Category: Євросоюз

Disgraced former U.S. cardinal Theodore McCarrick is almost certain to be defrocked in the next few weeks over allegations against him, including sexual abuse of minors, two Vatican sources said. Last July, McCarrick became the first Catholic prelate in nearly 100 years to lose the title of cardinal. The allegations against him date back to decades ago when he was still rising to the top of the U.S. Church hierarchy. McCarrick, 88, has responded publicly to only one of the allegations, saying he has “absolutely no recollection” of an alleged case of sexual abuse of a 16-year-old boy more than …

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Turkish prosecutors are seeking an international arrest warrant for New York Knicks player Enes Kanter, accusing him of membership in a terror organization. Sabah newspaper says the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office had also prepared an extradition request for the NBA player. Officials at the prosecutor’s office could not be reached for comment.   Sabah says prosecutors are seeking an Interpol “Red Notice” citing Kanter’s ties to Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for a failed coup in 2016, and accusing him of providing financial support to his group.   Earlier this month, Kanter refused to travel to London for a regular-season …

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British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday suffered the biggest parliamentary reversal ever handed a sitting government, with lawmakers — including more than 100 rebels from her own ruling Conservative party — refusing to endorse a highly contentious Brexit deal. The government’s defeat plunges into greater disarray Britain’s scheduled March 29 divorce from the European Union. The much anticipated historic vote by the House of Commons of a draft deal, which took two years of ill-tempered haggling with European leaders to conclude, now throws up in the air the whole Brexit project, with major questions remaining unanswered about when Britain …

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The British parliament on Tuesday overwhelmingly defeated Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan for Britain’s departure from the European Union, leaving in doubt how it would depart the continent’s 28-member bloc of nations by the planned March 29 date. The House of Commons, on a 432- 202 vote, rejected May’s call to approve what she said was the “democratic decision” of voters in a referendum 2-1/2 years ago to leave the EU. Opposition Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbin called the vote a “catastrophic defeat” for May’s Conservative Party rule and demanded a vote of no confidence on Wednesday in what …

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More than 3,200 government, business, academics and civil society leaders will address issues of globalization, climate change and other matters of world importance next week at the annual World Economic Forum in the plush Swiss Alpine village of Davos. The list of participants reads like the Who’s Who of the most powerful, successful and inventive movers and shakers in the world. They will be rubbing shoulders during hundreds of formal sessions and workshops, as well as in private bilaterals on the sidelines of the meeting. They will discuss and seek solutions to some of humanity’s most vexing problems. The theme …

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Russia and the United States said Tuesday there was no progress in talks over Washington’s intention to withdraw from a 1987 nuclear arms treaty because it says Moscow is violating its terms. “On the whole, we are forced to state that there is no progress. The U.S. position is frozen in its uncompromising and peremptory demands,” state news agency Tass quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying after talks with U.S. Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson in Geneva. The U.S. side described the meeting as “disappointing.” The three-decade-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty bans production, testing and deployment …

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Authorities in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia said 17 people, including five alleged members of an extremist Islamist cell, were arrested Tuesday as part of an ongoing anti-terror operation. As well as having terror links, the suspects also allegedly participated in theft, drug trafficking and other crimes, according to the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police. More than 100 agents took part in the operation, which was ongoing as of mid-afternoon, a spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman said six venues had been searched in and near Barcelona. She declined to be identified by name in line with the police force’s standard practices. …

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Greek officials predict Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will survive a no-confidence vote in parliament later this week. Tsipras called for the vote Monday after defense minister Panos Kammenos resigned and pulled his nationalist ANEL party from the ruling coalition.  Kammenos quit to protest the deal with neighboring Macedonia over the use of the name Macedonia. ANEL leaving the coalition leaves Tsipras’ ruling leftist Syriza Party without a majority of seats in parliament, opening the door to possible early elections. But a government spokesman says the party is confident of winning the no-confidence vote, set for Wednesday, and completing its four-year …

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Britain appears set for a full-blown constitutional crisis, with a cross-party group of senior lawmakers conspiring to sideline embattled Prime Minister Theresa May by seizing control of Brexit negotiations. They want to reduce the power of the government to control legislative business in parliament, boosting the chances of lawmakers being able to table a series of motions to stop Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal, or even offering legislation for a second referendum on British membership in the EU that could lead to the country not leaving at all. Ahead of Tuesday’s crucial vote in the House …

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The Russian republic of Chechnya has launched a new crackdown on gays in which at least two people have died and about 40 people have been detained, LGBT activists in Russia charged Monday. The new allegations come after reports in 2017 of more than 100 gay men arrested and subjected to torture, and some of them killed, in the predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia. The Associated Press and other media outlets have interviewed some of the victims, who spoke about torture at the hands of Chechen law enforcement officers. Chechen authorities have denied those accusations, and federal authorities conducted …

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Prime Minister Theresa May urged restive MPs to think again about rejecting the EU divorce deal, on the eve of a crucial parliamentary vote that could scupper the agreement. May warned lawmakers that rejecting it risked either a chaotic no-deal scenario or subverting British democracy by blocking Brexit. “Whatever you may have previously concluded, over these next 24 hours, give this deal a second look,” May told MPs in parliament. “No, it is not perfect. And yes, it is a compromise.” Tuesday’s vote was meant to take place in December but was postponed, with May facing certain defeat. She sought …

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Anti-government protesters and political rivals of President Emmanuel Macron criticized a sweeping “letter to the French” he issued after two months of weekly demonstrations, saying Monday his response was inadequate to quell anger over his economic policies. The letter released Sunday explained how Macron wants to address the concerns roused by the yellow vest movement with a “grand debate” on taxes, public services, climate change and democracy. The three-month initiative is supposed to take place at local meetings around the country and on the internet starting Tuesday. The French leader said no topics are prohibited and he listed more than …

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The top diplomats of Russia and Japan held talks Monday about disputed islands in the Pacific as Moscow sought to temper Japanese expectations of an imminent deal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opened the negotiations with Japanese counterpart Taro Kono by warning Tokyo against engaging in “unilateral rhetoric” regarding the territorial dispute — a stern statement signaling tough talks when the Japanese leader visits Moscow later this month.   The Soviet Union took the four southernmost Kuril Islands during the final days of World War II. Japan asserts territorial rights to the islands, which it calls the Northern Territories, and the …

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President Donald Trump is warning Turkey it would face economic devastation if it strikes at the Kurds when U.S. forces pull out of Syria.   “Likewise, do not want the Kurds to provoke Turkey,” Trump said in a tweet late Sunday. Without giving any further details, he wrote “Create 20 mile (32 kilometers) safe zone.”   “Russia, Iran, and Syria have been the biggest beneficiaries of the long-term U.S. policy of destroying ISIS in Syria — natural enemies,” he tweeted.   The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (YPG) were among the United States’ closest allies in the fight against Islamic State …

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A man with a knife rushed on to the stage during the finale of a charity event and stabbed a Polish mayor in the abdomen Sunday, leaving the politician in very serious condition in an attack that Polish media said had a political element. Gdansk Mayor Pawel Adamowicz grabbed his belly and collapsed on stage during the “Lights to Heaven” fundraiser organized by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, Poland’s most important charity. Polish President Andrzej Duda said he was informed that “doctors succeeded in reanimating the heart of the seriously injured Mayor Pawel Adamowicz and there is hope, but …

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French President Emmanuel Macron has released what he calls a “letter to the French,” encouraging a national debate on issues that have led to two months of anti-government protests.   “This is how I intend to turn anger into solutions,” Macron said Sunday. “Your proposals will help build a new contract for the nation, organizing the actions of the government and parliament, but also France’s positions at the European and international levels.”   Macron plans to hold a number of town hall meetings across the country over the next eight weeks.   Among the questions he is opening for debate …

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Some of Germany’s largest and busiest airports are facing a possible strike by security staff on Tuesday. The German trade union Verdi on Sunday expanded the call for a strike to include Munich and Hamburg airports in addition to the country’s largest airport in Frankfurt. One-day walkouts are also expected Tuesday at the smaller Hannover, Bremen, Leipzig-Halle, Dresden and Erfurt airports. The union is demanding that security staff get paid a minimum of 20.00 euros ($23.10) per hour. Security companies say that amounts to a prohibitive 30 percent raise in some cases. Last week, a strike by security staff forced …

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Four people have been confirmed dead Sunday in a suspected gas explosion in Paris a day earlier. Authorities found the body of a woman reported missing the day before underneath the rubble at a bakery, the site of the explosion, in the French capital. Two firefighters and a Spanish tourist were also killed and dozens injured in Saturday’s blast, which left nearby buildings severely damaged. Around 50 people have been provided temporary accommodation as authorities continue to search the rubble for bodies and assess the safety of damaged buildings. Firefighters were responding to calls about a gas leak Saturday when …

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The U.S. ambassador to Germany has warned companies involved in the construction of the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that they could face sanctions if they stick to the project, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Germany of being a “captive” of Moscow due to its reliance on Russian energy and urged it to halt work on the $11 billion gas pipeline. The pipeline, which would carry gas straight to Germany under the Baltic Sea, is also seen critical by other European countries as it would deprive Ukraine of lucrative gas transit …

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U.S. President Donald Trump is dismissing news reports suggesting he is beholden to Russia and President Vladimir Putin or hiding accounts of his private talks with the Russian leader the five times they have met, including at their July summit in Helsinki. Asked directly late Saturday by Fox News talk show host Jeanine Pirro whether he is now or has ever worked for Russia, Trump said, “I think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked.” The U.S. leader said, “If you ask the folks in Russia, I’ve been tougher on Russia than anybody else, any other — probably any …

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