Browsing: Europe

Europe is a continent and is different to the European Union.

Switzerland’s non-membership of the EU means it is viewed as more neutral than countries like Austria, Ireland or Sweden.

‘Russia launches record number of drones’ & ‘French mass rape trial concludes’ & ‘Merkel releases highly anticipated memoir’ – Paper Talk Europe EU

Russia’s record bombing of Ukraine leads much of the bloc’s major news sites this morning as Ukraine’s air force says it has shot down 76 Russian drones in 17 regions, whilst another 95 were lost from their radars or downed by electronic jamming defensive systems in overnights attacks.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel also dominates much of the European news. A formidable feature of European politics, Merkel served Germany for 16 years. Today, her memoir Freedom is released. The highly anticipated memoir confronts criticisms of her policies on Russia and migration, which some say left Germany overly dependent on Russian gas and has fueled the rise of the far right in the Deutschland.

The conclusion of the mass rape trial in France finds plenty of space as prosecutors demand the maximum sentence for Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband and women around the world protesting for an end to violence against women. Much of the European media – including the UK – are running various campaigns and stories around violence towards women, sexual assault and calls for governments to do better.

Romania set for right-wing runoff after PM eliminated EU

In the first round of Romania’s presidential election, a far-right candidate who opposes NATO has taken an unexpected lead.
Calin Georgescu, an independent, won 22.94% of votes in Sunday’s voting, knocking Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu out of the race.
Georgescu will face center-right contender Elena Lasconi, leader of the opposition Save Romania Union, in the presidential run-off on December 8.

‘I feel totally useless’: Anguish grows among Lebanese diaspora in France EU

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.