Europe: increasing number of mosquito-borne diseases
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has warned that Europe is entering a ‘new normal’ of longer and more intense mosquito-borne disease transmission. Rising temperatures, extended summers, milder winters, and…
France: Macron admits violence against Cameroon independence movement
Emmanuel Macron has publicly acknowledged the violence committed by French forces in Cameroon during and after the country’s independence struggle from 1945 to 1971. A joint report by Cameroonian and French historians has…
Channel migrants: ‘no specified number’ to be returned to France
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed there is 'no specified number' of migrants set to be returned under the UK-France 'one in, one out' agreement, now in effect. The scheme enables the UK…
France: cities impose curfews on children after drug violence
Several French cities have introduced night-time curfews for minors in response to escalating violence linked to drug trafficking. In Nîmes, where recent shootings and a brutal murder have shaken residents, authorities have imposed…
France: prime minister proposes axing two public holidays
There has been widespread criticism after prime minister François Bayrou proposed eliminating two public holidays - Easter Monday and 8 May (Victory in Europe day) - to help reduce the national budget deficit.…
Migrant boat crossings: France and UK aiming to curb the flow
Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer are engaged in critical talks aimed at curbing illegal Channel crossings in small boats. During Macron’s historic state visit to the UK, the first by a French president…
France: surgeon jailed for abusing 299 patients
Joel Le Scouarnec, once a respected surgeon, has been sentenced to twenty years in prison after admitting to sexually abusing 299 patients, mostly children, between 1989 and 2014. The judge said he took…
France accused of encouraging people-smuggling
Fresh controversy has erupted after video footage emerged showing French border officers handing life jackets to migrants mid-Channel, fuelling claims that France is aiding illegal crossings rather than preventing them. The footage, captured…
France: tit-for-tat expulsion of Algerian diplomats
France has announced the expulsion of twelve Algerian diplomats and recalled its ambassador from Algiers, in response to Algeria’s decision to expel twelve French consular staff. The tit-for-tat expulsions were triggered by the…
France: Marine le Pen barred for five years
Marine le Pen has been barred from public office for five years due to EU fund embezzlement, jeopardising her 2027 presidential hopes. Though her four-year jail sentence (two years suspended) is pending appeal,…
