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In lets-all-take-a-step-backwards news, the European Unions highest court ruled this week that employers in Europe can legally ban hijabs at the office.

On Tuesday, a court in Luxembourg ruled it was legal to bar women from wearing hijabsas long as the company has a policy that bans all religious garb. While technically the ruling applies to symbols across religions and political bents, it comes in the midst of a European election season during which feelings toward Islamism have been under the microscope and conservative politicians have been gaining popularity, reports The Guardian .

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Though not official, the ruling feels especially tailored to Muslim women. The decision comes as the result of two separate lawsuitsboth by Muslim women. In the first, a Belgian woman was fired from a security company where shed worked for three years when she started wearing a hijiab. The company said shed broken unwritten rules on religious symbols at work, according to The Guardian . In the second suit, a Muslim woman in France was fired from a tech firm after a customer claimed his employees were embarrassed" by the hijab she wore during a presentation. In this case, the court ruled in her favor, stating customers cannot ask an employee to remove a head scarf unless the company has a policy against them already in place. Last summer, French municipalities sparked outrage when Muslim women were prohibited from wearing swimwear that covers the body and the head, better known as the burkini.

Considering the current social climate around hijabsespecially in the global arenas of fashion and sports this seems like a major step backward. This year, Somali-American Halima Aden made history as the first Muslim model to walk in fashion week wearing a hijab, hitting runways from new-school Yeezy to old-school Alberta Ferretti (and before that she made history as the first contestant to wear a burkini in a beauty pageant). In the world of sports, Nike made major news earlier this month by announcing plans to release a sports-friendly hijab , leveling the playing field for Muslim athletes.

With the EUs ruling in the mix, it looks like two steps forward and one step back when it comes to fighting hijab-based discrimination.

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The European Union Just Ruled Employers Can Legally Ban Hijabs at Work - Allure Magazine

Charlotte Observer

Bank of America eyeing new European Union base after Brexit Charlotte Observer Bank of America views Dublin as its default destination for a new hub inside the European Union if Brexit means Britain loses easy access to the single market, according to one of the firm's top executives in Germany. The Charlotte bank will likely ... and more »

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Bank of America eyeing new European Union base after Brexit - Charlotte Observer

The European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy have today adopted a Joint Communication proposing a forward- looking EU strategy for Syria. As called for by President Juncker in his State of the Union speech in September 2016, the Communication defines how the European Union can play a stronger role in contributing to a lasting political solution in Syria under the existing UN-agreed framework. It also looks at how the EU can continue its assistance to over 13 million people in need in Syria, help build resilience and stability in the country, and support post-agreement reconstruction and the voluntary, dignified and safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons once a credible political transition is underway.

The High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said: "The Joint Communication adopted today strengthens not only our current engagement and support for a political solution to the war as the only way we can bring peace back to Syria, but also what the European Union could do in a post-agreement context in which reconstruction can start. And there is much the European Union is ready to do, together with the United Nations and the rest of the international community. The Syrians want peace, they deserve it, as they want and deserve to finally have the possibility to shape the future of their country. We are at their side to support the future of Syria."

As outlined in the Joint Communication, the European Union's engagement in Syria goes beyond the current state of play. It is defined by a longer term perspective in support of the EU's strategic goals on Syria. The Syrian people deserve a united, democratic, diverse, inclusive and territorially integral country. A stable, strong and secure Syria will be rebuilt provided that a political settlement in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communiqu is reached.

The Joint Communication comes at a crucial moment for Syria, as we mark the 6th year of the conflict and with the resumption of the UN-led talks in Geneva, supported by a ceasefire mechanism established as a result of the Astana talks. The Communication reiterates the European Union's direct support for the UN process, notably through ongoing political dialogue with regional actors under the EU regional initiative on the future of Syria and ongoing work to strengthen both the Syrian political opposition and civil society organisations.

The European Union will continue to be the first and leading donor in the international response to one of the worst humanitarian crises since World War II. Since the outbreak of the conflict, the EU has mobilised over 9.4 billion, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and resilience support to the Syrian people and neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees.

The Joint Communication presents the current political, security and humanitarian context in Syria and the state of play of the EU's assistance in response to the Syria crisis. It contains an assesment of the risks and threats posed by the continuation of the war to the EU's core interests, regional and global stability, as well as the definition of a set of clear objectives for the EU's policy for Syria, which include:

As a next step, the Communication proposes clear lines of action to implement these objectives, in close coordination with regional partners and international organisations, and to continue the diplomatic work and post-agreement planning in order to ensure that international support is ready, coordinated and can be delivered effectively when the appropriate moment comes.

High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini will present the Joint Communication to EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council on 3 April; it will also be presented to the European Parliament. The Communication will also serve as an important input for the Brussels Conference "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region on 5 April 2017 that the EU will co-chair with the UN, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and the United Kingdom.

Background

The European Union's last strategy on Syria was adopted in March 2015 as part of the EU Regional Strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the ISIL/Da'esh threat. The Joint Communication represents the review of the Syria-related aspects of the Regional Strategy that was last reviewed and updated by the Council in May 2016.

In his 2016 State of the Union address, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "I call today for a European Strategy for Syria. So that Europe can help rebuild a peaceful Syrian nation and a pluralistic, tolerant civil society in Syria."

For more information

Joint Communication to the European Parliament and the Council: Elements for an EU Strategy for Syria

Factsheet: The EU and the crisis in Syria

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Towards an even stronger EU role for Syria, reinforcing EU efforts to build peace - EU News

(Business in Cameroon) - The city of Maroua hosted on 9 March 2017 the official launch of the Livestock Productivity Improvement Support Project (PAPE) in the Far North region of Cameroon.

With a duration of three years and costing a total of 890,000 Euros, the project is supported by the European Union to the tune of 800,000 Euros (over FCfa 500 million). PAPE comes as a response to the numerous problems faced by the agricultural and livestock systems in northern Cameroon. It is meant to strengthen the capacity of the players in the sector to improve the productivity in livestock activity, boost availability, access and the smooth and inclusive management of livestock resources and infrastructure. PAPA will moreover facilitate the rehabilitation of livestock markets and promote governance in the livestock trading system.

Through this support, the EU expresses the importance it attributes to the development of rural areas in general, and in particular, to the recovery of the economy in the Far North, a region which, these past years, has been experiencing a slowdown in the agricultural and livestock activities, declared the Chief-Ambassador of the European Union delegation in Cameroon, Franoise Collet.

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The European Union supports agricultural and livestock activities in the Far North region of Cameroon - Business in Cameroon

Ankara [Turkey]: A group representing Rohingya in Europe has called on the European Union to support a United Nation (UN)-led investigation into "Myanmar's Crimes against Rohingya."

The European Rohingya Council (ERC) said in a statement it was "deeply shocked and extremely concerned" about the EU's decision not to support the UN investigation, reports the Anadolu News Agency.

It was reported earlier last month that the EU decided not to back up the international investigation sought by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein.

The fresh wave of violence and subsequent reprisals against the civilian population began last year mid October after insurgents, believed to be mostly from the Rohingya minority, attacked Myanmar border posts on October 9, killing nine police officers there.

"The EU's backing up of the military formed Commission of Inquiry to investigate the very crimes the military has been committing is completely shocking. This irresponsible stand of the EU will be a green light for the Myanmar armed forces to further commit atrocities against Rohingya," the ERC said in its statement.

"We strongly urge the EU to reverse its decision, and to support the U.N. led the international investigation of the crimes against Rohingya perpetrated by Myanmar armed forces in Northern Arakan," the statement added.

It said that Myanmar does not allow international media into the affected area in Rakhine State and will not cooperate with a UN probe into the killings, rape and mass arrests of Rohingya is proof of the government's humanitarian crimes.

The statment suggested that "only an independent UN-led international investigation of Myanmar's abuse against Rohingya can reveal the crimes against Rohingya," that could help end "Myanmar's state-sponsored institutionalized persecution of Rohingya community."

Excerpt from:
Rohingya group urges European Union support for probe into 'Myanmar's Crimes against Rohingya' - Zee News