Category Archives: Europe

Carrefour puts ‘shrinkflation’ price warnings on food to shame brands

Posted on by

French supermarket chain labels products that have shrunk in size but cost more before contract talks with suppliers

The French supermarket chain Carrefour has put labels on its shelves this week warning shoppers of “shrinkflation”, the phenomenon where manufacturers reduce pack sizes rather than increase prices.

It has slapped price warnings on products from Lindt chocolates to Lipton iced tea to pressure top consumer goods suppliers Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever to tackle the issue in advance of much-anticipated contract talks.

Continue reading...

MEPs refused entry to Tunisia two months after signing of migration deal

Posted on by

Trip by foreign affairs committee blocked with no reason given, raising questions about country’s partnership with EU

A group of MEPs from the European parliament have been refused entry to Tunisia, raising questions about the controversial partnership on migration that Tunisia signed with the EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen and the Italian leader, Giorgia Meloni, this summer.

The foreign affairs committee, chaired by the German MEP Michael Gahler, was due to arrive in the country on Friday. “We have cancelled the trip. We have not been given reasons for the refused entry, that would be speculation,” he said.

Continue reading...

Austrian ex-foreign minister moves to Russia – with ponies flown in on military plane

Posted on by

Karin Kneissl says she is moving to Russia to lead a thinktank she set up with St Petersburg University

An Austrian former foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, who became infamous in 2018 for dancing with Russian president Vladimir Putin at her wedding, has moved to St Petersburg – along with her ponies, which were flown in on a Russian military plane.

In 2018, Karin Kneissl, then foreign minister of neutral Austria, made headlines when she invited Putin to her wedding. It drew widespread criticism, coming just months after some EU countries – excluding Austria – expelled scores of Russian diplomats in response to the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un invites Putin to North Korea after summit brings ties to ‘a new level’

Posted on by

North Korean media report that Kim was briefed on space vehicles during his meetings in Russia, though no specific detail of any deal has emerged

Kim Jong-un invited President Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea during their meeting in Russia on Wednesday, Pyongyang’s state media reported, amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine.

Kim told Putin that their closely watched meeting had brought bilateral ties to a new level, and expressed his willingness to foster stable, future-oriented relations for the next 100 years, news agency KCNA said.

Continue reading...

Boris Johnson attacks UK aid to Ukraine: ‘What the hell are we waiting for?’

Posted on by

Former PM says west is dragging its feet in support for Ukraine and calls for urgent supply of weaponry in Spectator column

Boris Johnson has attacked the government over its policy on Ukraine, saying it should urgently provide more weaponry requested by Kyiv and asking the west: “What the hell are we waiting for?”

The former prime minister, who formed a close relationship with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy after the outbreak of the war with Russia, called on the UK to provide howitzers – an artillery weapon – Storm Shadow cruise missiles and “as much help as we can give them with drone technology”.

Continue reading...

Charges brought against Greek ferry crew over death of passenger pushed into sea

Posted on by

One crewmember accused of homicide with possible intent and two more with complicity over drowning of Antonis Kargiotis

A Greek prosecutor has brought criminal charges against an island ferry captain and three of his crew over the death of a passenger who was pushed into the sea as he tried to reboard the departing vessel in the country’s main port of Piraeus.

One crewmember was charged with homicide with possible intent, and the other two with complicity, while the captain was charged with severe breaches of shipping regulations, state-run ERT television reported.

Continue reading...

Five-month-old boy drowns in rescue mission off Lampedusa

Posted on by

Boat travelling from north Africa capsized near tiny Italian island, with all other passengers rescued

A five-month-old boy has drowned during a rescue operation off the Italian island of Lampedusa after a boat carrying people from north Africa capsized.

The tragedy occurred as migrant landings on Lampedusa surged, leaving the small island struggling to cope. About 1,850 people landed on Wednesday, bringing the total number of migrants in Lampedusa to more than 6,700, the Ansa news agency said.

Continue reading...

Crew radio leak increases outrage over Greek ferry passenger pushed into sea

Posted on by

Recordings of conversations appear to reveal racist attitudes among crew in connection with death of Antonis Karyotis

Outrage over the drowning of a passenger who was pushed from the ramp of a Greek ferry has mounted after leaked recordings of radio conversations appeared to reveal racist attitudes among the crew.

In one extract, the ship’s master is apparently heard saying that he thought the passenger, subsequently identified as a Greek, was a foreigner.

Continue reading...

‘Nothing left to lose’: Putin embraces role of spoiler with Kim Jong-un summit

Posted on by

Russia’s propagandists trumpeted the president’s North Korean connection as, in isolation, he threatened to cross a serious line

The situation is dire when you’re boasting of closer ties with North Korea, but Vladimir Putin in 2023 finds himself in just that situation with nothing left to lose.

The Russian fanfare before the summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has rivalled the anticipation for his meetings with western leaders, where he would attempt to woo or spar with opponents such as Barack Obama or Angela Merkel.

Continue reading...

France halts iPhone 12 sales over radiation exposure levels

Posted on by

Apple disputing tests by watchdog that showed radio frequency exposure was higher than permitted

Apple is facing a ban on the sale and potential recall of its iPhone 12 in France, as the US company contests a report that the smartphone exceeds radio frequency exposure limits by the nation’s regulator.

Apple said on Wednesday its iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global radiation standards, disputing tests by the French ANFR watchdog that said the model emits more electromagnetic waves susceptible to be absorbed by the body than permitted.

Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un offers Putin ‘full support’ in Russia’s ‘sacred fight’ with west

Posted on by

North Korean leader backs Moscow in ‘protecting its sovereignty and security against the hegemonic forces’ that oppose it

Kim Jong-un has offered Vladimir Putin his support for Russia’s “sacred fight” against the west during talks that also touched on possible Russian help with North Korea’s space programme.

The North Korean and Russian leaders met on Wednesday at a space base in the far east of Russia amid warnings that Kim was poised to offer the Kremlin artillery shells and other munitions for the war in Ukraine.

Continue reading...

‘Witch-hunt’: Estonian prime minister defends husband’s Russian business links

Posted on by

Kaja Kallas’s partner owns shares in a company that continued to do business in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine

The Estonian prime minister has described the controversy surrounding her husband’s alleged Russian business links as a “witch-hunt” by political opponents calling for her resignation.

Kaja Kallas has been under pressure since reports emerged last month that her husband part-owned a logistics company that continued to do business in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Continue reading...

Cruise ship runs aground in Greenland with 206 passengers onboard

Posted on by

There are no reports of injuries on the Ocean Explorer, which was grounded in the remote Northeast Greenland National Park

A cruise ship with 206 passengers and crew onboard has run aground in north-west Greenland, and remained stuck even after high tide.

Cmdr Brian Jensen of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said that nobody on board was in danger and that no damage has been reported, but added that officials “take this incident very seriously”.

Continue reading...

Record numbers expected as Europe’s biggest arms fair opens in London

Posted on by

Egypt, Vietnam and Indonesia among countries sending delegations to four-day DSEI at ExCeL

Europe’s biggest ever arms fair got under way in London on Tuesday with record numbers expected to attend, boosted by interest from countries with controversial human rights records.

Authoritarian Egypt and Vietnam are among those sending delegations, defence sources said, as well as Indonesia and India – all countries whose arms-buying strategies have been affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Continue reading...

UK nears agreement to cooperate with EU border force

Posted on by

Frontex deal would be Sunak’s third with EU as prime minister but would not address small boats crisis

Rishi Sunak is on the verge of securing an agreement for cooperation between the UK and the EU’s border protection agency, Frontex in a further sign of thawing post-Brexit relations.

The deal is expected to mirror other agreements Frontex has with “third country” states, including one with Albania, which agreed to renew its 2019 accord.

Continue reading...

Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia to meet Putin as US threatens sanctions

Posted on by

North Korean leader travels on armoured train for talks amid concerns Putin is seeking arms deal for Ukraine war

Kim Jong-un has arrived in Russia on his armoured train for a rare summit with Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible deal to supply North Korean arms for the war in Ukraine.

The train arrived at Khasan station, the main rail gateway to Russia’s far east from North Korea, where Kim was filmed alighting and meeting the Russian environment minister, before continuing to travel north.

Continue reading...

Russia-Ukraine war: G7 condemns ‘sham elections’ held by Russia on Ukrainian territory – as it happened

Posted on by

Foreign ministers condemn ‘elections’ held in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts and Crimea, where electoral competition was limited

Russia has “recalibrated” its missile defences around Moscow as it faces near daily drone attacks, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said in its latest intelligence update.

As well as being aimed at improving its defences, the changes are likely also meant as a “high-profile reassurance” to the public, the MoD said.

Continue reading...

Rhino kills keeper at Austrian zoo and injures her husband

Posted on by

Animal attacked couple, killing 33-year-old woman and her spouse, who tried to chase the animal away

A rhino at a zoo in Austria has attacked a married zookeeper couple, killing the woman and seriously injuring the man.

Sabine Grebner, the director of the Hellbrunn zoo in Salzburg, told reporters on Tuesday that the 33-year-old woman had been assigned to put an insect deterrent on the rhino.

Continue reading...