Rights groups petition European watchdog to secure clean water in French Caribbean
Reuters The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said on Thursday it has filed a collective complaint to a European rights body to demand that France urgently ensures access to drinking water in its Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe. The island territory has long faced water shortages, which right groups associate to poor infrastructure and contamination […]
The first outside legal analyses of Vatican’s ‘trial of the century’ are in, and they’re critical
Vatican City AP Several prominent lawyers have published stinging academic critiques and legal opinions about the Vatican’s recently concluded “trial of the century,” highlighting violations of basic defense rights and rule of law norms that they warn could have consequences for the Holy See going forward. The opinions cite Pope Francis’ role in the trial, since he […]
European leaders meet in Iceland to reaffirm values as Ukraine war rages on
Reykjavik, IcelandReuters European leaders will travel to Iceland on Tuesday for a two-day summit meant to show their support for Ukraine but also send a powerful message on core democratic values many feel are under threat in and outside Europe. In only the fourth summit of the Council of Europe since it was founded after […]
Make it easier to prosecute top Vatican clerics, financial watchdog urges
Vatican CityReuters A financial watchdog urged the Vatican on Wednesday to sharpen up its procedure for prosecuting senior clerics and hire more investigators with financial expertise. In a 275-page report on efforts to protect the city-state against the scandals that have plagued it down the decades, the monitoring body of the Council of Europe was […]
Turkey withdraws from European treaty protecting women
Istanbul, TurkeyAP Turkey withdrew early Saturday from a landmark European treaty protecting women from violence that it was the first country to sign 10 years ago and which bears the name of its largest city. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s overnight decree annulling Turkey’s ratification of the Istanbul Convention is a blow to women’s rights advocates, […]
Pope commits to clean finances amid scandal in backyard
Rome, ItalyAP Pope Francis told European anti-money laundering experts Thursday that the Vatican was committed to “clean finance,” as he denounced financial speculation amid a spiraling corruption investigation in the heart of the Holy See. It is rare for a head of state to meet with the Council of Europe’s Moneyval teams, who make periodic […]
Cardinal Pell returns to Vatican mired in financial scandal
Rome, ItalyAP Cardinal George Pell, who left the Vatican in 2017 to face child sexual abuse charges in Australia, returned to Rome on Wednesday to find a Holy See mired in the type of corruption scandal he worked to expose and clean up. The 79-year-old Pell arrived at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport on a […]
Poles split over government plan to exit domestic violence treaty
Warsaw, PolandAP Poles are bitterly divided over steps being taken by the right-wing government to leave a European treaty against domestic violence, claiming it promotes gender “ideology” and links violence to religion. Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said Monday he has formally asked the Ministry of Family to start preparations for Poland’s exit from the Istanbul […]
Labour trafficking rises across Europe as laws fall short – watchdog
Thomson Reuters Foundation Labour trafficking is on the rise across Europe and has overtaken sexual exploitation as the predominant form of modern-day slavery in several countries including Britain, Belgium and Portugal, a leading European human rights body said on Tuesday. But a lack of prosecutions and convictions, limited labour laws and inspections, and fear among […]