Browsing: EU

Italy is one of the main countries of arrival in Europe for thousands of minors crossing the Mediterranean on their own. Since the beginning of her mandate as prime minister, far-right leader Giorgia Meloni has prioritised the fight against illegal immigration. This fall, the Italian executive approved a decree targeting unaccompanied minor migrants. The text toughens their living conditions and imposes stricter measures on verifying their age. Our correspondents report from Palermo, on the island of Sicily.

Surveys have fluctuated wildly in the run-up to election day, but observers believe that whichever party wins the most seats in this Wednesday’s parliamentary elections in the Netherlands may need support from at least three other parties to govern. Dilan Yesilgoz, leader of the centre-right VVD party and successor to outgoing PM Mark Rutte, is hoping to cap a meteoric rise by clinching the top job. She would be the first woman to do so in the Netherlands. Born in Turkey, the 46-year-old Yesilgoz has taken a hard line on immigration. For more, we speak to Professor Joop van Holsteijn from the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University.

Sweden said Tuesday it wanted to introduce new requirements that would allow the deportation of asylum-seekers and immigrants for substance abuse, association with criminal groups or statements threatening Swedish values. 

A new Dutch political party started by Pieter Omtzigt is among those leading in opinion polls for the snap elections in the Netherlands on Wednesday, November 22. Omtzigt, a former Christian Democrat MP, is known for helping bring down the government of Mark Rutte in 2021 after revealing a child benefits scandal, in which thousands of families were wrongly accused of fraud on the basis of their ethnicity. The centrist anti-establishment candidate is shaking up the Dutch political landscape and is already drawing comparisons to French President Emmanuel Macron, who swept to power in 2017 with his new centrist party. So who is Omtzigt, the man who could become the next Dutch prime minister? Our correspondents report.

In a monumental legal event, the Italy Mafia Trial concludes with a sweeping verdict that sees more than 200 defendants facing the consequences of their alleged ties to the notorious ‘Ndrangheta.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday linked historic pro-democracy protests in Kyiv one decade ago to the invasion of Ukraine, describing the demonstrations on Maidan square as the “first victory” of the war with Russia. FRANCE 24’s Emmanuelle Chaze reports from Kyiv.

An Italian tribunal on Monday convicted 207 people and sentenced them to a combined 2,100 years in prison on charges related to their membership in Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta organised crime syndicate, one of the world’s most powerful, extensive and wealthy drug-trafficking groups. The mafia group, which is tied to some 150 Calabrian families, has a near monopoly on the European cocaine trade, bringing in €50 billion annually according to some estimates, FRANCE 24’s Seema Gupta said. 

An Italian tribunal on Monday convicted 207 people and sentenced them to a combined 2,100 years in prison on charges related to their membership in Italy’s ’ndrangheta organized crime syndicate, one of the world’s most powerful, extensive and wealthy drug-trafficking groups. 

Holding olive branches and white banners, French performers from different religious and ethnic backgrounds led thousands of people on a silent march through central Paris on Sunday to call for peace between Israelis and Palestinians and unity in France.

French Senator Joël Guerriau is facing preliminary charges of drugging a fellow lawmaker with the intent to commit “rape or sexual assault”, prosecutors confirmed Friday, in a case that has shocked France. Guerriau was suspended from both his Horizons party and his Senate group on Saturday. 

At the Paris Fire Brigade’s brand new training facilities outside Paris, new recruits are excited to join the ranks of one of the emergency services to be deployed during the Olympic Games next year. Launching a hiring drive to find an extra 300 recruits, aiming to hire a total 1,200 for 2024, the brigade is competing with police, the army and private security companies to employ young people.

After a barrage of earthquakes that herald an impending volcanic eruption, some evacuated residents of the Icelandic town of Grindavik wonder if they will ever return.

Pedro Sanchez won the backing of Spain’s parliament on Thursday for another term as prime minister, with the country divided over his decision to grant Catalan separatists an amnesty in exchange for their crucial support in a vote of confidence.

Alsu Kurmasheva is a dual US-Russian citizen and journalist who has been detained by Russia since October 18, charged with failing to register as a “foreign agent” despite having travelled to Russia for a family emergency. She faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Her husband has called for the State Department to designate her as “wrongfully detained”. “She is a US citizen and has the same rights as any US citizen,” he says.

Nearly five times more people will likely die due to extreme heat in the coming decades, an international team of experts warned on Wednesday, adding that without action on climate change the “health of humanity is at grave risk”.

David Cameron return to UK politics during the Israel-Gaza conflict and pro-Palestinian protests has raised questions about the potential impact on the UK’s Middle East policies.

“There’s a lot of jealousy in football,” said Sheikh Issa, holding up a piece of bark and a bottle of a yellowish potion.

On June 27, 17-year-old Nahel was killed by a police officer. The incident sparked riots across France. The urban violence lasted almost a week and was the worst the country had seen in nearly twenty years. Nanterre, the Paris suburb where Nahel was from and where he was killed, was the epicentre. Northwest of Paris, it was already well-known for being a deprived neighbourhood. During the riots it became associated with images of smashed windows, burnt-out cars, and youths throwing fireworks at the police. But there’s a lot more to Nanterre than that. The town’s inhabitants found a strong community spirit, pride in Nanterre’s notorious tower blocks and a deep desire not to be known as a downtrodden place to live. FRANCE 24’s Claire Paccalin and David Gilberg report.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for unity among the French people ahead of a Paris march against anti-Semitism set for November 12, 2023. Representatives from Macron’s La République en marche (Republic on the move) party, the right-wing Les Republicains, the Socialist Party, the Greens and the French Communist Party were set to participate. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has said she plans to attend. Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon criticised the march, and his La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) party held its own protest against anti-Semitism earlier Sunday – which was disrupted by counter-protesters challenging the party’s stance. 

An Icelandic town home to some 4,000 people near the capital Reykjavik could be heavily damaged by a volcano expected to erupt within hours or days, experts said on Saturday.

Pope Francis on Saturday dismissed US bishop Joseph Strickland, a prominent conservative who had repeatedly criticised his papacy, following concerns over the clergyman’s leadership and governance.

People often think about efforts within a country to reduce inequalities. But what about border regions? They have different rules, different legislations and yet they are very much part of the EU’s cohesion policies. FRANCE 24’s Sophie Samaille and Luke Brown take a look.

Spain is one of the main beneficiaries of the EU’s levelling up policies. But how exactly are the cohesion funds used in the country? FRANCE 24’s Sophie Samaille and Luke Brown tell us more.

Spain’s acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez looked set to clinch another term in office after his Socialist Party (PSOE) on Thursday secured the backing of the Catalan separatist party Junts to form a government in a deal the country’s opposition condemned as “a humiliation”.

A call for a weekend march in Paris against anti-Semitism sparked bitter squabbling between political parties Wednesday despite a surge in anti-Semitic incidents in the country.