15 Most Recent Stories From Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP News Stories

Mon 21st Jul 2008:

US Senate vote against US visa HIV ban backs MEP campaign.

The US senate has voted in favour of ending the effective ban on travel to the US for HIV-positive persons. This decision enables US authorities to lift the restrictions although it is unclear whether action will be taken under the Bush or the next presidency.

Thu 17th Jul 2008:

Satellite operator must not block independent TV broadcast to placate China.

A protest letter has been sent from MEPs to European satellite operator Eutelsat, following their decision to suspend the broadcast of New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) in China.

Bronislaw Geremek.

Commenting on the tragic death of Bronislaw Geremek, Sarah Ludford said: "We have lost a dear and hugely distinguished friend, one who gave such a great contribution to his beloved Poland as well as to Europe. It can be said without fear of contradiction that as a co-founder of the Solidarity movement, he played an absolutely key role in securing not only the freedom of Poland from totalitarianism but also the fall of the Berlin Wall and the construction of today's 27-country European Union. We will miss not only his intellectual weight and wisdom, but also his humanity, warmth and sense of humour."

ICC 10 year birthday emphasises need for Darfur justice .

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is vital in achieving justice for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, when the national judicial authorities have refused to investigate or prosecute.

Wed 16th Jul 2008:

UK cave-in to China's ivory demands unwarranted .

The UK has accepted China's request at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to buy ivory from African governments gathered from culls and confiscated from poachers.

Registrar religious beliefs must not undermine gay partnership law .

In a move that arouses interest across the EU in the interpretation of EU anti-discrimination law, Islington Council has decided to appeal against a tribunal judgment that they discriminated against registrar Lillian Ladele by requiring her to officiate at gay civil partnerships despite her Christian beliefs.

Tue 15th Jul 2008:

MEPs back increased EU funding for Maddy child alert scheme .

Following last week's adoption of a European Parliament declaration demanding a EU-wide rapid alert system for missing children for which the McCanns campaigned, MEPs on the parliament's civil liberties committee have called for extra funding to be allocated to it.

MEPs reject criminalising 'public provocation' of terrorism.

In an echo of the controversial Westminster parliament debate 2 years ago in which Liberal Democrats and other advocates of free speech opposed making the 'glorification' of terrorism a criminal offence, Euro-MPs on the European Parliament's civil liberties committee have today rejected a proposal to criminalise throughout the EU the 'public provocation' of a terrorist act.

Thu 10th Jul 2008:

Euro-MPs bring Maddy-inspired EU alert scheme closer.

Members of the European Parliament have brought closer the realisation of an EU missing child alert system after they adopted a declaration which puts pressure on the European Commission and the 27 governments to deliver the scheme.

EU biometric visa system must be secure and reliable.

The European Parliament has today adopted a report concerning its requirements for the collection of biometric data from applicants for Schengen visas - digital photos and fingerprints - to make the EU Visa Information System operational.

Wed 9th Jul 2008:

Fingerprinting Roma echoes Nazi persecution .

Ahead of a vote by MEPs on a resolution condemning plans by the Italian government to count and fingerprint all Roma gypsies including children, UK Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP said:

European Parliament ends misleading air fares .

Air travellers will soon be able to see at a glance exactly what they have to pay for their tickets, as the European Parliament approved new EU rules. Air fares as displayed will have to include all taxes, fees and charges such as booking fees and fuel surcharges added to the basic ticket price.

EU environment chief promises vigilance on Heathrow air pollution .

After meeting EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas along with leaders of the '2M' group of local authorities whose objective is to stop air pollution from Heathrow expansion affecting the local people, London Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford said:

Fri 4th Jul 2008:

An important week for equality in London in Europe - Sarah's column in Lib Dem News.

This week is an important one for equality and nondiscrimination at home and throughout the EU.

Thu 3rd Jul 2008:

US racial profiling is a slippery slope.

The US justice department is set to allow the FBI to single out Muslims, Arabs and other minority ethnic groups as potential terrorist suspects. Agents would be able to open preliminary terrorism investigations after mining public records and intelligence to build a profile of traits that, taken together, were deemed suspicious. Race could be one factor, as could travel to regions of the world known for terrorist activity.

Earlier Stories

Complete archive on the official site.

Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP News Stories, provided by Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/.

(c) 2008 Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP