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Central Europe
Diplomatic tensions between Israel and Poland over Holocaust properties
Israel recalled its ambassador to Poland on Sunday, August 15th. The reason for this is the approval by Polish President Andrzej Duda of legislation limiting the ability of Jews to recover property seized by Nazis in Poland during World War II. According to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Israel's decision…
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Northern Europe
Swedish priest may lose right to abstain from consecration gay marriage
In the new General Assembly of the Church of Sweden, there will be more debate about the priests' right to abstain from marrying people of the same sex. That's the expectation of the Swedish daily Dagen. Suppose individual priests in the Swedish church are convinced that the traditional marriage of…
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Southern Europe
Cardinal Becciu attends first day in historic Vatican trial
Cardinal Becciu attended the first session of a major trial in the Vatican on Tuesday. He is defending himself against charges of financial crimes. The 73-year-old Giovanni Angelo Becciu, formerly a top figure in the Vatican Secretariat of State, is the most prominent figure among the accused. He and Monsignor…
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Western Europe
French parliament adopts controversial bill on vaccine rules
The French parliament approved a bill that makes vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory for healthcare workers. The bill ensures a further tightening of the corona measures in the country as well. From August onward, people must show a vaccination certificate via a so-called ‘corona pass' in catering establishments and if they…
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Central Europe
German preacher forced to depart congregation after conservative article
Rev. Marcus Piehl, a preacher in Nordstemmen, Germany, announced his forced departure on Thursday evening during a congregation meeting. The Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung reported this on Thurday, July 15th. The pastor of the St. Johanniskirche in Nordstemmen, near Hannover, came under fire after he criticized the theme of gender in…
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Western Europe
Mass hunger strike in Belgian church comes to an end
The hunger strike of rejected asylum seekers in Brussels is over. The migrants agree to the Belgian government’s offer to reconsider which of them might be eligible to stay. The migrants moved from the Beguinage Church in Brussels to a so-called “neutral zone”. In this zone, they can contact government…
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Central Europe
Switzerland reports increase in abortions
In 2020 there were 10,906 abortions in Switzerland, slightly more than in 2019. The most common reason was a physical problem with the mother or child. This is reported by the Swiss Federal Statistics Office (FSO). The most common reason was a physical problem with the mother or child. In…
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European Union
EU Court: Employers can prohibit religious symbols in workplace
Employers are allowed to prohibit their staff from wearing headscarves and other religious symbols, even if the practical consequence is that believers are treated unequally; the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday, July 15th. Employers must, however, be able to prove that their customers want this. For example, if…
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Central Europe
Hungarian government issues referendum on child protections
In a reaction to counter EU pressure, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has issued a referendum on child protection.In a Facebook video, the 58-year old Prime Minister said that “Brussels has attacked Hungary” over the recent child protection law, which bans “sexual propaganda” in schools and in the media.Brussels now…
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Eastern Europe
Civil unrest after anti-LGBT protests Georgia
Thousands of protesters and journalists have been protesting the current government of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who they blame for violence during the annual Pride march and the death of a journalist who covered it. The protesters demand that the government resign.The unrest started on July 5th, when a non-governmental…
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