Posts by L'officiel Lifestyle
Uzbekistan launches €9.46 billion green energy push, covering nation’s power needs
Every home in Uzbekistan could switch on the lights using only clean electricity in 2026. The government says green energy generation will reach 23 billion kilowatt-hours, enough to cover the entire annual consumption of the country’s population. The announcement came from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as he launched dozens of new renewable and grid projects at…
Read MoreWhich European countries have mandatory or voluntary military service
Some of Europe’s biggest Nato members are moving to strengthen their professional armies through voluntary national service schemes. Large conscripted armies were a feature of Nato states during the Cold War but they dwindled in size after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ongoing war…
Read MoreThousands of German pupils protest against military service plans
Thousands of schoolchildren in Germany demonstrated against the government’s plans for a new voluntary military service in cities and towns across the country on Friday. Many of them skipped school to take part in the protests after organizers had called for a “school strike against conscription”. Germany’s lower house backed the bill on Friday morning,…
Read MoreBritish soldiers accused of more abuses in Kenya: What we know
A Kenyan parliamentary report has accused British troops training in the country of widespread killings, sexual abuse and human rights and environmental abuses, following years of accumulated complaints from local communities. The report, published on Wednesday, found that serious misconduct by British soldiers caused them to be viewed as something of an “occupying force” by…
Read MoreWestern countries press Tanzania to release bodies of post-election victims
Western embassies in Tanzania, including the UK and France, have called on the authorities to release all bodies of those killed in the October electoral violence to their families. Citing “credible reports”, the 17 missions said there was “evidence of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests” and the “concealment of bodies” by Tanzanian authorities during the…
Read MoreOlympian and other Eritreans freed after 18 years without trial, relatives tell the BBC
Thirteen people held for more than 18 years without trial in Eritrea have been released from a notorious military prison, relatives of the detainees have told the BBC. Among those freed were several prominent figures, including 69-year-old Olympian cyclist and businessman Zeragaber Gebrehiwot. They had been held at Mai Serwa prison, known for its harsh…
Read MoreIceland to decide next week about Eurovision after Israel decision
Iceland will decide next Wednesday whether to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, public broadcaster RÚV announced on Friday after it became clear that Israel can take part in the contest staged in Vienna. The board of RÚV had earlier recommended to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that Israel be excluded from the music competition…
Read MoreIn Italy’s latest overtourism crackdown, Milan bans check-in boxes
Lock boxes for storing the keys to tourist apartments have become a symbol of Italy’s problems with overtourism. Many locals find the lock boxes, hanging almost everywhere in large cities, an eyesore. Now, key lock boxes are set to be banned in the northern Italian city of Milan after the city council passed a corresponding…
Read MoreEurovision 2026 crisis: Israel kept in – Who’s out and what next?
Israel has been given the go-ahead to compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, amid calls for the country’s exclusion due to the war in Gaza and allegations that voting at this year’s contest had been manipulated in favour of Israel’s contestant. At the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the…
Read MoreCelebrity Race Across the World locations: Where is the 2025 series filmed?
Race Across the World is back, and this time it’s the celebrities who are taking on one of the most challenging adventures on TV, as they compete to be the first to reach the finish line in Colombia. The first episode saw the teams set off from the Mexican island of Isla Mujeres as they…
Read More🇪🇸 Fate or fortune: the groups Spain could be drawn into today
The imminent draw for the 2026 World Cup places the Spanish national team before two completely opposite scenarios, ranging from an accessible path to a true ordeal. Spain, as a top seed in Pot 1, is waiting to find out whether it will fall into a “Group of Death” with three heavyweight rivals or if…
Read MoreItaly to open Europe’s first marine sanctuary for dolphins
The Mediterranean’s first sanctuary for dolphins that have lived in captivity will open off Italy next year, as demand for re-homing rises with the closure of marine parks across Europe. “We must develop a new model for managing dolphins in a natural but supervised environment,” Carmelo Fanizza, head of the San Paolo Dolphin Refuge, told…
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