Europe

Turkey on Wednesday rejected claims by Greece that its oil-and-gas research vessels were encroaching on Greek waters in the eastern Mediterranean and said it would continue to defend its legitimate rights and interests in the region. A Foreign Ministry statement, however, also renewed a call by Ankara for dialogue to …

There is no evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 Brexit referendum and Britain’s spies did not take their eyes off the ball on Russia, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said on Wednesday. “There needs to be some evidence that there’s an issue there – which there isn’t,” Shapps told Sky …

The Nobel Foundation, which manages the Nobel Prizes, on Tuesday, cancelled its traditional December banquet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though the award ceremonies will still be held in “new forms”. This is the first time since 1956 that the banquet has been cancelled, according to the foundation. “The Nobel …

Russia’s novel coronavirus vaccine trials were successfully completed on Monday and the results indicated long-term immunity could be established, Russia’s ministry of defense said. “The Russian Defence Ministry together with the Gamaleya [Gamalei] Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has successfully completed clinical trials of the vaccine against COVID-19 …

A man allegedly armed with a bomb has hijacked a bus in a north-western city in the Ukraine. Volyn region police have issued a hostage alert, Ukraine newsagency Interfax reports. It is believed there are about 20 people on the bus. “This morning, the 102 hotline received a message saying …

A report on Russian interference in British politics will finally be published Tuesday amid criticism the government delayed its release for more than six months to shield Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party from embarrassment. An influential committee of lawmakers plans to deliver its findings to Parliament after …

European Union leaders reached an “historic” deal on a massive stimulus plan for their coronavirus-hit economies at a pre-dawn meeting on Tuesday after a fractious summit that lasted almost five days. Summit chairman Charles Michel tweeted “Deal” shortly after the 27 leaders finally reached agreement at a 5.15 a.m. (0315 …

EU leaders were making progress on Monday after three days of haggling over a plan to revive economies throttled by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned the discussions could still fall apart. EU summit chairman Charles Michel urged the 27 leaders of the European Union to …

An EU summit to agree a huge coronavirus economic rescue package could collapse without a deal, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Sunday, as bickering leaders began a third day of talks. The 27 leaders have argued for two days over the scale and rules for the package, with the …

A man has been taken into custody as part of an investigation into a series of fires, which are believed to have been started deliberately, at the Cathedral of St. Pierre and St. Paul in the western French city of Nantes. The 39-year-old man was arrested at his home on …

EU leaders have gathered for a third day of discussions over a massive post-coronavirus economic recovery plan. Some member states believe the proposed €750bn ($857bn; £680bn) package is too large and should come as loans, rather than grants. The unplanned third day of talks comes after a record one-day rise …

The EU’s diplomatic chief on Friday attacked the US over its use of economic sanctions, after Washington opened the way to measures over Russia’s controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said Washington’s secondary sanctions on those doing business with its foes …

Protesters are marching in a Paris suburb Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of a Black man in police custody, whose case has mobilized broad anger against police brutality and racial injustice. The demonstration in Beaumont-sur-Oise is honoring Adama Traoré, who died on his 24th birthday in …

Tens of thousands of people in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk took to the streets on Saturday, protesting the arrest of the region’s governor on charges of involvement in multiple murders. Local media estimated the rally in the city 6100 kilometres (3800 miles) east of Moscow attracted from …

European Union leaders were hunting for compromises Saturday as a summit to reach a deal on an unprecedented 1.85 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) EU budget and coronavirus recovery fund entered its second day with tensions running high. A full day and night of discussions by the 27 leaders on Friday …

Firemen were battling a fire that broke out early on Saturday morning inside the cathedral in the western French city of Nantes, the local fire service said on Twitter. TV images showed smoke coming out of the 15th century structure. The blaze comes a just over a year after a …

The European Union is negotiating advance purchase deals of potential COVID-19 vaccines with drugmakers Moderna, Sanofi, and Johnson & Johnson and biotech firms BioNtech and CureVac, two EU sources told Reuters. The talks follow a deal reached in June by four EU states with AstraZeneca for the upfront purchase of …

Croatia’s President nominates the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party leader Andrej Plenkovic as Prime Minister-designate, signaling his return to power after a July 5 parliamentary election. The HDZ is set to form a majority coalition with the support of two smaller liberal parties and representatives of national minorities. “I was …

Iran in the past weeks has suffered a series of unexplained incidents at sensitive sites linked to its military and nuclear programme. Some of them have been attributed to Israel, which would not publicly confirm or deny its role. There are concerns in Europe that Israel might be trying to …

A Ryanair passenger plane landed in Oslo on Friday after receiving a bomb threat while in the air, Norwegian police said, adding that the situation was still ongoing. A large police presence awaited the aircraft as it touched down at the Gardemoen airport about 50 kilometers northeast of the Norwegian …