Category: Євросоюз

Lawmakers in Greece are preparing to vote Tuesday on a proposed bill to speed up the asylum process for migrants, ease the overcrowding at Greek island refugee camps and deport more people back to Turkey. Under the proposed changes, staff will be increased at the asylum service, the appeals process for rejected asylum applications will be shortened and travel restrictions can be imposed on asylum-seekers who are moved from the Greek islands to the mainland. Currently, restrictions on asylum-seekers are mostly limited to five islands near the coast of Turkey, where strained refugee camps are trying to cope with up …

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Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are requesting “understanding and respect” for Markle’s father after a celebrity news site reported he would not be coming to the royal wedding to walk his daughter down the aisle, Kensington Palace said Monday night.   A palace statement on “this difficult situation” did not confirm the TMZ report that Thomas Markle had decided not to attend Saturday’s wedding at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The palace said earlier it would not comment on the report, and its statement did not clarify if the bride’s father would or would not …

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The Turkish lira is increasingly under siege amid mounting international investors’ concerns. The publication Monday of unexpectedly poor economic data saw the lira approach record lows. The increasing financial turbulence comes as opposition parties begin to narrow the gap ahead of the June 24 presidential and general elections and voter concerns over the economy grow. “We are in such a knife-edge situation,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners. “There is extremely fragile sentiment toward the lira. Sentiment is negative for emerging markets in general and in particular for Turkey. Investors smell blood and they are going to keep …

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Eurasian Economic Union includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan …

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The prime ministers of Hungary and Poland, allies in a series of disputes with Brussels, united Monday in opposing cuts under the European Union’s new budget. Both countries are accused by the European Commission of undermining judicial independence in a row that threatens their future funding from the bloc. Neither Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki nor his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban commented on an EU plan to cut money in the 2021-2027 budget for member states that interfere in their legal systems. However, after meeting in Warsaw they declared their common ground on farm payments under the Common Agricultural Policy …

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After weeks of post-election wrangling, Italy appears set to get a new-generation populist government amid fears it might bankrupt the country and clash with Brussels by violating European Union spending rules. Migrants in Italy are also fearful of what might transpire if, as seems now likely, the rival populist parties Movimento Cinque Stelle (M5S) and the Northern League form a coalition government. Under plans being considered by the parties, thousands of illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East face being rounded up and expelled. On Sunday, the Northern League leader, Matteo Salvini, tweeted that Gypsies “are not happy …

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Paris is a city on edge once again as France’s capital mourned another victim of fanaticism. The Chechen-born French citizen who lashed at people with a knife, killing one and wounding four, had been on a terror watch list, but his ability to be able to launch an attack Saturday underlines the scale of the challenge France faces from Islamic militants, French officials say. More than 2,600 suspected militants are on a watch list but tabs can’t be kept on all of them. “While the security services are excellent at identifying potential jihadists, the terrible lack of human resources means …

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An Islamic State video shows what it says is the young Chechen-born man accused of Saturday’s deadly terrorist knife attack in downtown Paris. French police have identified the suspect as Khamzat Azimov, who was a French citizen. He killed one person and wounded four before a police officer shot him dead. An Islamic State outlet released the video showing a man it says is Azimov, wearing a hood with only his eyes exposed. He is speaking French and pledging allegiance to Islamic State. IS had already claimed responsibility for the knifings, saying one of its “soldiers” carried them out to …

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In the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Russia unleashed a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at keeping Iran and other remaining signatories committed to the agreement. But behind Russia’s diplomatic maneuvering, analysts see the Kremlin chasing rewards from transatlantic divisions over the Iran issue while facing risks of deeper entanglement in Middle East affairs.   “Without doubt we will make sure firstly that this does not destroy the JCPOA,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, referring to the Iran nuclear deal’s formal abbreviation following a meeting with German …

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Catalonia’s most uncompromising separatists said Sunday that they won’t block the former leader of a pro-independence group from being elected as the restive Spanish region’s new leader. The far-left CUP party decided that its four regional parliament members will abstain during an investiture session scheduled for Monday, which should leave another lawmaker, Quim Torra, with more “yes” than “no” votes.   Torra’s election is expected to end the Spanish government’s takeover of running Catalonia’s affairs that started with an illegal declaration of independence by the regional parliament in October.   Separatist parties maintained a slim majority in regional elections in …

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Britain two days before meetings with Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Theresa May. Before leaving Istanbul for London on Sunday, Erdogan called the U.K. a “strategic partner and ally” and said he would be discussing bilateral, regional and international issues with May on Tuesday. They include the latest developments in Cyprus, where Turkey and Britain act as guarantors, and a “joint action plan” in the Middle East, especially in Syria, Iraq and Iran. Erdogan said his three-day visit would also focus on increasing Turkey-Britain trade. He said that “we want to …

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France’s interior minister met with security officials Sunday as investigators probe the background and motivations of a young (20 or 21-year-old) man who attacked people on the streets of Paris Saturday night, killing one of them. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for this latest attack in the French capital. French officials praised the fast reaction of police here, who arrived at the scene within minutes after the first call for help, and reportedly quickly shot dead the suspected assailant, after first trying to neutralize him with a Taser. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters the suspect cried “Allahu Akbar” …

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Rescuers searching for three Polish miners trapped almost a kilometer underground since a tunnel collapsed eight days ago have found two bodies, taking the death toll from the incident to four, coal company JSW said Sunday.  One man is still missing at the Zofiowka mine in southern Poland, which was struck by an earthquake May 5, initially trapping seven miners. Two were found dead and two others were rescued early last week. “Rescuers have found the body of the second miner. … The action continues, one miner is still being sought,” JSW, the European Union’s biggest coking coal producer, said …

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People in her hometown of Los Angeles remember actress Meghan Markle as a charitable young girl who sparkled on stage. Next week the entire world will be watching Markle as she officially ties the knot to England’s most eligible bachelor. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo takes a look at Markle’s fairy tale life and the prince that some say is the lucky one. …

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The Eurovision song contest has concluded for 2018, with the top prize going to Israel’s Netta Barzilai and her quirky girl-power song Toy. The Eurovision contest is an international tradition pitting performers from 43 nations against each other and decided by viewers all over the world. Along with European nations, Australia and Israel are allowed to compete. Barzilai’s song, a fast-paced pop number, featured throaty singing and unconventional mouth noises, including squeaks, pops and clucks, as she protested to her listeners that she would not be used as a plaything. Meanwhile, her backup singers cavorted and preened in a manner that …

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Thousands of Poles marched in Warsaw on Saturday to demand respect for their country’s constitution while denouncing a populist government they accuse of eroding democracy. Many participants carried Polish and European Union flags during an event promoted as the “March of Freedom” and chanted slogans such as “Constitution!” and “Free courts!” Two pro-European and centrist opposition parties, Civic Platform and Modern, were the key organizers of the protest, along with a pro-democracy civic group. In speeches, their leaders accused the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party of chipping away at democratic freedoms with an overhaul of the judicial system that …

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The Everett House, which serves as the Turkish ambassador’s residence, is a Washington landmark. It is also famous as the one-time home of the Ertegun family, the brothers who would go on to found Atlantic records and change the sound of American jazz and pop music. But the Erteguns also played a role in Washington history by standing with African Americans in what was, at the time, a deeply segregated city. VOA’s Ozlem Tinaz reports. …

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Ukrainian separatists in Donetsk on Friday celebrated the fourth anniversary of the city’s self-proclaimed independence from Ukraine with a parade.  Local residents who support the pro-Russian separatists came to the parade in the city center with black, red and blue rebel flags along with Russian flags. Ukrainian forces have battled the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk since 2014. A peace deal in 2015 has been little honored by either side. Ukraine accuses Russia of providing military support for separatists, a charge the Kremlin denies. Residents at Friday’s parade said they wanted the region to be closer to Russia. “I went to …

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The Czech centrist ANO party on Friday approved a coalition agreement for a new government with the center-left Social Democrats, subject to a poll of Social Democrat party members. The minority government would aim to boost spending on defense, wages and benefits as well as infrastructure, according to a policy agenda agreed by leaders of the two parties, which Reuters saw. It would maintain a pro-Western policy course but keep the country outside the eurozone and resist any EU pressure to accept asylum-seekers transferred from other EU states. “This is a solid base for the creation of a stable government,” Social Democrat chief Jan Hamacek said after a party leadership meeting. But …

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British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call Friday that talks were needed to discuss how U.S sanctions on Iran would affect foreign companies operating in the country. Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Iranian nuclear deal and revive U.S. economic sanctions has alarmed the leaders of Britain, France and Germany who remain committed to the deal and who have significant trade ties with Tehran. “The prime minister raised the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on those firms which are currently conducting business in Iran,” her spokeswoman said. “They agreed for talks to take place between our teams.” …

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