EU Refugee Crises: EU needs a lasting solution to the refugee crisis- by Gianni Pittella

In the summer of 2015, images of the hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving on Europe’s shores dominated the front pages of European newspapers.

Journalists from every major publication were themselves migrating daily to new flashpoints, border fences or makeshift camps – chasing the latest scoop or story. Alongside this blanket media coverage came political urgency.

Heads of state and government met on an almost monthly basis to discuss the issue. However, as soon as the stories began disappearing from the front pages so did the political will to do something.

Despite the receding media coverage, the issue has not gone way.

While the numbers arriving in Greece have declined since the middle of 2015, the numbers arriving across the Mediterranean to Italy have increased markedly in the last two to three years.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants that have been rescued by the Italian navy and are now waiting in reception centres or being housed by local authorities, many of which are stretched to their limits.

Despite warnings from the Italian government, most EU member state continue to ignore the situation.

The newly elected president in France, Emmanuel Macron, has refused to open French ports to migrants and, in Austria, the foreign minister and defence minister even threatened to send the army to the Italian border to stop migrants crossing.

We are reaching another tipping point. Earlier this month we called for an extraordinary European Council summit to discuss migration before the summer break. National governments replied that this could wait till the autumn. This is simply not acceptable.

The most frustrating issue is that it does not need to be this way.

We are a continent of 500 million people and one of the richest regions of the planet – the arrival of a few hundred thousand refugees and migrants is manageable if we organize ourselves effectively.

Read more: EU needs a lasting solution to the refugee crisis

Contaminated eggs: Belgium claims Dutch allowed sales of bad eggs for more than eight months - R,Hackwill

The Dutch Contaminated Egg Scandal

The scandal over insecticide-contaminated eggs that were discovered in the Netherlands last week and withdrawn from sale is taking on a European dimension, after the Belgians claimed the Dutch authorities knew about the problem late last year, but did nothing to prevent their export or inform the rest of the EU.

The scandal over insecticide-contaminated eggs that were discovered in the Netherlands last week and withdrawn from sale is taking on a European dimension, after the Belgians claimed the Dutch authorities knew about the problem late last year, but did nothing to prevent their export or inform the rest of the EU.

“Member states have the primary responsibility for conducting investigations and taking the appropriate measures. The European Commission has taken and will continue to take all available measures to assist them in their task,” said Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario.

Eggs are eggs, and can be tracked down and binned, but it is unclear how many have found their way into other things, like pasta or baked goods. Each country will have to perform its own enquiry.

Note Almere-Digest: Basically the Dutch Government attitude to the problem is: "you would have to eat a lot of eggs before it could harm you" - like saying poison is only bad for you if you take a lot of it. 

Poison is poison and none of it should be in the food chain, period.  

Read more: Belgium claims Dutch allowed sales of contaminated eggs for more than eight months | Euronews

Tax Systems - money is not determinating factor: The happiest countries in the world also pay a lot in taxes

The US Tax System needs an overhaul

The happiest countries in the world in 2017 are prosperous Western-style liberal democracies.

Their populations are, in many cases, largely homogeneous. And they also have something else in common: They each pay a lot in taxes.

According to the United Nations' latest World Happiness Report, as covered by CBS News, the top 10 happiest countries are:
1. Norway
2. Denmark
3. Iceland
4. Switzerland
5. Finland
6. Netherlands
7. Canada
8. New Zealand
9. Australia
10. Sweden

Report co-author Jeffrey Sachs, who is also the director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, tells CBS that "happiness is a result of creating strong social foundations," and that if other nations prioritized "social trust" and "healthy lives," they could also find that their citizens become more content.

The top three happiest countries, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, are all among the highest taxed countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in terms of total tax revenue as a percentage of GDP. The widely enjoyed social benefits residents get in exchange for their taxes, such as universal health care, access to education and subsidized parental leave, could have something to do with the "strong social foundations" touted by Sachs.

Note EU-Digest: These countries are happy, mainly for all the services they are getting in exchange for paying high taxes. Specially in the area of healthcare and low pharmaceutical costs, obviously also by enjoying great infrastructural advantages and obviously modern public transportation systems. In America right-wing politicians (mainly Republicans) have figured out that by telling the taxpayers they pay the lowest taxes in the world, it will make  corrupt practices by them easier. Unfortunately over time this made the US taxpayer the big loser.

Read more: The happiest countries in the world also pay a lot in taxes

Israel: Plans to shut down Al Jazeera an attack on media freedom

In response to the announcement by Israel’s communications minister, Ayoub Kara, that the Israeli government has decided to close Al Jazeera’ s office in Jerusalem and take the channel off air,

Amnesty International’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director, Magdalena Mughrabi said:

“This is a brazen attack on media freedom in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The move sends a chilling message that the Israeli authorities will not tolerate critical coverage.

“By acting to suppress Al Jazeera the Israeli government joins a host of other countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, which have demanded the channel’s closure in the wake of the dispute between Gulf countries and Qatar.

“All journalists should be free to carry out their work without facing harassment or intimidation.

Instead of initiating a repressive clampdown on freedom of expression the Israeli authorities must halt any attempt to silence critical media.”

Read more: Israel: Plans to shut down Al Jazeera an attack on media freedom | Amnesty International

Islam: The Berlin mosque breaking Islamic taboos - by Damien McGuinness

With its red-brick spire and stained-glass windows, St Johannes looks like any other 19th-Century Protestant church.

Go around the back, however, head up a few flights of stairs and you come to a simple white room, with shoes neatly laid out at the entrance and patterned prayer rugs folded away in a corner. That is because this is a mosque.

The room is being rented from the parish, while the church remains active.

But the mosque is not unusual because of its location. Rather, because of the people who come here.

At Berlin's newest mosque, men and women pray together, women are allowed to lead Friday prayers, and gay, lesbian and transgender people are welcome.

"Our mosque is open for everybody," says mosque founder Seyran Ates, a German Turkish-born lawyer and women's rights activist.

"And we mean that really seriously: everybody, every lifestyle. We are not God. We don't decide who's a good or a bad Muslim. Anybody can come through this door - whether you are heterosexual or homosexual, we don't care, it's not our right to ask."

Read more: The Berlin mosque breaking Islamic taboos - BBC News

Soccer: Holland beat Denmark 4-2 to win Euro 2017 final – video highlights

Hosts Holland won Euro 2017 after coming from behind to beat Denmark 4-2 in the final on Sunday evening. Two goals from Vivianne Miedema and strikes from Lieke Martens and Sherida Spitse secured the victory and the first major trophy for the Dutch women’s side

Read and see video: Holland beat Denmark 4-2 to win Euro 2017 final – video highlights | Football | The Guardian

Alternative energy Supplies: Desert solar project could power 5 million EU homes - by Sam Morgan

A consortium of clean energy developers has applied for permission to build a gigantic solar power plant on the edge of the Sahara desert, which will be linked to Europe by a number of undersea cables and could power over 5 million homes.

TuNur’s planned project in Tunisia hopes to tap into the Sahara desert’s vast potential to provide solar power. Its request to the Tunisian energy ministry envisages a facility in the southwest of the country that will produce 4.5GW of power.

Chief Executive Kevin Sara claimed that an initial 250MW could be up and running, powering Europe via an interconnector with Malta, by 2020. It would mean an extra 1,000GWh of clean power a year being made available to the European grid.

Italy and Malta’s energy grids are already connected via a 95km link that came online in 2015.

Read more: Desert solar project could power 5 million EU homes