Author: EU News

Plans to keep Olympic rings on Eiffel Tower sparks row Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has sparked controversy with her plan to keep the Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower after the summer Games conclude. She announced her intention to retain the rings, stating she has the backing of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).”The decision is up to me, and I have the agreement of the IOC [International Olympic Committee],” she told the Ouest-France newspaper over the weekend. “So yes, they [the rings] will stay on the Eiffel Tower,” she added. The proposal has divided opinion among Parisians. While some support…

German far right election victory in east Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is celebrating a major victory in the eastern state of Thuringia, where it won nearly a third of the vote, outpacing the conservative CDU by nine points. This marks the first time since World War Two that the far right has won a state parliament election in Germany, although the AfD is unlikely to form a government as other parties are expected to refuse any cooperation. The AfD also performed strongly in Saxony, a more populous neighbouring state, finishing a close second with 27.4% of the…

Russian air strikes on Kharkiv injures at least 41 Russian air strikes have injured at least 41 people in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, including five children, according to regional officials. Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region, accused Moscow of targeting civilian infrastructure, noting that a supermarket and a sports complex—both frequented daily by residents—were among the damaged buildings. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his plea for more support from Western allies, urging them to provide Ukraine with the necessary resources to defend itself. Syniehubov reported at least 10 separate Russian strikes in the city, including those involving…

Germany to tighten knife laws after horror mass stabbing The German government has announced a new security package that includes knife bans and stricter asylum measures following a mass stabbing at a street festival in Solingen, which left three people dead. The attack has shocked the nation and ignited a heated debate over asylum policies, as the primary suspect is a 26-year-old Syrian refugee, Issa Al H, who was already facing deportation. Al H is under investigation for murder and alleged links to the militant group Islamic State (IS), which claimed responsibility for the attack and released a video purportedly…

Telegram boss banned from leaving France in criminal probe Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has been placed under formal investigation in France over alleged involvement in organised crime facilitated through the messaging app, according to Paris prosecutors. Durov, 39, is not in custody but is under judicial supervision, requiring him to pay a €5 million deposit, report to a French police station twice a week, and remain within French territory. The Russian-born billionaire, who holds French citizenship, was detained last Saturday at Le Bourget airport near Paris under a warrant related to activities on the Telegram platform.…

Three crew investigated over Bayesian yacht sinking Italian authorities have expanded their investigation into the sinking of the Bayesian yacht, which resulted in the deaths of seven people, including British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch. The inquiry now includes the ship’s engineer, Tim Parker Eaton, and sailor Matthew Griffith, alongside the yacht’s captain, New Zealander James Cutfield, who was already under investigation for manslaughter and causing the shipwreck. The 56-meter yacht, flying a British flag, sank rapidly off the northern coast of Sicily during a pre-dawn storm on August 19 while anchored. Parker Eaton was reportedly responsible for securing the yacht’s…

Flights grounded amid major IT outages across the Netherlands Operations at Eindhoven Airport, which also serves as a military installation, were impacted after major IT outages grounded flights on Wednesday. Major IT failures reported across the Netherlands on Wednesday, which have resulted in grounded flights, civil servants being locked out of their computers, and police officers resorting to texting one another, have been blamed on a network outage at the country’s Ministry of Defense. The extent and the cause of the problems are not yet known, but a spokesperson for the Dutch defense ministry confirmed the issue can be traced…

France’s Macron won’t name leftist prime minister, prolonging political crisis French President Emmanuel Macron ruled out naming a prime minister from the leftist New Popular Front alliance and instead started a new round of consultations on Tuesday with parties to try to form a new government, Macron’s office said. Realising a government led by the New Popular Front (NFP) would immediately face a no-confidence vote in parliament from all other parties, Macron will confer with party heads and political leaders, the statement said on Monday.

Starmer wants to ‘reset relationship with Europe’ in Berlin talks Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with German leaders on Wednesday to discuss a major economic and defence agreement, aiming to reset the UK’s relationship with Europe. During his two-day visit to Germany and France, Starmer hopes to improve ties with European allies and move beyond the strained relations of the previous Conservative government, with a focus on boosting Britain’s economic growth. In Berlin, Starmer will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss a new pact that seeks to enhance military cooperation and increase collaboration in trade and energy.…

Greece fighting dozens of wildfires that sparked overnight causing major disruption for residents and holidaymakers. A large wildfire broke out southeast of Athens on Sunday afternoon, amid warnings that the worst of the summer heat is yet to come. A wildfire ignited Saturday afternoon in the area of Mount Parnitha, known as “the lungs of Athens”, was controlled Saturday evening with the help of reinforcements from the regions of Thessaly, Epirus, and Central Macedonia, as well as volunteer firefighters. The Greeks are bracing themselves for another summer of heat and wildfires. Facing another summer of battles with wildfires. The wildfire…

Türkiye to euthanize 10 million stray dogs after a surge of attacks on locals in the country. The country is facing a major problem and a backlash from locals. These extreme measures are coming out of Turkiye After numerous dog attacks on people in Ankara, a draft regulation was created providing for the euthanasia of homeless pets. Approximately 10 million stray dogs live in Türkiye. Türkiye to euthanize 10 million stray dogs Ankara expects a huge backlash from animal rights groups, however, the government has suggested it has no choice. The Turkish government has drafted new legislation aimed at removing…

Boys are facing challenges with reading, leading to higher dropout rates from the education system and lower likelihood of obtaining a higher education diploma. However, they compensate for this with their self-confidence. Deputy Minister of Education Katarzyna Lubnauer discusses a new “educational gap” that is emerging. The Education ministry is planning changes to encourage Polish boys to read more. The government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk enacted the ban against required homework this month amid a broad discussion about the need to modernize Poland’s education system, which critics say puts too much emphasis on rote learning and homework, and not…

The Swedish government’s promised leisure card for young people is delayed and will not be implemented until 2025. In the meantime, 200 million of the earmarked funds will be used to strengthen youth sports. 200 million kronor will now go to the Swedish Sports For 2024, 730 million kronor has been earmarked for the digital leisure card for all young people between the ages of eight and 16 to pay for recreational activities. Of that amount, 200 million kronor will now go to the Swedish Sports Confederation. “This is a very large investment in strengthening the capacity of the association’s…