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DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – by Douglas DALBY The European Commission’s demand for Apple to pay Ireland some 13 billion euros in back taxes has put the country in the strange position of refusing the windfall for fear of scaring away valuable investment. Rather than welcoming the cash — equivalent to around five percent of its gross domestic product — the government has vowed to appeal the ruling, fearing an ever greatest cost to its […]
CHIMAY, Belgium (Reuters) — An explosion at a sports centre in the southern Belgian town of Chimay early on Friday (August 26) killed one person and wounded four others, two of them seriously, Belgium’s Crisis Centre said. “It is probably a gas explosion,” an official at the agency told Reuters, adding that there was no indication of it being a militant attack. Local media reported the blast occurred just after midnight (2200 GMT) at a […]
EU Parliament President Martin Schulz lent his support to Colombia’s peace process on Tuesday (August 23) even as he cited a concern over democracy in neighbouring Venezuela. On a visit to Bogota where he met with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Schulz praised the agreement between Bogota and the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). “We expect this will be a decisive, sustainable and lasting peace process. We believe it will be a good […]
RIGA, Latvia (AFP) – by Mike Collier with Mary Sibierski in Warsaw US Vice President Joe Biden promised unwavering commitment to NATO’s collective defence Tuesday as he sought to reassure Baltic allies spooked by a resurgent Russia and White House hopeful Donald Trump. “Let there be no doubt — America’s Article 5 commitment is rock solid and unwavering,” Biden said, referring to a cornerstone of NATO that an attack on one member state is considered […]
PARIS, France (AFP) – The number of tourists visiting France has dropped seven percent since January, with foreigners deterred by terror attacks but also by bad weather and transport strikes, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Monday. “Tourist arrivals since the start of the year have fallen by seven percent across the country,” with Paris worst- hit, said Ayrault, who is also tourism minister. France is the world’s top tourist destination. The sector accounts for around nine […]
ABOARD the GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI aircraft carrier, Italy (AFP) – by Hervé ASQUIN Ella IDE The leaders of France, Germany and Italy insisted Monday that Britain’s decision to quit the European Union would not kill the bloc. Speaking aboard an aircraft carrier anchored off the Italian island of Ventotene, one of the cradles of the dream of a united, integrated Europe, the leaders vowed to relaunch the European project in the wake of the Brexit shock. […]
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – Britain’s departure from the EU faced two separate legal challenges in Northern Ireland’s High Court Friday. Lawyers for one group lodged an application with the court to challenge London’s decision to abide by the June 23 referendum result and proceed to leave the European Union. In a letter last month, the group had asked British Prime Minister Theresa May to allow votes on the issue in both the British parliament […]
WARSAW, Poland (AFP) – by Mary SIBIERSKI Poland’s Constitutional Court struck down more government reforms Thursday aimed at clipping its wings in a deepening constitutional crisis that has set Warsaw on a collision course with the EU. Chief Justice Andrzej Rzeplinski said the court found many sections of the July 22 law, adopted by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government, “non-compliant with the Polish Constitution”. Pro-democracy protesters gathered outside the court building in central […]
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) – by Nina LAMPARSKI Austria’s government said Thursday that Turkey is unfit to join the European Union in the wake of the recent post-coup crackdown, calling for the bloc to discuss ending membership talks. Turkey’s longstanding, and recently revived, bid to join the EU has already been hit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s suggestion that he may reintroduce the death penalty after the July 15 attempted putsch. “We have to face reality: […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – by Roland JACKSON The Bank of England on Thursday slashed interest rates to a record low 0.25 percent and announced a vast stimulus package to combat economic fallout from Britain’s looming EU exit. Policymakers voted unanimously to reduce rates by a quarter-point, the bank said in a statement after its latest meeting, cutting borrowing costs for the first time in more than seven years. The BoE also delivered a £170-billion […]
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) – Dutch environmentalists said Tuesday they are suing the government over poor air quality, saying people’s “fundamental” rights to good health were being infringed. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, the Milieudefensie group alleged “the Netherlands exceeds the legal standards for air quality and is violating fundamental human rights by doing too little to combat air pollution.” “This pollution causes thousands of deaths every year, and leaves tens of thousands of people […]
Yulia Stepanova, the key whistleblower in the Russian doping scandal, said Thursday (July 28) she is not a traitor to her country. Her disclosure of state sponsored doping almost led to Russia being completely excluded from the Rio de Janeiro Games. “I don’t consider myself a traitor as they portray me in Russia. I think the traitors are those who have created the system. Those who give drugs to young athletes and ruining the future […]
