Ekrem Imamoglu elected Mayor of Istanbul: Democracy alive and well in Turkey!

The candidate for the main opposition party, Ekrem Imamoglu, has won 54% of the vote in the re-run of the Istanbul mayoral elections. Reacting to the win, the co-chair of Green Left Party Eylem Tuncaelli told this website, “The people have given a clear verdict on the AKP-MHP alliance’s refusal to step down in Istanbul despite their…

Why Belgium’s Politicians Must Tackle Climate Change

Climate campaigners in Belgium have 267,617 reasons why the country’s politicians should intensify efforts to tackle global warming. That is the number of people who signed a petition demanding more effort in addressing the issue. The recent unusually high temperatures in Belgium and elsewhere have, for many, highlighted the pressing emergency posed by climate change….

Civil rights campaigner elected Vice-President of European Civic Forum

The founder of New Europeans, the former Labour MP Roger Casale has been elected a Vice-President of European Civic Forum, a network of over 100 associations and NGOs across Europe working to defend civil liberties and access to human rights for all. Speaking following the EESC Civil Society Days in Brussels, Roger Casale said: “The…

“Togo could become the new Mali”, warns Nathaniel Olympio

“Terrorism is becoming a big problem in Togo, especially because of jihadists who arrive from Mali and Burkina Faso” warned the President of Parti des Togolais (Togolese Party) Nathaniel Olympio at the Press Club in Brussels on June 14th, writes Eli Hadzhieva.  “Only last month, 2 French citizens were kidnapped in the neighbouring country of…

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Inaugurated as President of Kazakhstan

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been inaugurated on 12th June as Kazakhstan’s new President, after the final results of Sunday’s elections showed an emphatic victory for him with over 70% of the votes. The nearest contender was former journalist Amirzhan Kossanov with just over 16 %, and the other 5 candidates trailed far behind. The elections received…

Alyn Smith MEP elected President of EFA

Alyn Smith, who continues to campaign fiercely against Brexit, has been elected President of the European Free Alliance (EFA) Group in the European Parliament. He succeeds Catalan MEP Josep-Maria Terricabras who stood down at the recent European election. An MEP for the Scottish National Party (SNP) since 2004, Smith was recently re-elected to the European Parliament, where he…

Energy Needed to Keep Ukraine on a Euro-Atlantic Track

Ukraine’s leader is now the overwhelmingly popular comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was in Brussels today (4th June) for his first official visit. His election winning strategy was built on opposition to the oligarchs and criticising Ukraine’s dependence on the West. Zelenskiy began his presidency by dissolving the Parliament and calling for snap elections. If these…

Civil rights organisation New Europeans to receive Schwarzkopf Europe Award in Berlin

The civil rights organisation  New Europeans has won the prestigious Schwarzkopf Europe Award following an online poll of 18 to 35 year olds across the European Union. New Europeans will receive the award at a ceremony in Berlin today (3 June) and the award will be presented by former European Parliament President Martin Schulz, himself a former recipient of…

Russia reprimanded by UN for illegal detention of Ukraine naval officers

In a stern rebuke to Russia for breaching international law by detaining vessels belonging to Ukraine in the Sea of Azov, the International Tribunal of the United Nations for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has ordered the Russian Federation to release the Ukrainian naval vessels Berdyansk, Nikopol and Yani Kapu, and return them to…