Budapest prepares for floods as waters rise
BERLIN The crest of the flood-swollen Danube River surged toward the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Friday, while communities along the Elbe in Germany braced for high water as the river churned toward the North Sea.
Elsewhere in central Europe, communities were beginning to count the cost of devastating floods that have hit Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic.
At least 19 people have died during the last week, and experts say the economic damage in Germany alone could top $14.59 billion.
The Danubes crest left Austria on Friday and entered Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that water levels were above the all-time highs.
The Danube crest was expected to reach Budapest on Monday, and Mayor Istvan Tarlos said that in a worst-case scenario up to 55,000 people may need to be evacuated. But he was confident that only the lowest-lying areas of the city would be exposed to the Danubes expanded flow.
Tarlos said the Danube was expected to rise to around 31 feet in the downtown area, while the walls along the river and temporary defenses would be able to keep out waters rising to as much as 30.5 feet.
Pakistan officials say U.S. drone strike kills 7
PESHAWAR , Pakistan Pakistani intelligence officials say a suspected U.S. drone strike has killed seven militants near the Afghan border.
The strike occurred Friday night in the Shawal area along the border dividing the North and South Waziristan tribal regions.
The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Many Pakistanis oppose U.S. drone strikes because they say they the strikes kill large numbers of innocent civilians something the U.S. denies and end up breeding more extremism by those seeking retribution.The countrys new Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has lashed out against the U.S. drone program and called for an end to it.
Israels Tel Aviv holds annual gay pride parade
TEL AVIV, Israel Drag queens, politicians, grandmothers and shirtless men descended on Tel Aviv in their thousands Friday to party in the annual gay pride parade, the 15th march to be held in an Israeli city that has emerged as one of the worlds most gay-friendly.
Loud dance music beat along the parades route, with rainbows painted on participants faces, arms and bellies. Drag queens in sequins and platform heels waved to the crowd from floats as scantily-clad men bopped and bounced to the music.
Tel Aviv has become a top destination for the gay community. Tourists from Brazil, England, Russia and elsewhere partied in the Tel Aviv parade alongside Israelis on Friday.
We love Israel. We have come four times now. The people are so nice and open-minded and so lovely to us, said a tourist from Germany who gave his name as Klaus, dressed in floppy orange hat with matching high heels. There is a lot of energy here, Klaus said. Marching with his husband, Gerhard, he noted the warm weather and the fact that Tel Aviv has a beach as attractions.
Tel Aviv is one of the few places in the Middle East where gays feel free to walk hand-in-hand and kiss in public. The municipality spends some 550,000 dollars annually on the local community and on attracting gay travelers, Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai told Israeli Army Radio.
Skinheads questioned in deadly Paris brawl
PARIS For years, they operated in the shadows, but militant extreme-right groups have become increasingly visible in France.
Since the death of a university student this week in a melee between skinheads and militant leftists, the French government says it wants to ban extreme-right groups a complex task complicated by the hydra-like nature of the hard-core right.
Five people linked to extreme-right groups were still being questioned Friday in the students death in Paris, according to the prosecutors office. Eight had been initially held.
An autopsy was done Friday on the body of 19-year-old Clement Meric, a student at Sciences Po, one of Frances most prestigious universities. He died in the hospital after the clash Wednesday.
Investigators are trying to establish whether the suspect who reportedly delivered the deadly blow belongs to the Revolutionary Nationalist Youth, a far-right group led by long-time extremist Serge Ayoub, or another extreme-right movement.
Associated Press
