Europe

https://archive.is/2obCw

European capitals have launched a flurry of diplomatic efforts to maintain pressure on Russia and convince US President Donald Trump’s administration not to walk away from Ukraine peace talks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late on Monday that it was “crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin”.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Tuesday said a recent intelligence assessment classifying the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a confirmed "right-wing extremist" organization is not enough to justify banning the party.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/34959076

France is "determined" to recognise a Palestinian state, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, condemning Israel for the "indefensible" situation in Gaza created by its military campaign and humanitarian blockade.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/34958452

The U.K. suspended free trade talks with Israel on Tuesday and hit West Bank settlers with sanctions, less than a day after vowing “concrete actions” if Israel didn’t stop its new military offensive in Gaza.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/30392836

Nobody for even one second believes Gary Lineker has even a particle of antisemitism in him, or indeed any form of hatred. If there is a closer approximation to “the opposite of hateful” in public life, it’s a struggle to think of who else.

He shared a post, as a story on Instagram, which featured the brilliant Palestinian-Canadian lawyer Diana Buttu discussing the nature of Zionism. The BBC itself should have given a proper platform for Palestinians to discuss an ideology whose consequences has repeatedly driven them from their land, subjected them to mass murder, injury, torture, incarceration, poverty, apartheid, colonisation, and now genocide. It has failed to do so – by wanting to share Buttu’s words, Gary Lineker is doing a job the BBC should have done. The video included an emoji of a rat. There’s no question this has antisemitic connotations when applied to Jewish people, with the Nazis referring to Jews as vermin. Lineker has already apologised for not noticing this emoji, and making it clear he’d never have shared it if he had, and that he deleted it immediately when it was brought to his attention.

Today, a militantly pro-Israel organisation calling itself the ‘Campaign Against Antisemitism’ which has relentlessly targeted opponents of Israel’s genocide, has issued a statement taking credit for Lineker being driven out. Their press release is headlined “Gary Lineker quits BBC, following CAA action”, stating “Gary Lineker is reportedly departing from the BBC following complaints to the broadcaster from Campaign Against Antisemitism.”

Just who are these doughty campaigners against racism? Last January, they published a tweet which read: “Thinking of visiting Sadiq Kan’s London? This is what you can expect to see.” The first frame of the attached video is an Islamist flag. This wasn’t so much of a dog whistle as a foghorn. These are the sorts of people treated as the authorities on racism, targeting the likes of Lineker as being the ones who are really guilty of racism.

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Le Scouarnec admitted in March to sexually abusing all 299 victims, many while they were under anaesthesia or waking up after operations between 1989 and 2014.

The former doctor is already in prison after being sentenced in December 2020 to 15 years for raping and sexually assaulting four children, including two of his nieces.

"The Israeli Government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law," a joint statement said.

"We oppose any attempt to expand settlements in the West Bank ... We will not hesitate to take further action, including targeted sanctions."

https://archive.is/myOFu

Education secretary says top-up support for subjects including media must be scaled back because of ‘extremely challenging’ fiscal environment

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson told the sector regulator on Monday that capital spending would be almost halved in 2025-26 to £84mn from a multiyear settlement equivalent to an annual allocation of £150mn.

Pedro Sánchez noted Russia has been banned from the contest since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, and said there should not be "double standards".

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/64433914

The French president called on the European Union to abolish a directive on corporate sustainability that requires large companies to show supply chains upholding human rights and environmental standards.

He joined Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in calling on the European Union to abolish a directive on corporate sustainability that requires large companies to show supply chains upholding human rights and environmental standards

https://archive.is/HQeRB

The conclusions of the parliamentary investigative commission on bottled water, revealed by Le Monde and Radio France, show how the French government toned down a report highlighting the contamination of Perrier sources at the request of the Swiss giant.

namely, the use of prohibited filters to purify water contaminated by pesticides and fecal bacteria

"The material posted is dangerous disinformation, without any real basis or concrete evidence. It is a clear example of manipulation by spreading conspiracy theories that instil distrust in state institutions, international partners and the democratic process," the defence ministry added.

The three ministries claimed that they had found a direct link between the video and Moscow but gave no further details at this time.