Europe
Europe
At least 5 killed and 60 wounded after a 50-year-old Saudi doctor rammed his car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany during Friday evening, viewed as a deliberate attack
Germany changes its Basic Law to protect the Federal Constitutional Court from the growing right-wing Alternative for Germany, fixes the number of judges as well as terms and maximum age and gives the Upper House the power to appoint judges if the Lower House can't reach 2/3 majority, Social Democrat Interior Minister Nancy Faeser says that the law ensures that democracy enemies don't have a gateway to the judicial system
Thousands of people feared dead after cyclone Chido with winds above 220 kilometers per hour hit France's territory of Mayotte outside Madagascar, locals compare the damage to nuclear war, 100,000 illegal immigrants live in the territory which is the poorest place in the EU
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses no-confidence vote with 207 votes where 367 were needed, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier now to decide whether to dissolve parliament where a snap election must be held within 60 days, polls indicating right-wing shift as Christian Democratic Union which have promised a fundamental change in migration policy tops the polls with 33% ahead of right-wing Alternative for Germany with 17%
At least five people killed in shootings in and around a French migrant camp outside Dunkirk, 22-year-old French national arrested after handing himself to the police, motive under investigation, two of the victims were Kurds who were rescued by French authorities after they along with 83 others tried crossing the English Channel during Saturday
Ukrainian man has Austrian citizenship revoked over refusal to sing the national anthem at the naturalization ceremony, Lower Austria State Vice-President Udo Landbauer says that citizenship is not a gift but an award that requires respect and identification with Austria, 15,824 people obtained Austrian citizenship between January and September 2024 of which one-fifth were born in the country
53-year-old former Manchester City football pro Mikheil Kavelashvili new Georgian President with 224 out of 225 votes in the electoral college, criticized by the opposition for anti-Western rhetoric and laws cracking down on LGBTQ+ rights, outgoing pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili says she considers the Parliament and thus the inauguration illegitimate and that she vows to stay on after her term ends on Monday
UK government makes the emergency ban on puberty blockers for under-18s with gender dysphoria indefinite, only exception is for use in clinical trials which will commence during 2025, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), which has provided expert advice to the government, comments that continued prescription of puberty blockers to children constitutes an unacceptable safety risk
Denmark moves to allow for deporting all immigrants that are sentenced to prison no matter the seriousness of the crime nor the time lived in the country, immigration and integration minister Kaare Dybvad Bek says foreigners are overrepresented especially in serious crimes which can't be accepted and that every deported foreign criminal is a victory for the country and for the rule of law, the law is expected to take effect in July 2025
Pope Francis approves LGBT+ pilgrimage as part of Jubilee 2025 celebrations, the pilgrimage title will be "Church: Home for All, LGBT+ Christians and Other Existential Frontiers" and be led chiefly by Italian gay rights group Tenda di Gionata which has previously depicted Jesus Christ as a transsexual
Planned terror attack on Christmas market in Bavaria foiled by police after tip-off from a foreign intelligence agency, 37-year-old Iraqi asylum-seeker arrested, the man shared Islamic State propaganda on social media and planned on driving a car through the Augsburg market
Muhammad is the most popular boys' baby name in England and Wales for the first time, has been in the top 10 since 2016 but has now overtaken Noah, 4661 Muhammads born in the countries during 2023 with Mohammed in 28th place with 1601 and Mohammad in 68th with 835
France's government collapses as Prime Minister Michel Barnier loses no-confidence vote, Barnier whose term spanned 90 days on will become the shortest-lived prime minister in the history of the modern French republic said ahead of the vote that he cannot accept the idea that institutional destabilization could be the objective that brings together a majority of lawmakers at a moment when our country faces a deep moral, economic, financial and civic crisis, the no-confidence vote followed Barnier's decision to force through an austere budget without parliamentary support
Polish PM Donald Tusk condemns climate activist road blockades and pledges crackdown, Interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak also condemns the activists' "completely irresponsible and scandalous behaviour" and says new regulations could be introduced and that the road blocks will be fought ruthlessly
Denmark reinstates 1915 ban on flying foreign flags without special permission, Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard says the Dannebrog is the most important national symbol and should enjoy a very special status, exceptions made for the Nordic countries, Germany, Greenland and the Faroe Islands as well as allowances for specific contexts like sporting events and demonstrations
Over 100 000 soldiers have deserted the Ukrainian army, widespread exhaustion and demoralization among the soldiers where interviewed deserters say it is 50 Russian shells fired for each Ukrainian one and that the war seems unwinnable
EU will provide Ukraine an additional EUR 4.2 billion in December to support the country's budget and will start transferring EUR 1.5 billion monthly from frozen Russian assets starting in January 2025, the new President of the European Council António Costa says the money can be used for military purposes and adds that the EU is working on a 15th package of sanctions against Russia
The EU simplifies the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the EU Taxonomy, the decision is reported as a decisive pivot away from the last years' Green Deal program and to reflect rising skepticism about Europe's environmental regulations, the decision follows days after the re-election of Donald Trump who has promised to again withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and slash regulation
Romanian ultranationalist Călin Georgescu wins first-round in the presidential elections with 23% of the vote, first time in the country's 35-year post-communist history that the Social Democratic Party PSD does not have a candidate in the second round, Georgescu who campaigned on reducing reliance on imports, supporting farmers and increasing the domestic production of food and energy has also argued against the EU and NATO and claims the Ukraine wars is manipulated by American military companies faces liberal Elena Lasconi in the runoff
Violent clashes in Amsterdam after soccer match between Israeli and Dutch teams, several people taken to hospital and dozens arrested by police, country's prime minister condemns what he calls anti-Semitic attacks while others point out that Israeli hooligans provoked and initiated violence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells reporters that a Russian end to attacks on energy infrastructure and cargo ships could be a path to peace, until now he has maintained that he will not negotiate with Russia as long as Vladimir Putin is in power
Yes to amending the constitution so that Moldova can join the EU gets 50.46 percent of the votes and incumbent President Maia Sandu gets 41 percent in the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, Sandu who is pro-EU denounces the narrow results as a product of foreign interference
The 16 foreigners who were the first to be sent to Albania from Italy under a new detention scheme have now been sent back to Italy after judges ruled that their home countries of Bangladesh and Egypt were not safe enough, citing rulings by the European Court of Justice that found that non-EU countries could not be classified as safe unless their entire territory is considered safe
The Advocate General at the European Court of Justice, Michael Collins, argues that Malta's sale of citizenship does not contravene the EU constitution, as the European Commission has claimed, and recommends the European Court of Justice to drop the case
Poland is setting up, 49 integration centers, funded by EU, where immigrants can take language courses, get legal help and psychological support, the country's current Prime Minister Donald Tusk was the former president of the European Council
42-year-old Nigerian Lucky Francis, who was brought back to Denmark to face trial after attacking a Danish helicopter in the Gulf of Guinea in 2021 and as a result of being fired upon had one of his legs amputated, escapes sentence due to the injury, receives asylum in the country and, according to reports, has cost taxpayers over EUR 550,000
Around 200 German police officers raid neo-Nazi martial arts event in Hachenburg in Rhineland-Palatinate for several hours, confiscate items that indicate right-wing extremist sentiments and are now investigating whether possession of these could be punishable, no one arrested and several minors said to have participated, Interior Minister Michael Ebling says the operation sends a clear signal and that their zero-tolerance policy towards the enemies of the constitution is not negotiable
Ukraine will not extend its agreement with Russia on the transit of natural gas via Ukraine to Europe which expires in 2024, is announced by Prime Minister Denys Sjmyhal during press conference with gas importer Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico
The European Commission is suing Hungary over legislation intended to defend the country against undue political influence by foreign entities that came into force in December 2023, saying the law violates several EU rules and principles
Every chicken in the UK must be registered with the state from October 1st, citing improved preparedness for avian flu and other infectious diseases
French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen in court together with 26 other party members accused of misuse of EU funds by fabricating employees of the EU Parliament with whose salaries they financed domestic political activities, threatened with up to ten years in prison, five-year ban on political assignments but says nothing will stop her from standing in the upcoming presidential election
The anti-immigration Freedom Party, FPÖ, with party leader Herbert Kickl, becomes the largest party in Austria with 28.8 percent of the vote after Sunday's parliamentary elections, unclear how the government will be formed
Iceland's Justice Minister Gudrún Hafsteinsdóttir says gang criminals are sent from Sweden to commit crimes in the country, citing arson attack on police car in August 2023, announces stricter border controls
Alternative for Germany comes in second place with 29.2 percent of the vote after the Social Democrats' 30.9 percent in the federal election on Sunday in Brandenburg, Sahra Wagenknecht's party gets 13.5 percent and the Christian Democrats 12.1
Polar bear is for the first time since 2016 spotted in Iceland after specimen makes its way from Greenland on ice floes and rummage through garbage outside remote cabin where old lady is, being shot
One dead and one injured in knife attack carried out by perpetrator shouting “Allahu Akbar” in underground car park and on bridge in Rotterdam in the Netherlands on Thursday
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on trial over his August 2019 decision to deny the Spanish organization Proactiva Open Arms the disembarkation of 147 foreigners at the port of the Italian island of Lampedusa, prosecutors are seeking six years in prison, prompting Salvini to say that defending Italy is not a crime and that he will never give up
The Norwegian crown princess's son from a previous marriage, 27-year-old Marius Borg Høiby, arrested again, this time for violating the restraining order against his ex-girlfriend who he was previously arrested for assaulting, defender Øyvind Bratlien claims the evidence for the new arrest is thin and accuses the police of reverse discrimination
French EU Commissioner Thierry Breton quits in protest against Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, among other things pushed for the introduction of greater regulations such as the Digital Services Act and threatened X in an open letter before Elon Musk's interview with Donald Trump on the platform
Britain's release of roughly 2,000 prisoners after serving 40 percent of their time, citing overcrowded prisons, comes into force on Tuesday and 31-year-old Amari Ward assaults a woman within an hour of release
French president appoints 73-year-old right-centrist Michel Barnier, former foreign minister and EU’s Brexit negotiator, as prime minister two months after parliamentary election, leftist leader Jean-Luc Melenchon reacts with saying the election was stolen from the French people
The Labor government in Great Britain presents a bill that says posts in the upper house of parliament, the House of Lord, should not be inherited, currently concerns 92 people who were exempted in 1999 when the 700-year-old system first was reformed
French Ministry of Defense announces purchase of military equipment for Ukraine for 300 million euros as part of the revenues on the 1.4 billion euros the EU received from frozen Russian assets
During a press conference, Hungarian State Secretary Bence Retvari shows off yellow buses that he says can be used to bus migrants to Brussels for free if the EU forces the country to accept illegal immigrants, in September Hungary missed the payment of a fine of 200 million euros decided by the European Court of Justice
Irish MMA-star Conor McGregor indicates in post on X that he intends to run for president in the upcoming 2025 election, says the country is run by charlatans and thieves and that he is prepared to dissolve parliament
Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba is resigning on Wednesday and earlier this week the country's Minister of Justice, the Minister of Enviroment as well as the Minister of Strategic Industries resigned, he has previously said that there are two reasons for him to resign and that would be if the president asks him or if there would be a fundamental contradiction in the foreign policy that he believes it is impossible to work with
Alternative for Germany becomes the largest party in the federal election in the state of Thuringia with 32.8 percent of the vote, the left-wing party Die Linke drops from 31 percent of the vote in the previous election to 13 percent while Die Linke defector Sahra Wagenknecht gets 15.8 percent, a similar trend in the elections in Saxony as well
27-year-old Somali stabs 46-year-old man in the neck outside grocery store in Waltershausen, Germany after being told by victim to stop deliberately coughing on customers, 30 police arrest the foreigner who has previous convictions
Chairman of Germany's second largest police union, Manuel Ostermann, says the country has changed for the worse, that they have a huge problem with knife crime, that the migration crisis is primarily a crime crisis, that Islamists pose the greatest threat to the life and limb of the inhabitants and that it is now time to recognize the reality and implement clear measures against this security policy madness
Two dead after violent crimes on two separate occasions during the Notting Hill Carnival in London which celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture and is visited by a million people annually, this year eight people were stabbed and more than 300 arrested
No new government since the elections in France seven weeks ago, only Emmanuel Macron as president can appoint a prime minister and for now Gabriel Attal, appointed by Macron, is the prime minister in a transitional government
The former head of the German intelligence service, August Hanning, claims that the Polish government also was involved in the sabotage of Nord Stream with the justification that the attack would not have been possible without their support, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk writes on X that the only thing that all the initiators and the patrons of Nord Stream should do is apologize and keep quiet
Reykjavik Churchyards removes the cross from its emblem and is considering renaming the cemeteries as memorial sites to reflect broader inclusivity, noting that while the name change is not done yet, the cemeteries are open to all regardless of religion
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is saying Christians should not be associated with any far-right group, calling recent protests racist, anti-Muslim, anti-refugee and anti-asylum-seeker and says the Christian iconography that has been used by the far right is an offence to the faith, and all that Jesus was and is
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirms for the first time that the country is fighting inside Russian territory, 76,000 Russian residents evacuated from the Kursk region where there is a nuclear power plant
Italy raises the flat tax on foreign income for those who moves to Italy from EUR 100,000 annually to 200,000, introduced in 2017 to attract wealthy people from abroad to move to the country and the Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti says they are against starting a competition because countries like Italy, which have very limited fiscal space, are destined to lose
Anti-immigration protests are organized around the British Isles under the slogan "enough is enough" after Rwandans killed three British girls in the town of Southport on Monday, in the Northern Ireland capital Belfast protesters march side by side under both the Union Jack and Irelands flag
The Muslim cleric Sheikh Yasser al-Habib from Kuwait, living in Great Britain since 20 years, is said to be urging his followers to raise capital to buy the island of Torsa on the west coast of Scotland and build an Islamic state there, today he organizes military-style training camps and runs the satellite channel Fadak TV, which broadcasts his sermons from the British town of Fulmer
France's first cheese museum, the Musée du Fromage, opens July 14 in Paris, French citizens are estimated to eat between 20 and 27 kilograms of cheese per year and market is estimated to be worth 9 billion annually
Burned-out cables affect train traffic in Paris, France on Friday, the day of the Olympic Games opening, and the state-owned French railway company SNCF calls it a massive, large-scale attack
Group called Ukrainian Autonomous Revolutionary Racist claims according to Russian Telegram channel responsibility of the murder of Ukrainian nationalist Irina Farion on July 19 in Lviv, video of the murder as well as 10-page manifesto is published and Mariana Reva, spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, says that the video is being investigatedand it will be announced when a final conclusion is reached
Thousands of protesters gathers in Trafalgar Square in London under the slogan Uniting The Kingdom organized by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, his documentary Silenced is being shown on the big screen despite being banned by court
Ukraine says russian Tu-22M3 bomber at a Kola Peninsula airfield gets hit by drone Saturday morning which means the first attack in Arctic region since war broke out, no confirmation from Russian side other than 81 drones shot down over 24 hours
For the third summer in a row German left-wing punks set up protest camp against the economic elite on the German island of Sylt where the viral clip of young adults singing that Germany belongs to Germans was recorded, the group Aktion Sylt says it aims to make safe retreats for fascist subsidy collectors, tax-evading Nazi heirs and backward world destroyers things of the past