Category: Євросоюз

The second anniversary of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov’s murder was marked Monday in Moscow.   U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Tefft read a message on the bridge where Nemtsov was assassinated, just meters from the Kremlin. “We are here today to honor his memory, the values for which he stood, and to express our hope for the future, ” Tefft said. “We call once more on the Russian government to ensure that those responsible for Boris Nemtsov’s killing are brought to justice.”  An estimated 15,000 supporters marched in the Russian capital Sunday in Nemtsov’s memory, shouting slogans and carrying signs …

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Independent candidate Emmanuel Macron’s campaign for the French presidency is gathering momentum, according to two polls published on Monday that showed him closing the gap with far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of voting. Until now polls have given Le Pen a clear lead in the first round on April 23 but have shown her losing the decisive second round on May 7 to either Macron or the other main challenger, center-right candidate Francois Fillon. Macron gains ground In an Ifop-Fiducial poll for Paris Match published on Monday, Macron, a 39-year-old former banker, is now seen gathering …

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German officials have released data that shows refugees and asylum seekers suffered nearly 10 attacks a day there in 2016, the interior ministry said. Citing police statistics, officials said more than 3,500 anti-migrant attacks were carried out last year, resulting in 560 people injured, including 43 children. The numbers were published as a response to parliamentary questions by Ulla Jelpke, a member of the left-wing party Die Linke. The German government said it “strongly condemns” the violence. “People who have fled their homeland and are seeking protection in Germany have the right to expect that they will be accommodated safely,” …

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Olympic gold medal-winning distance runner Mo Farah said on Sunday that he is “a clean athlete” after a leaked report suggested his American coach may have broken anti-doping rules when he gave Farah and other athletes performance-enhancing drugs. The Somali-born Farah won gold medals in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters for Britain at the last two Olympics. “I am a clean athlete who never broke any rules in regards to substances.” Farah said in a statement.   Britain’s Sunday Times said it has obtained a leaked report by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that said Farah’s coach Alberto Salazar gave him …

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British anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage posted a picture of him having “dinner with The Donald” on Twitter, the latest meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and the critic of Prime Minister Theresa May. Farage, who helped secure victory for the Brexit campaign at a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union in June, is keen to cement ties with Trump after stepping down as leader of his anti-EU UK Independence Party last year. Finding common ground with some of Trump’s criticism of the political establishment, Farage met the president in November and has offered his services as Britain’s ambassador …

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Thousands of Russians are marching in Moscow to mark the two year anniversary of the death of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down outside the Kremlin. Marchers carried Russian flags and signs with quotes from Nemstov, including “Russia will be free.” Nemstov was a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of the opposition blame the government for the killing.. The Kremlin has denied involvement in Nemtsov’s murder. Five suspects, all of them Chechens, went on trial over the killing in October. President Putin labeled the killing “a provocation” and vowed the government would do everything …

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With the specter of populism looming over a critical election year in Europe, the European Parliament has taken an unusual step to crack down on racism and hate speech in its own house.   In an unprecedented move, lawmakers have granted special powers to the president to pull the plug on live broadcasts of parliamentary debate in cases of racist speech or acts and the ability to purge any offending video or audio material from the system.   Trouble is, the rules on what is considered offensive are none too clear. Some are concerned about manipulation. Others are crying censorship. …

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Russia has released anti-Kremlin activist Ildar Dadin from a Siberian prison, freeing the first person jailed under new rules that made some forms of nonviolent protest a criminal offence, his lawyer told Reuters Sunday. Dadin’s release had been expected after the Supreme Court had overturned his conviction Wednesday. No protests without permission He was originally sentenced in December 2015 to three years in jail, later reduced on appeal to two and a half years, for staging a series of peaceful, one-man protests against Kremlin rule. Conducting protests without official permission was previously punishable by a fine. But rules adopted after …

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 A trans-Atlantic wave of puzzlement is rippling across Sweden for the second time in a week, after a prominent Fox News program featured a “Swedish defense and national security advisor” who’s unknown to the country’s military and foreign-affairs officials. Swedes, and some Americans, have been wondering about representations of the Nordic nation in the U.S. since President Donald Trump invoked “what’s happening last night in Sweden” while alluding to past terror attacks in Europe during a rally February 18. There hadn’t been any major incident in Sweden the previous night.   Then, Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly convened an on-air …

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Each year, the European Union names two cities as European Capitals of Culture, and they sponsor a year-long series of cultural events. Aarhus, Denmark is one of those cities, where a sculpture exhibition portrays real-life women from different cultures. …

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French President Francois Hollande fired back at Donald Trump on Saturday after the U.S. president remarked in a speech that a friend thought “Paris is no longer Paris” after attacks by Islamist militants. Hollande said Trump should show support for U.S. allies. “There is terrorism and we must fight it together. I think that it is never good to show the smallest defiance toward an allied country. I wouldn’t do it with the United States and I’m urging the U.S. president not to do it with France,” Hollande said. “I won’t make comparisons but here, people don’t have access to …

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Police in Heidelberg, Germany, shot and seriously injured a man Saturday after the man hit three people with a car. The man drove his car into the people in a central square while they were standing in a pedestrian area. A brief stand-off ensued before police shot the man, who was believed to have been armed with a knife. Police said that at the moment they are unclear about the man’s motives but added they don’t suspect the attack to be terrorism-related. The man appears to have acted alone, police said, refusing to confirm local media reports he is mentally …

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Angela Merkel’s conservatives have formally nominated the German chancellor as her party’s top candidate for the September parliamentary election in the region where she has her political base. The dpa news agency reported that Merkel won the support of 95 percent of delegates at a convention of the Christian Democrats’ branch in northeastern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state Saturday. Merkel has held her parliamentary constituency in Stralsund since 1990. Polls show Merkel facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from the center-left Social Democrats, who have been boosted by their choice of former European Parliament President Martin Schulz to challenge her. Merkel didn’t mention …

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Turkey’s prime minister has officially launched his ruling party’s campaign for a “yes” vote in a referendum on ushering a presidential system, which critics fear will concentrate too many powers in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.   Binali Yildirim formally got campaigning going on Saturday telling supporters in a sports arena that the proposed new system would build a strong Turkey capable of surmounting terror threats and make its economy more robust.   Yildirim said: “We are taking the first steps on the path of a future strong Turkey.” The proposed reforms – to be voted on April …

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Launching a startup is no easy feat. Launching one outside your native country is even harder. But for certain French startups, the French government is there to help. A government-sponsored competition that began last year offers startups marketing and promotional assistance.   The Creative Next Challenge is a series of competitions sponsored by Business France, the nation’s international business development agency. Each competition offers French entrepreneurs working abroad the chance at official endorsement and international exposure.   French startup founders who have set up shop outside of France (prior winners include entrepreneurs in India, South Korea and the United Arab …

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Using sweet treats and months of patient coaching, scientists in England have taught a group of bumblebees how to play soccer. The 18-month study at Queen Mary University of London saw scientists train 50 bees to move a small yellow ball to a circled location in order to score a goal and receive a sugary food reward. The first group of bees then showed others in the colony how to play, with the second group impressing scientists by expanding the game. “The bees solved the task in a different way than what was demonstrated, suggesting that observer bees did not …

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Poland faces the possibility of losing its voting rights in the European Union over issues related to democracy and the rule of law. The EU is trying to determine whether to apply Article 7 — a measure intended to punish countries seen as violating fundamental rights. In its 60-year history, the European Union has never had to trigger Article 7. When the regional grouping gave Poland until the end of February to implement several reforms to its judicial independence and democratic institutions, it seemed that Article 7 might be the next step if the EU determined that Poland was not …

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Russia says it will veto a draft U.N. resolution blaming the Syrian government for some chemical weapons attacks in Syria if it is brought to a vote. “The resolution prejudges the results of the investigation, it is one-sided [and] based on insufficient evidence,” Russian Deputy U.N. Envoy Vladimir Safronkov told reporters after a closed meeting of the council to discuss the issue. The Security Council created a special OPCW-U.N. (The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) Joint Investigative Mechanism — known as JIM — in August 2015 to study several chemical weapons attacks that took place in Syria since …

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Former president Barack Obama can not run again for president in the U.S., but that isn’t stopping a group of French fans who are trying to get him to run in their upcoming election. Paris has been canvassed with “Obama17” signs, which urge people to visit a website to sign a petition for the former U.S. president to run. According to the website, Obama is their choice “because he has the best resume in the world for the job.” The site also alludes to the rising popularity of right-wing parties in France. “At a time when France is about to …

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The United States and Russia need to enhance communication to avoid accidents in the skies over Syria because airspace is shrinking as Islamic State loses more territory, a top U.S. Air Force general said Friday. General Herbert Carlisle called for greater communication, stopping short of coordination, with Russia over Syria through a channel that Moscow and Washington already have for avoiding each other. In 2015, they agreed to create a ground communication link and outline steps their pilots could take to avoid an inadvertent clash over Syria. “It is going to become more and more complex as time goes on, …

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