I chose freedom over justice, Julian Assange says in first comments after detention
Strasbourg, France Reuters Julian Assange, the founder of whistleblower media group WikiLeaks, told European lawmakers on Tuesday his guilty plea to US espionage accusations was necessary because legal and political efforts to protect his freedom were not sufficient. “I eventually chose freedom over an unrealisable justice,” Assange said, in his first public comments since his […]
EU Commission head von der Leyen elected for second term
Strasbourg, France Reuters Ursula von der Leyen won a second term as president of the European Commission on Thursday after pledging to create a continental “defence union” and to stay the course on Europe’s green transition while cushioning its burden on industry. Members of the European Parliament backed von der Leyen’s bid for another five-year […]
Swiss climate policy shortcomings violated human rights, top court rules
Strasbourg, France Reuters Europe’s top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change. The European Court of Human Rights’ (ECHR) decision on the case brought by more than 2,000 elderly Swiss women set a precedent that […]
Youth vs Europe: “Unprecedented” climate trial unfolds at rights court
Reuters Six young people from areas in Portugal ravaged by wildfires and heatwaves went head-to-head with 32 European governments on Wednesday, alleging in court that their failure to act fast enough on climate change is a violation of their human rights. The case – filed in September, 2020, against the 27 EU member states as […]
France deploys 45,000 police after riots over teen’s death
Paris, France Reuters France’s interior minister said on Friday the coming hours would be decisive as he sent 45,000 police onto the streets following three nights of riots since an officer shot dead a teenager at a traffic stop in a working class suburb of Paris. The violence, in which buildings and vehicles have been […]
Elderly Swiss women bring European court’s first climate case
Strasbourg, France Reuters Thousands of elderly Swiss women have joined forces in a groundbreaking case heard on Wednesday at the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that their government’s “woefully inadequate” efforts to fight global warming violate their human rights. The first climate change case at the Strasbourg court has been brought by a group […]
Europe takes major step to tackle billion-dollar food waste
Thomson Reuters Foundation European lawmakers on Wednesday took a major step toward slashing the amount of perfectly edible food that is discarded, costing billions of dollars a year and depriving millions of people who struggle to find enough food to eat. The European Parliament in Strasbourg backed a law urging member states to halve food […]