rape than Western Europe. Of the nine countries in the study—Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, [read more]

Norway: Young Speedsters a Menace on the Highways

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

No Comments

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 |

2 comments

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 |

No Comments

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 |

No Comments

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]