Belgian Presidency of the EU

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Photo by Alexandre Bury on Unsplash The new Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU says it will work towards better protecting European citizens and strengthening cooperation. The presidency programme sets out the priorities and main directions of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU.  The Belgian term takes place from 1 January to 30 June…

Serbian Election Irregularities

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash The European Parliament has debated what MEPs call the dire situation in Serbia after recent elections were reportedly marred by serious fraud claims. The Socialists and Democrats in the EU assembly requested the debate. They and others called for an independent investigation into “all reported irregularities and to support thousands of Serbs…

Emirates Recruitment Drive

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Photo by Sangga Rima Roman Selia on Unsplash The airline, Emirates, has launched global cabin crew recruitment drive for up to 5,000 new staff, with recruitment days pencilled in for Belgium. The move also marks imminent arrival of its new fleet of Airbus A350s. The recruitment drive is designed primarily for those who will soon or have recently…

Free Alexei Navalny

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Photo by Liza Pooor on Unsplash Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the case of Alexei Navalny and other political prisoners. “Today marks three years since Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny returned to Russia. He was arbitrarily arrested, prosecuted and sentenced following his return from Germany, where he was receiving medical treatment…

Benefits of a Vegan Diet

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Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash New research by Ticketgum says there are “several benefits” to be had from a vegan diet, particularly for athletes or those who engage in regular exercise. A study emphasises the “crucial” role of maintaining adequate levels of vitamins and nutrients, particularly vitamin B12. It says vitamin B12 is essential for the body’s blood and nerve cells.  A deficiency in this…

Gearing Up for the New Year

One of the country’s top visitor attractions is celebrating good news to herald a new year. Autoworld Museum in Brussels says it is “particularly proud” to announce that last year, just like 2022, was another record year in terms of visitor numbers. In 2023, the museum welcomed no less than 235,000 visitors, what it calls “a spectacular achievement especially if…

Europe’s 5 Crisis Tribes

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Photo by munshots on Unsplash There are five defined crisis tribes across Europe’s voting population, and concerns about climate change and immigration will be key mobilising issues for citizens in the run-up to the European Parliament elections and other major ballots in Europe in 2024, according to a new polling-backed study published today by the European Council on…

UK Electoral Reform

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Photo by Nick Sparkman on Unsplash A cross-party campaign pushing for electoral reform in the UK has taken a key step forward. The move has been greeted by those who are campaigning in Britain for the creation of overseas parliamentary constituencies. In a new development this week, British Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine has tabled an Early Day Motion on the…

The Freedom Prize of Lithuania

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The European Parliament has been awarded the Freedom Prize of the Republic of Lithuania. The parliament’s President, Roberta Metsola,has also been given the Grand Cross of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas. Last Friday, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda made the award to Metsola “for her leadership and personal will…

Taiwan Elects Lai Ching-te to be next President

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Photo by ulziibayar badamdorj on Unsplash A senior MEP has warmly greeted the outcome of presidential elections in Taiwan. In the poll Taiwan voted for Lai Ching-te to be its next president, paving the way for a historic third term in power for the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive party (DPP). The result is likely to anger Beijing and heighten…