2 w. ago Council of Europe chief warns against politicising court of human rights

Alain Berset says no judiciary should face political pressure after nine countries make intervention over migrationEurope’s leading human rights body has criticised nine governments that have urged a rethink of the interpretation of the European convention on human rights on migration issues.The Council of Europe secretary general, Alain Berset, spoke out against “politicising” the European court of human rights after nine European leaders signed a letter organised by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, calling for an “open-minded conversation” about the interpretation of the convention. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago AP PHOTOS: Cyprus' Maronites fight to stop their Cypriot Maronite Arabic from extinction

Only about 900 people in the world speak Cypriot Maronite Arabic. The offshoot of Syrian Arabic has been passed on orally over the centuries. Now it is at risk of extinction. That’s according to the Council of Europe’s minority language experts. But the Maronite community in Cyprus is fighting back. It has help from the Cypriot government and the European Union to save the language.

Culture

2 w. ago 9 EU countries want a new interpretation of European rights to ease deportations

Leaders of 9 European Union countries say they want a reinterpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights in order to better tackle irregular migration to the continent and effectively increase deportations

Politics

3 w. ago Delegates walk out of Fifa congress after Infantino arrives late from Trump trip

FA chair among those to walk out of annual meetingInfantino arrived late after Donald Trump tripRepresentatives from several European Fifa member associations walked out of the governing body’s annual congress in Paraguay in protest of president Gianni Infantino’s late arrival to the proceedings on Thursday. Infantino had been in the Middle East this week along with Donald Trump visiting leaders from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and arrived in Paraguay hours late for a scheduled 10.30am start time to his organization’s annual meeting.The departing members included eight European members of the Fifa Council – the main decision-making body that sets the agenda for the wider congress. Uefa’s representatives on the Council to have walked out include Uefa president Alexander Čeferin and Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt. Other delegates to have left proceedings in protest include Norway Football Federation president Lise Klaveness, who called Infantino’s late arrival “disappointing” an...

Politics

3 w. ago North Macedonia’s path toward full EU membership stalled by impasse with Bulgaria

European Council President António Costa has called on North Macedonia to change its constitution to include the Bulgarian minority as a way for the country to continue its path toward full European Union membership

Events

3 w. ago European Council president Costa praises Montenegro's advance on EU path

European Council’s president Antonio Costa has praised Montenegro for its progress on the path toward membership in the European Union, describing the small Balkan country as “one of the finest examples of the EU’s positive enlargement momentum.”

Politics