Europe	
	    
    
		Belarus: Russian influence
			  	On 7th September Maria Kolesnikova, a Belarus opposition leader was forced into a van by masked men. She was next seen on 9th September at the Ukraine border where she prevented officials from…			  
			  
			  
		  Montenegro: ruling party could lose power after 30 years
			  	Montenegro’s election campaign was dominated by divisions over the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church. There have been months of protests since a law was adopted in December allowing the state to seize religious assets…			  
			  
			  
		  Germany: far-right protesters storm parliament building
			  	Germany’s lockdown measures and Covid-19 restrictions provoked a protest march by around 38,000 people. Hundreds of demonstrators breached a security barrier and raced up the steps outside Berlin's parliament building. They were dispersed…			  
			  
			  
		  Belarus protests: Mass rally keeps pressure on Lukashenko
			  	Tens of thousands have again taken to the streets in Belarus, facing off against riot police to protest against President Alexander Lukashenko. A huge police presence cordoned off areas such as Independence Square…			  
			  
			  
		  Belarus: election protests update
			  	Two senior figures in Belarus's protest movement were given ten-day jail terms at the notorious Okrestino detention centre for organising demonstrations. Olga Kovalkova and Sergei Dylevsky are high-profile members of the National Coordination…			  
			  
			  
		  Germany scraps plans for Brexit talks
			  	The German government, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU council, had intended to discuss Brexit during a meeting of EU ambassadors on 2 September, but has now decided to drop the…			  
			  
			  
		  Belarus: winds of change?
			  	Belarus is known as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’. After being elected on an anti-corruption platform President Lukashenko ruled for 26 years, betraying his mandate and the trust of his people. When citizens cast their…			  
			  
			  
		  Migrant boy found dead on Calais beach
			  	Two teenagers unsuccessfully tried to cross the Channel in a three-foot dinghy using shovels as oars. They wanted to cross by themselves, bypassing people smugglers who charge high prices. One was a 16-year-old…			  
			  
			  
		  Russia: persecution of missionaries
			  	Individuals of almost every religious affiliation continue to face prosecution under Russia’s ‘anti-missionary legislation’ for exercising their right to freedom of religion and belief. Despite a 2018 constitutional court decision which offered some…			  
			  
			  
		  Russia: vaccine approved for use
			  	Vladimir Putin said a vaccine for Covid-19 has been given regulatory approval after less than two months’ testing on humans. It has passed all the required checks, and he added that his daughter…			  
			  
			  
		  
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    
				    