Category: Євросоюз

Police raided six Deutsche Bank offices in and around Frankfurt on Thursday over money laundering allegations linked to the “Panama Papers”, the public prosecutor’s office in Germany’s financial capital said. Investigators are looking into the activities of two unnamed Deutsche Bank employees alleged to have helped clients set up offshore firms to launder money, the prosecutor’s office said. Around 170 police officers, prosecutors and tax inspectors searched the offices where written and electronic business documents were seized. “Of course, we will cooperate closely with the public prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt, as it is in our interest as well to clarify …

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Preliminary results from Georgia’s presidential runoff showed the ruling party-backed candidate, who favours balancing the ex-Soviet republic’s relations with Moscow and the West, leading her rival who advocates a stronger pro-Western line. Figures from the Central Election Commission gave French-born Salome Zurabishvili 58.2 percent of the vote in the runoff, which was held on Wednesday. Opposition candidate Grigol Vashadze had 41.8 percent, based on results from 55 percent of the polling stations, the CEC said on its website. Voting under close scrutiny Earlier, two exit polls also showed Zurabishvili, a former French career diplomat who served as Georgia’s foreign minister from …

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British Prime Minister Theresa May’s bid to win approval for her Brexit deal will have to overcome attempts to block or change it by rival lawmakers on Dec. 11, a proposed format for the debate published on Wednesday showed.    The government has set out the details of a debate on a motion to approve May’s plan to take the country out of the European Union, allowing for amendments to be discussed that could try to reshape the deal she brought back from Brussels.    The format of the debate has been keenly awaited to see whether rivals would have …

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Kosovo President Hashim Thaci says defining the borders between Kosovo and Serbia is a key step toward easing tensions between the two nations. Border talks come 10 years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Kosovo has been recognized by more than 110 countries as a sovereign nation, though Serbia refuses to recognize it. Both countries want to join the European Union, but Brussels said disagreements over Kosovo’s sovereignty must be settled first. “One thing should be clear: Without defining the borders, there cannot be a final, peaceful agreement that would guarantee mutual recognition [between Kosovo and Serbia],” Thaci said in …

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The owners of a vast majority of Hungary’s pro-government media outlets said Wednesday that they were donating their companies to a foundation, creating a huge right-wing media conglomerate.    The Central European Press and Media Foundation’s assets will include cable news channels, internet news portals, tabloid and sports newspapers, all of Hungary’s county newspapers, several radio stations and numerous magazines, among others. Among the brands to be under its control are Hir TV, Echo TV, Origo.hu, Nemzeti Sport, Bors, Magyar Idok and Figyelo.    Most of the publications donated to the foundation were acquired or founded by allies of Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the past few years. Some …

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After nearly a year in detention, a months-long hunger strike, and a deportation order, 40-year-old Mergensana Amar died in U.S. immigration custody this month. He was removed from life support 10 days after he was found unconscious in his cell at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and seven days after his last glimmer of brain activity. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Monday that the Russia native died of “anoxic brain injury due to asphyxiation,” the agency reported this week. Washington’s Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Amar’s death suicide by hanging.  Amar was found in his …

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The European Union’s climate chief on Tuesday called on the bloc to aim for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the most ambitious path in a long-term strategy due to be announced Wednesday. With President Donald Trump pulling the United States out of international efforts to curb global warming, Miguel Arias Canete said the EU had to lead by example at the next round of United Nations talks on climate change opening Sunday in Katowice, Poland. The 2050 strategy to be presented by the EU executive on Wednesday sets out eight scenarios for the bloc’s 28 nations to cut emissions …

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Ex-Soviet Georgia votes in a presidential election runoff on Wednesday that pits a candidate backed by the ruling party who favors a policy balancing ties with Moscow and the West against a rival who advocates a stronger pro-Western line. If the opposition challenger Grigol Vashadze wins, he is likely to use the presidency’s limited powers to push a vocal message of integration with the U.S.-led NATO alliance and the European Union — sensitive issues in a country that fought a war in 2008 with its neighbour Russia. The ruling party and its candidate in the vote, Salome Zurabishvili, take a …

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British Prime Minister Theresa May will take her Brexit sales pitch to Scotland on Wednesday, where she will likely face an uphill struggle to convince skeptical voters of the benefits of her deal for businesses and the fishing industry. May is trying to drum up backing for the exit deal she has negotiated with Brussels in the hope of triggering a groundswell of support from businesses and citizens that will push lawmakers from across the political spectrum to drop their opposition. “It is a deal that is good for Scottish employers and which will protect jobs,” she will say, adding …

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Russia’s attack on Ukrainian military vessels in the Black Sea marks the first time the Kremlin has staged open aggression against Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea four years ago, and launched a destabilization campaign in the Donbas region. In the past, the Kremlin has used so-called “little green men” — Russian soldiers without an insignia — to stage provocations or battle Ukrainian forces, denying they are directed by Moscow. Sunday marked a new departure, however, with the hybrid war being stepped up, a development that risks igniting a broader conflict and spiraling out of control. Putin power play …

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The impoverished state of Central African Republic landed a windfall on Tuesday, at least on paper, when Russian state bank VTB reported it had lent the country $12 billion — but the bank then said it was a clerical error and there was no such loan. The loan was mentioned in a quarterly VTB financial report published by the Russian central bank. The report included a table listing the outstanding financial claims that VTB group had on dozens of countries as of Oct. 1 this year. In the table next to Central African Republic was the sum of $12 billion …

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Young footballers around the world dream of following in their heroes’ footsteps and going to Europe to play for top teams like Barcelona. A group of mainly African migrants has taken a first step, with the help of a sympathetic coach they have formed their own team in the Spanish leagues. Henry Ridgwell reports from Jerez, the club offers far more than a weekend of soccer practice for the young men, many of whom have risked their lives to reach Spanish shores. …

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Ukraine’s parliament voted Monday to impose martial law for 30 days as tensions spiked between Kyiv and Moscow. The action comes after Russian coast guard ships rammed and fired on three Ukrainian naval vessels Sunday in the Black Sea. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer has more. …

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Prime Minister Theresa May made a blunt appeal to skeptical lawmakers Monday to back her divorce deal with the European Union: It isn’t perfect, but it’s all there is, and the alternative is a leap into the unknown. In essence, she urged Parliament: Let’s agree and move on, for the sake of the voters. Britain and the 27 other EU leaders signed off on a Brexit deal Sunday after more than a year and a half of tough negotiations. It was a day many doubted would ever come, but May was anything but triumphant as she reported back to Parliament, …

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the agreement allowing the United Kingdom to leave the European Union may make trade between Washington and London more difficult, but the U.K. prime minister’s office disputed his interpretation. Trump told reporters outside the White House that the deal sounded like it would be good for the European Union, but “I think we have to take a look seriously whether or not the U.K. is allowed to trade. “Because right now if you look at the deal, they may not be able to trade with us,” he said. “And that wouldn’t be a …

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Ukraine’s parliament has approved an executive order signed by President Petro Poroshenko imposing martial law in parts of the country, in response to Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crew members off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea the previous day. Poroshenko also said intelligence data suggested there is an extremely serious threat of a land-based operation against Ukraine by Russia. “I have a document of intelligence in my hands. … Here on several pages is a detailed description of all the forces of the enemy located at a distance of literally several dozens of kilometers from our …

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Pope Francis says the “sickness of consumerism” is the enemy of generosity as he called for the faithful to give a little something to the poor.   Francis made the comments during his morning homily Monday, so-called Cyber Monday when online retailers woo shoppers with bargains ahead of Christmas.   Francis made no mention of Christmas shopping — in Italy, the official season begins Dec. 8 — but his plea for generosity will likely be repeated in coming weeks.   Francis said giving away clothes, shoes or groceries can help the poor: “How many pairs of shoes do I have? One, two, …

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French President Emmanuel Macron, caught off guard by violent demonstrations against diesel tax hikes, warned his cabinet on Monday that the protests could tarnish France’s image and said the government needed to listen to voter anger. The 10 days of unrest, which on Saturday left some Parisian boulevards transformed into battlefields, hit Macron as he sought to counter a sharp decline in popularity, and have again exposed him to charges of being out of touch with voters. He has shown no sign, however, of reversing the diesel tax hikes, which he says are needed to help spur a switch to …

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FIFA-appointed human rights experts want the soccer body to set Iran a deadline for ending a ban on women attending games. The FIFA Human Rights Advisory Board says “FIFA should be explicit” giving the Iranian soccer federation a timetable to comply, and should warn of “anticipated sanctions if it does not.” FIFA’s statutes prohibit gender discrimination, though its leaders typically avoid publicly criticizing Iran’s government. This month, several hundred mostly selected women were allowed to watch the Asian Champions League final in Tehran. In the board’s annual report, FIFA says it will extend the eight-member panel’s mandate through 2020. The …

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A Spanish comedian has appeared in a Madrid court after he blew his nose with the country’s national flag during a televised sketch. Comedian Daniel Mateo is being investigated for allegedly insulting the nation’s symbol and inciting hate, which can be punished with up to 4 years in prison. The 29-year-old declined to testify Monday arguing that he needed more time to prepare his defense. Mateo had said he worried about the country’s image because “a clown has to stand before a judge just because he was doing his job.” The sketch unleashed a debate over patriotism and the limits …

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