Europe
Europe
Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom quits cabinet, saying she no longer believes government's approach will deliver Brexit, comes amid backlash against Theresa May's Brexit plan from Conservative MPs, several cabinet ministers say May cannot stay
Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party storms ahead on 35% in EU election polls in the UK, Conservatives and Labour expected to be punished by both Remain and Leave voters
Model railway enthusiasts in Stamford, England have their creations on display on its annual show destroyed by four youths, mindless vandalism of models taken up to 25 years to put together, most members in their 70s and fear they will not live long enough to recreate their work, wave of donations to Market Deeping Railway Club to be used for rebuilding displays and fund youth projects
Dutch asylum minister Mark Harbers resigns after his ministry release report hiding violent crimes committed by asylum-seekers, figures for murder and rape were grouped under the category "other", the former minister claims this was to avoid confusion
Theresa May opens up for new referendum if Withdrawal Agreement is approved, desperate prime minister monstered from Conservatives for making concessions and from Labour for not going far enough, forced to water down offer after Cabinet members threatened to quit over idea of free vote on referendum, no deal Brexit gains support
Germany spent EUR 23 billion euros on refugees domestically and abroad in 2018, an increase of 11% on the EUR 20.8 billion spent previous year, Germany’s 16 states received EUR 7.5 billion for housing and integrating
64% of Swiss voters in referendum supports tougher gun laws which heavily restricts right to own semi-automatic and automatic weapons, urged by EU to tighten its laws following the 2015 Paris terror attacks using threats of removal from open-border Schengen Area, 48% of Swiss households own a gun
Austria's Vice-Chancellor and Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache resigns amid corruption scandal he calls a targeted political attack, blames his behaviour on drunkenness and will to impress attractive hostess
Swiss to vote on tougher gun laws to conform with EU regulations, Switzerland has a proud tradition of gun ownership with clubs in every town and village, overall gun crime rate lower than in their neighbouring countries
Man found dead in Passau crossbow murder case believed to have led medieval sex and slavery cult, the four dead women said to have been manipulated by the man in media named as Torsten W, police treat case as a "requested killing and suicide"
Three guests found dead in rural Bavarian hotel impaled by crossbow bolts, man with long white beard and woman dressed in black found lying hand-in-hand on the bed, shot with bolts to the head and chest, another woman was lying in pool of blood on the floor, with a bolt through the chest, police seizes white pickup truck with stickers reportedly linked to a hunting club
Denmark one of least feminist countries in western world, global poll of more than 25,000 people from 23 countries shows, mere one in six Danes believes themselves to be a feminist, compared to 46% in neighboring Sweden
Italian city of Bergamo launches integration boot camp, recruits selected based on knowledge of Italian, prior education and ability to follow rules, wears uniforms with "Thank you Bergamo" in large print, are expected to do community service and may only speak Italian
41 dead after plane from Moscow to Murmansk catches fire and is forced to make emergency landing, the two-engine Sukhoi SSJ100 aircraft was operated by Aeroflot
Amsterdam plans to ban all but electric cars by 2030 in hope to extend locals' life expectancy by three months, first step to ban diesel-powered cars predating 2005 from 2020, further restrictions to be brought in step by step in gradually extended zone, RAI Vereninging motoring lobby describes plans as "bizarre and impossible to put into practice"
Former Dutch police officer jailed for seven months for leaking confidential information on Geert Wilders' personal protection and visit by one of president Obama's daughters, first assumed to have leaked information to criminals, but investigation shows he talked about his job to impress on women, plans to appeal against verdict
Socialist Party (PSOE) wins Spanish general election with 35% of votes, expected to form coalition with extreme left Unidas Podemos, liberal-conservative Popular Party (PP) suffered a crushing defeat losing over half of its seats and immigration-critical Vox took 24 seats in its debut national election
Ryanair ordered to pay between 380,000 and 480,000 to pilots laid off as part of the closing of the Eindhoven airport ground base in 2018, the court rules the dismissal of the pilots was not based on business but rather a reprimand for two strikes conducted by the employees, the court however does not reinstate the employees as no purposeful continuation can be seen at Ryanair
Pakistan-born Lord Ahmed of Rotherham charged with third child sex offence, the former Labour councillor was elevated to House of Lords as life peer by Tony Blair in 1998, two of Lord Ahmed's brothers also facing charges of indecently assaulting boys under 14
New IRA admits responsibility and offers "full and sincere apologies" for murder of journalist Lyra McKee on Thursday night while she was observing rioting in Londonderry, 57-year-old woman arrested under Terrorism Act, New IRA supports hard-left republican political party Saoradh which previously sought to justify the use of violence
Ukrainian actor Volodymyr Zelensky wins run-off election to become country's next president by a landslide, exit polls giving him more than 70% support, incumbent president Petro Poroshenko admits defeat
Two instigators of Molotov cocktail attack on Esphigmenou monastery in Mount Athos sentenced to 17 years imprisonment and fine of EUR 600, six other occupants of the monastery, who took part in the attack in 2013, sentenced to 9 years and five months imprisonment
Google to roll out new browser and search ballot screens for Android in Europe, response to USD 5 billion fine by EU regulators for illegally tying Chrome and its search app to Android, Google says it will be evolving implementation over time after an upcoming update
Dutch watch teams and watch app groups on the rise, more than 700 teams and 3500 groups now exist in the country, promoted by majority of municipalities as way to prevent crime and help troubled youths, criticised by academics for not following central policy on how to conduct their activities but rather adapting to local circumstances
Dutch government was wrong to strip Dutch nationality from two convicted jihadis, highest court says, law making it possible was only introduced in 2017 and the two men joined jihadi groups in Iraq and Syria in 2013 and 2014 and it is unclear if they were still active when the law was brought in, the men’s current whereabouts is unknown
Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party could win EU Elections YouGov poll reveals, survey shows support at 27%, 5% ahead of Labour and 12% ahead of Conservatives, party wants to leave EU with no deal, in major coup Tory defector and Jacob Rees-Mogg's sister Annunziata was revealed as star candidate last week
875 French churches vandalized in 2018, acts include damage of organ at Saint-Denis basilica, thefts from 129 churches, vandalization of 59 cemeteries and spreading of human faeces on walls, France legislators call for more investigations in anti-Christian acts
Supreme court upholds six month suspended jail sentence for man who 10 years ago helped his 99-year-old mother to die, he was earlier cleared on all charges, Supreme Court in 2017 ordered a retrial because euthanasia carried out by someone other than a doctor must be subject to "very strict rules"
Notre Dame on fire, extensive damage feared as firefighters struggle to control blaze in legendary 12th century cathedral
EU member states approve contentious copyright reform, 19 members in favor and six against, with three abstentions, governments have two years to implement laws at national level
Jihadi bride Shamima Begum stitched suicide bombers into explosive vests and carried Kalashnikov rifle while performing her duties as ISIS morality police, according to British intelligence, Bagum claims she was just a housewife and never did anything dangerous
Roger Scruton fired from position as adviser to UK government after accurately stating in interview that Islamophobia is a propaganda word invented by Muslim Brotherhood in order to stop discussion of a major issue, George Eaton in same interview stripped out context of Scruton comment on Chinese Communist Party making it appear racist
Restaurant manager Yann Abdelhamid Mohamadi sentenced to a year in prison for falsely claiming to be at his Casa Nostra restaurant during ISIS terrorist attack in November 2015, attempting to win compensation from national victim's guarantee fund, Mohamadi was convicted in 2018 for selling video of 2015 attack to Daily Mail for EUR 50,000
German female ISIS terrorist Jennifer Wenisch on trial accused of the war crime of letting five-year-old Yazidi slave girl die an agonising death of thirst in the scorching heat in Mosul, Wenisch allegedly told an FBI informant, who offered her a ride back to Turkey in a bugged car, about the event while they drove through Germany
Wave of police suicides in France, 25 in 2019 alone, government’s efforts to address issue under fierce criticism, police suicide rate in France 36 percent higher than that for the general population
Thousands of Berlin residents march demanding expropriation of 200,000 apartments to combat rent increases caused by 40,000 people per year influx since 2008, organizer Rouzbeh Tahiri says "we don’t want [large property companies] in our city any more" due to years of "very bad experiences" – 20,000 signatures in six months and additional 170,000 until February needed to force referendum, 44% of Berliners support renationalizing flats and 39% oppose it according to February poll
Christian Russian family granted asylum in Poland after Swedish child welfare services placed the three children in Muslim foster family 400 kilometres from parent’s home, family investigated when mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, judge decides children should remain in father’s care for their well-being
Twitter blocks French government with its own fake news law, designed to combat anonymous political messages and make clear who is paying for advertisements, the government's campaign encourages voters to register for European elections
Italian senate signs law which renders self-defence legitimate against perceived threat of violence from trespasser, previous law required proof of immediate physical threat, additionally toughens sentences for theft, burglary and shoplifting, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini celebrates "Italians' sacrosanct right to legitimate self-defence"
Hotline for reporting left wing indoctrination launched in the Netherlands by Forum for Democracy (FvD), students urged to report biased exam questions, one-sided text books, oikophobia projects and partisan teachers
Oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea hijacked by migrants it had rescued, Maltese special operations team boards the tanker and restores control to the captain, ship later docks safely at Maltese port of Senglea
Two men sentenced to life imprisonment for murder after killing a retired doctor and father-of-two in an spontaneous car race along Kurfürstendamm in Berlin in 2016
French court orders owner of EUR 57 million chateau to tear it down within 18 months, court find building built without permission in protected woodland, assistant public prosecutor Pierre-Jean Gaury says transformation of the property was "delusional, totally illegal and built in an illegal manner"
European Parliament backs proposal to stop one-hour clock change between standard and summer time by 2021, when each member state is to decide on summer or winter time, ministers also to have their say on custom which is seen to having negative effects on people's health
Breast ironing of girls something teachers in UK must be educated about, MP Nicky Morgan says, practice involves ironing a girl's chest with hot objects and make her wear tight strap around the chest to delay breasts from growing, so she does not attract male attention
Nearly 500 people airlifted from luxury cruise ship stranded off Norway coast, with hundreds still onboard ship was towed back to Molde port, twenty passengers hospitalised
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte loses senate majority as Eurosceptic Thierry Baudet’s Forum for Democracy party surge to second biggest party in provincial elections two days after Utrecht terror attack, Rutte formed his ruling coalition to freeze out Geert Wilders' Freedom Party after general elections in 2017
UN judges sentence former Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic to life in prison, which cannot be appealed, convicted for the genocide at Srebrenica, the 44-month Serb siege of Sarajevo and of ethnic cleansing of Croats and Muslims in Bosnia, ruled previous 40-year sentence imposed too light
Aluminium manufacturer Norsk Hydro's operations disrupted by ransomware attack, employees told to not connect any devices to the company's network
Turkish gunman Gökmen Tanis arrested after shooting at relative on tram in Utrecht, Netherlands, killing three and injuring five, authorities says it may have been a terror attack
Imane Fadil, witness in trial against Silvio Berlusconi, dies at 33 after been brought to hospital with unexplained stomach pains, test results show presence of radioactive substances not normally available for purchase, the former model spoke to her lawyer of her fear of having been poisoned
British parliament votes to reject a no-deal Brexit by 321 votes to 278, will on Thursday vote on delaying Brexit passed 29 March, despite that being the legal default, MPs also voted by 374 to 164 to reject delaying UK's departure from the EU until 22 May
Prime Minister Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal rejected by MPs a second time by 391 votes to 242, MPs will now vote on whether UK should leave the EU without a deal
800-year-old Basilica of Saint-Denis heavily vandalised, two stained glass windows smashed and the nearly 200-year-old organ severely damaged, latest incident after nine churches were desecrated and vandalised in France last month
UK pornography block to take effect in April, requires users to present a passport, driver's license, credit card or purchase a GBP 5 porn card to verify their age, sites not complying will be subject to a GBP 250,000 fine or a block by UK internet service providers, experts warn about possible threats to privacy of individuals and entering credit card details into untrusted sites
Finland’s coalition government resigned a month ahead of a general election set for 14 April, quits over failure to deliver healthcare reform aimed to slow the increase in healthcare spending
Parkfield Community School in Birmingham halts LGBTQ curriculum after weeks of protests from Muslim parents culminated in 80% of the pupils being withdrawn, school denies protests had anything to do with the decision but "recognizes a need for parents and officials to discuss how to implement teaching about The Equality Act of 2010"
Man arrested in Barcelona for attempting to stab police officers while reportedly shouting "Allahu Akbar", claimed he was a messenger with mission to kill everyone, according to news site El País, none of the officers were injured, police believe the man may have a mental illness but are currently investigating all possibilities
French prison inmate Michaël Chiolo seriously injures two guards in terrorist attack at the Condé-sur-Sarthe prison, he stabbed the guards in the family-visiting unit using a ceramic knife his wife brought in, Chiolo serves a 30-year sentence for kidnapping leading to a death, armed robbery and condoning terrorism, shouted "Allahu Akhbar" during the attack
Female left-wing activists who found out their partners were undercover policemen say they are victims of a "conspiracy to rape", public inquiry has seen several women get apologies and compensation, police states officers who had long-term sexual relationships with their targets "abused their positions"
More than 100 migrants storm Calais ferry terminal in a coordinated attempt to board Dover-bound ferry, at least 46 arrested, about 1,000 migrants thought to be camped out in northern France repeatedly trying to enter Britain before Brexit
Prosecutors call for trying French politician Marine Le Pen for tweeting pictures of ISIS terrorist atrocities in response to journalist comparing her party to the terrorist group shortly after the November 2015 Paris attacks, the crime "circulating violent pictures liable to be seen by children" carries maximum sentence of three years in prison and EUR 75,000 fine
61-year-old member of House of Lords Nazir Ahmed charged with indecent assault of a boy and with two counts of attempting to rape a girl, the incidents occurring between 1971 and 1974 part of investigation launched in 2016 by South Yorkshire Police also involving two other Rotherham men, the former Labour Party politician immigrated from Pakistan in 1969 and 1998 became one of the first Muslim peers
600 pupils, equalling 80% of the children at Birmingham primary school, withdrawn by Muslim parents protesting school's LGBT agenda, parents call "No Outsiders" programme brainwashing and indoctrination, Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman says "essence of democracy is we don't all get our way"
Dutch customs seize 90,000 bottles of vodka on Chinese freight ship believed destined for North Korean leader Kim Jung-un and his army chiefs, shipping documents says China was the final destination
Nine men who raped and abused two 14-year-old girls living in a children's home jailed, convicted of 22 offences including rape and inciting child prostitution, the men sentenced to jail terms ranging from 20 years to 18 months
Malta battered by wind gusts up to 133km/h in worst storm since 1982, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat promises aid to those whose property was damaged and seeks EU funding
Austrian farmer ordered to pay EUR 490,000 to German widower whose 45-year-old wife was trampled to death by cows while hiking with dog in Tyrol, court rules farmer should have fenced off grazing land instead of putting up warning signs, region's farmers as well as policitians critical against decision
Icelandic government approves harpooning of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales annually through 2023, environmental critics claim whale hunting is economically marginal and morally repugnant, fisheries minister Kristján Þór Júlíusson says the quota is sustainable and based on scientific research
35% rise in deportations from Germany to Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria during 2018, 1,873 rejected asylum-seekers deported marking 14 time increase since 2015, government pushing for adding the countries to "safe countries" list to speed up process
Denmark changes refugee and asylum policy focus from integration to repatriation in what proponents call "paradigm shift", new policy says refugees should be sent home when conditions in countries of origin are deemed safe enough
The Vatican will force prior to allow General Franco’s exhumation from the Valley of the Fallen, pope’s right-hand man Pietro Parolin has sent a letter to Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo ensuring Santiago Cantera won't stop the government’s plans, Franco family will appeal the decision at the Supreme Court, family's wish to reburying the general in La Almudena has been denied on reasons of public order
Former UK citizen Shamima Begum trapped in citizenship limbo after joining the IS-terrorists in Syria, the UK government claims she has Bangladeshi citizenship through her mother, critics allege that denying her UK citizenship without a secondary citizenship leaves her stateless and is against the law
France fines Swiss banking giant UBS EUR 3.7 billion for tax evasion and money laundering plus additional EUR 800,000 in damages to the French state for helping wealthy French avoid paying taxes on more than EUR 10 billion between 2004 and 2012 – in similar cases, the bank reached USD 780 million settlement with US in 2009 and agreed to pay EUR 300 million fine in Germany in 2014
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to announce date for new general election after Congress rejected the Socialist Party government’s spending plan for 2019, pro-Catalan independence groups, the conservative Popular Party and center-right Ciudadanos among parties to dismiss the budget
Hungary aim to boost declining birth rate rather than increase immigration, PM Viktor Orbán announces, mothers raising four children exempt from income tax for life, subsidies and loans for large families to buy homes and cars
Mother of two arrested in front of her children at her home in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, locked up for seven hours after referring to transgender activist as a man online, more than two months after her arrest neither her mobile phone or laptop has been returned, police say they take all reports of malicious communication seriously
Queen Elizabeth II marks 67 years as monarch, ascended the throne on 6 February 1952 when her father King George VI died in his sleep aged 56, she is the longest-serving monarch in British history
London resting place of Karl Marx vandalized by hammer-wielding vandal, was buried in his wife's grave in 1883 and moved to a more prominent place in the cemetery in 1956
Denmark builds 70km anti-pig fence along its border with Germany amid fear of spread of African swine fever, could jeopardise almost $1.7bn in pork-product exports, Denmark is also easing hunting restrictions, fence built to allow humans and small animals pass through
Welshman Steve Bray who since 2017 spends all day howling "Stop Brexit" moves into GBP 6 million house opposite Jacob Rees-Mogg after raising GBP 12,000 to fund his lavish pad in the run-up to Britain's departure from the EU on March 29
Activists in UK claim growing trend of female child "breast ironing" amongst African immigrants, the practice is performed by mothers of children concerned about risk of rape and sexual harassment, practitioners believe massaging the child's chest with a hot stone can inhibit breast tissue development
Leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg backs calls for Queen to suspend parliamentary session if MPs loyal to the EU orchestrates votes derailing Britain’s scheduled departure from the European Union on March 29
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says a no deal Brexit could result in a hard border with Northern Ireland, involving cameras, physical infrastructure and police or army presence, the open border is a legacy of the 1998 Good Friday agreement
Greece ratifies renaming neighbouring Macedonia to Republic of North Macedonia, ending decades-old dispute and opening way for the ex-Yugoslav republic joining the European Union and NATO
Court rules Interior Minister Matteo Salvini can be charged with kidnapping after preventing 177 migrants from disembarking Italian coast guard ship, Salvini confesses in Facebook video and says he'd do it again, Italy's parliament to decide whether to allow him go to trial or to postpone the process
The EU Commission tells member states to tighten checks on non-EU nationals who acquire citizenship through investments, twenty EU countries have schemes handing out so-called "golden passports" in exchange for large investments
Vladimir Putin's approval rating falls to all-time low, due to a decline in disposable income and a rise in retirement age, the ongoing war in Syria and the conflict in Ukraine has come at an enormous cost to the population’s living standards and a huge political cost
Nine migration-background men in London sentenced for brutal series of violent assaults including acid attacks, left scene shouting homophobic comments and that they "run Hackney"
Donald Tusk hints UK should stay in the EU, after Theresa May's Brexit deal was rejected in parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker warns time running out for UK to strike a deal as the French and the Irish starts preparing for a no-deal Brexit saying pressure is mainly on the British
Theresa May's Brexit deal thrown out by Parliament by 432 votes to 202, paving the way for vote of no-confidence in the Government by the Opposition on January 16
West Yorkshire police arrest 55 men on suspicion of child sexual abuse, the offenses are believed to have taken place between 2002-2009 and affected 7 women from the Kirklees area