Author: staff
Published on 02/07/2025 – 17:03 GMT+2French authorities have arrested an 18-year-old man who claimed ties to the misogynistic so-called “incel” movement and placed him under investigation over an alleged plot to carry out attacks targeting women, according to media reports.The probe by France’s national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office (PNAT) is reportedly the department’s first case involving a suspect who identifies as an incel, or “involuntary celibate”. This refers to a fringe online subculture dominated by men who blame women for their lack of sexual activity and who sometimes call for violence against them. The office said on Tuesday that it had…
The report includes gruesome accounts of violence and degrading punishments inflicted against students. It concludes that, for decades, “Bétharram was the setting for an onslaught of violence that cannot be reduced to isolated incidents.” The scandal has dogged the prime minister since early in his tenure, dragging his polling ratings to historic lows. “When people think of Bayrou, they don’t think about his actions as prime minister. They think about Bétharram,” Fréderic Dabi, the head of the polling institute Ifop, said last month. An Ifop survey published last month found that 80 percent of French voters surveyed last month said…
Show me the money: Badenoch didn’t beat around the bush, stating: “It’s been a difficult week.” The original welfare changes were meant to save £5 billion, so the Tory leader asked how much dosh would now be saved. No prizes for guessing the PM ducked that one, simply insisting the reforms were the “right thing to do” and “consistent” with his principles. Tough old game: The difficult reality of politics was on full show when Badenoch said Reeves was a “human shield” for the PM’s “incompetence” who looked “miserable.” Asking whether the chancellor would still be in place by the…
By Euronews Published on 02/07/2025 – 15:02 GMT+2•Updated 15:10German Chancellor and CDU party leader Friedrich Merz is facing significant backlash from his political opponents after rejecting calls to fly a Pride flag at the Bundestag, which he said was “not a circus tent where any flag could be hoisted”.In an appearance on public broadcaster ARD on Tuesday, Merz defended his party’s lawmakers and Bundestag President Julia Klöckner — who previously declined to display the rainbow flag for Christopher Street Day on 26 July — saying the banner should only be flown on 17 May, the International Day Against Homophobia. “On all…
Published on 02/07/2025 – 14:08 GMT+2Spanish Banco Santander S.A., the biggest lender in continental Europe by market capitalisation, is buying Scotland-based commercial bank TSB for £2.65 billion (€3.08bn). This is a major step to bolster the Spanish lender’s future in the UK, as it has been struggling to keep its UK arm afloat. The acquisition of TSB Bank means 5 million customers will be transferred to Santander, who will keep a total of £35bn (€40.1bn) in their deposits.The combined entity will become the third-largest bank in the UK by share of personal current accounts and the fourth-largest by mortgages.However, TSB Bank’s…
Une partie de l’objectif pourra être atteint grâce à des crédits carbone internationaux, un mécanisme controversé qui externalise une partie des efforts climatiques de l’Union européenne vers les pays en développement. Par ce biais, les gouvernements de l’UE seraient en mesure de financer des projets climatiques dans d’autres pays et de comptabiliser les réductions d’émissions qui en résultent dans leurs propres objectifs. Les critiques, y compris les conseillers scientifiques de l’Union, avertissent que cela risque de saper les efforts nationaux de décarbonisation de l’UE. Comme l’a rapporté POLITICO en début de semaine, la Commission propose de fixer des limites strictes…
“It hasn’t been this overheated since [European Commission President Ursula] von der Leyen cut the green claims stuff!” quipped a Renew spokesperson, referring to last week’s political turmoil over the Commission’s mixed messaging on whether it would kill an anti-greenwashing bill. “I hear it’s better on the 5th floor, where they don’t believe in climate change,” the spokesperson added, referring to the offices of the ECR, a group that wants to water down the EU’s climate policies. Not to be outdone, an ECR spokesperson said: “I know they want to make us sweat over our political positions, but isn’t this…
More than a year after deadly unrest hit the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, France’s President Emmanuel Macron is bringing together the leaders of the Pacific archipelago for a summit in Paris from Wednesday. The event will focus on the future of New Caledonia, and is being attended by lawmakers, economic figures and civil society representatives from the archipelago.It follows stalled negotiations between pro-independence and anti-independence politicians which were held in May, when French Minister for Overseas Territories, Manuel Valls, hosted an inconclusive three-day meeting. The minister’s’ “sovereignty with France” project, which included a provision for introducing dual French…
The festival honours Saints Peter and Paul but also blends Catholic rituals with Indigenous and African traditions.Men dressed in banana leaves as “Guaycurú” figures chase children through the streets, who defend themselves with burning straw.Masks hold a central place in the festivities — some depict animals or social archetypes, while others carry deep symbolism rooted in colonial history.The Kamba mask dates back to the 17th century and reflects a fusion of Indigenous and African cultures.The community spends months preparing, gathering dried banana leaves and carving wooden masks.For many in Altos, it’s more than a festival — it’s a living tradition.
The fightback A spate of interviews around Starmer’s first anniversary as PM have shown him to be in a reflective mood. He admitted his Downing Street garden warning had “squeezed the hope out,” adding: “We were so determined to show how bad it was that we forgot people wanted something to look forward to as well.” The second Labour figure close to No. 10 quoted above also reckons Starmer’s team now know their enemy: “It’s not the Tories anymore — it’s the forces of populism, and not just Reform.” “The PM can be a bulwark against populism and division. If…