Tag Archives: Europe

Joint European-Japanese mission to Mercury gets its first glimpse of the planet A joint European-Japanese spacecraft got its first glimpse of Mercury as it swung by the solar system’s innermost planet while on a mission to deliver two probes into orbit in 2025. The BepiColombo mission made the first of …

Georgians vote in local elections on Saturday that could escalate a political standoff between the ruling party and the opposition a day after the arrest of ex-president and opposition politician Mikheil Saakashvili. Saakashvili, who left Georgia in 2013 and was sentenced to prison in absentia in 2018, was arrested on …

Serbian troops were on heightened alert Sunday at the border with Kosovo, the defense ministry said, accusing the territory of “provocations” after it deployed special police to the area. The special police units were sent to two border crossings in the north of Kosovo, an area mainly populated by minority …

Germans went to the polls on Sunday in a national election too close to call, with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) mounting a strong challenge to retiring Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives. Merkel has been in power since 2005 but plans to step down after the election, making the vote an …

Hundreds of protesters marched against the introduction of a “corona pass” in the Netherlands on Saturday, as proof of COVID-19 vaccination became compulsory to get into bars, restaurants, theatres, and other venues. The new requirement to show the pass or a recent negative coronavirus test came into force on Saturday, …

FIFA’s plans for a biennial World Cup would lead to a “direct and destructive impact on the club game”, Europe’s top club’s organization said on Friday. The European Club Association (ECA) said FIFA’s approach to the reforms of the international match calendar was in “direct and unilateral breach of certain …

Germany’s federal election is too close to call as the number of still undecided voters hit a record high less than two weeks before the poll, in which center-right Chancellor Angela Merkel is not seeking a fifth term, a survey showed on Tuesday. The survey by the Allensbach research institute …

The World Health Organization (WHO) has denounced the “shocking inequity” in the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, urging the Western governments to put a halt to booster doses until at least the end of the year. In an address to the 71st session of the Regional Committee for Europe, WHO …

Light rain gave some breathing room to crews struggling Monday to battle a “monster” wildfire in southern Spain which killed a firefighter and forced the evacuation of around 2,600 people. Around 500 firefighters and 51 water-dropping planes have been tackling the blaze, which officials believe was started deliberately last Wednesday …

The Ukrainian army is locked in a conflict with breakaway fighters in Donetsk and Lugansk that erupted after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 10 others wounded in the country’s war-torn east as clashes tick back up, the army said on Sunday. …

Greece is increasing its order of Dassault-made Rafale jets to 24 from 18, France’s Armed Forces Minister said on Sunday. Greek lawmakers in January approved the purchase of 18 Rafale jets from France for 2.5 billion euros ($3.04 billion). “Excellent news. Greece has just announced its intention to buy six …

Thousands of Catalans chanted, sang, and waved flags as they marched through Barcelona on Saturday, calling for the region’s independence from Spain. The march, organized by the grassroots Assemblea Nacional Catalana ANC, was the first since Spain’s government pardoned nine Catalan separatist leaders who had been jailed for their role …

Thousands of police were deployed in Greece’s second city Thessaloniki Saturday ahead of protests during a policy speech by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who seeks to repair political damage from summer wildfires. Halfway through his four-year term, Mitsotakis has seen his conservative party’s ratings flag after wildfires destroyed over 100,000 …

German prosecutors said on Thursday they had seized documents at the finance and justice ministries as part of an investigation into possible obstruction of justice by a government agency that is responsible for investigating money laundering. Prosecutors said in a statement they had been investigating the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) …

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Thursday that France would not accept Britain violating international maritime law or “financial blackmail” as London steps up efforts to prevent migrants crossing the Channel. “France will not accept any practice that breaks maritime law, nor any financial blackmail,” Darmanin wrote on Twitter. “Britain’s …

At least 10 people have been killed in a fire that engulfed a modular Covid-19 hospital in the town of Tetovo, North Macedonia. Reports indicate that the blaze erupted after an explosion rocked the building. The fire was extinguished after a few hours.It was unclear how many patients were in …

France will make access to birth control free for women aged up to 25 years old from January 1 onwards, in a new measure that will cost the state 21 million euros ($24.8 million) per year, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Thursday. The policy announcement comes as President …

Nvidia on Wednesday sought EU antitrust approval of its $54 billion takeovers of British chip designer Arm, according to a European Commission filing, with regulators likely to echo worries similar to those voiced by the UK watchdog last month. The world’s biggest maker of graphics and AI chips announced the …

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will announce a bid to become France’s first woman president on Sunday, joining a growing list of challengers to incumbent Emmanuel Macron, several MPs from her Socialist party told AFP. Hidalgo’s intention to seek France’s highest office has been an open secret for months. On Tuesday, …

Two small children were among the dozens of migrants rescued from the English Channel on Tuesday after a summer that has seen record numbers attempt the dangerous journey from France. This year, hundreds of boats carrying migrants have attempted the dangerous crossing from France to England, often in small, inflatable …