Europe

Georgia prepares for a divisive election which could determine its future in Europe

The South Caucasus country of Georgia will go to the polls Saturday in a parliamentary election many citizens believe may be the most crucial vote of their lifetimes.

The Paris conference for Lebanon raises $1 billion in pledges for humanitarian and military support

King Charles tells summit the past can’t be changed as leaders ask Britain to reckon with slavery

Vote-weary Bulgarians face a seventh general election in just over 3 years

Putin ends BRICS summit that sought to expand Russia’s global clout but was shadowed by Ukraine

British killer nurse Lucy Letby loses appeal bid for attempted baby murder conviction

An appeals court in London has rejected British killer nurse Lucy Letby’s bid to challenge her conviction for the attempted murder of a baby girl in her care.

Turkey strikes Kurdish militant targets in Syria and Iraq for a second day

Turkey has struck suspected Kurdish militant targets in Syria and Iraq for a second day after a deadly attack on the premises of a key defense company.

Australia and UK make pact to partner on 2050 net-zero climate goal

Australia and the United Kingdom have deepened ties by agreeing to collaborate on climate change and energy initiatives, aiming to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while also reaffirming their mutual commitment to develop nuclear submarines for both nations under the AUKUS treaty.

Teenager stabs police officers in a police station in Bosnia, killing 1 and wounding another

Bosnian police say a minor broke into a police station in northwest Bosnia on Thursday and killed one officer with a knife and injured another.

Train carrying 55 people derails on Norway’s north coast, killing at least 1 person and injuring 4

Police say at least one person was killed and four people injured when a train running along Norway’s northern coast derailed Thursday with 55 people on board.

The Czech Republic becomes one of last EU countries to sign a treaty with the Vatican

The Czech Republic has signed a treaty over its relations with the Vatican, becoming one of the last European Union countries to do so.

Ukrainian father-son pair sentenced to 20 years in Belarus prison for terrorism

A father and son from Ukraine have been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each in Belarus after being convicted of preparing terrorist acts.

EU Commission chief urges North Macedonia’s political parties to cooperate on accession push

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told North Macedonia it needs to make progress on constitutional changes if it’s to advance its bid to join the European Union.

Israel and UN are maneuvering fraught but fundamental ties during Middle East wars

Relations between Israel and the United Nations have long been tense. They have sunk to a low ebb following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and Israel’s powerful military campaign against its enemies in its region.

French culture minister proposes entrance fee for Notre Dame to help fund preservation work

France’s culture minister has proposed introducing an entrance fee to visit Notre Dame cathedral in Paris when it reopens in December, aiming to generate funds for the preservation of the country’s religious heritage.

LinkedIn hit with 310 million euro fine for data privacy violations from Irish watchdog

European Union regulators have slapped LinkedIn with a 310 million euro fine for violations of the bloc’s stringent data privacy rules.

Venezuelan opposition leaders win the EU’s top human rights prize

Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia have won the European Union’s top human rights honor, the Sakharov Prize.

A Dutch government watchdog says the Netherlands is unlikely to hit a 2030 target for emissions cuts

The Dutch government’s climate watchdog is warning that the Netherlands is “very unlikely” to achieve a European Union-mandated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 unless it takes urgent action.

Intel scores fresh win against EU after top court backs annulment of billion-euro antitrust fine

Chipmaker Intel has won a fresh victory in a long-running battle against European Union competition watchdogs after the bloc’s top court confirmed a lower tribunal’s decision to overturn a billion-euro antitrust penalty.

EU stays on the sidelines over migrant deal between Italy and Albania

A top European Union official has refused to be drawn on an opinion of an agreement between Italy and Albania to process some migrants in centers set up in the tiny Western Balkan country, saying only that it was being closely monitored.

A court says former Albanian president Meta must stay in custody during corruption investigation

An Albanian court has ruled that former President Ilir Meta should stay in custody while the left-wing Freedom Party leader faces allegations of corruption, money laundering and the hiding of personal income and property.

European Commission chief assures Western Balkans of the bloc’s enlargement progress

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has reassured the Western Balkan countries that the enlargement of the trade bloc remained one of its priorities.

Three are detained in Lisbon’s second night of unrest after police shot dead a man during an arrest

Police in Portugal say three people were detained in a second night of violent protests in greater Lisbon after police shot dead a man during an arrest this week.

G7 allies are moving ahead with a $50 billion loan for Ukraine backed by frozen Russian funds

Ukraine will receive $50 billion in loans, backed by frozen Russian assets, from Group of Seven allies. That word comes Wednesday from the White House.

As coal plants shut in Romania, some miners transition to green energy while others are reluctant

As Romania prepares to phase out coal by 2032, some miners are retraining for jobs in renewable energies.

Father and daughter win lawsuit against man who claimed Manchester Arena bombing was hoax

A British father and daughter seriously wounded by a suicide bomber who killed 22 people after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017 have won a harassment lawsuit against a former television producer who claimed the tragedy was a hoax.

Belarus sets a Jan. 26 election that’s almost certain to extend its authoritarian leader’s rule

Lawmakers in Belarus set the next presidential election for Jan. 26, a vote almost certain to extend the three-decade rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

French legislators divided over a lawmaker caught buying drugs

French politicians appear deeply divided over the fate of leftist lawmaker Andy Kerbrat, and whether he should resign.

Hungary’s Orbán claims the EU seeks to topple his government as his hostility toward it grows

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has claimed in a speech that the European Union seeks to topple his government and install a puppet regime.

US and Cyprus launch a strategic dialogue to bolster security

U.S. and Cypriot officials have launched a strategic dialogue they said would bolster security and stability in a crisis-wracked region through initiatives including counterterrorism training of personnel from Middle Eastern countries.

A Russian is charged over the fatal stabbing of 2 Ukrainian soldiers in Germany

Prosecutors say a Russian man who supported his country’s war in Ukraine has been charged with murder over the fatal stabbing in Germany earlier this year of two wounded Ukrainian soldiers who were recovering from operations there.

UK regulator approves second Alzheimer’s drug in months but government won’t pay for it

Britain’s drug regulator approved the Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla on Wednesday, but the government won’t be paying for it after an independent watchdog agency said the treatment isn’t worth the cost to taxpayers.

French ships and a ferry recover bodies of 3 migrants in latest failed crossing of English Channel

French rescue vessels and a passenger ferry have pulled the bodies of three migrants from the English Channel.

US confirms North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for training and possible Ukraine combat

The U.S. says 3,000 North Korean troops have deployed to Russia and are training at several locations, calling the move very serious and warning that those forces will be “fair game” if they go into combat in Ukraine.

Britain and Germany will sign a defense pact to counter Russia’s growing threat

Officials say German submarine-hunting planes will patrol the North Atlantic from a base in Scotland under a new Britain-Germany defense pact in response to the growing threat from Russia.

A former Bosnian prison camp guard is convicted of lying to get refugee status and US citizenship

A Bosnian man living in Massachusetts has been convicted of lying to get refugee status and U.S. citizenship.

European Union observers flag irregularities and ‘alteration of results’ in Mozambique election

European Union election observers have flagged irregularities in Mozambique’s election as the country awaits the announcement of official results this week.

Poland alleges Russian sabotage and is closing one of Moscow’s consulates

Poland’s foreign minister says he has ordered the closure of one of Russia’s three consulates in the country in response to acts of sabotage that he said were sponsored by Moscow.

Erdogan says the cleric accused of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt had a ‘dishonorable death’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has responded to the death of exiled Islamic cleric Fetullah Gulen, accused by Turkey of orchestrating a failed coup attempt in 2016.

Hoard of 1,000-year-old coins unearthed in a farmer’s field sells for $5.6 million

A trove of more than 2,500 silver coins that lay buried for 1,000 years will go on display in British museums after being acquired for the nation.