Europe

What Sanctions? US Companies Can’t Get Enough of Russian Real Estate
Over the past 10 years US companies have invested $5.8 billion in commercial real estate in Russia, the biggest among other foreign investors, according to consulting company Knight Frank. Overall foreign investments to Russian commercial real estate over the past 10 years have reached $15.9 billion. US companies account for 36.5 percent of the total sum. [...]
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Germans in Crimea Urge Berlin to Refrain From ‘Foolish Steps’ Toward Russia
The Head of the Crimean regional German national-cultural autonomy of Crimea, Yury Hempel, criticized the new defense doctrine of the German authorities in which Russia is viewed as a global threat. Earlier, German newspaper Die Welt, citing governmental sources, reported that Germany's new defense doctrine, which is currently in the final stage of its preparation, will view Russia as one of th [...]
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Somnolent Europe, Russia, and China
On September 19, 2000, going on 16 years ago, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of the London Telegraph reported: “Declassified American government documents show that the US intelligence community ran a campaign in the Fifties and Sixties to build momentum for a united Europe. It funded and [...]
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How to Lose Friends: Ankara Losing its ‘Last Ally in Europe’
Turkey has had numerous problems with other nations recently. But after the German Parliament voted in favor of labeling the 1915 killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide, Ankara is losing its "only friend in Europe," an article in Foreign Policy read. [...]
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Behind Closed Doors: Five Secret Deals That Transformed Global Economy
History has seen a number of secretive agreements which had major impact on the global economy, from hiding investments to taking gold reserves. Some of the stories are real, and some are rather legends. Here are some examples of how global financial decisions have been made behind closed doors. [...]
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Why the Europeans Have Signed Up for the US’s ‘Insane March on Russia’
The Europeans have let themselves to be drawn into an ‘insane march on Russia’ by concentrating the largest amount of military hardware on Russia’s borders since the Second World War, putting Europe at risk of a hot conflict. However, if there is one spark, Europe will be the first victim, according to Danish author Jens Jorgen Nielsen. [...]
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Broken Promises: EU Tightens Visa Regime for Ukrainians
The European Union has toughened its visa regime for Ukrainians as verification of applicants’ documents in consulates has become more rigorous and the number of refusals for multiple visa claims has rapidly increased, Kiev-based newspaper Vesti wrote. Even those in Ukraine willing to travel to the Euro-2016 in France are now seeing their visa applications turned down even though the EU earli [...]
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From Lisbon to Vladivostok: Merkel Seeks Free Trade Zone Between Russia, EU
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come out with her approval for the creation of a common economic zone between the European Union and Russia. The chancellor made the statement during a congress of the regional branch of the Christian Democratic Union in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. [...]
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$2,500 to one and all: Swiss vote on landmark monthly ‘basic income’ law
Switzerland may become the first country in the world to introduce a universal basic income after Sunday’s referendum. If passed, every adult legally residing in the country would receive a monthly income of around $2,500, whether they work or not. [...]
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From partner to rival: Germany to designate Russia ‘a security challenge’ – report
In the upcoming government security policy guidebook currently being prepared by the German Defense Ministry, Russia will be designated one of 10 major challenges on par with terrorists, migrants and global climate change, reported Die Welt. The so-called White Paper is to be released sometime after the British referendum on EU membership, [...]
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Poland’s ‘Cold War II’ Repression
As the U.S. government ratchets up a new Cold War, Poland is taking hostility toward Russia to the next level, inviting in U.S. military bases and arresting an anti-NATO politician on vague “espionage” charges, writes Gilbert Doctorow. Since Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice Party returned to power last fall, the new government has been cracking down on independent media, reshaping the [...]
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Armenian genocide vote: Turkey vows to take steps in response, recalls ambassador from Germany
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara will take retaliatory measures after the German parliament voted to recognize as ‘genocide’ the Armenian massacre of 1915. Turkey has already recalled its ambassador to Germany in protest. [...]
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Rise of far-right in Austrian presidential election ‘signals need for drastic changes’
Austria’s extremely close-run presidential vote reveals people are disappointed with the political system and don’t feel represented any longer, while the refugee crisis, the euro crisis and dissatisfaction with the EU have also caused the shift to the right in Austria, experts say. [...]
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Austrian presidential cliffhanger: Far-right Hofer concedes defeat to Green Van der Bellen
The Green Party’s Alexander Van der Bellen has won Austria’s presidential election, beating the Freedom Party’s Norbert Hofer in a neck and neck race, according to the Interior Ministry. A mere 0.6 percent of the mail-in ballot made the difference. [...]
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‘Clinton as president is danger to world peace’ – far-right French leader Le Pen to RT
Hillary Clinton winning the White House would constitute “a danger for the world peace,” as she would continue to drag Europe into her “destructive policy” of conflicts, Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front party, told RT. While declining to endorse any of the US presidential front-runners, Le Pen said she believes there is one that would definitely not benefit France. [...]
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‘EU is in process of collapsing on itself’ – Marine Le Pen to RT (EXCLUSIVE)
The EU is on the brink of collapse, as two of its main “pillars” are “crumbling” despite the billions of euros spent on keeping the structure from falling, far-right French leader Marine Le Pen told RT, adding that the union would fail if France left it. [...]
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No Laughing Matter: Germans in Austria Complain of Daily Discrimination
A new study reveals that the increasing numbers of Germans living in Austria feel that they are the subject of "Anti-Germanismus" (Germanophobia), Die Presse reported. Not only are Germans sick of being the butt of Austrian jokes, they also face daily discrimination based on their nationality, Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported. [...]
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Deal or no deal? Either way, Merkel sacrificed Europe to Erdogan’s whims
Angela Merkel isn’t having a good year. In trying to deal with the refugee crisis plaguing Europe in a manner that pleases and appeases everyone, the German chancellor has sacrificed Europe to the whims of an increasingly despotic Turkish leader. [...]
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‘Europe signals discontent with Russian sanctions, US moves to strengthen propaganda’
$20 million over the next two fiscal years will be made available in the form of grants to unspecified people in Europe who will presumable carry stories that are more in line with US policy, Jim Jatras, former US diplomat, told RT.   [...]
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RIP Eurovision, 1956-2016
Mark the date. Saturday May 14, 2016, the day the music died and a song contest whose well-intentioned original aim of national harmony has become the latest front in the Western elite’s obsessional and relentless new Cold War against Russia. A blatantly political song by Ukraine - which should not have been allowed in the contest in the first place as it clearly broke the European Broadcasti [...]
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Against All Odds: How German Companies Bypass Anti-Russian Sanctions
German companies are stepping up their efforts to bypass Western anti-Russian sanctions since Russian remains one of the most lucrative markets in Europe. In order to operate under sanctions, German companies open their own production in and invest in factories in Russia. [...]
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Renewable Windfall as Germany’s Green Energy Meets 90 Percent of Demand
Germany, the fourth-largest economy in the world and a leader in renewable energy, produced so much energy this weekend from its solar, wind, hydro, and biomass plants that power prices went into negative territory for several hours. Consumers were being paid to use energy. [...]
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