Europe

Home >> Europe

French police officer who took place of hostage dies

A gendarme who voluntarily took the place of a hostage during a deadly supermarket siege in southwestern France on Friday has died, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said. Arnaud Beltrame, who once served in Iraq, had been raced to hospital fighting for his life after the siege in...

Greek PM says counts on EU support over Greek soldiers detained in Turkey

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece will continue its bilateral efforts to secure the release of two Greek soldiers detained in Turkey but is also counting on the support of its European allies, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday. The soldiers’ case has heightened tension between...

France: Suspect killed in terror hostage standoff

Following a deadly hostage standoff at a supermarket, a gunman in southern France was killed by security forces, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Friday. "The hostage-taker was shot," Collomb told a press conference in the town of Trebes, in the Aude department, at the scene of...

EU plans tougher consumer laws for Facebook, Gmail

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union is planning to apply tougher consumer laws to social media networks and email providers like Facebook (FB.O) and Google’s Gmail (GOOGL.O) as scrutiny of data protection grows in the wake of an outcry over Facebook’s handling of data. Under the...

SWAT teams surround site of hostage standoff

Police SWAT teams on Friday surrounded a supermarket in the town of Trebes, southern France, where at least one gunman is holding several people hostage. The entire area is in lockdown, in what Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, in Paris, described as a "serious situation."...

Spain charges 13 Catalan leaders with rebellion

A Spanish Supreme Court judge on Friday charged 13 Catalan separatist politicians, including fugitive former regional president Carles Puigdemont, with rebellion for their attempt to declare independence from Spain. Judge Pablo Llarena's indictment wrapped up the investigation into the...

Man holds hostages in French supermarket, claims allegiance to Daesh - BFM TV

A man holding hostages in a supermarket in southwestern France has claimed allegiance to Daesh (ISIS), BFM TV said. Europe 1 radio also said an individual was holding hostages in the supermarket. Earlier, France's Interior Ministry had said security officials were carrying out...

Sarkozy says will clear name, has 'finished' in politics

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to clear his name on Friday after being charged for allegedly financing his 2007 election campaign with money from late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, but said he was "finished" in politics. "It might take me one, two, 10 years but I'll...

Russia poses threat to all of Europe: British PM May

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would tell other European Union leaders on Thursday that Russia posed a threat to the whole bloc, not only to Britain, following an attack using a military-grade nerve agent in England. "Russia staged a brazen and reckless attack against...

Dutch say 'no' in referendum on spy agency tapping powers

Dutch voters have narrowly rejected a law that would give spy agencies the power to carry out mass tapping of Internet traffic delivering a setback to Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government. Dubbed the "trawling law" by opponents, the legislation would allow spy agencies to install wire...

Swiss stage raids after arms group flags questionable deals

Swiss federal prosecutors staged raids after state arms group RUAG flagged potential violations of the country's war materiel act, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said Thursday. It was reacting to a report by the Handelszeitung newspaper that RUAG was searched in connection...

May to seek stand against Russia at EU summit

British Prime Minister Theresa May will urge European Union leaders to unite and condemn Russia as leaders of the bloc's 28 nations meet in Brussels. May is seeking a strong statement against President Vladimir Putin after the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter...

Sarkozy faces second day of questioning in Gadhafi funds case

France's Nicolas Sarkozy faced a second day of questioning on Wednesday by investigators looking into allegations that his 2007 election campaign had received funds from late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Sarkozy, president from 2007 to 2012, was seen by a Reuters photographer leaving...

EU seeks Facebook data breach probe

The European Union pushed Tuesday for an urgent investigation into revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump presidential campaign harvested data on 50 million users. EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, who has called the breach "horrifying", was meanwhile to seek clarification...

Expelled Russian diplomats leaving London embassy

Diplomats expelled from the Russian embassy in London began leaving the building with their families and luggage on Tuesday, AFP journalists witnessed. Britain has thrown out 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on...

EU dissects Poland's defense of contested judicial reforms

Germany and Denmark told Poland on Tuesday to adhere to the rule of law, as EU ministers gathered in Brussels to analyze Warsaw's defense of a court overhaul that the bloc says weakens democracy. Poland, the biggest of the former communist EU states, stands accused of subjecting its...

Hungary defends anti-immigration stance at U.N. rights body

Hungary defended its anti-immigration stance on Monday at the United Nations, saying it was determined to maintain a homogeneous, Christian society. The U.N. Committee on Civil and Political Rights, composed of independent experts, began a two-day review of Hungary's record, less than...

Irish FM sees 'good progress' in Brexit transition agreement

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said an agreement between the European Union and Britain on Monday on a Brexit transition period represented "good progress" and made the British commitment to address Irish issues clearer. A draft transition agreement unveiled by the two sides...