Author: Olga Winter - EU Newsdesk

Hundreds of Lebanese people demonstrated in Paris on Sunday to demand an immediate ceasefire since clashes between Israel and Hezbollah began a year ago.

They are more than 4,000 kilometres away from Lebanon but the conflict still hits close to home.

Since clashes between Israel and Hezbollah (an Iran-aligned Shia militant and political group) began a year ago, more than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon.

The thousands of Franco-Lebanese nationals who are watching the conflict from afar say they’re filled with anger and guilt. Hundreds of them gathered in Paris and around other cities in France on Sunday with the main demand of an immediate ceasefire.

Warning: This text contains descriptions of sexual violence. At first glance, with its medieval city walls and charming alleyways, the French town of Avignon seems like normal French municipality. But the closer one draws to the courthouse, the more the fresh graffiti and posters demand attention: “Gisele, our sun,” “Gisele, our icon,” “Symbol of dignity and courage.” Opposite the court, a banner that reads “Rape is rape” flutters in the wind. Gisele Pelicot’s decision to make the…

Romania has featured less and less in EU politics in recent years. At first glance, this is surprising considering that it is the sixth-largest country in the European Union in terms of population size and of huge strategic significance given its location on the southeastern flank of both the bloc and NATO. This is particularly relevant when one considers that, of all EU member states, Romania has by far the longest shared border with Ukraine.…

Communist-ruled Vietnam last month appointed Luong Cuong, a military general and former director of the political department of the People’s Army, as its new president. Shortly after, Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander who was discharged from the military in 1998 over allegations of military abuses, was sworn in as president of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Prabowo’s government has been described as Indonesia’s “most militarized cabinet” since the fall of Suharto’s…

Voters in the northwestern Swiss city of Basel backed nearly $40 million (€38 million) in public funding on Sunday to host the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. Preliminary results from Sunday’s referendum show that 66.4% of voters in the city supported using taxpayer money for the event. Eurovision funding ensures full spectacle With the funding approved, the annual TV spectacle will proceed with its full traditional flair. Had the money not been granted, Eurovision 2025 would…

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has laid out a bold vision for transforming the EU’s agriculture, fisheries, and food systems to better withstand crises while ensuring sustainability. The opinion “Fostering sustainable and resilient food systems in times of crisis,” requested by the Hungarian presidency, was adopted at the October plenary. By focusing on food security, fair income for producers, environmental resilience, and the next generation of food producers, these proposals offer a…

The United States Air Force (USAF) said that a number of small unidentified drones were detected around three airbases in the United Kingdom over the past week. The US Air Forces in Europe said “small unmanned aerial systems” were seen over Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, and RAF Feltwell, in Norfolk, eastern England. Unclear whether drones were hostile The incidents took place between November 20 and 22 and it was not clear whether…

The meeting in Beirut comes days after four Italian soldiers were injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL base in Shama, apparently fired by Hezbollah or one of its affiliate groups. ADVERTISEMENT The EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell has said UN peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon have the “strong support” of the bloc after meeting their commander in Beirut. Borrell held talks with UNFIL’s Head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant General…

A new EU law permits proceedings in a criminal case initiated in one EU country to be transferred to another EU country if required. This helps ensure that the best-placed country investigates or prosecutes a criminal offence. Source link Cross-border crime: criminal cases can now be transferred to another EU country

Romania’s incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) was tied with far-right NATO critic Calin Georgescu, with 90% of votes counted, as the two battled for first place in the country’s presidential elections on Sunday. Georgescu came in with a razor thin margin of 22% of the vote, while Ciolacu had 21.7%. As neither candidate can achieve an absolute majority, they will have to face off in a runoff vote on December 8. Ballots…

As of 5 October 2024, 512 public tenders submitted by Germany to the EU in the nine first months of the year were accepted and published by the EU Tenders Transparency Portal despite their egregiously discriminatory nature. Their peculiarity was that they contained a “Bidder’s declaration of protection” against a specific religious group to be mandatorily filled in and signed on a “form 2496” for the bidding to be valid. One of the 512…

The Flame | Among ducks and oil sands When Boca Juniors has a home game, several neighborhoods are lost. Banners hang from windows, and as you approach the La Boca area and the La Bombonera stadium, it becomes increasingly dense with loud groups, of all ages, in the blue and yellow colors of the team. The team is one of the country’s biggest, and faces Argentina Juniors in a derby. A few blocks from La…

Ireland and Britain were battered by winter storm Bert on Saturday, which brought strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice that UK forecasters called a “multi-hazard” event. The severe weather closed roads, airports, ferry and train routes on both sides of the Irish Sea. What’s the latest on Storm Bert? One person died near Winchester, in southern England, after a tree fell onto a car on a major highway, police said. A second death from a…

Over the past 5 years, the von der Leyen Commission has passed more environmental regulations than any in history. The Green Deal was a triumph of soaring rhetoric and self-satisfaction. But the Regulations themselves were just words on a page – with no more force in the real world than the endless tweets and press releases emanating from MEPs’ offices. Now, though, the implementation is here. The real world, it turns out, does not…

KINGNEWSWIRE // Valencia, Spain – Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VMs) have coordinated over 3000 hours of volunteer work so far in Valencia and the applications of volunteers keep growing, while still much more is needed. VMs in Valencia are cleaning streets, houses, garages, delivering food, clothes, and tools, all thanks to the solidarity of the Scientology network in Spain, joined by friends and relatives, and the generous support of the International Association of Scientologists, thanks to whom…

Security agencies in the Philippines raised safety measures on Saturday after Vice President Sara Duterte threatened to have the country’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assassinated. Duterte spoke during a morning press briefing and said that she had spoken to an assassin, instructing him to kill Marcos, his wife, and the speaker of the Philippine House, if she herself were to be killed. ‘Do not stop until you kill them’ — Vice President Duterte’s threat…

French President Emmanuel Macron attends commemoration ceremonies of Strasbourg liberation. ADVERTISEMENT French President Emmanuel Macron commemorated the 80th anniversary of Strasbourg’s WWII liberation by attending several ceremonies on Saturday. At Broglie Square in Strasbourg, he reviewed troops and bowed before a monument to General Philippe Leclerc, who led the Free French troops into the city on November 23, 1944. Macron also visited the Bruche Valley for a “memorial tour” including the Natzweiler- Struthof concentration…

At the European Political Community (EPC) meeting in Budapest, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined a strategic vision for Europe’s future, emphasizing transatlantic relations, economic resilience, and defense preparedness. Von der Leyen began by congratulating Donald J. Trump on his recent electoral victory, expressing eagerness to strengthen the transatlantic bond. This gesture underscores the EU‘s commitment to robust relations with the United States, a key ally in addressing global challenges. The President…

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Saturday signed a law that allows debt forgiveness for new recruits signing up to fight in Ukraine, government announced. The new legislation allows those signing up for a one-year contract to have their bad debts of up to 10 million roubles (€92,000, $95,835), written off. Law won’t apply to those already enlisted The law — approved by parliament earlier this month — will be applicable to potential recruits who have…

On 28 November, it will be one year since a SWAT team of around 175 policemen wearing black masks, helmets, and bullet proof vests, simultaneously descended at 6 am on eight separate houses and apartments in and around Paris but also in Nice where Romanian yoga practitioners had decided to go into spiritual retreat. The police forces were then brandishing semi-automatic rifles, shouting, making very loud noises, crashing doors and putting everything upside down.…

Defense alliance NATO chief Mark Rutte has met US President-elect Donald Trump to discuss global security issues, according to a NATO spokesperson. The meeting took place in Palm Beach, Florida. During his first term as US president, 2017-2020, Trump pushed for European NATO countries to spend more on defense and described the alliance’s cost-sharing as unfair to the US. Rutte took over as NATO chief from Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg in November. Before taking office in…

In a newly released report, the European Investment Bank (EIB) reveals that Africa’s fintech sector has nearly tripled in size since 2020, bringing vital financial services to underserved communities across the continent. However, the report, Finance in Africa 2024, also underscores significant barriers to growth: high funding costs and limited capital, which are hindering Africa’s climate and digital transitions. “Fintech is revolutionizing the way we think about finance in Africa,” noted EIB Vice-President Thomas…

Two Turkish opposition mayors were removed from office, Ankara said Friday, after they were convicted of “terrorism” for belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The pair are the fifth and sixth pro-Kurdish mayors to be dismissed on similar charges over the past two months, including the mayor of Istanbul’s most populous district. What do we know about the firings? Tunceli’s elected mayor Cevdet Konak, and Mustafa Sarigul, mayor of Ovacik in Tunceli province, in Turkey’s southeast, were found guilty of…

At the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference on 11-22 November in Azerbaijan, the European Union will work with international partners to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement of limiting global average temperature rise to as close as possible to 1.5C. Climate change continues to be an issue which knows no borders, and increasingly harms lives and livelihoods across Europe and around the world. At COP29, the Parties to the Paris Agreement must ensure that…

The United States and Fiji had talks to strengthen military ties, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during his visit to the Pacific nation on Saturday. The two nations are negotiating a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that will enable the US “to deploy and re-deploy forces in support of Fiji,” according to Austin. The US defense secretary added that it will help “US train with the Fijians on a more routine basis.” The US…