European & International News

International news globe All the latest news from the European Union, its member states, and beyond.

European & International News
UK-Commonwealth - Girls equal in throne succession

Posted on 7 November 2011 |

[Brussels, 07 November 2011] Commonwealth leaders have agreed to change anachronistic rules on royal succession, allowing women equal access to the British throne. Read below the annoucement on the official website of the UK Prime Minister.
Prime Minister unveils changes to royal succession
Friday 28 October 2011
The Prime Minister said “The great strength of our constitutional approach is its ability to evolve”
In future, female members of the Royal Family will have the same rights of (...) Read more
European & International News
European Parliament formally adopts new EU asylum rules

Posted on 7 November 2011 |

[Brussels, 07 November 2011] On October 27th, 2011 the European Parliament formally adopted a new EU set of asylum rules. These are binding and now include gender identity as a ground of persecution, which EU Member States must take into account. Governments have already agreed to the changes, which are final. You can read more about these rules and their significance in a recent press release from the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT (...) Read more
European & International News
Social protection: a win-win investment

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[SOLIDAR, Brussels, 04 November 2011] Last week, the ILO’s Social Protection Advisory Group, chaired by former President of Chile and UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet, issued a report on "Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalization". According to Ms Bachelet, "Extending social protection is a ’win-win’ investment that pays off both in the short term, given its effects as a macroeconomic stabiliser but also in the long term, due to the impacts on human (...) Read more
European & International News
Women’s Access To Justice: Addressing Justice Chain Barriers

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[AWID, 04 November 2011] The 2011-2012 UN Women Report “Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice” analyzes women’s access to justice, from legal frameworks to justice for women during and after conflict.
Women often face barriers in accessing justice. Their multiple productive and reproductive roles mean that they often do not have enough time to spare to pursue their cases and so simply give up. Women may not have the resources needed to pursue justice or lack awareness of the (...) Read more
European & International News
Tunisia - Women’s rights in the new democracy

By Barbara Crossette - WeNews Senior News Analyst

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[WeNews, 04 November 2011] Women’s rights have long been considered a development keystone. Tunisian women - in the vanguard of the Arab world - will put that theory to a crucial test as the country’s new democracy takes shape following last week’s elections.
With its recent elections, Tunisia has passed its first hurdle in the long transition to democracy.
While the world will watch closely as a constitution is created and a government formed, there is one important gender-specific (...) Read more
European & International News
Four women reporters receive Courage in Journalism Awards

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[International Women’s Media Foundation, Los Angeles, 01 November 2011] Four brave women journalists who have risked their lives covering the news will be honored by the International Women’s Media Foundation with Courage in Journalism Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award in Los Angeles on Oct. 24 and New York on Oct. 27.
IWMF’S Courage in Journalism Award winners face daunting challenges reporting the news in their countries. Mexican drug cartels have threatened to kill Zeta editor Adela (...) Read more
European & International News
UN panel calls for global protection floor with income security and health services

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[United Nations News Centre, New York, 27 October 2011] With more than five out of every seven people in the world lacking adequate social security, a high-level United Nations panel today called for guaranteeing basic income and services for all, not only as a means to ensure peace and stability but also to boost economic growth. Measures providing income security and scaling up essential health services are affordable even in the poorest countries, costing as little as 1 to 2 per cent of (...) Read more
European & International News
Social partners of the audiovisual sector agree on actions to promote gender equality

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[European Commission, Brussels, 27 October 2011] The Framework of Actions on Gender Equality adopted by the social partners of the audiovisual sector covers gender portrayal, addressing gender roles at work, equal pay, equality in decision making, and the reconciliation of work and personal life.
This comprehensive set of actions builds on similar previous agreements, such as the 2005 framework of the cross-industry social partners. It acknowledges the audiovisual sector’s specific (...) Read more
European & International News
Righting Wrongs for Women of African Descent

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[OHCHR, 27 October 2011] “They suffer racial discrimination as black people; they suffer gender discrimination as women; and, as they are often poor, they suffer discrimination on the basis of their economic status,” says Viola Plummer, a human rights activist with the December 12th Movement, speaking of women of African descent.
More than 150 years since the transatlantic slave trade ended, people of African descent continue to face multiple forms of discrimination and denial of their human (...) Read more
European & International News
The Arab Spring wins Sakharov Prize 2011

Posted on 5 November 2011 |

[European Parliament, Brussels, 27 October 2011] The European Parliament Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought in 2011 goes to five representatives of the Arab people, in recognition and support of their drive for freedom and human rights. It will be presented to the winners by President Jerzy Buzek at Parliament’s formal session in Strasbourg, on 14 December.
Parliament’s 2011 Sakharov Prize goes to Asmaa Mahfouz (Egypt), Ahmed al-Zubair Ahmed al-Sanusi (Libya), Razan Zaitouneh (Syria), Ali (...) Read more