Europe
Europe
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died, was married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years and became the longest-serving consort in British history
Ursula Von der Leyen left without a seat during summit in Turkey as her colleague Charles Michel and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan grab the only two available chairs, leaving her to perch on a nearby sofa for two and a half hours of talks on Turkey's relations with EU
TV host and singer Slavi Trifonov's party There is Such a People and two other anti-establishment parties win a total of over 31% of the vote in Sunday's general election, leaving Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's party GERB with a forecasted 25.2% pleading for a coalition government focused on bringing EU cash to the country
European Commission's scientific expert arm to deem nuclear power a green investment, saying there's no science-based evidence that nuclear energy does more harm than other electricity production technologies, part of EU's assessment of which economic activities can be labelled as sustainable
EU plans to ban export of 19 million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses due to be shipped to the UK, saying everything is on the table to protect its citizens, while Britain warns Brussels the world is watching and a ban would damage bloc's reputation
CDU takes major hit in crucial German state elections ahead of general election in September following recent scandals and the mishandling of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, drops four percentage points in Baden-Württemberg and 5.8 points in Rhineland-Palatinate
Russian police detain several liberal opposition activists and local deputies in Moscow at summit, stating it was staged by the foreign NGO Open Russia, which is linked to exiled former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and whose activities have been deemed undesirable in the country
Swiss vote to ban facial coverings in binding referendum on Sunday by a 51.2-48.8% margin, dubbed by many the burqa ban, chairman of the referendum committee Walter Wobmann says Swiss tradition is that you show your face, comes after a vote to ban new minarets in 2009
15,000 people in Vienna protest government’s Covid-19 restrictions on Saturday calling for the resignation of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, with speeches from leaders of the Freedom Party of Austria and some participants being arrested by the police, in the latest of a string of protests in the country
French court finds former president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of offering a plum job in Monaco to a judge in exchange for inside information on an inquiry into his campaign finances, is sentenced to three years in jail including two years suspended
Brussels threatens legal action against Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Finland and Sweden for their strict border rules against Covid-19 as it disrupt trade and harms EU's key tenet freedom of movement, warning that countries acting in their own self-interest risk the unity of the bloc
Abu Walaa is sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for recruiting for the Islamic State by a German court, three co-defendants received prison sentences of between four and eight years, Walaa always appeared in online videos with his back to the camera making it more difficult for authorities to gather evidence against him
German police raid more than 25 properties in Berlin and Brandenburg aimed at the Arabic crime family Remmo, investigated for distribution of firearms, large-scale drug trafficking and violent crime, and Chechen clans who clashed with the Remmo family in 2020, two men arrested while a third suspect escaped
Catalan separatist parties reach majority in regional parliament for the first time with 50.9% of the vote after Sunday's election, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya says it will lead the government and seek support of other parties for a referendum on independence
Danish and German police arrest six men in Denmark and one in Germany charged with planning one or more terrorist attacks or attempting to participate in terrorism, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service says
Travellers returning to UK who lie about coming from a red list country face up to ten years in prison under new law which might be in place until the autumn, Health Secretary Matt Hancock unveils, and travellers who fail to stick to ten-day hotel quarantine will be fined GBP 10,000
German farmers drive tractors by Brandenburg Gate in Berlin protesting the Insect Protection Act due to be adopted by the German parliament next week, a bill the farmers believe is motivated by ideology rather than science and which will force many of them out of business
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expels EU diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden for alleged participation in unauthorized rallies in support of Alexey Navalny, after making formal protests to the three embassies
Denmark to develop digital corona passport to prove people have been vaccinated against Covid-19, allowing them to travel and help ease restrictions on their public life, passport to be introduced in three or four months
Humiliated EU backs down on triggering Article 16 of the Brexit deal, which introduces border controls between Ireland and Northern Ireland, after it caused outrage in London, Dublin and Belfast with Northern Ireland's Arlene Foster calling it an incredible act of hostility
Emmanuel Macron says AstraZeneca vaccine is quasi-ineffective for people over 65 and Germany's vaccine commission advice against using it on older people, after EU recommends the vaccine for adults of all ages, while the bloc tries to save face after lagging far behind the UK by introducing export ban to Britain
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte hands in his resignation to the head of state, hoping he will be given an opportunity to put together a new coalition as it will give him more time to find a deal
The Scottish National Party publishes plans for another vote on Scottish independence in a “Roadmap to Referendum", if it wins a parliamentary majority at elections scheduled for May 6 it will pass its own bill so that a referendum can take place once the pandemic is over, forcing the UK government to either accept the referendum or take action to dispute its legal basis
Switzerland will hold a referendum on whether to repeal the 2020 COVID-19 Act stripping the government of its power to impose new lockdown measures, a campaign group called Friends of the Constitution triggered the vote by submitting a petition of 86 000 signatures
Germany’s cabinet approves legislation to force listed companies with more than three management board members to have at least one woman on their boards after Angela Merkel expressed frustration that companies move too slowly to appoint woman leaders, new law affect around 70 companies
Austria calls for European register of Muslim imams similar to the one already adopted in Austria since the begin of 2021, the mandate was one of several new measures Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's government adopted after a November 2 terror attack in Vienna, Austria's Minister for European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler defends the measure by stating security authorities need to know who is preaching what in which mosque at any given time
861 cars were set on fire in France during the night of New Year’s Eve according to Europe 1, this figure does not appear in the press release of the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin on the toll of incidents on New Year’s night, in a note addressed to the prefects he expressly requests these figures not be communicated locally to avoid any phenomenon of competition
England’s fishermen brand Boris Johnson a betrayer who has slayed them and say they won’t forget after Brexit deal lets EU boats continue plying the rich 6-12 nautical mile English inshore fishing zone, adding that Britain had the opportunity to take back control but passed it up
An element of football hooligans in Germany have latched on to the Querdenker movement protesting government measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the hoolingans are there to help the demonstrators break through the police lines and in Leipzig the police gave way as they faced several hundred well-organized, well-trained, experienced right-wing fighters
An additional four people of Pakistani origin have been arrested in France as part of an investigation into a knife attack in Paris on September 25th for encouraging the attacker, the main suspect in the attack was an 18-year-old man from Pakistan who was arrested soon after the stabbing
Paris town hall has been fined EUR 90,000 for breaching the "Sauvadet law" and appointing too many women into senior roles, no more than 60 percent of management appointments can be from the same gender, city mayor Anne Hidalgo branded the decision as absurd, unfair, irresponsible and dangerous
Germany escalates pandemic lockdown, most stores forced to close from December 16 to January 10, schools are shut down, sales of New Years fireworks banned, private gatherings limited to five persons from two families, restaurants and bars have already been forced to close since six weeks
EU leaders unblock 1.8 trillion EUR recovery fund after Poland and Hungary lift their vetoes as link to political or ideological conditions is removed, instead introducing regulation, which first must be approved by EU’s top court, to ensure money is used according to rule-of-law
EU leaders unblock 1.8 trillion EUR recovery fund after Poland and Hungary lift their vetoes as link to political or ideological conditions is removed, instead introducing regulation, which first must be approved by EU’s top court, to ensure money is used according to rule-of-law
UK will probably leave EU without post-Brexit trade deal, says Boris Johnson after fruitless crunch meeting with EU bureaucrats, prime minister says firms and people must prepare for hard Brexit taking place after December 31
90-year-old Margaret Keenan has become the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine after its approval in the UK and said it was a “privilege” to receive it as she can now finally look forward to spending time with family and friends in the new year, 400,000 people who will receive the first batch of 800,000 vaccine doses, and will receive a booster jab in 21 days
50% of Britons will not spend time with relatives indoors during Christmas, 45% are afraid to catch Covid-19 every time they go outside, government medical advisor tells people not to hug elderly family members if they want their relatives to survive
Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland should hold a second independence referendum in May next year, saying Scots have right to choose their own future, with recent opinion polls suggesting a majority now support independence
Nigel Farage will relaunch the British Brexit Party as an anti-lockdown party called Reform UK, the new party will back a policy of focused protection from the coronavirus for only the most vulnerable, and allow the rest of the population to develop herd immunity
France deports five members of a Bosnian Muslim family who had beaten and shaved the hair of an adolescent girl who wanted to marry a young Serbian Christian man, the girl will be taken care of by social services and will obtain the right of residence in France when she reaches majority
About 40 people try to storm a police station in the Paris suburbs of Champigny-sur-Marne armed with metal bars and using fireworks as projectiles, Mayor Laurent Jeanne said it was an organised attack by people who wanted to battle the police, the station is located in a housing estate area known for drug trafficking and deemed by authorities as a high priority district for order to be restored
A Wave Glider, a small unmanned vessel, washed up on the rocky Scottish Isle of Tiree, close to the main highway for UK submarine operations from Faslane, the vessel is grey rather than the usual bright yellow and there are no navigation lights suggesting a military mission, a similar craft washed up on a beach less than a hundred miles away in Northern Ireland in September 2019
Britain’s interior minister Priti Patel is set to outline a plan for a new two-tier system for migrants, reportedly the British government will routinely deny asylum to migrants who board boats to cross the English Channel or come to Britain through illegal routes while new legal routes will be created
The UK government has considered building an asylum processing centre on Ascension Island, 8,000 km from the UK, Home Secretary Priti Patel asked officials to look at asylum policies which had been successful in other countries and the idea of "offshoring" people is being looked at but finding a suitable location would be key
Four people have been injured in a knife attack in Paris near the former office of Charlie Hebdo, the two attackers are on the run according to police
A protest in Oslo escalated into violence when a female activist tore pages from a Koran, angry counter-protesters launched an attack on the rally organized by Stop Islamization of Norway, one person was reportedly injured and several others were arrested
Greece to expand cement and barbed wire fence, built in 2012 on its northern border with Turkey to prevent migrants from entering the country, from 12.5 to 40 kilometers, to be completed within eight months at an estimated cost of EUR 63 million
Greece plans to expand western territorial waters in Ionian Sea from 6 to 12 miles, based on principles of international law, agreements on maritime boundaries with Italy and Egypt to be approved by parliament while discussions started with Albania
Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory could be axed from BBC Proms after Black Lives Matter protests, Dalia Stasevska, who is conducting the Proms finale is a big supporter of Black Lives Matter and thinks a ceremony without an audience is the perfect moment to bring change
Turkey announces 320 billion cubic meter natural gas find in Black Sea in waters 2,100 metres deep which Tayyip Erdogan says could come onstream as soon as 2023, adding that operations in the Mediterranean which has drawn protests from Greece and Cyprus will accelerate
Viktor Orbán says Central European nations should unite to preserve their Christian roots as Western Europe has given up on a Christian Europe, and instead experiments with a godless cosmos, rainbow families, migration and open societies
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is in a coma after drinking a cup of tea believed to have been laced with poison, he became really ill soon after take-off, the captain decided to make an emergency landing in Omsk where Navalny was put in intensive care and on an artificial lung ventilator
Alexander Lukashenko says he is ready to put constitutional changes to a referendum and then hand over his power after new elections, but not under pressure or because of the street, follows growing protests in Belarus
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has blocked individual German states from rescuing migrants from Greek refugee camps, Berlin and Thuringia, both governed by left-wing coalitions, are considering challenging the block in court, Seehofer once called immigration the "mother of all problems"
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya flees to Lithuania after two nights of clashes following contested re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years
Italian Senate votes to strip Matteo Salvini of his parliamentary immunity, allows him to be tried for allegedly illegally detaining migrants at sea in August 2019, Salvini says they've got the wrong man if they think they can scare him with a politically-motivated trial
Tayyip Erdogan joins huge crowds on Friday for first prayers at Hagia Sophia in nine decades, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calls Turkey a troublemaker and the Hagia Sophia conversion an affront to civilization of the 21st century
Dame Vivienne Westwood is suspended 10 feet in the air inside giant birdcage outside the Old Bailey in London in protest against the extradition of Julian Assange, mimicking the plight of the canary in the coal mine
Greece proposes a flat income tax rate of 7% for foreign retirees who transfer their tax residence to Greece, applicable for a decade and any income a person might have, follows a similar initiative introduced previously in Portugal who are set to introduce a 10% tax on foreign-source pension income for non-habitual residents this year
Arson suspected in fire at Nantes Cathedral in France, blaze destroyed stained glass windows and the grand organ but local fire chief says fire has been contained, Macron tweets support for risk-taking firefighters trying to save gothic jewel, the 15th century cathedral was damaged during allied bombing in 1944 and when the wooden roof was damaged in 1972 it was replaced with concrete
Yves Rausch arrested in Oppenau-Raumsbach 2.5 km from the Oppenau city center after five days on the run, 4 guns confiscated (German)
Ryanair plane flying from London Stansted Airport to Oslo lands safely on Gardermoen airport in Norway after receiving bomb threat while in the air, the airline says crew discovered a note that claimed there was a potential security threat on board
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov asks his finance, economy and interior ministers to step down amid nationwide anti-corruption protests, says he will decide at end of the week whether his government will stay until scheduled elections next spring or step down
Poland’s incumbent Andrzej Duda wins presidential election, nearly final results giving him over 51% of the vote while Rafał Trzaskowski's won almost 49%
Poles vote on Sunday in knife-edge presidential election between incumbent Andrzej Duda and liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski that some think may shape country’s future relations with the EU, which have been frayed by the bloc’s attitude to Poland's rule of law
Eurozone officials ready to let Croatia and Bulgaria into the ERM-2 mechanism, a preliminary stage for adopting the euro as their currency in the next three years in first enlargement of the eurozone since 2015
British government to invest GBP 40 million in developing and supporting small nuclear reactor projects, including three advanced modular reactor projects and smaller research, design, and manufacturing projects to create up to 200 jobs
Finnish Air Force changes logotype to remove swastika which has symbolized the organization since 1918 when it received a gifted airplane decorated with blue tetraskelion, the symbol which has hence acquired political connotations is now replaced by golden eagle
Illegal helicopter factory raided by Moldova police, group of Transnistria residents manufactured unlicensed copies of Soviet era Kamov KA-26 for export to ex-USSR countries, organizers face years in prison on charges of preparation to smuggling
Germany restructures elite army force Kommando Spezialkräfte and disbands one of its four combat companies after numerous allegations of far-right extremism among its ranks, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer says the unit has developed a toxic leadership culture
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson reelected President of Iceland for a second term with 92.2% of the vote, voters quarantined due to possible Covid-19 infection voted at drive-up polling stations holding up a note with the name of the candidate for the stationed poll worker to record
Cambridge University backs faculty member Priyamvada Gopal who tweeted "White Lives Don't Matter" and "Abolish whiteness", says it defends the right of its academics to express their own lawful opinions which others might find controversial and that the attacks on Gopal are totally unacceptable
Serbia to reject EU membership if Belgrade does not receive concessions in return for recognizing Kosovo and dropping attempts to stop it joining UN, President Aleksandar Vučić says resolution of future relationship with the former province is not possible without Moscow’s consent
Greek Coast Guard intercepts migrant boats, transfers the migrants to life rafts with limited maneuvering capabilities, tows them toward Turkey and releases them, according to Der Spiegel
Polish troops guarding the frontier take up positions by chapel in north-eastern Moravia in the Czech Republic stopping Czech visitors and stay for several days until authorities contact Warsaw in what Polish Defence Ministry describes as a misunderstanding
British scouts protect statue of Scout founder Robert Baden-Powell in Dorset after Bournemouth council orders statue to be removed while Dan Davies and man named Stephen sleep in tents by the statue in Poole Quay to guard it overnight
EU wants to introduce more vigorous checks on foreign state-owned or state-backed companies buying European firms to prevent use of unfair subsidies, says EU Antitrust Chief Margrethe Vestager, who has approved more than 2 trillion EUR to be pumped by EU governments into Covid-19-hit companies
ECB approves EUR 600 billion expansion to its stimulus package to a total of EUR 1.35 trillion allowing it to buy up most of new debt euro zone governments are issuing, Germany separately unveiled a EUR 130 billion stimulus package late on Wednesday
Adolf Hitler's birthplace in Austrian town of Braunau am Inn gets GBP 5 million redisign to blend in with the street and turned into a police station in effort to neutralise the house to stop attracting sympathisers and counter-protesters
French scientists identify two chest X-rays from between November 16 and 18 showing symptoms consistent with Covid-19, team of researchers in Colmar examined almost 2,500 X-rays and also discovered 12 cases from December and 16 from January
Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban pays USD 690 in fine for breaking his own Covid-19 restrictions by not wearing a face mask and smoking indoors in the company of several other cabinet members, Orban acknowledged rules must be obeyed by all citizens
IKEA manager in Poland charged with religious discrimination for firing employee who cited the Bible and spoke up against homosexuality on company’s internal website, the human resources manager could face a fine or up to two years in prison