Latest news with #WesternEuropeans
Euronews
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Do Europeans think World War III is imminent?
A new YouGov survey has found that between 41% and 55% of respondents in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain think another world war is likely to occur within the next five to 10 years. The vast majority expect that such a conflict would involve the use of nuclear weapons. The research interviewed 7,095 people in the five European countries in the first two weeks of April. If another world war did break out, the respondents expect that their nation would be involved, ranging from 66% in Italy to 89% in Great Britain. Yet there is also a clear sense that European militaries are not prepared for a global conflict. Only France believes that its armed forces could effectively defend the country in the event of World War III, at 44%. The other four countries lack confidence in their armed forces' ability to defend their country, especially Germany, where only 16% have confidence and Italy, with 20%. However, survey respondents were likely to take part militarily if another world war did break out. Britain had the highest percentage of participants at 89%, while Italy had the lowest at 66%. Russia tops the list as the biggest obstacle to peace in Europe, with up to 82% of Western Europeans seeing it as a major or moderate threat on the continent. Islamic terrorism is the second biggest threat, with Germany being the European country most concerned about this issue at 78%. As Donald Trump continues to make controversial foreign policy moves, more than half of the surveyed people in Spain, Germany and France see tensions between Europe and the US as a major or moderate threat to continental peace. Since the start of his second term, Trump has made threats against Greenland, and caused confusion with his shifting stance on the war in Ukraine. Greenland is home to about 40 of the 50 critical minerals that the US considers vital to its national security. These minerals, which include uranium and graphite, are essential for manufacturing and global supply chains, although Greenland's resources remain largely unexplored.
Euronews
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Verifying claims France asked Telegram to ban Romanian Conservatives
Radio Schuman spoke with water and drought expert Niko Wanders as much of Europe is buckling under a prolonged period of drought. He voiced "serious" concerns regarding water scarcity in Europe in the longer term, and discussed what people can do to mitigate the problem. We also look at a meeting between European foreign ministers and those from the African Union as the EU seeks partners elsewhere in the face of the uncertain transatlantic relationship. And finally, how do Western Europeans feel about their countries developing independent nuclear weapons? This episode of Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Lauren Walker. Audio editing by David Brodheim. Music by Alexandre Jas. Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has alleged that France's intelligence chief asked him to "silence" Romanian conservative voices by banning them from his messaging app ahead of Sunday's presidential run-off, triggering a wave of disinformation online. Durov made the claims on social media the morning after Nicușor Dan, a pro-European Liberal, beat ultraconservative George Simion to the Romanian presidency in a tense second round vote. Simion has since requested that the Romanian Constitutional Court annul the second-round result, citing 'irrefutable evidence' of meddling from France, Moldova and others. Durov has said he would be willing to "testify" in favour of Simion's claims. Euroverify reached out to Telegram asking for confirmation of the authenticity of Durov's statements and evidence of his allegations, but did not receive a reply. No evidence has yet emerged to suggest Durov's claims are true, and France has categorically rejected the allegations. In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry described the claims as "completely unfounded" and a "diversionary maneuver from the real threats of interference targeting Romania." France's foreign intelligence service, known as DGSE, has also strongly refuted the claims. But DGSE acknowledged it had been in contact with Durov "on several occasions" to remind him "of his company's responsibilities, and his own personal responsibilities, in terms of preventing terrorist and child pornography threats." Last August, Durvov, who is Russian-born but holds French citizenship, was detained by French authorities amid a probe into allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime, promotion of terrorism and cyberbullying on Telegram. He has since been under strict legal control and is forbidden to leave France without authorisation. Telegram was founded by Durov and his eldest brother Nikolai in 2013, and has been championed by journalists and activists for its strong encryption and security. But the app has recently come under scrutiny for the spread of illegal content. French and Belgian prosecutors are currently teaming up to probe Telegram's role in allowing the spread of illicit content, including child abuse images and terrorist propaganda. The app has dodged being subject to the European Union's strictest rules under its digital rulebook, the Digital Services Act (DSA). Telegram claims it has fewer than 45 million active monthly users in the EU, the threshold for being closely monitored by the European Commission. Romania's presidential election was re-run in May after it was dramatically annulled back in November when a little-known ultra-nationalist with mystical leanings, Călin Georgescu, won an unexpected first-round victory. The Romanian Constitutional Court declassified intelligence reports that claimed a "state actor," believed to be Russia, was behind Georgescu's successful TikTok campaign. No undeniable public evidence has yet emerged to firmly confirm Russia's hand behind Georgescu's campaign. Georgescu was barred from the re-run, sparking controversy and outrage among his supporters at home and abroad. US vice-president JD Vance was among the prominent voices lambasting the Romanian Court's decision, in a blistering speech at the Munich Security Conference in February. Last December, Euroverify detected and debunked TikTok disinformation campaigns falsely accusing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of personally intervening to cancel the vote. While the European Commission has opened a probe under the Digital Services Act (DSA) into TikTok's alleged role in Georgescu's campaign, there is no evidence to suggest the EU executive had any stake in the domestic judicial decision to annul the November vote. Analysts have warned that Romania is particularly vulnerable to disinformation and foreign interference around key ballots. Romania's foreign, interior and defence ministries have accused Russia of orchestrating a propaganda campaign that claimed French troops stationed in Romania had been dressed in Romanian gendarmerie uniforms to interfere in the country's election. Belgian authorities have formally requested the European Parliament to revoke the immunity of several MEPs in connection with an investigation into alleged corruption and influence peddling associated with the Chinese technology company Huawei. The request pertains to five parliamentarians: three affiliated with the European People's Party (EPP), one representing the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), and one from Renew Europe. A probe into the allegations commenced two months ago following searches carried out in the offices of the European Parliament. The Belgian Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against eight individuals, alleging suspicions of money laundering, involvement in an organised criminal enterprise, and active corruption. The accusations against the MEPs pertain to their alleged involvement in corrupt practices in return for lobbying efforts on behalf of Huawei and endorsing legislation advantageous to the company. While the complete list of MEPs involved in the investigation has yet to be released, a number of parliamentarians came forward and confirmed that a request to revoke their immunity was filed. Italian lawmaker Salvatore de Meo (EPP), Maltese MEP Daniel Attard (S&D) and Bulgarian parliamentarian Nikola Minchev (Renew Europe) have all confirmed they were targeted by Belgian authorities. 'This is related to the investigation into my former assistant. The Belgian prosecution has not made any specific accusations against me, but wants to check whether anything improper may have taken place,' said Minchev. Minchev says that he attended a football match, and the tickets were sourced by an individual affiliated with his former assistant, who had links to Huawei. The Bulgarian MEP denied any knowledge of who provided the tickets and has in turn requested that his immunity be lifted himself. 'The Belgian authorities want to verify whether anything inappropriate occurred. That's why I'm calling for my immunity to be lifted as quickly as possible, so the matter can be clarified and it becomes clear that I have nothing to do with any unauthorised or illegal activity." European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is expected to officially announce the names of MEPs under investigation in the opening of a plenary session on Wednesday.
Euronews
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Why Europe should be worried about the ongoing drought
Radio Schuman spoke with water and drought expert Niko Wanders as much of Europe is buckling under a prolonged period of drought. He voiced "serious" concerns regarding water scarcity in Europe in the longer term, and discussed what people can do to mitigate the problem. We also look at a meeting between European foreign ministers and those from the African Union as the EU seeks partners elsewhere in the face of the uncertain transatlantic relationship. And finally, how do Western Europeans feel about their countries developing independent nuclear weapons? This episode of Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Lauren Walker. Audio editing by David Brodheim. Music by Alexandre Jas. Belgian authorities have formally requested the European Parliament to revoke the immunity of five Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in connection with an investigation into corruption and influence peddling associated with the Chinese technology company Huawei. The request pertains to five MEPs, three affiliated with the European People's Party (EPP), one representing the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), and one from Renew Europe. A probe into the allegations commenced two months ago following searches carried out in the offices of the European Parliament. The Belgian Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against eight individuals, alleging suspicions of money laundering, involvement in an organised criminal enterprise, and active corruption. The accusations against the MEPs pertain to their involvement in corrupt practices in return for lobbying efforts on behalf of Huawei and endorsing legislation advantageous to the company. The request to revoke immunity has been confirmed by a few EU officials. While the full list of MEPs involved in the scandal has yet to be released, a number of the parliamentarians came forward and confirmed that a request to revoke their immunity was filed. Italian lawmaker Salvatore de Meo of the EPP, Maltese MEP Daniel Attard of the Socialists and Bulgarian parliamentarian Nikola Minchev of Renew Europe have all confirmed they were targeted by Belgian authorities. 'This is related to the investigation into my former assistant. The Belgian prosecution has not made any specific accusations against me, but wants to check whether anything improper may have taken place,' said Minchev. Minchev says that he attended a football match of which the tickets were sourced by an individual affiliated with his former assistant, who had links with Huawei. The Bulgarian lawmaker denied any knowledge of who provided the tickets. 'The Belgian authorities want to verify whether anything inappropriate occurred. That's why I'm calling for my immunity to be lifted as quickly as possible, so the matter can be clarified and it becomes clear that I have nothing to do with any unauthorised or illegal activity." European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is expected to officially announce the full list of MEPs involved in the scandal in the opening of a plenary session on Wednesday.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims?
US President Donald Trump has given members of South Africa's Afrikaner community refugee status, alleging that a genocide was taking place in the country. Nearly 60 of them have arrived in the US after being granted asylum. The South African government allowed the US embassy to consider their applications inside the country, and let the group board a chartered flight from the main international airport in Johannesburg - not scenes normally associated with refugees fleeing persecution. South African History Online sums up their identity by pointing out that "the modern Afrikaner is descended mainly from Western Europeans who settled on the southern tip of Africa during the middle of the 17th Century". A mixture of Dutch (34.8%), German (33.7%) and French (13.2%) settlers, they formed a "unique cultural group" which identified itself "completely with African soil", South African History Online noted. Their language, Afrikaans, is quite similar to Dutch. But as they planted their roots in Africa, Afrikaners, as well as other white communities, forced black people to leave their land. Afrikaners are also known as Boers, which actually means farmer, and the group is still closely associated with farming. In 1948, South Africa's Afrikaner-led government introduced apartheid, or apartness, taking racial segregation to a more extreme level. This included laws which banned marriages across racial lines, reserved many skilled and semi-skilled jobs for white people, and forced black people to live in what were called townships and homelands. They were also denied a decent education, with Afrikaner leader Hendrik Verwoerd infamously remarking in the 1950s that "blacks should never be shown the greener pastures of education. They should know their station in life is to be hewers of wood and drawers of water". Afrikaner dominance of South Africa ended in 1994, when black people were allowed to vote for the first time in a nationwide election, bringing Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC) to power. Afrikaners currently number more than 2.5 million out of a population of more than 60 million - about 4%. None of South Africa's political parties - including those that represent Afrikaners and the white community in general - have claimed that there is a genocide in South Africa. But such claims have been circulating among right-wing groups for many years and Trump also referred to a genocide during his first term. The claims stem from attacks on white farmers, or misleading information circulated online. In February, a South African judge dismissed the idea of a genocide as "clearly imagined" and "not real", when ruling in an inheritance case involving a wealthy benefactor's donation to white supremacist group Boerelegioen. South Africa does not release crime figures based on race but the latest figures revealed that 6,953 people were murdered in the country between October and December 2024. Of these, 12 were killed in farm attacks. Of the 12, one was a farmer, while five were farm dwellers and four were employees, who are likely to have been black. Defending his decision to give Afrikaners refugee status, Trump said that a "genocide" was taking place in South Africa, white farmers were being "brutally killed" and their "land is being confiscated". Trump said that he was not sure how he could attend the G20 summit of world leaders, due to be held in South Africa later this year, in such an environment. "I don't know how we can go unless that situation's taken care of," he added. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has said it was "completely false" to claim that "people of a certain race or culture are being targeted for persecution". Referring to the first group who have moved to the US, he said: "They are leaving because they don't want to embrace the changes that are taking place in our country and our constitution." The government denies that land is being confiscated from farmers, saying that a bill Ramaphosa signed into law in January was aimed at addressing the land dispossession that black people faced during white-minority rule. But the law has been condemned by the Democratic Alliance (DA), Ramaphosa's main coalition partner in government. The DA say it will challenge the law in South Africa's highest court, as it threatens property rights. Trump's close adviser Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, has referred to the country's "racist ownership laws", alleging that his satellite internet service provider Starlink was "not allowed to operate in South Africa simply because I'm not black". To operate in South Africa, Starlink needs to obtain network and service licences, which both require 30% ownership by historically disadvantaged groups. This mainly refers to South Africa's majority black population, which was shut out of the economy during the racist system of apartheid. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) - a regulatory body in the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors - told the BBC that Starlink had never submitted an application for a licence. Musk has also accused the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the fourth-largest party in South Africa, of "actively promoting" a genocide through a song it sings at its rallies. Racially charged row between Musk and South Africa over Starlink EFF leader Julius Malema's trademark song is "Shoot the Boer, Shoot the farmer", which he sings at political rallies. Afrikaner lobby groups have tried to get the song banned, saying it was highly inflammatory and amounted to hate speech. However, South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled that Malema is within his rights to sing the lyrics - first popularised during the anti-apartheid struggle - at political rallies. The court ruled that a "reasonably well-informed person" would understand that when "protest songs are sung, even by politicians, the words are not meant to be understood literally, nor is the gesture of shooting to be understood as a call to arms or violence". Instead, the song was a "provocative way" of advancing the EFF's political agenda - which was to end "land and economic injustice". Lobby group AfriForum filed an appeal against the ruling, but South Africa's highest court refused to hear the case, saying it had little chance of succeeding. In 2023, South Africa's former President Thabo Mbeki urged Malema to stop singing the song, saying it was no longer politically relevant as the anti-apartheid struggle was over. The ANC says it no longer sings it, but it cannot "prescribe to other political parties what they must sing". It doesn't look like it. In March, a business group said that close to 70,000 Afrikaners had expressed interest in moving to the US following Trump's offer - from an estimated population of 2.5 million. On Monday, the US embassy in South Africa released a statement clarifying the criteria for resettlement, saying it covered people from any racial minority, not just Afrikaners, who could cite an incident of past persecution or fear of persecution in the future. South Africa's most recent census, done in 2022, shows that Coloureds, (an officially used term meaning people of mixed racial origin) are the largest minority, making up 8% of the population. They are followed by white people, including Afrikaners, at 7%, and Asians at 3%. After Trump's offer, Afrikaner lobby group Solidarity posted an article on its website headlined: "Ten historical reasons to stay in South Africa". In parliament last week, the leader of the right-wing Freedom Front Plus party said they were committed to South Africa. "We are bound to Africa and will build a future for ourselves and our children here," Corné Mulder said. Do Afrikaners want to take Trump up on his South African refugee offer? PODCAST: Are white Afrikaners really being targeted in South Africa? What's really driving Trump's fury with South Africa? Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Africa Daily Focus on Africa
Russia Today
22-04-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Germany tapping industry to bolster NATO response to ‘Russian attack'
Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, has reached out to major logistics and defense companies to prepare for a possible NATO deployment to Eastern Europe 'in the event of a Russian attack,' Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday. Several eastern NATO members, especially the Baltic states, have repeatedly alleged that Russia is preparing for an invasion – an accusation Moscow has consistently denied. The Bundeswehr is reportedly holding confidential discussions with firms including Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa, and Rheinmetall to secure their support in transporting troops, weapons, and equipment. According to the newspaper, the German Defense Ministry has asked Deutsche Bahn to examine how it could help transport military convoys by rail during a crisis. Meanwhile, Lufthansa is being considered for basic training support for fighter pilots through its flight school. Rheinmetall is already involved in military logistics through a recent €260 million ($300 million) contract and is also in talks to expand its role. This effort forms part of Germany's strategic role as NATO's central logistics hub, the outlet reports. Under the military bloc's new defense framework, Berlin has committed to mobilizing thousands of soldiers and hundreds of aircraft and ships within 30 days if a crisis arises. Defense officials told the newspaper that the Bundeswehr is not able to manage such large-scale mobilization on its own. German military leadership has therefore turned to the private sector to build what they describe as a 'strategic deployment corridor' across the country. 'The Bundeswehr relies almost exclusively on civilian commercial service providers for the logistical transport of military goods and equipment outside of crisis zones,' the Bundeswehr Operational Command told Handelsblatt. 'In sea and air transport for extra-wide and extra-heavy equipment, this figure is even 100 percent.' The initiative comes as Germany seeks to recover from decades of underinvestment in its armed forces, which have left its military ill-prepared for large-scale conflict. Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz's €100 billion ($115 billion) special fund, announced after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, aims to reverse this trend. Germany's chief of defense staff, Gen. Carsten Breuer, recently stated that the Bundeswehr must be war-ready by 2029 so that it is able to fight Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently rejected allegations that Moscow harbors aggressive intentions toward NATO countries, calling them 'nonsense' designed to alarm Western Europeans and legitimize major increases in defense budgets.
