Government activist seeks to improve French ghettos 2008-10-10 · Reuters There is no quick fix to the problems of France's suburban ghettos, but minister Amara says the government is finally on the right track. Faced with criticism for the lack of funding for her policies, she says every ministry now directs part of its funds at policies in the ghettos, totalling 4.3 billion euros in the proposed 2009 budget. She plans to build new transport links, improve schools and help unemployed youth find jobs.

Europe's population would decline without migrants 2008-09-24 · EU Observer The population of the EU is avoiding decline mainly thanks to immigration from other parts of the world, according to fresh figures from Eurostat. The EU's total population was up 0.48% last year, reaching 497.5 million inhabitants. But some 80% of this growth comes from immigration, as fertility rates amongst native-born Europeans are steadily declining.

EU: Italy faces criticism for decision to fingerprint Roma 2008-09-19 · IPS/GPN Many attendees of the EU's first Roma summit voiced their frustration with Italy's mandatory fingerprinting of Roma. They wore T-shirts saying "No Ethnic Profiling," and walked out when junior minister Roccella claimed fingerprinting is necessary for "effective integration measures". EU commissioner Barrot promised the summit he would be vigilant: "I will not tolerate any practice that is incompatible with European rights."

Revealed: UK’s first official sharia courts 2008-09-14 · The Times Five sharia courts in Britain have been given powers to rule on Muslim civil cases ranging from financial disputes to those involving domestic violence. Jewish Beth Din courts have operated under the same legal provision for over 100 years, but politicians expressed concerns about a "parallel legal system" based on sharia. Women, moreover, might be getting worse deals in the tribunal courts.

Public Service Broadcasting: Annual Report 2008 2008-04-10 · OFCOM This report aims to provide an evidence base for monitoring the delivery of public service broadcasting (PSB) in the UK. The designated PSB broadcasters are BBC, ITV1, GMTV, Channel 4, Five, S4C and Teletext. The report gives a factual account of broadcast hours, viewing figures and audience opinions, rather than a strategic review of the PSB landscape. Its purpose is to enable Ofcom and its stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the current position ...

Race Equality Scheme 2007 · BBC The BBC's Race Equality Scheme outlines a framework for how the BBC will develop, implement, monitor and review its work towards achieving equality for people from diverse ethnic and/or cultural backgounds. It includes an overview of the constitutional position of the BBC; a detailed explanation of the key elements which make up the scheme; action plans for the first year of the scheme for each of the public function and a list of the public ...

Gender Equality Scheme 2007 · BBC The BBC's Gender Equality Scheme outlines how the BBC will develop, implement, monitor and review its work towards achieving equality for women and men, including trans people. It explains how the BBC developed its scheme, including consultation; the BBC's approach to gender, including initiatives and activity outside of the scope of the GES; how the BBC has assessed the impact of its public functions on gender issues; how the BBC gathers and uses relevant information; ...

A possible future mechanism on freedom of expression and information and freedom of the media 2007-06 · Article 19 The Secretariat of the Council of Europe's Steering Committee on the Media and New Communication Services (CDMC) has drawn up a discussion paper regarding a possible future mechanism on freedom of expression and information and freedom of the media. This paper sets out the need for such a mechanism and poses a number of specific questions on the nature and tasks of the mechanism, its working methods, its relationship with existing monitoring mechanisms, and whether ...

Draft report on concentration and pluralism in the media in the European Union 2008-03-07 · European Parlament This report "on concentration and pluralism in the media in the European Union," drafted by Estonian Socialist Marianne Mikko for the Committee on Culture and Education, warns against the concentration of the media in the hands of a few companies because the media is vital to safeguarding democracy. The report calls for social and legal guarantees to journalists and editors.