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As the largest crowds yet took to the streets Tuesday objecting to President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform scheme, Macron moved in another direction talking Ukraine and saying additional options were possible like warplanes. Many see more weapons for Ukraine as having the potential to lead to "World War Three" with nuclear weapons a possibility. But back in France when it comes to pensions Mr. Macron has a 'nuclear option' to force through his 'pension reform' proposal. It's the use of Article 49.3 of France's 1958 Constitution (The Fifth Republic) one of the many strong powers dictated by Charles de Gaulle...

The Taoiseach has said he is extremely concerned about the rise of the far-right in this country, adding that anti-refugee protests are “not the Irish way”. Leo Varadkar said scenes witnessed at a number of protests in recent days and weeks are not acceptable, but admitted that robust systems must be put in place to ensure people who arrive here have genuine reasons to seek international protection. “Refugees are welcome here,” he said. Mr. Varadkar confirmed that the refugee crisis and the war in Ukraine were raised during a meeting with European Parliament president Roberta Metsola in Government Buildings. Speaking...

Central European countries like Croatia, Hungary, and also recently Austria too are beginning to emerge as voices of reason in the West after their de facto New Cold War bloc’s proxy war on Russia through Ukraine over the past year failed to defeat that Great Power. They rightly realize how counterproductive this NATO-led campaign has been for their collective interests, ergo why they’re urging restraint and even an outright reversal of policy at this point in time. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic is unexpectedly giving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban a run for his money when it comes to being the...

A spike in the number of deaths in recent weeks has disrupted funeral arrangements and put mortuaries under unprecedented stress. An Irish Examiner analysis of death notices on the website rip.ie shows there were 9,718 published in the eight-week period from December 1, 2022, to January 25, 2023 — up 20% from 8,075 in the same period a year earlier. The figure is also considerably higher than the 8,135 death notices published in the same period to January 25, 2021, when the country was in the grip of the worst period of the Covid pandemic. Pre-pandemic, 6,802 death notices were...

The European Union is set to propose a plan to counteract the US $369 billion [€339 billion] Inflation Reduction Act on Wednesday (1 February), with looser state-aid rules for tax credits in green investments. The EU Commission has drafted plans to simplify and speed up companies’ access to tax credits in an effort to prevent companies from leaving the EU. Large wind and solar developers have criticized the EU funding regime for being too complicated and have pointed out that tax incentives in the US trigger automatically, making them more attractive. To address this, the commission has built a plan...

One of the most legendary soccer players of his time received a jail sentence and a fine for posting “transphobic” social media messages citing the Bible’s creation account.“God created Adam and Eve,” wrote retired Greek football legend Vassilis Tsiartas in the second of two Facebook posts opposing a 2017 law that would have lowered the age to legally change one’s gender to 15 and removed other legal barriers.The 49-year-old initially responded by saying, “I hope that the first sex changes will be made to the children of those who voted for this abomination.” Members of Parliament may as well “legalize...

A group of Swiss lawmakers has moved forward a proposal to allow countries to give Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine, in a move that would soften Switzerland’s centuries-old policy of neutrality toward foreign conflicts."The majority of the committee believes Switzerland must offer its contribution to European security, which requires more substantial aid to Ukraine," the Swiss parliamentary security committee said in a statement.The decision would represent a significant break from the policy of Swiss neutrality, though its supporters insist that the measure would not violate their law of neutrality since Bern would not be sending weapons directly.Switzerland’s neutrality has held strong...

The manufacture of “green steel” moved one step closer to reality Friday as Massachusetts-based Boston Metal announced a $120 million investment from the world’s second-largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal. Boston Metal will use the injection of funds to expand production at a pilot plant in Woburn, near Boston, and help launch commercial production in Brazil. The company uses renewable electricity to convert iron ore into steel. Steel is one of the world’s dirtiest heavy industries. Three-quarters of world production uses a traditional method that burns through train loads of coal to heat the furnaces and drive the reaction that releases pure iron...

The European Commission will refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to correctly transpose the Water Framework Directive into Irish law — despite the signing into law in Ireland last month of new water-related legislation to addresses their concerns. The EU Directive establishes a framework for protecting inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and groundwater by preventing their further deterioration, preventing pollution as well as protecting and enhancing water dependent ecosystems and water resources. […] The Water Framework Directive requires that all inland and coastal waters reach at least good status by 2027 at the latest....

From day one of the war in Ukraine, the most powerful argument against unrestrained western intervention in the conflict has been the danger of catastrophic escalation into an all-out war between Nato and Russia.So far, western governments have shied away from a truly existential confrontation with Russia. But the threat remains that continuing western military aid to Ukraine will provoke Russian countermeasures that could turn Moscow’s proxy war with Nato into a direct military conflict.Western hawks have long argued the danger of escalation is illusory. In an op-ed for the New York Times, former British diplomat Nigel Gould-Davies claimed “Putin...

Coming on the heels of Germany’s announcement to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has declared “we are fighting a war with Russia” at a meeting of the European Council. “We have to do more also on tanks,” Baerbock said. “But the most important, crucial part is that we do it together, and we do not do the blame game in Europe, because we are fighting a war against Russia, and not against each other.” NATO countries have so far scrupulously avoided insinuating that they are direct participants in the regional border conflict over ethnic...

BERLIN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries such as Poland to do so while the U.S. may supply Abrams tanks, magazine Spiegel reported on Tuesday. A government spokesperson declined to comment. The defence ministry was not immediately available for comment. The decision concerns at least one company of Leopard 2 A6 tanks that will be provided out of Bundeswehr stocks, Spiegel said.

In two days an EU regulation will go into effect that allows for ‘acheta domesticus’, aka house crickets, to be added to flour, bread, pasta etc. as an ‘authorised novel food for the general population’. They want you to eat bugs without you knowing it.🦗 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32023R0005 The application requested for partially defatted powder obtained from whole Acheta domesticus (house cricket) to be used in multigrain bread and rolls, crackers and breadsticks, cereal bars, dry pre-mixes for baked products, biscuits, dry stuffed and non-stuffed pasta-based products, sauces, processed potato products, legume- and vegetable- based dishes, pizza, pasta-based products, whey powder, meat...

The hydrogen pipeline will bring "green" gas from the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe. France, Portugal, and Spain previously agreed to build the pipeline, which should be operational by 2030. https://p.dw.com/p/4MYzX Germany will join a new hydrogen pipeline project between Spain, Portugal and France, according to the Franco-German declaration on Sunday's 60th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty. The project, called H2Med, will connect Portugal and Spain with France and now Germany to supply about 10% of the European Union's hydrogen demand by 2030. The pipeline under the Mediterranean Sea will carry green hydrogen, made from water via electrolysis...

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Road users are being urged to take care following overnight snowfalls in many areas, with low temperatures leading to icy conditions. Met Éireann meteorologist Gerry Murphy said any showers this morning could be of sleet and snow, although as the day goes on showers will be predominantly of rain and sleet. Two Status Yellow warnings for snow and ice remain in place for 22 counties until 9 am. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr. Murphy said it will be quite cold again tonight and temperatures will drop down as low as –4°C in places, with rain and sleet developing in...

Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) lectured Americans while in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, urging them to accept amnesty for the nation’s 11 to 22 million illegal aliens. During a panel discussion alongside Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), and others, Salazar said some form of amnesty is necessary for illegal aliens living across the United States. She said: We need to also give dignity to those people who are in the country and those are the people that I represent. We’re talking about 13 to 15 million people — who are, most of them, Hispanics,...

The European Union pushed forward on Tuesday with a major clean tech industrial plan which not only should keep the continent in the vanguard of plotting a greener future but also guarantee its economic survival as it faces challenges from China and the United States. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the outlines for her “Green Deal Industrial Plan” that will make it much easier to push through subsidies for green industries and pool EU-wide projects that are boosted with major funding as the EU pursues the goal of being climate neutral by 2050. “We know that we...

Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg has been detained by police at a protest outside a western German village.She had been protesting with activists seeking to stop the abandoned village of Lützerath from being demolished for the expansion of a coal mine. Police told the BBC Ms Thunberg was not arrested and would be released after they checked her ID. The Swedish activist was detained after a group "rushed towards the ledge" of the Garzweiler 2 mine, police said.

German police arrested Greta Thunberg during a protest against the expansion of a coal mine in the town of Lützerath on Tuesday. Thunberg was among a group of activists who were reportedly rushing toward the mine’s opening when she was detained by security services. “Greta Thunberg was part of a group of activists who rushed towards the ledge. However, she was then stopped and carried by us with this group out of the immediate danger area to establish their identity,” local police said in a statement. Police said Thunberg and her fellow protesters would be released without being charged. Thousands...