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Russia bars pro-peace candidate from presidential poll EU

A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine hit a roadblock in her campaign Saturday, when Russia’s Central Election Commission refused to accept her initial nomination by a group of supporters, citing errors in the documents submitted.

Fighting poverty in Europe: Meet the people who are making a difference EU

Poverty is set to be one of the key issues dominating the 2024 European elections. The EU is home to 95 million people who live below the poverty line – that is, who live on less than 60 percent of the median income for their country. In all, that’s one in five Europeans who live at risk of social exclusion.

‘The nationalisation of states is killing the European idea’: EU book prize winner Menasse EU

Talking Europe hosts Austrian author Robert Menasse, the winner of the 2023 European Union book prize. The award was set up in 2007 to foster a European spirit and promote understanding of the EU from a cultural perspective. The prize has previously been bestowed on such towering figures as Jonathan Coe, Philippe Sands and Tony Judt. Menasse is the only writer to have won the award twice. We discuss his prize-winning novel “The Enlargement”, which takes places against the backdrop of the actual enlargement of the European Union. It forms the second novel in his trilogy, after “The Capital” in 2019.

At least 15 dead, including gunman, after university shooting in central Prague EU

A 24-year-old student killed more than 15 people and wounded dozens more at a Prague university on Thursday in the Czech Republic’s worst shooting in decades, before authorities said the attacker was “eliminated”. The shooting erupted at the Charles University’s Faculty of Arts, which sits near major tourist sites like the 14th-century Charles Bridge. FRANCE 24’s Ian Willoughby reports.

Prague police say several dead in university shooting, gunman ‘eliminated’ EU

Czech police say a shooting in downtown Prague has killed an unspecified number of people and wounded dozens of others. Police gave no details about the victims or the circumstances of Thursday’s gunfire in the Czech Republic’s capital. The shooting took place at the arts faculty of Charles University located in the centre of Prague, FRANCE 24’s correspondent Ian Willoughby said, citing police reports.

France’s Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigned as the government of President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday sought to quell a party revolt over the passing of tough new immigration legislation backed by the far right. Following 18 months of wrangling over one of the flagship reforms of Macron’s second term, the French parliament passed the controversial legislation endorsed by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) Tuesday. Expected to address the reform in a television interview on Wednesday evening, Macron “will need to explain why he thinks this law was so important to pass,” FRANCE 24’s Clovis Casali said.

Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny did not appear at a scheduled court hearing on Monday and has not been seen or heard from in 15 days. Amid speculation that he has been secretly moved to another prison or is seriously unwell, the UN has raised concerns of an “enforced disappearance” that would coincide with the launch of President Vladimir Putin’s campaign for re-election in March 2024. 

France lawmakers seek agreement on tougher immigration bill EU

A group of French lawmakers met on Tuesday to try and strike a deal on a contested bill that will toughen France’s immigration laws and has highlighted the difficulties for President Emmanuel Macron of running the country with no majority in parliament. Beyond the details of the controversial bill on which left and right-wing lawmakers sought to see eye to eye, “this is a political power struggle, a tug of war for who is really controlling this flagship law,” FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris Trent said.

French lawmakers and senators prepared to hammer out a compromise over a beleaguered immigration bill on Monday as President Emmanual Macron’s government hoped to salvage what is seen as a flagship reform of his second term. French authorities have been seeking to push through legislation to harden France’s immigration law, but members of the right-wing and left-wing opposition last week joined forces to vote down the draft law without even debating the measures. A mixed parliamentary commission consisting of seven upper house senators and seven lower house lawmakers was expected to meet from 5:00 pm (1600 GMT) Monday in a bid to thrash out a compromise text. FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris Trent reports.