The Swiss town of Vevey has staged a once-in-a-generation celebration of its winemakers, with fancy dress, alpine horns, cows and dancers kicking off a festival that dates back to the 18th century. The three-week Fête des Vignerons, which began in 1797, is held roughly every 20 years and on Thursday 5,500 locals donned costumes, wigs and makeup to take part in the gala opening
Continue reading...Category Archives: Europe
Moroccan court orders death penalty for jihadists who beheaded tourists
Three Isis supporters who killed two Scandinavian women given death sentence
Three men have been sentenced to death in Morocco for the Isis-inspired murder of two Scandinavian hikers in the Atlas mountains last December.
The two victims, Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, were beheaded by a group of men who wanted to impress Islamic State. The three men confessed to their murder at a court in Salé, near Rabat.
Continue reading...Ursula von der Leyen: hard Brexit would be massive blow for both sides
Exclusive: newly elected EU chief suggests there could be emergency help for Ireland
The European commission’s new president has said a hard Brexit would have “massively negative consequences” for both Britain and the EU, and said Brussels could provide emergency help for nations such as Ireland that bear the brunt of such an outcome.
In her first interview since narrowly being approved for the post by the European parliament on Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen said the withdrawal deal concluded between Theresa May and the commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michael Barnier, would remain the basis of any future talks.
Continue reading...Asos issues third profit warning in seven months as shares fall
Online fashion retailer blames glitch in rollout of European and US automated warehouses
Shares in Asos tumbled on Thursday as the online fashion retailer issued its third profits warning in seven months, blaming problems with the rollout of its new automated warehouses.
The group said sales were hit by the overhaul of warehouses in Berlin and Atlanta, which left the firm struggling to keep up with demand. It now expects to make profits of £30m to £35m this year, far below City forecasts of £55m.
Continue reading...Northern Irish unionists fear post-Brexit land grabs
Report identifies Zimbabwe-style seizures as key concern in the event of a united Ireland
Some unionists in Northern Ireland fear Zimbabwe-style land seizures by Irish nationalists if the region joins a united Ireland, according to a report that lays bare anxieties about any Brexit-fuelled breakup of the UK.
Farmers and others with Protestant and unionist backgrounds worry that Catholic and nationalist neighbours would claim their land in a cultural, economic and political takeover by Dublin – “the mother of all fears”, the report found.
Continue reading...‘Wizard’ hacker charged after financial records of nearly every Bulgarian exposed
Cyber attack compromised records on incomes, tax, health insurance and loans of millions of people
A 20-year-old cybersecurity worker has been arrested in Bulgaria and charged with hacking the personal and financial records of millions of taxpayers, as police continue to investigate the country’s biggest ever data breach.
Bulgaria’s NRA tax agency is facing a fine of up to €20m ($22.43m) over the hack, which was revealed this week and is thought to have compromised the records of nearly every working adult among the country’s population of 7 million.
Continue reading...EU nations to be vetted on their adherence to the rule of law
Policy comes as incoming president seeks to tackle claims she would be beholden to Poland and Hungary
EU nations are to be vetted annually on their adherence to the rule of law, in a renewed attempt from Brussels to stop governments from firing independent judges and packing courts with pliable supporters.
In an effort to stop democratic backsliding, all EU countries will be subject to annual monitoring on the rule of law, the European commission announced on Wednesday, one day after its incoming president, Ursula von der Leyen, sought to assuage critics of her appointment with a pledge to uphold democratic values.
Continue reading...Boris Johnson’s support for EU revealed in Leon Brittan letter
No 10 frontrunner wrote ‘pro-European letter’ to Tory peer’s widow a year before campaigning for leave
Boris Johnson revealed his support for the European Union’s single market in “a pro-European” letter written the year before he decided to campaign for leave, it has emerged.
The likely prime minister’s pro-EU market sympathies were said to be revealed in a letter of condolence to the wife of the late Tory politician Sir Leon Brittan, who died in January 2015.
Continue reading...Russia denies visas to teachers at Anglo-American school
Staff say decision is ‘blowback’ as a result of worsening relations with US
Russia has denied visas to teachers of the Anglo-American school in Moscow, in a move described by one teacher as “blowback” over worsening US-Russian relations.
The US ambassador, Jon Huntsman, called the decision to deny visas to 30 teachers at the Anglo-American school “unfortunate” and said it would “affect over 1,100 students and their families, who represent over 60 countries, including Russia”. The day school is popular among the children of western diplomats and businessmen.
Continue reading...Lunar eclipse 2019: from Australia to the UK, stargazers enjoy bright side of the moon
Photographers from Sydney to Brasilia capture July’s stunning partial lunar eclipse
Stargazers around the world have enjoyed a view of a global lunar eclipse, delighting people from Dehli to Dublin.
The partial eclipse was visible in nearly every part of the world except for North America and the polar climes of Greenland and northern Russia.
Continue reading...Ursula von der Leyen elected first female European commission president
German minister wins narrow backing of MEPs to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker
Ursula von der Leyen has been confirmed as the European commission’s first female president and the first German in the job for more than 50 years.
In a secret ballot, MEPs voted narrowly to support the German defence minister as a replacement for Jean-Claude Juncker when he steps down on 31 October.
Continue reading...Ursula von der Leyen booed by Brexit party MEPs over Brexit extension – video
The EU commission president candidate Ursula von der Leyen was booed by Brexit party MEPs as she spoke of her openness to extend the UK’s membership of the EU after 31 October. Speaking in Strasbourg before a vote on Tuesday evening to confirm her position, the outgoing German defence minister said: 'I stand ready for a further extension of the withdrawal date, should more time be required for a good reason.' The leader of the Brexit party, Nigel Farage, accused Von der Leyen of wanting to build 'a centralised, undemocratic, updated form of communism where nation state parliaments will cease to have any relevance at all'
Continue reading...Croatia music festival evacuated after fire breaks out – video
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from a hip-hop festival on the Croatian island of Pag after a forest fire broke out nearby. Flames were seen billowing behind the site as attendees left the Fresh Island festival on Zrće beach on Monday night. The organisers said emergency services were working to contain the blaze and it was unclear whether the event would continue as planned on Tuesday
Continue reading...UK wage growth hits 11-year high as self-employment total surges – business live
British worker are getting the biggest pay rises in a decade, as jobless rate remains at 44-year low. But the market may be cooling....
- Self-employment rises as gig economy booms
- Basic pay growth jumps to 3.6%, highest since 2008
- Wages rising faster than inflation amid skills shortages
- Minister: Labour market is resilient
- Introduction: Why UK jobs report matters
New @ONS stats show that:
- the employment level is at a record high
- there are 3.7m more people in work than in 2010
- wages have grown faster than inflation for almost a year
- female unemployment has fallen to a new record low of 3.6% pic.twitter.com/V9C5NMXW9l
Andy Bruce of Reuters has also spotted that rising self-employment is making up for a drop in the number of employed workers.
Cause for concern?
That there was any employment growth at all in 3 months to May is down to a hefty increase in self-employment.
Employee jobs declined at fastest rate since 2011. pic.twitter.com/cg05f02Az2
Along these lines, looks clear that vacancies have peaked already. pic.twitter.com/t06diHVMRn
Continue reading...EU expected to reject outright Johnson and Hunt’s backstop plan
Next PM will be told in ‘no uncertain terms’ that axing backstop amounts to no deal
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt’s Brexit plan to axe the Irish border backstop from the withdrawal agreement will be rejected outright by the European Union, EU sources have said.
Informed sources say that it is doomed to failure and if the next prime minister goes to Brussels with such a plan, he will be told in “no uncertain terms” that it amounts to a declaration of no deal.
Continue reading...Ryanair to cut flights due to Boeing 737 Max crisis
Budget airline says it plans to close some bases and will carry fewer passengers
Ryanair has warned delays to deliveries of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft will reduce passenger numbers next year and it plans to downsize or close bases at some airports as a result.
Europe’s biggest budget carrier has ordered 135 of the 737 Max models, which remain grounded after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. Boeing has yet to convince regulators that software modifications are sufficient to ensure the plane’s safety.
Continue reading...Croatian police use violence to push back migrants, president admits
Human Rights Watch calls on Croatia to end illegal practice of forcing people back over Bosnian border
After months of official denials, Croatia’s president has admitted that the country’s police are involved in the violent pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers apprehended inside the country.
The best chance for thousands of refugees stuck in Bosnia is to cross its border with Croatia to make it to the European Union. For the past year there has been repeated evidence of police using force against those who have made it across the border and then dumping them back in Bosnia.
Continue reading...Stella McCartney signs deal with French luxury group LVMH
Owner of Vuitton, Dior and Givenchy sees British designer as part of push to sustainability
Stella McCartney has signed a deal with France’s largest luxury group, LVMH, to “accelerate its worldwide development in terms of business and strategy”.
The news, announced on Monday, comes just over a year after McCartney ended her 17-year business partnership with LVMH’s rival conglomerate, Kering, and bought back its 50% stake in her eponymous brand. Further details of the deal will be announced in September, although it has been confirmed that McCartney will remain majority owner and continue as creative director. She currently oversees womenswear, menswear and childrenswear collections.
Continue reading...France demands access to dual-national academic held in Iran
Prominent researcher Fariba Adelkhah was arrested in June, reports say
France has demanded immediate consular access to a senior French-Iranian academic who has been arrested in Iran.
Fariba Adelkhah, a prominent researcher in anthropology and social sciences based at the Paris political institute Sciences Po, is believed to have been arrested in June.
Continue reading...Former German spy chief causes alarm by sharing far-right tweets
Critics question judgment of Georg Maaßen for spreading ‘lies and extremist agitation’
When he was in charge of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, Hans-Georg Maaßen warned of how easy it was for people to be led astray by “disinformation” and “clumsy fake reports” on the internet.
But since his dismissal from office last September, the former spy chief’s behaviour on social media has raised questions over his own ability to distinguish conspiracy theories from truthful reporting, and sparked a debate about the neutrality of the powerful intelligence agency during a period in which a resurgent far right marched over several days in the city of Chemnitz.
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