Rishi Sunak says Europe cannot let Putin’s own expansionism ‘go unchecked’. This live blog is closed
Looking ahead
Next week will be a busy time for policymakers grappling with geopolitical challenges.
Continue reading...Category Archives: Europe
Putin says release of US journalist Evan Gershkovich may be possible
Russian president suggests detained Wall Street reporter could be freed in prisoner exchange
Vladimir Putin has said he believes “an agreement can be reached” to free the imprisoned US journalist Evan Gershkovich, hinting he would trade him for a Russian killer serving a life sentence in Germany.
Speaking on Thursday to Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, Putin said he did not rule out the possibility of Gershkovich returning “to his motherland”.
Continue reading...Eiffel Tower crowned as world’s tallest matchstick building after record U-turn
Guinness World Records initially said 7.2-metre structure made from more than 700,000 matches broke rules
A man has been awarded the Guinness world record for creating the tallest structure using matchsticks, after his Eiffel Tower replica was initially rejected.
Richard Plaud, from France, said he had been on an “emotional rollercoaster” this week, after spending 4,200 hours building his model from more than 706,000 matches and 23kg of glue. “For eight years, I’ve always thought that I was building the tallest matchstick structure,” he said.
Continue reading...Finnish presidential candidate surprised at renewed focus on his sexuality
Pekka Haavisto says discussion about his being gay has increased since he made it through to the final round of voting
The Finnish presidential candidate Pekka Haavisto has questioned why his sexuality has come under such strong focus in the final days of campaigning before Sunday’s election as polls narrow with his rival, Alexander Stubb.
The 65-year-old former foreign minister, who if he wins would become Finland’s first Green and first gay president, said he had been surprised by the way his sexuality had become an issue of public interest in the second and final round.
Continue reading...Family of Swede imprisoned in Iran fear death penalty verdict is imminent
EU diplomat Johan Floderus’s sister calls on Sweden to start speaking up loudly to demand his release
The family of a Swedish EU diplomat imprisoned in Iran for more than 663 days fear he will be given a death sentence or life imprisonment within the coming days after prosecutors sought the maximum sentence in his case.
“I ask how can this be happening? He is my brother and I’m like: they want to kill my younger brother? That is very hard to take in. I also feel so sad for him being there alone, you know, when I see the pictures of him I just want to be there for him,” said Johan Floderus’s sister, Ingrid.
Continue reading...Unclear how Zelenskiy’s removal of military commander will improve Ukraine’s position
President’s replacement of Zaluzhnyi with his land forces commander is not seen as a radical departure
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to replace his most senior military commander may solve a political problem, but it is not clear how it can improve Ukraine’s weakening position on the battlefield.
It was clear that the outgoing Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi had lost the confidence of the Ukrainian leader, who had come to be wary of the general’s popularity and saw him as a political threat. By refusing to resign when asked by the president last week, Zaluzhnyi had created an untenable situation at the top.
Continue reading...Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Valerii Zaluzhnyi to be replaced by commander of land forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has fired his top army commander, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and replaced him with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s land forces.
The president posted a photograph of himself with Zaluzhnyi alongside the following statement: “I thanked him for the two years of defending Ukraine. We discussed the renewal that the armed forces of Ukraine require. We also discussed who could be part of the renewed leadership of the armed forces of Ukraine. The time for such a renewal is now. I proposed to Gen Zaluzhnyi to remain part of the team.”
Continue reading...EU funding for Ukraine is insufficient, says senior lawmaker – as it happened
Johan Van Overtveldt, chair of the European parliament’s budgets committee, says newly agreed €50bn aid to Kyiv is will leave a shortfall
Farmers today continued demonstrating in different parts of Europe.
Here are the latest photos:
Continue reading...Iceland volcano erupts for second time this year with lava close to power plant
Eruption in Reykjanes peninsula disrupts hot water supply for 20,000 people as lava edges closer to Svartsengi power plant
A volcano in Iceland has erupted for the second time this year and the third time since December, pumping lava up to 80 metres (260ft) into the air and disrupting life in the Reykjanes peninsula in the south-west of the country.
Fountains of bright orange molten rock spewed from cracks in the ground and lava crossed a road near the Blue Lagoon, a luxury geothermal spa, which had closed on Thursday.
Continue reading...Ulez fines scandal: Italian police ‘illegally accessed’ thousands of EU drivers’ data
Italy’s data protection body investigates claims police shared names and addresses with firm collecting penalties for TfL
The names and addresses of thousands of EU drivers were unlawfully accessed by Italian police and shared with the company that collects Ulez penalties on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), investigators believe.
The Italian data protection authority is investigating claims by Belgium’s government that an unnamed police department misused official powers to pass the personal details of Belgian drivers to Euro Parking Collections, which is employed by TfL to issue fines to enforce London’s low emission zone (Lez) and ultra-low emission zone.
Continue reading...Italian man removed from UK despite post-Brexit Home Office certificate
Massimiliano Melargo, who was stopped at airport, has permission to enter and leave UK while awaiting settlement decision
An Italian man has been removed from the UK despite holding a Home Office certificate explicitly stating he has a right to travel in and out of the country while officials process his application to live and work in the country post-Brexit.
Massimiliano Melargo, 27, told how he was detained overnight, separated from his Ukrainian partner, and put on the first plane to Venice by Border Force officials in a step lawyers say contravenes the withdrawal agreement between the EU and the UK.
Continue reading...US funding failure will have serious battlefield consequences, says Ukraine
Zelenskiy aide says ‘foreign policy has become a hostage of internal politics’ after Republicans torpedo aid bill
The repeated failure of the Biden administration to get a funding package for Ukraine approved by the Senate will have real consequences in terms of lives on the battlefield and Kyiv’s ability to hold off Russian forces on the frontline, say Ukrainian officials.
The latest move by Senate Republicans to torpedo a bipartisan bill that would have combined $60bn (£48bn) in aid for Ukraine with aid to Israel and increased border security measures is a bitter blow for Kyiv. It could signal a very grim year ahead as the US political agenda settles into an election year with Donald Trump all but certain to be the Republican candidate.
Continue reading...Italian court jails people smuggler over shipwreck that killed at least 94 migrants
Gun Ufuk, 29, sentenced to 20 years in prison over deadly sinking that occurred metres from shore
An Italian court has sentenced a people smuggler to 20 years in prison for involvement in a shipwreck last year that killed at least 94 migrants.
The court in the southern city of Crotone found Gun Ufuk, a 29-year-old Turkish national, guilty of crimes including causing a shipwreck and aiding illegal immigration. It also ordered him to pay a €3m fine and pay damages to civil plaintiffs.
Continue reading...EU leaders unveil €210m Mauritania deal in bid to curb people-smuggling
Plan includes energy and infrastructure projects with aim of strengthening stability in Sahel
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, have unveiled plans for a €210m partnership with Mauritania in an attempt to curb people-smuggling to the Canary islands and launch new energy and infrastructure projects benefiting both sides.
Figures soon to be published by Frontex, the EU’s border agency, are expected to show that the number of people risking their lives by making the perilous journey from west African shores to the Spanish islands has risen dramatically in the past year.
Continue reading...Former Brazil footballer Dani Alves denies rape as Spain trial wraps
Ex-Barcelona defender is accused of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022
The former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves has denied raping a young woman at a Barcelona nightclub as he took the stand on the last day of his trial in Spain.
“If she wanted to leave, she could have left, she was not obligated to be there,” the 40-year-old told the court in Barcelona on Wednesday, adding that the woman “at no time” asked to leave.
Continue reading...Rape inquiry opened after Judith Godrèche files complaint against director
French actor alleges arthouse film-maker Benoît Jacquot groomed her when she was 14 and he was 39
French prosecutors have opened a rape inquiry after the actor Judith Godrèche filed a complaint against the arthouse film director Benoît Jacquot, who she says groomed her when she was 14 and he was 39.
A formal complaint was filed against Jacquot, 77, for the alleged rape of a minor by a person in a position of authority. The French police’s specialist juvenile protection unit is handling the inquiry, which will investigate several allegations, including rape of a minor by a person in a position of authority, rape, domestic violence and sexual assault.
Continue reading...Feminists attack Spain’s ‘sexist’ Eurovision entry as PM defends singers
Public opinion divided over lyrics to Zorra, usually used to mean ‘bitch’, by electropop duo Nebulossa
It has been criticised by some as insulting to women, but hailed by the prime minister as provocative – in a good way.
Days after Spain selected its entry for this year’s Eurovision song contest, the electropop tune Zorra has rocketed to the top of the country’s music charts and divided public opinion.
Continue reading...Not just luggage: Finnish airline invites passengers to weigh in for flights
Finnair says trial is voluntary and will help estimate weight of planes’ cargo before takeoff
The words “overweight luggage” have the power to induce a whirlwind of stress and embarrassment for holidaymakers. But one airline is upping the stakes by inviting passengers to step on the scales too.
The Finnish airline Finnair started the voluntary weighing in policy at departure gates at Helsinki airport on Monday with the aim of enabling it to better estimate the weight of its planes’ cargo before takeoff.
Continue reading...Sweden to drop inquiry into Nord Stream pipeline explosions
Investigators previously found blasts that damaged undersea pipelines in 2022 were an act of sabotage
Swedish prosecutors have said they will end their investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in 2022, dodging the question of who destroyed the then new energy link between Russia and Europe shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
After a near 18-month inquiry, the investigators concluded they did not have jurisdiction in the case because Sweden’s citizens and interests had not been harmed.
Continue reading...Russia-Ukraine war live: Zelenskiy says two killed in Kyiv after mass Russian missile strikes reported across Ukraine
President says more than 10 others injured in the capital with further blasts across the country
Russia’s upper house of parliament has asked the finance ministry to draw up a law that would impose retaliatory measures on the West if it moves against frozen Russian assets, the TASS state news agency reported.
The Financial Times reported on 3 February that the G7 had drawn up plans to use frozen Russian assets as collateral to raise money to help Ukraine.
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