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On the eve of the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, independent news channel New Tang Dynasty (NTD) asks for its signal to be resumed in China, after it was interrupted on 16 June by the European satellite company
The Olympic games in Beijing kick off on the eighth day of the eight month of 2008. They are the symbol of a China which is moving, although it doesn’t know exactly where to. A glance at sporting traditions and human rights as the sports world descends on the far east
He stood on the barricades of Paris and Prague in 1968 and later produced the Charter 77 civic initiative. The man who once smoked cigarettes in prison with former president Václav Havel looks back over his sixty-six years, but also to Europe and the future
After a tropical cyclone on 4 May, Burma faces a major humanitarian crisis. The military junta in power will not succumb to international pressure to allow emergency assistance to enter the country. What can Europe do?
The Czech capital is banishing a young Brit’s project from the city centre after the first Speaker’s Corner in Europe outside of the UK became a hotspot for extremists
A huge victory for some, enormous disappointment for others. For the first ever time, the Olympic torch has been extinguished under mass pressure, as Europe makes itself heard
As the tension between the Tibetan monks versus Chinese control escalates, we hear a 25-year-old Swiss tourist's version of events after a week in the capital, Lhasa
The British citizen of Jamaican origin, has been a paraplegic ever since he was attacked by a band of neo-Nazis. In 2007, he made headline news in Germany and is still fighting to be able to decide the date of his death
162 protestors have came to a provisional deal with the government - but they haven't eaten for 50 days
The Strasbourg-based organisation defends human rights in Europe and needs to combat its dwindling visibility
On 17 February, the state declared independence from Serbia, amidst a split EU outlook. Kosovar, Serb and Russian youth sound out their reactions on the day
13 February. Big screens, daytrips to Canberra, and a historical ‘apology’ by the new Labor government, to the 13, 000 Indigenous children taken from their Aboriginal parents after British colonisation
May 1968 was a turning point in world history, but it was also a rupture for women's history. Feminists of yesterday and today tell us about their war
Spain, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland and Germany - spinning through Europe's uprisings during that infamous year of rebellion
The world’s highest railway was opened between Peking and Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, in July. It has not only opened the door to modernity, but has aroused new clashes between the Chinese government and the Tibetans
The London-born Canadian graphic novelist, 38, is relaxed and frank as he discusses being chosen as the only black cartoonist to portray Martin Luther King, a series which took him ten long years to complete
The facts speak for themselves in southern Europe, where 'disciplined' soldiers are forced to shut up and sign their contracts
Three years ago the Ahiska/ Meskhetian Turks resettlement programme began, from Russia to the USA. But what is in store for those who haven’t made it over the Atlantic?
The May 2007 creation of a French ministry of immigration and national identity led by Brice Hortefeux ponders paying immigrants to go back to where they came from. Multiculturalism – a European asset?
Her reports on dwarfism and the mass tide of immigrants to the Canaries are gracing German screens - the Catalan journalist gives a voice to those without
On February 27 the Saharauis celebrate independence day. International aid makes survival possible
Women’s rights are neglected in the Caucasus, as illustrated in Tblisi, Georgia's capital
In Cuba, the Castro administration is on the verge of ‘going to a better place’
The February 11 referendum on the decriminalisation of abortion has garnered mixed reactions
Stop debate on the protection of life 'from the beginning,' say the staunch Catholic right-wing, as they announce an amendment of article 38 in the Polish constitution
The German presidency of the EU judged the local elections on January 14 in Belarus ‘undemocratic’. The country’s opposition has already announced its intention of contesting Lukashenko
Florin Cioaba, 'Roma King,' wants to unify the fragmented ethnic gypsy tribes and represent them politically
In 2005, 60% of Europeans were against the death penalty. A month after Saddam Hussein's execution, opinion particularly divides Eastern Europe
We spoke to the Iranian graphic novelist, 37, in January, after she shot to fame with her black-and-white comic book ‘Persepolis’. It's currently hitting movie screens in its animated French version
Nikiforos Diamandouros has been Ombudsman since 2003. As Pöttering becomes president of the European parliament on January 16, the Greek mediator explains how it all works behind the scenes
In seeking greater loyalty from the Asian giant, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations, launches a new cooperation agreement in China this week. What do we Europeans know about the Chinese?
From secret CIA flights to the transfer of personal data - the European parliament can’t hide its limited influence as security watchdog
‘Dialogue of the deaf’ between Ankara and Brussels - Turkish political scientist, Baskin Oran shares his criticisms
As UNICEF publishes its annual 'Women and Childhood' report on December 12, we look at the ignorance surrounding child suffering
In its sixtieth anniversary year, UNICEF reports on the children of the dalit and adivasi, the most outcast amongst the pariahs of India
Hugo Chávez is favorite to win Venezuela's presidential elections on December 3 - prime assessment for a controversial and reformed democracy
Currently, one in five women in Europe is a victim of violence. Despite the lack of official statistics, the situation in the south mirrors that of the north
The verdict of Saddam Hussein’s first trial, for the slaughter of 148 chiites in Dujail in 1982, is expected to be announced on November 5
In Madrid, the leader of the French right wing party UMP declared the EU should decide on asylum issues
Thousands of Vietnamese are repressed in their home country and are forced to leave Asia and try their luck abroad. For those who choose Poland, the transition is sometimes tough
The planned terror attacks uncovered in London are putting the alert systems of every European country to the test. Find out how these work and which alert levels are currently in place.
In response to escalating violence and fear, Europe has equipped itself with a real arsenal to counter threats
Though support for Europe’s soft power grows in American liberal bastions, the military EU institutions still lack credibility in the US
The 12th Sarajevo Film Festival, which ended on August 26, featured a packed programme of challenging films, revealing the remarkable
renaissance of filmmaking in the Balkans.
Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to step up deportations of illegal immigrants to 25,000. A network of teachers fights to defend pupils and their families
As trade flourishes between the EU and Asia and regional integration accelerates, the Asian highway opens new routes to the East
Though Prostitution was legalised in October 2000, Dutch call-girls enjoy little social recognition
Following the adoption of resolution 1701, European countries are preparing a peacekeeping force for Lebanon. The European Jewish Congress explains to us why resolution 1701 brings hope but no tangible guarantees
Lidl supermarkets are a familiar sight in malls around Europe, popular among students and cash-strapped families. But according to the German services employees’ union, ver.di, Lidl supervisors repress their workers and enforce 45-hour work weeks.
For years we promised to accept the Balkan states’ bid to enter the EU. As politicians slow down the integration process, the region is further destabilised
8000km from home, the Congolese community in Paris remain as concerned as ever by the politics in their country – and unconvinced the elections that took place on the 30 July will change anything
The Congolese people voted for a president and parliament in the first democratic elections in the country for decades. In a country ravaged by conflict, the election process faced some tough challenges
Amid the clichés of contemporary media coverage, the paintings of Tshibumba Kanda Matulu offer an unparalleled opportunity to understand the hopes and fears underlying the history of the Congo
Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, a researcher at the Centre for African studies in Paris, speaks about corruption in subsaharan Africa and a state imported from Europe
As the former Zaïre prepares to have its first democratic elections in 45 years, Congolese-born comedian Dieudonné Kabongo talks about Africa and the disillusionment of young immigrants who try their luck in Europe
Though European governments have been quick to criticize the escalation of violence in the Middle-East, the EU still sells weapons to Israel and Lebanon. Europe needs to strengthen its arms trade Code of Conduct
Dispelling stereotypes of gypsy music being about old men singing in restaurants, today’s DJs are showing that it remains a vibrant and powerful form of music
A victory for human rights or for western hypocrisy?
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As the Beijing Olympics ended, Amnesty International today accused the Chinese authorities of prioritizing image over substance as it continued to persecute and punish activists and journalists during the Games. “The Beijing Olympics have been a spectacular sporting event but they took place against a backdrop of human rights violations ...