Hans-Dietrich Genscher, former German foreign minister, dead at 89
Genscher’s office announced that the former foreign minister, who served from 1974 to 1992, died on March 31. Genscher entered parliament in 1965, and in 1974, he won the Free Democratic Party chairmanship, becoming foreign minister. Genscher’s 18-year tenure as chief diplomat is a record across Europe. He took office when Europe was divided between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, was instrumental in the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and negotiated Germany’s reunification in 1990. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said Genscher became “a symbol of hope” in a split Germany and that “it is in part a tribute to his work that today we are a European Union of 28 member states. For more information, visit yahoo.com/news.
Kenyan parliament votes to bring breastfeeding areas in offices
Kenya’s parliament approved a bill that will require that companies designate breastfeeding areas for employees with children and allot time for women to breastfeed. Member of Parliament Rachel Nyamai, who proposed the bill, said the bill will help women work and also improve children’s health. A BBC correspondent said that breastfeeding in public places is commonplace in Kenya, adding that the goal is for companies to provide conducive working environments for mothers who work. One company, mobile network Safaricom, already provides breastfeeding facilities, and the director of human resources said they have improved their output. Parliament previously rejected the bill after businesses threatened to lay women off. The president must approve the bill before it can become law. For more information, visit bbc.com.
French president abandons plan to strip terrorists of French nationality
In response to the November 2015 Paris attacks, French President Francois Hollande proposed a plan to change the country’s constitution to strip those convicted of terrorism of their French nationality. The president has now dropped the plan, saying, “A compromise appears out of reach,” after the two houses of parliament failed to agree on constitutional reform. The president’s plan faced opposition and resulted in Justice Minister Christiane Taubira’s resignation in February. The plan would have allowed the government to strip dual nationals of their French nationality if convicted of terrorism, but it would have had no effect on French nationals, since international law prohibits countries from revoking nationality when it makes the citizen stateless. For more information, visit bbc.com.
Austria imposes new restrictions on asylum eligibility
New restrictions that will go into effect in mid-May will make it easier for the Austrian government to reject asylum-seekers. The government will only accept refugees who face threats to their safety in a neighboring transit countries — countries that migrants cross on their way to their destination country — and those who already have relatives in Austria. The new rules will require migrants to request asylum at the border at registration centers, where they may be held for up to five days while their applications are processed. Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said illegal migrants caught within the country will be taken to the border, while those whom the country rejects will be sent to the country they crossed to reach Austria. Last year, Austria received one of the highest volumes of refugees in the European Union, but Mikl-Leitner said the country was no longer “obliged” to accept every request because of the “threat to public order and national security.” For more information, visit yahoo.com/news.
Colombia offers peace talks with ELN
The Colombian government has entered peace negotiations with the second-largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN, to end what is called the last major armed conflict in the West. The president’s chief negotiator and ELN commander Antonio Garcia met in Caracas, Venezuela, and announced the decision to set up public peace talks in a joint statement. If successful, the ELN, along with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the largest rebel group, will achieve peace with the government after 50 years of armed conflict that began in the 1960s. President Juan Manuel Santos said, “If we achieve peace, it will be the end of the guerrillas in Colombia, and therefore, in Latin America.” For more information, visit yahoo.news/com.
