Category: Europe

The presidential statement approved by all 15 Security Council members, upheld that “no actions should be carried out in relation to Varosha, that are not in accordance with its resolutions”.  “The Security Council condemns the announcement in Cyprus by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders on 20 July 2021 on the further reopening of part of the fenced-off area of Varosha”, the statement continued.  Secretary-General @antonioguterres is deeply concerned about the announcements made on 20 July by the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey regarding a further opening of the fenced-off town of Varosha. Full statement: https://t.co/RszcvnTnlH…

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Ahead of the twenty-second anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre – the largest atrocity on European soil since World War II – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged all to “look honestly” at the past, acknowledge the crimes and the inaction that allowed them to occur and ensure that such atrocities are never repeated. Source UN News

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The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) comes into force in 2023 as part of new measures to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, including taxes on imports such as oil, coal and gas.  In tandem with the EU announcement, UNCTAD has published a report examining the potential implications for countries both within and outside the regional bloc.  “Climate and environmental considerations are at the forefront of policy concerns, and trade cannot be the exception. CBAM is one of these options, but its impact on developing countries also needs to be considered,” said…

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Belarus has witnessed an unprecedented human rights crisis over the past year, the independent expert appointed to monitor the country said on Monday, calling on authorities to immediately end their policy of repression and fully respect the legitimate aspirations of their people. In her annual report to the Human Rights Council, Anaïs Marin said she had received reports of massive police violence used against protesters – since last August’s disputed presidential election brought millions onto the streets to contest the result – cases of enforced disappearance, allegations of torture and ill-treatment and the continuous intimidation and…

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In a wide-ranging multilingual speech to the European Parliament in Brussels, the UN chief underscored the need to ramp up vaccinations globally.  “The pandemic is causing more deaths today than a year ago.  And vaccines are our only way out of this crisis. They must be considered as a global public good, available and affordable to all,” he said.  “Vaccine equity is not only the greatest moral test of our times. It is also a matter of effectiveness”, he added.  Vaccine task force  The Secretary-General reiterated his recent call for…

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Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that without “global cooperation based on agreed rules” we risk “the law of the jungle, where problems don’t get solved”.  “Every day we see the cost of the absence of multilateral action: reduced access to vaccines, insufficient climate action, peace and security crises that fester”, he said.   Every day we see the cost of the absence of multilateral action — EU High Representative Prevention, peace building  According to the EU envoy, the world’s “biggest changes” stem from new technologies,…

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“Forest Green Rovers began as a rescue mission for me in 2010. This 120-year-old club was facing closure and it happened to be located close to the town, Stroud, where I built Ecotricity, an energy company which aims to replace fossil fuels with sustainable green energy.  I’m a football fan so I thought I’d help out and just a day or so into owning the club, I started to recognize issues which really conflicted with my outlook and the way I lived. The first thing was red meat; we were…

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The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals on Tuesday rejected his appeal against  2017 convictions for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Mr Mladić, 79, known as “the Butcher of Bosnia”, presided over some of the most horrific crimes to occur in Europe since the Second World War.  He commanded violent ethnic cleansing campaigns across Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995, including the July 1995 massacre of thousands of Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica.  Accountability an ‘essential step’: Guterres  UN Secretary-General António Guterres has taken note of…

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The five Special Rapporteurs expressed outrage at the arrest, alleged torture and forced confession of opposition journalist Roman Protasevich (Raman Pratasevich), who was arbitrarily detained on 23 May in a case that sparked international condemnation.  Mr Protasevich, 26, was on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania that was forcibly diverted to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, due to a supposed bomb threat.   ‘Reckless’ arrest, reported torture  He was arrested when the passengers disembarked and reportedly charged with inciting public disorder and social hatred, in the wake of the disputed…

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