Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Education Grants

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Lucie Fuková, government commissioner for Roma minority affairs, speaks about the new call for project entitled PRO-ROMA, launched by the Operational Program Jan Amos Komenský (OP JAK), which has earmarked 300 mio Czech Crowns towards education projects.

Applicants from Roma and pro-Roma organizations will be able to draw funds to support informal education, cooperation with parents or the public.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Populism

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Erik Tomáš, the current Slovak Minister of Labour introduced new laws aimed at cutting benefits to unemployed and reducing the social contributions. He basically wants those who hate Roma to applaud him.

The numbers have remained fairly stable, and it is not just Roma who receive social contrinbutions…

Albania Europe News Eastern Europe North Macedonia

EU, Balkans, and Roma

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North Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani, in his role as co-chair of the Berlin Process, delivered the opening speech of the ministerial meeting dedicated to Roma integration hosted in Tirana, Albania. He said that “Roma are an integral part of our societies. Without any excuses, we must take concrete political and legal measures to increase their involvement in all social events. Integration with the EU is a common path and the Roma cannot be left aside. As countries aspiring to EU membership, we must demonstrate an effective regional concept of Roma integration, with visible progress in the areas of education, employment, health and housing for Roma.”

Belgium News Eastern Europe News Western Europe Slovakia

Slovakia and Belgium: Spot the Difference

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On Slovak TV, they are wondering why Slovak Roma in Belgium all work, whereas in Slovakia, this is not the case.

Well, it has to do with the prejudices of the employers …

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia: Work, or …

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“Everyone who can work should work.” The Minister of Labour Erik Tomáš (Voice) began Tuesday’s press conference with these words, which was aimed at reducing unemployment and specifically affects unemployed citizens abusing the system. Here, unanimously, read “Roma”.

“If an unemployed person rejects a job offer, the financial need benefit will be taken away or reduced,” he said, adding that this should work in the case of adequate offers that are appropriate to the abilities of the citizen in question. He added that it already works similarly in the case of works in the public interest.

Well, when you come from a Roma settlement, you will not get employed. So what else did they decide, very much like in Hungary, some local work for the communes (not paid to market prices). If it turns out like in Hungary, you get 19th century work with the very same results …

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Google Translate in Bulgaria

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Two articles about Google Translate introducing Romanes.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Amaro Fest

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On July 13 and 14, the eighth annual international Roma festival called Amaro Fest 2024 – open air gipsy festival – will be held in the Nitra amphitheater in Central Slovakia. As the organizers from the civic association Roma Art Agency stated, the goal of the event is to promote and develop Roma culture. The role of the festival is also to support Roma identity and contribute to the social and cultural inclusion of Roma.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Karvina Festival

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The Roma festival was recently held in Karviná. Temperamental rhythmic music sounded in the summer cinema area all Saturday afternoon and evening. Various ensembles from the Czech Republic and Slovakia alternated on stage, creating a great atmosphere for all visitors.

Europe News Americas News Asia News Eastern Europe News Middle East News Switzerland News Western Europe

Google Translate Romanes

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Nice to see that google translate allows for translations in Romanes. It definitively has a bias towards Vlach Romanes, which is not the most common Romanes, but this is a good start! The choices of words on World, to think, and a few others show this bias, but on the other hand, they still use the old Romanes for “life”, which is not Vlach.

Wonder how this was compiled…

News Americas News Asia News Eastern Europe News Western Europe

Google and Romanes

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Romanes is finally in Google Translate: The biggest language expansion in history! Google added 110 new languages.

France News Western Europe

French Chronicle …

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Well, when there is other news, such as the French elections, Roma vanish from the media. Except in some rightist paper such as the notorious Breizh info.

Besides the title about wasting money on Roma, France has spent a huge amount of money not integrating around 20’000 Roma over the last 20 years. Integration would have been by now much cheaper.

Germany News Western Europe

Sachsenhausen Camp

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The district court in Hanau, Hesse, has refused to open a trial against a 99-year-old alleged former guard at the Sachsenhausen Nazi concentration camp for health reasons.

Too bad.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Tomáš Kačo

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An interview with the Romano pianist and composer Tomáš Kačo. He is now well established in many countries of the world after his studies at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston. After fulfilling his dream – concerts in the Rudolfinum and Carnegie Hall – he has other goals ahead of him and he wants to be a role model for Roma.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany and Racism

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The current German ruling coalition proposed the creation of a commission on racism. The SPD parliamentary group and its chairman Raed Saleh in particular have been a strong advocate for the project. “The Enquete Commission will be tasked with drawing up recommendations on how to strengthen social cohesion and counter anti-Semitism, racism, Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination.”

Racism against Sinti and Roma will also be included.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Slovakia, Covid-19 and Roma

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Some Roma communities in Slovakia were placed in absolute isolation during the Covid 19 pandemic, which nowadays thought to have been an overly restrictive measure which possibly violated the basic human rights of the inhabitants of the affected Roma communities.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia: Scholarships

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Roma students of secondary and higher professional schools as well as university students can apply for a scholarship from the ROMEA organization for the school and academic year 2024/2025 from Monday 17 June to Monday 22 July. The scholarship program of the ROMEA organization was launched in 2016, and since then a total of 605 scholarships worth 10.025 million crowns have been distributed to 301 students. ROMEA will support 20 more students this year than last year. A total of one hundred Roma students will be able to receive a scholarship.

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe News Switzerland

Bulgaria, Roma, Beggars, and Switzerland

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Due to the presence of s few Roma beggars from Bulgaria in Bern, members of the police in charge of foreigners went to Burgas, Bulgaria, together with journalists from the Tages-Anzeiger.

They do report on the poverty, precarity, and dreadful living conditions, but also speak (rather lest someone speak) about Roma chiefs, who, when owed money that is not repaid, “forces” people to work, “for example as a beggar” in Switzerland. They also say that begging is an important source of income.

Not when the average income of a beggar is less than 20 francs. There are other means that are way more lucrative.

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