Tag: Featured

    A Muslim prayer hall in Ajaccio, Corsica, was vandalised on December 25, 25015 Demonstrators ransacked a Muslim prayer hall and attempted to burn copies of the Koran on the French island of Corsica Friday, police said, following a night of violence that left two firefighters injured. Tensions had mounted in Ajaccio on Christmas Day after two firefighters and a police officer were wounded overnight in Jardins de L’Empereur, a low-income neighbourhood of the city when they were “ambushed” by “several hooded youths”, authorities said. On Friday afternoon around 150 people had gathered in front of police headquarters in the island’s capital in a show of support for the police and firefighters, officials said in a statement. But some in that crowd broke away to join as many as ...

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his celebrated rhetorical skills to save a life on Friday, preventing a man from jumping off Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge. The man was apparently preparing to jump to his death when Erdogan's motorcade was passing over the bridge linking Europe with Asia after Friday prayers. News footage showed Erdogan's bodyguards bringing the sobbing man, who appeared to be in his early 30s, to talk to him through the window of his car. After a few moments, the man can be seen kissing Erdogan's hand behind the barrier of the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, on December 25, 2015 The man was then escorted to safety, the Dogan news agency reported. It said police had been trying for almost two hours to talk the man out of committing suicide after he a...

    The German and French governments have offered David Cameron a deal that partially meets his demands to renegotiate European Union migrant welfare rules, it has been reported. The Politico Europe website cites French officials close to the talks who say Francois Hollande and Angelea Merkel have told Mr Cameron they would support EU migrants being banned from claiming in-work benefits for three years. Banning EU migrants from claiming in-work benefits, like tax credits, for four years when they first arrived is Mr Cameron’s main goal in the talks. “British officials are open to compromises and alternatives, and David Cameron got the impression last week that several heads of state and government were ready for compromise as well,” a French official close to the talks report...