PARIS — On the face of it, President Emmanuel Macron, a showman, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a study in reserve, would not be natural companions. But the world has changed, and for France and Germany the imperative of building what they call a “sovereign Europe” has become overwhelming. So Mr.Continue Reading
In Denmark, they’re calling it “minkgate.” A government decision last year to cull Denmark’s herd of 17 million minks for fear that infected animals could transmit the coronavirus to humans prompted a huge outcry in a country that had been the world’s top exporter of the high-quality mink skins commonlyContinue Reading
ANKARA, Turkey — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat for an interview on national television late last month, apparently seeking to calm nerves about Turkey’s weakening currency and galloping inflation. But the reaction has been anything but calm. He insisted there was “no turning back” on his newly announced economic plan,Continue Reading
In the middle of one of the more politically perilous weeks of Boris Johnson’s tenure, the British prime minister’s office said on Thursday that his wife, Carrie Johnson, had given birth to the couple’s second child. Mr. Johnson’s office provided no other details. Britain’s Press Association reported that a spokeswomanContinue Reading
New Zealand unveiled a plan on Thursday to eventually ban all sales of cigarettes in the country, a decades-long effort unique in the world to prevent young people from taking up smoking. The proposed legislation, which is expected to become law next year, would leave current smokers free to continueContinue Reading
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain on Wednesday announced major new restrictions to curb the fast-spreading Omicron variant, reversing course on a long-held policy at a moment of acute political peril for him, with his staff accused of flouting the rules by holding an office party during lastContinue Reading
LONDON — When Russian soldiers crossed into Ukraine and seized Crimea in 2014, the Obama administration responded with a slate of economic penalties that ultimately imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials and businesses and restricted investments and trade in the nation’s crucial finance, oil and military sectors. Now, withContinue Reading
LONDON — For a week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain has denied damaging claims that his staff broke lockdown rules by holding a party last Christmas when such festivities were banned under government-imposed coronavirus restrictions. Late Tuesday, the government’s story weakened when a video surfaced of senior staff membersContinue Reading
BERLIN — When Angela Merkel became chancellor 16 years ago, George W. Bush was in the White House and Tony Blair was prime minister of Britain. There was no Twitter and no iPhone. Liberal democracy was in seemingly irreversible expansion, with the Orange Revolution having swept Ukraine. On Wednesday, asContinue Reading
LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that there will be “effectively a diplomatic boycott” of the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games by Britain, which joined the United States and others on Wednesday in a decision to pull its top officials from attendance of the Winter Games. The boycottContinue Reading