List of All Articles with Tag 'europe'

The wife of a British-Russian national held in a Krelimn prison says she fears time is running out, and has called for the UK to take more urgent action to free him. Vladimir Kara-Murza survived two near-fatal poisonings, in 2015 and 2017, which resulted in organ failure and polyneuropathy, a condition that causes nerve damage. The Putin-critic was jailed for 25 years in April this year on charges of treason and spreading “false information” about Russia’s war in Ukraine. In September, despite Russian law preventing the detention of prisoners with polyneuropathy, Mr Kara-Murza was moved to IK-6, a maximum security penal colony in the Siberian city of Omsk. Although the British government has spoken out on his case, applying sanctions on at least five of the judges and prosecutors involved in his trial, his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza has claimed such measures have only been taken because she has “pushed and pushed and pushed” to make them happen. Speaking to The Independent, Mrs Kara-Murza claimed the government is showing “no initiative” in helping free her husband, noting that when she met her case officer this Tuesday at the headquarters of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), she found out that the consular advisor had been replaced with some who “had no idea who Vladimir is”. “It was the third case manager I have seen so far,” she said. “They have all been lovely ladies and they try to keep in contact with me. But this is the third I have seen. There is no continuity here, no continual dialogue. She will have to read up on Vladimir. She will ask me questions and I guess I will have to tell her the whole story yet again for a third time.” While Mrs Kara-Murza has said she is grateful for the British government’s efforts, she also expressed frustration that comments made by Rishi Sunak in August calling the detention “unjustifiable” were belated. “It took the prime minister over a year to make a statement about the illegal detainment of a British national,” she said. “I am grateful for the statement that appeared eventually but it could have been done earlier. The same goes for the sanctions.” Mrs Kara-Murza says she is “greatly concerned for Vladimir’s life” and that as a year in Siberian solitary confinement could be life-threatening, “there is no time”. Based on the recommendations of the main neurologist of the Moscow prison system, who saw Mr Kara-Murza before he was sentenced, any hope of calming symptoms of his polyneuropathy rest on his ability to exercise regularly and enjoy access to fresh air. But since her husband’s relocation to Siberia, he has been kept in a punishment cell that is just 10ft by 5ft. Due to his condition, he says he is unable to feel his feet. “His condition is only going to deteriorate because there is no way that he can get fresh air or take walks,” his wife said, adding that she “didn’t know whether to laugh or cry” when she first read the Moscow neurologist’s recommendations. “There is no way he is going to receive the proper medical care in a punishment cell in a maximum security prison in Siberia,” she said. “The authorities are also trying to isolate him to the maximum and this is why I have great concerns for his life.” Mrs Kara-Murza’s calls have, in the past, received cross-party support from MPs including Labour’s Sir Chris Bryant and Tories Bob Seely and Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. In June, Ms Kearns said whether the Foreign Office could keep British citizens safe and get them home when it needed to was a test of its “fundamental effectiveness”. “The UK’s response to the illegal detention of Vladimir has been appalling, for complex cases like this where the charges are politically motivated, we need someone who can cut through Whitehall bureaucracy and get our people home,” she said. She has called for the creation of a Director for Arbitrary and Complex Detentions within the Foreign Office to lead on hostage negotiations and streamline efforts to free illegally detained British nationals. Last month, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy promised that he would create a special envoy for hostages should Labour get into power next year. An FCDO spokesperson said: “The politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza is deplorable. We reiterate the Prime Minister’s call on Russia to release Mr Kara-Murza immediately and unconditionally. We regularly raise his case with the Russian authorities and will continue to do so at every available opportunity. “We have sanctioned 11 individuals in response to his sentencing and appeal as well as 2 individuals involved in his poisoning. Our staff are providing tailored support to Mr Kara-Murza’s family as they continue to highlight this gross injustice.” Read More NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week The harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol' is coming to TV. Here's how to watch Japan, China agree on a constructive relationship, but reach only vague promises in seafood dispute Russia-Ukraine war: Putin losses mount as Kyiv strikes along Dnipro River - live Hungary issues an anti-EU survey to citizens on migration, support for Ukraine and LGBTQ+ rights Thousands of Ukrainian children forcefully taken to Belarus via Russia, study finds

The European Union enacted a slew of new rules earlier this year to fight the kind of hate

Billionaires Xavier Niel, Rodolphe Saadé and Eric Schmidt announced a new nonprofit artificial intelligence research lab in Paris,

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is planning to extend tax breaks for the hospitality sector and small

A burst of activity in Bitcoin derivatives has evoked memories of the period in late 2021 when the

UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is likely to take an ax to the welfare bill to find savings for

France’s first lady has revealed how she thought her husband Emmanuel Macron would fall in love with someone his own age after he was sent away to boarding school as a teenager for pursuing his teacher. The president was 15 when he fell for Brigitte Macron, then a 39-year-old drama teacher at the Catholic Providence school in Amiens, in northern France. The schoolboy’s parents had believed their son was dating his teacher’s daughter, Laurence, until the truth came out through a family friend. Shocked at the illicit affair, the Macrons removed their teenager from the school and sent him to boarding school in Paris. In an interview with Paris Match magazine, Ms Macron said she thought Emmanuel would move on when he was sent to Paris. But while his parents hoped distance would cool the burning embers of passion, the young Emmanuel vowed to marry the former Ms Auziere and held fast to his oath. “For me, such a young boy was crippling. Emmanuel had to leave for Paris. I told myself that he would fall in love with someone his [own] age. It didn’t happen,” Ms Macron said. The couple, who have a 24-year age gap, married in 2007. Becoming a very youthful stepfather at the age of 29 to Brigitte’s three adult children, he told them at the wedding reception: “Thanks for accepting us, a not-quite-normal couple.” Ms Macron said her children were the “obstacle” that caused her to wait a decade before marrying Emmanuel. She said: “I took time so I would not wreck their lives. That lasted 10 years, the time to put them on the rails. You can imagine what they were hearing. But I didn’t want to miss out on my life.” Mr Macron became France’s youngest ever president at the age of 39 – the same age that his wife, now 64, was when they met. Praising her husband, the first lady said his sharp intellect still surprises her every day. She said: “I have never seen such a memory ... such an intellectual capacity. I had many brilliant pupils, and none had his capability. I have always admired him.” Many commentators have said the obsession with their age gap is an example of deeply ingrained misogyny, since men in positions of power are frequently married to much younger women. Read More EU commission to prolong use of glyphosate for 10 more years after member countries fail to agree King’s busy coronation year of milestones and royal tours Somber bugles and bells mark Armistice Day around the globe as wars drown out peace messages Watch as Macron commemorates anniversary of First World War Armistice in Paris Growing concerns from allies over Israel's approach to fighting Hamas as civilian casualties mount Watch view over Israel-Gaza border as thousands continue to flee

A UK-government backed renewable energy fund plans to mobilize $1.6 billion to help provide 16 million people and

Ukrainian troops have conducted a “series of successful operations” against Putin’s troops following a breakthrough on the eastern bank of the River Dnipro. In a statement, the Ukrainian Marines said they had established several bridgeheads across the river in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson region and were continuing to carry out operations. It comes as Russia intensified its strikes on Ukrainian ports overnight, including Odessa. The Ukrainian air force said it downed nine out of 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones over Mykolayiv and Odessa. Meanwhile, Ukraine forced Russia’s naval fleet to pull back in the eastern part of the Black Sea, president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed. “For the first time in the world, it was in the Black Sea that a fleet of naval drones began to operate – a Ukrainian fleet,” Mr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “I would also like to note that now – as one of the main results of our actions – Russia is unable to use the Black Sea as a springboard to destabilise other regions of the world.” Read More David Cameron meets Zelensky in Ukraine in first visit as foreign secretary – and praises Boris Johnson In Russia, more Kremlin critics are being imprisoned as intolerance of dissent grows Russian court convicts a woman for protesting the war in Ukraine in latest crackdown on free speech Bombs, betrayal and burying loved ones: Plight of one Ukraine village illustrates toll of Russia’s invasion

Germany, through its KfW development bank, will on Friday sign an agreement to lend South Africa €500 million

A volcanic eruption that could destroy the Icelandic town of Grindavik could come in a few days, experts have warned. Magmatic gas has been detected at a borehole in Svartsengi, signalling an imminent eruption over the coming days, say the Icelandic Met Office. The country has been shaken by more than 800 small earthquakes, prompting fears that the tremors could disrupt the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country. Scientists have said an eruption at some point is ‘likely’. It comes as a Caterpillar D11 - said to be Iceland’s biggest bulldozer - has been dispatched to help build defences. The huge piece of equipment is constructing trenches to reduce the damage caused by any eventual disaster. Almost 4,000 people were evacuated from Grindavik over the weekend as authorities feared that molten rock would rise to the surface of the earth and potentially hit the coastal town and a geothermal power station. Ragga Agustsdottir, who lives close to Grindavik, said residents were fearful of what could happen if an eruption struck. Scientists have warned Iceland’s south-western peninsula could face “decades” of volcanic instability following eruptions along the peninsula. Read More Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation ‘It’s like a dystopian movie’: Iceland residents describe ‘apocalyptic’ scenes as they flee volcano threat Iceland earthquakes: Are flights still running amid fears of volcano eruption? Is it safe to travel to Iceland? Your rights if you have a holiday booked

Italy’s European partners have expressed interest in its deal to hold migrants in Albania and process their asylum