Magda Fahsi

Magda Fahsi is a Mint Press Europe correspondent and investigative reporter based in Brussels, Belgium, specializing in human rights. She is also a cross-cultural coach lecturing about intercultural management at the Vatel International Business School, and holds a postgraduate degree in Human Rights and a Ph.D. in International Relations and Diplomacy. She has published articles on a variety of topics including European affairs, the Arab world, human rights and migration and diversity issues. You can visit her website, www.magdafahsi.eu.

European Parliament Uneasy About Turkey’s EU Bid, Citing Corruption And Internal Strife

In a resolution passed last week, the European Parliament was mostly critical of Turkey’s handling of unrest and other domestic issues.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi

Brussels-- In June 2013, Berkin Elvan, a 14-year-old Turkish boy, was out buying bread for his family when he got caught in the crosshairs of unrest in the streets of Istanbul. In the chaos, he was hit in the head by a tear gas canister that had most likely been fired by police at close range. After 269 days in a coma, Elvan died on March 11. His

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Interview: Writer Kristof Clerix Talks About Europe’s Hotbed For Spies, Brussels

In 2006, Clerix wrote a book on the activities of foreign secret services in Belgium. Last September, he published his second book, “Spionage. Doelwit: Brussel”– a narrative account of nine tales of espionage in the heart of Europe during the 1970s and 80s.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi
NATO

BRUSSELS --- Since the relocation of the NATO headquarters to Brussels in 1967 and the expansion of the European Union’s institutions, the Belgian capital has become a hot spot for spy activity. MintPress News spoke with Kristof Clerix, a Belgian journalist who specializes in reporting on security topics such as secret services, espionage

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Violence Against Women Widespread In Europe, New Survey Found

Among other shocking statistics, a new survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), found that over one third of European women have fallen victim physical or sexual violence by the age of 15.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi
International Women's Day

BRUSSELS --- Since the age of 15, 33 percent of women in the EU have experienced physical or sexual violence. Forty-three percent have experienced some form of psychological abuse by either a current or a previous partner, such as public humiliation, being locked up or forbidden from leaving the house, and threats of violence. Five percent have

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Turkey: The EU’s New Border Police

By signing a deal with the EU that may put migrants and asylum seekers at risk, Turkey got something it’s wanted for years: visa-free travel to the EU.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi
(AP Photo)

BRUSSELS --- Last week, the European Parliament endorsed a “readmission” deal between the European Union and Turkey, the main objective of which is to establish procedures allowing both parties to return foreign nationals who have irregularly entered or illegally reside in their territories. In practice, this means that Turkey will be required to

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Bosnians Rise Up In Worst Unrest Since Civil War

Citizens are rising up in cities across Bosnia-Herzegovina, demanding more out of their democracy, especially accountability among officials and improved standards of living.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi
Bosnia protest

BRUSSELS --- Thousands of people have taken to the streets in several cities of Bosnia-Herzegovina to protest the country’s political and economic stagnation. Amid what is said to be the worst civil unrest since the end of the civil war in 1995, they are demanding the resignation of the government. The protests began spontaneously in the northern

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Interview: New EU Reform Measures Fall Short, Danish Researcher Says

Though the European Union has lauded its own efforts to avoid another disastrous banking fall out, one Danish researcher says these efforts simply aren’t enough.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi
EU Parliament

BRUSSELS -- In 2008, a major financial crisis rocked the world. In the European Union, this event sparked a political discussion on a series of measures designed to prevent the dire consequences of such crises in the future, including big bank bailouts. Meanwhile, five years have passed and the EU has adopted new financial rules under the

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Europeans Say ‘No Thanks’ To American Chlorinated Chicken And Hormone Beef

Europeans consumers may get what they are so keenly trying to avoid: chlorinated chicken, beef with hormones and GMOs.

Magda Fahsi
By Magda Fahsi
A Pilgrim's Pride contract chicken farm full of three-week-old chicks just outside the city limits of Pittsburg, Texas, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

BRUSSELS ---When French President François Hollande went to the United States earlier this month in the first state visit by a French president since 1996, he called for a speedy agreement on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). “We have everything to gain from going quickly. Otherwise we know there would be a pileup of

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