For someone who has just landed one of the most prized jobs in the EU apparat, Metsola has an unusual profile. Her self-professed feminism and staunch defense of civil rights, would place her squarely in the progressive camp, and endear her to many inhabiting the EU’s institutions. Yet, she labels herself a conservative, with an anti-abortion stance to boot.
While committed to a diplomatic solution, Western officials’ projections were grim. To reporters, U.S. Ambassador Michael Carpenter said that escalation is not impossible, and that “the drumbeat of war is sounding loud, and the rhetoric has gotten rather shrill.”
According to the German Economic Institute, statistics from the European Population Projection, the EUROPOP, indicate that, in absence of any migration, the number of 20 to 64 year olds (working ages) could be 11.2 percent lower in 2030 than in 2020. The EU average, the organization claims, would be only 6.9%.
Despite both parties’ stated desire to lower tensions on the Ukraine border and come to an agreement, no progress was made.
Although Rutte’s coalition is a step forward, it lacks prized political capital. Infighting and the lack of a comprehensive policy on COVID-19 especially have damaged Dutch citizens’ trust to a great extent. That distrust is observed in the many anti-government demonstrations, often accompanied by violence on both sides, and several ministers having received death threats.
The embattled ex-chancellor took to Twitter, saying he was “honored to join the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation as co-chairman together with Tony Blair!”
Spokesman Simon Calvert of The Christian Institute called the ECHR ruling “the right result.” He applauded the UK Supreme Court, which, in 2018, had “engaged at length with the human rights arguments in this case and upheld the McArthurs’ rights to freedom of expression and religion.” He called the ECHR ruling “good news for free speech, good news for Christians, and good news for the McArthurs.”
The Kazakh president has described the protesters as terrorists with foreign training, and has given the go-ahead for counter-terrorist action, including orders to “shoot to kill without warning” in the event of further disturbances.
The move has irked the Green Party contingent—strongly pro-U.S./NATO and wary of Russia’s intentions—of Scholz’ coalition (a so-called ‘traffic light coalition’).
Steinmeier (65), a member of the rightwing camp within the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has had a long, distinguished career. Before becoming president, he served twice as Angela Merkel’s foreign minister. Her predecessor, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, had picked him as his chief of staff.
While the risk of spread to humans is low, when it does break out, the impact can be lethal. As of October last year, the World Health Organization had confirmed 863 cases of H5N1 in people, 456 of whom died, around the world since 2003.
Critics in the U.S., Ukraine, and Poland warn that approval will increase Russia’s leverage over Europe, pit EU member states against each other, and deprive Ukraine of transit revenues, putting Ukraine in a less advantageous bargaining position.
