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French PM Borne visits Mayotte amid growing water crisis

EU

Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne on Friday visited the French overseas island of Mayotte, the poorest place in the European Union, amid a growing water crisis. Due to a drawn-out drought compounded by years of underinvestment and water mismanagement, the island’s inhabitants have access to water only one every three days.

Sweden’s accession will make ‘a lot of improvements’ to NATO: Swedish FM Billström

EU

The war in Ukraine has forced a major rethink in European security, with both Sweden and Finland abandoning their long-standing policy of non-alignment and applying for NATO membership last year. But while Finland was admitted into NATO this April, delays have persisted on Sweden’s entry, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan linking a serious of unrelated issues to Ankara’s ratification of Sweden’s accession – the latest of which is a potential sale of US F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. We discuss what Sweden’s entry to NATO would actually mean with Sweden’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.

Denmark adopts law banning burning of Koran and other holy texts

EU

Denmark’s parliament on Thursday adopted a law criminalising the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts, effectively banning Koran burnings after a series of desecrations of Islam’s holy book sparked anger in Muslim countries over the summer.

Putin hosts Iranian president Raisi for talks on trade, weapons

Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday held talks with Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on trade and an expected arms deal. Iranian officials confirmed late November rumours surrounding a large weapons deal, which includes fighter jets, between Tehran and Moscow. This is “the first time Iran has purchased fighter jets since the 1990s, which could be a big shift in the military power balance in [the Middle East],” Russia correspondent Daniel Hawkins told FRANCE 24.

In Belgium, sexual abuse in Catholic Church sparks debate over state funding

Europe

In Belgium, a recent documentary on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has caused shock and soul-searching, reigniting a debate about the way religion is funded in the country. Unlike in neighbouring France, the Belgian state finances officially recognised religions, with representatives of the Catholic Church receiving the best pay. But the abuse scandal has seen many people demand a change in the rules. The justice ministry has asked the Church to remove members of the clergy guilty of sexual abuse from the list of those paid by the state, and a parliamentary inquiry is underway. Our correspondent reports.