Greetings, friends and Romans, and welcome to a new edition of “How are things in Ukraine?” And yes, there might be a sentence containing the above words. But later.
If you’ve lost sight of what’s been going on in the Ukraine/Russia power struggle, I can’t blame you. Here’s a neat little FAQ on the subject of the Crimean referendum, which will take place on Sunday. Author Marina Lewycka has a few things to say, too, and it’s always nice to hear from someone who’s eloquent and actually knows the places everyone’s talking about.
This last week saw the 10th anniversary of the Madrid bombings that killed 191 people. Meanwhile, Norway has revealed plans for a memorial for those killed in Anders Breivik’s horrific killing spree of 2011.
In the UK, not even Labour wants to fully commit to the EU. A referendum is “unlikely,” should Labour win next year’s general election. Never say never, the golden rule for politicians.
Meanwhile, those who still believe in the EU want the next generation to be able to see its benefits, too. German chancellor Angela Merkel is advocating EU lessons in schools, and I can’t see anything wrong in that.
On a subject close to my own heart, there’s good news: EU immigrants are starting to take political action in Britain. The migrant vote hasn’t been much of a subject here, with few people likely to care about the EU Parliament elections in May.
In Spain, thousands have joined protest action against a change in abortion laws. It all sounds frighteningly familiar:
The new legislation would mean abortion will no longer be a right and, instead, limits terminations to victims of rape or to cases where two doctors recognise the woman’s mental or physical health is at risk.
What is this? Surely not the European spirit.
The rest of the week has been filled with bizarre things. Here are but a few examples:
The Globe Theatre is to perform Hamlet in North Korea. I can see how this will go down well.
Italy does not think Michelangelo’s David was pro-gun.
And my favourite: French chicken farmers threaten legal action over defamatory porn film. The headline is enough, really.
What did you make of all this? I’m confused now.