Category: Europe

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Trump has been burning up White House telephone lines calling his world counterparts and, during those talks, has committed to several trans-Atlantic trips. He spoke Sunday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and agreed to attend a NATO leaders’ meeting in Brussels in late May. Trump once dismissed the trans-Atlantic military alliance as “obsolete.”

Queen Elizabeth II marks sapphire jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s longest reigning sovereign, on Monday set a new record as the first British monarch to reach her sapphire jubilee, with 65 years on the throne. The queen, now 90, rose to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25 upon the premature death of her father, King George VI.

Goodbye and Good Luck: U.K. Gets Brexit Message From Old Friend

On a cool Mediterranean evening in Valletta, John Cauchi was in a café watching friends engage in the most English of pastimes, a game of snooker on a plush green table. It was the day before European Union leaders arrived in Malta’s capital for last week’s summit to discuss, among other things, the U.K.’s decision to quit the bloc.

Second referendum vote will set Scot against Scot, says David Mundell

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said he “dreads” a second Scottish independence referendum but does not believe Scotland would vote to leave the UK. Mr Mundell refused to clarify whether the UK Government would block moves for a second referendum in light of the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon’s indication earlier this week that Westminster would not grant permission.

Dirty Diary: This week I torment Tinky-Winky, probe Douglas Carswell…

CONSTRUCTION workers at the O2 Arena in London were in the news last week. Not because they scythed through someone’s broadband cable, mistakenly cut off the gas to thousands of homes and hoovered up all the fudge doughnuts and steak bakes in Greggs – they didn’t, so far as I know – but because they unearthed and then smashed to smithereens the Blue Peter Millennium Time Capsule .

Seeking attention, Lithuania builds virtual Tesla factory

In this undated photo received on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 taken by Darius Kniuksta, a scene from a video game featuring a Tesla gigafactory. Lithuanians badly want Tesla Motors to build its next giant factory on their soil, so to grab the attention of the California tech company they built a virtual version of a facility inside the “Minecraft” video game.

Louvre museums reopens; Egypt identifies machete attacker

The Louvre Museum reopened to the public Saturday, less than 24 hours after a machete-wielding assailant shouting “Allahu akbar!” attacked French soldiers guarding the sprawling building and was shot by them. The worldwide draw of the iconic museum in central Paris, host to thousands of artworks including the “Mona Lisa,” was on full display on a drizzly winter day as international tourists filed by armed police and soldiers patrolling outside the site, which had been closed immediately after Friday’s attack.

Louvre museums reopens as Egypt identifies machete attacker

The Louvre in Paris reopened to the public Saturday morning, less than 24-hours after a machete-wielding assailant shouting “Allahu Akbar!” was shot by soldiers. In drizzly weather, tourists filed by armed police and soldiers outside the central Paris museum, which had been closed immediately after Friday’s attack.

NATO Chief Urges Serbia, Kosovo To Ease Tensions After Failed Talks

The head of NATO urged Serbia and Kosovo to ease tensions and revive their efforts to normalize relations after talks aimed at mending ties collapsed amid mutual recriminations this week. “Not more rhetoric but we need dialogue, we need to reduce tensions to avoid incidents…and move forward normalizing the process between Pristina and Belgrade,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa in Pristina on February 3. Kosovo and Serbia, after an attempt at negotiations abruptly broke up without result late on February 1, have engaged in an escalating war of words, accusing each other of stoking ethnic tensions.

Peter Oborne: Truth is the Eu is more bigoted than the Us

This week has seen worldwide outrage against President Donald Trump and his temporary ban on people entering the United States from seven mostly Muslim countries. There have been demonstrations across the globe and a petition here trying to stop the President’s State visit to the UK has been signed more than 1.8 million times.

Louvre attack: Attacker believed to be Egyptian

French investigators believe the man who launched a machete attack outside the Louvre in Paris, before being shot and wounded by a soldier, is a 29-year-old Egyptian who entered the country on a tourist visa. The attacker had lunged at four patrolling French soldiers while shouting “Allahu Akbar”.

Latest festival date reveals Borders band do like to be beside seaside

As well as Kendal Calling in Cumbria in July and Electric Fields near Dumfries in September, the folk-rock act will be playing at the Victorious Festival on the south coast of England, at Portsmouth, in August. Fans of theirs from their home town of Selkirk face a tougher test of their loyalty this time round, though, as the Hampshire port is an 800-mile round trip away, as opposed to 160 miles to Lowther Deer Park and back or 140 miles to and from Drumlanrig Castle.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle snapped holding hands on a dinner date

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle snapped holding hands on a dinner date Gasp! They were hand-in-hand! Tabloids predict engagement! Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2l0dvTh Prince Harry and his American actress girlfriend, Meghan Markle, had a dinner date in London this week, making news in the U.K. when they were snapped holding hands on the street. The pictures, published in the U.K.’s best-selling red-topped tabloid, The Sun , sent royal watchers into a tizzy of speculation.

EU leaders say Trump worries them as rhetoric becomes policy

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for an EU summit, in Valletta, Malta, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. VALLETTA, Malta – European Union leaders on Friday sought a common stand on U.S. President Donald Trump, now that they increasingly fear that campaign rhetoric will be turned into policy and further tear their troubled bloc apart.

Italy’s Renzi signals willingness to ditch push for early vote

Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi signalled willingness on Friday to shelve a drive for early elections that is tearing apart his Democratic Party as it faces a strong challenge from eurosceptic populists. Renzi, who resigned after his proposal to change the constitution was rejected in a referendum last year, has been pushing for a vote by June, around a year ahead of schedule.

‘Fear of the Unknown’ at National Technical Library says No to hatred and intolerance

A new exhibition entitled ‘Fear of the Unknown’, previously shown in an earlier inception in Bratislava, opened this week at Prague’s National Technical Library, focussing on the plight of refugees and the discourse surrounding the migrant crisis. The discussion is one which has been highly-politicised and exploited not only by fringe politicians but sadly even by the political mainstream.

Germany says human rights situation in Libya ‘catastrophic’

The human rights situation in Libya is “catastrophic,” with migrants heading for Europe bearing the brunt of abuse, the German government said Monday. A report Sunday by German weekly Welt am Sonntag quoted an internal Foreign Ministry memo describing how migrants face torture and execution at detention camps in Libya.

Italy, Libya reach deal on halting migration

A day before European Union leaders meet to discuss closing off the illegal migrant route from Libya, Italy laid some of the groundwork Thursday by reaching a deal with the Libyan prime minister to try to stop migrants from setting out to cross the central Mediterranean. Premier Paolo Gentiloni told reporters Thursday night after meeting Libyan Premier Fayez Serraj in Rome that the two sides signed a memo of understanding to step up cooperation and to fight migrant trafficking from Libyan shores.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment

Finland’s market is progressive but small, so companies in the health sector have to aim to the global market already in the establishment-stage. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the University of Helsinki and the University of Tampere launch a development programme with objectives of enhancing the commercialisation abilities of researchers and research-based companies in the health sector and building internationally competitive, growing business in Finland.

Bill Gates and Federal Minister Gerd Muller to speak at TUM

Bill Gates, Co-Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gerd MuISller, German Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, will be featured in the “TUM Speakers Series”. The founder of Microsoft and the politician will meet on February 17, at 4:45 pm, in the Technical University of Munich Audimax to speak with student Nicki Weber about development policy.

Sousse inquests: ‘Four of one family went on boys’ trip and only one came back’

Charles Patrick Evans, Joel Richards and Adrian Evans were among the 30 Britons killed in the Tunisian beach massacre A woman whose son, brother and father were killed by a gunman in a Tunisian hotel has told their inquests how the terror attack “destroyed” her family. Suzanne Richards said the deaths of Charles Patrick Evans, 78, Adrian Evans, 49 and Joel Richards, 19, had left the remaining members of her tight-knit family “broken”.

Two top public schools investigated in child abuse inquiry

Two top public schools attended by Prince Charles and Tony Blair are investigated as part of major inquiry into child abuse A former teacher at Gordonstoun, the alter mater of Prince Charles, has been accused of child sex crimes dating back to the 1980s The boarding schools are being probed as part of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry into more than 60 residential care establishments Two top public schools attended by Prince Charles and Tony Blair are being investigated by a major national inquiry into child abuse. Gordonstoun, the alter mater of the heir to the throne, and Fettes College – where the former Labour Prime Minister was a pupil – both feature in the statutory probe.

Why has Barcelona had enough of its tourists?

The level of tourism in Barcelona has led to rent prices and property purchases becoming more expensive, which has driven locals out of being able to afford living in their own city centre. In a city centre poll carried out last year, residents said that tourism was its biggest problem, with unemployment in second place.

The Latest: Dutch populist lawmaker praises Trumpa s bans

The Latest on President Donald Trump, his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and other immigration actions : The Netherlands’ firebrand anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders has clashed in Parliament with the Dutch foreign minister over U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban for people from seven Muslim nations. In a debate Tuesday, Wilders – seen by many as a Dutch equivalent of Trump – paid tribute to the new U.S. leader, saying, “Finally America has a president, finally a country in the West has a president, who not only lives up to his promises but who says ‘the freedom of my citizens is more important than anything.’

The Latest: Dutch populist lawmaker praises Trumpa s bans

The Latest on President Donald Trump, his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and other immigration actions : The Netherlands’ firebrand anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders has clashed in Parliament with the Dutch foreign minister over U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban for people from seven Muslim nations. In a debate Tuesday, Wilders – seen by many as a Dutch equivalent of Trump – paid tribute to the new U.S. leader, saying, “Finally America has a president, finally a country in the West has a president, who not only lives up to his promises but who says ‘the freedom of my citizens is more important than anything.’

17:38 7 troops killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine

Fighting between government troops and Russia-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine escalated on Tuesday, killing at least seven people overnight, injuring many more and briefly trapping more than 200 coalminers underground, the warring sides said, reports the Associated Press . Rebels in Donetsk said an electricity sub-station was damaged in shelling, cutting power to the Zasyadko coal mine in Donetsk.

Mosque shooting suspect in Canada known for far-right views

The French Canadian university student charged with killing six Muslim men during evening prayers at a mosque was known for far-right, nationalist views and his support of the French rightist party led by Marine Le Pen. Alexandre Bissonnette was charged Monday with six counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder over the shooting rampage at a Quebec City mosque that Canada’s prime minister called an act of terrorism against Muslims.

Socialist primary winner in France had backing of prominent anti-Semites

A left-wing politician in France who handily defeated Prime Minister Manuel Valls in the Socialist presidential primaries was endorsed by the founders of the country’s Anti-Zionist Party. Benoit Hamon, who supports dramatically expanding welfare payments and has called for his party to support Palestinian causes to increase its appeal to Muslim voters, beat his hard-line challenger Sunday with 58 percent of the vote in the second and final round of the balloting.

Ruth Davidson in plea to Donald Trump to reverse travel ban

As protests are staged around the world, the Scottish Conservative leader added her voice to calls for the executive order to be reversed. She praised the UK Government for getting clarification on the status of UK dual citizens, but said: “I think at base, myself and many other people across the globe, including former Republican vice-president Dick Cheney, our solution would be for this executive order to be rescinded.