http://sarahludford.org.uk/newsarchive.php Recent News Stories from Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP en-GB Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP http://sarahludford.org.uk/ Prater Raines Ltd http://www.praterraines.co.uk/ (c) 2008 Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP 2008-07-05T01:13+01:00 United Kingdom http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001064/an_important_week_for_equality_in_london_in_europe__sarahs_column_in_lib_dem_news.html This week is an important one for equality and nondiscrimination at home and throughout the EU. 2008-07-04T10:06+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001063/us_racial_profiling_is_a_slippery_slope.html The US justice department is set to allow the FBI to single out Muslims, Arabs and other minority ethnic groups as potential terrorist suspects. Agents would be able to open preliminary terrorism investigations after mining public records and intelligence to build a profile of traits that, taken together, were deemed suspicious. Race could be one factor, as could travel to regions of the world known for terrorist activity. 2008-07-03T17:09+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001062/sarah_ludford_on_the_release_of_ingrid_betancourt.html Commenting on the rescue of Columbian politician and dual Colombian-French citizen Ingrid Betancourt along with other FARC hostages, the Liberal Democrats' European justice & human rights spokeswoman, London MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP commented: 2008-07-03T14:14+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001061/europe_unveils_plans_for_cross_border_health_care.html The European Commission has today unveiled a proposal for an EU directive on cross border health care. The proposal would facilitate and regulate a practice already undertaken by many UK citizens, of going abroad for treatment. 2008-07-02T16:38+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001060/european_liberal_democrats_denounce_european_big_brother.html During yesterday's seminar "Freedom and security in the integrated management of the European Union's borders" with national MPs, European Liberal Democrats (ALDE) urged the European Commission to come up with a coherent masterplan to protect European citizens against terrorism and illegal immigration. According to ALDE the current plans are lacking coherence and are limiting civil liberties in a disproportionate way. 2008-07-01T14:41+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001059/sarah_has_sent_this_letter_to_the_financial_times_in_response_to_this_article_httpwwwftcomcmss0c21ff1fe470711dd876a0000779fd2achtmlnclick_check1.html The Editor, 2008-07-01T12:54+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001058/sarah_ludford_joined_in_israels_60th_anniversary_celebrations.html Sarah Ludford joined in the Trafalgar Square celebrations on Sunday June 29th of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel and is photographed here enjoying the festivities with the Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor and the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks. 2008-07-01T10:46+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001057/government_desperate_to_please_bush_at_expense_of_dispossessed_chagossians.html The present Labour government is going to the House of Lords today to seek to overturn an Appeal Court ruling which said the Chagos islanders, turfed off their land 40 years ago by a previous Labour government in order to give Diego Garcia to the US as a military base, have a right to return. There have been 3 court decisions in total in favour of the Chagossians' right to go home. They and their descendants live mainly in Mauritius though some are in the UK and elsewhere, and often in very difficult conditions of poverty and unemployment. 2008-06-30T14:29+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001056/time_to_say_no_to_child_sex_tourism.html Every year thousands of European tourists travel to countries in Southeast Asia, South America and Africa with the specific intent of having sex with children. The chance that offenders get caught is almost zero. 2008-06-26T19:55+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001055/european_commission_should_pursue_uk_over_data_protection_failures.html After a meeting in Brussels with deputy Information Commissioner David Smith from the UK privacy watchdog, London MEP and Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford is urging the European Commission to take a firm stand over the UK government's continuing failure, despite some legislative changes, to ensure adequate protection of personal data, in breach of EU law. 2008-06-26T17:46+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001054/us_court_boost_for_guantanamo_prisoners_rights.html With today June 26th being UN International Day against Torture, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP, Liberal Democrat European justice and human rights spokeswoman is renewing calls for the global elimination of state-sanctioned torture, including by the US. She said: 2008-06-26T13:57+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001053/eu_missing_child_alert_could_prevent_future_maddy_tragedies.html London MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat European spokeswoman on justice and human rights, has written to colleagues in the European Parliament urging them to support a call for an EU-wide alert procedure for missing children promoted by the Madeleine McCann case. 2008-06-26T13:23+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001052/prizewinning_abu_ghraib_film_wakeup_call_for_un_antitorture_day.html Marking the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP will help present a special screening in Brussels on June 24th of a prizewinning film on the abuses at Abu Ghraib. 2008-06-24T15:50+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001051/eu_equal_treatment_law_offers_protection_for_elderly.html Coinciding with World Elder Abuse Day, the European Commission has confirmed that it intends to accept demands by MEPs and make a proposal soon for a far reaching anti-discrimination directive. 2008-06-24T15:47+01:00 http://sarahludford.org.uk/news/001050/europe_protects_pedestrians_and_cyclists_from_bull_bars.html Members of the European Parliament have backed new stronger EU rules governing 'bull bars', known formally as frontal protection systems. These are part of a set of tougher standards on the safety of cars and vans, in order to reduce the shocking figures of 8,000 pedestrians and cyclists killed every year on Europe's roads and 300,000 injured. 2008-06-24T10:28+01:00