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.
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
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Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
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Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
