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<p>BERLIN (AFP) - Leading German politicianson Tuesday called for the US ambassador to be expelled, after the staunch ally of Donald Trump was accused of meddling in domestic politics and aggravating already tense ties.</p> <p>Richard Grenell had taken up his diplomatic posting in Berlin on May 8, and immediately irked Germany when he tweeted on the same day that German companies should stop doing business with Iran as Trump quit the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.</p>

Horst Seehofer -- the leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) ally, the Christian Social Union -- is calling on Angela Merkel and Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz to make sure that the talks between Merkel's CDU and Schulz's SPD are successful. Seehofer says the Social Democrats shooting down the results of the talks on Sunday would absolutely be a "catastrophe" for Germany. When asked by German newspaper Bild whether he has faith in the SPD -- which seems to be internally divided on the question whether or not it should form a coalition with the CDU -- Seehofer...

MARTIN Schulz’s dream of a United States of Europe is crumbling before his eyes after a shock poll revealed low support for the controversial super-bloc. Earlier this month Martin Schulz said he wanted a “United States of Europe” by 2025 but dire approval ratings for the superstate may scupper the former European Parliament president’s vision. A poll by YouGov has put pressure on Mr Schulz to prove a United States of Europe is desired by the bloc - let alone beneficial. The survey of 8,138 people earlier this month showed disapproval for the project in six European Union member states....

The former president of the European Parliament has called Donald J. Trump’s policies “un-American” and said he will stand up to the U.S. president if he is elected to be Germany’s next chancellor.

On Friday, leaders European Union member states will meet for their next informal meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia — the second one without Britain. Also in attendance will be Martin Schulz, the German president of the European Parliament. Schulz is very concerned about the current state of the EU. […] Schulz also expressed his fears of a possible US President Donald Trump. “Then you will have an obviously irresponsible man sitting in a position that requires the utmost sense of responsibility,” he says. “Trump is not just a problem for the EU, but for the whole world.” […] … “When a...

Moves to let European Parliament head Martin Schulz extend his tenure are sparking fresh infighting in the crisis-hit EU, with his opponents warning it would be akin to a declaration of war. The bearded 60-year-old German former bookshop owner has been in office for five years, more than anyone else since the parliament held its first international elections in 1979. Schulz now looks set to seek another two and a half years at the helm of the EU’s only elected body, a position whose profile he has raised with outspoken views on issues ranging from Brexit to Grexit. But Schulz...

Ukip leader Nigel Farage was jeered by the European Parliament after he told MEPs that they were "in denial" about Brexit and that they had "never had a proper job before". His astonishing speech at a special meeting of the European Parliament today ended with boos echoing through the Brussels chamber. Mr Farage used his speech to declare that Brexit was "a beacon of hope" to other member states but he also infuriated MEPs when he said: "Now, I know that virtually none of you have ever done a proper job in your lives or worked in business or worked...

BRUSSELS: EU chiefs on Friday told Britain to start negotiations to quit the bloc "as soon as possible", after outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron said he would leave the negotiations to his successor. "We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be," said a joint statement after Britons voted for a Brexit . "Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty." The statement was issued by EU president Donald Tusk, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Parliament leader Martin Schulz and Dutch premier Mark...

Speaking at a meeting discussing religious persecution held by the Open Doors organization in Brussels on December 2, European Parliament President Martin Schulz said that "Christians are not safe" on the European continent. During his talk, Schulz said that the persecution of Christians is "undervalued" and does not receive enough attention and, consequentially, it "hasn't been properly addressed." Schulz continued, 'It should shake us up that on our continent, Christians are not safe."

German Social Democratic Party (SPD) MEP Jo Leinen told The Local on Monday he was unhappy with comments from European Parliament (EP) President Martin Schulz, who suggested that Britain should be allowed to opt out of the call to work towards “ever closer union” among EU countries. “The only country that has opted out of European integration with special rules in the past decades has been Great Britain,” Schulz told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. “We would only be recognizing what has been true for London for a long time.” But Social Democratic MEP Jo Leinen told The Local that Schulz’s...

After Jean-Claude Juncker’s election to the Commission Presidency in Strasbourg on Tuesday (15 July), excitement in Germany was felt across party lines. “(It’s) A good sign for Europe’s capacity to act,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel commented. “He will receive our total support,” said the country’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. For the first time, European citizens have had direct influence on the appointment of the EU top job—and they successfully asserted their choice, Steinmeier said optimistically. Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, spoke of a “historic day for European Democracy”. …

Imprisoning gays and lesbians for their sexuality is a “disgrace” that should disqualify offending countries from EU aid, the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, told a joint summit with MPs from the Pan-African Parliament yesterday (31 March), sparking a row. On 25 March, Ethiopia became the third African country, after Uganda and Nigeria, to institute long-term imprisonments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people, with other African states, including Kenya, said to be preparing to follow suit. This represented “an unacceptable violation of the basic rights of individuals” said Schulz, who has been widely tipped to be...

Martin Schulz, who is visiting Israel to give a speech in the Knesset, wasn't eager to discuss settlements with reporters. Anti-Semitism has been a constant in Europe, and that hasn't changed irrespective of what goes on in the Middle East, the president of the European Parliament, who is in Israel to deliver a speech to the Knesset later Wednesday, told The Jerusalem Post. "Anti-Semitism always existed in Europe," said EU Parliament chief Martin Schulz. "I thought that after World War II we were stronger in fighting such demons in politics. This is a deception. Nothing disappeared, all the prejudice is...

A speech in Knesset Wednesday given by the head of the European Union Parliament caused outrage, and ultimately sparked a walk-out. Several MKs expressed upset as EU parliament president Martin Schulz, who spoke in German, repeated as fact Palestinian Authority claims of Israeli discrimination regarding allocation of water in Judea and Samaria, and of a “blockade” on Gaza. Schulz condemned Israeli “settlements” east of the 1949 armistice line as “an obstacle to peace,” and claimed, “The blockade of Gaza creates despair and extremism.” …

David Cameron is quietly sounding out Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny about becoming the next President of the European Union in a bid to boost his hopes of renegotiating Britain’s relationship with Brussels. Downing Street officials are seeking a candidate who can stop Socialist Martin Schulz, the German left-winger who is currently President of the European Parliament and is backed by Labour. Senior sources say Britain wants to block Mr. Schulz “at all costs” since his taste for more regulation on business would scupper efforts to make Europe more competitive. …

IN AN OLD gangster movie, actor Edward G. Robinson had a great line, "You can dish it out, but you can't take it," which applies perfectly to the European left. They come along and hit you on the side of the head, and if you raise a fist in response, they cry, "Foul, foul, foul!" Thus it was that a German Socialist, Martin Schulz, was wounded oh, so deeply when Silvio Berlusconi answered in kind to Schulz's slam during a session of the European Parliament. Berlusconi is the conservative prime minister of Italy and a very rich, outspoken man who...