Browsing: 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. 

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.

There’s Budapest and there’s Hungary. Ákos and Adam both moved to the capital after growing up in rural, conservative Hungary. Known as an attractive and liberal city, Budapest stands in stark contrast to the nationalist policies of the country’s government. These two young Hungarians told us what it means to be 20 years old and living under this authoritarian government.

Ursula von der Leyen has put five principles for Gaza “basic principles” aimed at shaping the future of the Gaza Strip following the conclusion of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Talking Europe hosts Italian former prime minister Enrico Letta, who is now president of the Jacques Delors Institute. Letta has been tasked by the European institutions to produce a report on the future of the EU single market, which is due to be discussed by the bloc’s leaders next spring. He argues that the single market is under pressure from inside and outside, and that common solutions need to be found. He also calls for a “tailor-made” Stability and Growth Pact to take account of nuances between EU member states, as well as the impact of the crises that the EU has faced in the last three years.

In this debate we focus on the recent election results in Poland and Slovakia, and discuss what they mean for Europe. Liberals across the continent are cheering after Polish opposition parties won enough seats to form a majority, potentially ending eight years of rule by the conservative Law and Justice party. Meanwhile nationalists in Europe have applauded the return to power of Robert Fico in Slovakia. The populist prime minister has struck an agreement with two other parties; a coalition that could set a different tone in relations with Brussels, as well as on key issues such as Ukraine and migration.

At least one person has died and more than a million households were left without electricity in France on Thursday morning as Storm Ciaran struck western Europe overnight, bringing some of the highest wind speeds the region has witnessed in decades.

France has placed three departments in western France on red alert as Storm Ciaran is expected to hit the country’s northwest on Wednesday evening and warned residents in the departments concerned to avoid any travel overnight.