European News

Has Michel Houellebecq, France’s favorite literary bad boy, become an apologist for far-right terrorism? In an interview with a niche periodical late last year, Houellebecq predicted that “native” French people would soon be taking up arms and committing “acts of resistance” against Muslims in areas “under Islamic control.” “There will …

DAVOS, Switzerland — As snow pounds the Swiss mountain town of Davos, American lawmakers are huddled in warm, quiet rooms trying to assuage European concerns that the United States hasn’t just turned into a protectionist power. The passage of Washington’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the $369 billion behemoth legislation stuffed …

Climate advocates were outraged when the United Arab Emirates (UAE) named the head of the state oil company, Sultan Al Jaber, as head of this year’s UN climate conference (COP28). But on Monday (16 January), EU climate chief Frans Timmermans defended the decision, saying he was “really exited about the …

1. Berlin supports special ‘war crimes’ tribunal for Russian leaders Germany’s foreign minister on Monday backed the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian leaders over the invasion of Ukraine.  During a speech at The Hague in the Netherlands, Annalena Baerbock called for a new type of court to “bring …

UK foreign secretary James Cleverly and EU Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič on Monday (16 January) agreed to have more talks to resolve the dispute over post-Brexit trading rules governing Northern Ireland. That in itself has given reason for optimism that after years of stalemate and souring relations, the two sides …

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. LONDON — The EU and the U.K. said they need more time to continue “scoping” for fixes to their long-running row over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland. European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly met …

BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 16. Ruben Vardanyan, a fugitive Russian billionaire of Armenian origin, who recently took over separatists in Karabakh, in one of his interviews, has called on the US, the EU, and Russia to impose sanctions on Azerbaijan for the alleged “blockade” and “humanitarian crisis” that Azerbaijan “created” for …

With Poland and Finland pledging to deliver German-manufactured Leopard II tanks to Ukraine, pressure is growing on Berlin to approve the shipments and to even send tanks itself. Berlin’s hesitance in the face of commitment from Poland and the Baltic countries to Ukraine betrays Germany’s unwillingness to fully commit to …

Equal opportunities, wallets, and health are the big casualties when a trainee is not paid for his/her work. This is the conclusion of a report published on Monday (16 January) by the European Youth Forum (EYF), an advocacy group representing more than 100 youth organisations. Have you ever wondered how …

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. LA CHAPELLE-SAINT-MESMIN, France — The white-hot furnaces of Duralex have been burning near the banks of the River Loire, near Orléans, France since the year the Second World War ended. But this winter, not a soul is to be …

Welcome back to the Agenda. Let’s kick off 2023 with an election, some corruption, the elite-gathering in Davos, and the remains of Brexit. Over the weekend, the Czechs voted for the aspiring successors to the eurosceptic, pro-Russian — at least before Ukraine’s invasion — president Miloš Zeman, and who has …

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. ATHENS — Greece’s former statistics boss Andreas Georgiou is continuing his more than decade-long battle to clear his name after Athens accused him of inflating fiscal figures during the debt crisis and thereby worsening the country’s financial woes. On …