Tag: Europe

Eurovision 2023: Sweden’s Loreen Wins for a Second Time

LIVERPOOL, England—Sweden’s Loreen won Eurovision 2023 with the song “Tattoo” in Liverpool, northern England, on Saturday, becoming the first woman to triumph twice in the contest. Finland’s Käärijä, a green-bolero-sleeved rapper, came second. He won the viewer vote with “Cha Cha Cha”, but it was not enough to overtake Loreen’s lead after the result from…


Chinese Owner of Temu Moves HQ to Ireland as Consumers Increasingly Wary of China

Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, which owns Temu, has moved its official headquarters from China to Ireland in recent days. As aggression from communist China continues to inflame tensions with the West and liberal democratic nations, more and more Chinese companies are trying to downplay their China-ties amid increasing aversion to the Chinese Communist Party…


Zelenskyy in Berlin: We Can Make Russia’s Defeat ‘Irreversible’

KYIV/BERLIN—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday Kyiv and its Western supporters could make a Russian defeat in the war in Ukraine “irreversible” as early as this year and thanked Germany for being a “true friend” during a visit to Berlin. Zelenskyy secured a large military boost on his visit, with the German government announcing…


Merrick Garland Approves Transfer of Russian Assets to Ukraine

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday that he had given the go-ahead for the first transfer of confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine. The U.S. Department of Justice charged Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian oligarch, with breaching sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year. The United States claimed that he had provided…


Dutch Cities Sever Ties With Chinese Sister Cities in Uncoupling From Communist Regime

At least 8 municipalities and 2 provinces in the Netherlands have severed ties with their Chinese sister municipalities as Dutch public representatives strive to uncouple from communist China, according to a new report. Many other Dutch cities and regions are reconsidering such relationships. Some 35 local authorities in the Netherlands currently have sister-city relationships or…


Federal Reserve Governor: Climate Change Doesn’t Pose ‘Material’ Risk to US

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller said that climate change does not present a “sufficiently unique” risk to the U.S. financial system. Regarding climate change, or the theory that the Earth’s temperatures are warming due to human activity, “I do not believe it poses a serious risk to the safety and soundness of large banks or…


Shooting at Mercedes Factory in Germany Leaves 2 Dead; Suspect Detained

BERLIN—A man opened fire at a Mercedes-Benz factory in southwestern Germany on Thursday, leaving two people dead, authorities and the company said. The shooting occurred in Sindelfingen, a city near Stuttgart. The suspect, a 53-year-old Turkish citizen, was taken into custody, the Stuttgart prosecutor’s office said. Police received the first emergency calls around 7:45 a.m….


Grisly Video Footage Portrays Horrors and Ambiguities of a Brutal Conflict

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine early last year, countless videos have emerged from the frontlines. Often taken by combatants themselves, they portray scenes of trench warfare, fiery drones strikes, and gruesome atrocities allegedly committed by both sides. Posted on social-media sites, and often published in turn by media outlets, sensational footage has become a regular…


UK Donates Long-Range Storm Shadow Cruise Missiles to Ukraine

Britain is supplying Ukraine’s armed forces with long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced. Addressing the House of Commons on Thursday, Wallace said the missiles would allow Ukraine to hit Russian troops, ammunition, and fuel dumps deep behind the front line. He told MPs: “Today, I can confirm that the UK…


Germany Seeking to Revive EU’s Diplomatic and Commercial Presence in Africa

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has resuscitated the frantic effort to rebuild the EU’s waned diplomatic and commercial presence in Africa in the face of growing Chinese and Russian influence in one of the fastest-growing regions of the world. Scholz’s May 4–May 7 official visit to Ethiopia and Kenya—the second to the continent in less than…