MAIN FOCUS: IMF breaks off talks with Athens | 12/06/2015 euro|topics The IMF representatives pulled out of talks with Athens in Brussels on Thursday. A spokesman for the organisation complained that the differences of opinion were too great. It is unclear when the negotiations will be resumed. In the end the creditors won’t abandon Greece to … Read more
Greek PM asks creditors to drop ‘irrational’ demands AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (IN DEPTH) Alexis Tsipras says his country close to debt deal but urges EU-IMF to drop “absurd” demands for further austerity cuts. Leaked: Greece’s new debt restructuring plan Brussels Blog by Peter Spiegel Tsipras, left, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday How Greece hopes to … Read more
Stage set for biggest-ever Eurovision BBC News | Europe | World Edition Sweden, Russia and Italy are among the favourites to win the 60th annual Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place in Vienna later. Juncker greets Orbán with ‘Hello dictator!” EurActiv.com European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker teased Hungarian Premier Viktor Orbán over his strongman reputation Friday, jokingly … Read more
MAIN FOCUS: EU at odds over refugee quotas | 12/05/2015 euro|topics The European Commission will present plans for a quota system that distributes refugees among the 28 member states on Wednesday. Several countries oppose the initiative. This is the right response to the refugee crisis, some commentators note approvingly. Others argue that Brussels is overstepping its … Read more
Pirate Party Becomes Iceland’s Most Popular Political Party TorrentFreak On January 1, 2006, Rick Falkvinge founded the Swedish and first Pirate Party. The party has survived more than nine turbulent years while provoking heated discussion on copyright reform, privacy and freedom of speech. Icelandic Pirates soar: citizenship for Snowden? Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow The Icelandic Pirate … Read more
Most of web users may be aware of but Friendfeed had a real role in Turkish cybersphere. I have followed many power users there. I have learnt a lot. I wonder where this bunch of power users will migrate. They already have Twitter accounts but I guess it is never the same thing… Facebook is killing … Read more
Riot in Frankfurt targets new ECB HQ BBC News | Europe | World Edition Anti-austerity protesters in the German city of Frankfurt burn police cars in protest at the opening of the European Central Bank’s new building. EU Summit live: Energy, Ukraine to dominate talks EurActiv.com Energy Union, and the tensions with Russia, will dominate EU leaders’ … Read more
Why we occupy: Dutch universities at the crossroads open Democracy News Analysis – by Enzo Rossi, Johan Hartle, Robin Celikates and Nicholas Vrousalis The Netherlands, a mere 10 years behind the UK, seems eager to catch up. Twin pressures of authoritarianism from above and neoliberalism from below make it necessary to develop the democratic alternative put … Read more
Iceland’s pagans reach new height with first temple BBC News | Europe | World Edition Iceland’s Asatru movement builds first temple Is there reason to hope for Minsk II? open Democracy News Analysis – by Michael Emerson The last Minsk agreement on eastern Ukraine failed to bring peace. The latest looks similar—but the context has changed. … Read more
No agreement in Greek eurozone talks BBC News | Europe | World Edition Greek and eurozone officials have left a seven-hour meeting without even basic agreement on how to proceed in talks over the country’s debt crisis. Greek debt talks fail, next meeting on Monday EurActiv.com Greece’s new leftist government and its international creditors failed to … Read more
Europe leaders in Ukraine peace bid BBC News | Europe | World Edition German and French leaders are heading to Kiev with a new peace initiative amid escalating fighting in the east of Ukraine. Don’t humiliate us, says Greece BBC News | Europe | World Edition Greece’s new finance minister Yanis Varoufakis urges Germany not to humiliate … Read more
MAIN FOCUS: Podemos mobilises the masses in Spain | 02/02/2015 euro|topics Over one hundred thousand supporters of the left-leaning party Podemos demonstrated on Saturday in Madrid in a “March for Change”. Syriza and Podemos have the potential to channel indignation into constructive politics, some commentators write. Others fear a rise of left-wing populism. Poisoned spy inquiry … Read more
People react to mosque attacks in Sweden joyously independent.co.uk – Jan 2 – A Muslim community in Sweden that faced a series of Islamaphobic attacks recently has been taken aback after residents ‘love-bombed’ the local mosque in an outpouring of support. After anti-Muslim rhetoric was scrawled into an Uppsala mosque… One in 8 Germans would join … Read more
Germans ‘should welcome’ refugees BBC News | Europe | World Edition Germany’s President uses his Christmas message to urge Germans to welcome refugees amid growing support for an anti-Islam group. Israel, Palestine and the European Union Ideas on Europe by Jon Danzig This month UCL student and blogger, Lewis Barber, wrote an article for the Jerusalem Post … Read more
This year is the first time you see Gülen Movement supporters on street politics and their performance is not that bad at all… Turkey could disappear if AKP rule continues HDP co-leader says The continued rule of the AKP endangers the existence of Turkey as a country, as it will lead to a chaos, HDP co-chair … Read more