[AlbertC]

Protesters gathered in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and other French cities on Saturday to protest racism and police brutality, continuing the wave of unrest sparked by the killing of African-American George Floyd in the US.

Thousands marched in Paris alone, with the leaders invoking the memory of Adama Traore, a young black man who died after being arrested by French gendarmes in 2016. Protesters unfurled a banner showing a face that was half Floyd, half Traore.

Paris police fire tear gas at anti-racism rally – DW – 06/13/2020

Police have fired tear gas at protesters in Paris, with anti-racism rallies held in other French cities. A group of counterprotesters unfurled a banner against "anti-white racism" from a roof of a Paris building.

www.dw.com

 

[AlbertC]

@SunriseChampion , this is being built in the city where Schalke is:

Controversial Lenin statue to be unveiled in Germany's Gelsenkirchen

20.06.2020

A statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin will be unveiled in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen on Saturday. The installation comes amid global protests against monuments to controversial historical figures.

Controversial Lenin statue unveiled in Germany – DW – 06/20/2020

A statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin has been unveiled in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen. The installation comes amid global protests against monuments to controversial historical figures.

www.dw.com

 

[Johnny Au]

@SunriseChampion , this is being built in the city where Schalke is:

Controversial Lenin statue to be unveiled in Germany's Gelsenkirchen

20.06.2020

A statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin will be unveiled in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen on Saturday. The installation comes amid global protests against monuments to controversial historical figures.

Controversial Lenin statue unveiled in Germany – DW – 06/20/2020

A statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin has been unveiled in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen. The installation comes amid global protests against monuments to controversial historical figures.

www.dw.com

It is ironic that Gelsenkirchen is in what was then anti-communist West Germany.

 

[AlbertC]

Trump ouster will not heal US ties, says Germany's Maas

28.06.2020

According to German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, current tensions between Germany and the United States wouldn't be resolved by US President Donald Trump failing to win reelection.

"Everyone who thinks everything in the trans-Atlantic partnership will be as it once was with a Democratic president underestimates the structural changes," Maas said in an interview the German press agency DPA published on Sunday.

"The trans-Atlantic relations are extraordinarily important, they remain important, and we are working to ensure they have a future," Maas continued. "But with the way they are now, they are no longer fulfilling the demands both sides have for them."

--------
Trump has repeatedly criticized Germany since he took office in 2017. He has demanded Germany increase defense spending to 2% of GDP, calling Berlin "delinquent" for not doing so.

He has also accused Germany of being a "captive of Russia" over the Nord Stream 2 oil pipeline and of treating the US "very badly" on trade.

Last year, the US imposed a 25% steel tariff and a 10% aluminum tariff on the European Union, a move that greatly affects Germany's car industry. He also threatened tariffs on imported cars — another move aimed at ruffling feathers in Berlin.

Earlier this month, Trump announced a drastic reduction of US troops in Germany. In response, Maas lamented that decades of a "close" post-war military partnership between the US and Germany has become "complicated" during Trump's presidency.

Maas: Trump ouster won't fix US-Germany ties – DW – 06/28/2020

Germany's foreign minister said relations with Washington won't be boosted by Donald Trump leaving office. The US president has sunk transatlantic ties, most recently over defense spending and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

www.dw.com

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

He has also accused Germany of being a "captive of Russia" over the Nord Stream 2 oil pipeline and of treating the US "very badly" on trade.

Trump may have jumped on this tag-line, but plenty of EU nations find this move by Germany to be extremely worrying for the sovereignty and independence of the nations to the east of Germany.

EU should have solidarity with one another, and it shouldn't be undermined by the self-interest of certain nations like Germany.

 

[AlbertC]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1277890650445357057

 

[Northern Light]

E-U releasing list today of countries whose nationals will be allowed to enter. Don't seen an exact date yet.

Canada is on the approved list. Notably not, the U.S., Brazil and Russia

EU recommends lifting travel restrictions on 15 countries from July 1

The EU Council has agreed to lift travel restrictions on 15 countries from July 1. The US, Brazil and Russia are not on the list of approved countries.

www.euronews.com

Algeria
Australia
Canada
Georgia
Japan
Montenegro
Morocco
New Zealand
Rwanda
Serbia
South Korea
Thailand
Tunisia
Uruguay
China *subject to confirmation of reciprocity

 

[Richard White]

E-U releasing list today of countries whose nationals will be allowed to enter. Don't seen an exact date yet.

Canada is on the approved list. Notably not, the U.S., Brazil and Russia

EU recommends lifting travel restrictions on 15 countries from July 1

The EU Council has agreed to lift travel restrictions on 15 countries from July 1. The US, Brazil and Russia are not on the list of approved countries.

www.euronews.com

Algeria
Australia
Canada
Georgia
Japan
Montenegro
Morocco
New Zealand
Rwanda
Serbia
South Korea
Thailand
Tunisia
Uruguay
China *subject to confirmation of reciprocity

Canada may not make the cut after all. The EU is expecting reciprocity but Trudeau in his infinite wisdom kept the borders closed. I agreed with his response up until this point.. I mean.. we need the tourism and if the EU can keep this under control why not?

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Canada may not make the cut after all. The EU is expecting reciprocity but Trudeau in his infinite wisdom kept the borders closed. I agreed with his response up until this point.. I mean.. we need the tourism and if the EU can keep this under control why not?

Few if any is going to bother with tourism at this point - and those that do chose to do so despite the elevated risk are probably precisely the ones you don't want around. It can wait.

AoD

 

[AlbertC]

Germany: Romanian workers reveal dire conditions at slaughterhouses

Romanian workers reveal dire conditions at slaughterhouses – DW – 07/03/2020

As Germany's meat industry faces scrutiny in light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak amid poor workplace conditions, seasonal workers are daring to speak out about their experiences.

m.dw.com

 

[AlbertC]

French PM Edouard Philippe resigns as Macron plans new team

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has tendered his resignation after heading President Emmanuel Macron's government for three years.

Although Mr Philippe is considered more popular than the president, the ruling La République En Marche (Republic on the Move) had poor local election results at the weekend.

Mr Philippe met the president and they agreed the government would resign.

President Macron promised a "new path" in an interview published on Friday.

A reshuffle has been expected for some time, and it is common practice for a French president to replace a prime minister during the five-year term in office known as the "quinquennat".

France's Macron picks Jean Castex as PM after Philippe resigns

The French president moves swiftly to replace Edouard Philippe with a mayor from the south.

www.bbc.com

 

[AlbertC]

'Utter absurdity': Paris city hall vows to fight €600m Gare du Nord revamp

Wed 8 Jul 2020

Paris city hall has promised to fight a government decision to give the go-ahead to a €600m (£540m) redevelopment of Europe’s busiest railway station, the Gare du Nord, described by its opponents as an urban disaster.

“The city will explore all possible political and legal routes to block this project, using all the tools at our disposition,” Emmanuel Grégoire, the deputy mayor for urban development, said on Wednesday. “We will be appealing, obviously.”

Grégoire described the project as “an utter absurdity” and the timescale for its completion as “neither credible nor serious”. Serge Remy, the head of a local residents’ group, said the overhaul was “bad for users and bad for residents”.

Under the plans, the sprawling, 150-year-old station – whose SNCF national services to northern France, international Eurostar and Thalys trains to the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, four suburban RER lines and two Paris Métro lines serve about 700,000 passengers a day – is due to more than triple in size.

With passenger numbers forecast to rise to 900,000 a day by 2030, the dilapidated complex needs to become “a new setting for urban life, combining commerce, sport, culture and work”, said Michel Cadot, the prefect of the Île-de-France region, announcing the government’s decision on Tuesday.

'Utter absurdity': Paris city hall vows to fight €600m Gare du Nord revamp

Deputy mayor says city will explore all routes to block train station redevelopment plan

www.theguardian.com

 

[AlbertC]

Croatia and Bulgaria take a big step towards joining the Euro bloc:

Bulgaria, Croatia take vital step to joining euro

Bulgaria and Croatia have been accepted into ERM-2 mechanism, a mandatory stage for joining the euro and beginning the currency bloc's first expansion in half a decade, the European Central Bank said on Friday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Richard White]

Croatia and Bulgaria take a big step towards joining the Euro bloc:

Bulgaria, Croatia take vital step to joining euro

Bulgaria and Croatia have been accepted into ERM-2 mechanism, a mandatory stage for joining the euro and beginning the currency bloc's first expansion in half a decade, the European Central Bank said on Friday.

www.reuters.com

I got to thinking and this may actually encourage Hungary to join the Eurozone. When most of the countries surrounding you use the Euro it is far more practical to join them.

The reason that they have not afaik is because the Hungarian Government has no interest in it.

 

[TrickyRicky]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/wor...-duda-wins-election-new-battles-with-eu-loom/

Not too familiar with the Polish situation but continues the global trend of voters electing nationalist populists