12/12/2022

German police arrest 25 suspects in plot to overthrow state

In a nationwide raid, 25 suspected members and supporters of a terrorist organisation in Germany were arrested. Officials said the network, part of a wider right-wing movement, was already well established with a concrete plan to overthrow the German state by force and install a new government.

Source: DW

12/12/2022

EU Commission seeking to strengthen parents’ cross-border rights

The European Commission proposed new rules to make sure parentage links established in one EU member state are recognised anywhere across the Union. The proposal aims to ensure children’s rights when they move across the EU and is expected to create controversy in some member states due to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ parented families.

Source: Euractiv

12/12/2022

Latvia pulls license for exiled Russian TV channel

Latvia announced it was revoking the license for exiled Russian independent channel Dozhd, or TV Rain, for multiple violations that included showing the annexed Crimean peninsula as part of Russia. The channel, which moved to Latvia after Russian authorities blocked its broadcasts for critical coverage of the war in Ukraine, dismissed the accusations as "unfair and absurd."

Source: VOA

12/12/2022

EU countries have become more violent toward migrants at borders

EU countries have become increasingly violent toward migrants and asylum seekers at their borders, a report by the Border Violence Monitoring Network finds. In 2021, only 5 percent of interviewees said they had not experienced or witnessed ‘excessive force’ while being expelled from Europe.

Source: Politico

05/12/2022

French vote for right to abortion in constitution

rance's National Assembly has backed a bid to enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution, prompted largely by increased restrictions elsewhere. Lawmakers voted by a large majority to include a clause guaranteeing "the effectiveness and equal access to the right to end pregnancy voluntarily".

Source: BBC

05/12/2022

Catalan spyware victims demand justice

Victims of the widening spyware scandal in Spain are demanding justice and reparations, following revelations that journalists, lawyers, civil society and politicians had been targeted. "We are seeking reparations and a clear commitment of the Spanish state to stop such practices against political dissidents," Elisenda Paluzie, a Catalan economist and politician, told MEPs.

Source: EUobserver

05/12/2022

Germany declares Ukraine’s Holodomor famine a genocide

German lawmakers passed a resolution declaring the starvation of millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s a genocide. The Soviet leadership oppressed the Ukrainian way of life, language and culture in its efforts to control local farmers, according to a press release by the German parliament.

Source: DW

05/12/2022

Latvia probes into exiled Russian TV over claims it helped Moscow troops

Statements made by the independent Russian TV station Dozhd raised suspicions it was helping Moscow troops taking part in the Ukraine war and triggered a probe by Latvia's state security service. Dozhd is broadcasting from Latvia and elsewhere after Russian authorities forced the closure of its Moscow studio on the grounds it had deliberately spread false information about the actions of Russia's troops in Ukraine.

Source: Euronews

05/12/2022

Brussels tables new reuse and recycling targets to slash packaging waste

The European Commission tabled proposals to tackle rising amounts of packaging waste in the EU by introducing new targets for reuse and recycling. The amount of packaging waste produced in Europe has soared since the mid-2000s and is on track to keep growing by 2030.

Source: Euractiv

28/11/2022

Spain, EU propose to keep Gibraltar land border open

Spain and the European Commission have sent Britain a proposal to keep the Gibraltar land border open as part of a definitive solution settling the post-Brexit status of the enclave. The Spanish-EU proposal includes removing the fence to ensure free flow of people between Spain and the enclave.

Source: Reuters

28/11/2022

French prison population reaches a record 120% capacity

French prisons have reached record levels of inmates this year, with 72,809 people behind bars, despite there only being 60,700 places available. This overpopulation has led to a decline in prison standards, with some 2,225 prisoners having to sleep on mattresses on the floor.

Source: Euronews

28/11/2022

European Parliament declares Russia a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’

The European Parliament adopted a resolution declaring Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism because of Moscow’s strikes on civilian targets. The resolution was adopted with 494 votes in favor, 58 against and 44 abstentions. The declaration is symbolic but it does call for new sanctions and further isolation of Russia.

Source: Politico