Author: EU News

Following the fall of dictator Bashar Assad, there is uncertainty over the future of Russia’s military bases in Syria. The naval base in Tartus and the airbase in Hmeimim are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have played a key role in the Kremlin’s activities in Africa and the Middle East. Losing the military bases in Syria would be devastating for Russia’s Africa Corps (former Wagner Group) that are present in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Central African Republic and in Libya, said Beverly Ochieng, a security analyst at the risk consultancy Control Risks in Senegal. “We…

Bengali-speaking Indians caught up in immigration clampdown Taslima Noor, 34, told DW that she has not slept for days since police in India’s capital, New Delhi, intensified their drive to detain Bangladeshis who they claim are in the country illegally. “I have been working here for seven years, and I am fearful that the authorities will create trouble for my family,” said Noor, who is a domestic worker. Noor is from a Bengali-speaking region of Cooch Behar in the Indian state of West Bengal, near the border with Bangladesh. Since the beginning of the year, nine Bangladeshis have been deported…

Orthodox Christmas without Russian gas The first week of 2025 has been cold in Moldova. Temperatures at night have dropped to around freezing. When the sun shines during the day, they rise a little. On January 7, pensioner Gheorghe Colun and his wife prepared a traditional Christmas dinner of stuffed cabbage. Christmas in the predominantly Christian Orthodox Republic of Moldova is celebrated on January 6 and 7 according to the old Julian calendar. This year, the couple will be cooking on a wood-burning stove because Russia halted gas deliveries to Moldova on January 1. Moldova: village life without Russian gas…

Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, told members of parliament on Thursday that the country was entering a new phase as he made his first address following his election. “Today, a new phase in Lebanon’s history begins,” Aoun told lawmakers after being sworn in, and then went on to call for “quick parliamentary consultations” to name a new prime minister. France, Germany, EU, US herald opportunity French President Emmanuel Macron offered his “congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial election.” “It paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and prosperity,” he posted on X. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said…

Daniel Lifshitz keeps running his hands through his short black hair. He’s trying to stay calm because, perhaps this time, negotiators will reach a hostage deal.  “We’ve had a lot of roller-coasters, but now it feels like something is different,” he said.  Hamas has reportedly agreed on a list of 34 names of hostages still held in Gaza — the people who would be freed should the ceasefire deal with the Israeli government currently under discussion in Qatar go ahead. The list, first published by the Saudi broadcaster Asharq, quickly reached Israeli media. The list includes the names of Lifshitz’s grandfather Oded,…

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s team and Venezuelan media report that Machado was arrested in Caracas on Thursday. Sought for arrest and largely in hiding, she had made her first public appearance in months in Caracas, to lead a protest against President Nicolas Maduro being sworn in for a third term. The opposition said on social media that Machado was “violently intercepted on exiting the rally,” also claiming that shots had been fired at her motorcycle convoy. However, in a message on X later, Machado said that she was “in a safe place and with more determination than ever to continue…

More than 184 million for housing in Zaragoza. This is the amount that the Urban Planning, Infrastructure, Energy and Housing area of ​​the Zaragoza City Council have made available for energy and sustainability in 2025. As passed in the municipal budget 900 million euros. It is an amount that will be allocated mainly to three areas such as energy, including energy efficiency, housing and urban regeneration, for which the investment effort will be maintained despite the fact that the department’s endowment is reduced in this year. That is a 2% compared to 2024 due to cost control and improvements in…

Gunshots were heard on Wednesday evening near the presidency in the capital of Chad, N’Djamena. Convoys of military vehicles were seen driving toward the presidency too, the news agency Reuters reported. According to the French AFP news agency, a security source said armed men had attacked the interior of the presidential compound while all roads leading to the presidency have been blocked, adding that tanks could be seen on the streets of N’Djamena. Infrastructure Minister says ‘situation is under control’ Shortly after the initial reports of gunfire, Chad’s Infrastructure Minister Aziz Mahamat Saleh said the situation was being dealt with. “Nothing serious, no…

Brazil says social media sites must respect domestic laws Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes said social media firms would need to comply with domestic laws and legislations in order to keep operating in Brazil. one day after media giant Meta announced abandoning its fact checking program. Brazil’s Supreme Court will not allow technology companies to exploit their use of hate speech for profit, Moraes said, adding that social media “will not become a lawless land” in the country. “They will only continue to operate if they respect Brazilian law, regardless of the bravado of irresponsible leaders of Big Tech,” the…

At least 6 dead in temple stampede The stampede occurred during a 10-day annual festival at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in the city of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh state. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which oversees the affairs at the temple, had arranged for ticket counters to issue tokens to devotees on the occasion of the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival. Thousands of devotees from across India had gathered to visit the temple. According to the temple chairman, the stampede was triggered when the gate was opened to let out a woman who was feeling uneasy. At least three women were among those…

Anwar Bunni picked up the phone just after two rings he heard the great news and immediately thought the EU should allow Syrians to go back. It was December 8, the day Syrian rebels ousted President Bashar Assad and took control of Damascus; Syria was free Bunni, head of the non-profit Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research, has spent more than a decade collecting testimonies on crimes committed against Syrians and building cases of crimes against humanity under the Assad government. Allow Syrians to go back He was expecting a call from a contact in the German government to…

The Ministry of Economy, Employment and Digital Transformation, through the General Directorate of Business, launches the “Do business in Portugal” program, with the aim of supporting companies in their internationalization, which will provide support to 15 interested companies in accessing the cross-border market. Investment and financing needs The program will first carry out a diagnosis of the cross-border approach of the participating companies, identifying the strengths, weaknesses and investment and financing needs. Subsequently, personalized advice will be provided to implement an action plan tailored to each company and that includes actions in key areas such as marketing and commercialization, cross-border…

Wide-ranging international sanctions made it a crime to work with Syria’s former government. But should it be a crime to work with the new one? That’s a question aid organizations, civil society groups and Syrian ex-pats have been asking since a coalition of rebel groups toppled the authoritarian Assad regime last month. Syria has long been one of the most sanctioned countries in the world because of the Assad family, which headed the government there for 54 years. But after ousting the regime in early December, Syrian rebels assembled a caretaker government, and that government inherited all of the sanctions…

Much remains unclear days after the Ukrainian army’s latest  surprise offensive in the Russian region of Kursk. Kyiv has so far remained silent, as it did at the beginning of August 2024 when Ukraine advanced into the Russian region for the first time. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Monday that an “attempted advance” by Ukrainian forces towards the area of Bolshesoldatsky, some 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) southwest of the regional capital Kursk, had been reported. According to Moscow, four tanks, two infantry combat tanks, 16 armored combat vehicles and a mine clearance vehicle were destroyed. It is not possible…

Germany pushing EU to ease sanctions on Syria   Germany is at the helm of efforts within the European Union (EU) to ease sanctions on Syria following President Bashar Assad’s ouster, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Berlin is pushing for the move within the bloc, provided it is met with progress on social issues, the FT said. The French AFP news agency also reported that Germany is seeking to reduce EU sanctions on Syria, citing diplomats. What else do we know about the German proposal? Shortly before Christmas, Berlin circulated two documents among EU capitals with suggestions for where the…

Turkey threatens offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters   Turkey threatened on Tuesday to launch a military operation against Kurdish forces in Syria unless they accepted Ankara’s conditions for a “bloodless” transition after the demise of President Bashar Assad. “We will do what’s necessary” if the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) fail to agree to Turkish demands, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told CNNTurk television. When asked what that might entail, he said a “military operation.” Turkey considers the YPG, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist outfit linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been engaged in a decades-old insurgency against the Turkish…

Panama tells Trump canal sovereignty is ‘non-negotiable’ Panama reiterated on Tuesday that the sovereignty of its eponymous ship canal was not up for discussion after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military action to regain control. “The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle,” Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said, adding that President Jose Raul Mulino had made his stance clear. Trump made the remarks during a rambling news conference held at his home in southern Florida, which was supposed to be about Emirati investment in US technology. But the president-elect went off-track,…

A bomb exploded at a school near Nigeria’s capital city Abuja late on Monday, killing at least two people. Police said the explosive device burst at the Tsangagyar Sani Uthman Islamiyya School near Abuja. They have identified three suspects from the northern state of Katsina. The improvised explosive device (IED) was brought to the school by the three men, who were visiting the owner of the school, police said. “Tragically, two of the men died in the explosion while tampering with the improvised explosive device (IED), on the school veranda, while the third man and a female trader sustained severe…

 Donald Trump Jr. is set to visit Greenland on Tuesday amid his father’s suggestions that the Danish territory should be part of the US. President-elect Donald Trump confirmed his son’s visit on his platform Truth Social. “I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA.’ My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights,” he posted late on Monday. “Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from…

Dozens of people have been killed after a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in the Himalayas on Tuesday morning, and dozens more injured. Local Chinese media reported at least 95 fatalities in and around the city of Shigatse in Tibet, while tremors were felt in neighboring Nepal and India. “A reporter learned from the Tibet Autonomous Region earthquake bureau that people have been killed,” the Xinhua state news agency said, listing the Changsuo, Quluo and Cuoguo townships in Dingri County. “A total of 95 people have been confirmed dead and 130 others injured,” the agency added later. Where was the Tibet earthquake epicenter? The quake struck at…

Millions of girls in Bangladesh are facing an uphill battle to stay in school. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and economic hardship have made this struggle even more daunting.  Born in a remote village in the country’s northeastern region, 19-years-old Zueana is the first person in her family to go to school. She benefited from “boat schools” — classrooms set up on river boats — that aim to save children from remote villages a dangerous commute during the rainy season. During the pandemic, however, she dropped out of secondary school and moved to the capital Dhaka to make…

The Northwest Passage was the great obsession of European explorers for centuries. Finding a path that would connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans without having to skirt America was a tempting economic, military and political objective. The new president of the United States, Donald Trump, wants to revive this step to create trade routes that connect Asia and Europe. To do this, he has a plan: annex Canada and buy Greenland from Denmark. The current Northwest Passage is not as shiny as the obsession of adventurous sailors. The route allows sailing between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, crossing the Arctic.…

A woman has succumbed to injuries sustained during a car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, last month, raising the death toll to six.

The Government of France, headed by the recently appointed Prime Minister, François Bayrou, begins to try to attract parliamentary groups to carry out the 2025 Budget. In an interview yesterday for the public radio station France Inter, the French Minister of Economy , Eric Lombard, confirmed that the savings objective with which they are working in the public accounts for 2025 is 50,000 million euros. A more modest ambition than the 60 billion raised by his predecessor, Michel Barnier. Likewise, both Lombard and the Minister of Public Accounts, Amélie de Montchalin, confirmed to the media this Monday that the objective…

Around 20% of the settlements that the General Treasury of Social Security is making to the self-employed for the adjustment of contributions with the new system of quotas for real income and that are being reviewed by administrative managers contain some error. “Be careful, after reviewing the settlements that the General Treasury of Social Security makes to our clients, we have detected that for 20% of the cases the calculation contains errors,” warned the president of the General Council of Colleges of Administrative Managers, Fernando Jesus Santiago. For this reason, the president of this collegiate institution pointed out that “the…