Displaying items by tag: Europe

Last week we prayed for a peaceful and satisfactory outcome when 200,000 people took to the streets over a government decree to free dozens of officials jailed for corruption. This week Romania's government scrapped the controversial decree. Now many politicians will no longer be shielded from prosecution for corruption. The decision came at an emergency meeting on the issue, following days of further street protests. One of those behind the move said it was to restore calm in Romania, but also strongly criticised the judiciary. Protesters have vowed to keep the pressure on the cabinet, with some demanding that the entire government should quit. One of them, Daniel, said, ‘I hope that this is a real repeal. We are going to keep an eye on them to make sure we are not being had’. The protests have been the country's largest since the fall of communism in 1989.

The year 2017 could well be the hardest for Europe since WWII. The new US administration is likely to accept Crimea as a Russian territory if it gets enough in return. At least a cancellation of the sanctions against Russia has already been mentioned. There will be serious discussions in the EU if this happens, with incalculable consequences for the unity of the Union. Another danger for the EU in 2017 is the elections in Holland (March), France (May), and Germany (Sept). In all these countries the populists are strong. If the Front National succeeds in France and Marie le Pen wins the presidential election, that will be hugely difficult for the EU. If Angela Merkel loses her chancellorship, all might be lost. We can only pray and proclaim, ‘For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever!’ Pray for the kingdom values in the political world; truth against falsehood, a sense of responsibility against egotism , and consideration against extortion.

European diplomats in Washington are relying on ‘strategic patience’ while they try to chart a new course with the White House. Ambassadors, academics and others have personally invested in a strong relationship between the EU and the USA. The relationship is built on a shared belief in European integration. The current version of the EU was established with a treaty signed in Maastricht on 7 February 1992: the anniversary was celebrated this week in Maastricht, New York and other cities. For the USA, the EU has provided a forum for a unified approach towards global issues. Its leaders have worked closely with US officials on trade, counter-terrorism, and sanctions against Russia. Now European officials are trying to come to terms with the new administration and its hostile attitude to the EU - and are wondering how the relationship between Washington and Brussels will evolve in this environment.

In a keenly-awaited white paper, Brexit secretary David Davis today set out the Government’s negotiating strategy for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Launching the 77-page document in a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Davis said the paper confirmed the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘an independent and truly global United Kingdom’. Confirming that the UK’s strategy would be guided by the twelve principles set out by Mrs May in her Lancaster House speech last month, Mr Davis said the Government was aiming for ‘a new, positive and constructive partnership between Britain and the European Union that works in our mutual interest’. The white paper was published a day after MPs voted overwhelmingly to permit Mrs May to press ahead with starting withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the EU treaties.

Police Scotland has been called ‘an organisation in crisis’ after it emerged the force will face a £200 million funding gap by 2020-21. Auditor-general Caroline Gardner gave this figure, which she said was a conservative estimate, to MSPs during a scathing assessment of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). Her evidence led to a call for the SPA, Chief Constable Phil Gormley, and the Scottish government to appear before the committee to explain the “financial mess”. Ms Gardner said there was ‘weak financial leadership’ in both Police Scotland and the SPA, the organisation which manages the £1.1 billion policing budget. She also said there may yet be wider financial implications as a result of the decision to scrap the controversial i6 computer system last year. SNP MSP Alex Neil, a former health secretary, told the committee the performance of the two organisations was ‘totally unacceptable’.

Ex-UKIP chief Nigel Farage has accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of hypocrisy for attacking US President Trump’s travel ban while inviting ambassadors from countries which refuse entry to Israeli citizens. At a meeting in City Hall on Tuesday night, Khan condemned Trump’s so-called ‘Muslim ban’ for being a ‘cruel, prejudiced and counterproductive’ policy. Also present at the reception were diplomatic representatives from eleven of the sixteen countries which do not allow entry to Israelis. Farage took to Twitter to call the London mayor a hypocrite. However, LSE professor and Middle East expert Fawaz A Gerges told the Independent that the two situations are totally different. ‘Trump’s ban is a Muslim ban, based on religious discrimination and racial discrimination. The relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbours is one of war since 1947 - for the last 70 years. By trying to force comparison, it just flies in the face of reality, it’s apples and oranges, sky and sea,’ he said. ‘What Trump has done has undermined America as a moral voice in the world.’

An estimated 620,000 people in the UK have a faulty gene that puts them at risk of developing coronary heart disease or sudden death, and most are unaware, a charity has warned. The British Heart Foundation said the figure was 100,000 more than had been thought and could be even higher. It said there was now a better grasp of the prevalence of inherited conditions. A child of someone with an inherited heart condition can have a 50% chance of inheriting it themselves. Each week in the UK, around twelve seemingly healthy people aged 35 or under are victims of sudden cardiac death with no explanation, largely due to undiagnosed heart conditions. Former England and Nottinghamshire cricketer James Taylor had to retire last year, at the age of 26, after he was diagnosed with the serious heart condition arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

A new report by the House of Bishops has said that the Church of England should adopt a ‘fresh tone and culture of welcome and support’ for gay people, but that there was little support for changing the Church's teaching that marriage was between one man and one woman. The report said the Church needed to repent of homophobic attitudes. It also said all potential clergy - straight and gay - will be asked about their sexual conduct and lifestyle., The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Jones, felt that present arrangements for asking ordinands and clergy about their relationships and lifestyle are not really working very well. He said, ‘All clergy are asked at their ordination whether they will fashion their lives after the way of Christ. We believe we should revisit how this is explored beforehand, so the same questions are addressed to everyone without distinction.’ But Andrew Foreshaw-Cain, a parish priest in north London who is in a same-sex marriage, told the BBC that the report was ‘a failure of leadership’. He added: ‘The LGBT community is going to be extremely hurt by this. We were asked to trust our leaders. Many of us made ourselves vulnerable during the shared conversations, and none of that has been heard. The bishops have gone ahead and talked as if we didn't take part in it and as if we are not there.’

Romania's new leadership is facing growing pressure after some 200,000 people took to the streets on Wednesday, over a government decree to free dozens of officials jailed for corruption. The president said he would challenge it in court, while the business minister has resigned over the measure. The justice minister, who introduced the decree, has temporarily stood down. The protest march in Bucharest ended in clashes between alleged football hooligans and the police, leaving eight wounded. The leftist government, led by prime minister Sorin Grindeanu, returned to power last month after protests forced the previous leaders from power in October 2015. The emergency decree, which comes into effect in ten days, decriminalises several offences and makes abuse of power punishable by incarceration only if the sums involved are more than €44,000 (£38,000). The new government says the decree is needed to ease overcrowding in prisons, but Mr Grindeanu's critics say he is trying to release allies convicted of corruption.

As the French presidential race heats up, WikiLeaks archives contain potentially sensitive files on the three main contenders - the republican Francois Fillon, the right-wing hardliner Marine Le Pen, and the liberal Emmanuel Macron. Most of the files cover the years between the mid-2000s and 2011 or 2012. 3,630 documents relate to centre-right presidential hopeful Fillon, whose popularity ratings have dropped recently amid the ongoing scandal over an allegation that his wife Penelope unfairly received over €900,000 (£775,000) as his ‘parliamentary assistant’. Fillon, who fiercely denies claims of wrongdoing, stated that he would quit the race if placed under formal investigation. Meanwhile Marine Le Pen, who appeals strongly to disenfranchised voters and those who feel threatened by a multicultural society, has been accused of wrongfully employing her chief of staff and her bodyguard as her assistants at the European Parliament. They might have been paid up to €350,000 (£300,000) from the parliament's funds. Fillon and Le Pen are currently almost neck and neck in the race, with Macron not far behind, according to the latest surveys.