French strikes: Does France's workforce really have it easy?

 

Striking workers have blockaded oil refineries and petrol stations in protest and planned labour reforms

At 35 hours, the French have the shortest legal working week in Europe. With it, they have a reputation in some quarters for an easy working life, staunchly defended by powerful labour unions.

Migrant crisis: Many feared dead in shipwreck off Libya

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Media captionThe Italian navy has released footage of the moment a migrant boat capsized on Wednesday, leaving at least five people dead

Migrant crisis

• Anatomy of a shipwreck
• Italy-Austria row over migrant crossing
• Europe's migrant story enters new phase
• EU migration: Crisis in seven charts

European migrant crisis: Capsized boat horror caught on camera

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 Italian rescuers pull survivors from the water

Migrant crisis
Anatomy of a shipwreck
Italy-Austria row over migrant crossing
Europe's migrant story enters new phase
EU migration: Crisis in seven charts

Suicide: Russian girl's death prompts national debate

It's a day like any other day in a provincial city in central Russia. A 12-year-old girl is getting ready to go to school. Suddenly her phone rings.

The next minute she is out of the door, saying she's meeting a friend and they will go to school together.

French labour dispute: Nuclear power plant workers to join strike

 

 Nuclear power provides most of France's electricity 

 

Workers at French nuclear power stations are due to down tools on Thursday amid growing industrial action over controversial labour reforms.

Greece bailout: Eurozone agrees 'breakthrough' debt deal

 

The Brussels talks between Eurozone ministers lasted well into the night

Greek debt crisis
What was the point of the Greek election?
Tsipras: Greek leader at heart of crisis
Migrant crisis on Greek islands eclipses election
Profile: Vangelis Meimarakis

Why is Bulgaria making a big fuss about the niqab?

Mariya Petkova Image caption The face-veil ban was first introduced in Pazardjik, where 4% of the population is Muslim



Bulgaria is set to become the latest EU country to ban the niqab, or face veil, after the right-wing coalition party, Patriotic Front, submitted a bill to parliament as a "pre-emptive measure".

Austria election: Unity call after close defeat for far right

 

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Alexander Van der Bellen: "Thank you for that trust you put in me"

Austria's new president has vowed to listen to the people's "fear and anger" after his far-right opponent narrowly missed out on a landmark victory.

Turkey politics: Erdogan ally Yildirim to be appointed PM

 

In his speech to the congress, Mr Yildirim said Turkey needed an executive presidential system

Turkey's ruling AK Party is set to appoint a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its leader and new prime minister, after a reported rift led Ahmet Davutoglu to quit.

Austria concert: Deadly gun rampage in Nenzing

The concert was being hosted by a motorcycle club

A gunman has opened fire at a concert, killing two people before shooting himself dead, police in the in Austrian town of Nenzing say.

Austria to vote in run-off between far-right and independent

Election posters of Norbert Hofer (left) and Alexander Van der Bellen (centre and right) in Vienna

The European Union could see its first far-right president if Norbert Hofer wins the second, run-off round of the Austrian election.

Dead German pensioner may have been Frankfurt serial killer

Manfred Seel has been linked to the murders of five women and a 13-year-old boy

A pensioner who died in 2014 could have been behind a spate of sadistic killings in the 1970s and 1990s, German investigators say.

Austria election: Far-right contender and rival to hold rallies

The success of Mr Hofer (centre) in the first round is seen as a big shake-up in Austrian politics



Austria's far-right Freedom Party presidential candidate Norbert Hofer and his rival, Green-backed Alexander Van der Bellen, are to hold final rallies ahead of a run-off vote.

Migrant crisis: Majority would welcome refugees - survey

 

Tens of thousands of refugees currently live in makeshift camps in Greece

Migrant crisis
World on the move - BBC coverage as it happened
Europe's migrant story enters new phase
EU migration: Crisis in seven charts
Migrants recount harrowing ordeal  

A majority of people (80%) would accept refugees in their country, with many even ready to take them into their own home, a global survey suggests.

Turkey 'losing hope' for EU visa-free deal

 

Volkan Bozkir (left) was speaking after meeting senior members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Migrant crisis
Migrants recount harrowing ordeal
Turks look to EU to scrap visas for travel in Europe
Migrant Crisis: Changing attitudes of a German city
EU migration: Crisis in seven charts

German couple tortured two women to death, police say

Officers say they cannot rule out the possibility of finding further victims

Police in Germany investigating the deaths of two women say they were the victims of a couple who held them hostage and tortured them.

Berlin Brandenburg airport corruption 'whistleblower poisoned'

 

It remains unclear when the airport will eventually open, 10 years after construction began

German prosecutors are investigating allegations of grievous bodily harm, amid reports that an engineer working on Berlin's troubled new airport was poisoned.

Turkey parliament brawls over changes to constitution

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MPs had been meeting to discuss stripping politicians of parliamentary immunity when the fight broke out

Members of Turkey's governing AK party and pro-Kurdish politicians have traded blows in parliament over plans to strip MPs of their immunity from prosecution.

French Euro 2016 team's English anthem criticised

A French minister has criticised the selection of an English song as the official anthem for French supporters at the Euro 2016 championship.

Migrant crisis: EU 'to grant Turkey visa-free travel'

 

Many refugees who have arrived in Europe are now blocked on the Greece-Macedonia border

Migrant crisis
Unease, as EU set to back visa-free travel for Turkey
Short migrant journey back to Turkey
U-Turkey migrant deal: A Herculean task
Turkey has European Union over a barrel