Category: Europe

Poland seeks to generate support for challenger to Tusk

Poland’s surprise counter-candidate to challenge incumbent Donald Tusk for the post of European Council head is “Poland’s only candidate in the game,” and diplomats are trying to generate support for him, Polish officials said Monday. Poland has proposed Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, 68, a center-right member of the European Parliament, to succeed fellow Pole Tusk, whose 2 -year term ends May 31. Saryusz-Wolski was expelled from the presidency of the European People’s Party on Monday, two days after being removed from Poland’s Civic Platform party.

UPDATE 1-Spain’s Neinor Homes plans to list its shares

Spanish house builder Neinor Homes said on Monday it intended to list up to 60 percent of its share capital on the Spanish stock exchange in the country’s first market flotation of a residential developer in a decade. Neinor, which is based in Bilbao in northern Spain and is backed by U.S. private equity firm Lone Star, buys land for developments in areas with high demand for housing including Madrid, Barcelona and the Basque Country.

Turning point: Germany hoped to close border in 2015, didna t

Germany planned to close its border with Austria and turn back asylum-seekers in September 2015, a move that could have dramatically changed the course of the European refugee crisis that was at its peak at the time, according to a German newspaper. The Welt am Sonntag reported Sunday that Chancellor Angela Merkel and her ministers agreed Sept.

Islam-inspired terror offences – nearly double in UK in five years’

The number of Islamism-inspired terrorism offences in the UK has nearly doubled in the five years to the end of 2015, according to a new report. The period from 1998 to 2015, studied in a report on Islamist terrorism on British soil, has also seen a surge in the number of women taking part in these crimes with offenders are getting younger and the bulk of the Islamism-inspired threat coming from home-grown terrorism.

UK Foreign Secretary Johnson to Come to Moscow for High-Level Talks

Britain’s foreign secretary will soon travel to Russian Federation on a visit his office says will be consistent with the country’s “engage but beware” policy toward Moscow. U.K.’s Foreign Secretary will visit Moscow in a few weeks to hold talks on UK-Russia relationship, Syria and Ukraine, a foreign office statement said Saturday.

Turkey plans more pro-Erdogan rallies, German concerns mount

Turkey said on Saturday it would keep holding rallies in Germany and the Netherlands to urge Turks living there to back a vote to boost President Tayyip Erdogan’s powers, despite opposition from authorities in both countries. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu criticised German and Dutch restrictions on such gatherings as undemocratic, and said Turkey would press on with them in the run-up to the April 16 referendum.

Trumpism may fall in Europe

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Marine Le Pen, France’s presidential candidate and leader of the French National Front, in Paris on Feb. 28. SINCE THE election of President Trump, the biggest question in Western politics has been whether a version of his populist insurgency, and the similar anti-establishment fever that prompted Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, will spread to the Netherlands, France and Germany in elections scheduled for the coming months.

Montenegro pro-Russian leaders seek Bannon help against NATO

Pro-Russian opposition leaders in Montenegro have asked the White House chief strategist to help block the Balkan country’s NATO bid, saying the Obama administration has presented false facts about its readiness to join the Western military alliance. Two opposition officials, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, wrote in a letter to Steve Bannon, a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump , that the U.S. Senate should vote against the accession.

Croatia creates panel to study its pro-Nazi, Communist past

Croatia’s conservative government on Thursday formed a council to deal with the country’s previous pro-Nazi and Communist regimes in a bid to overcome the deep divisions that still exist over the Balkan nation’s past. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that the move is an attempt to resolve the issues of the past for the future of new generations in the European Union’s newest member state.

[Interview] Sikorski: Let’s give Trump time to be ‘educated’

Sikorski: “I hope EU leaders will have enough statesmanship and persuasive power on things that are out of the ordinary.” The election of Donald Trump has added to the “deep trouble” that Europe is in, but the new US president might change when he learns how the world works, according to former Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski.

Russia-backed rebels take over factories, mines in Ukraine

Russian-backed rebels are taking over scores of factories and mines in eastern Ukraine, many of them belonging to a tycoon whose foundation has been the largest provider of humanitarian aid to a war-battered population. The moves announced Wednesday by the rebels came after a weekslong blockade of the east by Ukrainian nationalists and right-wingers.

US embassy condemns far-right march with US flag in Croatia

In this photo taken Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, a group of right-wing radicals wave Croatian and US flags as they march through downtown Zagreb. The U.S. Embassy in Croatia on Monday strongly denounced the march by far-right nationalists in the Croatian capital who waved an American flag and reportedly voiced support for President Donald Trump.

Laura Carmichael enjoys less-than-glamourous role in A United Kingdom

Laura Carmichael arrived 20 minutes late, apologetic but otherwise unruffled by the flood of black SUVs transporting talent for the Toronto Film Festival and clogging the streets, the sticky heat, or the noisy clatter of lunch patrons in the downtown eatery where we meet. The actress was in full glamour mode, dolled up for a photo shoot taking place after our interview.

US embassy condemns far-right march with US flag in Croatia

The U.S. Embassy in Croatia on Monday strongly denounced a march by far-right nationalists in the Croatian capital of Zagreb who also waved an American flag and reportedly voiced support for President Donald Trump . The embassy said in a statement it “rejects, in the strongest terms, neo-Nazi and pro-Ustasha views expressed during the demonstration of a few people in Zagreb on Sunday.”

Anti-migrant attacks on the rise in Germany

Germany saw more than 3,500 attacks against refugees and asylum shelters last year, interior ministry data showed, amounting to nearly 10 acts of anti-migrant violence a day as the country grapples with a record influx of newcomers. The assaults left 560 people injured, including 43 children, the ministry said in a written response to a parliamentary question.

Thief helps man, 88, up stairs before pinching his wallet

CCTV released by police in Prague, Czech Republic, shows younger man offered a helping hand to an 88-year-old who was struggling to climb the stairs to his flat This is the moment a CCTV camera caught a ‘Good Samaritan’ stealing from an old man after helping him up a flight of stairs. The footage, captured in Prague, the Czech capital, shows the younger man helping an 88-year-old man up the stairs of his block of flats after being out for a stroll.

Neil Carmichael, Stroud MP: Security under the spotlight in Warsaw

Representatives were young people from all parts of the continent and key speakers included senior Polish politicians as well as several from other countries, notably Germany, Spain and, of course, the UK. Brexit certainly featured on the agenda and helped to shape all discussions but the main questions being asked were about the rule of law, liberal democracy, foreign policy and security, and implications flowing from decisions by the Trump Administration.

French candidate Macron to meet Germany’s Merkel on March 16 – source

French independent candidate and presidential election frontrunner Emmanuel Macron will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on March 16, a source close to the former economy minister said on Saturday. A meeting with Merkel, the leader of Europe’s biggest economy, could further bolster the image of the 39 year-old Macron following his meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May in London on Tuesday.

Scottish nationalism is same as racism, London mayor claims

The Labour mayor of London has likened Scottish nationalism to racism, insisting that there is “no difference” between them and those who try to “divide us on the basis of our background, race or religion”. He wrote in the Daily Record newspaper: “The last thing we need now is to pit different parts of our country or sections of our society against each other – or to further fuel division or seek separation.”

ACP wants continued strong relations with UK after Brexit

BRUSSELS, Belgium Secretary General of the African Caribbean and Pacific Dr Patrick I Gomes says while the grouping is supportive of a strong Europe, it has no desire of neglecting its relationship with the United Kingdom following its decision to leave the EU. Speaking at the launch of the book Brexit Securing ACP Economic Interests, in London last week, the Guyanese-born diplomat noted that eight months have passed since the British voted in a referendum to leave the European Union.

“Natural Born Butchers” wine-tasting party pairs cork and pork

In recent years, Prague has been attracting more and more visitors who are interested specifically in the local cuisine and beverages. Besides regular food tours there are also special one-off events, such as the Natural Born Butchers’ wine tasting party inspired by the pig slaughter season, combining mostly Bohemian and Moravian wines and specialties made from a traditional Czech breed of pig.

Nigel Farage Says 2016 Was Victory Over Globalists

Nigel Farage, the member of European Parliament and U.K.Independence Party co-founder who assisted Donald Trump in his presidential campaign, called 2016 “the beginning of a global political revolution” that was going to “roll out across the rest of the West” at his CPAC speech this afternoon. Farage addressed Brexit, the British vote to leave the European Union, connecting it to President Trump’s victory, saying the U.K. should “reach out and make our own deals with our real friends,” which he described as countries that “speak English, have common law, and support us in crises.”

Tui accused of ‘gross neglect’ in Tunisia beach massacre

Inquest into the deaths of the Britons at the Royal Courts of Justice heard that ‘part of the attack or most of it could have been prevented’ Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith was told to consider a ‘neglect’ conclusion, arguing that there had been ‘gross neglect’ on the part of the TUI travel company The deaths of 30 Britons in the Tunisia terrorist attack could have been prevented had there not been ‘gross neglect’ by the travel companies they depended upon, an inquest has been told. Seifeddine Rezgui opened fire at the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Sousse on June 26 2015, leaving 38 people dead.

Francea s PSA wants to be a European car championa with Opel

The chairman of French carmaker PSA Group wants to create a “European car champion” with the potential purchase of General Motors’ European car business, and pledged to work with governments and unions worried over job cuts. After reporting a near-doubling in 2016 profits, Carlos Tavares lauded the benefits of a deal that could reshape the continent’s car market and see PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, leapfrog the Renault Nissan alliance to become Europe’s No.

Police dog with security duties for Royal Family at Balmoral Estate retires

After nine years of loyal service, Police Dog Patch, a regular attendee in Royal Deeside with security duties for members of the Royal Family, has recently retired from Police Scotland. Over her nine year career Patch worked across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom and was even involved in deployments at the London 2102 Olympic Games and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Top students more likely to smoke pot, drink alcohol, study says

British teens with the highest test scores are less likely to smoke cigarettes yet more likely to drink alcohol and smoke pot compared with teens with lower scores, according to a study published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal Open. Although some people believe smart students simply have a tendency to experiment, James Williams and Gareth Hagger-Johnson, co-authors of the new study, say these patterns of substance use may continue into adulthood.