Right-wing groups in Spain 'hunt down' migrants
In Spain, several people have been injured after anti-migrant unrest in Torre Pacheco, a town in the southeast of the country, erupted on Friday, The Guardian reports. Tensions started rising last week when a 68-year-old man was reportedly beaten up by three people of North African origin. Spanish daily El País reports that right-wing groups have been trying to "hunt down" migrants. El País spoke to a migrant in Torre Pacheco who was provoked. He says that those who participate in the unrest aren't people from the town, but young people coming from the region, organised and led by right-wing groups on social media. Spanish daily El Mundo writes that 70 percent of Spaniards support deportations of illegal migrants, proposed by Spain's far-right party Vox. The paper says that citizens see migration as a source of inconvenience, rather than a potential opportunity. An editorial in El País says that Vox is "manipulating immigration". According to the paper, the party uses radicalised and xenophobic discourse and even conspiracy theories to justify mass deportations.
Immigration is also a big topic in the United States. The Washington Post reports that ICE plans to deport migrants to countries where they aren't even citizens. The "dramatic shift in policy" could mean that thousands of people are sent to countries where they have no family at all and where they don't even speak the language. In some cases, they will be given as little as six hours' notice. The Los Angeles Times looked at data around the ongoing detentions. The daily says that even though Donald Trump has vowed to deport "the worst of the worst", the data shows that the majority of people currently detained by ICE have no criminal convictions, and very few of those who do have committed high-level crimes. The paper says this is "a stark contrast to the chilling nightmare Trump describes".
Finally, we bring you a fascinating prison escape story from the eastern French city of Lyon. Left-wing paper Le Monde reports that on Friday, a 20-year-old prisoner managed to escape by hiding in the laundry bag of his fellow inmate, who was being released. He was in prison for criminal conspiracy and organised murder, but the prison administration only figured out that he was missing a whole day later.
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France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Can a French citizen's petition reverse the reintroduction of a banned pesticide?
The French National Assembly on July 8 adopted the divisive "Duplomb law", named after the conservative lawmaker Laurent Duplomb who proposed it. The draft law was presented in parliament as a bid to "reduce constraints" on French farmers, who have repeatedly expressed frustration over bureaucratic constraints on the agricultural sector, unfair foreign competition, and stringent regulations. But some farmers, environmentalists and medical experts have criticised many of the law's proposals – particularly one provision that proposes to reintroduce the insecticide acetamiprid, a chemical known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees and to ecosystems – which was banned in France in 2018. The contentious provisions spurred 23-year-old masters student Eleonore Pattery to launch a petition against the law on July 10, which brought the bill to the public's attention. The petition's author, who describes herself as "a future environmental health professional", called the new law a "scientific, ethical, environmental and public health aberration". "It represents a frontal attack on public health, biodiversity, the coherence of climate policies, food security, and common sense," she said. At the time of writing, the petition had collected more than 1.5 million signatures – higher than any other petition published on France's official National Assembly site so far. The reintroduction of acetamiprid – an insecticide that belongs to a class of synthetic chemicals similar to nicotine called neonicotinoids, often shortened to "neonics" – is the most divisive provision of the law. Neonics were developed in the 1980s to target the central nervous system of insects and disrupt nerve function. These insecticides are extremely effective against a wide range of pests like aphids and grubs, and have been used globally since the 1990s. In France, they are widely used by beetroot and hazelnut growers. However, they come with a list of caveats that harm biodiversity and human health, according to experts. Unlike contact pesticides that coat the surface of a plant, neonics are absorbed by the plant and distributed through its leaves, flowers, pollen, and nectar. While this makes them very effective against pests, they also cause impaired navigation, reduced learning, weakened colony health and death among bees. Various beekeeping organisations have urged citizens to fight against the law for this very reason and have branded the chemical "a bee killer". Scientists also say that neonicotinoids tend to remain inside the soil and hurt non-target species i.e., insects and animals that don't hurt crop yield but play an essential role in maintaining ecological balance. However, the invertebrates aren't the only ones at risk. A growing body of research shows that neonicotinoids impact human nervous systems too. Hundreds of doctors and researchers have signed an open letter published by French healthcare organisation Médecins du Monde that says the law fails to address the collapse of biodiversity and the impact on farmers' health. The letter specifically mentions three chemicals: acetamiprid, flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor. 'The primary consequence of these dysfunctions is an increased risk for farmers of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), myeloma, prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease, and neurodevelopmental disorders, to take just a few examples, while the precautionary principle (and the European regulation) requires that no marketing authorisation be issued in the event of a risk to human health or biodiversity,' it says. The letter has been backed by The French League Against Cancer and the European Federation of Neurological Associations. 01:34 Environmentalists are also concerned by some of the other provisions of the law. The law claims it will promote the expansion of industrial agriculture by easing permits for large livestock facilities and water reservoirs. Critics say this move will harm smaller family-run operations and is likely to increase greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. The Duplomb law will also implement several long-standing demands from France's largest farm union FNSEA, which has historically supported pesticide use. "We need to maintain our means of production, and I believe there's a lot of exaggeration in the comments being made," the head of FNSEA, Arnaud Rousseau, told franceinfo radio. Growers also argue that acetamiprid, allowed in other EU countries, is vital to fight yellows disease, which cut yields by 30% in 2020 and slashed sugar output. Can a citizen's petition change the law? The number of signatures on Pattery's petition continue to climb, and increasing pressure on the government to revisit the law. The French government has defended the bill, but has been obliged to acknowledge the outcry, amid the rapidly rising number of signatures. In France, petitions with over half a million signatures can prompt a parliamentary debate, but do not require a new vote. National Assembly chairwoman Yael Braun Privet said the government "had to listen to the people. We will hold a debate but this debate will not – it cannot – change the text that was just voted." Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has also said he would back a debate. Benjamin Morel, a constitutional expert and lecturer at the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas agrees, saying that while the petition might lead to a debate, it will not ultimately lead to any change in the text of the law itself: "For the Duplomb law not to be enforced, a new bill would have to be introduced, or the president of the Republic would have to get involved." " Emmanuel Macron could request a new deliberation by Parliament, in accordance with Article 10 of the Constitution," Morel adds. But he believes that the result of the vote would be identical. For now, France's left – the four parties formerly allied under the banner of the New Popular Front – have promised to continue to battle to repeal the Duplomb law. "The fight has only just begun," warned Green Party MP Sandrine Rousseau on franceinfo radio on Monday.
France 24
12 hours ago
- France 24
German govt looks to roll back tax hike on flights
Airlines have long complained that the charges in Germany -- aimed in part to reduce carbon emissions -- are among the highest in Europe, harming competitiveness. "The increase in the air travel tax must be reversed," said Christoph Ploss, the federal government's tourism coordinator, in an interview with the Bild daily. "Hard-earned holidays to Mallorca must not become unaffordable," he added, refencing the Spanish island which is a popular holiday destination. Germany last hiked the duty in May 2024, with the levy for short-haul flights hitting 15.33 euros ($17.88), up from 12.73 euros, and that for long-haul routes soaring to 70.83 euros from 58.06 euros. For comparison, France is planning to increase its tax on economy-class flights to destinations within Europe to 7.30 euros, up from 2.63 euros now. Last year's increase under Germany's then-chancellor Olaf Scholz has brought in almost two billion euros since it was imposed but also led to anger from airlines. Irish budget carrier Ryanair and German rival Eurowings warned late last year that they were considering cutting numerous routes to and from Germany, citing what they called excessive taxation. Reversing the tax rise as part of the 2026 budget is now being discussed between Germany's ruling coalition parties, the conservative CDU/CDU and the centre-left SPD, Bild reported. Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU has tried to forge a pro-business course to revive a sluggish economy, introducing tax breaks for business investment and promising to reduce bureaucracy.
France 24
14 hours ago
- France 24
UK calls for 50-day drive to arm Ukraine
Earlier this month, Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin 50 days to strike a peace deal with Kyiv in the three-year war or face sanctions. UK Defence Secretary John Healey told a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) that Kyiv's backers stand at a moment of "maximum opportunity". "As members of this UDCG, we need to step up, in turn, a 50-day drive to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and to help push Putin to the negotiating table," Healey told the virtual meeting of 52 nations. Trump also pledged to supply Kyiv with new military aid, sponsored by NATO allies, as its cities suffer ever-increasing Russian aerial attacks since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Healey, chairing the meeting alongside German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, said the UK "backs this policy". "We will play our full part in its success," he added. Russia has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over recent months, defying Trump's warning. Healey said Britain and Germany have "agreed to partner in providing critical air defence missiles to Ukraine". Pistorius said the two countries would provide 220,000 rounds of 35 millimetre ammunition for anti-aircraft guns used by Ukraine. According to the UK defence ministry, Britain has sent £150 million ($200 million) worth of air defence missiles and artillery rounds to Ukraine in the past two months. The UK has pledged to spend £700 million on air defence and artillery ammunition for Ukraine this year. The commitment is in addition to other funding to provide more of the drones that have become key weapons in the war with Russia. Some 50,000 drones have been delivered to Ukraine in the last six months, with another 20,000 coming from a coalition of nations led by Britain and Latvia. © 2025 AFP
