Latest News
Over 10 million Ukrainians require humanitarian aid as UN warns of harsh winter and ongoing displacement
Over 10 million Ukrainians require humanitarian aid as UN warns of harsh winter and ongoing displacement
Address by President von der Leyen at the European Employment and Social Rights Forum
Address by President von der Leyen at the European Employment and Social Rights Forum
Belgium backs France’s expanded nuclear deterrence plan as Macron seeks stronger European defence
Belgium backs France’s expanded nuclear deterrence plan as Macron seeks stronger European defence
EU gender employment gap in 2024: why women still lag behind at work
EU gender employment gap in 2024: why women still lag behind at work
Press freedom in Europe under fire: new report warns of rising attacks, jailings and political pressure on journalists
Press freedom in Europe under fire: new report warns of rising attacks, jailings and political pressure on journalists
Women now hold over a third of EU managerial roles, but gaps remain
Women now hold over a third of EU managerial roles, but gaps remain
EU approves €266.8 million payment to Slovenia under NextGenerationEU recovery plan
EU approves €266.8 million payment to Slovenia under NextGenerationEU recovery plan
Belgium’s Foreign Minister: strikes on Iran breach international law but are ‘justified for global security’
Belgium’s Foreign Minister: strikes on Iran breach international law but are ‘justified for global security’
EU unveils OceanEye initiative, pledges €50 million and pushes global alliance to safeguard the world’s oceans
EU unveils OceanEye initiative, pledges €50 million and pushes global alliance to safeguard the world’s oceans
Must Read
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Zurich introduces Eruv, creating a Sabbath-friendly public zone for Jewish life
Zurich has quietly drawn a new kind of line across the city — one that cannot be seen at first glance, yet carries deep religious and social meaning. Spanning severalRead More... -
Zurab Musinyan: “Let my case lie at door of Russian special services combating international terrorism…”
Specialized Oil-Loading Seaport Vitino captured by Russian security officials through hostage taking keeps on being a subject of carve-up and litigations by Russian and international companies....Read More... -
Young Europeans losing faith in democracy
Recent findings from a comprehensive survey conducted by the YouGov institute for the Tui Foundation reveal a concerning trend among Europe’s youth: a growingRead More... -
World Refugee Day: Joint Statement by the European Commission and the High Representative
No country, no region in the world has been spared from the impact of COVID-19. The virus is exacerbating existing inequalities and has a disproportionate effect on refugees,Read More... -
World peace under strain — yet some countries still shine
As a storm of conflicts, rising militarisation and geopolitical fragmentation rattles the globe, the annual Global Peace Index 2025 paints a soberingRead More... -
Women still a minority among Flemish professors despite gains elsewhere
Women account for just one in three professors and visiting professors at Flemish universities, according to new figures released on Tuesday by Statistiek Vlaanderen.Read More... -
Women now hold over a third of EU managerial roles, but gaps remain
In 2024, women occupied 35.2% of managerial positions across the European Union, marking a steady rise from 31.8% a decade earlier, according to the latest EU laborRead More...
Latest News
Over 10 million Ukrainians require humanitarian aid as UN warns of harsh winter and ongoing displacement
Over 10 million Ukrainians require humanitarian aid as UN warns of harsh winter and ongoing displacement
Address by President von der Leyen at the European Employment and Social Rights Forum
Address by President von der Leyen at the European Employment and Social Rights Forum
Belgium backs France’s expanded nuclear deterrence plan as Macron seeks stronger European defence
Belgium backs France’s expanded nuclear deterrence plan as Macron seeks stronger European defence
EU gender employment gap in 2024: why women still lag behind at work
EU gender employment gap in 2024: why women still lag behind at work
Press freedom in Europe under fire: new report warns of rising attacks, jailings and political pressure on journalists
Press freedom in Europe under fire: new report warns of rising attacks, jailings and political pressure on journalists
Women now hold over a third of EU managerial roles, but gaps remain
Women now hold over a third of EU managerial roles, but gaps remain
EU approves €266.8 million payment to Slovenia under NextGenerationEU recovery plan
EU approves €266.8 million payment to Slovenia under NextGenerationEU recovery plan
Belgium’s Foreign Minister: strikes on Iran breach international law but are ‘justified for global security’
Belgium’s Foreign Minister: strikes on Iran breach international law but are ‘justified for global security’
EU unveils OceanEye initiative, pledges €50 million and pushes global alliance to safeguard the world’s oceans
EU unveils OceanEye initiative, pledges €50 million and pushes global alliance to safeguard the world’s oceans
Must Read
-
Zurich introduces Eruv, creating a Sabbath-friendly public zone for Jewish life
Zurich has quietly drawn a new kind of line across the city — one that cannot be seen at first glance, yet carries deep religious and social meaning. Spanning severalRead More...
-
Zurab Musinyan: “Let my case lie at door of Russian special services combating international terrorism…”
Specialized Oil-Loading Seaport Vitino captured by Russian security officials through hostage taking keeps on being a subject of carve-up and litigations by Russian and international companies....Read More...
-
Young Europeans losing faith in democracy
Recent findings from a comprehensive survey conducted by the YouGov institute for the Tui Foundation reveal a concerning trend among Europe’s youth: a growingRead More...
-
World Refugee Day: Joint Statement by the European Commission and the High Representative
No country, no region in the world has been spared from the impact of COVID-19. The virus is exacerbating existing inequalities and has a disproportionate effect on refugees,Read More...
-
World peace under strain — yet some countries still shine
As a storm of conflicts, rising militarisation and geopolitical fragmentation rattles the globe, the annual Global Peace Index 2025 paints a soberingRead More...
-
Women still a minority among Flemish professors despite gains elsewhere
Women account for just one in three professors and visiting professors at Flemish universities, according to new figures released on Tuesday by Statistiek Vlaanderen.Read More...
-
Women now hold over a third of EU managerial roles, but gaps remain
In 2024, women occupied 35.2% of managerial positions across the European Union, marking a steady rise from 31.8% a decade earlier, according to the latest EU laborRead More...
Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday urged whoever succeeds her to get Britain out of the EU quickly but with a deal, as she met the bloc's leaders just
Read more: In Brussels, May urges successor to seek Brexit deal
Europe's mainstream political parties took a hit in elections on Sunday but held off a strong surge by the populist right of Marine Le Pen, Matteo Salvini and Nigel Farage.
Read more: Battered EU centre holds off populist surge in vote
Facebook has closed 23 mostly pro-government pages in Italy which were spreading fake news and anti-immigrant content, after an investigation by Avaaz, the civil rights group said on Monday.
More than half of the pages, which had a total of almost 2.5 million followers, supported the far-right anti-immigrant League party or the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which form the ruling coalition, Avaaz said in a statement.
The most active page translates as "We want the Five Star Movement in government" which had shared a quote wrongly attributed to anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano that he would "prefer to save migrants than Italian earthquake victims."
Saviano was forced to publicly deny having said it.
A pro-League page shared a video which it wrongly said depicted migrants smashing up a police car.
The footage was in fact filmed for a movie, but was viewed almost 10 million times, days ahead of next week's European parliament elections in which Italian populist parties hope to do well.
"This is more proof that lies designed to sow hate and division in our societies are being spread deliberately on social media ahead of the EU elections," said Avaaz's Christoph Schott.
"Facebook has done a good job in taking these pages down, but it says a lot that a multi-billion dollar company is relying on a crowd-funded Avaaz investigation to defend Europe’s democracy. Facebook need to do more, and they need to do it fast."
Avaaz also noted the practice of "recycling followers" used by some supporters of the two ruling parties, whereby a page with non-political content changes its name to become political or partisan, retaining likes and followers.
One such page "was started as an agricultural breeders’ association of the Messina province and eventually became a League-supporting local chapter. The change was made one word at a time, gradually, using the ambiguity of the word 'League' to avoid the automatic checks carried out by Facebook," Avaaz said.
Facebook and other social networks are regularly accused of not doing enough to eliminate fake news from its platform.AFP
As up to 400 million Europeans prepare to vote for the EU parliament, the populist challenge to the Brussels consensus has been disrupted by scandal.
Four prominent leaders of Hong Kong’s democracy movement were jailed on Wednesday for their role in organizing mass pro-democracy protests in 2014 that paralyzed the city for months and infuriated Beijing.
The prison terms are the latest hammer blow to city’s beleaguered democracy movement, which has seen key figures jailed or banned from standing as legislators since their civil disobedience movement shook the city but failed to win any concessions.
Nine activists were all found guilty earlier in April of at least one charge in a prosecution that deployed rarely used colonial-era public nuisance laws over their participation in the Umbrella Movement protests, which called for free elections for the city’s leader.
Their trial renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China, which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers for a greater say in how the financial hub is run.
Two key leaders of the mass protests — sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, and law professor Benny Tai, 54 — received the longest sentences of 16 months in jail, sparking tears in court and angry chants from hundreds of supporters gathered outside.
Two other leaders — activist Raphael Wong and lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun — received eight month sentences while the rest either had their jail terms suspended or received a community service order. One defendant, lawmaker Tanya Chan, had her sentencing adjourned because she needs brain surgery.
The jail terms are the steepest yet for anyone involved in the 79-day protest, which vividly illustrated the huge anger — particularly among Hong Kong’s youth — over the city’s leadership and direction.
As Wong was led away by guards he proclaimed: “Our determination to fight for democracy will not change.”
Tai and Chan founded a civil disobedience campaign known as “Occupy Central” in 2013 alongside 75-year-old Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, who was one of the defendants to have his jail term suspended. AFP, photo by Mk2010, wikimedia.