This EPRS paper analyses how the European Commission has delivered on the policy agenda set by its President, Ursula von der Leyen, and her College of Commissioners when they took office in December 2019, and by further commitments taken over the years to address new issues, crises and challenges. It provides an end-of-term assessment of the delivery of the agenda's six key priorities, on the eve of the ninth legislature's last plenary session, two months before the 2024 European elections. The von der Leyen Commission has announced a total of 661 planned initiatives. In concrete terms, EPRS finds that four out of five (526) have now been submitted and, for those which are legislative proposals, the co-legislators have started work. Of the 526, more than half (301) have already been adopted by the co-legislators, or, for the non-legislative initiatives (such as strategies, action plans and other communications, amounting to around one fifth of the total), by the Commission itself. A further 97 (18 %) are close to adoption, with some of them likely to be adopted still during this legislature. The remainder (102, or 19 %) are still proceeding normally through the legislative process and will not reach adoption under this term. While the Commission's first priority – the European Green Deal – ranks highest in terms of the number of initiatives planned (167), the other priorities – 'A Europe fit for the digital age', 'An economy that works for people', 'A stronger Europe in the world', 'Promoting our European way of life', and 'A new push for European democracy' – have higher rates of initiatives actually adopted (from 52 % to 60 %, and 82 % for the fourth, largely due, for the latter, to its less legislative nature). Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Teachers play an essential role in providing high-quality education and making education a rewarding experience for all learners. This makes teachers key to achieving a true European education area (EEA) that offers improved access to quality education and lifelong learning for all. However, the current shortage of teachers is a widespread issue across the European Union (EU). Not only is the teaching workforce ageing but the profession has become less attractive owing to factors such as challenging working conditions and perceived low societal recognition. Teacher shortages are more acute in certain subjects, specialisations and geographic areas. There is also a significant gender disparity in the teaching profession at various educational levels across the EU. Against this backdrop, the 2023 Education and Training Monitor – the European Commission's annual report on EU education and training systems – put a spotlight on the teaching profession, focusing in particular on teacher shortages across the Member States. The report noted that, while shortages are an increasing concern, reinforcing the teaching profession's attractiveness requires a balanced policy approach to both teacher recruitment and teacher retention. While the organisation and content of education fall under the responsibility of the Member States, the EU is working on boosting the prestige of the teaching profession and has launched several initiatives to offer professional education and development opportunities to educators. Examples include providing EU-level guidance on various topics relating to the teaching profession, establishing the Erasmus+ teacher academies that create communities of practice, and promoting cross-border teacher mobility. Over the years, the European Parliament has expressed continued support for teachers and for making the teaching profession more attractive. In February 2024, it held a plenary debate on the working conditions of teachers in the EU, with the participation of the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Once dispersed in the environment, microplastic particles under 5 mm in size are extremely difficult to remove and very persistent. Today, they are present in the air, soil, freshwater, seas, oceans, plants and animals, and in several components of the human diet. Human exposure to microplastic particles is therefore widespread, raising concerns about potential health impacts. The EU has committed to addressing microplastic pollution in two action plans –on the new circular economy and on zero pollution for air, water and soil – both of which are part of the European Green Deal. On 16 October 2023, the European Commission proposed a regulation to tackle microplastic pollution resulting from losses of plastic pellets – the industrial raw materials used to make plastic products. These losses are the third largest source of unintentional microplastic releases into the EU environment. The proposal would apply to all economic operators handling plastic pellets in the EU in quantities above 5 tonnes per year, as well as to EU and non-EU carriers transporting plastic pellets within the EU. It would set requirements for best handling practices, mandatory certification and self-declaration, and provide for the development of a harmonised methodology to estimate losses. Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), responsible for the file, adopted its legislative report on 19 March 2024. The text awaits a vote during the second April 2024 plenary session, with a view to establishing Parliament's position at first reading. First edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Global prices for crude oil jumped by more than 3% on Friday after Israel carried out a military attack on Iran Read Full Article at RT.com

Örn Viðar Skúlason, CEO of real estate company Þórkatla, says it is understandable that the residents of Grindavík are getting impatient and that they had hoped for a faster processing of their applications in the state property buy-outs.

Jury selection is scheduled to continue Friday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York. Twelve jurors have been seated and six alternates need to be chosen.

Computer-generated models are set to compete in the world’s first AI beauty contest Read Full Article at RT.com

EU energy watchdog urges “gradual” reduction of liquified natural gas imports from Russia as the transit contract with Ukraine nears an end Read Full Article at RT.com

The record-low birth rate is the most negative factor for Russia’s long-term development, researchers have warned Read Full Article at RT.com

RT outlines the key events from the front line of the Russia-Ukraine conflict over the past seven days Read Full Article at RT.com

India has shipped the first batch of BrahMos cruise missiles co-developed with Russia to the Philippines Read Full Article at RT.com

ALISON BOSHOFF: It's a shock move, as the 59-year-old hasn't set foot on stage since the early 1980s, long before he was a star.

Researchers in Singapore found that methylglyoxal, which the body produces when eating junk foods, could inhibit genes like BRCA2, which would otherwise protect against cancer.

Seychelles and Comoros signed an agreement for better relations in fisheries to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on Friday. The Minister of Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-Francois Ferrari, signed the agreement on behalf of Seychelles and Ali Youssouf, the director general for Fisheries for Comoros on behalf of Houmed M'Saidie, the Minister for Fisheries in Comoros. The signing took place during a meeting for Indian Ocean coastal states in preparation for the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) meeting scheduled to take in Bangkok, Thailand in May. Ferrari told reporters that Seychelles has been working with Comoros for a while to come up with the agreement. «We want to work with all the countries in the region, and it is important to work with them, as you know there have been instances of illegal fishing involving vessels from Comoros who were fishing illegally in the Aldabra lagoon,» said Ferrari. The Comoros vessel was intercepted in the Aldabra lagoon on November 16 last year. Since there was no catch onboard, the vessel was seized and the crew repatriated to their country. He said there is a «need to have a framework in place to deal with the issue so that we can prevent such situations from happening again.» «I am happy that we signed this agreement with Comoros this morning, as it formalises our relationship and ensures that everything is done the right way, in the interest of both countries,» Ferrari added. He said that this recent agreement with Comoros mirrors the one the Seychelles has with Madagascar. «The latest incident of Malagasy fishermen being caught sea cucumber fishing in Providence, once caught and set to Madagascar, they were sent to jail because of the relationship we now have with Madagascar,» said the minister. In April 2023, the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) intercepted a Madagascar-flagged fishing vessel suspected of conducting IUU fishing in the island nation's waters. Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 million square kilometres, making surveillance of illegal maritime activities challenging. The island nation has stepped up efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking and illegal fishing in its waters and as part of the measures, the SDF assets are continuously involved in regional operations with partner countries and organisations.

Live updates from the 2024 campaign trail with the latest news on presidential candidates, polls, primaries and more.

Tax experts and lawyers explain to CBC how capital gains works on property transfers, including what happens with inheritances and how the value of those properties is determined.

Alex Vinogradsky, a kingpin in Toronto's tow truck underworld who was gunned down outside a north-end plaza last month, had previously been the focus of plots to kill him, court documents reveal. Police also had information that he'd ordered hits on his perceived rivals.

The euro’s share in international payments via SWIFT totalled 21.93%, a drop to the lowest mark ever Read Full Article at RT.com

[VOA] Yaounde, Cameroon -- In response to growing campaign violence, Chad's transitional president, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, has ordered his military to arrest angry civilians and make sure peace reigns in the run-up to the May 6 presidential election and afterwards. Opposition and civil society groups, which have called for a boycott of the vote, which they dismiss as a sham, acknowledge that some civilians have attacked members of the Deby's campaign team.

One of the vessels from the 45th Chinese naval escort task force docked in Seychelles' Port Victoria on Thursday morning and was welcomed by officials from the Chinese Embassy, the community of Chinese in the island nation as well as teachers from the Confucius Institute. The ETF 18 or Urumqi is a boat named after the city of Xinjiang, China, and its arrival in Seychelles was greeted by a dragon dance. Upon its arrival, an official from the vessel came ashore to meet with the Chinese community, the Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles, Lin Nan and the Chief of Staff of the Seychelles Defence Forces, Jean Attala. They were then invited to visit the ship. An official from the vessel came ashore to meet the Chinese community. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY  Visitors had a guided tour where the officers on board explained the different features of the ship and the different equipment they use. Speaking to the media, the chairperson of the Chinese Association of Seychelles, Rose-Mary Lee-Bluemner said, «We are very happy to be here. There are about 200 of us who came to welcome the ship this morning. I am happy to be able to visit the ship as well, it was very impressive.» The director of the Confucius Institute at the University in Seychelles, Jianmei Zhang, said, «We are very proud to have been invited to visit Urumqi. This ship represents our strong backbone and our strength as the People's Republic of China. The Seychellois are also visiting the ship and we hope this gesture strengthens the relationship between the two countries.» 

Seychelles' national airline, Air Seychelles, and SriLankan Airlines, the flag carrier of Sri Lanka, have announced a new code-sharing partnership, expanding the number of destinations accessible to customers from Mahe and Colombo starting this month. The airline said on Friday, «Over 20 destinations are included in the partnership, which includes much  requested ones such as Sydney and Melbourne in Australia as well as other popular stops in India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. SriLankan Airlines' passengers will also be able to fly from Colombo to Mahe with the activation of the codeshare partnership.» This new codeshare agreement will allow Air Seychelles and SriLankan Airlines to place their codes on each other's flights and enable passengers to continue their journey conveniently using a single booking and with their baggage checked in all the way to the final destination. It also means passengers can book their travels with both airlines, through online travel agencies, as well as with local travel agents. When Air Seychelles launched the Colombo service in June last year, the two airlines signed an initial interline agreement that introduced multiple cities within the Southeast Asia region to the local market's choice of destinations. Air Seychelles' chief executive, Sandy Benoiton, said, «Now that we have been flying to Colombo for over 9 months, the twice-weekly flights have proven successful. The next step to solidifying our relationship is with this code-share, allowing even more passengers the convenience of a single ticket to more points served by our partner in Asia and Australia.» On his side, Richard Nuttall, CEO of SriLankan Airlines said, «We are pleased to boost our codeshare network and presence in the African region through this new partnership. We look forward to working with Air Seychelles to provide our customers with even more African destination options in the coming years.» Flights under the codeshare agreement are available to book now and will begin operating in April 2024.

SINGAPORE — A 19-year-old student who posed as a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) official to help scammers defraud a woman here was sentenced to eight weeks in jail on April 18. Chinese national Li Jiarui, a computer science student at the Singapore Institute of Management, pleaded guilty to two charges. They comprise one count of intentionally aiding unknown people with carrying out a domestic money transfer service and another count of engaging in a conspiracy to cheat CIMB bank. Another four similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing. The court heard that in October 2022, Li received a call, supposedly from DBS Bank, informing him that his identity had been misused for a credit card application in China. He then got a call from «Chinese police» who told him he was being investigated for money laundering. Li did not verify the authenticity of these claims. As part of the purported investigations, he opened several bank accounts and gave the details to the «Chinese police».

Several police officers outfitted with riot gear and weapons were seen breaching a HDB unit in Lengkok Bahru in a viral TikTok video uploaded by user Zailia7276 on Wednesday (April 17). In the video, officers can be seen positioning themselves outside the flat, with one officer pointing a riot-control weapon, the P4.1, through the grills of the metal gate. The P4.1, introduced into the Singapore Police Force's arsenal in 2015, is a less-than-lethal weapon that can be used to fire pepper spray and mark out rioters. The armed officer then steps aside as other officers bring over an electric saw from the right and begin to cut at the gate, sending sparks flying. Meanwhile, another group on the left stands at the ready with an officer in the front, holding a riot shield. An officer then steps in from the right, pulling the now-broken gate open as officers on the left rush into the flat.

The West has neither the time nor resources to help Ukraine build the same kind of air defense system that Israel has, Macron has said Read Full Article at RT.com

Poland has reported arresting a would-be Russian informant who was willing to assist in a hit on Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky Read Full Article at RT.com

Raiffeisen Bank says it is being pressured by the European Central Bank to more rapidly scale back its presence in Russia Read Full Article at RT.com