Migrants drown in English Channel hours after UK passes Rwanda policy
Wimereux, France/Dover, UK Reuters Five migrants, including a child, died in an attempt to cross the English Channel from France to Britain in an overcrowded small boat on Tuesday, hours after Britain passed a bill to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda in a move to deter the dangerous journeys. The deaths occurred when a boat […]
Ukraine seeks G7, NATO help for battered air defences
Capri, Italy Reuters Ukraine warned foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major powers on Thursday they had to change strategy if they wanted Kyiv to withstand increasingly destructive Russian air assaults. G7 ministers meeting on the island of Capri acknowledged the need to get more air defence systems to Ukraine and applauded Ukrainian Foreign […]
Vatican complains after French court rules in favour of nun dismissed from religious order
Rome, Italy AP The Holy See said Saturday it formally protested to France after a court there ruled that a former high-ranking Vatican official was liable for what the court determined to be the wrongful dismissal of a nun from a religious order. The Lorient tribunal on 3rd April ruled in favour of the nun, […]
Notre-Dame nears re-opening five years after fire
Paris, France Reuters Five years after a devastating fire, the restoration of Notre-Dame cathedral is nearing completion as the world’s eyes turn to Paris for the Olympic Games. On the evening of 15th April, 2019, the cathedral’s roof burst into flames. Soon, it had engulfed the spire and almost toppled the main bell towers. Around […]
Swiss climate policy shortcomings violated human rights, top court rules
Strasbourg, France Reuters Europe’s top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change. The European Court of Human Rights’ (ECHR) decision on the case brought by more than 2,000 elderly Swiss women set a precedent that […]
Wow!: Descendants of enslaved, enslavers “break silence” around France’s past
STEPHANE MAHE and CATARINA DEMONY, of Reuters, report on how Dieudonne Boutrin and Pierre Guillon de Prince are working together to raise awareness about slavery and its legacy in today’s society….
France seeks UN Security Council resolution for Gaza truce monitoring
United Nations Reuters France on Monday proposed a draft United Nations Security Council resolution that seeks options for possible UN monitoring of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and proposals to help the Palestinian Authority assume responsibilities. “It’s an ambitious project. It will take time,” French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said of the text, […]
Rights groups petition European watchdog to secure clean water in French Caribbean
Reuters The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said on Thursday it has filed a collective complaint to a European rights body to demand that France urgently ensures access to drinking water in its Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe. The island territory has long faced water shortages, which right groups associate to poor infrastructure and contamination […]
Doctors who visited Gaza speak of “atrocities”, collapsing healthcare
Reuters The healthcare system in Gaza has essentially collapsed, Western doctors who visited the Palestinian enclave in recent months told an event at the United Nations on Monday, speaking of “appalling atrocities” from Israel’s offensive. The four doctors from the United States, United Kingdom and France have been working with teams in Gaza to support […]
Notre Dame Cathedral’s restoration has been a five year journey of dedication and recovery
Paris, France AP The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following a tragic blaze in April, 2019, is a story of dedication and recovery. The iconic medieval monument immortalised in history, film and literature has been gradually rebuilt over the past five years, through challenges that have included delays during the pandemic and the […]