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If the European Commission makes the recommendation this Wednesday that Turks be granted visa-free travel in Europe’s Schengen area as whispers from well-placed EU sources suggest, then it will do so holding its nose and its breath. The freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial and revising terrorism legislation to better protect minority rights – these are just ...

Solar Impulse, the zero-fuel aeroplane, has flown the first leg across the continental United States in its attempt to fly around the world. It left Mountain View, California, at dawn on Monday and landed 16 hours later in Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. It was the 10th leg of its round the world quest. Swiss adventurer Andre Borschberg was ...

The number of migrants and refugees crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey into Europe is falling significantly but people smugglers can rapidly change routes and authorities must not reduce their security efforts prematurely, the head of NATO said on Thursday. Speaking in the Turkish capital, Ankara, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the migrant crisis showed the urgent need for ...

US President Barack Obama and Gulf Arab leaders started talks in Riyadh on Thursday at a summit aimed at forging joint action on perceived security threats from Iran and Islamic State, and at ironing out strains in their old alliance. Obama, who arrived on Wednesday, hopes to allay Gulf countries’ fears over Iranian influence and encourage them to douse sectarian ...

Up to 400 migrants were feared to have drowned today after trying to cross the Mediterranean by boat in a bid to reach Europe. Most of the victims were thought to have been fleeing Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea and had hoped to land in Italy. The country’s president, Sergio Mattarella, confirmed this morning there had been an incident in which ...

The Australian politician who threatened to kill Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s dogs has made fun of the star couple’s apology video. Ms Heard, 29, escaped conviction after pleading guilty to falsifying documents before a Queensland court on Monday. A video of the pair apologising for flying their dogs Pistol and Boo into the country was played to the court. ...

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed he intends to call an election for 2 July. On Monday Australia’s upper house, the Senate, rejected a piece of government legislation for a second time. This provided Mr Turnbull with a trigger for a so-called double dissolution election. Mr Turnbull said at a press conference on Tuesday that he intended to ask ...

The founder of Germany’s anti-Islamist Pegida movement has gone on trial in Dresden on hate speech charges. Lutz Bachmann, 43, is accused of inciting racial hatred in Facebook posts, in which he called refugees “cattle”, “scumbags” and “filth”. Pegida’s rallies have attracted thousands of supporters in Germany. Separately, police arrested five suspects near Dresden accused of attacking migrant hostels and ...

New York is holding presidential primaries seen as key for both Republican and Democratic front-runners after their recent defeats. Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton, a former senator for New York, is expected to win against Brooklyn-born Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. For the Republicans, Queens-born Donald Trump is likely to come ahead of Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Wins will put Mrs Clinton ...

An Indian police horse that had a leg amputated after being allegedly assaulted by a politician, has been fitted with a state-of-the-art prosthetic limb that is allowing the animal to stand again, Raju Gusain reports. Ganesh Joshi, a legislator from the northern state of Uttarakhand, was arrested after he allegedly beat the horse, named Shaktiman, with a stick, during a ...