Search Result in All

On Wednesday December 17 2008 activists staged a Shoe In demonstration in front of the White House. The rally was in solidarity with Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al Zaidi. WASHINGTON, Dec 17: About 100 people gathered outside the White House on Wednesday to protest for the release of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush over the weekend. Muntazer al-Zaidi, who works for the Al Baghdadia Television, has been in custody since disrupting President Bush’s weekend press conference with the size-10 projectiles. If convicted, Mr Zaidi may be jailed for up to seven years. The protesters brought a giant head of President Bush, threw shoes at it and covered it with shoes before ending their protest. They also brought bags of shoes representing Iraqis and US soldiers who have died since the Bush Administration’s “illegal invasion” of Iraq. The peace activists urged the Iraqi government to release Mr Zaidi without charges and have set up a fund to support him and his family. At the White House, Press Secretary Dana Perino said the president had “no hard feelings” about the Iraqi journalist who flung shoes at him. Asked if Mr Zaidi should be forgiven, Ms Perino said Mr Bush trusted Iraq’s legal system to decide an appropriate punishment for the assault. The protesters outside the White House also displayed names of thousands of Iraqis killed in the war. The display contained their names, ages, places where they were killed and how they were killed. “These are real people,” said Gael Murphy, one of the cofounders of the Code Pink which along with three of the groups had participated in the protest. “They were killed because of the US invasion.”Later, representatives for Code Pink, Women for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Veterans for Peace told a news conference that they had come to White House to remind the Bush administration and the American people that “Mr Bush is directly responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis and 4,200 US troops”. They noted that the war also displaced more than five million Iraqis. “Bush is the real criminal, not al-Zaidi,” said one of them. “Al-Zaidi speaks for millions of people across the world.” “Arrest Bush, not Zaidi,” chanted the protesters as they marched outside the White House. “Bush is a war criminal,” shouted the protesters as they spanked a giant picture of the US president with shoes. The speakers who addressed the news conference noted that Mr Zaidi had become something of a folk-hero in the Arab world, and his shoe-throwing had become a symbol of dissatisfaction with ‘Bush’s bungled war in Iraq’

Europe\\\'s leaders arrived in Brussels in an effort to tackle tax evasion and inappropriate tax avoidance. The subject matter had been agreed for weeks but the meeting was all the more timely as it coincided with a wider debate on the issue of tax evasion which has been raging all week. After the daylong meeting the President of the European Council said concrete measures had been agreed and he said the measures have clear deadlines. There is a plan to force financial institutions to share information that could more easily lead to the detection of tax fraud. The European Commission President, however, was clearly less impressed with what had been agreed with respect to this particular matter. Jerome Hughes, Press TV, Brussels

The current spell of miserable weather in the European Union\'s de facto Capital, Brussels, reflects the mood of many EU citizens who have fallen victim to the economic crisis. As the OECD cut its growth forecasts for the Eurozone and urged the European Central Bank to do more, the European Commission was setting out specific economic recommendations for member states. France, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Poland and Portugal are being given more time to implement painful economic cuts and raise taxes. The Commission, though, has warned the countries to use their extra time wisely or face possible sanctions for not complying. Jerome Hughes, Press TV, Brussels

Here at one of Europe\'s most respected economic think tanks, Bruegel, researchers and analysts are continuing to crunch the latest unemployment figures which show a record number of people out of work in the eurozone. According to the EU\'s statistical office, Eurostat, within the 17 countries that use the euro, an additional 95,000 people joined the dole queues in April. According to the latest figures there are now 19.4 million unemployed adults in the eurozone. That is 12.2% of the labor force. 3.6 million adults under the age of 25 are without job. In Greece and Spain youth unemployment is running at 60%. And 40% of young adults are without work in Italy. France, Europe\'s second largest economy, is also experiencing record unemployment. Jerome Hughes, Press TV, Brussels

Dealing in cash only is the traditional method used by tax dodgers to avoid paying the state a portion of their incomes. Now, though the digital era has taken centre stage and money can be shifted electronically right around the globe using any number of accounts. The European Commission says forcing institutions to become more transparent is the key to curtailing the problem. The Commission says it is vital that governments around the world co-operate with the EU on this issue. We asked ordinary EU citizens about their views on these latest measures which are designed to curtail illegal tax evasion within the union estimated to be worth one trillion euro annually. Jerome Hughes, Press TV, Brussels

Environmental experts are warning of severe changes in the climate. They say the world\'s energy systems need reform to make way for low-carbon emissions. Experts say extreme weather conditions will occur unless such measures are taken. A conference in Brussels is now discussing how governments are dealing with this threat. PressTV\'s Jerome Hughes reports from Brussels.

The annual European Union Budget is worth hundreds of billions of euro and now those in charge of administering it are admitting that huge amounts of taxpayers\' cash are being siphoned off by fraudsters. Member states are failing to adequately deal with the fraud problem so the EU Commission says it is setting up a European Public Prosecutor\'s Office which apparently will take a zero tolerance approach. The Commission estimates that €500m is lost each year through crimes against the EU Budget. At present only 42% of suspected cases are prosecuted. The Commission says the new prosecutor\'s office will pursue approximately 2,500 new cases each year. The office will commence work on the 1st of January 2015. Jerome Hughes, Press TV, Brussels

[14th July 2016] Proposals to overhaul failed EU refugee system | Press TV English

[8th September 2016] 5,000 Daesh terrorists currently in EU | Press TV English