More European countries begin evacuating citizens from Israel and Iran

Euronews

2 days ago

More countries are evacuating their citizens from the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran rages on, despite international efforts to find a diplomatic solution.
Days of attacks and reprisals by the adversaries have shuttered airspace across the region, severely disrupting commercial flights.
A repatriation flight transporting 69 people from Israel landed in Portugal on Thursday evening, with 48 Portuguese citizens among the passengers.
The Portuguese government announced the temporary closure of its embassy in Tehran this week, alongside ongoing repatriation operations in the Middle East.
In Serbia, 38 people arrived safely in Belgrade on Thursday night, most of whom were Serbian nationals.
They arrived on a special Air Serbia flight from Sharm el-Sheikh, organised by the Serbian government, who said the evacuation of those wishing to leave Israel and Iran would continue.
On Thursday, Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo to discuss the emergency evacuation of more than 2,500 Serbian nationals stranded in Israel.
Meanwhile, in Romania, more than a hundred people arrived in the capital Bucharest on Friday on military transport flights from the Middle East.
The Romanian Ministry of Defence sent the planes to the region after its nationals requested assistance.
The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on 13 June following Israeli bombings on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, which resulted in the deaths of military leaders, scientists and civilians.
More than 400 EU citizens from countries including Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia have been evacuated from Israel in flights supported by the European Commission.
Millions of people are unable to have the number of children they want due to barriers related to economic and health factors, according to a new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report.
The study reveals that a lack of choice, not desire, is what is stopping people from having the families they want, defying claims of people rejecting parenthood.
"Reproductive agency is more than just freedom from coercion or improved access to services, it is the full range of conditions that enable people to exercise their reproductive rights and ensure true choice, including gender equality, economic stability, decent health and confidence in the future," said Natalia Kanem, executive director at UNFPA.
UNFPA and YouGov conducted an online survey of more than 14,000 adults, both men and women, across 14 countries that together are home to over 37% of the global population.
The majority of both men and women in the four EU member states - Italy, Hungary, Germany and Sweden - analysed in the study indicated that two children is their ideal number.
Among these four EU countries analysed in the study, factors such as infertility and difficulty conceiving, as well as poor general health or chronic illnesses, impact Italy the most, with 15% and 13% respectively.
Germany and Sweden also reported similar issues.
Financial limitations are also one of the main issues keeping these countries from having more children, with Hungary reporting the highest rate at 34%.
Germany and Sweden have also pointed out financial limitations as a primary concern regarding their desired number of children.
Meanwhile, Italian respondents struggled the most with unemployment or job insecurity at 30%.
Concerns regarding the current political or social landscape were noted as a barrier by 19% of respondents in Italy.
Italian, Swedish, and Hungarian respondents were also concerned by the lack of a suitable partner, at 17%.
Only 15% of those surveyed in Germany shared this concern.