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Migration truce shatters in Germany after mob violence

A tense truce within German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative camp shattered Thursday after her hardline interior minister defended protests marred by neo-Nazi violence and blasted migration as "the mother of all political problems". The latest shots across Merkel's bow...

French bus driver fined for making kids do breathalyser

A French court has fined a former school bus driver for asking his youthful passengers to take a breathalyser test in his place, it emerged Wednesday. Since 2015, all French coaches have been fitted with devices which prevent the vehicle from starting until the driver's breath has been...

Chemnitz riots spark calls for AfD to be put under surveillance

The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is facing growing calls to be put under state surveillance over mounting evidence of its links to neo-Nazi groups, following far-right demonstrations in the eastern city of Chemnitz. A representative poll has showed that a majority of Germans...

British PM Theresa May says she will not ‘compromise’ on Brexit deal

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would not compromise with Brussels over her plans for Brexit as a media report said rivals in her party were set to publish their own proposal calling for a cleaner break with the European Union. With under two months before Britain and the EU...

EU proposes abolishing bi-annual clock change

The European Union said Friday it will recommend abolishing the twice-yearly clock change amid unprecedented demand from European citizens who called it disruptive and even harmful to health. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said "summer time should be year round" with his...

France tells UK fishermen: keep out of contested scallop waters

France's agriculture minister on Friday urged British fishermen to keep out of contested scallop-rich waters near the French coast that were the scene of clashes between competing boats this week. Stephane Travert said he had spoken with British counterpart George Eustice over the...

UK and EU can reach deal by October: Brexit minister

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said Wednesday reaching a deal with the EU ahead of an October summit "is within our sights" but there is "leeway" to miss the deadline. Raab, who only took up his role in July, insisted 80 percent of an agreement on Britain's future relationship with the...

US hopes to reach Canada trade 'quickly': Mnuchin

The United States hopes to strike a quick bargain with Canada after reaching an agreement with Mexico this week on continent-wide trade, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday. Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland was due in Washington to begin talks later Tuesday, one...

No-deal Brexit 'very, very unlikely': Irish foreign minister

It is "very, very unlikely" that Britain will crash out of the European Union next year without an exit deal with the bloc, Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Sunday. "I have said and I continue to say that I believe a no-deal Brexit is very, very unlikely," Coveney...

Macron to take aim at French social welfare spending in 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron's government will tackle social spending in the next wave of its reforms, the prime minister said in an interview, even though France will face a weaker growth outlook in next year. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in an interview in Le Journal du...

Former Scottish leader denies sex harassment claims

Alex Salmond, the former leader of Scotland, is promising to take legal action against the Scottish government over the way it handled sexual harassment allegations against him. Salmond described the allegations dating backing to 2013 over his conduct toward two staff members as...

Sweden launches 'feminist diplomacy' manual

Sweden released a handbook of its "feminist foreign policy" Thursday for rights groups and foreign governments, showcasing lessons from the Scandinavian nation's flagship approach to promoting women's rights globally. The manual, published on the government's website in English, is...

Rights official: Italy is unjustly holding migrants on boat

A delegation from Italy's rights office on Thursday visited the 150 migrants who have been kept onboard a coast guard vessel for days and concluded they were being held unjustly. The comments challenge Italy's anti-migrant interior minister, who has declared that no migrants whom he...

After summer's growth revisions, Macron has budget work cut out

French President Emmanuel Macron will make the tough political choices needed to meet his deficit commitments, his government spokesman said, as he looked to put a bodyguard scandal behind him at his first cabinet meeting after the summer break. Macron and his ministers in all...

"Highly conditional" Brexit optimism sends pound to two-week highs

The British pound hit its highest level in two weeks against the dollar on Wednesday, benefiting from broad selling of the U.S. currency and cautious optimism from investors on the state of Brexit negotiations, which resumed this week. There have been mixed messages this week on whether...

German police arrest Russian over alleged bomb plot

German police commandos Wednesday arrested a Russian suspected Islamist militant accused of having plotted an explosives attack in the country. Identified only as 31-year-old Magomed-Ali C., he was allegedly an accomplice of Clement Baur, who was arrested in Marseilles shortly before...

Five children fighting for life after French blaze: firefighters

A fire in a residential building near Paris on Sunday left seven people with serious injuries including five children who were in a "life-threatening" condition, firefighters said. A dozen police officers were also slightly hurt in the blaze in Aubervilliers, north of Paris, which was...

Italian minister calls for sanctions on Malta over migrants

Italian Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli Sunday called for sanctions against Malta, accusing it of not rescuing migrant boats in the Mediterranean and leaving the burden to Italy, in the latest row between the two countries over the issue. Toninelli said on Twitter the European Union...