Displaying items by tag: Europe

Iceland’s largest fishing company, Samherji, exploited legal loopholes and secrecy jurisdictions to enable corruption and environmental exploitation on a global scale. It used an anonymous shell company to launder and transfer 70 million dollars’ worth of illegal fishing activities off the coasts of West Africa, and bribed members of the Namibian government. Two Namibian ministers have already resigned over allegedly giving preferential access to fishing grounds. Samherji used shell companies in Dubai, Mauritius and Cyprus. Most of the money was traced to a bank account at a state-owned bank: the bank’s largest shareholder is the Norwegian state, which holds a 34% stake.

Could Brexit be a symptom of issues facing Europe? When society turns away from God’s principles we risk making our desires our idols. For decades many of our nations have sought to make individualism a priority, whether pursuing selfish desires or not taking responsibility for the consequences of our actions, or sexually immoral expressions, or perhaps as a nation we think we are better than others or have some given right to be great. There is nothing new in these attitudes but we give in to them at our peril. The Old Testament is full of warnings to society as we seek to follow our own desires. Many observers from across the channel cannot understand how a nation known as the ‘mother of democracy’ could be in this mess. The UK and the rest of the EU need an answer to the Brexit question. For the UK it is about repairing division; for the EU, it is about protecting the integrity of a trading block that faces the complexities of a changing world of competing global powers.

The historical child abuse allegations against the Vatican continue after three former altar boys who were at a seminary in the Vatican in the 1980s have now accused two priests of sexually abusing them. They said they were between the ages of 10 and 14 at the time. The allegations will be explored in an investigative Italian TV show on 24 November.

A partnership between Romanian police and Glasgow Airport aimed at tackling human trafficking more effectively has been suspended. Flights between Romania and the UK have been identified as high risk for trafficking. Romanian officers had been travelling to Scotland and London to deal with the ‘high-risk’ flights from their country, as part of a collaboration described in an inspection report as ‘extremely useful’. Inspectors were told as long ago as February that the Scottish arrangement with the Romanian police had been suspended. Staff believed that this was due to the uncertainty caused by Brexit, but the Glasgow safeguarding and modern slavery team was hopeful that it would recommence at some point.

Italy declared a state of emergency on 14 November after floods brought carnage to Venice. The prime minister described the flooding as 'a blow to the heart of our country'. The government took on 'exceptional powers' to respond to the damage, estimated at hundreds of millions of pounds, including millions in St Mark's Basilica alone. The mayor said the city was 'on its knees', and warned of 'widespread devastation' after an unprecedented combination of high spring tides and a storm surge of a 6ft 2in tide on the night of 13 November. The mayor has blamed climate change for the disaster, but there was also anger among Venetians at the corruption which has held up a flood barrier project.

Danish authorities, struggling to quell a wave of bombings attributed to Swedish gangs, have introduced passport controls at the border with Sweden for the first time since the 1950s. Sweden has been rocked by more than 100 explosions in the first 10 months of this year, and another 13 blasts have rocked Copenhagen as well. The Swedish problem is directly correlated to their open arms policy for immigrants and refugees, especially those fleeing North Africa and the Middle East. Many consider the rise of the nationalist right in Europe is a direct result of politicians’ immigration policies. Pray against what many believe is the coming wave of a possible violent backlash.

The parish of Riches Claires has a dedicated committee that has worked for thirty years helping new arrivals to Europe. For many residents in Brussels the Christian outreach was a key step for their integration into the city. Most refugees in the church arrive after fleeing their countries of origin for economic or political reasons. However, arriving in their new home has not been easy for most, particularly those from Latin America who, for the most part, had to learn from scratch the intricacies of the local language. ‘The uprooting of our culture, of leaving our family members and leaving our friends is very painful,’ said Zoraida, a Colombian human rights defender. Over the years, the church community has evolved following the migratory waves. The first to arrive were Spaniards, then Chileans. More recently, it has been Venezuelans and Central Americans fleeing violence.

An investigation has been launched by the Catholic Church after two missionary nuns became pregnant whilst working in Africa. One of the nuns, a mother superior, aged 34, only realised she was pregnant when she visited the hospital, complaining of stomach pains. The two women are nuns in Sicily, but belong to separate orders and are expecting children despite their vows of chastity, causing ‘consternation at this news’. They are believed to be originally from Africa and were posted to their home continent as part of their charity missions. They have now returned to Italy to prepare for the births of their children.

Frédéric Fornos, director of the Pope's worldwide prayer network, has said that the eRosary combines the best of Church tradition with the best of technology. The device is aimed at young people who seek to learn how to pray and who don't really know how to. It reminds them to pray three times a day. Once connected to its application, the Rosary has specific content, such as thematic prayers, allowing fervent users to record and share their spiritual activity. One researcher said a security flaw in the application allows an attacker to take over the account of the victim and get the victim's personal information just by knowing their email address. Another problem is the price of the device, which many consider to be too high.

Religion is again at the forefront of French public debate. After an 84-year-old former far-right candidate fired shots at a mosque in Bayonne, Emmanuel Macron evoked the French concept of ‘laïcité’ in a speech at the inauguration of a European Centre for Judaism. Defined as the concept of separation of church and state, it has also been at the centre of debates about wearing religious symbols in public. Macron said, ‘Laïcité is a tenet of fraternity that should live in each French person like a compass in their relationship to other citizens - that is essentially a form of French civility. I want to recall it at this moment in our nation's history, where these values of unity and cohesiveness are sometimes distorted and used by those who, seeking to sow hatred and division, use it to fight against this or that religion.’