News in Europe: Poland vs. Germany

Greetings, citizens! This week we have another mix of the bad, the dangerous and the downright depressing, but as always, there’s hope.

As the female bosses of both countries met, the Guardian offered a neat comparison between Poland and Germany. A few days later, the two nations played a game of football, and nothing is as it was before: For the first time in its history, Poland beat its neighbour, and everybody’s jolly happy. Including me.

A UN medical official has died of Ebola in a hospital in Leipzig, Germany, which is uncomfortably close to where my family lives.

In Ukraine, nationalists have clashed with police in Kiev.

In Northern Ireland, a large stash of explosives has been uncovered by police.

Catalonia is getting ready for an unofficial poll on independence after Spain has declared the planned referendum illegal.

After elections in Bosnia, nationalists from rival ethnic groups now claim victory.

After Britain’s Ukip won their first ever parliamentary seat and started talking big, the situation for immigrants in the UK suddenly looks a lot more worrying. Two news items this week paint a bleak picture of EU immigration. Very interesting, if infuriating, reads.

New Europeans, a network of Europeans living abroad in the EU, claims that 4 out of 5 EU citizens not living in their home countries were denied the vote in the EU elections earlier this year. If this was truly the case, it’s nothing short of shocking.

In more positive news, here’s a list of this year’s Nobel Prize winners.

And for those of us struggling with foreign language acquisition, here’s a parrot to make us feel even more foolish. Smug bastard.

Until next week!