FRANCE: The Constitutional Council today rejected several measures in a divisive new immigration law that critics call inhumane.

The council said in a statement that it threw out all or part of 32 of the law’s 86 articles, saying they were contrary to the constitution. 

Among measures rejected were those making it harder for immigrants to bring their families to France, and limiting their access to social welfare. 

SWEDEN: Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has agreed to meet with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban, who invited Mr Kristersson to Budapest to discuss Sweden’s accession into Nato, Swedish media reported today.

Mr Kristersson said he agrees that more dialogue between the countries would be beneficial. Mr Orban’s invitation comes as Hungary remains the only Nato member not to have ratified Sweden’s bid to join the military alliance.

CHINA: Beijing accused the United States today of abusing international law with its military manoeuvres in the western Pacific, one day after a US naval destroyer sailed through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Thursday that while China welcomes military-to-military communication with the US, that US warplane and warship activity “on China’s doorstep” is the root cause of the problems between the two military powers.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Lawmakers have voted against ratifying an international treaty on women’s rights.

Only 34 of the 71 senators present in the upper house of the Czech parliament late on Wednesday voted in favour of the treaty, known as the Istanbul Convention. The result was two votes short of the majority needed to pass.