European Union

The diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and Canada seems likely to escalate. Riyadh has instructed all Saudi students and patients to leave Canada. The crisis was triggered by a tweet by Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland in which she called for civil rights activist Samar Badawi to be freed. Commentators criticise Europe for not supporting Ottawa in the row.

In Slovenia Marjan Šarec is to lead a minority government consisting of five parties and supported by the eco-socialist Left Party. His newly founded LMS came second in the election at the start of June. The conservative winner, Janez Janša, was unable to form a majority. Journalists doubt that Šarec, a former comedian, will be able to successfully manage the centre-left government.

Germany's development minister has called for the EU to create a 'Africa commissioner', to coordinate EU policy towards the continent. Gerd Mueller, from chancellor Angela Merkel's CSU sister party, called on the EU to open its markets to African goods, in an interview with Die Welt. Mueller also suggested a new 'EU-Africa Council'. Currently, all imports to the EU from the 'Least Developed Countries' are duty-free and quota-free.

Switzerland's plan to forge a new treaty cementing ties with the European Union has hit the rocks after the normally pro-Europe centre left joined the far right in resisting a deal that Swiss labour unions say might undermine wages and working conditions.

Most UK voters in a YouGov survey said they would remain part of the European Union should a second referendum be held now. The poll follows reports the EU is willing to make a concession on British exit demands.

The recent re-authorisation of glyphosate controversy highlighted the many issues surrounding pesticides, their purpose and our dependency on them, as well as the harm they bring to­­­­­ our health and the environment, writes Natacha Cingotti.

If Brexit talks break down without a deal, half of Britons believe the final decision over whether to leave the European Union should be taken by the public in a referendum, according to a survey.

The Czech Republic has negotiated the release of two workers for a German humanitarian group in Syria, the Czech and German foreign ministries said on Thursday (9 August).

Livestock and dairy farmers across northern Europe are paying soaring prices for straw used in food and bedding for cattle, as hot, dry weather across the region reduces crops.

If the United States decides to impose more sanctions on the banking sector or on specific currencies, then Russia will regard it as an “open declaration of economic war,” Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has warned.

Greece's unemployment rate, the highest in the European Union, has dropped below 20% for the first time in seven years, statistics bureau Elstat reported on 9 August.

Northern Ireland will later this month have been without a government for longer than Belgium, which currently holds the record of 541 days. But Belfast is set to miss out on the dubious accolade due to a technicality.

Canada is discretely appealing for support from allies, including Germany and Sweden, in its row with Saudi Arabia, government sources confirmed Thursday to AFP. Riyadh expelled Canada's ambassador on Monday and froze all new trade and investments because Ottawa denounced a crackdown on rights activists. Similar criticism of treatment of women and the public flogging of imprisoned blogger Raif Badawi lead to a diplomatic crisis with Sweden in 2015.

With migrant arrivals to Spain's southern shores on the rise, a lot of them are heading north to the border town of Irun, some sleeping rough as they wait to cross into neighbouring France, locals and officials said.

Germany has seen a sharp rise - 10 percent since the end of 2017 - in the number of children outside the country receiving benefit payments. "In June 2018, child benefits were paid for 268,336 children living outside of Germany," a finance ministry spokesman told DPA agency. In particular more Polish, Czech and Romanian children, whose parents work in Germany, have benefitted.