The number of people seeking asylum in Greece is rising rapidly. The most recent statistics I could find on it was the increase from 2017 to 2018, from just shy of 39,000 to almost 65,000 refugees, a 57.8% increase. A graph from the same source demonstrates the trends from 1990-2018. It hit a low in 2010 at 1,440 refugees, but… Read more »
Chios, Greece – Sabr al-Kolak knew his first few months in Europe would be difficult, but he was not prepared for what he found in Vial, a refugee camp on the Greek island of Chios, in the North Aegean Sea. A 30-year-old from Palestine’s Gaza Strip, he arrived at the beginning of December to freezing weather after a perilous journey… Read more »
A long-running oil dispute between Russia and Belarus has for the first time threatened to disrupt supplies to Europe. Belarus will start taking crude from its transit pipeline if shipments from Russia are below the agreed 2 million tons this month, state news agency Belta reported Friday, citing President Alexander Lukashenko. That could jeopardize Russian flows to the European Union… Read more »
President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia would not legalize gay marriage as long as he was in the Kremlin. He made clear he would not allow the traditional notion of mother and father to be subverted by what he called “parent number 1” and “parent number 2”. “As far as ‘parent number 1’ and ‘parent number 2’ goes, I’ve… Read more »
MOSCOW — Two Jehovah’s Witnesses have been convicted of extremism in Russia and four more arrested, one of whom reported being tortured in custody, the religious group said Friday. A court in Kamchatka on Friday sentenced Mikhail Popov and his wife Yelena to fines of 350,000 and 300,000 rubles ($5,500 and $4,700) for engaging in extremist activities related to their… Read more »
Emmanuel Macron wants to place a “digital tax” on the United States and other countries. He’s not the only one. Many European countries are beginning to reflect the sentiment that “tech giants” should have a special digital tax placed on them. This is because companies that provide internet-based services to customers, such as Facebook or Google, are often dodging taxes… Read more »
Today at 11:00 p.M. the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. No immediate changes will occur in citizen’s day-to-day lives. The UK will still pay dues to the EU, will still be allowed to travel freely, and will still be bound to laws of the EU. This is simply “phase two”, a time where the EU and the UK… Read more »
In a video message to be released an hour earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson – who led the 2016 campaign to leave – will call Brexit a “new dawn”. Pro and anti-Brexit demonstrations and marches are being held across the country, as the UK flag is taken down from EU institutions in Brussels. Little will change immediately, as the UK… Read more »
LONDON — Three and a half years after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, Brexit will finally happen Friday night. Some will gather outside the Houses of Parliament to celebrate at 11 p.m. (6 p.m. ET) what they see as a new dawn for a buccaneering, independent U.K., free of undemocratic control by Brussels. In reality, almost… Read more »
London (CNN)– After three-and-a-half years, three prime ministers and seemingly endless votes in Parliament since the 2016 Brexit referendum, Britain finally becomes the first ever country to leave the European Union at 11:01 p.m. GMT on Friday. Despite this cataclysmic event, almost all of the immediate changes will be invisible to the public. The United Kingdom will enter the transition… Read more »