Author: EU News

Tens of thousands of Serbians, led by university students, on Friday protested outside Serbia’s state television headquarters in the capital, Belgrade, to call for objective reporting. The students condemned what they called pro-government bias and smear campaigns against them on the public broadcaster Radio Television Serbia and demanded objective coverage of the protests. They say the state television is reporting President Aleksandar Vucic’s claims that the students were funded by foreign secret services to topple his government. What else happened at the protest? Friday’s rally came one day after a driver rammed his car into a protesting crowd and injured a student. The…

The governor of the Bank of Spain, José Luis Escrivá, has vindicated this Friday the work of central banks in an increasingly complex world. In a conference with Agustín Carstens, director of the Bank for International Settlements (the central bank of central banks), and Mário Centeno, governor of the Bank of Portugal and member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB), Escrivá put the focus on how difficult it is to set monetary policy in a context of increasing unexpected negative events and challenges to the independence of these organizations. “Black swans have been increasingly common in…

Senior United Nations officials met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to discuss a $3.32 billion humanitarian support package aimed at aiding millions affected by the ongoing war with Russia.

Fifteen months after a Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel triggered the unprecedented Israeli bombardment and ground campaign that has laid waste to Gaza, a way out of the conflict may be in sight. The human cost has been devastating: a Palestinian death toll close to 45,000, according to local authorities; more than 1,000 Israeli fatalities from the October 7, 2023, assault. The EU watched from the sidelines as the US, Egypt and Qatar mediated a three-phase ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that could come into effect on Sunday, seeing 33 Israeli hostages in Gaza released in exchange for…

  Spain’s real estate market is experiencing a major boom. In the first nine months of the year, property prices rose by an average of 9%, according to the House Price Index from the INE statistics agency. Average prices have doubled over the past decade, marking a much-welcome recovery following the banking and real estate collapse during the 2008/9 financial crisis. That downturn was fueled by years of overbuilding and property speculation, ultimately forcing Spain to seek a €100 billion ($103 billion) bailout from the European Union to stabilize its banking sector. The current surge in home prices and rents has reignited concerns over…

  Cuba freed opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer and some other prisoners on Thursday as part of a deal with outgoing US President Joe Biden. Biden agreed to remove Cuba from Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors, after which Cuba on Wednesday started freeing about 553 prisoners. The Biden administration said many of these were political prisoners. “I am fine, surrounded by family and friends,” Ferrer said. “I had been arbitrarily imprisoned for the third time, and a false judicial process had been set up,” he told the AP news agency. Who is Jose Daniel Ferrer? Ferrer, who has been in…

The La Muela City Council has approved a reduction in the IBI tax rate for the installation of solar panels in homes. Specifically, a 50% bonus is established on the full tax rate on buildings whose cadastral use is predominantly thermal or electrical energy from the sun, that is, solar panels, during the 10 tax periods following the end of the tax period. the installation. This is the second modification that has been made, since the first, published on November 15 in the Official Gazette of the Province of Zaragoza (BOPZ), focused on lowering the tax rate on urban goods…

The German government has approved measures allowing the military to shoot down suspicious drones near military installations and other critical infrastructure. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasised the increasing drone threats since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stating that the technology poses significant challenges for police forces.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested at his official residence in Seoul on Wednesday morning and was being questioned in the afternoon in connection with accusations he fomented an insurrection when he briefly declared martial law on December 3. More than 3,000 police officers and members of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) were involved in gaining access to Yoon’s official residence. The president has been holed up behind barbed wire and barricades for weeks, protected by a security team. The raid was the CIO’s second attempt to detain Yoon, whose legal team issued a statement from…

Plunging temperatures in recent weeks and the end of Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine have hurt gas inventories in the United Kingdom, the country’s main gas supplier Centrica said on January 10, warning that gas supplies were now”concerningly low.” Centrica reported that UK gas stocks were 26% lower last week than the same period in 2024, at about half full. The company added that the country had less than a week of stored gas to heat homes and businesses. On Saturday, the UK’s gas storage facilities were just 42% full, according to a tally by Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), Europe’s association of gas…

A documentary video has caused controversy in Taiwan after a Chinese businessman was filmed encouraging Taiwanese citizens to apply for Chinese IDs, apparently unaware that what he said would later become public. Lin Jincheng, the head of a startup incubator for Taiwanese youth in China’s Fujian Province, said in the video that those offered Chinese IDs would be allowed to retain their Taiwanese citizenship and passport, which would go against Taiwanese law. As indicated in the video, the supposed incentive is easier access for Taiwanese to the Chinese market. As Lin emphasized, Taiwanese with a Chinese ID could register a company in…

The international community is closely monitoring Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with the E3 grouping of the United Kingdom, France and Germany voicing their readiness to trigger the powerful “snapback” mechanism of UN sanctions if Tehran continues its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The snapback is a diplomatic tool that is part of a faltering October 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which signatories agreed to lift crippling international sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for Tehran dismantling it. What is the JCPOA nuclear deal? The JCPOA allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program for commercial,…

Germany’s government on Wednesday said it approved a plan that would allow the military to shoot down drones illegally flying in German airspace. As a last resort, as military initiatives in Germany come with global consequences Germany allows military to down suspect drones. Germany allows military to down suspect drones It comes against the backdrop of several sightings of suspicious drones being flown over key installations. German cabinet backs plan to shoot down suspicious drones and is continuing to be active in defending the German border from Russian and Ukrainian threats.  Drones for espionage, sabotage pose a threat “The security…

Storm clouds have hovered over French politics for some time now but it was in the summer of last year that the thunder really began to roll. In July, early parliamentary elections resulted in an unclear outcome because no single party won a clear majority. Three large political blocs eventually entered parliament in Paris, and the new government, appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron, was forced to govern without a majority to call its own. This is how, in December, a vote of no confidence after motions were tabled by opposition parties on the left and far right, brought down Prime…

The European Commission calls on Member States to strengthen control over European investments in foreign markets. Brussels has published a recommendation this Wednesday in which it asks governments for greater scrutiny of the investments their companies make in non-EU countries, especially those linked to microchips, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. Economic security is one of the axes that will underpin the second term, which is beginning, of Ursula von der Leyen. Therefore, this recommendation from the Community Executive opens the door to taking complementary actions if necessary, that is, if risks to the community’s economic security are identified with these…

NATO leaders gathering in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, on Tuesday said European countries must be prepared to face further incidents in the Baltic Sea and announced a new mission designed to deter them. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said after the meeting that a new mission dubbed Baltic Sentry would include frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and a fleet of naval drones to provide “enhanced surveillance and deterrence.” “Across the alliance, we have seen elements of a campaign to destabilize our societies through cyberattacks, assassination attempts and sabotage, including possible sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea,” Rutte told reporters.…

China has installed a large floating structure in waters that it disputes with South Korea, with analysts suggesting that the Chinese government is employing similar tactics to take control of territory as it used successfully to seize atolls and islets in the South China Sea over a decade ago. China has placed similar steel structures in the same area in the past, insisting that they are merely “fishing support facilities” and each time leading to diplomatic protests from South Korea’s government. However, The Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, cited diplomatic sources suggesting that China aims to advance its claims to…

Indonesian regulators last week rejected a proposal from Apple that the tech giant had hoped would pave the way for sales of the iPhone 16 in one of Southeast Asia’s largest markets. Indonesia requires 40% of parts used in certain smartphones to be produced domestically. To comply, Apple had pitched a $1 billion investment in a manufacturing facility on Indonesia’s Batam island to produce parts for the AirTag tracking device. However, Indonesian Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang pointed out that since the AirTag is not an iPhone part, the facility would not count towards the locally produced component rule for the iPhone…

Ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh have led to significant scaling back of visas and appointment slots for Bangladeshi nationals seeking to travel to India. Following political unrest and the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, Indian visa centers across Bangladesh were closed indefinitely for security reasons. In September, over 20,000 Bangladeshi passports were returned following the suspension of visa services by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka in the wake of widespread protests. Impact on students and medical tourism Since January, five visa centers in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna have been operational but only…

  The streets of Maputo were deserted on Monday when Mozambique swore in its new parliament. Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane had called for a three-day strike to protest the result of highly disputed elections. Indeed, two smaller opposition parties boycotted the opening ceremony, saying they did not accept the outcome of the October election. President-elect Daniel Chapo called for calm and unity after months of unrest that have rocked the southern African nation. Mondlane entered Mozambique from self-imposed exile last week after his lawyer was assassinated on October 19. His return sparked confrontations between supporters and police in the capital. He…

It has been nearly a week since the devastating wildfires began raging through southern California, killing at least 24 people and burning an area larger than San Francisco. While the true causes of the blaze remain under investigation, a flood of misinformation regarding the fires and their impact has been unleashed on social media. Noticeably, President-elect Donald Trump was one of those who spread numerous false or misleading claims on the wildfires in LA, many of which went viral after Elon Musk reposted them on his social platform, X. Many users on social media shared numerous pictures and videos allegedly showing the fires,…

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over insurrection accusations related to his December 3 martial law declaration, investigators said. The Asian country’s anti-corruption agency confirmed Yoon had been detained hours after hundreds of investigators and police officers arrived at his presidential compound to apprehend him. A former prosecutor who led the conservative People Power Party to election victory in 2022, Yoon said he relented to avoid “bloodshed.” “When I saw them break into the security area using firefighting equipment today, I decided to respond to the CIO’s investigation, despite it being an illegal investigation, to prevent unsavory bloodshed,” Yoon…

Months after efforts began to remove people working in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, rescuers removed 36 bodies and 82 survivors from the mine after two days of operations, police said on Tuesday. “All 82 that have been arrested are facing illegal mining, trespassing and contravention of the immigration act charges,” police Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said in a statement. Police are uncertain how many miners remain inside the illegal mine but said it is likely in the hundreds. Miners, many from neighboring countries, entered the shaft near Stilfontein, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, the shaft…

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday over insurrection accusations related to his December 3 martial law declaration, investigators said. The Asian country’s anti-corruption agency confirmed impeached Yoon had been detained hours after the hundreds of investigators and police officers arrived at his presidential compound to apprehend him. A former prosecutor who led the conservative People Power Party to election victory in 2022, Yoon said he relented to avoid “bloodshed.” “When I saw them break into the security area using firefighting equipment today, I decided to respond to the CIO’s investigation, despite it being an illegal investigation, to prevent unsavory…

CCOO, ELA, LAB and UGT have proposed to Confebask the date of February 6 for the constitution of a negotiation table with the aim of reaching an interprofessional agreement that establishes an agreed minimum wage in Euskadi. The aforementioned unions, which have presented their requests separately to the Basque Labor Relations Council (CRL), do not share the figure, which is around 1,600 euros, but they do share the idea of ​​agreeing on their own minimum wage and transferring it to the agreement. The Basque employers’ association has confirmed that it will attend the meeting on February 6. In a statement,…