(Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition government agreed on Thursday to require migrants granted residence rights to show willingness to integrate by learning German and seeking work or see their benefits cut. Ending months of disagreement, Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU),
(REUTERS) – Keen to clear the decks for its lucrative summer tourist season, Greece is trying to clear thousands of migrants out of its biggest port where they are sleeping rough by persuading them that they are better off in
When Benjamin Netanyahu first became Israel’s leader two decades ago, few would have predicted a future in which he would be poised to pass founding father David Ben-Gurion as its longest-serving prime minister. In a country where no single political
STRASBOURG (Reuters) – France’s economy minister on Monday sought to pressure the European Commission into raising import tariffs to similar levels as the United States to help Europe’s ailing steel industry. France, Britain and Germany are among the countries that
ZAGREB (Reuters) – Croatia’s new centre-right government condemned on Monday the crimes of the country’s World War Two Nazi puppet regime after the Jewish and Serbian communities said they would boycott an event this month commemorating concentration camp victims. Representatives
Israel is to start collecting value added tax (VAT) and income taxes from foreign companies that do substantial business over the Internet in Israel. Under new guidelines issued by the Israel Tax Authority on Monday, foreign companies that operate websites
The Russian air force and Syrian military are preparing a joint operation to take Aleppo from rebels, the Syrian prime minister was quoted saying on Sunday, and an opposition official said a ceasefire was on the verge of collapse. With
Russia has sent the first part of its S-300 air defence missile system to Iran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency on Monday. Russia says it cancelled a contract to deliver
A half-year-long surge in Palestinian street attacks against Israelis is waning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, while Hamas accused the U.S.-backed Palestinian leadership of treachery for helping Israel stem the violence. Since October, Palestinians have killed 28 Israelis
Islamic State wants to carry out attacks in Germany and the security situation is “very serious”, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) told a Sunday newspaper, adding that he knew of no concrete plot to strike. The militant
BERLIN (Reuters) – German politicians have called on British Prime Minister David Cameron to do more in tackling the use of offshore companies set up in British overseas territories to evade taxes. “We’ll only be convincing on the international stage
The European Union must raise political pressure on Israel over accelerating West Bank demolitions that run against international law and increasingly affect aid projects sponsored by the bloc, a U.N. envoy for Palestinian territories said. With more than 540 demolitions
Belgium’s federal prosecutor said on Saturday that Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini admitted to being the “man in the hat” seen accompanying two suicide bombers at Brussels airport on March 22. “We confronted him with the video evidence prepared by
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian police ended a search of an apartment complex in the central Brussels district of Etterbeek on Saturday without making arrests after having evacuated the building’s residents, a Reuters journalist at the scene said. The building, which
(Reuters) – Italy and Austria will strengthen cooperation and controls at their shared border to guarantee free movement through a busy Alpine pass during an expected surge of migrants this summer. Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano and his Austrian counterpart,
Mohamed Abrini, wanted over November’s Islamic State attacks in Paris, has been arrested in Brussels, Belgium’s public broadcasters said on Friday, adding that he was probably involved in last month’s Brussels bombings. Public prosecutors confirmed in a brief statement only
The death of a former Auschwitz guard days before his trial in Germany has dashed the hopes of two elderly Jewish survivors of Nazi rule who wanted to see justice for their parents, who perished while the guard was on
A ferry carrying 45 Pakistani migrants returned to Turkey from the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday – the second round of arrivals under a European Union deal with Ankara to stem mass migration to Europe across the Aegean Sea.
SYDNEY, April 8 (Reuters) – Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its battle against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria, said on Friday it would strip dual nationals convicted of terror-related crimes of citizenship. French President Francois
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union executive is considering whether to make U.S. and Canadian citizens apply for visas before traveling to the bloc, a move that could raise tensions as Brussels negotiates a trade pact with Washington. Only Britain
(Reuters) – Sweden is charging a 20-year-old man with terrorism for allegedly building a suicide bomb with the intent of staging an attack in Sweden. The Prosecution Authority said on Thursday that it believed the man had intended to join
Turkish and Israeli teams made progress towards finalising an agreement to mend ties between the two countries in talks and agreed a deal will be finalised in the next meeting to be convened very soon, the Turkish foreign ministry said
An Israeli cabinet minister described as “loony” on Thursday an account by Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders of the number of Palestinian civilians killed in the 2014 Gaza war that went well beyond any official assessments. The minister, Zeev Elkin,
(Reuters) – Turkey and Germany said on Wednesday an agreement between Ankara and the EU meant to stem the flow of migrants to the Greek islands was showing signs of success, but many were still trying to cross the sea
(Reuters) – The European Union was in such a rush to start deportations of unwanted migrants from Greek islands to Turkey this week that it skirted legal questions weighing on the scheme as it tries to stem an influx into
Rebels shot down a second Syrian warplane in less than a month on Tuesday and a monitoring group said they captured its pilot in an area near Aleppo where heavy fighting has erupted in recent days despite a cessation of
A day after Greece deported hundreds of migrants to Turkey under an EU deal meant to discourage others from making the same perilous journey to Europe, anger was simmering on Greek islands and asylum applications were piling up. Under the
Israel’s neighbors are buying arms on a scale that threatens its regional military superiority, the deputy Israeli air force chief said on Sunday, in remarks that appeared aimed at helping secure more defense aid from a reluctant Washington. U.S. military
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Hibo Wardere’s childhood ended abruptly at six years old when she was led to a hut outside her Mogadishu home, pinned to the floor and subjected to the most brutal form of female genital mutilation
Iran has sent commandos to Syria as advisers, a military official said on Monday, suggesting it is using its army as well as paramilitary forces to help President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the country’s civil war. Tehran is Assad’s main
The British government has ordered an inquiry into the way the country’s anti-doping agency handled allegations that a British doctor prescribed banned performance-enhancing drugs to leading sports people. The Sunday Times reported that Dr Mark Bonar prescribed banned drugs to
(Reuters) – Migrants sent back from the Greek island of Lesbos began arriving in Turkey on Monday under a European Union deal aimed at stopping the influx of migrants and refugees into Europe since last year. The first of two
Israel on Sunday extended the distance it permits Gaza fishermen to head out to sea along certain parts of the coastline of the enclave, which is run by the Islamist group Hamas. The fishing zone was expanded from six nautical
Dutch voters will decide on Wednesday whether to support a European treaty deepening ties with Ukraine in a referendum that will test sentiment towards Brussels ahead of Britain’s June Brexit vote and could also bring a boost for Russia. The
Support for Britain to leave the European Union stood at 43 percent, ahead of support to stay within the 28-member bloc, which stood at 39 percent, according to an online survey taken by pollster Opinium for the Observer newspaper. The
Israel’s neighbors are buying arms on a scale that threatens its regional military superiority, the deputy Israeli air force chief said on Sunday, in remarks that appeared aimed at helping secure more defense aid from a reluctant Washington. U.S. military
Islamic State militants retreating from Palmyra laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in, a Syrian officer told Reuters in the ancient city after its recapture from the jihadist fighters. The officer
Iran is seeking $2.5 billion investment to modernize its oil tankers fleet following the lifting of sanctions against Tehran, managing director of National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA on Saturday. Iran emerged
LONDON, April 2 (Reuters) – Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron wants Britain and China to work together to tackle over-capacity in the steel industry and that the G20 could be a good forum to address it later in the year,
ISTANBUL/ATHENS (Reuters) – Migrants protested on a Greek island and rights groups raised legal objections on Friday three days before a disputed EU deal to return rejected asylum seekers from Greece to Turkey was due to go into action, with
