5 Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

[rpannier]

1. Kosovo Lifts All Trade Barriers Against Serbia

The new government of Kosovo announced on June 6 that it is lifting all trade barriers imposed on Serbia in a bid to reopen EU-brokered talks on normalizing ties with Belgrade.

Trade sanctions have been in place in some form since November 2018, when then-Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj imposed them in retaliation for Serbia's "de-recognition" campaign against Kosovo.

Speaking at a press conference in Pristina, Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti stressed that the decision was temporary and could be reversed if Serbia refuses to end the campaign to reduce the number of countries that recognize Kosovo as a state.

"We expect Serbia to end the de-recognition campaign against Kosovo," he told a news conference, adding that Kosovo also expected its partners, the European Union and the United States, to put pressure on Belgrade.

https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-lifts-all-trade-barriers-against-serbia/30656182.html


2. Normandy landings anniversary marked on Omaha beach despite coronavirus pandemic

A small ceremony was held on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer on Saturday morning (June 6) to honour the sacrifice of those who died in the D-Day landings in 1944.

Compared to 12 months ago, when many tens of thousands came to the northern French beaches of Normandy to cheer the dwindling number of veterans on the 75th anniversary, the coronavirus lockdown turned this year's remembrance into one of the eeriest ever.

When the sun rose the other side over the English Channel there was no customary rumble of columns of vintage military vehicles and cheers to be heard.

https://www.euronews.com/2020/06/06/normandy-landings-anniversary-marked-on-omaha-beach-despite-coronavirus-pandemic

3. Report: German Neo-Nazis Training At Russian Terrorist Camp

German neo-Nazis are conducting paramilitary training with a Russian ultranationalist group at a camp near St. Petersburg, German magazine Focus reported on June 5.

Citing German security sources, Focus said members of the far-right National Democratic Party’s (NDP) youth wing and neo-Nazi The Third Path completed training at the camp run by the Russian Imperial Movement.

In April, the United States designated the Russian Imperial Movement along with three of its leaders as terrorists, marking the first time the classification has been applied to a white supremacist group.

Focus reported that German neo-Nazis have received training in using arms, explosives, and hand-to-hand combat at a camp named Partizan near St. Petersburg.

https://www.rferl.org/a/german-neo-nazi-training-in-russia/30655860.html


4. Drama schools accused of hypocrisy over anti-racism statements

The UK’s most prestigious drama schools have apologised for not doing enough to combat racism on their campuses after being accused of hypocrisy over social media posts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada), the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (Alra), the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (Lipa) and the Oxford School of Drama all apologised for incidents at their institutions after students spoke out on social media to detail their experiences.

The Oxford School of Drama said that it “needs to do better as an institution and take steps to safeguard our community of students”, after former BAME students said they had been targeted by teachers who dismissed concerns and singled them out because of their race.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jun/06/drama-schools-accused-of-hypocrisy-over-anti-racism-statements

5. Russia Orders Review Of Infrastructure Built On Permafrost In Wake Of Arctic Fuel Disaster

Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office on June 5 ordered a review of all hazardous objects built on permafrost in response to a fuel tank leak that has created an ecological disaster in the Arctic linked to climate change.

President Vladimir Putin ordered a state of emergency earlier this week after a holding tank at a thermal power plant in the industrial city of Norilsk spilled at least 20,000 tons of diesel fuel into the soil, two rivers, and a downstream lake.

The power plant is owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, the world's leading nickel and palladium producer, which said the leak on May 29 was caused when pillars supporting a storage tank sank due to the thawing of permafrost soil.

https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-fuel-disaster-caused-by-permafrost-melting/30655856.html

[Firestorm49]

1. Thanks!

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Thanks for providing these posts.

[2naSalit]

3. Thank you!

[Smickey]

4. I echo the posts above

THANK YOU.......thank you....thank you.