Category: Євросоюз

Austria’s new chancellor traveled to Brussels on Tuesday on his first foreign trip since being sworn in, aiming to dispel concerns that his coalition with the far right spells trouble for the European Union. Responding to a letter on Monday from European Council President Donald Tusk that underlined EU worries, 31-year-old conservative leader Sebastian Kurz tweeted back that his new government would be “clear pro-European and committed to making a positive contribution to the future development of the EU.” A day after he took office at the head of a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Kurz delivered that …

READ MORE

In the heart of Barcelona lies a foreboding reminder of Spain’s past. La Modelo prison is located just a few blocks from the Catalan capital’s main railway station and many of the city’s major tourist attractions.  The jail housed political prisoners during the 40-year dictatorship under General Francisco Franco. More than 1,000 were executed. Barcelona was the last bastion of republican resistance in the Spanish civil war, falling to Franco’s forces in 1939. In the four decades of dictatorship that followed, many continued the opposition fight underground. Among them was Felipe Moreno, who was eventually caught and jailed in 1975. He has …

READ MORE

The European Union’s executive may trigger a process on Wednesday to begin to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc, officials say, as months of tensions between Brussels and Warsaw come to a head. In what would be an unprecedented move, the European Commission could invoke Article 7 of the European Union’s founding Lisbon Treaty to punish Warsaw for breaking its rules on human rights and democratic values. “Unless the Polish government postpones these court reforms, we will have no choice but to trigger Article 7,” said a senior EU official before a Commission meeting on Wednesday, where …

READ MORE

The Czech parliament revoked an election of a Communist-era policeman to a police oversight job on Tuesday after some lawmakers claimed the vote was manipulated. Earlier, the lower chamber entrusted oversight of the police force to Zdenek Ondracek, former member of a Communist-era special unit which tried to crush the peaceful 1989 uprising that helped to bring down Communist rule. The unprecedented appointment of a Communist lawmaker as chairman of parliament’s General Inspection of Security Forces commission appeared to be part of complex manoeuvring by the new prime minister, billionaire businessman Andrej Babis, and his ANO party to get backing …

READ MORE

Fighting in eastern Ukraine has escalated to the worst level in months, officials monitoring the conflict said Tuesday, after the shelling of a front-line village wounded eight civilians and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes. A Russia-backed insurgency erupted in 2014 and the bloodshed has continued despite a cease-fire deal that was meant to end a conflict in which more than 10,000 people have been killed, with casualties reported on a near-daily basis. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitors the implementation of the peace agreement, said it had recorded 16,000 cease-fire violations from December 11 to …

READ MORE

Police say a British man who was arrested at an air base used by the U.S. Air Force in England has been detained for involuntary treatment under the Mental Health Act. That means authorities believe he needs urgent treatment for a mental health problem and poses a risk to himself and others.   The 44-year-old man has not been charged in connection with an incident Monday that prompted a lockdown at the RAF Mildenhall base.   He was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespass after trying to enter the base. Police say the incident was not connected to terrorism.   …

READ MORE

Turkey will take the resolution calling on the United States to withdraw its declaration of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital to the United Nations General Assembly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. The resolution was introduced to the U.N. Security Council on Monday by Egypt, a non-permanent member, but was vetoed by the United States, despite the 14 other votes in favor. “Now, God willing, we will carry the resolution to the U.N. General Assembly,” Erdogan a joint news conference with the Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh. “A two-thirds support in the General Assembly would actually mean the …

READ MORE

Pope Francis and Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday discussed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a move that both say is dangerous to Middle East peace. Abdullah and the pope spoke privately for about 20 minutes at the start of the king’s visit to the Vatican and France. A Vatican statement said they discussed “the promotion of peace and stability in the Mideast, with particular reference to the question of Jerusalem and the role of the Hashemite Sovereign as Custodian of the Holy Places.” King Abdullaha’s Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy …

READ MORE

French president Emmanuel Macron has hit back at Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad’s allegations that France supported terrorism in Syria, insisting that the U.S.-led international coalition should be credited for the military successes against the Islamic State. Speaking after a meeting with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, Macron said on Tuesday that Assad’s comments were “unacceptable” because France’s priority is “the war against Daesh,” using an Arabic term for the group.   Macron was reacting to comments made by Assad, who said earlier this week that France had no right to be involved in the peace process because “since the beginning France …

READ MORE

Residents of the Spanish region of Catalonia will vote in regional elections Thursday — two months after separatist campaigners tried to declare independence following a disputed referendum. The Spanish government called the election in an attempt to take the heat out of the crisis — and is hoping that a silent majority will vote for pro-unity parties. As Henry Ridgwell reports from Barcelona, many Catalans who oppose independence say it would devastate the region’s economy. …

READ MORE

Russia poses an increasing threat and is willing to use propaganda, subversion and cyberattacks to undermine Britain and the rest of Europe, Britain’s national security adviser said Monday. Mark Sedwill, who is overseeing a review of Britain’s security services, told a parliamentary committee that Russia is attempting to “sow dissension” and undermine democracy in Britain and other western nations. He said the threats from Russia included from unconventional warfare such as disinformation campaigns to the dangers posed from an increase in its military capability in the North Atlantic and in Eastern Europe. “We know that the Russian threat is definitely …

READ MORE

As the most serious challenger during Vladimir Putin’s 18 years in power, Alexei Navalny has endured arrests, show trials and facefuls of green antiseptic that damaged his vision. But in an interview Monday with The Associated Press, he said the biggest thing keeping him from becoming Russia’s next president is a political system that punishes him for rallying support and conspires to keep his face off the airwaves. Putin’s approval rating is astronomical and he is widely expected to win another term with ease, but the fact that he won’t even say Navalny’s name suggests the anti-corruption crusader has struck …

READ MORE

European Union environment and energy ministers on Monday agreed on renewable energy targets for 2030 ahead of negotiations next year with the European Parliament, which has called for more ambitious green energy goals. Ministers said they would aim to source at least 27 percent of the bloc’s energy from renewables by 2030 — up from a target of 20 percent by 2020. In October, the European Parliament called for this target to be increased to 35 percent, a level also put forward by a group of big technology, industry and power companies last week. As part of the package of …

READ MORE

Wreckage from a Polish fighter jet that disappeared from radar Monday was found near a domestic air base, but the pilot of the Russian-made plane survived the crash, a defense official said. Deputy Defense Minister Bartosz Kownacki said the pilot was able to eject before the MIG-29 fighter went down near the central Polish town of Minsk Mazowiecki, which hosts an air base. The Defense Ministry said the accident took place on the jet’s approach to the base. Col. Piotr Iwaszko, commander of Tactical Air Force Base in Minsk Mazowiecki, said the crash was the first of a MiG-29 in …

READ MORE

Hundreds of Romanian judges and prosecutors took part in protests around the country Monday to show their opposition to legal changes they say would hamper prosecutions. The first demonstrations were held outside courts in the capital, Bucharest, and other cities that included Cluj, Timisoara, Galati, Brasov and Constanta. The unusual judicial display continued in the evening with a silent protest outside the Bucharest Court of Appeal and outside a court in the central city of Brasov. Many of the participants held papers printed with the oath new judges take vowing to respect Romania’s Constitution and laws. In Cluj, people gave …

READ MORE

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Ukraine Sunday while trying to storm Kyiv’s October Palace following a rally against President Petro Poroshenko. The crowd, which was dispersed with tear gas fired by police, is the latest in support of opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili, who was released from custody last week after having been detained and accused of trying to stage a Russia-sponsored coup. No serious injuries were reported from the demonstration, and the situation was relatively calm after nightfall. “You have to show them that you are brave, but very, very calm,” Saakashvili told the crowd Sunday. “I will …

READ MORE

An employee of Britain’s embassy in Lebanon was found murdered Sunday. The body of Rebecca Dykes was reportedly found on the side of the road. Police sources told the British media that Dykes appeared to have been raped before she was killed but that the crime did not appear to be politically motivated. A statement from Dykes’ family said they were “devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca.” “We are doing all we can to understand what happened. We request that the media respect our privacy as we come together as a family at this very difficult time,” the …

READ MORE

The Kremlin said Sunday that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency provided Russian authorities with information that thwarted a series of Islamic State bombings planned in St. Petersburg. Moscow said Russian President Vladimir Putin called U.S. President Donald Trump to thank him for the CIA information, a call the White House confirmed. Russia said the intelligence was significant enough for its Federal Security Service to track down seven suspects last week who were planning suicide bomb attacks Saturday on the two-century-old Kazan Cathedral and other sites in Russia’s second largest city. Three more were arrested Sunday who authorities said were linked …

READ MORE

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that Turkey hopes to open an embassy to a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem in the future.. “Because it is under occupation we can’t just go there and open an embassy,” Erdogan said in a speech to his ruling party in the city of Karaman. “But, inshallah [God willing] those days are near and… we will officially open our embassy there,” he said, without giving any precise timeframe. The comments come just days after Erdogan hosted a summit of leaders of Muslim-majority nations to denounce U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem …

READ MORE

Controversy is swirling around the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.  This new non-profit organization has come under intense criticism from health agencies and anti-tobacco campaigners who accuse it of acting as a smoke-screen for Big Tobacco, a charge vigorously denied by the foundation’s president.   Derek Yach, who created and heads the foundation, was one of the architects of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which came into force February 27, 2005.    He said he believes the provisions of the Convention were still valid and have been largely successful in preventing people from smoking and “in …

READ MORE