Photo by Larry Alger on Unsplash The economic indicator on the RSF World Press Freedom Index now stands at an unprecedented, critical low as its decline continued in 2025. As a result, the global state of press freedom is now classified as a difficult situation for the first time in the history of the Index….
Month: May 2025
Call for Major Increase in CAP Funding
Photo by Judith Prins on Unsplash A senior MEP has unveiled a major new position paper outlining his vision for the future of European farming and the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027. The paper, developed by Barry Cowen in his role as Renew Europe’s shadow rapporteur for the Parliament’s report on “The Future of…
Ars in Cathedrali
For the second consecutive year, the association Ars in Cathedrali is offering a series of four organ concerts dedicated exclusively to Johann Sebastian Bach. From noon to 1.45pm on selected dates, young Belgian professional organists will pay tribute to the great German composer. They are: Peter Ledaine, Laurent Fobelets, Wouter Dekoninck and Hélène Ricardeau. The concerts…
Advancing Health Equity
Photo by Akram Huseyn on Unsplash Promoting a healthier Taiwan on the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system. Health is a fundamental human right and a universal value. Improved health results in greater well-being for the people and has ramifications for the survival and development of a country and even the world, writes…
Leading Airline Posts Record Profits
Photo by Mike van den Bos on Unsplash The Emirates Group has released its 2024-5 annual report, showing record profits for the year. What it calls an outstanding performance lifts the company as the most profitable aviation group globally in the 2024-25 reporting period. Emirates says it reported the best result in its history and…
EU Joins in Support for New Pope
Photo by Gianna B on Unsplash EU figures and MEPs have congratulated the new Pope, Leo XIV, on his election. He is the first American ever to ascend the See of Peter. His election, said MEPs, is a moment of global significance — a bridge between continents, traditions, and generations. The ECR group in the EU Parliament,…
Ukraine’s Enduring Struggle
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash As Europe marks the anniversary of the end of the Second World War, we are reminded of Ukraine’s critical role in securing victory over Nazism – and of the striking parallels between that historic struggle and today’s war against Russian aggression. Once again, Ukraine finds itself on the front…
Hungary’s Evolving Media Landscape
Photo by Bank Phrom on Unsplash The question of whether truly independent journalism can still exist in Hungary is no longer solely a domestic concern; it has now become a prominent issue for the European Commission. On April 28, Magyar Hang and another anonymous outlet filed a formal complaint with the Commission, alleging that the…
Orbán’s Catatonic Agenda
Photo by Joshua Fuller on Unsplash Viktor Orbán has long been regarded as an outlier in the European Union, but in recent years, his government’s actions have represented more than mere political dissent. Orbán is executing a deliberate strategy that challenges the unity and principles of the Western alliance. While maintaining formal membership in the…
Lüneburger Heide
Photo by Galt Museum & Archives on Unsplash On 4th May in 1945 General Sir Bernard Montgomery and Admiral Hans-Georg Friedrich Ludwig Robert von Friedeburg signed the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces (including the navy and naval vessels) in North West Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands at a camp in Lüneburger Heide in…