Europe Riots in Catalonia On October 14, riots broke out in the Spanish province of Catalonia. The large crowd of protesters blocked roads and railways in opposition to the state’s decision to imprison the former leaders of the Catalan government. The Supreme Court of Spain charged them in relation to illegal separatist activity.  The Spanish authorities were unable to stop ...

Europe France: militarizing space On September 3, French Defense Minister Florence Parley signed an order to establish and organize a “Space Command” (Commandement de l’Espace – CDE) to work in tandem with the French Air Force. France plans to transform the new Space Command into joint Aerospace Forces. Paris does not exclude the possibility of mobilizing weapons for use in ...

Europe G7: the split intensifies The G7 summit was held in France between August 24 and 26. The leaders of the US, France, Germany, UK, Canada, Japan and Italy discussed internal contradictions between the world’s leading economies, particularly between Washington and the rest of the member nations, and compromises were reached on some issues. The United States and France signed ...

Europe   Assange arrested On April 11, Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, was arrested in London after Ecuador revoked political asylum earlier granted to the journalist. Since 2012, Assange has been held in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.   Britain is likely to extradite Assange to the US against Assange’s wishes. Assange is accused in the United States of cyber ...