“The E.U. has helped. Latvians want to fit in,” said a Latvian gay rights activist who helped organize this year’s parade.The tug-of-war over gay rights has taken on special significance after a recent string of U.S. court decisions upholding gay marriage. Caitlyn Jenner’s very public transition from her old life as Bruce, meanwhile, has thrown a spotlight on transgender issues and acceptance.

This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic relations, with joint events and initiatives in education, research, youth and culture - both in China and in the EU. A central part of EU-China relations are personal contacts. That is why the EU-China high level people-to-people dialogue, launched in 2012, is so important. It brings people together, allowing us to discuss common challenges and to deepen mutual understanding and friendship, while fully respecting our differences.

Britain’s foreign aid budget must be used to “discourage mass migration”, the Defence Secretary has said. Michael Fallon said that foreign aid spending “should be used” to help prevent conflicts breaking out in African countries in order to prevent refugees fleeing to Europe. He said that it would stop the UK military having to “fish people out of the Mediterranean” when they try to escape from their home countries.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), armed with non-factual information and an anti-Russian agenda, might potentially add fuel to the fire and make the already unsteady relations between Europe and Russia even worse.

During a plenary session in Strasburg on Wednesday, MEPs came up with a tough resolution, calling the EU to re-consider its relations with Russia in the context of the Ukrainian crisis.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament adopted a resolution Monday to allocate funds to counter what it described as “aggressive Russian propaganda.” The resolution, passed by 53 votes to 10, with 3 abstentions, called on EU member-states to “refrain from doing bilateral deals with Russia and step up their own collective efforts to withstand it, whilst retaining a return to cooperation with Russia as a long-term goal.”

Both China and the EU have attempted to form strong relationships with African countries over recent years, but how do citizens within these countries view China and the EU as development partners? Floor Keuleers presents survey evidence from a number of different countries in Africa. She notes that while views of the EU are positive in most cases, there is no evidence that the EU is seen as a better development partner than China overall.

The Arab Summit, held recently at Sharm El-Sheikh, can be the beginning of a new phase in joint Arab action and the credibility of Arab countries if decisions are translated into reality.