Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins protest against new French motorway

Thunberg came as part of a delegation of French, Belgian, Swedish and Spanish activists to the site near the southwestern city of Toulouse.

“We are here to stand in solidarity with the people who are resisting this project and this madness,” Thunberg told reporters,…[Read more]

‘It’s non-negotiable’: French MPs angry at move to restrict citizenship on Mayotte

Emmanuel Macron has been accused of walking a dangerous legal and political tightrope with a proposal to restrict access to French nationality for people born on the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte to immigrant parents.

The far right has welcomed the move, which…[Read more]

Istanbul University’s historic Beyazıt campus opens for visitors

University (IU), a cornerstone of Türkiye’s educational legacy, opened the doors of its iconic Beyazit campus to visitors on Thursday, offering a glimpse into its rich history and academic prowess.

Established in 1453 as Medaris-i Semaniye (Sahn-ı Seman) by Fatih Sultan Mehmet fo…[Read more]

Ferry services in Istanbul, Izmir disrupted due to adverse weather

Due to adverse weather conditions, some ferry services in Türkiye’s major metropolises Istanbul and Izmir were canceled on Sunday, according to Anadolu Agency (AA) reports, while warnings for possible thunderstorms were issued for the wider Marmara and Aegean…[Read more]

Türkiye launches new ‘Family and Youth Fund’ to boost welfare

The regulation regarding Türkiye’s newly established fund aimed at supporting a stable family structure, safeguarding young people against social risks, and supporting their development and initiatives was published in the country’s Official Gazette on Sunday.

The decision regarding t…[Read more]

Flowers, tears, tree planting in Adiyaman to remember Turkey’s earthquake

The clock tower standing above the rubble and debris, frozen in time with its watch hands stopped at 4:17am, had become a symbol of Adiyaman’s destruction. But a year later, it is finally ticking again as usual.

On the first anniversary of a double-fold earthquake that kil…[Read more]

In Turkey’s Gaziantep, weddings are dispelling some post-earthquake sadness

Gazi Muhtar Pasa Boulevard in downtown Gaziantep, an elegant district of bridal shops and venues in a city known as a wedding destination, is much livelier than a year ago, the sidewalks clear of debris and shattered window glass.

Businesses have been open since the e…[Read more]

Robert Badinter, French ex-minister who fought to abolish death penalty, dies at 95

The soft-spoken attorney, who said he could not abide by a “killer justice system”, was widely vilified for pushing through legislation banning the death penalty at a time when most French people still supported the practice.

He said later he had “never felt so…[Read more]

‘They’re drowning us in regulations’: how Europe’s furious farmers took on Brussels and won

On the outskirts of the northern Spanish city of Pamplona, a green, red and blue stream of New Holland, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Fendt and Deutz-Fahr tractors trundled forwards, horns honking and orange lights flashing.

Under drizzly grey skies a…[Read more]

Fighting the smartphone ‘invasion’: the French village that voted to ban scrolling in public

picture of a smartphone with a red line through it serves as a warning in the window of a hairdresser’s shop in a French village that has voted to ban people scrolling on their phones in public. “Everyone is struggling with too much screen time,”…[Read more]

Paris mayor faces pushback over plans for car-free Eiffel Tower zone

Thousands of tourists jostle every day to snap the Eiffel Tower from across the River Seine on the hill at Trocadero, with its magnificent gardens and a modernist palace housing museums.

Walking to Trocadero is less romantic, however, requiring the crossing of two major…[Read more]

German upper house approves bill easing citizenship rules

German lawmakers have passed a bill that makes the process of obtaining citizenship easier, and moved to simplify repatriations.

The naturalisation reform, approved by the upper house of parliament on Friday, allows people to become German citizens while keeping their original…[Read more]

German bank braces for wave of bad loans in ‘greatest real estate crisis since the financial crisis’

Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, or PBB, a German lender focused on real estate, has set aside more money for bad debts as it braces for what it says is the worst decline in commercial property values in 15 years.

PBB increased its provisions for los…[Read more]

Europe’s growth engine is sputtering. Can Germany’s economy be revived?

The world’s fourth-largest economy has got off to a bumpy start this year. A strike by Lufthansa ground crew on Wednesday was just the latest industrial action to cause travel chaos in recent weeks, after train drivers walked off the job in January over a wage dispute and f…[Read more]

German firm BASF to pull out of Xinjiang after Uyghur abuse claims

The German chemicals producer BASF has said it will withdraw from its two joint ventures in Xinjiang, after media reports about alleged human rights abuses relating to its partner company, which BASF’s CEO said crossed a red line.

In a statement on Friday, BASF said that while “…[Read more]

COVID patients again rising in Japan; experts warn of 10th wave

The average number of coronavirus patients among designated hospitals across Japan has been rising for 11 consecutive weeks, health ministry data showed Friday, with experts warning the country has entered its 10th COVID-19 wave.

The average among the roughly 5,000 medical…[Read more]

Japan OKs new foreign trainee program to attract more workers

The Japanese government adopted plans on Friday to scrap its current foreign trainee program, which has been criticized as a cover for importing cheap labor, and replace it with a system it says will actually teach skills and safeguard trainees’ rights as Japan desperately seeks more…[Read more]

41-year-old man arrested for assaulting 2 elementary school boys

Police in Kagoshima have arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of assaulting two elementary school boys by punching them in the face and pulling their arms and hair.

The incident occurred at around 5:20 p.m. on Feb 2, local media reported. Police said Kenji Ueno, whose occupation…[Read more]

Data rigging scandals threaten to undermine Toyota’s growth

Behind Toyota Motor Corp’s record earnings announced last Tuesday are its relentless efforts to make its vehicles reliable and operations leaner. A series of data fraud scandals at the auto group have put part of its success formula at risk of collapse.

Data rigging in vehicle…[Read more]

The year the Australian Dream died

At the age of 31, Justin Dowswell never imagined he’d be living in a shared room in his childhood home.

He had a full-time, well-paying job in Sydney, and had rented for a decade before an unprecedented housing crisis forced him to upend his life and move back in with his parents, two hours away.

“It’s…[Read more]