The FIFA World Cup 2018 will be remembered for many reasons, not least the impressive performance of Croatia. With a population of just over four million people, Croatia has demonstrated what is possible for nations without the resources or extensive talent pool available to the traditional powerhouses of international football. As president of Gabala FK in Azerbaijan, the World Cup has served to reemphasise the importance of investing and supporting the development of football domestically. The divergence in the fortunes of Western and Eastern European footballing nations has been universally recognised as damaging to the sport. Both the international and club sides of Eastern Europe have experienced a significant downturn in their fortunes. If we are to disrupt the status quo of international football, increased levels of investment specifically targeted at the next generation of players is urgently required. The dominance of Western European football is only a relatively new … [Read more...] about How Western Europe’s football dominance could be undone
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Western Europe or US may try to invade Russia like Napoleon & Hitler did – filmmaker Kusturica to RT
There is a scenario where Russia may be invaded by Western Europe or the US, Serbian movie director Emir Kusturica told RT, pointing out that Napoleon and Adolf Hitler tried to do that once, but both failed. “Western Europe or America will try to do what Napoleon tried,” the award winning film director suggested while speaking about relations between Moscow and the West. “Napoleon went to Russia with 600,000 soldiers and came back with 30,000. [Adolf] Hitler was [also] defeated,” he continued. Yet the renowned film director believes that in five years there will be a Eurasian continent which would unify people and make their lives better, but only on one condition - if there are “no big wars.” “The unification of the Eurasian continent economically – not necessarily politically – might happen in the end… It will be an unavoidable scenario,” he stressed. He added that the East and the West would be more unified and … [Read more...] about Western Europe or US may try to invade Russia like Napoleon & Hitler did – filmmaker Kusturica to RT
Left-right ideological divide remains relevant in Western Europe
Despite the rise of populist parties, the right-left division remains relevant, particularly on issues such as immigration and the role of the government, according to a study by the American think tank The Pew Research Centre. EURACTIV.fr reports. The research centre conducted a public opinion study on six countries in Western Europe (France, Denmark, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and interviewed more than 16.000 people from 30 October to 20 December 2017. It concluded that the left-right ideological division remains relevant in Western Europe. Respondents had to place themselves on a left-right ideological scale and their ‘populist views’ were measured on the basis of their answers to two questions: “Ordinary people would do a better job solving the country’s problems than elected officials” and “Most elected officials don’t care what people like me think”. “While populist views play a significant … [Read more...] about Left-right ideological divide remains relevant in Western Europe
Honorary Belgian MP: ‘In Western Europe We’re Fed Up With Sanctions’
Sputnik: The EU extended its anti-Russia sanctions recently. What is the reaction here in Brussels, and what is your opinion about them? Frank Creyelman: We always have been opposed to sanctions, because sanctions serve one goal — to sell American coal to the European Union. Trump said that he finds it "appalling" — these are his words — that the European Union is depending on Russian energy, so to Trump that's "undermining the NATO". So, that is the reason why the sanctions are there: everything is good to keep these sanctions alive. In Western Europe we're fed up with the sanctions. Lots of our farmers and people who exported to Russia and cannot do that anymore, they now found other markets, but they regret not being able to export to Russia. And Nord Stream 2, the pipeline which is coming from Russia to Germany and feeding the European market — that's … [Read more...] about Honorary Belgian MP: ‘In Western Europe We’re Fed Up With Sanctions’
Austrian president: Trostenets was blank spot for Western Europe too long
Alexander Lukashenko, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Alexander Van der Bellen MINSK, 29 June (BelTA) – The history of Trostenets and its victims was a blank spot on the map of memory of Western Europe for too long, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said at a commemorative ceremony at the site of the former death camp Trostenets on 29 June, BelTA has learned. “People know about Auschwitz and this is important. However, Auschwitz often overshadows other places that are just as gruesome. If the names of concentration camps and death camps fall into oblivion, the memory of countless victims and mass extermination may fade away. Nazis established a network of terror that spread all over Europe. It is in our own interests to engrave these events in the collective memory of Europe as a warning,” Alexander Van der Bellen said. “We are witnessing a watershed period when people who survived the biggest catastrophe of the 20th century are leaving us. When … [Read more...] about Austrian president: Trostenets was blank spot for Western Europe too long