Category Archives: Europe

Under Boris Johnson, Putin and Trump the world has uncanny parallels to 1945

Posted on by

Russia on the offensive, Brexit Britain stands alone, and US disdain for European allies recalls its naivety with Stalin

Victory in Europe was made possible by a remarkable military collaboration between the main anti-Axis powers – the US, Russia and Britain. But the three-way relationship, between Franklin D Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill, was never easy, and it set a pattern of national rivalry, suspicion, fear and distrust that persists to this day.

A row over a top-secret message, known as SCAF-252, sent to Stalin in late March 1945 by Gen Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme allied commander, shows how fraught the relationship could be. In it, Eisenhower detailed his plans for the final defeat of Nazi Germany – but omitted to first consult or inform his British allies.

Continue reading...

Florian Schneider, Kraftwerk co-founder, dies aged 73

Posted on by

Co-founder of hugely influential electronic pop group, who has died of cancer, had a UK No 1 hit with The Model in 1982

Florian Schneider, who as one of the founding members of German group Kraftwerk changed the sound of pop music forever, has died aged 73 of cancer.

The news was confirmed to the Guardian by one of his musical collaborators, who said Schneider had died a week ago and had a private burial. It was also confirmed via Sony Berlin.

Continue reading...

A better world can emerge after coronavirus. Or a much worse one | Timothy Garton Ash

Posted on by

Most Europeans support a universal basic income, yet young people doubt democracy’s capacity to deliver change

The coronavirus crisis seems to be encouraging belief in radical change. An astonishing 71% of Europeans are now in favour of introducing a universal basic income, according to an opinion poll designed by my research team at Oxford university and published today. In Britain, the figure is 68%. Less encouraging, at least to anyone who believes in liberal democracy, is another startling finding in the survey: no less than 53% of young Europeans place more confidence in authoritarian states than in democracies to tackle the climate crisis. The poll was conducted by eupinions in March, as most of Europe was locking down against the virus, but the questions had been formulated earlier. It would be fascinating now to ask Europeans which political system they think has proved better at combating a pandemic, as the United States and China, the world’s leading democracy and the world’s leading dictatorship, spray viral accusations at each other.

Those two contrasting but equally striking survey results show how high the stakes will be as we emerge from the immediate medical emergency, and face the subsequent economic pandemic and its political fallout. What kind of historical moment will this turn out to be, for Europe and the world? It could lead us to the best of times. It could lead us to the worst of times.

Continue reading...

VE Day: Churchill feared De Gaulle would declare victory early

Posted on by

War cabinet papers reveal PM’s concern French ally would pre-empt joint announcement

Winston Churchill believed a disgruntled general Charles de Gaulle intended to pre-empt the allies’ announcement of victory in Europe by 24 hours but felt unable to pressure him to change his plans, according to British war cabinet documents released free online by the National Archives during the lockdown.

VE Day will be celebrated for the 75th time on Friday 8 May but Gen Dwight Eisenhower, the supreme allied commander in north-west Europe, and the Soviet high command had actually received the German surrender in the French city of Reims on 7 May 1945 at 2.41am.

Continue reading...

‘It’s a tough island to live on’: why coronavirus spells doom for Ibiza

Posted on by

Clubs on the White Isle are starting to cancel their events, a disaster for workers who survive on summer income. Pete Tong and others explain what happens next

• Coronavirus and culture – a list of major cancellations

Ibiza welcomes more than three million visitors during the summer months, pumping billions into its economy. Close to 75% of the island’s 147,000-plus population get their income from tourism, directly and indirectly – besides the fabled nightclub scene, there’s the hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants, bars, shops, taxis, and other businesses that exist because of the pull of the clubs. But a huge question mark hangs over them all, with the clubs beginning to cancel their summer seasons due to coronavirus.

So far Hï Ibiza, Ushuaïa, Amnesia and Eden have all cancelled their May calendar. Pacha hosted a virtual house party with a promise to “#seeyousoon”; their latest social media post stating, “After this moment’s respite, Pacha and Ibiza will look even more beautiful.” DC-10 have cancelled their opening party and said they are currently unable to confirm any future dates at the club. Privilege have yet to comment.

Continue reading...

Calls for inquiry as UK reports highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe

Posted on by

Government’s handling of pandemic under scrutiny as UK becomes worst-hit European country

Britain has the worst coronavirus death toll in Europe, official figures showed on Tuesday, prompting calls for an inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.

The government’s tally of fatalities across the UK reached 29,427 for those who tested positive for coronavirus, exceeding the 29,029 recorded in Italy – until now Europe’s worst-hit country. Italy’s total does not include suspected cases.

Continue reading...

Prague revamp reveals Jewish gravestones used to pave streets

Posted on by

Find confirms speculation communist regime raided synagogues for building materials

Dozens of paving stones made from Jewish headstones have been found during redevelopment work in Prague’s tourist district, confirming speculation that the former communist regime raided synagogues and graveyards for building materials.

Tuesday’s discovery came in the opening phase of a £10.6m facelift project in the city’s landmark Wenceslas Square, scene of the some of the Czech Republic’s most dramatic historic events and a frequent site of political protest.

Continue reading...

Ireland faces bill for millions to remove ‘ghost ship’ from rocks

Posted on by

Salvage experts say owner of MV Alta, which ran aground in February, may never be found

The ghost ship that washed on to Ireland’s coast earlier this year remains something of a mystery: its owner has not been found, which could potentially leave the Irish state with a bill of millions for its removal.

Authorities are still trying to trace those who own and are responsible for the MV Alta, a 77-metre cargo vessel that ran aground near Ballycotton, a fishing village in County Cork overlooking the Celtic Sea, in February.

Continue reading...

Italians dance and clap as toughest coronavirus lockdown measures lifted – video

Posted on by

Italians were allowed out as the toughest quarantine measures were lifted throughout the country after almost two months on 4 May.

Around 4 million people returned to work as the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, appealed to the public in a Facebook post on Sunday night to 'act responsibly'.

Continue reading...

World leaders pledge €7.4bn to Covid-19 research – video

Posted on by

World leaders raised almost €7.4bn (£6.5bn) to research Covid-19 vaccines and therapies at a virtual summit convened by EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The leaders – a notable exception was Donald Trump – undertook a two-hour pledging session promising to distribute any vaccine to poorer countries.

Along with the US president, the event was not addressed by India and Russia. China was represented by its ambassador to the EU

Continue reading...

French hospital discovers Covid-19 case from December

Posted on by

Man found to have had virus a month before government confirmed first cases

A French hospital that retested old samples from pneumonia patients has discovered that it treated a man with the coronavirus as early as 27 December, nearly a month before the French government confirmed its first cases.

Dr Yves Cohen, head of resuscitation at the Avicenne and Jean Verdier hospitals in the northern suburbs of Paris, told BFM TV that scientists had retested samples from 24 patients treated in December and January who tested negative for flu.

Continue reading...

Ex-pope Benedict XVI accuses opponents of wanting to silence him

Posted on by

Comments in authorised biography also associate gay marriage with the Antichrist

The former pope Benedict XVI has accused opponents of wanting to silence him, while associating gay marriage with the Antichrist and attacking humanist ideologies in an authorised biography published in Germany.

The 93-year-old, whose original name is Joseph Ratzinger, said in Benedict XVI – A Life he had fallen victim to a “malignant distortion of reality” in reactions to his interventions in theological debates.

Continue reading...

World leaders pledge $8bn to fight pandemic – as it happened

Posted on by

This blog is now closed.

We’ve launched a new blog at the link below. Head over there for live developments in the pandemic worldwide:

Related: Coronavirus live news: WHO and Five Eyes reject Chinese lab theory as global deaths pass 250,000

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is taking the lead in pressing a hard line against Beijing over the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reports.

Pompeo, in an interview Sunday on ABC, said there was “enormous evidence” that the new coronavirus came out of a Wuhan lab - not a wet market, as most scientists suggest.

Continue reading...

‘The situation is critical’: coronavirus crisis agony of Spain’s poor

Posted on by

Charities struggle to help country’s most marginalised groups, including sex workers

Paloma Pérez, a smoker who has dealt with pancreatitis and cancer, has more reason than many to fear the coronavirus as she waits out the lockdown in her house in the mountains outside Madrid.

To limit her exposure, the 74-year-old has told the home help who used to pop in twice a week to stop coming, and her main meal of the day – usually fish or meat, but with a decent variety of sides – is left outside her closed front door by the Catholic charity Cáritas.

Continue reading...

Spain and Italy ease Covid-19 lockdown but Russia hits daily high

Posted on by

Two of Europe’s worst affected countries begin careful process of opening up societies again

Spain and Italy, two of the European countries hardest hit by coronavirus, are beginning to emerge from lengthy and strict lockdowns as Russia and Afghanistan reported their biggest one-day rises in new infections.

In Spain, where 217,466 cases of Covid-19 and 25,264 deaths have been confirmed, adults were allowed back on to the street to exercise for the first time in seven weeks this weekend.

Continue reading...

First brown bear for 150 years seen in national park in northern Spain

Posted on by

Images captured on cameras being used for film shoot in thinly populated area of Galicia

A brown bear has been spotted traversing a rugged and sparsely populated area of north-west Spain for the first time in 150 years thanks to a set of camera traps and a bit of luck.

Images of the animal were captured on cameras set up by a crew shooting the film Montaña ou Morte (Mountain or Death) in the Invernadeiro national park in Galicia’s Ourense province.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: European leaders join forces to find vaccine as France proposes 14-day quarantine on entry

Posted on by

YouTube deletes Covid-19 conspiracy theorist’s account; Warren Buffett optimistic; Rohingya refugees detained in Malaysia. Follow the latest updates

As more and more state and local officials announce the release of thousands of at-risk inmates from the nations adult jails and prisons, parents along with children rights groups and criminal justice experts say vulnerable youths should be allowed to serve their time at home, AP reports.

But they say demands for large-scale releases have been largely ignored. Decisions are often not made at the state level, but instead carried out county by county, with individual judges reviewing juvenile cases one by one.

Such legal hurdles have resulted in some kids with symptoms being thrown into isolation for 23 hours a day, in what amounts to solitary confinement, according to relatives and youth advocates. They say many have been cut off from programs, counsellors and school. Some have not been issued masks, social distancing is nearly impossible and they have been given limited access to phone calls home.

The Bolshoi ballet held its first online classes only this week, more than a month after lockdown began, AFP reports.

In the middle of their bedroom, Bolshoi ballet dancers Margarita Shrainer and Igor Tsvirko have placed a linoleum mat and a barre. Since the start of the lockdown, the couple, both soloists in the legendary troupe, have largely used their own initiative to keep up their dance skills at home.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: Russia and Afghanistan announce their biggest rises in cases

Posted on by

UK PM says doctors had prepared to announce his death; Iran to reopen mosques on Monday; global cases near 3.5 million

Head over to the UK live blog to follow Downing Street’s daily coronavirus briefing.

Related: UK coronavirus live: Gove to give daily briefing as rail unions warn against lifting lockdown

Hello, I’ll be taking over the live blog for the next few hours. If you have a news tip, comment or suggestion, please get in touch via Twitter DM @cleaskopeliti or by email at clea.skopeliti.casual@guardian.co.uk. Thanks in advance.

Continue reading...

Row over EU office in Belfast threatens to derail Brexit talks

Posted on by

UK refuses request from Brussels for Northern Ireland presence for second time

The Irish border question threatens to derail Brexit talks again as the depth of the row over the EU’s desire to have an office in Belfast is revealed.

The UK’s paymaster general, Penny Mordaunt, has written to the EU to firmly reject a repeated request for an office in Northern Ireland: “The UK cannot agree to the permanent EU presence based in Belfast,” she wrote.

Continue reading...

Madrid residents emerge to exercise as Spain eases lockdown

Posted on by

Fear tempers relief as people remain worried about safety of streets after 50 days indoors

The birds’ seven-week reign in Madrid is coming to an end.

By 9.30 on Saturday morning, the musings of blackbirds, the cooings of pigeons and the hooligan shrieks of parakeets had begun to mix with the rhythmic fall of foot on pavement, the whizzing of bikes and the wheezing of long-confined lungs.

Continue reading...