Retired IDF Major General Giora Eiland on FRANCE 24 to discuss situation in Gaza
16/07/2025
Sycamore Gap tree vandals jailed over 4 years in England
16/07/2025
France: Opposition slams PM Bayrou's budget cut plan
16/07/2025
Trump admin in 'denial' over climate change, having cut funding to NOAA and National Weather Service
Americas
16/07/2025
Thousands of Afghans and families brought to UK after data breach
16/07/2025
France's PM Bayrou faces backlash over budget cut proposals
16/07/2025
What you need to know about the Druze minority in Syria
16/07/2025
Israel: Major cracks in Netanyahu coalition
16/07/2025
Netanyahu under mounting political pressure after party quits over military service exemption
Middle East
16/07/2025
'Inheritance unequally distributed': Advanced economies all experiencing 'great wealth transfer'
Europe
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Euronews
2 hours ago
- Euronews
Fact check: Which European country has the most public holidays?
A debate has erupted in France over whether the country's population works hard enough, after Prime Minister François Bayrou suggested getting rid of two public holidays to boost the economy. "The entire nation needs to work more to produce and for the country's overall activity to be more significant throughout the year, so that France's situation improves," Bayrou said at a press conference on 15 July. "Therefore, I propose that two public holidays be removed for the entire country." The prime minister suggested, for example, getting rid of Easter Monday, as it has "no religious significance" compared to Easter Sunday, and 8 May, which celebrates the end of World War II in Europe. The proposal has sparked a discussion in French media and among social media users about how the country compares to its neighbours when it comes to public holidays, whether the French really do work less than other Europeans, and whether getting rid of public holidays would really help France's ailing economy. Bayrou claims that removing two such days would bring in tax revenues generated from economic activity, contributing to around €44 billion in overall savings. The French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, however, has projected a 0.06% boost to the economy, should the prime minister's plan go ahead. Official numbers from European Employment Services (EURES) reveal how many public holidays people in European Union member states, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland have. Euroverify also examined information from the UK government. When comparing these figures, Cyprus is the clear winner for the number of public holidays, ranking at the top with 15 days. It is followed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Iceland, Malta and Spain, which compete for second place with 14. At the other end of the spectrum, we see Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands with just nine public holidays. However, when the United Kingdom is split into its constituent countries, England and Wales are at the bottom with eight days. Scotland has nine and Northern Ireland has ten. The comparison means that, with 11 public holidays, France ranks fairly average among European countries as things stand, coming in alongside Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Sweden. However, getting rid of two days would rank it among the lowest. Holidays can vary by region and even year Nevertheless, in true European fashion, there are various caveats and exceptions to the number of holidays that certain countries have. For example, many countries contain regions that have different numbers of public holidays compared to the national amount. This is the case in Switzerland, where different cantons have different bank holidays, which can reach as high as 15. The French regions of Alsace and Moselle also get two extra days compared to the rest of the country, and the Portuguese islands of Madeira and the Azores have more days off than the mainland. Sometimes the number of public holidays in European countries can vary by year, and some have half days off for some public holidays. This is the case in Iceland, for example, which counts Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as public holidays after noon. Additionally, while Euroverify has not counted public holidays that consistently fall on a Sunday, such as Easter Sunday, in its ranking, sometimes the way the weekends fall does affect how many days off a country gets. For example, France and other countries effectively lose a bank holiday if it falls on a weekend, whereas the likes of the UK provide "substitute days" in this case. In practice, it means workers will have the following Monday or Tuesday off if a public holiday happens on Saturday or Sunday. Has anywhere in Europe ever scrapped any bank holidays before? Bayrou's proposal to remove two public holidays isn't without precedent in Europe, and this can yield some insight into whether his plan would pay off. Most recently, Slovakia's government decided in June to stop giving 17 November (Day for the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy) as a day off, as part of a broader fiscal strategy not too dissimilar to the French proposals. The day will still be officially recognised, however. In 2023, Denmark abolished its Great Day of Prayer, celebrated on the fourth Friday after Easter, to try and boost labour output and defence spending. Although estimates from the International Monetary Fund said that it only increased the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 0.01-0.06%. Back in 2012, the Portuguese government announced that it would scrap four public holidays the following year as part of an austerity drive off the back of the financial crisis: All Saints Day on 1 November; Corpus Christi, 60 days after Easter; Republic Day on 5 October; and the Restoration of Independence Day on 1 December, celebrating Portugual's indepence from Spanish rule. The days were supposed to be suspended for five years, with those of religious significance having been negotiated with the Vatican. However, in 2016, the newly elected socialist government reinstated all four holidays early, overturning a deeply unpopular measure. It's not all about public holidays Official public holidays are, of course, only one measure of how much time workers in a European country get off. Europe in Motion reported in March that Andorra, Malta and Albania are the countries offering the most statutory annual leave across the continent, with France landing in the top half too. Bulgaria gives the most maternity leave in Europe, on the other hand, and Bulgarian primary school students get the most school summer holidays — 15 weeks — compared to their neighbours.
France 24
19 hours ago
- France 24
Ceasefire calms Syria's Sweida after sectarian clashes kill 1,000, displace 128,000
Calm returned to southern Syria 's Sweida province on Sunday, a monitor and AFP correspondents reported, after a week of sectarian violence between Druze fighters and rival groups that killed more than 1,000 people. A ceasefire announced on Saturday appeared to be holding after earlier agreements failed to end fighting between longtime rivals the Druze and the Bedouin that spiralled to draw in the Islamist-led government, the Israeli military and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. AFP correspondents on the outskirts of Sweida city reported hearing no clashes on Sunday morning, with government forces deployed in some locations in the province to enforce the truce and at least one humanitarian convoy headed for the Druze-majority city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that since around midnight (2100 GMT Saturday), "Sweida has been experiencing a cautious calm", adding government security forces had blocked roads leading to the province in order to prevent tribal fighters from going there. The Britain-based Observatory gave an updated toll on Sunday of more than 1,000 killed since the violence erupted a week ago, including 336 Druze fighters and 298 civilians from the minority group, as well as 342 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin. Over 1,000 killed in sectarian violence in Syria's Sweida 06:28 Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida days ago. Hanadi Obeid, a 39-year-old doctor, told AFP that "the city hasn't seen calm like this in a week". 'Totally calm' The interior ministry said overnight that Sweida city was "evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted". The Observatory had said Druze fighters retook control of the city on Saturday evening. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had on Saturday announced a fresh ceasefire in Sweida and renewed a pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities in the face of the latest sectarian violence since Islamists overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. A spokesman for Syria's tribal and clan council told Al Jazeera late Saturday that fighters had left the city "in response to the call of the presidency and the terms of the agreement". Another medic inside Sweida told AFP by telephone on Sunday that "the situation is totally calm... We aren't hearing clashes." Syrian government says fighting in Sweida 'halted' after tribal forces pull out 01:56 "No medical or relief assistance has entered until now," the medic added, requesting anonymity due to the security situation. State news agency SANA published images showing medical aid being prepared near the health ministry in Damascus and quoted Health Minister Musab al-Ali as saying assistance would be delivered to Sweida's main hospital, where bodies have piled up. Inside the city, where around 150,000 people live, residents have been holed up in their homes without electricity and water, and food supplies have also been scarce. The United Nations migration agency said more than 128,000 people in Sweida province have been displaced by the violence. 'Brutal acts' US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Sunday that the country stood at a "critical juncture", adding that "peace and dialogue must prevail – and prevail now". "All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance," he wrote on X, saying "brutal acts by warring factions on the ground undermine the government's authority and disrupt any semblance of order". Sharaa's announcement Saturday came hours after the United States said it had negotiated a ceasefire between Syria's government and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday urged the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and "carrying out massacres" in the south, and called on Damascus to "bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks".
LeMonde
20 hours ago
- LeMonde
How Netanyahu manipulated Biden over Gaza
Donald Trump's chaotic activism has failed for six months to resolve the endless Gaza conflict. Not only did the ceasefire brokered on the eve of the current US president's inauguration collapse a month and a half later, but the humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave reached nightmarish proportions. Yet, the overwhelming responsibility of Trump's predecessor in the White House for this disaster should never be forgotten. It was Joe Biden who, for 15 long months, provided almost unconditional support to Benjamin Netanyahu in his war on Gaza. An in-depth investigation by The New York Times, based on classified documents and interviews with more than 100 officials, revealed the extent to which the Democratic president was manipulated by the Israeli head of government – even as Netanyahu was openly betting on Trump's reelection. The refounder of Israel Netanyahu has led Israel for more than 17 years – first from 1996 to 1999, then from 2009 to 2021, and again since December 2022. Such exceptional longevity has allowed him to deeply reshape the political landscape and parts of the country's institutions, despite protest movements sparked by this illiberal drift. Netanyahu is not just a brilliant tactician but also a relentless opportunist, willing to use any maneuver to cling to power, especially since he has faced a triple indictment for fraud, accepting bribes and breach of trust.
