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Europe Tag

European leaders need to halt mass-immigration to curb the growing right-wing populist movement across the continent, Hillary Clinton warned in an interview with a British newspaper. Europe "must send a very clear message – "we are not going to be able to continue provide refuge and support" – because if we don’t deal with the migration issue it will continue to roil the body politic," she told The Guardian.

Poland has signed a long-term gas deal to buy natural gas from the United States to ease its reliance on Moscow. Polish state-run energy company PGNiG signed a 20-year supply contract with Louisiana-based Venture Global LNG. "Today we can fulfill our efforts to improve the sovereignty, security, and competitiveness of our gas sector," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters on Wednesday.

The UK Supreme Court has ruled in favor of two Christian bakers who refused to bake a cake iced with the slogan "support gay marriage." In a unanimous ruling, the five member Supreme Court bench reversed the previous rulings, upholding a business owners' right to freedom of expression and conscience.

"This court has held that nobody should be forced to have or express a political opinion in which he does not believe,” court president Brenda Hale said.

Data from Swedish state TV station, SVT, revealed that 58% of men convicted of rape and attempted rape in Sweden were born abroad. From the BBC:
The Mission Investigation programme, due to be broadcast on Wednesday by SVT, said the total number of offenders over five years was 843. Of those, 197 were from the Middle East and North Africa, with 45 coming from Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon's plans to launch a foundation aimed at supporting populist and nationalist causes in Europe has triggered a sharp repose from Germany's establishment politicians and the country's mainstream media.  "German politicians want to aggressively counter US right-wing populist Steve Bannon's plans to support like-minded parties in the [2019] European election," reported German weekly Der Spiegel.

Hungary has decided to quit the United Nations migration pact ahead of its final approval. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto slammed the UN-backed accord as a “threat to the world” and “entirely against” his country's national interests. “This document is entirely against Hungary’s security interests,” he said. “This pact poses a threat to the world from the aspect that it could inspire millions [of illegal migrants].”

President Donald Trump's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki received some sharp criticism from the mainstream European media. Following Monday's summit, newspapers and news outlets on this side of the Atlantic made hay about the critical remarks coming from Arizona Republican senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and former CIA Director John Brennan. "Trump's behavior [at the summit] was catastrophic," said the German newspaper Die Welt. "He made too many concessions to Putin. Many Republicans were shocked. And the former CIA chief even spoke of treason," referring Brennan's tweet that Trump's "press conference performance in Helsinki" was "nothing short of treasonous."

Just three months into her fourth term, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel faces the biggest crisis of her career. Her Catholic conservative Bavarian ally, the CSU, has threatened to abandon the coalition government over immigration policy. Germany's Interior Minister and long-time CSU leader, Horst Seehofer, wants to push for tougher immigration laws, which will include refusing entry to illegal immigrants at the border. According to German newspaper reports, if the country's Interior Minister goes ahead with the new restrictions without Merkel's consent, she will be forced to fire him, putting an end to her freshly-baked coalition government. Her political future hangs in the balance, as CSU leaders meet on Monday to decide the future course of action.

French police have started to prepare to take down illegal migrant camps in central Paris as several unauthorized encampments have recently sprung up along the city's canal Saint-Martin. 'Tent camps have mushroomed in recent weeks along canals used by joggers and cyclists in eastern and northeastern Paris, raising concerns for safety and public hygiene,' the UK newspaper Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

German police launched an investigation into an antisemitic attack after a video of the incident surfaced on the internet today. On Monday evening, a group of Arabic speaking men verbally insulted two youth wearing kippa, the traditional Jewish skullcap. One of the attackers can be seen using a belt to attack the victim while screaming insults in Arabic. Media reports later identified at least one of the victims as an Israeli Arab "who didn't believe Germany was antisemitic." He told German broadcaster DW News that it was a gift from a Jewis friend who warned him against wearing it in Germany out of safety concerns. "It was an experience for me to wear the kippa yesterday and go out," he added.

Despite Spain's attempts to stop the Catalonia Independence Referendum, Catalans voted for independence.  Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy moved to impose direct rule. Catalan's deposed leader Carles Puigdemont has been living in exile in Belgium since October. 2017 and was thought likely to run for regional president.  Puigdemont, however, has announced that he will not be running for president and has instead endorsed Jordi Sànchez.  Sànchez is currently in jail in Madrid.

Israeli Economic Minister Eli Cohen said in a speech aired on country's Army Radio on Monday that the country warned 30 countries on specific terror threats in 2017. Minister Cohen's revelation comes almost a week after Australian authorities acknowledged the role of Israeli intelligence in averting an ISIS terror plot to bring down an airliner last year. Israeli military's intelligence branch, known as “Unit 8200,” told the Australian authorities about a hidden explosive device destined for an Etihad Airways flight leaving Sydney for Abu Dhabi last July. Earlier this month, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported on Israel's role in helping Germany and European countries in combating Islamist terror. It revealed that Israel is part of a covert multinational counter-terrorism operation named “Gallant Phoenix” that gathers intelligence on Islamic State war criminals returning from the Middle East to Europe.

With the Islamic State (ISIS) heading for collapse, Belgium is bracing for the return of hundreds of jihadi fighters deserting the ranks of the Islamic Caliphate in Syria and Iraq. The western European country, which pursued a liberal immigration policy in recent decades, produced the highest number of foreign ISIS fighters per capita of EU countries -- up to 700 in total.

Vienna Police have booked criminal charges against three pro-Israeli activists for waving an Israeli flag to a group of anti-Israel demonstrators. They have been accused of waving the Israeli flag "in an extremely provocative way" causing "considerable offense among the Palestinian protesters," Austrian media reported, citing the police statement. If found guilty, they could face up to hundred euros in fine or two days in prison.

Three months after Germans went to the polls, Chancellor Angela Merkel is making a last ditch effort to form an alliance with the left-wing Social Democrats (SPD), a move that could secure her a fourth term in office. Last month, Merkel's traditional ally, the center-right Free Democrats (FDP), abruptly walked out of the talks, citing irreconcilable differences over refugee policy and other key issues -- leaving a so-called 'grand coalition' with the SPD her only path to power.