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Merkel's party takes new stance on refugees
After the attacks on women in Cologne on New Year's Eve, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, argued for stricter laws concerning refugees. At the meeting in Mainz the party leaders unanimously adopted a new stance. This was reported by N-TV on Saturday, January 9th.
If approved, the amendments would mean that refugees would lose the right to asylum if they were given suspended sentences. Earlier, the management of the CDU was planning to …
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Juncker: Dutch vote on Ukraine could lead to crisis
A negative result on the referendum in the Netherlands regarding the Association Agreement with Ukraine could trigger a continental crisis, stated Jean Claude Juncker, President for the European Commission, in an interview with NRC Handelsblad on Saturday, January 9th.
“A ‘no’ answer in the Dutch non-binding vote may spark a continental crisis," he noted. "Let's not change the referendum into a vote about Europe," Juncker emphasized. "I sincerely hope that the Dutch won't vote no for reasons …
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EU will consider implementing visa free regime with Ukraine in the spring
The EU Foreign Ministers will consider opening a visa-free regime for Ukrainians in March or June. Olena Zerkal, the Ukrainian Minister for the European Foreign Affairs Council told TV Channel 5, that the process will depend on how quickly the necessary reforms can be implemented.
"It depends on how quickly we will be able to convince the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council that we have fulfilled all the requirements and are continuing to improve legislation,” she said.
Ukraine has …
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Several Popular Ukrainian Contributors Banned by Twitter
On the 30th of December, the popular social network, Twitter, issued an update to their terms of service agreement. These changes are directed at preventing insults, threats and intimidation. Some of the networks’ users attest that there are errors in this new system that can result in the locking of practically any account, Radio Svoboda reported.
“The updated rules stress that Twitter will not allow the use of insults, intimidation and threats in order to force other people to be silent. As …
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Self-Defense Units Spring Up In Germany in Response to Cologne Assaults
German publication Focus reports that in Germany, residents of cities are beginning to create teams of street patrols. This comes after Cologne and other cities experienced dozens of attacks on women during New Year's Eve.
After Germany's Minister of Internal Affairs accused the police of being passive, German citizens concerned about their safety began to join neighborhood patrol groups. For example, a page on Facebook called "Düsseldorf monitors" already has 2300 subscribers.
The …