Europe

Dutch police have cracked down on a protest against coronavirus restrictions in The Hague. Water cannon and mounted police were deployed to break up the crowd, and around 100 people were arrested according to local media. Only a small demonstration was permitted by the local authorities, but large crowds defied …

Serbians started casting ballots on Sunday in the first national elections in the European continent since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the ruling Progressives and Socialists as the only party targeting double-digit results. Regular parliamentary elections in Serbia, along with provincial elections in Vojvodina Province and local elections …

Groups of people have smashed shop windows, looted and attacked police vehicles in central Stuttgart during hours of night-time disturbances. German police say more than a dozen police officers were hurt during the violence, in south-west Germany. Video clips on Twitter show people vandalizing shops in the city centre and …

A gas explosion at a multi-storey apartment block in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv has killed at least one person, rescuers said on Sunday. Several people could be trapped under wreckage after four floors of the nine-storey building have been destroyed, the State Emergency Services said in a statement. …

The French branch of the climate change movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) used a hose to spray fake blood on the facade of the office of the biggest employers’ organization in the country, accusing them of cynicism. A handful of XR activists gathered at the headquarters of the Movement of the …

China and Russia have rebuked the International Atomic Energy Agency for giving in to US “bullying” as the IAEA’s board of governor on Friday passed a resolution critical of Iran for the first time since 2012. The resolution, submitted by France, Britain and Germany, comes at a time when the …

Britain, France and Germany will on Friday define their Iran strategy for the coming months amid talks at the United Nations and violations by Tehran of a 2015 nuclear deal, France’s foreign ministry said. Under Iran’s deal with world powers to accept limits to its nuclear programme in return for …

European governments are working with the United States on plans to overhaul the World Health Organization, a top health official for a European country said, signaling that Europe shares some of the concerns that led Washington to say it would quit. The European health official, who spoke on condition of …

A police operation is underway in the French city of Dijon following earlier gang violence in the city, the local police force said on Friday. “Following the events of the last few days in the Dijon area, police operation is underway in the Dijon districts of Gresilles and Chenove,” it …

The app has been officially blocked in Russia since April 2018 when the tech company refused to provide security services with backdoor encryption keys. In reality, Russian authorities struggled to enforce the ban, with Telegram moving to hide traffic behind mobile IP addresses. In often clumsy attempts to block access, …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday urged the European Union to reach an agreement on a recovery plan worth €750 billion ($843 billion) by the end of July to kickstart an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic. “It would be best if we could reach an agreement before the summer …

President Emmanuel Macron visits London on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle’s appeal to the French resistance and to discuss Brexit with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Macron, who will be hosted by heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, will mark de Gaulle’s June 18, 1940 “Appel” from BBC headquarters …

French police has put an end to violent clashes between groups of Chechens and members of the North African community in the eastern French town of Dijon. The clashes were linked to score-settling by members of the Chechen community in the low-income district of Gresilles. They started on Friday, June …

Workers are preparing the Eiffel Tower for reopening next week after the coronavirus pandemic led to the iconic Paris landmark’s longest closure since World War II. France’s tourism industry is opening back up, but the 324-meter (1,063-feet) tall wrought-iron tower won’t immediately welcome visitors the way it did before the …

Britain and Australia need each other more than ever at this time of acute global tension, the Australian high commissioner said as the two sides launch trade talks. The UK is also kicking off trade negotiations with New Zealand on Wednesday in a new era for British diplomacy outside the …

French police said they had intervened overnight to restore calm and order in the city of Dijon after youths set fire to vehicles and dustbins over the last three days, and added they were prepared to bring in more police forces if needed. “The events of the last few days …

Norway is halting its Covid-19 tracking app and will delete the data it has already collected after the country’s data protection watchdog criticized its continued use amid privacy concerns. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority said on Friday that it was no longer reasonable to collect data through the app considering …

Earlier on Monday, a US Air Force F-15C Eagle plane from RAF Lakenheath, UK crashed in the North Sea off the Yorkshire coast. The pilot of the US F-15 jet that crashed into the North Sea earlier in the day has been found and confirmed dead, the 48th Fighter Wing …

A Russian court on Monday sentenced former US marine Paul Whelan to 16 years in a penal colony for espionage in a case that strained ties with Washington and fuelled speculation of a prisoner swap. Moscow City Court found Whelan guilty of receiving classified information as he stood in the …

Spain will open its borders to countries in the European Union’s Schengen area on June 21, except for Portugal where the border will open on July 1 as previously announced, Spanish media including El Pais newspaper and Ser radio station reported. The Spanish government had previously said it would allow …