What’s the story? Leaders of the EU Parliament accused foreign powers on Monday of trying to corrupt European democracy, as a probe into alleged bribes from World Cup host Qatar widened. Belgian investigators, meanwhile raided offices in the parliament‘s Brussels base, seeking to seize computer data to track the alleged web of corruption. Searches were carried out at the homes of MEPs and their associates in Belgium and around a million euros in cash has been recovered after allegations that Qatar has been seeking to burnish its image. Banner ad Belgian prosecutors said 600,000 ..read more

Climate activists from the group “Last Generation” blocked important motorway access roads in Berlin on Monday morning. Police were deployed at six locations, which opened up again for regular traffic by the afternoon. Both police and politicians pleaded for tougher measures against the protesters, who have been taking various actions around Germany, ranging from climbing monuments to unfurl signs to glueing themselves to airport tarmacs. The group has grabbed nationwide headlines after it blocked planes from landing at both Berlin and Munich’s airports. READ ALSO: Munich airport forced to clo ..read more

Up to six months can go by before the effects of lower inflation are reflected in everyday prices, an expert said on Monday after the national stats agency Statistics Denmark reported a drop in inflation had occurred in November compared to October. “It will take up to half a year before we see an effect in the form falling food prices in shops,” Henning Otte Hansen, senior consultant with the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Food and Resource Economics told news wire Ritzau. READ ALSO: Inflation down in Denmark but forecasts tentative for 2023 A decline in electricity and gas prices e ..read more

For most people from English-speaking countries, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th with a decadent lunch of roasted turkey or ham. In Austria, though, the main celebrations take place on the evening of December 24th, usually by gathering with friends and family for a meal. The shops will close early, and families will gather to decorate the Christmas tree – yes, it’s not uncommon for Austrians to follow this tradition of only decorating the tree on December 24th. Banner ad They also meet for Christmas eve dinner, which can vary greatly depending on family traditions and Austrian r ..read more

Frozen rivers in the north of Sweden are affecting hydropower, weak winds are putting a damper on wind energy and the cold weather is increasing demand on Sweden’s energy market. Manual widget for ML (class=”ml-manual-widget-container”) As if that wasn’t enough, three of Sweden’s six nuclear power plants were either switched off or running on low effect this weekend, which has led to Sweden’s oil-burning power plant in Karlshamn being switched on on Monday morning. Energy prices in the two energy zones in northern Sweden went up to an average of 4:19 kronor per kilowatt hour on Tuesday, accor ..read more

Planes, trains, ferries and even roads look set to be affected by UK strike action this Christmas. This comes in the context of widespread industrial action from nurses to postal workers, train drivers to border guards, all of whom are striking to win pay rises above the rate of inflation that will help them cope with the spiralling cost of living. In Spain, a leading trade union has called on 10,000 workers at airports across the country to also strike on key dates over the Christmas period, in this case to demand the return of a productivity bonus which was scrapped during the pandemic.  ..read more

Les bleus will take on Morocco on Wednesday at 8pm (French time) in the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup – and if you’re in France you can expect a lively evening. More than 17 million people tuned in to watch France and England play on Saturday, and the France vs Morocco game is set to draw an even wider audience. Here’s why the game is about more than just football. A brief history  The two countries have a history, and not of the romantic kind – yes, this is about colonialism.  France colonised and invaded Morocco’s neighbour Algeria in 1830 and, when it became clear some years la ..read more

Question: I’ve been trying to find an organisation in Italy through which I can donate second-hand clothing, books, dishes, and small items of furniture. Do you have any suggestions? Italy doesn’t have the same systems for donating used items that you might be used to if you’ve moved here from North America or the UK. While vintage clothing shops and flea markets do exist, they’re not quite the same thing as charity shops or thrift stores that will accept your second-hand goods and sell them on to raise money for good causes. That means you have to be a bit more creative when it comes to givin ..read more

If you’re a diehard Christmas fan, in love with all the winter-time traditions and holiday festivities, you’ll fit right in with most Norwegians. According to a new survey, a whopping 93 percent of Norwegians plan to decorate their homes for Christmas, and the vast majority also plan to put up a Christmas tree. So, it should come as no surprise that a country of dedicated Christmas aficionados also dedicates a lot of time and attention to other winter-time traditions. In this article, we’ll cover the most important December ones – from widely loved favourites such as Christmas and New Year’s E ..read more

Heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions such as fog hit the UK on December 11th, causing significant disruption to local public transport and all airlines flying to and from the UK, including flights from and bound to Austria. Airliners operating in Austria alerted to cancellations and delays as airport personnel were unable to reach certain UK airports and severe snow prevented airlines from taking off or landing at several British airports. READ ALSO: UK border strikes threaten Christmas travel chaos to and from Austria “Wizz Air has also been affected by these unexpected circumstances ..read more