Europe Takes Bigger Role in Push for Peace in Middle East. WASHINGTON — With Middle East talks at a standstill, the Obama administration now finds itself on the sidelines, and Europe is emerging as the key diplomatic actor. More:
About 600,000 Muslims live in Italy legally but it is hard to estimate the large numbers of illegal aliens. Most of these Muslims come from countries in the 10/40 Window, particularly Tunisia, Libya and Albania. Many speak the Italian language well, attending schools and working in factories throughout the country […]
Credit/Source: The Times of Malta: July 15, 2011 (www.timesofmalta.com) Belgium will enforce a burqa ban from July 23 with a fine and possible jail time for women who wear it, joining France as the second EU nation to forbid full veils, Belgian media said yesterday. The new law was […]
The end of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s era appears to be approaching, as thousands take to the streets in Minsk to protest against the country’s economic crisis. The Internet-savvy demonstrators are finding ever-more-creative ways to voice dissent, but Lukashenko is responding with violence. Read More…
For several years now, the Muslim headscarf has been the subject of heated debate between Dutch political parties. However, other European countries also host widely diverging opinions on the Islamic veil. When she was conducting research for her doctoral thesis, Doutje Lettinga found that there is considerable variety in the […]
Under its leader Heinz-Christian Strache, the right-wing populist Freedom Party has become a force to be reckoned with in Austrian politics. It is currently neck and neck with the country’s two largest mainstream parties in the polls. Meanwhile the governing Social Democrats are struggling to reconnect with ordinary voters. More:
BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Wednesday presented proposals for tracking the finances of terrorists in Europe that are aimed at ending the primary role of the United States in those efforts. The European Union needed “to find a European solution for extracting the requested data on European soil,” said […]
Only 34% of Poles aged over 55 work, which is one of the lowest results in the European Union, the latest data published by EU statistical agency Eurostat show. The situation is slowly improving, daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna writes, citing data from a report on human capital in Poland. http://www.warsawvoice.pl/WVpage/pages/article.php/17311/news/27503/103690
Polish PM Donald Tusk (R) and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso (L) The euro debt crisis, Schengen border controls and carbon emission reduction were the key topics of the joint session of the Polish government and the College of EU Commissioners held on Friday in the Chancellery of the […]
Indonesia has been urged to repeal its blasphemy laws and provide greater protection to religious minorities – including Christians and the Muslim Ahmadiyya sect – in order to safeguard its reputation as one of the world’s most progressive and tolerant Muslim-majority countries. “If extremists are allowed to continue to terrorise religious minorities with impunity, […]
Turkish foreign minister says divided island should be reunited in time to assume European Union presidency in 2012. Turkey hopes terms for the reunification of Cyprus can be agreed upon by the end of the year so that a referendum can take place in early 2012 before the island takes over […]
New Malden, United Kingdom, July 8 (ENInews)–The European Parliament adopted a resolution on human rights in Indonesia on 7 July, making reference to attacks on religious minorities such as Christians and the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, according to a news release from Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The move by the European Parliament […]
Deputy foreign minister says assistance proves Israel is not alone; “no country would allow a violation of its sovereignty”; 124 pro-Palestinian activists refused entry at B-G Airport, awaiting deportation. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon thanked European countries on Saturday for helping to limit the number of pro-Palestinian activists arriving at […]
Terror attacks abroad, rightwing policies and a biased media are all reasons why Muslims increasingly seem to have a bad image in Switzerland, a report has found. In particular the debate surrounding the national minaret vote of 2009 – in which the building of minarets was banned – was revealed […]
Mosques are a part of the Swiss landscape: there are over 100 dotted around the country. There are four minarets in Switzerland – in Geneva, Zurich, Wangen and Winterthur.
At some point markets will recognize that a rapidly-shrinking pool of workers and customers in parts of Europe cannot generate profits. Why would anyone buy a 30-year bond from any of these countries when by 2041 there won’t be enough taxpayers left to pay the coupons. Read More http://blog.atimes.net/?p=1845
Despite the myriad problems currently facing the European Union, democratization is not the answer. Rather, the EU’s elites need to improve — and power has to be taken away from the periphery. More: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,773071,00.html
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has threatened to attack Europe in revenge for Nato’s operations in Libya. Col Gaddafi said Libya would target European “homes, offices, families” unless Nato stopped its campaign. He spoke via an audio message broadcast to tens of thousands of supporters gathered in a central Tripoli square. […]
The Church of England is to review its policy towards same-sex relationships and consider allowing gay clergy to be ordained as bishops. It comes after a rise in the number of clergy entering civil partnerships. There is also pressure on the Church to conform to laws guaranteeing equal treatment to […]
by Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch The government will not introduce specific regulations on organised assisted suicide, but will extend measures to boost palliative care and suicide prevention. The decision is the latest step in a drawn-out public controversy over current regulations on the right to die and so-called ‘suicide tourism’ – […]