Europe
Europe
Record 1,764 potential forced marriages investigated in UK in 2018, police say they have not scratched surface of true figure, practice carried down to third generation immigrants with highest prevalence among those from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Somalia, Afghanistan and Romania, police operation Limelight previously focused on female genital mutilation and breast ironing, now cracking down on forced marriages within LGBT community
France's environment minister François de Rugy quits over accusations of publicly-funded luxury dinners with giant lobsters and EUR 500-a-bottle wines and renting subsidised council flat despite salary being higher than would be allowed – blames media lynching preventing him from doing his job, says he is allergic to shellfish and Champagne gives him headache
At least six underage boys forced into prostitution in Dutch city of Utrecht over the past years, authorities believe there may be around a thousand victims in total, two men facing charges of human trafficking, rape, child sex abuse and producing child pornography
Rising numbers of homeless migrants on the streets of Barcelona overwhelms local authorities, since 2015 7,248 unaccompanied adolescents have arrived in Catalonia while crime has increased by 17% in 2018, regional police force Mossos d’Esquadra says arrival of youngsters from North Africa explains part of the uptick, parish priest at Santa Anna church describes the homeless men as very aggressive
Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini orders report on country's Roma population, aims to verify presence of illegal camps to draw up eviction plan – between 120,000 and 180,000 Roma, Sinti and Caminanti estimated to be living in country
Ground-to-air missile used by army in Qatar, automatic rifles and various Nazi banners found in co-ordinated police raids on people linked to Juventus FC ultras group Drughi Giovinezza, former Senate candidate Fabio Del Bergiolo amongst three arrested
Dozens of police officers dismissed in recent weeks from Dutch police force, includes high ranking officers such as one of the most senior officers in Utrecht, internal report shows police force has been infiltrated by organised crime
Rising crime rate in Barcelona prompts return of citizen patrols, citizens organize through WhatsApp patrolling the metro system, they expose pickpockets by calling out verbally, blowing a whistle or holding up signs to warn fellow travellers
Christian UK doctor fired from government job after, in conversation with line manager, refusing to refer to hypothetical 6-foot bearded man as Madam, sues government over discrimination against his religious beliefs
Angela Merkel could be forced to hand over power sooner than planned over health fears, senior party sources say, has promised to stand down by 2021 election, stayed seated during national anthems in Berlin on Thursday, likely succesor, party chair Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has seen her popularity slide after a series of gaffes
Tommy Robinson sentenced to 19 weeks in jail, of which he will serve 10, for committing contempt of court in Leeds in May 2018, scores of people gathered to protest the verdict and show their support
German court rules ISIS wife must be repatriated from al-Hol refugee camp in Syria, until now Germany has allowed children travel to Germany without their mothers, ruling comes after woman's family sued foreign ministry for refusing to help her return, dozens of female German ISIS terrorists and 100 children remain in Syrian refugee camps
German intelligence agency BfV designates country's identitarians right-wing extremists and steps up surveillance as group's exclusion of non-Europeans infringes on human dignity, growing ethnopluralist group with some 600 members described as seeking to defend Europe's identity from Islamization while rejecting Nazi association and staying clear of street violence
Labour tweets "this proves we are institutionally racist" after BBC Panorama programme expose anti-Semitism within party, claims account was hacked, users respond that never a truer word said
Failed Iraqi asylum seeker Ali Bashar handed life in prison for rape and murder of 14-year-old German girl Susanna Feldman, killing prompted outrage in Germany and led Angela Merkel to call for faster deportation of failed asylum seekers in the country
Three 14-year-old and two 12-year-old Bulgarians main suspects in rape of 18-year-old woman in German city Mülheim, under German law, children under the age of 14 are not regarded as criminally responsible, raising calls for age to be lowered, German Judges Association says it wouldn't do anything to deter youth crime
Angela Merkel pictured shaking for third time in a month, trembling alongside Finland's prime minister during ceremony in Berlin, insists after incident she is fine
Matteo Salvini attends closure of Italy's one-time largest migrant centre, describes migration as organised aimed at replacing Italian people with other people, Italian workers with other workers, number of arrivals on Italian territory has fallen dramatically from 181,000 in 2016 to 3,071 so far this year
Jeremy Corbyn challenges next Tory leader to hold another referendum on Brexit, saying Labour will campaign for Remain, and should Labour win a snap election they would negotiate a new deal to leave EU, which they then would campaign against in a confirmatory vote
Centre-right New Democracy set to win Greece general election exit polls suggest, forecast to get 38-42% of the vote, while ruling Syriza is projected to get 27-32%, would give New Democracy an outright majority, as winner receives 50 extra seats in parliament
Oak processionary moth caterpillar with toxic hairs spark health scare across Germany, leading to closures of swimming pools, restaurants, public parks and sections of the motorway, its long hairs can cause blistering rashes, feverish dizzy spells and asthma attacks, in Münster six people had eye operations to remove hair, in Frankfurt authorities use helicopters to spray biocides on the larvae
41 illegal migrants disembark from people smuggling organisation Mediterranea's ship in Italy, a day after captain defies ban on docking in the country, Salvini had earlier vowed not allowing them to come ashore, authorities open investigation into the captain
Former Norwegian cabinet minister Svein Ludvigsen given five years in jail for sexually abusing three young male asylum seekers in Troms between 2011 and 2017, the men says Ludvigsen offered them housing and jobs in exchange for sexual favours
Several hundred North-Africans harass visitors at public pool in Dusseldorf, leading to large-scale police operation and establishment being shut down, Turkish man confronts the aggressors calling them Nafris – North African Intensive Offenders – who in turn confronts his family
Sikhs must wear helmets while driving motorcycles German court rules, Sikh man sought exemption as helmets do not fit over turbans, judge says obligation keeps others from being traumatized if causing heavy injury to someone driving without a helmet
Britain's oldest building firm cease trading, R Durtnell and Sons, founded in 1591, has been run by 13 generations of the same family
40-year-old woman identified as Swedish arrested at Gatwick Airport on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, jihadis attempting to return to their home countries from Iraq and Syria frequently take circuitous routes
Dutch coalition party VVD propose making it a crime to offer assistance to ships and people at sea who tries to illicitly enter Europe, aims to prevent a rescue ship becoming a ferry service for illegal migrants, plan has working majority in parliament
IMF’s Christine Lagarde nominated for succeeding Mario Draghi as president at European Central Bank, Donald Tusk claims Lagarde’s past as finance minister does not put at risk the alleged independence of ECB – expected to lean broadly dovish on monetary policy while pressing for more stimulus packages
14 dies of intoxication during fire on nuclear-powered submarine Losharik, was performing research activities in Russian territorial waters, the 74-meter-long U-boat was taken to Severomorsk harbor
Sand dredger Bonny River cause tidal wave off Dutch coast of Vlissingen, sweping two children and an adult into the water, ship passed beach at a speed of 13.5 knots, authorities lodges complaint against captain for lack of good seamanship
Gökmen Tanis who shot dead four people and wounded two others on tram in Dutch city Utrecht appears at preliminary court hearing, says he did it for his faith, refuses to be represented by lawyer because he's not a democrat and doesn’t recognise the court, corrects chairman of the judges when referring to accusations, saying it's not accusation as he already has confessed
British court of appeals overturns ruling ordering mentally disabled Nigerian woman have an abortion, Court of Protection considered woman unfit to raise a child and original ruling made despite her mother offering to raise the child herself, Court of Appeals to give reasons for reversal at later date
Dalai Lama says Europe should be kept for Europeans and should give Muslim and African migrants education and training before they are returned to help rebuild their own countries
Angela Merkel seen trembling for a second time in eight days during ceremony in cool weather in Berlin, last time she trembled while standing next to Ukraine President in the hot sunshine, also had a bout of shaking in Mexico in 2017
State-owned Dutch railway service NS will pay at least EUR 35 million in damage for transporting some 100,000 Jewish, Roma and Sinti people to concentration camps in the 1940s, EUR 15,000 to each direct survivor and EUR 5,000-7,500 to next of kin, lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld compensation could have been higher, although they would not have accepted any less, don’t want Dutch railway to go bankrupt
Icelanders tire of disrespectful Instagram influencers wanting to get the perfect picture, Icelanders document bad behaviour by Instagrammers on Facebook and Instagram pages, government forced to close off Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, known after Justin Bieber filmed a video there
Eindhoven University of Technology launches 18-month programme opening academic vacancies to female candidates only, dean Frank Baaijens says the university "attach great importance to equal respect and opportunities for women and men"
BBC backs comedian Joe Brand after "joke" urging people to throw battery acid instead of milkshake at pro-Brexit politicians, BBC removes episode after backlash as victims of acid attacks demands her arrest and Metropolitan Police examines case of alleged incitement to violence
Donald Trump says US will add 1,000 more rotational troops to the 5,000 already in Poland, to be taken from America's 52,000-strong contingent in Germany, Polish President Andrzej Duda offers spending USD 2 billion on building permanent US base in the country, may be called Fort Trump, Duda quips
MPs reject Labour attempt for legislation against no-deal Brexit on 31 October, move opposed by 309 votes to 298, Tory leadership frontrunner Boris Johnson says UK must leave EU by revised date, whether a deal is passed or not
Vatican releases document challenging modern conceptions of gender identity, titled Male and Female He Created Them it speaks of an educational crisis which annihilate concept of nature and destabilise family institution, says situation founded on confused concept of freedom, draws immediate criticism from LGBT groups
Geert Wilders calls for parliamentary inquiry into possible political interference in his 2016 trial, then-justice minister, who wanted Wilders prosecuted, met with prosecution department about the case, current justice minister refuses to publish documents detailing the meetings, citing confidential information, Wilders has appealed and successfully applied for judges to be removed after alleging bias
Trial of married ISIS terrorist couple planning biological bomb attack in Germany starts, the Tunisian man and his German wife arrested last year after tipoff from CIA, whose monitors had noticed large online purchase of 3,300 castor beans, could be used to kill largest possible number of people, according to prosecutors – man failed to travel to Syria in 2017 and woman published IS material online as a propagandist
Passenger on flight from Manchester to Islamabad wants to go to the bathroom before departure, but mistakenly opens aircraft door and deploys emergency slide, 21 passengers accommodated to other seats and 37 passengers offloaded, as door no longer available for emergency evacuation, flight more than six hours late
Sagrada Família granted building permit 137 years after construction began, basilica expected to be completed in 2026, coinciding with centenary of main designer Antoni Gaudi's death
12,000 years old stone engraved with a horse and other animals found in Angoulême, north of Bordeaux, the 25cm long Palaeolithic stone plate, described by archaeologists as exceptional, found during work at ancient hunting site
Over 20-meter-long metal rail bridge, weighing 56 tonnes, stolen in Russia, material estimated at USD 9,000
Ash clouds over Sicily as Mount Etna erupts, officials say it does not pose risk to people or surrounding communities, volcano previously erupted in December
Several people injured in Venice as cruise ship rams into tourist river boat and dock, ship was about to dock at passenger terminal when it had a mechanical problem, two towboats tried but failed to stop the massive cruise ship
Italy threatens to introduce parallel currency in response to EU demands for government budget cuts, short-term non-interest-bearing Treasury bills would be accepted as tax payments and to buy services from state-owned companies
ISIS bride Shamima Begum's lawyer claims girl was groomed by ISIS when she left for caliphate in Syria in 2015, that family was not told daughter was interviewed by police when another girl at her school left for Syria, and UK government did not protect her from becoming a victim of trafficking, says decision to strip Begum of her UK citizenship was driven by Home Secretary's political objective of becoming prime minister
UK police issues warning to drivers to remove lanyards holding work passes and keys before taking off, risks exacerbating the severity of injuries sustained when lanyard is pressed into the chest by the airbag
French Senate approves government's Notre-Dame restoration bill, stipulating cathedral must be restored exactly how it was before the devastating fire
French police arrests four people after bomb detonated in Lyon last week, injuring 13 people, 24-year-old suspected bomber from Algeria amongst the detained, anti-terrorist prosecutors lead investigation
13 people including a ten-year-old girl injured by parcel bomb packed with nails, screws and bolts outside bakery in Lyon, police are hunting suspect wearing dark glasses and a cap, over the past five years 250 people has been killed by Isis terrorists in France
World's oldest record store, Spillers Records, bans Morrissey albums from sale over artist's support for political party For Britain, who's leader has described Islam as evil and a culture that does not fit with ours
Woman of 102 suspected of murdering her 92-year-old neighbour in French retirement home, cause of death strangulation and blows to the head, the agitated and confused 102-year-old told the carer that she had killed someone, psychiatric tests to determine whether she was criminally responsible for her actions
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"