Entertainment
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European Court of Human Rights rejects Kirkorov’s case against Lithuania entry banThe European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has dismissed a complaint filed by Russian pop star Philipp Kirkorov against Lithuania's decision to bar his entry into the country.23 April 2024Read More...
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Risnjak National Park: Croatia's hidden gem wins Europe's top spotNestled within Croatia's picturesque Gorski Kotar region, Risnjak National Park emerges as a beacon of untouched beauty, earning recognition as one of Europe's premier destinations sans the23 April 2024Read More...
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Swiss castles experience record visitor numbersIn 2023, the National Association of Swiss Castles witnessed a historic milestone, welcoming over 1.3 million visitors to its 28 castles. This achievement marks a new record for the organization,23 April 2024Read More...
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Underground surge: Belgium grapples with 2,214 illegal gambling websitesResearch conducted by gambling analysis firm Yield Sec has unveiled a concerning trend in Belgium's online gambling landscape. According to their findings, a staggering 2,214 illegal gambling14 April 2024Read More...
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Flanders and Brussels Embrace Slow Art Day, inviting visitors to savor artistic experiencesOn April 13th, several museums in Flanders and Brussels will once again host a variety of activities as part of Slow Art Day, an annual tradition aimed at encouraging a deeper12 April 2024Read More...
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4 Croatian beaches named Europe’s bestAs Croatia gears up for what promises to be its most spectacular summer season yet, the BookRetreats Summer 2024 Report has officially unveiled the top beaches across Europe, catering to10 April 2024Read More...
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Tourism thrives in Flanders, surpassing pre-pandemic levelsPreliminary data from the statistics agency Statbel reveal that tourism in Flanders soared in 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. A total of 14.6 million domestic and international tourists29 March 2024Read More...
News
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Wealthy family to clear debts for 3,000 Rotterdam families, mirroring Arnhem's initiativeFollowing Arnhem's announcement to absolve debts for around 50 households in Immerloo, recognized as the most financially distressed area in the Netherlands, a Rotterdam-based family,Read More...
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'Good to be together': celebrating 20 years of Poland in the EUPoland's government has initiated a special social and informational campaign titled "Good to Be Together: 20 Years of Poland in the European Union," marking a significant milestone in theRead More...
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ÖBB unveils Summer Train Timetable with construction updatesAs summer approaches, Austria's ÖBB gears up for extensive construction activities in the eastern region, leading to adjustments in train schedules along certain routes.Read More...
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Rare book theft: Europol cracks down on international gangIn a collaborative effort involving European law enforcement agencies, Europol successfully apprehended four suspected individuals involved in the theft of antique and rare books.Read More...
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Embark on a journey: University of Porto launches free online Portuguese language courseThe University of Porto has unveiled an exciting opportunity for language enthusiasts with the launch of a free online course designed to introduce learners to the Portuguese language.Read More...
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New study reveals camp Amersfoort's undisclosed role as a Holocaust concentration campRecent research conducted by historian Amanda Kluveld of Maastricht University has shed new light on the historical significance of Camp Amersfoort during the Second World War.Read More...
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Bpost workers strike in Brussels and WalloniaThe ongoing strike at Bpost, the Belgian postal service, which commenced on Monday, has caused significant disruptions to its operations.Read More...
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NATO Secretary General honored with Belgium's highest distinctionJens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO since 2014, was awarded Belgium's highest honor, the Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold, on Friday. Stoltenberg,Read More...
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Amsterdam sees doubling of recent immigrants in ten years, mainly from Italy, UK, and USThe number of Amsterdam residents classified as recent immigrants—those born abroad and relocating to the Netherlands within the past decade—has surged twofold between 2013 and 2023,Read More...
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Politics
Drivers of the most polluting cars will be charged to travel into the centre of London from 2019, Mayor Sadiq Khan said Tuesday, describing his city's air as "lethal".
Khan hopes the move will halve harmful nitrogen oxide emissions in central London, where air pollution is thought to cost 9,000 premature deaths per year.
Under the scheme, vehicles will be charged £12.50 ($15.50, 14.60 euros) to enter a planned "ultra-low emissions zone" (ULEZ) around the city centre.
Diesel cars more than four years old in April 2019 and petrol cars more than 13 years old will face the charge 24 hours a day.
Private buses, coaches and trucks failing to meet emissions standards will have to pay £100.
A man suspected of preparing acts of terrorism was arrested on Tuesday (April 4) as he was trying to leave Britain from a central London train station served by Eurostar, police said.
The 18-year-old was apprehended by the counter-terrorism command at St Pancras International station, from where Eurostar trains depart to continental destinations including Paris and Brussels, London's Metropolitan Police said.
"He was arrested on suspicion of preparation of acts of terrorism, dissemination of terrorist publications and inviting support for a proscribed organisation," the police said in a statement.
Britain's intelligence expertise may be "too precious" to use as a bargaining tool in the upcoming Brexit talks, experts said, after a terror attack in London highlighted the need for continued European security cooperation.
The suggestion that Britain could use security to negotiate with Brussels came following US President Donald Trump's election and his calls for a more isolationist foreign policy.
"If the US does adopt a more isolationist stance, then ongoing security cooperation with the UK becomes more valuable," the Institute for Government said in November.
"This could strengthen the UK?s negotiating hand in Brexit talks, as it could use the promise of ongoing cooperation on security measures to extract a more favourable deal from the EU," the think tank said in a report.
Britain's new £1 coin with the symbols of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland goes into circulation from Tuesday on the eve of the launch of a Brexit process that has put national unity in doubt.
The 12-sided coin is the first change to the shape of the £1 coin since its introduction in 1983. Britain's finance ministry said the new coin would be "the most secure of its kind in the world" to prevent a rise in counterfeits.
About three percent of the current round-shaped coins are fakes.
The new pound coins will be thinner, lighter and slightly bigger than the old ones and will have a hologram-like image that changes from a "£" symbol to the number "1" when viewed from different angles.
British police said Monday they had found no link between the man behind last week's terror attack outside the British parliament and the Islamic State group, which had claimed him as one of its "soldiers".
The statement came as 52-year-old Muslim convert Khalid Masood's mother spoke out for the first time, saying she was "deeply shocked, saddened and numbed, and relatives of the US victim voiced their grief.
"Whilst I have found no evidence of an association with IS or AQ (Al-Qaeda), there is clearly an interest in Jihad," Neil Basu, deputy assistant police commissioner, said in a statement.
Masood was shot dead after ploughing through a crowd of pedestrians and fatally stabbing a policeman just inside the gates of the British parliament in a frenzied attack lasting just 82 seconds on Wednesday.
Four people were killed and dozens more injured.
Basu said Masood's low-tech methods appeared to be "copied from other attacks and echo the rhetoric of IS leaders in terms of methodology and attacking police and civilians but at this stage I have no evidence he discussed this with others".
He also said there was "no evidence that Masood, who was born as Adrian Elms, was radicalised in prison in 2003" as suggested in some media reports.
Basu said he changed his name to Masood in 2005.
Masood served two stints in prison for a knife attack in 2000 and again for knife possession in 2003.
"His last criminal offence was in 2003 and he was not a current subject of interest or part of the current domestic or international threat picture," Basu said.
The police commander said Masood's communications on the day of the attack were "a main line of inquiry" and he asked for anyone who had heard from him to come forward so as to establish "his state of mind".
The government has confirmed that Masood used the WhatsApp messaging service shortly before the attack, saying it was crucial that the security services be allowed to access the heavily encrypted app.
Twelve people have been arrested since the attack and two men remain in custody after nine were released without charge and one woman was let out on bail.
- 'Do not condone' -
Masood's mother Janet Ajao also on Monday released a statement saying: "Since discovering that it was my son that was responsible I have shed many tears for the people caught up in this horrendous incident".
The British government said Sunday that its security services must have access to encrypted messaging applications such as WhatsApp, as it revealed that the service was used by the man behind the parliament attack.
Khalid Masood, the 52-year-old Briton who killed four people in a rampage in Westminster on Wednesday before being shot dead, reportedly used the Facebook-owned service moments before the assault.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd told Sky News it was "completely unacceptable" that police and security services had not been able to crack the heavily encrypted service.
"You can't have a situation where you have terrorists talking to each other -- where this terrorist sent a WhatsApp message -- and it can't be accessed," she said.
Police said Saturday that they still did not know why Masood, a Muslim convert with a violent criminal past, carried out the attack and that he probably acted alone, despite a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group.
Britain and the United States have announced bans on laptops and tablet computers from the cabin of flights from several Middle East and North African nations.
The restrictions are different in the two countries and only Britain has specified the maximum size of electronic device allowed -- 16 by 9.3 centimetres (6.3 by 3.7 inches).
Canadian and French officials are considering whether to impose similar measures, but Germany, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand said they are not currently mulling a ban.
A man suspected of slashing an 18th century painting at Britain's National Gallery which featured in a James Bond film is due to appear in court on Monday.
Keith Gregory, 63, was arrested on Saturday after allegedly damaging Thomas Gainsborough's painting "The Morning Walk" in the prestigious London museum.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will seek to rally her party faithful Friday after a week in which her political honeymoon abruptly ended, laying bare her weaknesses over Brexit.
The Scottish government’s call for a second independence vote has left May fighting on two fronts as she prepares to start the process of leaving the European Union later this month.
She was also forced to drop a planned tax rise after pressure from backbench MPs, revealing how she could become a hostage to factions in her Conservative Party as the complex Brexit negotiations progress.
At a party conference in Cardiff she will seek to regain the initiative, setting out plans to deliver “a brighter future” after exiting the EU.
May’s centre-right Conservatives are ahead by as much as 19 points in some polls, but much of the lead is because of a weak Labour opposition.
Scotland will begin the process next week for making a request to the British government to hold a new independence referendum between late 2018 and early 2019, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Monday (March 13).
Her announcement came as British Prime Minister Theresa May was set this week to trigger the process of leaving the European Union after last year’s Brexit vote.
“Next week I will seek the authority of the Scottish parliament to agree with the UK government... the procedure that will enable the Scottish parliament to legislate for an independence referendum,” Sturgeon said.