Germany: no ground troops in Syria
12 Jul 2019
The US is hoping Europe will help in the IS fight, putting pressuring Britain, France and now Germany. Germany has so far deployed surveillance aircraft and other non-combat military support. Chancellor Angela Merkel faced cross-party pressure…
Germany: Christian home-schooling
05 Jul 2019
A court has granted a Christian couple custody of their children after six years of legal conflict over their right to home-school youngsters. The state kept legal custody of Dirk and Petra Wunderlich's two youngest children…
Italy: volcanic eruptions
05 Jul 2019
A series of eruptions has rocked the small island of Stromboli, off the west coast of Italy. The initial explosion was the largest since at least 2007, according to volcanologist Boris Benhcke. Firefighters were deployed to…
Italy: rescue boat defies Salvini, enters port
27 Jun 2019
A German humanitarian group operating a rescue boat with 42 rescued migrants on board was in limbo in the Mediterranean for two weeks after Italy ordered it not to enter its territory. The captain ran out…
Spain: worst wildfire in twenty years
27 Jun 2019
On 27 June, amid a Europe-wide heatwave, a forest fire in Catalonia raged out of control, despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters working through the night. It broke out on 26 June, and had destroyed…
France: healing in a foreign land
21 Jun 2019
Greater Europe Mission (GEM) write: ‘We met Malik in a French square where refugees hang out. Originally from Senegal, Malik had travelled through Mali, Algeria, Syria, Italy and then France before we met him. He only…