European Union

Committee meetings, Brussels

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

The European Union is reviewing its financial support to Tanzania in response to recent moves undermining "human rights and the rule of law".

EU foreign ministers will discuss a range of issues in Brussels on Monday (19 November), including for the first time the militarisation of the Azov Sea, which according to diplomats has been effectively blockaded by Russia.

After pushing the Brexit plan through her cabinet it is far from certain that Theresa May will succeed in getting the House of Commons to approve the deal. Several ministers and state secretaries, including Brexit Minister Dominic Raab, have stepped down, and Brexit hardliners are calling for a vote of no confidence against May. Journalists examine the tug of war in which the PM, the parliament and the people are now immersed.

Several citizens' initiatives have called on social media for nationwide protests and road blockades on Saturday. The protests have been sparked by the high petrol prices. Angry motorists are donning yellow high-visibility vests as a symbol of resistance. Is the opposition to Macron's policy justified or have the citizens failed to grasp that the reforms are necessary?

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned Russia for repeatedly arresting Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, ruling that the arrests were politically motivated. Moscow must now pay Navalny roughly 63,000 euros in compensation. What significance does the ruling have for the Russian regime and its opponents?

A Russian court has ordered the opposition online newspaper The New Times to pay a fine of 22.25 million rubles (300,000 euros) for allegedly missing a deadline for handing in a financial report. A campaign for donations has gathered the money to pay the fine, which the small paper couldn't afford, within just a four days. Commentators from Russia and a neighbouring country are delighted.

Latvia will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of its independence on November 18, the last of the three Baltic states to do so after Estonia and Lithuania celebrated theirs. But the country is divided over how to balance revelry and remembrance.