Author: Hristos Xenilis

More than 30,000 Iraqis have been denied asylum by the German government in recent years and over 250 of them have been deported, according to data Rudaw obtained from the German interior ministry. A spokesperson from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior told Rudaw’s Zinar Shino in an email on Friday that Germany had rejected the cases of 31,000 Iraqi asylum seekers in recent years. They have been notified to leave the country. The ministry also said 28,000 of these Iraqis have been granted Duldung – a temporary permit to remain in Germany. During this period, 256 Iraqis have…

American venture capital firms are a growing presence in Europe — here’s which of Sand Hill Road’s big beasts have opened offices on the continent Some of America’s biggest VC firms have pitched their flags in Europe in the last several years, enticed by the opportunities in one of the world’s liveliest startup scenes. And they’re backing some of the continent’s biggest movers and shakers: companies like mobility unicorn Bolt, buy now, pay later giant Klarna and Stability AI have all been the beneficiaries of American cash. (edited) So far this year 42% of the funding drummed up by Europe’s startups…

In Estonia domestic tourists declined, while the number of foreign travelers rose.337,000 guests stayed at hotels in Estonia in June 2023, the same number as in June of the previous year, according to Statistics Estonia. According to Statistics Estonia’s chief analyst, Helga Laurmaa, almost 163,000 foreign tourists were lodged in Estonia in June. “Foreign arrivals did not yet reach the pre-crisis level of June 2019, remaining a third lower, but compared with June 2022, the number of foreign tourists increased by 9 percent,” she said. Domestic traveler numbers decreased for the third consecutive month; they were down 5% in April,…

Rishi Sunak arrived in Aberdeenshire on Monday on a private jet, flying into exactly the kind of row he has been stoking since green issues handed his Conservatives a surprise by-election win less than a fortnight ago. Trailing Labour by about 20 points in national polls, the Tory triumph in Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat was widely attributed to a backlash against a new daily charge aimed at highly polluting cars. Sunak’s trip to Britain’s oil capital, partly to announce plans for hundreds more North Sea drilling licences in the years to come, was the latest in…

As European concerns grow about its energy supply this coming winter, amid new threats from Russia to completely cut off gas flows while the war in Ukraine continues, energy issues are expected to dominate the agenda in talks during the official visit to Nicosia of the Greek Prime Minister on Monday, July 31. And while Cyprus is currently not yet ready to supply the EU with natural gas, there is the prospect that in a few years it will be able to emerge as a key producer of natural gas that will be transported to Europe, via Greece, or via…

Tattoos were considered a sign of “otherness” in ancient Greece, as it was either foreigners or slaves, criminals, and captives who had tattoos in ancient Greek society. Body modification, such as tattoos and piercings, has been common throughout human societies across the world since Neolithic times. Humans have felt the urge to modify their bodies with tattoos for various cultural, religious, and aesthetic reasons for centuries. While tattooing developed independently across numerous cultures, Greeks were among the first people to begin inking their skin, as historical records date ancient Greek tattooing to as early as the 5th century BC. Tattooing has…

A team of social workers tasked with preventing public disorder in the Paris suburb of Malakoff did the rounds ahead of Bastille Day after weeks of rioting. On a sunny weekend evening, the modus operandi of engaging with the community appeared to have worked. Children wandered around with glitter on their cheeks, waving balloons while French pop singer Corine performed for dozens of onlookers. Despite fears of the riots that have gripped France in recent weeks, the festivities in the southwest Paris suburb of Malakoff went off without a hitch on Thursday. While a large police force was present, filtering…

Fortum Battery Recycling is planning a new recycling hub in Germany. The company says it is looking into setting up a “production facility for sustainable secondary battery materials” in the industrial area of Artern in Thuringia. Fortum Battery Recycling confirmed the news in a press release, but does not give any details about the planned size of the plant. What is clear, however, is that the mechanical processing of spent batteries and production rejects will take place at the site of Fortum’s first German recycling plant in Kirchardt in the state of Baden-Württemberg, where commercial operations have been running since…

The Royal Navy is facing a “war for talent in this country”, but the head of the service remains confident in the capability of his force. First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key has highlighted that the shrinking trend in personnel must be reversed as, “for the first time since the end of the Second World War”, the Navy has got to get bigger. The head of the Royal Navy has reflected on the changes the Royal Navy is going through in an interview with The House magazine. The First Sea Lord did acknowledge while speaking to The House, that the change would not…

91 migrants have been rescued by Greek authorities from a river islet at Evros, before being transferred to a processing centre near the border with Turkey, police said on Sunday. According to amna, the police reported that the group consisted of 32 men, 25 women and 34 children, while many migrants mentioned they were from Syria. The Red Cross was present at the operation. The migrants were present on the islet on Evros river since Friday and their presence was made known to Greek authorities by emails from non-governmental organisations. Part of the islet is on Greek territory and part is Turkish. According…