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European Union Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 30, 2016 26 Comments
The EU alleges that Ireland gave Apple, an American company, sweet deals in order to bring jobs to the island. On Tuesday morning, the EU antitrust enforcer ordered Apple to pay 13 billion euros ($14.6 billion) in unpaid taxes in the biggest tax ruling in EU history.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on August 27, 2016 8 Comments
Despite concerns that Prime Minister Theresa May will not uphold the June 23rd Brexit vote, it doesn't look like she is willing to let a three-ring circus develop in which protesters tout bogus climate change links to Brexit or equally bogus claims of economic doom. The Telegraph is reporting that she will invoke Article 50—the mechanism outlined in the Lisbon Treaty for leaving the European Union—without a vote in the Commons, thus denying the "Remain" supporters the opportunity to block or delay Brexit. The Telegraph reports:
Theresa May will not hold a parliamentary vote on Brexit before opening negotiations to formally trigger Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, The Telegraph has learned. Opponents of Brexit claim that because the EU referendum result is advisory it must be approved by a vote in the Commons before Article 50 - the formal mechanism to leave the EU - is triggered. However, in a move which will cheer Eurosceptics, The Telegraph has learned that Mrs May will invoke Article 50 without a vote in Parliament

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 15, 2016 16 Comments
The Sunday Times has reported that Brexit may not happen until the end of 2019, a full year after the government hoped it would occur. These sources said Prime Minister Theresa May's "new Brexit and international trade departments will not be ready." The French and German elections may have a hand in the delay as well.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 10, 2016 6 Comments
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has proposed a ban on burqas due to the numerous terrorist attacks along with pushing officials "to speed up deportations of rejected asylum applicants and loosen privacy protections." The proposal also states that doctors "would have to inform the authorities if they become suspicious that a patient was planning to harm other people."

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 08, 2016 6 Comments
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced at a rally that he would approve the death penalty if parliament votes to bring it back:
“If the parliament accepts the reintroduction of death penalty, I will accept it,” he told the crowd, adding that the death penalty exists in the U.S., Japan and “many other countries.” “If the people want death penalty, I think the political parties will also accept it,” he also said, as he noted that the death penalty existed until 1984 in Turkey.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 08, 2016 3 Comments
The Belgium government has opened a terrorism investigation into the machete attack on Saturday that injured two female cops in Charleroi. A third cop shot and killed the attacker. The attacker, a 33-year-old Algerian, yelled "Allahu Akbar!" when he attacked the females. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the man.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 25, 2016 8 Comments
Turkey continues to purge people after a failed coup two weeks ago. Authorities said ambassadors are next while Amnesty International reported authorities have raped and tortured the detainees already behind bars. Turkey blames the Gülen Movement and have said everyone purged has connections to the group. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said they are no concentrating on his department:
"Some personnel in the ministry had been given answered questions... and some personnel were placed in key positions in the ministry," he told broadcaster France 24.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 25, 2016 5 Comments
Two Syrians in Germany attacked innocent civilians on Sunday. One killed a pregnant woman with a machete while the other detonated a bomb outside of a music festival. The bomber recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, which has led authorities to call it a terrorist attack. Authorities call the murder of the pregnant woman a crime of passion since the attacker was in love with her. The attacks come only days after Ali Sonboly, a German-Iranian 18-year-old, killed nine at a McDonalds in Munich.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on July 22, 2016 29 Comments
The Munich police have an 18-year-old German-Iranian male shot and killed eight people today. He killed himself afterwards and they do not have a motive. https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/756646211738828800 https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/756647504335216648

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 19, 2016 18 Comments
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continues to purge those allegedly involved in the failed coup on Friday. Today, the Education Ministry sacked 15,200 teachers, canceled 21,000 licenses at private schools, and asked deans at universities to leave:
“Our ministry is carrying out extensive efforts aimed at public personnel in central and rural districts who have connections to FETÖ. As of today, 15,200 public officials have been suspended and investigations were launched into them,” the statement released from the ministry’s Twitter account read.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 18, 2016 14 Comments
European Union commissioner Johannes Hahn told the media he believes President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made his purge list before the coup:
"It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and to be used at a certain stage," Hahn said. "I'm very concerned. It is exactly what we feared."
The government has arrested more than 6,000 people, some who did not even know they participated in the coup. They claimed their commanders told them "they were taking part in military manoeuvres."

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on July 17, 2016 11 Comments
The Brexit vote that resulted in David Cameron stepping down has also prompted a range of apocolyptic fear-mongering that British trade would collapse. In fact, numerous countries are beginning to explore free trade deals with Britain after its EU exit.  With the 2019 date for Britain's exit from the EU looming, the United States and Australia have emerged "at the front of queue" to line up trade deals.  Such deals with just these two countries "alone could be worth billions of pounds to the British economy." Australia, in particular, sees the opportunity to open up trading with Britain as a "matter of urgency." The Guardian reports:
Australia has called for a free-trade deal with Britain as soon as possible, in a boost for the newly appointed prime minister, Theresa May. In a phone call on Saturday, May spoke to her Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, who expressed his desire to open up trading between the two countries as a matter of urgency.
For her part, May states her belief that these talks are important in terms of showing that Brexit can work out well for Britons.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 11, 2016 6 Comments
Energy Secretary Andrea Leadsom dropped out of the race for prime minister on Monday morning, leaving Home Secretary Theresa May as the only candidate left standing. Current Prime Minister David Cameron said he will leave on Wednesday since there is no need for an election. The Conservative Party officially named May as his successor:
"Obviously, with these changes, we now don't need to have a prolonged period of transition. And so tomorrow I will chair my last cabinet meeting. On Wednesday I will attend the House of Commons for prime minister's questions. And then after that I expect to go to the palace and offer my resignation. So we will have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening," Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street on Monday.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 08, 2016 6 Comments
President Barack Obama wants NATO to "stand firm" against Russia until the Kremlin has fully complied with ceasefire agreements in east Ukraine. He also promised 1,000 troops to Poland for extra security:
"In Warsaw, we must reaffirm our determination — our duty under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty — to defend every NATO ally," Obama said.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 07, 2016 6 Comments
NATO will meet in Warsaw to show unity against Russia and approve a Baltic force, but the Brexit referendum could take center stage as some believe a weaker European Union means a weaker NATO. Poland always wanted a NATO summit, especially since Russia has flexed its muscles. But unfortunately, the Brexit referendum may take a starring role with the leaders along with a possibility of Donald Trump joining them next year:
“Since 1999, when Poland joined NATO, this is the most important summit for us,” said Tomasz Szatkowski, Poland’s deputy minister of defense. “It provides for the actual presence of Western allies in Poland.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 07, 2016 5 Comments
The United Kingdom will have its second female prime minister after David Cameron resigned when the kingdom voted to leave the European Union. The second ballot pushed Home Secretary Theresa May and Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom to the front. Justice Secretary Michael Gove came in third, thus eliminating him from the race. Conservative members will vote for the next prime minister and announce the winner on September 9.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 07, 2016 7 Comments
Believe it or not, Germany never had decent rape laws until now. It took numerous rapes and sexual assaults for the country to establish a "No means No" law. Now a woman can claim she was raped even if she did not fight back. Yes, before this, a woman had to fight back in order to claim rape. They also classified "groping as a sex crime and makes it easier to prosecute assaults committed by large group."

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 06, 2016 17 Comments
German activist Selin Gören said she lied to the police about her attackers because she did not want racists to use her story as an excuse to keep out refugees. The men attacked the spokeswoman for Linksjugend Solid, a left-wing German youth organization, at a playground late at night in Mannheim. She immediately called the police, but told them German speaking men robbed her. Her boyfriend, though, became mad at Gören for lying and encouraged her to tell the truth.
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