5 Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

[rpannier]

1. EU unveiled its new circular economy plan

What may sound like a rather dry headline is actually a new rather controversial new EU-strategy that would make some tech providers, such as Apple, very unhappy.

The action plan includes policies to make sure products have a longer shelf life, make information available to consumers on how repairable products are, as well as improving the treatment of waste (especially in electronics).

According to the plan, the EU plans to halve municipal waste by 2030 and offer consumers the "right to repair" for computers and smartphones.

The European Commission's idea to mandate a universal charger for mobile phones is likely to trigger resistance from Apple, f.ex.

https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/12/five-stories-you-may-have-missed-because-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic


2. Video Implicates Serbian Orthodox Priest As Graffiti Targets Montenegro

PODGORICA -- As public structures in Montenegro were being splashed with the red, blue, and white stripes of neighboring Serbia's flag earlier this year, there was little doubt about the vandals' motives.

Montenegro's government had just rushed a contentious new law on religions and faith through parliament in time for the Orthodox holidays, and the Serbian Orthodox Church that has mostly dominated religious life among Montenegrins for a century was furious.

snip

Montenegrin officials like President Milo Djukanovic, who regards the Serbian church and its leadership as deeply hostile to Montenegrin national interests, have rejected the criticism even as they stump publicly for a greater role for a mostly unrecognized Montenegrin Orthodox Church that arose in the 1990s.

snip

In the Serbian-language clip, which was shared and viewed more than 11,000 times on YouTube, a handheld video camera shows a Serbian Orthodox priest who tends to worshipers in Montenegro, Radomir Nikcevic.

https://www.rferl.org/a/video-implicates-serbian-orthodox-priest-as-graffiti-targets-montenegro/30484227.html


3. Former Chief Of Lukashenka's Security Pleads Guilty To Bribe-Taking

MINSK -- The former chief of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's security has pleaded guilty to bribe-taking along with more than a dozen others.

Andrey Utsyurin said on March 11, the second day of his trial, that although he was pleading guilty, he has "doubts" about whether his actions were what the court claimed and that he will talk about the subject at a later date.

Utsyurin and 15 other defendants, including former employees of state entities, financial institutions, and private businesses, went on trial on March 10.

Utsyurin was arrested in April last year. He is charged with accepting at least $190,000 in bribes and instigation of a bribe-giving during the handling of a state project on buying communications equipment, computers, and software.

https://www.rferl.org/a/former-chief-of-lukashenka-s-security-pleads-guilty-to-bribe-taking/30483616.html


4. Danube boat crash: Ukrainian captain on trial for deadly collision

The captain of a boat involved in a deadly collision on the River Danube has gone on trial in Hungary.
A Ukrainian man, named in court as Yuriy Chaplinsky, is charged with "endangerment" under the river code "resulting in numerous deaths".
Just seven of the 33 South Korean tourists on board the smaller tour boat survived the collision, while two Hungarian crew members also died. The bodies of 27 victims were later found during weeks of searching. One person remains missing.
Chaplinsky also faces 35 other charges, including failure to assist a person in danger. He denied responsibility for the collision.

https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/11/danube-boat-crash-ukrainian-captain-on-trial-for-deadly-collision


5. Feminist activists in France accuse riot police of attacking them

Feminist activists in France who have accused riot police of taunting and attacking them at a march for International Women’s Day have called for an independent inquiry into the violence.

Film footage showed French riot police storming what organisers insist was a peaceful demonstration, firing tear gas into the crowds, throwing marchers to the ground and dragging women down steps into the Paris underground by their hair or in a neck lock.

Videos of the police action at the end of the march on the eve of International Women’s Day spread quickly on social media, causing widespread outrage.

The Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, declared it “unacceptable and incomprehensible violence”. Julien Bayou, the national secretary of the Europe Ecology/Green party said the police violence was “absolutely unjustifiable”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/13/feminist-activists-in-france-accuse-riot-police-of-attacking-them

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. "circular"? What is the meaning in the context of an economic plan?

[2naSalit]

2. Sounds like

they want people to recycle? I wonder if it's the interpretation that's making it unclear.

[malaise]

3. K & R

Thanks

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Thanks so much for these gems.