International

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg needs urgent support if it is to make inroads into colossal waiting lists. Hundreds of thousands of Europeans are currently awaiting rulings from the continent's highest court, with waiting periods reaching up to eight years. SP Senator Tiny Kox wants to see the Council of Europe make it an absolute priority that every European who appeals to the ECHR can expect effective justice.

At Wednesday's session of the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, MEPs voted by a majority of 370 to 262 to reject the use of 'meat glue'. Meat glue is the name given to the enzyme trombine, used by the meat industry in the processing of offcuts into such products as hamburgers or sausages. The glue is also used to hold meat offcuts together in a way which enables the final product to be sold as a new piece of meat. SP Euro-MP Kartika Liotard sees this as deception. "Anyone who attempts to sell a steak under the description 'bound meat pieces' is being deliberately misleading. Nobody is likely to understand this label, and in a restaurant the meat doesn't carry a label, and you're never going to be able to monitor the catering industry on this point. Food health inspectors have got better things to do."