El Salvador: Statement by the Spokesperson on the Foreign Agents Law and recent developments
New plan will help EU countries tackle cyber-attacks better
EU telecom ministers have adopted the EU Blueprint for cyber crisis management. It clarifies how EU countries can detect, respond to, recover and learn from large-scale cybersecurity incidents and cyber crises that could affect the whole EU. Cyber-attacks pose a growing threat to Europe’s security. Source link
New plan will help EU countries tackle cyber-attacks better
EU telecom ministers have adopted the EU Blueprint for cyber crisis management. It clarifies how EU countries can detect, respond to, recover and learn from large-scale cybersecurity incidents and cyber crises that could affect the whole EU. Cyber-attacks pose a growing threat to Europe’s security.
EYE2025 (European Youth Event): thousands to celebrate the power of democracy | News
EYE2025 (European Youth Event) will be opened by Parliament Vice-president Sabine Verheyen (EPP, DE) on Friday 13 June at 10:00 in the EYE village. Vice-president Nicolae Ştefănuță (Greens/EFA, RO) will take part in a session dedicated to the next long-term budget, on Saturday at 15:00. The closing session, with Vice-president Pina Picierno (S&D, IT), will take place on Saturday at 16:45.
Over the two days, there will be panel discussions with MEPs and other EU decision-makers, as well as with experts, activists and content creators. Debates between MEPs and the young participants will cover climate justice, skills for the future, the EU’s next long-term budget, and freedom of speech and media, among many other topics.
Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef will lead a Youth Policy Dialogue on Friday at 11:00, and take part in a panel discussion on young people’s mental health that afternoon. Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Henna Virkkunen will join in a conversation on how technology can strengthen democracy, on Friday at 15:00.
Other guest speakers are democracy activist Daria Navalnya, the Kayapo Amazonian tribal leader Chief Tau Metuktire and the Mayor of Strasbourg Jeanne Barseghian.
The programme also includes workshops on a wide range of issues that concern young people, from disinformation to housing and migration. Quizzes, tours, artistic performances, storytelling workshops and concerts are other options among more than 450 activities organised for the sixth edition of EYE.
All sessions in the hemicycle will be streamed live on the EYE2025 Facebook page and via Parliament’s Multimedia Centre. More details about the schedule, speakers and activities are available on the European Youth Event website.
Press briefing
On Friday 13 June at 16:30, there will be a press briefing with Vice-president Verheyen on media freedom in the EU, in the Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room. You can follow it live here.
Council sets position on clearer and improved rules for air passengers
EU transport ministers reached a political agreement on the revision of the regulation on air passenger rights and the regulation on airline liability. The common position answers to a need for simpler and clearer rules, while aiming at striking a better balance between a high level of protection for passengers and preserving connectivity and level […]
In Gaza, daily food intake has fallen well below ‘survival’ level
Latest data simulations from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) point to the average Gazan eating just 1,400 calories per day – “or 67 per cent of what a human body needs to survive” (2,300 calories) as of May.
Between October 2023 and the end of December 2024, average intake was 1,510 calories per day, or 72 per cent of the minimum recommended amount.
“The findings reveal systemic and escalating violations of both international human rights law and international humanitarian law, particularly concerning the right to adequate food, the prohibition of starvation as a method of warfare, and the protection of civilians in armed conflict,” FAO insisted.
Even based on its most optimistic food availability scenario, the UN agency estimated that energy intake was just 1,470 calories per person per day on 11 May, during the complete aid blockade imposed by Israel, beginning 2 March.
“This has critical implications for hunger and undernutrition, especially for families without cash and/or able-bodied men, as well as children, pregnant and lactating women, person with disabilities and the elderly,” FAO explained.
The agency noted that its analysis is in line with dire warnings of acute hunger across Gaza issued by UN-backed food security experts last month, based on the lack of available wheat flour, pulses, rice, dairy products, and vegetable oil.
Without an improvement in the amount of aid being allowed into Gaza for distribution by established agencies, FAO warned that the already dire humanitarian situation could deteriorate even further.
This is despite repeated calls to Israel from the United Nations including from the Secretary-General to allow more aid in at scale, in line with “binding orders” issued by the International Court of Justice to fully cooperate with the UN and ensure that aid reaches the people of Gaza without delay.
Unknown number of dead
Gaza’s population today is approximately 2.1 million, down from 2.23 million in October 2023 before the war began following Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel.
Citing the Palestinian authorities, FAO said that as of 30 April, 52,400 Palestinians had been reported killed, while another 11,000 were feared missing, presumably under the rubble.
While more than 60,000 children have been born in the Gaza Strip during the conflict, “an unknown number of Palestinians have died of natural causes or indirectly from the conflict, due to hunger, untreated diseases or injuries since October 2023”, FAO said.
The UN agency also referred to a June 2024 article by the authoritative medical journal The Lancet suggesting that up to 186,000 people would likely die from indirect causes because of the conflict, at a “conservative” rate of four indirect deaths for every direct death.
According to FAO’s simulation, 2,297 tonnes – equivalent to 120 trucks – per day are required to deliver food baskets providing 2,100 calories per person per day to the entire population of the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, UN teams requested access for 130 truckloads of aid via Kerem Shalom, but only 50 carrying flour were approved to enter from Israel.