Europe at a glance

Paris

Police rapists: Two French police officers – both former members of an elite anti-gang unit – have been found guilty of raping a Canadian tourist at the headquarters of the Paris police in 2014, and sentenced to seven years in prison. The officers were out drinking with colleagues when they met their victim, Emily Spanton, in a bar, then invited her back to 36 Quai des Orfèvres (the French equivalent of Scotland Yard). There, they led her to a fifth-floor office, where they forced her to drink whisky and then raped her. Spanton testified that she had been raped by three men, and a third DNA sample was found on her underwear, but the third attacker has never been identified. Antoine Quirin and Nicolas Redouane claimed that Spanton had consented to sex. Judges had initially rejected the case, but the public prosecutor and Spanton (who waived her right to anonymity) won their appeal to have it tried before a jury.

Paris

Referendum plans: President Macron is reportedly planning to hold a referendum on a range of political reforms in a further attempt to defuse the anger of the gilets jaunes protesters. According to French media, voters will be asked whether the country should have fewer MPS (reducing the number was one of Macron’s campaign pledges). They will also be asked whether they want term limits for MPS. The poll is reportedly going to be held on 26 May, the last day of the European elections. But rather than being asked to tick either “yes” or “no”, voters may be asked to consider a range of options – so that they can’t use the referendum to reject the government’s proposals outright. One of the key demands of the gilets jaunes is that the public should be able to vote on major policy decisions. Macron’s critics have dismissed this proposed referendum as a meaningless sop that will achieve nothing.

Madrid

Tax fraud: The ex-manchester United manager José Mourinho has pleaded guilty to tax fraud in Spain, and has accepted a s2m fine. He was also sentenced to 12 months in jail. However, as part of a deal with prosecutors, he will not serve any time. The Portuguese national was accused of using offshore companies to disguise his earnings from image rights during his time as manager of Real Madrid, and evading s3.3m in tax. He is the latest in a series of sporting figures to be targeted in Spain. Last month, former Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo was fined s18.8m in a similar case.

The Hague, Netherlands

Marathon service: A Dutch church that had been holding a service night and day since late October finally terminated it last week, after the government promised that a family of Armenian refugees that had been sheltering in the church would no longer face immediate deportation. Pastors from the Bethel church had been relying on an obscure medieval law, which forbids the Dutch authorities from interrupting a church service, to protect the Tamrazyan family (including Hayarpi, 21, above, a student). They moved to the Netherlands in 2010 to escape political persecution. The service had lasted 96 days.

Barcelona, Spain

Uber and out: The app-based ride-hailing firms Uber and Cabify have suspended operations in Barcelona in reaction to new rules requiring their drivers to leave a 15-minute delay between a booking and the pick-up. The regulations were introduced following strikes and street blockades by licensed taxi drivers in Barcelona (as well as Madrid) against what they see as unfair competition from app-based cab services (known in Spain as VTCS). Cabify, which claims to have a million users in Barcelona, said that 98.5% of its cars were booked with less than 15 minutes’ notice – and accused the regional government of “caving into the pressure and demands of the taxi industry, seriously damaging the interests of citizens”. The number of VTCS in Spanish cities has surged over the past two years, massively undermining the value of taxi licences, which in Madrid can cost up to s150,000.

Warsaw

Polish spring: A Polish MP well known as the country’s first openly gay politician officially launched a new progressive party last weekend at a campaign rally attended by 6,000 supporters. Robert Biedron said Wiosna (“Spring”) – which is already running third in the polls – would seek to heal the divisions within Polish society and curb the influence of the Catholic Church. Polls suggest that Biedron, who is an atheist, is one of the country’s most trusted politicians; and in a recent survey, voters named him as the politician most likely to unseat Law and Justice, the right-wing nationalist party that has dominated Polish politics in recent years. However, critics say his party will only serve to divide the opposition.

Nebrodi, Sicily

Mafia steals billions from EU: The Mafia has made s3bn over the past ten years by siphoning off EU funds intended for farmers within Sicily’s largest national park, according to a former director of the park, who survived a Mafia assassination attempt in 2016. In his new book, Giuseppe Antoci claims that Cosa Nostra clans use threats to deter farmers within the 210,000-acre Nebrodi National Park from bidding for land leases, then secure the leases at low rates through front companies to gain access to millions in EU subsidies. Anti-mafia prosecutors say that across Italy, the clans have expanded beyond their traditional activities of extortion, drug dealing and prostitution, and moved into the farming and food sectors. They put the value of the “agroMafia business” – which affects the entire food chain, from producers to restaurants – at more than s22bn last year.