European Union leaders reached an agreement early Tuesday on a $2.1 trillion budget and coronavirus relief package. The agreement includes $857 billion in coronavirus funding that will be issued as loans and grants to the hardest-hit countries. It came after negotiations stretched on for four days and nights, well beyond what was expected. A main sticking point was a divide between a group of five richer countries in the north, including the Netherlands and Austria, that advocated a cut in the original proposal of $572 billion in grants along with stricter spending controls, while others such as Spain and Italy sought to keep such restrictions to a minimum. European Union leaders during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, July 17, 2020.The final agreement included a compromise of $446 billion in grants. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the final deal “a good package that safeguards Dutch interests and that will make Europe stronger and more resilient.” European Council President Charles Michel celebrated the package as a success for all 27 member countries and “the right deal for Europe right now.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “We have laid the financial foundations for the EU for the next seven years and came up with a response to this arguably biggest crisis of the European Union.” The European Parliament must still give its approval to the agreement. EU nations have experienced 135,000 deaths from COVID-19, with Italy, France and Spain having among the highest death tolls in the world. The lockdown orders instituted by many governments to stop the spread of the virus have hurt the EU economy, with economists forecasting an 8.3% contraction this year.
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Month: July 2020
Гопники миротворцы: байки из склепа от обиженного карлика пукина
Гопники миротворцы: байки из склепа от обиженного карлика пукина
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Большая атака Турции в Ливии и конфликт Армении с Азербайджаном а также вскрытие частот РЛС путляндии
Большая атака Турции в Ливии и конфликт Армении с Азербайджаном а также вскрытие частот РЛС путляндии.
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Новые самолёты для ВВС Украины, гиперзвуковая ракета Японии, удар дрона по штабе путляндии, корабли НАТО в Чёрном море, иранские ПВО
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Забытое пророчество Линарта Мери
Забытое пророчество Линарта Мери.
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Этот мудрый и, безусловно, талантливый человек смог рассмотреть проблемы, которые встанут в полный рост уже после его смерти
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Новые протесты в Хабаровске. Паника в путляндии
Новые протесты в Хабаровске. Паника в путляндии.
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Хабаровск – просто красавцы, уже больше недели они наглядно демонстрируют, что именно народ является властью в стране по Конституции и что не смотря на все попытки усмирить протест, людей вышло еще больше, чем ранее. Горжусь каждым гражданином, который отстаивает свои права и требует справедливости, а не относится ко всему происходящему с пониманием
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Протесты в банде «лнр»: обиженный карлик пукин меняет верхушку боевиков?
Протесты в банде «лнр»: обиженный карлик пукин меняет верхушку боевиков?
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Бунт в оккупации. Луганск сегодня. Что происходит под контролем группировок «лугандонии»? Один из жополизов пукина лёня пасечник может потерять власть. Украина испытывает новый боевой вертолет. Украинская армия на передовых позициях на Донбассе. Что думают военные о новых разработках для Вооруженных сил Украины? Ночной Донецк. Как отдыхает молодежь, несмотря на комендантский час?
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Global Markets Surge in Reaction on New Hopes of Post-Pandemic Recovery
A deal on a massive economic rescue package reached by leaders of the European Union and reports of more promising coronavirus vaccines fueled a surge in global markets Tuesday. In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei index ended the day’s trading session up 0.7%. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong earned 2.3%, and Shanghai’s Composite index is up 0.2%. The S&P/ASX index in Sydney earned 2.5%. Seoul’s KOSPI index finished 1.3% higher, and the TSEC index in Taiwan gained 1.8%. Mumbai’s Sensex is up 1.3% in late afternoon trading. Over in Europe, London’s FTSE index is up 0.7%, the CAC-40 in Paris is 1.2% higher, and Frankfurt’s DAX index has gained 1.9%. Oil markets are also rising Tuesday. U.S. crude oil is trading at $41.85 per barrel, up 2.5%, and Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, is up $44.45 per barrel, up 2.7%. And in futures trading, the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are all trending positively, indicating a strong start for Wall Street at the opening bell Tuesday.
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Former Sudanese President al-Bashir to Go on Trial Tuesday for 1989 Coup
Former longtime Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is due to go on trial Tuesday in Khartoum for his role in the military coup which initially brought him to power three decades ago. The former head of state, who was ousted from power last year following nationwide anti-government protests, is already serving a two-year prison term for corruption. The 76-year-old al-Bashir and 16 others have been implicated in the 1989 military takeover of the government. The trial comes as Sudan’s transitional government launches reforms, with the goal of regaining acceptance among the international community. Sudan has also promised to hand over al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court to face trial on war crimes and genocide charges related to the 2003 Darfur conflict, when rebels began an insurrection to protest the Sudanese government’s disregard for the non-Arab people in the western region. At least 300,000 people died during the conflict and millions of others were displaced.
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Trump Admin Clashes with Portland Authorities Over Deployment of Federal Law Enforcement
Congressional Democrats condemned the Trump administration Monday, calling for an immediate investigation into the use of federal law enforcement officers to arrest peaceful protesters in the northwestern U.S. city of Portland, Oregon, last week. But President Donald Trump defended the practice, saying some U.S. cities have lost control of protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody in late May. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more.
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Biden to Detail Economic Recovery Plan for Working Families
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is set to unveil Tuesday a series of economic proposals focusing on working families as he campaigns with just more than 100 days remaining before voters decide between him and President Donald Trump. Biden’s campaign said he “will outline how his plan will build a robust 21st century caregiving and education workforce” as part of his “Build Back Better” plan for the U.S. economy. Recent polls indicate Biden leading Trump, including a Reuters/Ipsos poll of registered voters conducted last week that put Biden 10 percentage points ahead. The Democratic candidate has detailed several other parts of his economic recovery plan while criticizing Trump’s coronavirus response and his handling of the economy. Trump has countered by positioning himself as the candidate best capable of boosting the economy, calling Biden “totally ill-equipped.”President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, July 20, 2020, in Washington.Earlier this month, Biden proposed a $700 billion manufacturing plan that he said would add 5 million new jobs to help cope with the spike in unemployment during the pandemic. Biden said his plan includes $300 billion for research and development projects in clean energy, telecommunications, artificial intelligence and other fields. It also includes $400 billion for the government purchase of U.S-built goods, such as environmentally clean products and construction materials. Last week, Biden proposed spending $2 trillion to fight climate change and cut carbon emissions from power plants to zero by 2035. The Biden campaign has said another piece of the plan to be revealed in a future speech involves efforts to advance racial equity in the aftermath of national protests against police brutality.
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Hong Kong Security Law Prompting International Organizations To Consider Relocating
The controversial national security law imposed by China on Hong Kong has brought deep concern among its robust civil society and non-governmental organizations who use the territory as regional hub, prompting some to relocate their staff while others fear over their fate under the new legislation. After Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997, the “one country two systems” formula allowed its freewheeling civil society, including many international and domestic NGOs, to continue operating. But the national security law passed on July 1, dubbed the “second handover,” is causing jitters in the non-profit sector. Many nonprofit groups say they are worried about being implicated by the law, which aims to “prevent, suppress and impose punishment” for secession, subversion, terrorism and “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” The authorities have emphasized the need for a sweeping law to stamp out Hong Kong’s yearlong anti-government protests, which have often turned violent. On Monday, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai insisted that the law will make Hong Kong’s business environment “more stable and secure.” Chinese officials have said the law was intended to act as a “deterrent” and hang over potential troublemakers “like the sword of Damocles.” The law appears to have achieved its aim to intimidate. At least one international NGO has moved all its workers out of Hong Kong while others are planning to shift some of their operations abroad. Some NGO workers have resigned while others have moved abroad or sought to relocate. Those who have decided to stay in Hong Kong, for now, say they must tread a fine line when doing their work to avoid falling afoul of the law, which has broad and vague definitions of security crimes. All of those who spoke to the VOA declined to be identified for fears of retribution from the authorities. “It’s a really difficult time for many NGOs,” a veteran human rights worker said. “We don’t know how this law will be implemented and to what extent they will use it. Everyone is really nervous.” NGO workers say clauses in the law, particularly those that criminalize “conspiring” with or receiving instructions, funding or support from foreign countries or organizations, make them particularly vulnerable. Groups that have advocated democratization or have criticized the dictatorial nature of the Chinese Communist Party also run the risk of being found guilty of “altering by unlawful means the legal status” of the regime, or “inciting hatred” towards the Chinese or Hong Kong governments, as stated in the law.Pro-democracy lawmakers raise white papers to protest during a meeting to discuss the new national security law at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, July 7, 2020.An international NGO worker said Hong Kong used to be a place that was convenient to work on projects in China while keeping in touch with the international community, but these advantages are no longer viable under the new law. “There are no such freedoms anymore. The authorities’ hostility is very apparent, and they could arrest people any time under this broad and vague law,” she said. “When we’re under these threats and limitations, it is very difficult to work.” She added that the fate of the two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, detained in China in December 2018 and now charged for espionage, could easily befall on foreign nationals or people working for international NGOs in Hong Kong. A board member of a small human rights group said most of its staff have resigned and the group must completely restructure its work and move some projects outside Hong Kong.
“Our staff are worried, we really understand,” he said, adding that his group will need to give up some of its overseas funding due to the law’s restrictions on foreign “collusion.”
“There’s so much about this sweeping law which is in the unknown and we can easily be accused of collusion with foreign powers (for our international advocacy),” he said.
Groups that have projects in mainland China have already experienced severe restrictions under its national security law to the extent they can no longer operate there.
The head of a small Hong Kong organization said her group has ceased operation in China for a few years, after the implementation of the national security law in 2015 and the overseas NGO law in 2017. Now she feels the draconian measures and comprehensive government control over society have been extended to Hong Kong.
“The National Security Law is only the first step,” she said, stressing that China’s all-round suppression of civil society will eventually end many NGOs operating in Hong Kong.
She said her group will try to continue working in Hong Kong for as long as possible, but they will have to work under extremely tight limitations to avoid falling afoul of the law.
“They’re implementing this law to intimidate organizations and hope they’d all close down without the authorities having to take actions,” she said. “When civil society has shrunken sufficiently, it would be less costly for them to deal with them.”
“Their aim is to bring them under control,” she said.
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EU Leaders Reach Budget, Coronavirus Relief Deal
European Union leaders reached an agreement early Tuesday on a $2.1 trillion budget and coronavirus relief package. The deal came after negotiations stretched on for four days and nights, well beyond what was expected, with various factions of member countries divided over the exact structure of the funding and whether it should include restrictions such as spending controls.European Union leaders during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, July 17, 2020.European Council President Charles Michel announced the finalization of the talks with a one-word tweet: “Deal!” EU nations have experienced 135,000 deaths from COVID-19, with Italy, France and Spain having among the highest death tolls in the world. The lockdown orders instituted by many governments to stop the spread of the virus have hurt the EU economy, with economists forecasting an 8.3% contraction this year.
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Trump Handling of COVID-19 Outbreak ‘Inept,’ Biden Says
President Donald Trump has “turned his back on the problem,” Joe Biden said, adding that the United States is “plainly a nation in crisis” because of the coronavirus pandemic. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee called Trump’s handling of the outbreak “inept” as he called on Congress to make sure people have the support they need to “keep their heads above water.” Lawmakers returned to Washington Monday to negotiate with the Trump administration over the scope of a new funding package to counter the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the United States.Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro greets supporters during a ceremony of lowering the national flag for the night, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, July 18, 2020.Citizenship Minister Onyx Lorenzoni said his symptoms are mild and he credited the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, along with two other medications, for making him feel better. Brazil’s newly appointed education minister, Milton Ribeiro, like Lorenzoni, announced his diagnosis and quarantine measures on social media. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has also come down with COVID-19, and, along with Trump, has touted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment, despite medical experts’ warnings that is ineffective and has possibly deadly side effects. Bolsonaro is also in quarantine. He appeared in a video Sunday, standing in front of a group of supporters who cheered as he held a box of hydroxychloroquine over his head. Brazil, with 2.1 million cases and 80,000 deaths, trails only the U.S. in both coronavirus counts. Spain said its number of COVID-19 cases has risen threefold over the past three weeks, since it started easing restrictions and mandatory lockdowns. “Where measures have been relaxed is where these clusters appear,” Health Minister Salvador Illa said Monday. “We’re talking about gatherings of extended family and spaces associated with nightlife.” The Catalan regional government is urging people to stay at home again, and bars and restaurants are ordered to limit the number of customers. The Israeli parliament voted Monday to let the domestic intelligence agency track the cellphones of COVID-19 carriers for the rest of 2020. Privacy advocates said this endangers civil liberties. But Israel reported 1,500 new cases Monday with health officials fearing a second wave since schools and businesses were reopened in May. The top U.S. infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Washington Nationals host the New York Yankees Thursday to open the coronavirus pandemic-shortened Major League Baseball season. The usual 162-game season has been reduced to 60 games and no fans will be allowed at the ballparks, at least for meantime. “Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career, so it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season and defend our World Series Championship title,” the Nationals said in a statement released Monday.
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US Adds 11 Companies to Economic Blacklist Over China’s Treatment of Uighurs
The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday added 11 Chinese companies implicated in what it called human rights violations in connection with China’s treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang to the U.S. economic blacklist. The department said the companies were involved in using forced labor by Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups. They include numerous textile companies and two firms the government said were conducting genetic analyses used to further the repression of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. Blacklisted firms cannot buy components from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval. It was the third group of companies and institutions in China added to the U.S. blacklist, after two rounds in which the Trump administration cited 37 entities it said were involved in China’s repression in Xinjiang in Western China. “Beijing actively promotes the reprehensible practice of forced labor and abusive DNA collection and analysis schemes to repress its citizens,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement. The Chinese Embassy in Washington declined to comment. China disagreesIn May the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized U.S. entity list additions, arguing the United States “overstretched the concept of national security, abused export control measures, violated the basic norms governing international relations, interfered in China’s internal affairs.” The companies added to the blacklist include Nanchang O-Film Tech, a supplier for Apple’s iPhone, which hosted Apple chief executive Tim Cook in December 2017, according to O-Film’s website. It is also a supplier to Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft, according to an April congressional letter. The U.S. companies did not immediately comment. The list includes two subsidiaries of Beijing Genomics Institute, a genomics company with ties to the Chinese government, Senator Marco Rubio said. He said the additions will “ensure that U.S. technology does not aid the Chinese Communist Party’s crimes against humanity and egregious human rights abuses against Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, including the forced collection of DNA.” Clothing companies involvedAlso added are KTK Group Co, which produces more than 2,000 products used to build high-speed trains, from electronics to seats; and Tanyuan Technology Co, which assembles high thermal conductive graphite reinforced aluminum composites. Another company is Changji Esquel Textile Co, which Esquel Group launched in 2009. Esquel Group produces clothing for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss. In a letter to Ross on Monday, Esquel Chief Executive John Chen asked that its unit be removed from the list. “Esquel does not use forced labor, and we never will use forced labor. We absolutely and categorically oppose forced labor,” Chen wrote. Efforts to reach other companies in China for comment were unsuccessful outside of normal business hours. Also on the blacklist is Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. On May 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it was halting imports of the company’s hair products, citing evidence of forced labor. On July 1, CBP seized in Newark a shipment of almost 13 tons of hair products worth more than $800,000 with human hair that it said originated in Xinjiang. Commerce previously added 20 Chinese public security bureaus and companies including video surveillance firm Hikvision, as well as leaders in facial recognition technology SenseTime Group Ltd and Megvii Technology in connection with China’s treatment of Muslim minorities.
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African Wildlife Traffickers Face Long Prison Sentences
A court in Malawi on Monday sentenced nine members of a gang of wildlife traffickers to a total of more than 56 years in prison for dealing in endangered species body parts in Africa. The Lin-Zhang gang — named for the husband and wife leaders — was one of the continent’s most notorious wildlife trafficking syndicates and had been operating out of Malawi for 10 years, said conservation groups.“Fighting crime on this scale demands sophistication, collaboration, courage and tenacity,” said Mary Rice, head of the FILE – A white-bellied pangolin which was rescued from local animal traffickers is seen at the Uganda Wildlife Authority office in Kampala, Uganda, April 9, 2020.The gang members were convicted of trafficking in rhinoceros horn, ivory, hippopotamus teeth, and the keratin scales from armadillo-type mammals called pangolins, one of the most trafficked mammals in Asia and, increasingly, Africa, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy, and pangolin scales are used in traditional medicine and folk remedies. On Monday, Yunhua Lin’s wife, Quinhua Zhang, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Two other Chinese nationals were handed seven-year jail sentences for hoarding rhino horn, and four years for firearms possession. The sentences are to be served consecutively. Others sentenced Monday received a total of 18 months to five years. Malawi’s head of national parks and wildlife, Brighton Kumchedwa, called the prosecution of the Lin-Zhang gang a victory for Malawi and all wildlife. “It is critical that wildlife criminals can expect to feel the full weight of the law, and the message needs to be loud and clear: Malawi is no longer a playground for the likes of the Lin-Zhang syndicate that exploit our natural heritage, damage our economy, incite corruption and pose a risk to national security.”
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Top Democrats Sound Alarm About Election Interference
A key group of lawmakers is warning that the U.S. Congress may be the target of a campaign by foreign actors to interfere in the upcoming presidential election. The warning from Democratic members of the so-called Gang of Eight, which includes the Speaker of the House, the Senate Minority Leader and the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, comes in a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, demanding a briefing for all lawmakers by the end of the month. “We are gravely concerned, in particular, that Congress appears to be the target of a concerted foreign interference campaign, which seeks to launder and amplify disinformation in order to influence congressional activity, public debate, and the presidential election in November,” the lawmakers wrote in the July 13 letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray. The letter shares few other details but cites “the seriousness and specificity of these threats,” as a reason for the urgent, classified briefing. The FBI told VOA it received the letter but declined further comment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which announced in May that it would lead “all intelligence-based threat briefings to candidates, campaigns and political organizations,” also declined to comment on the concerns. NEW: @ODNIgov acting Dir @RichardGrenell announcing changes to way election-related threat information is shared w/candidates/campaigns/political organizations
“The US Intelligence Community (IC) will lead all intelligence-based threat briefings” per statement pic.twitter.com/i9WZj0Jvjp
— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) May 15, 2020But a spokesperson noted that officials have continued to brief lawmakers on election security threats. It remains unclear whether key Republican leaders in Congress supported the call for an urgent counterintelligence briefing. VOA requests to the top Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate intelligence committees went unanswered. Fears about efforts by U.S. adversaries, including Russia and China, trying to meddle in the U.S. presidential election in November are not new. In a statement ahead of key primary elections this past March, multiple government agencies, including the FBI, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and ODNI warned that voters must “remain aware that foreign actors continue to try to influence public sentiment and shape voter perceptions.” JUST IN: #SuperTuesday2020 statement from @StateDept@DeptofDefense@DHSgov@CISAgov@ODNIgov@NSAGov@FBI
Voters must “remain aware that foreign actors continue to try to influence public sentiment and shape voter perceptions” pic.twitter.com/uOsAXFLiiA
— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) March 2, 2020More recently, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, said he was warned about Russian and Chinese efforts. “We know from before — and I guarantee you I know now, because now I get briefings again — the Russians are still engaged in trying to delegitimize our electoral process,” he told supporters during an online fundraiser last week. “China and others are engaged, as well, in activities that are designed for us to lose confidence in the outcome,” Biden said. Other Democrats have also raised concerns. The ranking Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Finance committees sent a letter to their Republican counterparts last week asking for a briefing from the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and other relevant intelligence officials. The letter, which cited reporting by The Washington Post, expressed concerns about pro-Russian Ukrainian operatives and material they may have offered the two committees in connection with an investigation into Biden’s son, Hunter. Despite such concerns, U.S. officials have sought to assure Americans that the vote itself will be secure when they head to the polls in a little less than three and a half months. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — the 2020 election will be the most secure election in modern history,” Chris Krebs, director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said this last Friday. US Officials Promising ‘Most Secure Election in Modern History’The officials say while the November presidential election will not be risk free, defense and back-up systems should guarantee a free and fair resultHe added that there are no indications that Russia, China or anyone else is actively trying to interfere with U.S. election systems. “We’re not seeing that level of coordinated, determined cyberactivity,” Krebs said. Other top officials are promising that any interference from a potential cyberattack to a disinformation campaign will be met by a strong response. “We’re going to act,” General Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cybercommand, said during a webinar Monday. “We’re going to act when we see adversaries attempting to interfere in our elections,” he said. “Our No. 1 goal, our No. 1 objective at the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command — a safe, secure and legitimate 2020 election.” White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman contributed to this report.
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Fauci to Throw Out First Pitch at Nationals Opener as MLB Kicks Off Season
Top U.S. infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci will throw out the first pitch at Major League Baseball’s Opening Day game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees on Thursday. A diehard Nationals fan, Fauci will kick off an unusual MLB season that has been shortened to 60 games and will start without fans in attendance, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career, so it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season,” the reigning World Series champion Nationals said in a statement. Fauci, who sported the team’s logo on his face mask at a Senate committee hearing last month, has previously endorsed the idea of bringing professional sports back without fans and with rigorous testing in place. MLB is among a handful of prominent North American leagues that will soon return to action, with the WNBA set to kick off its season on Saturday, and the NBA and NHL resuming games next week.
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Polish Justice Minister: ‘Unacceptable’ for EU to Force Poland to Embrace Gay Marriage
Poland’s justice minister says it would be unacceptable for the European Union to force the conservative country to legalize gay marriage so it can get EU financial aid. “There is a real risk that we may find ourselves in a situation where the EC (European Commission) will effectively force us to introduce the so-called homosexual marriages with the right to adopt children,” Zbigniew Ziobro told a news conference Monday, Reuters reports. “We cannot agree to this under any circumstances.” Some EU leaders at the tough budget talks in Brussels have demanded member states adhere to so-called democratic values or payment would be blocked. Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice Party and President Andrzej Duda were reelected last week in part because of their pledges to ban gay couples from adopting children and forbidding schools from teaching about civil rights for homosexuals. Duda has called gay rights an “ideology” worse than communism. Polish gay rights activist Alicja Sienkiewicz says Duda is treating the LGBT community as the enemies of the state. “This is bizarre. If you want to get these (EU) funds, you should automatically accept how the EU expects them to be spent, because adhering to the rule of law means adhering to basic human rights, and it is about respecting them,” she said. Poland could lose billions of dollars in COVID-19 recovery money and other aid if it fails to live up to what the EU regards as democratic standards.
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Zimbabwe Police Detain Prominent Journalist, Protest Leader
Zimbabwe police on Monday swooped in and detained a prominent journalist and an opposition leader ahead of anti-government protests planned for the end of this month, their lawyers said. The journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono, has a huge following on Twitter, where he regularly posts about alleged government corruption. He has also been using his account to encourage Zimbabweans to speak out and act against corruption. “They are breaking into my home. Alert the world!” Chin’ono tweeted as police raided his home. His lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said he is detained at a police station in the capital, Harare, but is being denied access to lawyers. Zimbabwean writer and filmaker Tsitsi Dangarembwa demonstrates outside the house of Hopewell Chin’onos Harare, July 20, 2020.The arrest of Chin’ono, a Harvard University Nieman Fellow, drew sharp criticism in Zimbabwe and abroad. “Political intimidation of the press has no place in democracies,” tweeted the U.S. embassy in Harare, which in the past has been accused by the ruling party of “sponsoring” Chin’ono. The Dutch embassy described his arrest as “part of a worrying trend against free speech in #Zimbabwe.” The organizer of the planned July 31 protest, opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume, is also in police custody, said Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, which is providing lawyers for him. Police spokesman Paul Nyathi said Chin’ono and Ngarivhume have been charged with “incitement to participate in public violence” and would appear in court “soon.” Journalists, lawyers, doctors and nurses are among hundreds of people who have been arrested in recent months in Zimbabwe for protesting, striking for better pay or, in some cases, simply doing their work as tensions rise in the troubled southern African country. A deteriorating economy and reports of widespread corruption linked to government contracts for the purchase of COVID-19 personal protective gear and drugs amid poor service delivery have further stoked public anger. In June, Chin’ono said he feared for his life after ruling ZANU-PF party spokesman Patrick Chinamasa accused the journalist of seeking to embarrass President Emmerson Mnangagwa by linking the president’s family to alleged corrupt COVID-19 related contracts. Deprose Muchena, a regional director with Amnesty International, said the arrests are “designed to intimidate and send a chilling message to journalists, whistleblowers and activists who draw attention to matters of public interest in Zimbabwe.” “He is being victimized for exposing corruption in government,” said Zimbabwe Union of Journalists secretary-general, Foster Dongozi, in a statement.
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US Slaps Sanctions on Strongman Ruler of Russia’s Chechnya
The United States on Monday slapped sanctions on the regional strongman leader of Russia’s republic of Chechnya over human rights violations including torture and extrajudicial killings. Ramzan Kadyrov, 43, has run Chechnya like his personal fiefdom, relying on his security forces to quash dissent. International human rights groups have accused Kadyrov and his lieutenants of abductions, torture and killings of their opponents. Rights defenders also hold the Chechen authorities responsible for a sweeping crackdown on gays over the past few years that has seen more than 100 people arrested, subjected to torture, with some of them killed. Chechen authorities have denied those accusations, and federal authorities said a probe found nothing to support the charges. In a statement announcing the sanctions, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed at “extensive credible information that Kadyrov is responsible for numerous gross violations of human rights dating back more than a decade, including torture and extrajudicial killings.” Pompeo said the restrictions will apply to Kadyrov’s wife and two daughters and he encouraged U.S. allies to take similar measures. Kadyrov responded on his blog, posting a picture of himself standing in a weapons storage room with a smile on his face and a machine gun in each hand. “Pompeo, we accept the fight. It’s going to be even more fun down the road,” he said. Russian lawmakers said that Moscow will find a way to reciprocate to the U.S. sanctions against Kadyrov, but wouldn’t say what a possible response could be. The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to stabilize Chechnya after two separatist wars, providing generous federal subsidies and dismissing international criticism of his rule. The Kremlin also has stood by Kadyrov amid Russian opposition claims of his involvement in the 2015 killing of prominent Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, which the Chechen leader has rejected. An officer in Chechnya’s security forces was convicted of shooting Nemtsov on a bridge adjacent to the Kremlin and received a 20-year prison term.
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China, Iran Approach Major Accord Amid Deteriorating US-China Relations
Beijing is reported to be in the final stages of approving a $400 billion economic and security deal with Tehran, which some analysts say could give China a vast and secure source of energy and a strategic foothold in the Gulf. Iran’s foreign ministry has confirmed that the potential agreement includes significant infrastructure investments and closer cooperation on defense and intelligence sharing. It’s also rumored to include discounts for Iranian oil. The deal is the latest step in Beijing’s attempt to expand from a regional hegemony to a world power via its Belt and Road Initiative.China-Iran dealThere are no concrete details of the deal available yet, but reports about what is under discussion indicate massive investment. China is reportedly considering investing $280 billion in developing Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors; and another $120 billion in upgrading Tehran’s manufacturing infrastructure.The deal’s scope was further illustrated when Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told parliament on July 5 that the country has been negotiating a 25-year accord with China “with confidence and conviction.”A report by the FILE – Natural gas refineries are seen at the South Pars gas field on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, in Asaluyeh, Iran, March 16, 2019.How the United States fits inIran announced progress on the deal at a time when U.S. and China relations are fast sliding, raising the question if Tehran is joining forces with Beijing as part of a broader effort to counter Washington’s foothold in the Middle East.The agreement appears to have been in development since 2016, when China and Iran announced a 25-year-long “comprehensive strategic partnership” during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tehran.Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran program at the D.C.-based think tank Middle East Institute, told VOA that the deal was not initially meant to be an anti-American initiative.“Remember this was agreed in 2016. I think it was part of a broad Chinese ambition for Eurasia.” He said, “If you look at the Belt and Road initiative of China, Iran appears prominently in that.”Yet Vatanka said the timing of the Iranian announcement is tricky, adding there is a possibility that Iran wants to take advantage of deteriorating U.S.-China relations and go ahead and finalize the deal. But he says the Iranian government likely is also doing this for domestic purposes.“There is another driver. They want to show the Iranian people that they are not alone on the international stage,” said Vatanka. “The Americans are alone. Much of this is a game of psychology. Iranians leaders do not want to be seen in the eyes of the Iranian people that they brought the country to total isolation.”In 2018, the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed new rounds of sanctions on Iran’s energy, finance, and military sectors.Benjamin Friedman, policy director of military think tank Defense Priorities, argued that policy partly encouraged Iran to seek cooperation with China.“It’s a good opportunity for China because [of] the United States’ sanctions on Iran. It is desperate now, probably is willing to sell its oil at more of a discount,” he said.U.S. responseWhen asked about whether U.S. sanctions could have further strengthened the alliance between China and Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks to the media in the Press Briefing Room, at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., July 15, 2020. (State Department Photo by Freddie Everett)“We have a set of sanctions related to any company or country that engages in an activity with Iran. The sanctions are clear. We have been unambiguous about enforcing them against our companies from allies, countries from all across the world. We would certainly do that with respect to activity between Iran and China as well,” he said at a press briefing on July 15. Timothy Heath, a defense researcher at the RAND Corporation, said the China-Iran deal is just the latest example of escalating tensions between the U.S. and China.“It follows the trend of the U.S. government policy that describes China as a competitor and a threat. The other trend is the growing deterioration in the U.S. China relations,” he told VOA.“Issues keep piling up, and the relations keep getting worse,” he said, “China’s recent agreement with Iran is the country’s move to build up a partnership that would weaken U.S. presence in the Middle East. Both sides seem to be taking escalatory behavior to assert authority and to punish the other side, and this should be seen as another step in that broad trend.”
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US Sanctions Aim to Keep Russian Financier from Meddling in Sudan’s Future
Known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “chef” because of the billions he made in the catering business, Russian financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin had far more cooking abroad, including meddling in U.S. elections and suppressing democracy in Sudan, according to U.S. charges.Now, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is issuing strong deterrents to ensure that Prigozhin and his network of offshore interests and fronts for mercenaries do not interfere in Sudan’s future.FILE – Yevgeny Prigozhin gestures during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Konstantin palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia, August 9, 2016.This month the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on businesses tied to Prigozhin. The Putin ally is accused of supporting former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and advising him to violently suppress protests. In return for this support, Sudan gave businesses linked to Prigozhin access to gold and the ores of precious metals.U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Prigozhin has been “exploiting Sudan’s natural resources for personal gain and spreading malign influence around the globe.” The U.S. action comes as Sudan is struggling to form a democratic government as protests are growing in intensity against the transitional government charged with reforming the legislative system and the judiciary. With Bashir jailed, U.S. officials do not want Prigozhin to serve as a conduit for Russian meddling in Sudan’s future.Prigozhin, who denies interfering in the West, Africa and Asia, finances the actions of Russia’s Internet Research Agency, a massive online troll farm accused of trying to influence elections around the world.Inside the Internet Research Agency: a Mole Among Trolls
Vitaly Bespalov, a 23-year-old journalism school graduate, had no idea what to expect when he arrived at a nondescript four-story business center in St. Petersburg to interview for a job.Everything about the building at Savushkina 55 seemed odd. Security was heavy and the windows were tinted. Guards dressed in camouflage demanded his passport and his home address before letting him into the building. And, as he negotiated his entry, Bespalov noticed a woman enter the lobby in a rage."She was yelling…
In Sudan, a business he controls called M-Invest is accused of spreading disinformation and advising Bashir on ways to quell protests that swept the nation in 2019.Facebook Moves to Curb Russian Interference in African PoliticsAnalyst tells VOA Moscow believes cyber interference in the affairs of other countries gives it the most bang for its buck“M-Invest is believed to have advised Omar al-Bashir on how to create a whole system of false propaganda to discredit the leaders of the popular pro-democracy protests,” said Suliman Baldo, senior adviser at The Sentry, an investigative and policy group researching money connected with war criminals.“Then also, they advised him to stage public executions and kill a reasonable number of protesters so as to quell the protest against his regime,” Baldo said.As payment for this support, Bashir’s regime is accused by the Treasury Department of granting gold mining concessions to Meroe Gold, a subsidiary of M-Invest.“What Russia is doing is practicing a new form of colonialism, and they are exploiting the natural resources of Sudan. The natural heritage of the Sudanese youth who are peacefully protesting is being given away to Russians,” Jonathan Hutson, a human rights advocate in Washington, told VOA last year.Alleged Torture Case Renews Focus on Russian Military Contractors in Central Africa
When a crowd in Bambari, in the Central African Republic, accused Mahamat Nour Mamadou of belonging to a militia group tied to the country’s previous regime, the consequences were swift and harsh.Soldiers whisked Mamadou away to a nearby town hall, where he was questioned, and then to a base, where he was tortured for five days.Mamadou told the AFP news agency that soldiers choked him with a chain, slashed his back with a knife and sliced off one of his fingers.
Even though Prigozhin and the businesses are outside of U.S. jurisdiction, the sanctions can still have a strong effect, analysts say.US Sanctions Companies Linked to Businessman Close to PutinThe actions take aim at front companies that US officials say Yevgeny Prigozhin has relied on to process millions of dollars and to evade sanctions in Sudan“There is a huge reputational impact that comes with that designation by (the Office of Foreign Assets Control),” Baldo said, adding that the move will make it difficult for Pregozhin-linked businesses to operate around the world.“This leads to the freezing of its accounts and assets that are within reach of U.S. jurisdiction, of course. But it also leads to delisting by international financial institutions and international corporations from dealing with a company that is sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury,” he said.Meroe Gold, a mining company listed in the sanctions, is still active in Sudan and has deep ties to Sudan’s security forces. Baldo believes that Sudan’s transitional government will be eager to cut ties with the entity.“I believe that these reputational consequences will be a deterrent for the transitional pro-democracy government of Sudan today to continue the type of partnerships that Meroe Gold had with Sudanese security agencies,” Baldo said. “They will be concerned that the U.S. would again be basically unhappy about their continued cooperation with a company of such ill repute on the record in the continent of Africa.”Baldo said the totality of charges show how Russia sought to prop up an autocratic government in Sudan while profiting from the strife.“This is how they are linked to the anti-democracy attempts by a dictatorial regime, a genocidal regime against its own people,” he said.
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Остров свободы. Хабаровск держится больше недели! соловьев извиняется, пукин отмалчивается
Остров свободы. Хабаровск держится больше недели! соловьев извиняется, пукин отмалчивается.
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Более недели держится Хабаровск, показывая, что российский народ не безмолвное покорное быдло, а нормальные граждане, способные защищать и отстаивать свои права и свободы
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