Europe

Thousands of students marched in Prague on Wednesday in protest against the Czech government’s plan to overhaul public media funding, which would eliminate access fees and make state funding the sole source. Critics warn this could jeopardise media independence and lead to significant budget cuts and layoffs.

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A second French soldier, Corporal Anicet Girardin, has died from wounds sustained during a Hezbollah ambush on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, President Emmanuel Macron confirmed. This follows the death of Staff Sergeant Florian Montorio in the same attack, marking a significant escalation for French forces in the region.

Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for his involvement in the disappearance of $1 billion from the country’s banking system in 2014. The court also ordered the seizure of approximately $60 million from his accounts. Plahotniuc denies the charges and plans to appeal.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant. The ICC says both men – alongside a Hamas leader who was killed in July – bore “criminal responsibility” for crimes during the war between Israel and Hamas. The court accuses Israel of using starvation as a war tactic and for intentionally targeting civilians.

Despite Hungary’s resistance, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and France have signalled that they would respect the court’s decision and potentially arrest Netanyahu if he travelled to one of their countries.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday he would invite Benjamin Netanyahu to visit his country and that he would guarantee that an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister would “not be observed.”

Russia has fired intercontinental missiles into Ukraine, marking the first time they have used such weapons. It comes after Ukraine fired British and American missiles into Russia. The ongoing escalations in the war dominate European news, as the EU leaders prepare for US support for Ukraine to come to a screeching end in January when Donald Trump takes office.

The ongoing discussions at COP29 continue to dominate European news as a climate finance deal has failed to break a stand-off between rich and poor nations.

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