Month: June 2018

The U.N. human rights office (UNHCR) is criticizing the United States’ new zero tolerance policy aimed at deterring migrants and refugees from coming to the country. Under this policy, people caught entering the U.S. irregularly are subject to criminal prosecution, and their children, some very young, are taken away. The UNHCR calls this separation of family arbitrary and a serious violation of a child’s rights. The United States is the only country that has not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Nevertheless, the agency said this does not absolve the U.S. from its responsibilities to adhere …

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The EU’s top court, in a landmark ruling for gay rights in Europe, said on Tuesday that Romania must grant residence to the American husband of a local man even though Romania does not itself permit same-sex marriage. In a case which has highlighted social differences between western Europe and a more conservative, ex-communist east, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Romania must accept the validity of the mens’ 2010 Belgian marriage and treat American Clai Hamilton as Adrian Coman’s spouse under EU law. The case did not touch on the freedom of member states to set their …

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The United States is pressing European allies to ready more NATO battalions, ships and planes for combat, officials say, in a fresh move to shore up NATO’s deterrence against a potential Russian attack. U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will seek broad agreement for the plan in Brussels on Thursday when alliance defense ministers meet, laying the ground for endorsement by NATO leaders at a summit in July, four U.S. and NATO officials and diplomats told Reuters. The plan would require NATO to have 30 land battalions, 30 air fighter squadrons and 30 navy ships such as destroyers ready to …

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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived Tuesday in Austria, one of the European Union’s more Russia-friendly members, on his first foreign trip since being sworn in for a fourth term.   Before meetings with Austrian leaders, Putin dismissed suggestions that Russia has any intention of dividing the 28-nation EU. In an interview with Austrian public broadcaster ORF, he said that Moscow wants the EU “to be united and flourish, because the EU is our most important trade and business partner.”   Putin’s sixth official visit to traditionally neutral Austria marks the 50th anniversary of the start of Soviet gas deliveries to …

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The city of Paris has rewarded a Malian immigrant for his bravery in saving a child last month. But the accolades come as city police razed migrant camps just a few kilometers north, underscoring the broader, polarized question of immigration roiling France — and Europe. Mamadou Gassama, 22, received Paris’ highest award Monday as Mayor Anne Hidalgo praised him as the city’s and the country’s hero. She nicknamed the Malian immigrant “Spiderman” for his daring rescue of a 4-year-old dangling from the balcony of a fourth-floor apartment. That act of bravery has catapulted Gassama from illegal immigrant to French citizen …

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Denmark’s government has announced that it will build a 68-kilometer fence along the country’s southern border to protect prime Danish pigs from swine fever. The government says the fence will help keep out German wild boar that could be infected with a deadly African swine fever. Officials say an outbreak of swine fever in Denmark would force the country to temporarily stop all pork exports. Denmark Minister for Environment and Food Esben Lunde Larsen says the country’s exports of pork outside the European Union are worth $1.8 billion annually. African swine fever is harmless to humans but fatal to farm …

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French President Emmanuel Macron called on international donors to quickly make financing available for the Sahel regional counterterror force. In a news conference in Paris with visiting Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, Macron said money “now needs to be disbursed” to allow the five-nation regional force, known as the G5 Sahel, to keep functioning. He said the European Union started financing the force last week and will provide equipment in coming weeks. He called on other donors like Saudi Arabia to meet their financial commitments. Issoufou expressed his concerns over the financial sustainability of the force. Earlier this year, international donors …

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The United States and Turkey have agreed on a roadmap to resolve the future of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, an issue that has become a major source of tension between the NATO allies. The agreement came during a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Washington on Monday. In a joint statement, Pompeo and Cavusoglu said their countries would take steps “to ensure the security and stability in Manbij.” “They endorsed a roadmap to this end and underlined their mutual commitment to its implementation, reflecting agreement to closely follow developments …

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