Romania’s government is coming under fire from rights groups and members of the European Parliament for backing a referendum this weekend on whether to put a constitutional block on same-sex marriage. Romanian law does not recognise same-sex couples, but ultra-conservative groups fear the constitution’s current definition of marriage as a union between “spouses” could allow homosexuals to wed in the future. Source The Irish Times
Taiwan said on Monday its armed forces have the right to self-defence and counterattack amid “harassment and threats”, in an apparent warning to China, which last week sent numerous jets across the mid-line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait. Source Reuters
People have begun arriving at a military barracks in Kent which is being used to house migrants.
The first of up to 400 asylum seekers were seen at Napier Barracks in Folkestone on Monday evening.
The arrivals are understood to be migrants who crossed the Channel aboard small boats.
The Home Office is using the space as “contingency accommodation”, but Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins said the arrangement needed clarifying. Source BBC
Madrid’s regional government chief requested the army’s help on Monday in fighting the coronavirus surge in the Spanish capital where local authorities ordered a partial lockdown of some poorer districts, prompting protests. Source Reuters
