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New Administrative Capital, Egypt (EFE) – EU High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has denied that the EU’s reaction in support of Israel and its right to defend itself against Hamas has damaged the bloc’s image in the Arab world, but “quite the contrary.”
Borrell said this in a meeting with the Spanish media during the Egypt Peace Summit, which brought together 34 countries and international organisations to discuss the humanitarian, political and military crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Borrell stated that support for Israel’s right to defence was always accompanied by the consideration that it should be done within the margins of the law. “On the contrary, I think the Arab world very much appreciated that we said, and that I, in particular as (EU foreign policy) spokesman, said that Israel’s logical defensive reaction had to be in accordance with humanitarian law,” he said. (21 October)
Minister of Culture Vrečko to call on EU colleagues to sign Ljubljana Manifesto
Frankfurt (STA) – At the next meeting of the European ministers of culture, Slovenia will call on all EU ministers to sign the Ljubljana Manifesto on higher-level reading on behalf of their governments. Slovenian Minister of Culture Asta Vrečko made this announcement on Saturday at the Frankfurt Book Fair, where Slovenia was this year’s guest of honour.
“Public office holders, those at the very top, we need to be most aware of the importance of the word, the importance of information, of knowledge and also of public discourse, and so we feel it is right that the manifesto should also be supported at political level,” the minister said.. The Ljubljana Manifesto, which advocates the promotion of reading at a higher level as key to the development of analytical and critical thinking, was one of the three pillars of Slovenia’s programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Poetry and philosophy were the other two.The first to sign it was Canadian writer Margaret Atwood.
The Ljubljana Manifesto stresses that analytical and critical thinking is the key to maintaining a democratic society. Reading skills are threatened by the digital age, which emphasises entertainment and statements that provoke strong emotional reactions, often anger, but even more often hatred.
The manifesto was written by four individuals involved in reading research. They are the co-curator of the Slovenian presentation at the fair, publisher Miha Kovac, Anne Mangen from the University of Stavanger, Andre Schüller-Zwierlein from the University of Regensburg and Adriaan van der Weel from the University of Leiden. The manifesto is supported by various associations, including the World Association of Publishers, the European Publishers Association, the International Association for Young People’s Literature, the European Association of Reading Promotion Societies and the German Academy of Language and Literature (21 October).
The Sakharov Prize rewards Mahsa Amini and the women’s movement in Iran
Strasbourg (AFP) – On Thursday, the European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize, the EU’s highest distinction for human rights, to Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who died last year, and to the “Women, Life, Liberty” movement, which has been bloodily repressed by the authorities in Iran.
“September 16, 2022, is a date that will live in infamy, and the brutal murder of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini marked a turning point,” said Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Strasbourg.
“It has triggered a women-led movement that is making history,” Metsola stated. “The world has heard the chants of ‘Women, Life, Liberty’. Three words that have become a rallying cry for all those standing up for equality, for dignity and for freedom in Iran,” Metsola added.
The death of Mahsa Amini, aged 22, led to months of large-scale demonstrations in Iran, the repression of which resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests.
The “Women, Life, Liberty” uprising has continued in various forms and is emerging as one of the biggest challenges to the Iranian authorities since the 1979 revolution. (19 October 2023)
EU Commission sends questions on fake news to Meta and Tiktok
Brussels (dpa) – In view of the war in Israel, the European Commission is demanding more information from Facebook’s parent company Meta on how it fights fake news and hate speech. Tiktok must also provide details about false information.
The Commission sent an official request for information on Thursday under the EU’s new Digital Services Act. Meta and Tiktok must now explain within a specified period which measures they have taken, for example, to prevent terrorist or violent content on their platforms and to limit misinformation.
Depending on their answers, the Commission could decide to open formal proceedings and impose fines. Last week, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton had already sent a letter warning against too much manipulated content related to the war in Israel and upcoming elections in Europe.
Under the new EU law, platforms such as Facebook, X, Google and many others will have to take tougher action against illegal content such as hate and incitement online. Failure to do so could result in heavy fines. (19 October)
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