Europe

"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.

Eduard Lintner, a former member of the German parliament, or Bundestag, from Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), confessed on Monday to passing on the payments, but told the court he "thought it was the kind of lobbying that is still practically omnipresent today."

Revelations of an unfolding corruption investigation involving staff and ex-staff at the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) have continued to emerge, with a total of five detentions — two in Belgium and three in the Netherlands — made public so far.

The Belgian authorities said in a statement that NSPA employees or former employees in Luxembourg may have passed information to defense contractors. "There are indications that money obtained from these illegal practices would have been laundered, partly by setting up consultancy companies."

The founder of the Telegram messaging app said on Sunday he had refused a request by a Western government, which he did not name but appeared to imply was France, to silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of a presidential election run-off there.

More than 100,000 people gathered Sunday in The Hague to protest the Dutch government’s stance on Israel and the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, in what organizers called the Netherlands’ largest demonstration in the past 20 years

cross-posted from: https://hcommons.social/users/adachika192/statuses/114529993373102308

Pro-Palestinian protesters, police clash in Basel during Eurovision (France24, 2025-05-17)

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250517-pro-palestinian-protesters-police-clash-in-basel-during-eurovision
———

>> Pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed with riot police in Basel as the Swiss city hosted the Eurovision Song Contest Saturday, AFP journalists at the scene witnessed.

>> During [Israeli Y. Raphael’s] performance of her song "New Day Will Rise" on Saturday, loud whistles could be heard in the arena, according to an AFP photographer in the hall.

>> There have been a number of smaller protests against Israel throughout #Eurovision week in Basel, and demonstrators interrupted Raphael's act during a dress rehearsal for one of the semi-finals.

#StopGenocide
@palestine@lemmy.ml @palestine@a.gup.pe @israel

France is to build a high-security prison in the South American jungle for the most “dangerous” criminals, including drug kingpins, hardline Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said in remarks published on May 18.

Justice ministry officials added that 15 places would be reserved for convicted Islamist radicals.