http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP en-GB Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP 2008-08-21T02:59+01:00 United Kingdom http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001084/sarah_on_the_thames_supersewer.html In the 21st century, Londoners should not have to put up with a 'big stink' from raw untreated sewage pouring into the Thames on average once a week. This is not something Europe's top city should tolerate. 2008-08-01T13:41+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001083/libdem_mep_welcomes_sikh_kara_ruling.html Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman, London MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford, has welcomed today's High Court judgement that says Sikh schoolgirl Sarika Singh must be allowed to wear to school her kara (steel bangle), a symbol of the Sikh faith, and that to refuse her permission amounted to indirect race discrimination. Sarah said: 2008-07-29T17:00+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001082/sarah_takes_a_keen_interest_in_diabetes_with_a_family_member_who_has_the_disease.html A member of the European Parliament's working group on diabetes, Sarah recently met executives from pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, which is setting up a Diabetes Research institute in Paris. 2008-07-29T16:00+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001081/european_parliament_backs_young_peoples_voice__ludford.html Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford has given her support to a European Parliament declaration on taking young people into account in setting policies, which has now received enough signatures to be formally adopted by MEPs in the first plenary session in September. This means that the other EU bodies, the Commission and Council, will be expected to take action. 2008-07-28T12:28+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001080/last_londoner_in_guantanamo_must_get_fair_trial_or_freedom.html Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP joined the London Guantanamo Campaign outside Downing Street in a demonstration against the continuing illegal detention of London resident Binyam Mohamed, who is spending his 30th birthday in the US prison of Guantanamo Bay. 2008-07-25T14:00+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001079/situation_of_child_sex_tourism_in_cambodia_and_thailand_is_alarming_more_and_more_children_are_used_as_sex_slaves.html In the context of the ALDE campaign against child sex tourism, European Liberal and Democrats members Jules Maaten (VVD, Netherlands) and Baroness Sarah Ludford (Lib Dem, UK), who participated in a fact finding mission to Thailand and Cambodia, are deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation of child sex tourism in the region. Together with anti-child sex activist Somaly Mam, they urge western governments to fight sex tourism committed by their compatriots. 2008-07-24T17:00+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001078/us_senate_vote_against_us_visa_hiv_ban_backs_mep_campaign.html 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. 2008-07-21T17:00+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001077/satellite_operator_must_not_block_independent_tv_broadcast_to_placate_china.html 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. 2008-07-17T15:28+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001076/bronislaw_geremek.html 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." 2008-07-17T10:30+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001075/icc_10_year_birthday_emphasises_need_for_darfur_justice.html 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. 2008-07-17T09:30+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001074/uk_cavein_to_chinas_ivory_demands_unwarranted.html 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. 2008-07-16T16:51+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001073/registrar_religious_beliefs_must_not_undermine_gay_partnership_law.html 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. 2008-07-16T09:30+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001072/meps_back_increased_eu_funding_for_maddy_child_alert_scheme.html 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. 2008-07-15T16:22+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001071/meps_reject_criminalising_public_provocation_of_terrorism.html 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. 2008-07-15T11:50+01:00 http://www.sarahludford.libdems.org.uk/news/001070/euromps_bring_maddyinspired_eu_alert_scheme_closer.html 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. 2008-07-10T18:14+01:00