Latest news with #VonderLeyen
DW
29-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: Von der Leyen to receive Charlemagne Prize – DW – 05/29/2025
05/29/2025 May 29, 2025 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to be awarded Charlemagne Prize European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize during a ceremony in the western German city of Aachen, located near Belgium and the Netherlands. The Charlemagne Prize is given to "individuals or institutions for their services to Europe and European unity," according to its website. Hundreds of guests are expected at the awards ceremony in Aachen's city hall, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the Charlemagne Prize in 2023 Image: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images Why is von der Leyen receiving the Charlemagne Prize? Von der Leyen, who is 66 years old, is being commended for playing "a key role in keeping Europe united, relient and capable of action," the awarding body said. Von der Leyen, a German who spent much of her childhood in Belgium, stepped into the role of European Commission president in 2019. She has been at the helm of the European Commission during some trying times for Europe, most notably the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine . Von der Leyen also held various ministerial roles under Germany's former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Most notably, von der Leyen served as Germany's defense minister from December 2013 to July 2019. Von der Leyen's career not without controversy Although von der Leyen is lauded for efforts in promoting European unity, she has also been at the center of several scandals during her career. Earlier this month, the European Court of Justice ruled that it was wrong for von der Leyen and the European Commission to block the New York Times' access to private texts between her and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. The text messages between in question dated back to 2021, when the EU was trying to procure doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the US pharmaceutical company. Von der Leyen has also been criticized over the awarding of certain lucrative contracts without oversight during her tenure as German defense minister. Members of the German parliament, or Bundestag, have also blamed von der Leyen for not doing enough to improve the readiness of the German military during her time as defense chief.
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
New DVLA rule means drivers can be hit with unpaid EU fines
Since Brexit. there has been no formal system allowing foreign governments to impose fines on UK drivers. Drivers could be hit with huge unpaid traffic fines after the UK agreed a landmark deal with the European Union. The new 'reset' deal, which was confirmed last week, will allow the UK and European Union to 'set up automated searching of vehicle registration data'. Since the UK's departure from the EU, there has been no formal system allowing foreign governments to impose fines on UK drivers and until now motorists have not been issued with postal fines for minor driving offences committed in the EU. However, under the 'Internal security and judicial cooperation' section of the new agreement, section 53 outlines plans to reinforce mutual exchanges of data between the EU and the UK. It also stated: "Acknowledge the requirement in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to set up automated searching of vehicle registration data." This means drivers can be issued with a fine while travelling in Europe if they are stopped by police in EU member states, even after Brexit, reports Birmingham Live. And it means motorists who leave the country they are visiting with unpaid fines face a new crackdown as their details will now be able to be found. According to the agreement, changes could be introduced for fingerprints, DNA, and criminal records of third-country nationals After shaking hands on the deal with the EU's Ursula von der Leyen in London last week, the Prime Minister said: "Britain is back on the world stage. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'It gives us unprecedented access to the EU market, the best of any country … all while sticking to the red lines in our manifesto.' Von der Leyen described it as 'a historic moment … opening a new chapter in our unique relationship'. The documents published on the Labour Party government website in the wake of the deal also stated: "Acknowledge the requirement in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to set up automated searching of vehicle registration data." Rachel Reeves said Monday's agreement was 'the best deal with the EU for any country' and would show 'Britain now is the place to put investment and do business, because we've got preferential deals with the biggest economies'. Starmer said he wanted UK holidaymakers to be able to use e-gates in EU countries 'as soon as possible', but the final move will be up to individual states. 'There's no inhibition on this, so I want to see it done quickly,' he said. 'For holidaymakers wanting to get out this summer they will want to know that they can do so easily and without delay and chaos.' Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'This deal is taking us to the past and that is why we call it surrender.' She stopped short of saying she would rip up the terms of the deal, saying only that she would seek to renegotiate should the Tories return to power.
Miami Herald
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Israeli media report storming of Gaza food distribution center
TEL AVIV, Israel - Palestinians have stormed a new food distribution center in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports on Tuesday. The Israeli news portal ynet reported that the chaos forced employees of a U.S. group to withdraw and that shots were fired from Israeli helicopters. There were initially no reports of possible injuries in the incident in the city of Rafah. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports. The newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said: "At one moment in the late afternoon, the volume of people at the SDS [Secure Distribution Site] was such that the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Gazans to take aid safely and dissipate. This was done in accordance with GHF protocol to avoid casualties." It added that normal operations have since resumed. The foundation, which is supported by Israel and the United States, said approximately 8,000 food boxes have been distributed. Each box feeds 5.5 people for 3.5 days, meaning a total of 462,000 meals have been distributed so far. Many people in the embattled coastal strip are in a desperate situation after a months-long blockade of aid supplies by Israel, which has only recently been eased slightly. New humanitarian agency The Israeli government wants the GHF, established a few months ago, to be responsible for distributing aid supplies in the future. It has said the mechanism is designed to prevent the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas from intercepting supplies and profiting from them. Israel plans to use the four GHF distribution centres in the south and centre of the Gaza Strip to bypass U.N. aid organizations and other international aid agencies. The Interior Ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, has called on the population to boycott the new distribution mechanism. Continued criticism of Israeli offensive Top international officials stepped up their criticism of Israel's expanded military operation in Gaza on Tuesday, as casualties mount from the intensified attacks on the largely destroyed Palestinian territory. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the escalation "cannot be justified" under international law, while the U.N.'s top human rights official said the attacks on the Gaza Strip violated "fundamental principles of humanity." Von der Leyen said that "the European Commission has always supported – and will continue to support – Israel's right to security and self-defence, but this escalation and disproportionate use of force against civilians cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law." "The expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza targeting civilian infrastructure, among them a school that served as a shelter for displaced Palestinian families, killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent," she said, after a call with King Abdullah II of Jordan. The European Union calls on Israel "to put an immediate halt on the current escalation," she said, and on Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Von der Leyen also urged Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza. "Israel needs to immediately restore aid delivery in line with humanitarian principles, with the participation of the U.N. and other international humanitarian partners," she said. Israel not respecting 'principles of humanity' U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said that Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip are no longer covered by the principle of self-defense under international law. Israel says that it is determined to completely remove the threat posed by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the E.U. and the United States. The army recently said it was pursuing its war against Hamas by expanding the war zone and calling on the residents of most places in the southern Gaza Strip to leave the region. We are talking about "an expulsion that is highly, highly questionable," Turk said on Austrian radio, referring to the effect of the war on the civilian population. "What we have witnessed in recent months has nothing to do with respect for the fundamental principles of humanity," said Turk, who holds the title of U.N. high commissioner for human rights. "You can't really find any more words to describe what is happening." The war in Gaza has claimed more than 53,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza. It was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other groups on Oct. 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Fears for displaced Gazans According to international aid organizations, almost 180,000 Gazans have been displaced over 10 days from May 15-25 as a result of the expanded Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip. This figure was published by the International Organization for Migration (IoM) in Geneva as part of the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster platform, which coordinates aid for internally displaced persons worldwide. The platform said it "unequivocally condemns attacks on displacement sites." "Direct attacks on sites have become common," the statement said. Since the end of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in March, a total of around 616,000 people have been internally displaced in the Gaza Strip, according to the group. About 80% of the coastal area is closed off or under evacuation orders, it said. Palestinian media reports and health authorities in Gaza indicate a rapidly mounting death toll from the Israeli attacks. In the most recent incidents, at least 19 people were killed in an Israeli attack in northern Gaza, local media reported on Monday. At least 38 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip within one day, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said on Sunday. -------------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Qatar Tribune
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
EU's von der Leyen slams Israel's expanded military offensive in Gaza
dpa Brussels/Vienna Top international officials stepped up their criticism of Israel's expanded military operation in Gaza on Tuesday, as casualties mount from the intensified attacks on the largely destroyed Palestinian territory. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the escalation 'cannot be justified' under international law, while the UN's top human rights official said the attacks on the Gaza Strip violated 'fundamental principles of humanity.' Von der Leyen said that 'the European Commission has always supported - and will continue to support - Israel's right to security and self-defence, but this escalation and disproportionate use of force against civilians cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law.' 'The expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza targeting civilian infrastructure, among them a school that served as a shelter for displaced Palestinian families, killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent,' she said, after a call with King Abdullah II of Jordan. The European Union calls on Israel 'to put an immediate halt on the current escalation,' she said, and on the Palestinian group Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Von der Leyen also urged Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza. 'Israel needs to immediately restore aid delivery in line with humanitarian principles, with the participation of the UN and other international humanitarian partners,' she said. 'Europe's commitment to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace based on a two-state solution remains unwavering.' UN human rights chief Volker Türk said that Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip are no longer covered by the principle of self-defence under international law. Israel says that it is determined to completely remove the threat posed by Hamas.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Abhorrent': EU's von der Leyen slams Israeli offensive in Gaza
Top international officials stepped up their criticism of Israel's expanded military operation in Gaza on Tuesday, as casualties mount from the intensified attacks on the largely destroyed Palestinian territory. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the escalation "cannot be justified" under international law, while the UN's top human rights official said the attacks on the Gaza Strip violated "fundamental principles of humanity." Von der Leyen said that "the European Commission has always supported – and will continue to support – Israel's right to security and self-defence, but this escalation and disproportionate use of force against civilians cannot be justified under humanitarian and international law." "The expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza targeting civilian infrastructure, among them a school that served as a shelter for displaced Palestinian families, killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent," she said, after a call with King Abdullah II of Jordan. The European Union calls on Israel "to put an immediate halt on the current escalation," she said, and on the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Von der Leyen also urged Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza. "Israel needs to immediately restore aid delivery in line with humanitarian principles, with the participation of the UN and other international humanitarian partners," she said. "Europe's commitment to a just, comprehensive and lasting peace based on a two-state solution remains unwavering." Israel not respecting 'principles of humanity' UN human rights chief Volker Türk said that Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip are no longer covered by the principle of self-defence under international law. Israel says that it is determined to completely remove the threat posed by Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the EU and the United States. The army recently said it was pursuing its war against Hamas by expanding the war zone and calling on the residents of most places in the southern Gaza Strip to leave the region. We are talking about "an expulsion that is highly, highly questionable," Türk said on Austrian radio, referring to the effect of the war on the civilian population. "What we have witnessed in recent months has nothing to do with respect for the fundamental principles of humanity," said Türk, who holds the title of UN high commissioner for human rights. "You can't really find any more words to describe what is happening." The war in Gaza has claimed more than 53,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza. It was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other groups on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. Fears for displaced Gazans According to international aid organizations, almost 180,000 Gazans have been displaced over 10 days from May 15-25 as a result of the expanded Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip. This figure was published by the International Organization for Migration (IoM) in Geneva as part of the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster platform, which coordinates aid for internally displaced persons worldwide. The platform said it "unequivocally condemns attacks on displacement sites." "Direct attacks on sites have become common," the statement said. Since the end of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in March, a total of around 616,000 people have been internally displaced in the Gaza Strip, according to the group. About 80% of the coastal area is closed off or under evacuation orders, it said. Palestinian media reports and health authorities in Gaza indicate a rapidly mounting death toll from the Israeli attacks. In the most recent incidents, at least 19 people were killed in an Israeli attack in northern Gaza, local media reported on Monday. At least 38 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip within one day, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said on Sunday.
