The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will push for a referendum on Germany’s EU membership if it ever comes to power, said co-leader Alice Weidel. The party wants to reform the EU and limit the European Commission’s power, but “if such a reform is not possible, if we cannot restore the sovereignty of the EU … Read more
Poland’s former deputy foreign minister was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the country’s cash-for-visas scandal, Warsaw’s anti-corruption agency said Wednesday. Piotr Wawrzyk, who served as deputy foreign minister from January 2021 until August last year, was detained and charged with exceeding his authority in handling ministry documents, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) … Read more
LONDON — Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda deportation bill survived a crucial House of Commons vote Wednesday after the U.K. prime minister faced down a rebellion from MPs on the right of his party. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill passed its third reading Wednesday evening with 320 MPs voting in support, and 276 voting … Read more
LONDON — “I don’t really have a football team … Wimborne Town Football Club!” A U.K. minister appeared to temporarily forget, and then suddenly remember, what football team he supports, during an excruciating back and forth with a broadcaster Wednesday morning. Immigration Minister Michael Tomlinson — who was tasked with making the government’s case ahead … Read more
PARIS — Four migrants died in French waters overnight on Saturday as they tried to reach a small boat setting off from the beach in the northern French town of Wimereux. Dozens were also rescued in the freezing waters by French rescue teams, according to local French media reports. One migrant was in critical condition … Read more
Throughout the years, Calais has gained a reputation as a seedy haven for booze-loving cruise passengers. Its image was not helped by the ‘Calais Jungle’ migrant camp constructed in 2015, which became the source of significant political tension. Needless to say, the port city was neither top of travel agents’ recommendations, nor tourists’ bucket lists. … Read more
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak previously expressed doubts on a controversial program to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, the BBC reported on Saturday. Sunak when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer attempted to convince then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson to scale back a migration scheme before a deal was signed with Rwanda in April 2022, the … Read more
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel on Saturday in retaliation for the targeted killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut this week amid mounting fears of a larger regional war, according to media reports. Hezbollah said in a statement Saturday that it targeted an Israeli air surveillance base in northern Israel with … Read more
European governments hit out at statements from two far-right Israeli ministers calling for the resettlement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism Party, on Wednesday doubled down on a call for “voluntary emigration” from Gaza once the current Israel-Hamas war ends, despite criticism from the United States. … Read more
EU member countries reached agreement Saturday on removing air and maritime internal border controls with Bulgaria and Romania, but the two countries’ full entry into the bloc’s passport-free Schengen zone remains subject to further discussions. Controls at sea and air borders with Romania and Bulgaria will be lifted as of March 31, the Council of … Read more
