Europe

We broadcast from Madrid, Spain, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP25, began Monday and will continue through next week, as environmental leaders from around the world gather to negotiate global solutions to the climate crisis. Activists have converged on Madrid for the conference and are hosting… »

By Countercurrents Collective A countrywide union strike against pension reform has brought transportation across France to a standstill. Thousands of workers marched in what has been described as the largest protest of its kind since 1995. The protest dwarfed the weekly Yellow Vests demonstrations that have been happening every Saturday… »

Women and girls face relentless insecurity in Greece’s overcrowded Moria “hotspot” for asylum seekers and migrants on Lesbos island, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a video that shows the dire conditions. The Greek government should take immediate action to ensure safe, humane conditions for women and girls in line… »

By Karin Pettersson The news-media industry has long lamented how the digital revolution has broken its business models. Today, a majority of digital advertising money goes to Facebook and Google, and media companies are struggling to reinvent themselves through digital subscriptions. But the disruption hasn’t only affected… »

By Jan Oberg Political NATO’s London Summit on December 3 and 4, 2019 displays the deep political crisis of the 70-year-old alliance: Only a dinner and a short meeting, no statement to be issued, quarrels among the leading military members, accusations, substantial differences on Syria and many other issues,… »

Despite its enormous popularity, the East Side Gallery has been neglected, left to decay, and hacked into pieces, parts sold off and the rest declared a dead museum piece. This work of art and the symbol it represents for the non-violent overcoming of walls between people and the walls in… »

In Malta, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has announced he will resign in mid-January, amid the investigation into the murder of prominent investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in 2017. Joseph Muscat: “I will write to the President of the Labor Party so that the… »

By David Swanson The weaknesses of Ukrainegate are on display in a new book by Neal Katyal (“with Sam Koppelman”) making the case for Ukrainegate, but titled “Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump.” It’s not, of course, the case against Donald Trump. This is the case against Donald Trump: The man… »

The Conservative Party used to look after big, nationwide businesses. Now it serves a finance industry based in a few small areas of the capital. Frances Coppola for openDemocracy Last Friday, openDemocracy revealed that a secretive group of business leaders was bankrolling the Conservative Party to the… »

19-26 November  by  Antonio Gancedo Between 19 and 26 November we  closed the last stage of the journey. We arrived at Livorno and Bamboo heading to their base on the island of Elba. November 19, 385 miles to reach the final stage: Livorno November 19 – It ‘s… »