Eurotopics.net

Russian historian and opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for treason and other offences. Kara-Murza, who has allegedly been the target of two poisoning attacks and was an associate of Boris Nemtzov, who was shot dead in 2015, co-founded an anti-war committee at the end of February 2022, for which he was then arrested and classified as a foreign agent.

In Sweden, hundreds of firefighters have protested against the implementation of the EU Working Time Directive. Around two-thirds of the country's firefighters do this work on a part-time basis, and 24-hour on-call shifts have so far enabled them to balance their firefighter duties with their main jobs and private lives. The Directive's compulsory 11 hours of rest during a 24-hour period would mean this is no longer possible.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced plans to give maths higher priority in British schools and make it a compulsory subject up until the age of 18. Sunak said on Monday that a better understanding of maths would improve the country's economic performance because the lack of maths skills is costing the country "tens of billions a year". Opinions in the national press are divided.

Germany's nuclear phase-out is complete: after three and a half months of extended operation, the last three German nuclear power plants were shut down at 11:59 p.m. on April 15. Other European countries continue to rely on the technology, which has recently gained more advocates in the wake of the climate and energy crises. Still others like Poland are planning to start using it. This ambivalence is reflected in the commentaries.

After a summer of drought in Europe, the winter has also brought little rainfall. Already in March, the EU Commission warned of low water levels and particularly dry soil in southern and western Europe. Politicians in countries like France and Italy are already reacting with targeted measures. Meanwhile, battles over water distribution between agricultural sectors, industry and environmental protection groups loom large.