Category: Євросоюз

A picture of a smiling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan flanked by EU President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker adorned much of Turkey’s pro-government media this week. “Erdogan got his picture of his handshake in Brussels, which is really only what he wanted,” said political science professor Cengiz Aktar, “because he is looking for legitimacy in his new position as strongman of Turkey.” Erdogan’s narrow referendum victory extending his presidential powers remains mired in vote-rigging allegations. EU leaders, unlike U.S. President Donald Trump, had refrained from endorsing his success. During the referendum campaign, Turkey’s relations with the …

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He was quiet and withdrawn, a college dropout who liked soccer — and, some say, showed alarming signs of being radicalized years before he walked into a pop concert at Britain’s Manchester Arena and detonated a powerful bomb, killing himself and 22 others. While some claim Salman Abedi had been banned from the mosque he attended for statements glorifying terrorism and his angry rhetoric even prompted an acquaintance to report him to the authorities, others deny that account, saying he never showed any worrying or erratic behavior. The son of Libyan parents who immigrated to Britain in the early 1990s, …

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The U.N. Children’s Fund is urging G-7 leaders meeting in Taormina, Sicily to adopt an action plan to keep refugee and migrant children safe, following the deaths of at least 200 refugee and migrants children this year. UNICEF reports the refugees and migrants children, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, died along Mediterranean Sea routes from North Africa to Italy. Data from early 2017 shows a growing number of refugees and migrants are taking the perilous central Mediterranean route to reach Europe. According to UNICEF, more than 45,000 people, including some 5,500 unaccompanied and separated children, have arrived in Italy by sea. …

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The United States takes “full responsibility” for the leaking of sensitive information in the aftermath of the suicide bombing in Manchester Monday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. On his first official trip to London Friday, Tillerson said the U.S. “regrets” that information was leaked after British officials complained about it appearing in various U.S. publications. “The president has been very strong in his condemnation and has called for an immediate investigation and prosecution of those who are found to have been responsible for leaking any of this information to the public,” Tillerson said. The leaks led Britain to briefly …

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Climate change was among the most contentious agenda items Friday at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Sicily, but both American and British government officials are publicly denying any major discord.   The leaders had a “very good discussion” about climate issues, British Prime Minister Theresa May told reporters, adding there was “no doubt around the table” — which included U.S. President Donald Trump — about how important the issue is.   Trump “is taking in what he learned from world leaders today” to make his decision on whether to honor Washington’s commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions under …

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Leaders of the world’s rich nations braced for contentious talks with Donald Trump at a G-7 summit in Sicily Friday after the U.S. president lambasted NATO allies for not spending more on defense and accused Germany of “very bad” trade policies. Trump’s confrontational remarks in Brussels, on the eve of the two-day summit in the Mediterranean resort town of Taormina, cast a pall over a meeting at which America’s partners had hoped to coax him into softening his stances on trade and climate change. The summit will kick off with a ceremony at an ancient Greek theater perched on a …

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President Donald Trump says he is deeply troubled by leaks to U.S. media about the Manchester bombing investigation in Britain and promises an investigation. Leaked details about the probe, including the bomber’s name and police pictures of the evidence, have incensed British investigators. They briefly suspended sharing information with the U.S. Thursday. “I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter,” Trump said in Brussels Thursday. “If appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Watch: May on Pressing Trump About Manchester Intel Leaks Sharing …

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Under a sunny spring sky, NATO on Thursday moved into brand new, shiny headquarters projecting a modern, forward-looking image that counters the characterization that U.S. President Donald Trump and other critics of the alliance have previously made of the organization. Amid the anxiety felt by some European leaders about the future, some see Thursday’s NATO summit — where discussions were driven largely by the latest spate of terrorist attacks in Europe — as a possibility for a new direction for the alliance. The sprawling, giant, steel-and-glass complex’s wings are meant to resemble interlocking fingers. It drew the admiration of U.S. President …

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Former Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos was injured Thursday when a bomb exploded inside his vehicle in Athens, officials said. Two Bank of Greece employees in the car were also injured. All three were conscious and hospitalized in stable condition, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said, calling the blast an “attack.” “With all out heart, we wish Mr. Papademos and his companions a speedy recovery. The prime minister has been updated about all the events by the minister of public order and he will continue to receive updates,” Tzanakopoulos said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Papademos, …

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It was not just family and friends mourning Martyn Hett this week. Even Mariah Carey was shocked by his death in the Ariana Grande concert bombing. Carey posted a picture of Hett — one of 22 people killed in Monday night’s bombing at the Manchester Arena — on Instagram wearing a T-shirt bearing her image.   “Devastated to learn that one of the victims in Manchester was part of the (hash)Lambily,” Carey wrote in the post, using the name she has given to her legion of fans. “RIP Martyn Hett. We will cherish your memory forever. His family and all …

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The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday officially condemned the violent crackdown on protests outside the Turkish embassy in Washington last week. “This timely resolution sends a clear signal to the Turkish government that we will not allow any foreign government to stifle the rights of our citizens,” the committee said in a statement following the passage of House Resolution 354, which condemned the violence against what it deemed peaceful protests. U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan thanked the committee, echoing concerns over the incident that have been expressed by U.S. lawmakers and diplomats for days. “The …

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Four months into his presidency, Donald Trump is trying to avoid the fate of some of his predecessors who saw their administrations nearly consumed by various scandals and controversies. In Trump’s case the issue at hand is Russian meddling in last year’s election and whether there was collusion between his campaign aides and the Russians. History has shown that presidents can pay a steep political price when consumed by scandal. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington. …

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NATO leaders arrived in Brussels amid tight security for a summit Thursday dominated by the terrorist attack in Manchester, England. It is the first encounter of many of the leaders with U.S. President Donald Trump, who during his campaign called the alliance “obsolete” for not effectively countering terrorism. Recent terror attacks in Europe mean the U.S. leader may get the support he needs to strengthen the alliance’s anti-terrorist efforts. Thousands of leftist demonstrators marched in central Brussels Wednesday, protesting against both NATO and Trump. Some carried picket signs and banners with obscenities insulting the U.S. leader. Disappointed in engagement Some …

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President Donald Trump’s U.N. envoy set foot Wednesday in the no-man’s-land between Syria and Turkey, witnessing the precarious transfer of aid supplies into a seemingly interminable conflict. That reality is far removed from America’s years-old hope for President Bashar Assad to leave power and speedily end the civil war. From the Syrian side of the border zone, Ambassador Nikki Haley gazed up at a Turkish flag plastered onto signs marking the entrance into that nation’s territory. Syrian refugees once flooded through the run-down Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing until officials cracked down. These days it’s only aid convoys that pass back …

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Ariana Grande suspended her Dangerous Woman world tour and canceled several European shows Wednesday due to the deadly bombing at her concert in Manchester, England. Shows Thursday and Friday in London were canceled, along with concerts through June 5 in Belgium, Poland, Germany and Switzerland. Refunds will be granted, the pop star’s managers said in a statement. The tour was suspended to “further assess the situation and pay our proper respects” to the 22 dead and dozens injured in Monday’s suicide attack in the northern England town. Grande’s tour is to pick up June 7 in Paris, followed by several …

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The British-born jihadist behind the worst terror attack in Britain in more than a decade in effect killed and maimed people he’d grown up with — making the atrocity even more horrifying for Manchester residents still struggling to come to terms with a bombing that killed 22 people and injured 59 others at a concert of American pop star Ariana Grande. As the British government raised the terrorist threat level to “critical” — only the second time authorities have done so — details began to emerge of the 22-year-old suicide bomber Salman Abedi, his Libyan paternity, and his alleged ties …

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British police say they have arrested three more people in connection with the investigation into Monday’s deadly bombing after a concert in Manchester. A statement Wednesday from Greater Manchester Police said only that the arrests came after officers executed warrants in South Manchester.  There was no information about how the three men, or a fourth man arrested Tuesday who was only identified only as a 23-year-old, might be involved in the attack. British interior minister Amber Rudd said Wednesday the suicide bomber, who has been identified as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, was “known” by British intelligence services before the bombing. She …

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NATO leaders are going to Brussels for a summit meeting on Thursday expecting to agree on key principles.  With Monday’s attack in Britain overshadowing the meeting, there will be quick consensus on the need to keep fighting terrorism both at home and abroad, in places like Afghanistan. How to do it is a different question.  The war in Afghanistan is one of the key topics European leaders hope to learn more about when they meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.  The U.S. leader wants a boost in NATO contributions for the effort, but Germany’s Angela Merkel has indicated she is …

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President Trump’s reported demands to top leadership of U.S. intelligence agencies to deny there was any collusion between his campaign and Russia dominated an intense day of Congressional testimony. Congressional probes into Russian election interference showed no signs of letting up, even as Special Counsel Robert Mueller launches a wide-ranging Justice Department investigation. VOA’s Katherine Gypson has more from Capitol Hill. …

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NATO leaders are going to Brussels for the May 25th summit expecting to agree on key principles. With Monday’s attack in Britain overshadowing the meeting, there will be quick consensus on the need to keep fighting terrorism both at home, and abroad in places like Afghanistan. How to do it, is a different question. VOA Europe correspondent Luis Ramirez reports from Brussels. …

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