5 Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

[rpannier]

1. Thousands expected at Prague protest against Czech PM Andrej Babis

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to attend a mass rally in Prague against Czech prime minister Andrej Babis on Saturday — the 30th anniversary of the country’s Velvet Revolution.

Organisers of the protest hope to repeat the success of a similar event in June that was the largest of its kind since the fall of Communism in 1989.

snip

Babis, a Slovak-born billionaire, has been investigated over a €2 million EU subsidy paid to a farm and convention centre that is now part of his giant Agrofert business, one of the country's largest private employers. He insists the site was owned by family members at the time of the subsidy, making it eligible, and has dismissed complaints about him as "fake news".

Czech police recommended that Babis be charged, but the country’s justice minister resigned the next day and the case has been dropped.

https://www.euronews.com/2019/11/16/thousands-expected-at-prague-protest-against-czech-pm-andrej-babis


2. Serbian President Vucic Hospitalized With Heart Problems

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been hospitalized after experiencing heart problems.

A statement issued on November 16 by his office said Vucic had been admitted to the military hospital in Belgrade, the capital, on November 15.

Vucic, 49, is a former extreme nationalist who now wishes to lead Serbia into the European Union.

Vucic's ruling Serbian Progressive Party ascended to power in 2012. Vucic has been Serbia's president since 2017.

https://www.rferl.org/a/serbian-president-vucic-hospitalized-with-heart-problems/30275114.html


3. Greenland airport becomes latest victim of climate change


Greenland's main airport is set to end civilian flights within five years due to climate change, as the melting of permafrost is cracking the runway.

Kangerlussuaq Airport, the country's main hub, had 11,000 planes landing or departing last year.

Permafrost, the layer of soil usually frozen solid, is shrinking as temperatures rise. For airport workers, ridding the runway of the snow and ice has become a constant struggle.

As a result, authorities will start building a new facility from scratch.

https://www.euronews.com/2019/11/15/greenland-airport-becomes-latest-victim-of-climate-change


4. Uzbekistan Urges Media Not To Politicize Suspicious Death Of Critical Journalist

Uzbek authorities told reporters not to politicize the death of a prominent journalist and outspoken government critic killed in a late-night road accident last week that many believe is suspicious.

Officials told reporters at a press conference in Tashkent on November 12 that Davlat Nazar’s death was simply a tragic traffic accident.

But the death of the 48-year-old journalist -- well-known for his critical reporting of the government -- has raised suspicions in Uzbekistan, where the government has little tolerance for dissent.

A correspondent for the private Jamiyat newspaper, Nazar (also known as Davlatnazar Ruzmetov) had been detained by authorities several times due to his critical reports and said he was being tailed by state agents in the time leading up to his death.

https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-urges-media-not-to-politicize-suspicious-death-of-critical-journalist/30269928.html


5. MEPs reject Hungary's pick for EU commissioner but approves those of France and Romania

MEPs have blocked Hungary's latest pick for EU commissioner but given the green light to those of France and Romania.

snip

MEPs rejected Hungary's Commissioner-designate in a first hearing, which means Oliver Varhelyi will have to answer additional written questions in the coming days before his candidacy can be approved.

Varhelyi, who has been put forward for the neighbourhood and enlargement portfolio, was quizzed by MEPs from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

snip

Some MEPs, the European Parliament said in a statement, "voiced serious concerns over how Mr Várhelyi will be capable of promoting the rule of law and fundamental rights in the enlargement countries, given that his own country, Hungary, has passed several laws in clear breach of the EU Treaties over the last few years. Others expressed their worry over whether the Commissioner-designate’s loyalty will lie with the Hungarian government or the EU as a whole

https://www.euronews.com/2019/11/14/eu-parliament-approves-france-s-commissioner-designate-thierry-breton

[saidsimplesimon]

1. Thank you for sharing this link and news.

"It's a small world."

[dewsgirl]

2. Thank you.

[SunSeeker]

3. The Czech PM sure is following the Trump playbook. nt

[DFW]

4. As one who lives in Europe

I would say that including Uzbekistan in Europe is a stretch, no matter how much the long arm of Putin may extend there.

[bitterross]

5. #4 - Wow, shades of Kashoggi, MBS and a bone saw

Nazar “sustained head injuries and died at the scene of the accident” in Khorezm, the statement added.

Will Trump be exonerating Uzbek officials too?

[zentrum]

6. America is so insular. Thank you.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

7. K&R. Thanks for assembling this post. Helps make our square American heads a little rounder.

KY..............

[crickets]

8. Thank you for posting this. K&R for visibility.