Today’s events in Ukraine show that the trial of Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of the Opposition Platform – For Life political party, the country’s largest opposition force, is yet another proof that political instruments are used in the current Ukrainian government’s fight against its critics. This is an alarming signal from Ukraine, because in a short period of time, new …

The days of unrest in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip reached a boiling point on Monday evening, when Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement fired rockets at each other. What’s going on in the area? And why is it restless again? The causes of the escalating violence are a difficult tangle to unravel. In essence, the current protests are being …

The European Commission is concerned about the detention of EU citizens in deportation centres in the UK. In particular, the situation and the long duration of detention are “a source of concern”, the commission says. Some 30 Germans, Italians and other EU citizens who wanted to return the UK were detained at the British border for up to seven days, …

The Czech government suspects that Russian intelligence officers were involved in an explosion at an ammunition depot in 2014. The Czech Republic is therefore expelling 18 Russian diplomats who, according to the Prague government, work for the Russian secret service. The Russians have 48 hours to leave, Prime Minister Andrei Babis and Foreign Minister Jan Hamácek reported on Saturday. “It …

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is downright humiliated by Turkish president Erdogan, who did not set up a chair for her at a summit meeting in Ankara on Tuesday. Brussels is currently doing everything in its power to prevent such a painful situation from ever occurring again ‘anywhere in the world’. On social media, not only the Turkish …

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has withdrawn Turkey from an International Convention on women’s rights aimed at tackling violence against women and promoting Emancipation. The decree was published in the Turkish state newspaper on Saturday. Activists point out that the pact is crucial for reducing the increasing number of cases of domestic violence in Turkey. The treaty, also known as the …

Hong Kong’s electoral system is undergoing a major overhaul. The Chinese parliament gave the green light on Thursday. Critics fear that the pro-democratic opposition in the former British crown colony will now be further sidelined. The newspaper writes that the way has been opened for the largest electoral reform in the metropolis since 1997. The United Kingdom transferred Hong Kong …

As the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Shi’a in Iraq, ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, come Saturday, there was a historic day in the Shi’ite shrine of Najaf. The two called for peaceful coexistence in a country torn by sectarian violence. The meeting between the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the …

Heavily armed soldiers have been guarding metro stations, airports and other vulnerable buildings and places in Belgium since the 2015 terrorist attacks, but after six years they hand over this task to the police. The military have already left Brussels-Charleroi airport and the European quarter of Brussels, says Minister Annelies Verlinden (Home Affairs) in the newspaper Le Soir. “On 1 …

News media publishers would like to see the European Union copy parts of Australian legislation that forces big tech companies like Facebook and Google to pay for taking over news items. In the meantime, a lobby has been set up. According to publishers, binding arbitration should also exist in the European Union if publishers and tech companies fail to reach …