Europe’s energy crisis is one of several factors that could increase radicalisation on the continent, deputy executive director of Europol operations Lt Gen Jean-Philippe Lecouffe warned on Tuesday, amid growing calls for increased international co-operation on counter-terrorism.
“We must be careful,” Lt Gen Lecouffe told The National on the margins of a conference on radicalisation and extremism at the European Parliament in Brussels.
“There will probably be people who will be left helpless by the situation. That’s a possible breeding ground for recruitment,” he added, citing the economic crisis in Europe and climate change as other potential drivers of radicalisation.
European energy ministers are struggling to agree on measures to bring down electricity bills that have soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
Inflation across Europe neared 11 per cent in September and political leaders fear social unrest this winter if households cannot be heated properly and if businesses are forced to shut.
Speaking earlier on Tuesday to an audience that included ambassadors to the European Union from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, Lt Gen Lecouffe called on all countries willing to co-operate with the institution to come forward.
“Europol welcomes any partnership with any country and any information that can be useful to reinforce the security of EU citizens but also of citizens of the world travelling to Europe,” he said.
Some ambassadors demanded increased co-operation on counter-terrorism issues from the EU.
“Terrorism cannot be addressed in isolation. You need to have international co-operation,” said Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Belgium and the EU Grace Asirwatham.
She said that international support for her country following the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings that killed 269 people had been minimal.
“With the EU, we have political economic and development relations but counter-terrorism-related relations [are] lacking. We don’t get substantive co-operation.”
Organised by Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky, Tuesday’s conference on radicalisation and extremism brought into sharp focus how groups close to the Muslim Brotherhood had received funding from EU institutions.
“You’d think they’re outcast but they’re not,” said Lorenzo Vidino, director of the programme on extremism at George Washington University. He pointed to events organised by groups with close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood that were held in the same European Parliament conference room as Tuesday’s event.
But the EU also needs to work on preventing flows from outside Europe from reaching such groups that “slip under our radar”, said Natasha Bertaud, deputy head of Cabinet for EU Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas.
“We need to also have a more ample understanding in the commission and institutions but also in member states about how these organisations that challenge EU values are operating,” she said.
The EU only has one mechanism to screen foreign investments which was set up in 2019.
“I think more needs to be done to look at the values at stake, and not just at the strategic aspects of those investments,” said Ms Bertaud.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule
12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)
2pm Formula One final practice
5pm Formula One qualifying
6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
Biog:
Age: 34
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite sport: anything extreme
Favourite person: Muhammad Ali
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The UAE's journey to space
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
more from Janine di Giovanni
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
