Chancellor Angela Merkel has targeted the centre-left favourite in the race to succeed her, in what is likely to be her final appearance before MPs. In a bid to bolster her own party’s candidate ahead of Germany’s 26 September elections, the outgoing leader was bitterly critical of Olaf Scholz, whose SPD is leading the polls. […]
Thousands of demonstrators have blocked roads in southern Montenegro in a protest over the enthronement of a new Serbian Orthodox Church archbishop. Angry crowds threw stones at police and pulled down security fences around the monastery in the city of Cetinje where the ceremony will take place on Sunday. Demonstrators shouted “This is not Serbia!” […]
Iceland’s prime minister has urged the nation’s football association to root out sexual abuse after it was accused of covering up assault allegations against national team players. Katrin Jakobsdottir said she was saddened by allegations that have plunged Iceland’s football governing body (KSI) into crisis. KSI apologised to the women involved before its entire board […]
Europe migrant crisis Italian coastguard vessels have rescued 539 migrants from a fishing boat drifting off the island of Lampedusa. The rescue on Saturday delivered one of the largest numbers of migrants to the Italian island in a single day. Women and children were among those on board. Some of the migrants – who […]
Greenland ice loss A group of scientists say they have discovered by luck what they believe is the world’s northernmost island off Greenland’s coast. In July, the scientists flew to collect samples to what they thought was Oodaaq Island, that has been known since 1978. But when they checked their position with the Danish official […]
Links between Ireland and France “have never been stronger”, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin has said after welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron to Dublin. Mr Macron was in the capital to speak to political leaders about EU affairs. He began his day in Dublin by meeting Irish President Michael D Higgins. He then had […]
Coronavirus pandemic Scotland’s record number of Covid cases is partly being fuelled by the return of schools after the summer holidays, the deputy first minister has said. John Swinney said the data showed that high numbers of young people had tested positive in recent days. And he said the case for secondary pupils continuing […]
Greece has installed a 40km (25-mile) fence and surveillance system on its border with Turkey amid concern over a surge of migrants from Afghanistan. “We cannot wait, passively, for the possible impact,” Greece’s Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said on a visit to the region of Evros on Friday. “Our borders will remain inviolable.” His […]
Lithuania has accused 12 Belarusian officers in riot gear of illegally entering its territory to push a group of migrants over the border. Lithuania’s border service said the Belarusians were repeatedly told they had violated the border during the tense incident on Tuesday. But Belarus disputed this and accused Lithuanian guards of violence towards migrants. […]
Poland’s parliament has passed a new media bill that opponents say is an attempt to silence a TV channel critical of the government. The government says the law is needed to stop hostile foreign powers taking control of its broadcasters. But critics say it is an attempt to push US company Discovery to sell the […]
