Environment ministers from all 28 European Union states agreed on Friday to a fast-track, collective ratification of last year’s UN Paris climate deal, the EU said. “All member states greenlight early EU ratification of Paris Agreement. What some believed impossible is now real,” tweeted European Council President Donald Tusk, whose home country Poland had been the main state resisting such… Read more »
Russia has suspended an agreement with the US on the disposal of surplus weapons-grade plutonium, the latest sign of worsening bilateral relations. In a decree, President Vladimir Putin accused the US of creating “a threat to strategic stability, as a result of unfriendly actions” towards Russia. Moscow also set pre-conditions for the US for the deal to be resumed. Under… Read more »
Should a 14-year-old married girl who migrates to Europe be viewed as a child – or a spouse? The issue has put European governments in a spin: forcing a policy U-turn in Denmark, new legislation in the Netherlands and an agonised debate in Germany.
I think it is concerning that new terror cells keep popping up in eastern Europe. Even if ISIS is defeated, these could continue to exist. However, at least law enforcement was aware that Inès posed a threat to safety. Yet, if they were aware they should have stopped the plan at an earlier stage. The gas cans could have exploded… Read more »
The drubbing at the polls received by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party over the weekend reflects Europeans’ growing disdain for their established political parties, experts warn. Only 17.6 percent of Berliners voted for Merkel’s CDU in this week’s elections, while the relative newcomer of the anti-immigration AfD gained 14.1 percent. The Social Democrats came in first, as expected, with 21.6… Read more »
United Russia, backed by President Vladimir Putin, has won a majority in the country’s parliamentary election, far ahead of rival parties. With 93% of the votes counted, the party has secured 54.2% of ballots and 343 seats in the 450-member parliament, officials say. Mr Putin said his party had “achieved a very good result”, however the turnout was a record… Read more »
Germany’s CDU, the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel, has described the party’s historic losses in Berlin state elections as a “bitter defeat”. It was ousted from the state coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats. Meanwhile right-wing anti-migrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD) will enter the state parliament for the first time with 14% of the vote. Mrs Merkel’s popularity has… Read more »
Demonstrators took to the streets across Germany on Saturday in protest over a massive transatlantic trade deal, dealing a new blow to the disputed accord. In Berlin, as in Munich, there was a sea of flags as people flocked to join the rallies despite the rain, carrying placards and banners representing dozens of anti-globalisation groups, NGOs, political parties and unions,… Read more »
The Brexit Bill Britain’s Departure Likely to Cost EU Billions At a summit in Bratislava this week, the EU wants to set the course for its future without Britain. One important issue is likely to be ignored by European leaders: The fact that Brexit is going to be expensive for Europe, especially for Germany.
Residents have clashed with asylum-seekers in a town in eastern Germany that has become a flashpoint for anti-refugee sentiment. Some 80 men and women, many described as far-right, fought with 20 migrants and refugees in Bautzen. The asylum-seekers were chased to their hostel and put under police guard.