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.

Netherlands: Is centrist leader Pieter Omtzigt the Dutch version of France’s Macron? EU

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.

Italian court convicts more than 200 people in Calabria mafia trial EU

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. 

More than 200 mobsters convicted in historic Italian mafia trial EU

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. 

In the run-up to the Olympics, Paris firefighters to hire 1,200 recruits in 2024 EU

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.

‘A cold cell for being a journalist’: Husband of US-Russian national Alsu Kurmasheva calls for her release EU

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.

Paris suburb mourns death of 17-year-old killed by police four months on EU

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.

Marine Le Pen’s attendance at march against anti-Semitism sparks a political fracas EU

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.