Police shot dead a gunman yesterday whose attacks on a Copenhagen synagogue and an event promoting free speech may have been inspired by an attack on French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo last month, authorities said.

A man has died after at least one gunman opened fire on a cafe in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, which was hosting a freedom of speech debate.

It was one of last year’s most controversial pictures. And now it has emerged British prime minister David Cameron "muscled in" to be part of the infamous shot.

Get a taste of some of the interesting and quirky happenings in Europe from our Europe correspondent, Ann Cahill.

Britain was last night poised ed to launch air strikes against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in northern Iraq after its parliament overwhelmingly approved military action.

Russia will be the main focus of an extraordinary summit of EU leaders in Brussels today and is likely to play a role in who gets the Union’s top jobs for the coming five years.

For the first time ever, EU leaders have held a vote when nominating the next president of the European Commission, forced by Britain’s David Cameron to break a long tradition of consensus, supported by Hungary’s premier Viktor Orban.

If you thought self-portraits on Twitter were narcissistic, then prepare to feel doubly woozy as social media embraces the twosome, says Katy Harrington

Jack Whitehall landed the Best TV Comedy Actor prize at the British Comedy Awards tonight.

David Cameron has defended himself against criticism for posing for a “selfie” photograph at the memorial service for former South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.

A prominent Danish critic of Islam has escaped an attempt to shoot him dead on his own doorstep.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny will attend a ceremony today where the European Union (EU) will be awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.

Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping reappeared in public today following a two-week absence that had sparked rumours about his health and raised questions about the stability of the country’s succession process.

China’s president-in-waiting Xi Jinping has not been seen in public for more than a week, prompting a wave of speculation on the reason for his absence.

EU leaders agreed yesterday to introduce a single European patent, ending decades of dispute with a deal that will cut costs for inventors and industry.

Denmark elected its first female prime minister last night, ousting the right-wing government from power after 10 years of pro-market reforms and ever-stricter controls on immigration.

DENMARK’S centre-left “Red bloc” was poised to win power yesterday and oust center-right Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, in an election driven by voter anger over the state of the economy, early exit polls showed.

Danish voters appeared set to elect their first female prime minister today and end 10 years of pro-market reforms and a hardening of immigration laws.

Polls have opened in Denmark, where voters are expected to elect their first female prime minister and end 10 years of centre-right rule.

Senior Russian defense ministry official Vladimir Shamanov said today that more US troops in Iraq “won’t be able to radically change the situation with ensuring peace and security".

It’s all hush-hush, but frantic behind-the-scenes efforts are going on to silence Euro-MPs demanding draconian cuts in noise levels in pubs, clubs, karaoke bars and the orchestra pits and concert halls of the European Union.