Browsing: EU Featured

A global credit ratings agency downgraded French debt worthiness a notch on Saturday, citing pension reform protests as a cause. Two weeks after the contested reform passed, persistent social movements threaten to erase the financial gains that the French government expected.

An apparent drone strike started a fire at a fuel storage facility in Sevastopol, the main port in Moscow-annexed Crimea, on Saturday, the Moscow-installed governor there said. The strike came as Russia hurled missiles at cities across Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 26 civilians in the first large-scale air strikes in nearly two months. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

Panelists elaborated on the EU Pharma Package and the potential showdown with the pharma sector and called Europe out for being late to the Artificial Intelligence party.

Record breaking temperatures in some Spanish areas, as April sees new highs. #StateOfTheUnion

Talking Europe interviews Jo?o Gomes Cravinho, Portugal’s top diplomat. He discusses whether Portugal’s ally, Brazil, could have a role to play in talks between Ukraine and Russia one day – this after the president of Brazil, which has not imposed sanctions on Russia, nor sent ammunition to Kyiv, called for a negotiated settlement. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently visited Portugal as part of a European diplomatic tour. Cravinho also talks about EU and NATO support to Ukraine, as well as Portugal’s relations with China in the light of how Lisbon approaches the questions of both Macau and Taiwan.

The fallout continues from Emmanuel Macron’s remarks about China and the US. On his way back from a state visit to China, the French president said that Europe should not be a “follower” of either Washington or Beijing, or get caught up in any escalation. Despite the resulting backlash on both sides of the Atlantic, he stood by the comments, saying on a later trip to the Netherlands that being a US ally doesn’t mean being a “vassal”.

A report by the New Economics Foundation looks into the challenge of reconciling the European Green Deal with the bloc’s fiscal rules.

As online violence targeting women continues to rise, artificial intelligence is set to take trolling to a whole new level. So will the European Union’s new Digital Services Act make tech platforms a safe place for women? Annette Young talks to Asha Allen from the Centre for Democracy and Technology. Also members of Uganda’s lesbian community bravely speak out as the Ugandan parliament passes sweeping anti-gay legislation that criminalises anybody identifying as LGBTQ+. This as the country’s president urges politicians to reconsider the bill.

Pope Francis, starting a trip to Hungary, on Friday pointedly warned of the dangers of rising nationalism in Europe and told the Budapest government that accepting migrants along with the rest of the continent would be a true sign of Christianity.

An OECD report released on Tuesday described workers as receiving a double blow to their livelihoods.