Browsing: EU

Swedes can change their legal gender from the age of 16, after the Swedish parliament passed a law lowering the age. The law passed with 234 votes in favour and 94 against in Sweden’s parliament. Sweden was the first country to make gender transition legal – in 1972. But the new law has sparked a debate. For some, lowering the age from 18 to 16 will make an “important difference” but critics say more research is needed.

The EU will expand sanctions on Iranian producers of drones and missiles following Iran’s attack on Israel. More than 300 missiles were launched from Iran, with 99% of them shot down or intercepted by Israel and its allies. Iran launched its attack after an Israeli strike on its consulate building in Syria killed 13 people.

US and EU planning new sanctions on Iran after attack  The US and the EU want to see more sanctions on Iran, following the unprecedented…

A significant brawl broke out within the Georgian Parliament amidst intense debates over legislation criticized for its resemblance to Russian policies.

ECB keeps interest rates unchanged but edges closer to potential rate cuts but is monitoring wage inflation

A total solar eclipse traversed North America, cutting diagonally from the southwest to the northeast, casting communities in Mexico, the United States, and Canada into momentary darkness along its path.

Months after the disappearance of toddler Emile Soleil, a hiker stumbled upon some of his bones in an area previously explored.

Fighter jets scrambled after Putin’s missiles fire dangerously close to Nato border Vladimir Putin’s barbaric bombardments on Ukraine came alarmingly close to Nato borders on…

Former Barcelona star Dani Alves released from prison today after serving only a few weeks.

After eight years since formally applying to join the European Union, Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Balkan nation, is set to commence negotiations for EU membership. Last week, the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, recommended initiating talks, a proposal that has now received approval from EU leaders.

West condemns Russian election and have strongly criticized the outcome of Russia’s presidential election.

Denmark sued over arms exports to Israel as EU countries withdraw support for Israeli genocide.

Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, the far-right Hungarian prime minister, asserted that if Donald Trump secures re-election as US president, he “will not provide any financial support” to Ukraine.

The French parliament has enshrined abortion officially as a constitutional right during a momentous joint session held at the Palace of Versailles.

Macron caused a stir among EU members but the rest of the EU don’t agree as Ministers down play attacking Russia!

Aaron Bushnell, US Air Force member set himself on fire outside Israel Embassy in Washington DC

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the new law as a bold step towards eliminating a significant inequality.

Finns headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president, an office whose importance has grown as tensions increased with neighbouring Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. 

Employees from a Ukrainian arms firm conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia, Ukraine’s security service reported.  Yet, the current investigation dates back to August 2022, and “anti-corruption activists do say that things have improved in terms of defence procurement”, said FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Kyiv-Ukraine, Gulliver Cragg. 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday his government will propose legislation to liberalise a near-total abortion ban and ease restrictions on the morning-after pill, which would dramatically reverse the previous administration’s policies.

A group of French farmers protested near the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday.

EU agriculture ministers will discuss on Tuesday how to resolve European farmers’ growing discontent as Brussels scrambles to address the issue ahead of elections this year. Europe’s farmers are in revolt. The fury has led to road blockages and tractor parades in the past few weeks, with farmers taking their protests to the street in France, Germany, Poland and Romania, after the Netherlands earlier.

The Italian was remanded in custody ahead of sentence at Inner London crown court on January 31.

For Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, 2024 has started with renewed bombardment by Russian missiles. But inhabitants, loathe to leave again, are adapting to life with such dangers. A key question is education, which has been almost exclusively online for the past two years. Many school buildings have been destroyed and all are considered unsafe. So the city, and its region, are taking education underground – quite literally. Gulliver Cragg reports.

The trial of suspects allegedly complicit in the planning of the 2018 Trèbes and Carcassonne terrorist attacks in the south of France opens on Monday in Paris. Three men were shot dead in a car park and a supermarket, and a receptionist was taken hostage until a gendarme, Arnaud Beltrame, volunteered to take the place of the captive at the cost of his life. FRANCE 24’s Claire Paccalin reports.