Chemical weapons inspectors delayed in Syria +++ Macron calls on EU to oppose rising nationalism

18. Mai 2018, 02:00

Chemical weapons inspectors delayed in Syria

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says it is still waiting for permission to enter Syria to investigate an alleged chemical weapons attack in the former rebel held town of Douma. Russian officials say OPCW inspectors will be allowed to access the site on Wednesday, citing security issues as the reason for the delay. Syrian State media, meanwhile, say earlier reports of missiles being shot down over the cities of Homs and Damascus were a false alarm.

Macron calls on EU to oppose rising nationalism

French President Emmanuel Macron says the European Union should strive to become a bulwark of liberal democracy, in the face of what he called a resurgence of selfish nationalism. Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Macron said it was an illusion to think that returning shared EU powers to national governments would provide the reassurance people wanted. “Those who stoke anger propose only the cul-de-sac of a return to the nationalisms that tore us apart in the past. We have experienced all the consequences of that. To revive the Europe of the people we must therefore agree to act differently by drawing on the source of democracy and looking things in the face.” Macron said the EU needed to carry out reforms if it was to strengthen what he described as European sovereignty.

Top EU court rules Poland broke environmental laws

The European Court of Justice has ruled that Poland violated EU law by authorising large scale logging in one of Europe's last remaining pristine forests. The Bialowieza forest, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to endangered European bison and some of the continent's oldest trees.

Facebook to face class action suit over facial recognition

A US federal judge has ruled that Facebook must face a class action lawsuit over its use of facial recognition technology. The social network is accused of creating a vast database of faces without users’ permission via the tagging of uploaded photographs. Lawyers say the technology violates privacy laws in the US state of Illinois protecting biometric data.

Turkey’s president holds talks on early elections

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will meet with the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party Devlet Bahceli to discuss the possibility of early elections. Presidential and parliamentary polls are due to be held in November 2019, but Bahceli, whose party is allied to the ruling AK party, has called for them to brought forward to August this year. The election will see the introduction of sweeping new presidential powers, following a controversial referendum.

Scientists make breakthrough in fighting plastic pollution

Scientists in Britain and the United States say they have improved a naturally occurring enzyme, which can digest some of the world's most polluting plastics. The enzyme can break down PET plastics, which are commonly used in plastic bottles, in a matter of days. Such plastics take hundreds of years to break down in the natural environment.

The weather

Changeable conditions have been forecast for this afternoon, with the chance of a few isolated showers. Top temperatures will range from 14 to 22 degrees.

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