Month: July 2020

Опущенный карлик пукин крепко влип: в США такого не прощают…

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Опущенный карлик пукин крепко влип: в США такого не прощают…

США готовятся ужесточить санкции против опущенного карлика пукина…
 

 
 
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Привет газпрому: Украина начала поставки газа в Румынию

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Привет газпрому: Украина начала поставки газа в Румынию.

Все потоки которые планировал реализовать газпром уперлись в антимонопольное законодательство Европы, а предательски низкие цены на энергоресурсы оставили пукинский концерн без прибылей. В то же время как свободные транзитные мощности тут же были перехвачены другими компаниями. Теперь получается, что газпром только строит и отдает деньги, вот и на днях выдал очередные миллиарды Польше, а былые мощности переходят в чужие руки
 

 
 
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In Hong Kong, China Threatens to Snuff Out Press Freedom

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Hong Kong’s status as one of Asia’s most thriving press hubs appears to be on life support with the onset of a new national security law imposed by China on the semi-autonomous territory this week.  The law, a response to the resurgence of pro-democracy protests over the past year, ostensibly aims to prevent secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces. Punishments for those crimes range from three years to life in prison.   But the legislation’s broad, vaguely worded provisions – which apply to locals, foreigners, and even people living in other countries – will drastically curtail freedom of speech, analysts warn.   “It says the government can do pretty much anything it wants,” says Steven Butler, the Asia program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).  Butler says the territory is likely to see a period of testing as authorities reveal exactly how they intend to interpret and apply the law, but the uncertainty has already had chilling effects on free speech.   Signs of fear  In recent weeks, waves of Hong Kongers have downloaded virtual private networks, or VPNs, as well as encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, to hide their digital activities from authorities.   Some Police detain protesters after a protest in Causeway Bay before the annual handover march in Hong Kong, July. 1, 2020.Some international media outlets have found that a handful of civil society groups and activists in Hong Kong have halted giving on-the-record comments until they can determine how certain segments of the law will be applied.    “I mean, who knows what ‘provoking hatred toward the government’ means,” said a person with one non-profit organization, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.   ‘Provoking hatred’  That statement is a reference to Article 29 of the new law, which among other things criminalizes working with a broad range of foreign organizations to provoke hatred among Hong Kong residents toward the local or mainland governments.    The law says both the individual and the foreign organization involved in the provocations can be punished with up to life in prison, even though officials have not clarified what “provoking hatred” means.  “Writing an article — does that incite people to be hateful? We don’t know what counts,” says Tommy Walker, a British freelance journalist in Hong Kong.   “Everyone’s a bit worried,” says Walker, who like some other foreign journalists, are searching for backup options in case reporting in Hong Kong becomes untenable.   Journalists wait outside West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts in Hong Kong, July 3, 2020.Ninety-eight percent of survey respondents said they oppose the legislation. Ninety-two percent said they were worried about their personal safety. Eighty-seven percent said they believe the media would stop reporting on sensitive issues.   Press freedom in Hong Kong had already been on a downward trajectory for years. In 2002, Hong Kong ranked 18th in RSF’s Press Freedom Index. This year, the country ranked 80th.   As Beijing rapidly increases its influence in Hong Kong, many now fear the territory’s press freedom will plunge further, perhaps even closer to China, which ranks 177th out of 180 countries.  
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Trump Heads to Mt. Rushmore Amid Controversy

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President Donald Trump Friday heads to Mount Rushmore, where he will headline U.S. Independence Day celebrations featuring fireworks for the first time in more than a decade at the national park in South Dakota.“It’s going to be a fireworks display like few people have seen. It’s going to be very exciting,” Trump said during a White House event Thursday.FILE – FILE- President Donald Trump and Governor Kristi Noem.Americans urged to stay homeAs the nation witnessed a spike in new coronavirus cases, with an 80 percent increase in the past two weeks, health officials urged Americans to stay home on July 4 – a holiday usually celebrated with big parties and town parades.“The safest choice this holiday is to celebrate at home,” the Oregon Health AuthorityFireworks explode over Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol, along the National Mall in Washington, during the Fourth of July celebration, July 4, 2018.Presidential preferenceAmerican presidents typically have celebrated July 4 based on their personal preferences and many have done so in ways that are “very much connected to what’s happening at that moment”, said Matthew Costello, a historian with the White House Historical Association, in an interview with VOA.   James K. Polk, the nation’s 11th president and the one who pursued the expansion of the continental United States through wars in the mid-19th century, celebrated with military parades and other ways that were very much about patriotism, said Costello. “It was about the war effort, but it was also about continuing the fight for what he believed was in the best interest of the country.”Trump is not the first American president to commemorate Independence Day in a pandemic. During the Spanish Flu in 1918, Woodrow Wilson reviewed a parade that marched on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, said Costello.Wilson missed the 4th of July in 1919, as he was returning from the Paris Peace Conference. Many historians, including John M. Barry, professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and author of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, believe Wilson himself fell ill with the flu around that time. 
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Hong Kong Man Charged With Terrorism, Inciting Separatism for Slogan

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A Hong Kong man who carried a sign saying “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” as he drove a motorcycle into police during a protest this week has become the first person charged with inciting separatism and terrorism under a new security law. Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong late on Tuesday after weeks of uncertainty, pushing China’s freest city and one of the world’s most glittering financial hubs on to a more authoritarian path. The law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison but critics say it is aimed at stamping out dissent and ending a long-running campaign for greater democracy in the city. The logo of Judiciary of Hong Kong is seen outside West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts, after a motorcyclist was charged under the newly passed national security law, in Hong Kong, China, July 3, 2020.Police said the 23-year-old man charged under the law rammed into several officers at the unauthorized protest on Wednesday injuring some. He was initially arrested for dangerous driving, media said. A video circulating online showed the driver knocking over several officers with his motorbike on a narrow street, before falling off and getting arrested. The charge against him, as shown in a court document on Friday, comes less than 24 hours after the city’s government said the protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” connotes separatism or subversion under the new law. The rallying cry appears on placards at most rallies, is printed on T-shirts and accessories, and scribbled on sticky notes on walls across the Chinese-ruled city. The government’s ruling on the slogan will compound fears about the suppression of the global finance hub’s freedoms. China’s parliament adopted the security law in response to protests last year triggered by fears that Beijing was stifling the freedoms, guaranteed by a “one country, two systems” formula agreed when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Beijing denies the accusation. Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have repeatedly said the legislation is aimed at a few “troublemakers” and will not affect the rights and freedoms that underpin the city’s role as a financial hub. But the United States, Britain and others have denounced the new legislation and the United Nations said it feared it would restrict space for civil society and lead to the prosecution of activists. Dozens of people gathered to protest outside another court where a man was charged with “wounding with intent” for stabbing a policeman in the arm with a sharp object during the Wednesday disturbances. Supporters raise white paper to avoid slogans banned under the national security law as they support arrested anti-law protester outside Eastern court in Hong Kong, China, July 3, 2020.They held up blank pieces of paper to highlight what they fear will be the new law’s impact on free speech. “I’m not scared. Come what may,” said one of the protesters, 25-year-old Wilson. He did not give his last name.  On Wednesday, the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, police said they arrested about 370 people during the protests, with 10 of those involving violations of the new law. National security office In what is sure to be seen as another ominous sign for Hong Kong’s freedoms, China’s official Xinhua news agency said a Communist Party cadre who became prominent during a 2011 clampdown on protesters in a south China village will head a national security office in Hong Kong to be set up under the new law. Zheng Yanxiong, 57, most recently served as the secretary general of the Communist Party committee of Guangdong province, an economic powerhouse bordering Hong Kong. He was seen calling the foreign media “rotten” in a leaked video of a government meeting at the time. Customers sit near blank notes on a “Lennon Wall” inside a pro-democracy restaurant in Hong Kong on July 3, 2020, in response to a new national security law introduced in the city.Under the new legislation, the agency can take enforcement action beyond existing laws in the most serious cases. It also allows agents to take suspects across the border for trials in Communist Party-controlled courts and specifies special privileges for the agents, including that Hong Kong authorities cannot inspect their vehicles. ‘Window for the world’ Some prominent activists have been keeping a low profile or leaving. Demosisto, a pro-democracy group led by Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, disbanded hours after the legislation was passed, while prominent group member Nathan Law left the city. “The protests in Hong Kong have been a window for the world to recognize that China is getting more and more authoritarian,” Law told Reuters in an online interview. While the government said late on Thursday the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times” now indicated independence or separation of the city from China, altering its legal status or subversion, it was not unclear if independent courts would uphold that view. Some are taking no chances. Public broadcaster RTHK reproduced the slogan as “L*******#HongKong” in a comment on Twitter, to the scorn of some other social media users. 
 
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Biden Slams Trump on Russia Bounties in Foreign Policy Contrast

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Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s rebuke of President Donald Trump’s handling of allegations that Russians paid bounties for the killing of American soldiers reflects his longstanding criticism of the president on national security and foreign policy. However, on closer inspection the two presidential rivals are not that far apart on key issues, such as ending foreign wars, protecting American jobs, and countering China’s aggression.On Tuesday, Biden slammed Trump’s passive response to intelligence reports that Russians paid Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, claiming he was not briefed, and the reports were not credible.“The idea that somehow he didn’t know or isn’t being briefed, it is a dereliction of duty. If that’s the case, and if he was briefed and nothing was done about this, that’s a dereliction of duty,” Biden said to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware on Tuesday.The White House has disputed a New York Times report on Friday that a Russian military intelligence unit had offered bounties to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan for U.S. and allied soldiers, saying it has “not been verified, and there is no consensus among the intelligence community.”FILE – American soldiers wait on the tarmac in Logar province, Afghanistan.Brink of warBiden, who served as President Barack Obama’s vice president, has been highly critical of what he says is Trump’s “deference” to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian leaders, his “haphazard” handling of national security threats, and his “America First” foreign policy.In January, Biden said Trump put the U.S. on the brink of war, after the president authorized a U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, after deadly Iranian backed attacks on Americans in Iraq.  “The failure to consult with our allies or Congress and the reckless disregard for the consequences that would surely follow was, in my view, dangerously incompetent,” Biden said in New York Jan. 7. Calls for “harsh revenge” during Soleimani’s massive funeral in Tehran raised concerns that military conflict with the United States could escalate, but tensions have eased after Iran retaliated with a non-lethal missile attack against a U.S. military base in Iraq.Biden agenda  In contrast to Trump’s reliance on personal diplomacy and unilateral action to confront U.S. security threats, the former vice president said he would organize a summit of democracies to strengthen alliances in the face of growing authoritarianism around the world, and would prioritize negotiation over confrontation. Biden wants to restore military ties with NATO in Europe after Trump strained relations by demanding increased defense spending. Trump recently ordered the military to withdraw about 10,000 U.S. troops from Germany, unless Berlin increases its NATO contributions.  The Trump administration has also demanded steep cost sharing increases for basing U.S. troops in Germany, South Korea and Japan.However, the Democratic presidential candidate is closer to Trump’s position on ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and Syria, continuing negotiations with North Korea to end its nuclear program, and confronting China’s suppression of human rights in Hong Kong and military buildup in the South China Sea.  
On Thursday, Biden issued a statement denouncing China’s crackdown on democracy protests in Hong Kong and as said as president he would prohibit U.S. companies from “abetting repression” in Hong Kong and impose sanctions on China for human rights abuses.NEW: Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on China’s Human Rights Abuses
Biden’s most comprehensive statement to date on China human rights, including several steps he’ll take as President. pic.twitter.com/jlwWYR31We
— Ely Ratner (@elyratner) FILE – Vice President Joe Biden and President Barack Obama wave to the delegates at the conclusion of President Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, September 6, 2012.Obama eraBiden would likely rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, negotiated by the Obama administration, that Trump pulled out of because it did not limit ballistic missile development and support for Iranian backed militias.He would recommit the U.S. to the Paris climate accord, signed by nearly 200 countries and designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars and factories to counter global warming.But Biden said he would not rejoin the Obama-era Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, which Trump pulled out of in early 2017, until stronger protections for labor and American jobs are added.  “There is no going back to business as usual on trade,” Biden said on his campaign website. But he also argues in favor multilateral trades agreements to improve fair trade practices and democratic values in the developing world.  
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English Pubs Are Reopening — They Won’t Be the Same

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Asking people in English pubs to keep their distance is going to be tough after they’ve had a few of their favorite tipples.Pub managers will have to be resourceful come Saturday when they and other parts of the hospitality industry in England open their doors to customers for the first time since March 20, provided they meet COVID safety requirements.The British government has been accused of being reckless in allowing pubs to open again, given coronavirus infection and death rates are still high and amid evidence that reopening bars in countries like the U.S. has led to new outbreaks. The U.K. has recorded nearly 44,000 virus-related deaths, third behind the United States and Brazil.Closing Bars to Stop Coronavirus Spread is Backed by ScienceAlcohol lowers inhibitions, so people forget precautions, Natalie Dean, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Florida saysMany cash-starved pubs will take the plunge anyway, though they will be very different from what they were when they shut down given the need to ensure everyone is safe — from registering customers upon entrance to making sure tables are far enough apart to meet social distancing rules.”I’m nervous,” said Are Kolltveit, who runs the Chandos Arms in north London with his wife Emily. They have turned around the fortunes of the pub in the past few years by taking it back to the community, offering activities like live music — in addition to a finely poured pint of ale. It was voted Best Local in the 2019 British Pub Awards.”It won’t be the same, but we’ll do our best to make it just as great as ever,” he said.The pandemic is an existential threat to most of England’s 37,500 pubs. The Chandos, and countless others, have benefited from government measures, notably a wage support scheme that prevented mass firings. Around 90% of pub staff were furloughed under the scheme, according to the Beer and Pub Association.Reopening — as early as 6 a.m. if they wish, the government confirmed Friday — offers hope to publicans like Kolltveit, but margins are tight.Kolltveit wants to think people will abide by the rules, given the pandemic is still ongoing, and says his pub can survive for around five months without further help — provided it runs at 50% of maximum capacity and there’s no second spike in contagions or a new lockdown on businesses.”The best pubs are extensions of the landlord’s personality and the atmosphere of the pub is going to be massively challenged, but I think the best publicans will find ways of reinventing it in some way,” said Pete Brown, an award-winning beer writer.When they reopen, pubs will need to ensure table service, a move that halts the cherished tradition of the English boozer — crowding and chatting around the bar. Guests will be limited to groups of six and, where possible, sit side by side to reduce any risk of contagion that may come from shouting too loudly.They will be spaced at least one meter (3.3 feet) apart and be encouraged to take other measures to keep safe, such as using hand sanitizers. Wearing masks, even by staff, is optional.  Pub staff will also have to register the names of customers at the door — and keep them for 21 days — to assist in any efforts to trace virus contagions.Tim Sheehan, co-owner of Franklins, a pub and restaurant in southeast London, is annoyed by the effective enrolment of the hospitality industry in the effort to track and trace contagions and wonders how he is meant to verify anyone’s health or identity.”How many Mr. and Mrs. Presleys are we going to get? And how do you go about asking people personal questions?,” he said. “I’m dreading it in that respect.”He’s also concerned it will be “like New Year’s Eve” in some pubs, particularly those that cater to younger people, and that social distancing guidelines “may go out of the window after people have had a few shandies.””We are moving to the stage where the advice is to essentially use common sense,” said Jon Cross, a 40-year-old accountant in north London.”Most people will trust their local to make the right choices,” added Cross who said he’d happily frequent his local pub, The Wrestlers, if it isn’t busy.The guidelines are the same whatever the size and layout of the pub. But the challenges are likely to be very different for a huge venue like JD Wetherspoon’s The Moon Under Water in Manchester and a quaint country pub like The George at Burpham, tucked between a church and a cricket pitch in southern England.Pubs like The George are inherent to the rhythm of their rural surrounding. It is starting with an outside barbecue on Saturday, followed by a traditional Sunday roast service indoors and out.”Not since the Duke of Norfolk opened Arundel Railway Station on his land in August 1863 has a summer event been more eagerly awaited by Sussex locals than the re-opening of The George,” said Robert Essex, a 59-year-old marketing services executive and one of the locals who bought the pub in 2013.Not everyone is reopening. The Tollington Arms, a pub near Arsenal’s soccer stadium in north London thinks the government is ignoring expert scientific advice and voiced worries about “contributing to a second wave of this pandemic.”Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that people are “appreciably less likely now to be in close proximity” with someone with the virus and that the latest easing of the lockdown had been carefully thought through.”Let’s not blow it now,” he said.
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Modi Vsits Military Base Close to China Amid Standoff

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unannounced visit Friday to a military base in a remote region bordering China where troops from the two countries have been facing off for nearly two months.  
Modi, accompanied by India’s military leadership, interacted with troops in Ladakh region. A photo on his Instagram account showed him sitting in a camouflage tent at the base. “Interacting with our brave armed forces personnel,” he wrote.
Modi’s visit comes in the backdrop of a massive Indian army buildup in Ladakh following hand-to-hand combat between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 that left 20 Indians dead and dozens injured in the Galwan Valley, the worst confrontation in over four decades between the Asian giants.
Indian officials say there were casualties on the Chinese side as well, but there has been no confirmation by Beijing.
Modi chanted “Long live mother India!” while addressing troops at the Nimu military base, insisting that “after every crisis, India has emerged stronger.”  
He praised the valor of Indian soldiers and said: “Enemies of India have seen your fire and fury.”
“Days of expansionism are over. Expansionism creates danger for world peace. This is an era of development. Expansionist force have either lost or forced to turn back,” he said in an oblique reference to China.  
Modi’s speech, which lasted for 26 minutes, was punctuated by nationalist fervor and praise for Indian soldiers. He said the bravery shown by troops was “a message of India’s prowess” to the world. “The weak can never accomplish peace, the brave do. The world is praising the bravery shown by Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley.”  
Later Friday, Modi also visited a military hospital where he met injured soldiers.  
Both India and China have provided little information officially, but media in the two countries have given large coverage to the escalating tensions, much of it replayed on television news channels and social media.  
The leader of Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, B.L. Santhosh, tweeted Friday that the visit was a “big, big booster to soldiers morale. He leads from front.”
Modi has faced public pressure for a stern response to Chinese actions along the contested frontier.  
Indian protesters have been calling for a boycott of Chinese goods. On Monday, the government banned 59 Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, citing privacy concerns that it said pose a threat to India’s sovereignty and security. The ban was largely symbolic since the apps can’t be automatically erased from devices where they are already downloaded.
China has insisted that Indian forces provoked the border incident and the blame lies entirely with New Delhi.
On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the countries need to maintain their relations while seeking to de-escalate tensions through military and diplomatic channels. “Against such a backdrop, no party should take any actions that may complicate the border situation,” he said.
Zhao called it “the evil way that two sides are suspicious of each other and engaged in friction continuously.”
“The Indian side should get along with China to jointly safeguard the overall situation of bilateral relations. The pragmatic cooperation between China and India is in nature mutually beneficial and win-win,” he said. “To deliberately set obstacles for pragmatic cooperation between the two countries violates the relevant WTO rules and will harm the interests of India itself.”
Indian officials say the current standoff began in early May when large contingents of Chinese soldiers entered deep inside Indian-controlled territory at three places in Ladakh, erecting tents.
They say the soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings, triggering a yelling match, stone-throwing and even fistfights in at least one place along the Pangong Lake, the site of several such confrontations in the past.
But the situation turned deadly when the rival troops engaged in a nightly medieval clash in the Galwan Valley, where India is building a strategic road connecting the region to an airstrip close to China.  
According to Indian officials, Chinese troops atop a ridge at the mouth of the narrow valley threw stones, punched and pushed Indian soldiers down a ridge at around 4,500 meters (15,000 feet.)  
Since then, India has sent huge reinforcements of soldiers, military equipment and fighter jets into the already highly militarized area.
The disputed border covers nearly 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) of frontier that the two countries call the Line of Actual Control and that stretches from Ladakh in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim in the northeast.
India and China fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh. The two countries have been trying to settle their border dispute since the early 1990s, without success.
India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory while separating it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019, ending the territory’s semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the U.N. Security Council.
Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to end the current crisis in Ladakh have been unsuccessful.
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Activist Leaves Hong Kong After New Law to Advocate Abroad

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Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law has left the city for an undisclosed location after testifying in a U.S. congressional hearing about a tough new security law imposed by mainland China on the semi-autonomous territory.  Law, who declined to disclose his whereabouts for safety, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday that he left because Hong Kong needs an advocate for democracy who can work internationally.Hong Kong Activist Calls for Help in Standing Up to ChinaPro-democracy activist wants international community to stand up to China’s infringement of Hong Kong’s autonomyUnder the new security law, activists and politicians in Hong Kong who speak to foreign media or testify in foreign hearings can be arrested for secessionism or colluding with foreign forces, Law said.”For me leaving the place that I love, that I grew up in, that I spent most of my life in, it’s definitely a really difficult decision, but this is more than a personal choice,” he said. “I miss everything from it.”The security law, which took effect Tuesday night, targets secessionist, subversive or terrorist acts, as well as collusion with foreign forces intervening in the city’s affairs.  Under Beijing’s direction, local authorities have moved swiftly to implement the law’s sweeping conditions, with police arresting about 370 people Wednesday, including 10 on suspicion of directly violating the law, as thousands took to the streets in protest.In some cases, suspects were carrying items advocating Hong Kong’s independence, police said.  China’s Cabinet on Friday appointed a veteran Communist Party cadre who rose to prominence during a crackdown on villagers seeking land rights in 2011 as head of a new central government national security office in Hong Kong. Zheng Yanxiong and his department will report directly to Beijing without oversight from Hong Kong’s courts or any requirement that they answer to local authorities.  Law, 26, rose to prominence in Hong Kong as one of the student leaders of the pro-democracy Umbrella Revolution in 2014. In 2016, he became the youngest lawmaker elected to the city’s legislature but was later disqualified after he raised his tone while swearing allegiance to China during the oath, making it sound like a question.He was a leader of pro-democracy group Demosisto with fellow activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow. All three resigned Tuesday ahead of the security law coming into effect. With the loss of its top members, Demosisto dissolved.  The Hong Kong government announced Thursday night that the popular protest slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time” connotes a call for Hong Kong’s independence or its separation from China, and those using it or displaying it on flags or signs could be in violation of the new law.Critics including Law say the legislation effectively ends the “one country, two systems” framework under which the city was promised a high degree of autonomy when it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.”That is blatantly eradicating ‘one country, two systems,’ it’s blatantly putting the last nail in the coffin,” Law said.He urged the international community to prioritize human rights over trade interests, and to present a united front to “combat or contain the authoritarian expansion of China.”  Under the security legislation, the maximum punishment for serious offenses is life imprisonment, and suspects in certain cases may be sent to the mainland for trial if Beijing deems it has jurisdiction.A 24-year-old man who was arrested for allegedly stabbing a police officer during the protests on Wednesday has been charged with wounding with intent, police said Friday. He was arrested on board a plane to London, apparently trying to flee the territory. Police wouldn’t say if the man would face additional charges under the security law.Separately, police charged a 23-year-old man with incitement to secession and terrorist activities on Friday, making him the first person to be prosecuted under the new law. Tong Ying-kit is accused of crashing a motorcycle into a group of police during Wednesday’s protests while possessing a flag with the newly banned slogan.
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Blast Rocks Turkey Fireworks Factory

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Turkish state media reports an explosion at a fireworks factory in northwestern part of the country.  The Associated Press reports there were between 150 to 200 people in the building at the time of the blast Friday. There were no immediate reports of casualties following the explosion in Sakarya province.Television video footage showed a huge cloud of smoke over the blast site. 
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Trump at Mt. Rushmore – Masks, Social Distancing Not Required

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President Donald Trump ventures to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday for an early Independence Day celebration that thousands of people are expected to attend.Although the U.S. leads the world in the number of COVID-19 cases, local officials say there are no plans for observing social distancing or mask wearing at the event  However, free masks will be available for those who want them.South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem, said on Fox News earlier this week: “We’ve told folks that have concerns that they can stay home.”The Washington Post reports that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to Arizona this week was delayed from Tuesday to Wednesday after Secret Service agents organizing the trip either fell sick with the virus or displayed symptoms.The U.S. on Thursday reported more than 50,000 new cases. Four states – Arizona, California, Florida, Texas – were responsible for half of the new cases.The jump in coronavirus numbers is blamed in part on what New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy called “knucklehead behavior” – people not wearing masks or practicing social distancing.There are nearly 11 million global COVID-19 cases. The U.S is approaching 3 million cases.Australian officials say 10,000 people in Victoria have refused to take the coronavirus test this past week because they believe the outbreak is not real and is instead a “conspiracy theory.”The New York Times reports that Australia, which has been successful in keeping COVID cases to a minimum, is now locking down an area of 300,000 people in a largely immigrant community in the state of Victoria.India reported nearly 21,000 new daily cases of the coronavirus Friday.India said Thursday that it had it had recorded about 100,000 cases in four days. Johns Hopkins University said early Friday that the South Asian nation has more than 625,000 COVID-19 cases.South Africa reported a new record number of 8,100 new cases in 24 hours Thursday.Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told voters not to be afraid to come out and cast ballots in the second round of the presidential election July 12.Despite hundreds of new cases reported daily, Poland has been relatively successful in fending off COVID-19, with 1,500 deaths.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday he is easing the mandatory quarantines for travelers arriving in Britain. He said he would announce details Friday or Saturday.And in Mexico, a medical supply company has started using unmanned drones to deliver masks, gloves and other equipment to hospitals.Doctors, nurses and other medical workers have staged nationwide protests against what they say is a shortage of protective equipment. 
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New Zealand Health Minister Quits After COVID-19 Mistakes

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New Zealand Health Minister David Clark resigned Thursday after recent controversies surrounding his handling of the coronavirus crisis. Clark was criticized for breaches of strict quarantine rules for travelers returning from overseas and for ignoring lockdown measures by taking his family to the beach.Border closures and strict lockdown measures have helped New Zealand contain the coronavirus, and officials have said there was no evidence of community transmission. But David Clark has paid the price for his mistakes. The former health minister had admitted breaching travel restrictions when New Zealanders were ordered to stay at home. He was demoted from his position as an associate finance minister after breaking rules to take his family to the beach. Clark called himself an “idiot” after the breach.He was also criticized for failures to ensure that returning travelers were properly tested. In a high-profile case, two women were allowed to leave mandatory isolation early to visit a dying parent without being screened for the virus. They were later confirmed to have the disease.Clark said it’s time to move on.“Serving as minister of health has been an absolute privilege particularly through these extraordinary last few months,” he said. “It is no secret that health is a challenging portfolio. I have given it my all, but it has become increasingly clear to me that my continuation in the role is distracting from the government’s overall response to COVID-19 and the global pandemic.”Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was essential those leading the response to the pandemic had the confidence of the people of New Zealand.The opposition National Party had been calling for Clark’s resignation for weeks. A spokesperson said his handling of border quarantine measures had “been utterly shambolic.”The government ended most disease-control restrictions last month. It had imposed some of the world’s toughest lockdown measures. Its international borders remain closed.New Zealand is a South Pacific nation of about 5 million people. More than 400,000 coronavirus tests have been done.It has had 1,528 confirmed or probable coronavirus infections. There are 18 active cases in the country. So far, 22 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.   
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Опущенный карлик пукин доигрался! США и Польша выставила газпром на деньги

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Опущенный карлик пукин доигрался! США и Польша выставила газпром на деньги.

Последние новости путляндии и мира, экономика, бизнес, культура, технологии, спорт
 

 
 
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Легалізація грального бізнесу: за що збирається голосувати Верховна Рада?

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Легалізація грального бізнесу: за що збирається голосувати Верховна Рада?

3 липня Верховна Рада може легалізувати в Україні гральний бізнес. У першому читанні цей законопроект підтримало 260 народних депутатів, але чи вистачить депутатам тепер голосів? Адже не всі фракції готові голосувати за нього
 

 
 
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«Суддівська корпорація»: мільйони на неліквідовані суди і «кругова порука» у ВРП

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«Суддівська корпорація»: мільйони на неліквідовані суди і «кругова порука» у ВРП.

В багатьох судах, особливо у регіонах, гостра нестача суддів. А частина з тих, що здійснюють правосуддя, і до яких є багато питань – не мають можливості пройти переатестацію. Вищі спеціалізовані суди вже не працюють, але досі до кінця не ліквідовані – тож держбюджет продовжує витрачати на них сотні мільйонів гривень.

Наводити лад у цій сфері за законом покликані органи cуддівського врядування – але і з ними проблема. Хто зацікавлений в блокуванні роботи Вищої кваліфкомісії суддів? Усі ці питання стосуються роботи однієї з найвпливовіших судових установ в країні – Вищої ради правосуддя. Наскільки вона є незалежною та неупередженою? Чому там чинять спротив спробам журналістів у цьому розібратись? І, зрештою, яку реформу системи пропонує Зеленський і чи не стануть запропоновані ним зміни – черговою ширмою?
 

 
 
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Білоруські митці оголосили культурний протест вусатому таргану

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Білоруські митці оголосили культурний протест вусатому таргану.

Деякі представники культурної сфери Білорусі оголосили про акцію протесту #культпротест, відмовившись брати участь у державних заходах. «Під тегом нашого #культпротесту ми зробимо те, що найкраще вміємо – створимо мистецтво. І це оцінюватимуть не деякі мистецькі ради, а народ Білорусі, який прокинувся. Наша робота – надихнути, тому покажемо приклад солідарності й наполегливої праці! Ми закликаємо всіх художників приєднатися до нас у прагненні побудувати вільну Білорусь!» – кажуть організатори акції. Президентські вибори в Білорусі мають відбутися 9 серпня. Диктатор лукашенко балотується вже вшосте
 

 
 
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Молись, опущенный карлик пукин: Турция представила новейшую систему ПВО SUNGUR

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Молись, опущенный карлик пукин: Турция представила новейшую систему ПВО SUNGUR
 

 
 
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Ethiopia Tense for the Funeral of Hachalu Hundessa

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Security was tight across Ethiopia on Thursday for the funeral of revered singer and musician Hachalu Hundessa, whose killing this week sparked riots in and around Addis Ababa, killing at least 80.Hundessa was an outspoken ethnic Oromo activist who helped lead protests that brought about a new pro-Oromo government two years ago.Hundessa was laid to rest in his hometown of Ambo, and Ethiopian television broadcast his funeral.“Our enemies think they will create a conflict and dismantle the country,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said. “However, this incident gives us the understanding of the thought and the situation and makes us unite together and stop them. I ask our people to stand together with the government so that our enemies should not get a chance to implement their objective.”Hundessa Bonssaa, Hachalu Hundessa’s father, pleaded with his slain son to keep seeking justice.Abiy said his government will do everything it can to restore calm to Ethiopia. Police say three people have been arrested in Hundessa’s killing. They gave no details, but the prime minister said it could have ties to the assassination of the chief of the Ethiopian army last year.The government immediately cut internet and mobile phone service in Ethiopia during the violence, a move human rights observers say only adds to the anxiety.Hundessa was gunned down Monday night in Addis Ababa, a week after he appeared on Oromia Media Network, where he criticized Ethiopia’s leadership and spoke out against the mass incarceration of Oromo youth.Hundessa was Oromo, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, which has a long history of being discriminated against.The singer was a former political prisoner who became a national figure during anti-government protests that led to Abiy, a fellow Oromo, becoming prime minister in 2018.Abiy won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for economic and social reforms in Ethiopia and working to settle the long-running conflict with neighboring Eritrea.But he has also been challenged by the dozens of other Ethiopian ethnic groups jockeying for more land and power.The coronavirus pandemic has forced officials to postpone the August elections until sometime next year. 
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Slow Easing of Coronavirus Rules in US, Europe Gives Vietnam a Rare Economic Boost

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The slow easing of anti-coronavirus containment rules in Western countries and nearly nonstop work at major factories in Vietnam gave the export-reliant South Asian nation a small yet elusive economic boost in the second quarter this year, analysts say.The economy grew 0.36 percent from April to June compared to economic activity in the same months of 2019, Vietnam’s General Statistics Office announced Monday. The bulk of that came from manufacturing late in the quarter rather than services, economists believe.European nations began easing business shutdowns in April and May. In mid-June, those countries opened borders to one another for travel. And U.S. states have allowed phased-in reopening of businesses since May despite continued rises in coronavirus cases.Both trends allowed consumers to visit stores and buy goods that they had put off during the shutdowns, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist with IHS Markit in Singapore. Electronic gear for remote communication is a particular draw for those consumers, he said.Vietnam counts the United States as its biggest market, with 23.2 percent of all exports. The European Union takes 15.7 percent of Vietnamese exports.“The lockdowns started to come off in May in Europe, and so that’s why I think we’re seeing that June is better,” Biswas said.Export manufacturing drives Vietnam’s normally fast-growing, $262 billion economy. Foreign manufacturers like Vietnam for its low wages, support from government and proximity to raw materials in neighboring China. Vietnam has siphoned away some foreign investment from China since 2018 because of U.S. tariffs imposed on Chinese exports during a two-way trade dispute.Vietnam’s economic future “really depends on the world economy,” said Jack Nguyen, partner in the business advisory firm Mazars in Ho Chi Minh City. “Vietnam is now so linked to the world that how other countries are opening up will indicate how big Vietnam will be (in) improvement.”The operation of major foreign-invested factories in Vietnam supports economic growth, said Ralf Matthaes, founder of the Infocus Mekong Research consultancy in Ho Chi Minh City.“If you go like Samsung, Panasonic, the big guys, if they’re opened up again it would be a huge spike,” he said. Both foreign electronics firms and many others have cautiously operated their factories year to date. Vietnam’s relatively low coronavirus caseload of just 355 people with no deaths allows work to go on with few risks.In China and India, two other Asian manufacturing powerhouses, governments ordered factory closures at the height over their virus outbreaks.Domestic consumption further helped strengthen Vietnam’s economy in the second quarter, though people on the ground report that small stores have gone out of business. A lack of foreign tourists due to Vietnam’s ban on most arrivals is hurting hotels and airlines. The ban has left some foreign factory heads stuck in other countries, Matthaes said.The International Monetary Fund forecasts Vietnam to grow faster than any other Asian country with full-year GDP growth of 2.7 percent. The IMF expects Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal to grow as well but by smaller percentages.Vietnam’s second half of 2020 is widely expected to beat the first half. A free trade deal with the European Union will cut tariffs when it takes effect August 1. Spending before the Western year-end holidays should help too, Biswas said.“Vietnam is going to be one of the best performing Asia Pacific countries,” he said. “Vietnam won’t have a recession this year. It will be one of the only countries in Asia.”  
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WHO Urges African Countries Resuming Air Travel to Take Safety Measures

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The World Health Organization called on African countries Thursday to take comprehensive safety measures to “mitigate a surge” in COVID-19 cases, as nations resume air travel. The African economy, which is heavily reliant on travel and tourism, has been struck hard by the global pandemic. “Air travel is vital to the economic health of countries,” Dr. FILE – Passengers arriving from a China Southern Airlines flight from Changsha in China are screened for the coronavirus, upon their arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta international airport in Nairobi, Kenya, January 29, 2020.Thursday’s press release came hours after Amani Abou-Zeid, the African Union’s commissioner for infrastructure and energy, said that the continent had lost nearly $55 billion in travel and tourism revenue in just three months because of the pandemic. Africa had previously expected revenue jumps in these sectors this year. “We have 24 million African families whose livelihood is linked to travel and tourism,” Abou-Zeid said. “The blow is very hard, between the economic losses and the job losses.”  African airlines, she added, have experienced an $8 billion, or 95%, drop in revenue, alongside other economic losses. The International Monetary Fund projected last month that the sub-Saharan African economy would shrink by 3.2% this year, revised from a 1.6% contraction in April. The WHO, however, pressed countries to weigh the financial costs of maintaining closed borders with the costs of a more severe outbreak, and asked nations to decide if their health care and contact tracing systems could handle an increase in COVID-19 cases. Temperature screening at points of entry is relatively well-established in Africa because of the continent’s experience with Ebola, Moeti said Thursday at a WHO-World Economic Forum press conference. Ebola outbreaks have also primed COVID-19 contact tracing efforts, she said. As of Thursday, Africa had over 414,000 confirmed infections and nearly 200,000 recoveries, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over 10,000 people have died. South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria have reported the most cases in the region by far. About 22% of destinations worldwide had eased travel restrictions as of June 25, up from just 3% in mid-May, according to the U.N. World Tourism Organization. Most are in Europe.On Tuesday, the European Union released a list of 15 countries whose citizens would be allowed to enter the bloc, provided the gesture was reciprocated. 
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US Strategic Partners Urge More Attention to Black Sea

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Top diplomats from Ukraine, Georgia and Romania are urging the United States and NATO to step up their presence in the Black Sea region to discourage Moscow from advancing its aggressive agenda.Ambassadors from the three countries, all of which border the sea, voiced their concerns Thursday at an event organized by the Middle East Institute’s newly inaugurated Frontier Europe Initiative.Sitting at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the Black Sea has been fought over for centuries, noted Ukrainian Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko. More recently, Russia has enlarged its footprint around the strategically vital waterway by directly or indirectly seizing territory from Georgia in 2008 and from Ukraine in 2014.“We alone don’t have the capability to stand up to Russia,” acknowledged Yelchenko, who was joined in that assessment by Georgian Ambassador David Bakradze. Both urged the United States to bolster its presence in the region and to strengthen its allies and partners.Greater US, NATO presenceThe U.S. and NATO presence in the Black Sea region “skyrocketed” immediately after the Crimea crisis in 2014 but has since tapered off, said Heritage Foundation analyst Luke Coffey in an interview with VOA.In a paper published earlier this year, Coffey described the Black Sea as “having been fought over by some of the world’s major empires. Throughout history, it has proven to be one of the most geopolitically and economically important locations in the broader Eurasian region.”FILE – Shipping containers are seen in the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine, Nov. 4, 2016.Fuel, shippingOil and gas pipelines, as well as fiber-optic cables, run along the bottom of the sea, while hundreds of ships crisscross its surface daily moving people and goods, said Coffey, director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy at Heritage.For Russia, the sea is also the maritime gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and strategic points beyond.Coffey argued for a continuous NATO presence in the region, saying “every single day of the year, there should be at least one NATO ship” in the Black Sea.He acknowledged that NATO countries presently lack the ships and possibly the political will to maintain such a robust presence, especially with budgets constrained by the coronavirus pandemic. “Surface warships are very expensive defense capability.”He called for “creative solutions,” looking at how air and land assets could accompany a projection of naval force. The situation needs to be looked at “holistically,” he said, taking into account the differing levels of enthusiasm in the region for any alliance with the U.S. and its NATO partners.Romania, Coffey said, is the most enthusiastic NATO member among the countries that border the Black Sea, whereas Turkey wields the most maritime power in the region after Russia.Ankara support seen vitalThe ambassadors from Georgia, Romania and Ukraine agreed that no regional initiative is likely to bear fruit without the support of Ankara. “We would like to see Turkey more engaged,” said George Maior, Romanian ambassador to the United States.FILE – Romanian soldiers take part in a joint exercise with U.S. troops during Argedava Saber 17, a stage in Saber Guardian 17 exercises, in Bordusani, Ialomita, Romania, July 16, 2017.Romania, he said, has worked diligently and consistently with the Pentagon to increase and enhance the U.S. military presence, both on land and at sea.Several participants in the forum expressed hope that the United States and NATO would devote the same attention and resources to the Black Sea region as they have to the three Baltic states, all NATO members since 2004.While NATO membership still seems a distant prospect for Georgia and Ukraine, Coffey said that should not be ruled out.“If you were to ask people in the early 1990s what the prospect of Poland, Latvia joining NATO was, the answer you would likely get was ‘impossible,’ ” he said. Today both are not only alliance members but among the staunchest supporters of the institution.“We shouldn’t let Russia have the unofficial veto” over Georgia and Ukraine, he said.
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Botswana Investigates Mystery Deaths of At Least 275 Elephants

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Botswana is investigating a growing number of unexplained deaths of elephants, having confirmed 275 had died, up from 154 two weeks ago, the government said Thursday. The dead elephants were first spotted months ago in the Okavango Panhandle region, and the authorities say they have since been trying to discover the cause. Poaching has been ruled out as the cause of death, as the carcasses were found intact. “Three laboratories in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Canada have been identified to process the samples taken from the dead elephants,” the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism said in a statement. In a report prepared for the government and seen by Reuters, Elephants Without Borders (EWB), a conservation organization, said that its aerial surveys showed that elephants of all ages appeared to be dying. The group counted 169 dead elephants on May 25, and another 187 on June 14, according to the report. The directors of EWB did not immediately respond to phone calls or text messages seeking comment on the report. “Several live elephants that we observed appeared to be weak, lethargic and emaciated. Some elephants appeared disorientated, had difficulty walking, showed signs of partial paralysis or a limp,” the report said. “One elephant was observed walking in circles, unable to change direction although being encouraged by other herd members.” The report said urgent action was needed to establish if the deaths were caused by disease or poisoning. Africa’s overall elephant population is declining due to poaching, but Botswana, home to almost a third of the continent’s elephants, has seen numbers grow to 130,000 from 80,000 in the late 1990s. However, they are seen as a nuisance by some farmers, whose crops have been destroyed. President Mokgweetsi Masisi lifted a five-year ban on big game hunting in May last year but the hunting season failed to take off in April as global travel restrictions meant hunters from many coronavirus-hit countries could not enter Botswana.  
 
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South Africa Theater Puts on a Show for the World With Online Season 

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South Africa’s Market Theater is one of several African cultural institutions that has recently gone entirely online because of coronavirus restrictions that prevent large gatherings. But for this small institution often known as the “Theater of the Struggle” for its flouting of apartheid-era laws, obstacles are nothing new. Now, the theater hope its artistic message — which touches on local and global events — will resonate beyond the African continent.Johannesburg’s Market Theater is no stranger to struggle. It opened in 1976, at the height of South Africa’s racist apartheid system, and made a point of flouting segregation laws.  And so now, as a global pandemic has made live shows impossible, the institution’s artistic director, James Ngcobo says the show must go on — even if that means it goes online.  He told VOA the acclaimed theater, which has received 21 international awards for its work, is now seizing the opportunity to spread its stories well beyond this country, by streaming its entire season online.  Not only that — it is writing brand-new, topical shows that touch on the issues many South Africans — and people across the world — are facing right now. Ngcobo said he cooked up the plan shortly after South Africa’s government announced a strict total lockdown in late March, shuttering pretty much all non-essential businesses.   
“I then said to my team, ‘we are going on a long pause that we don’t know the pause is going to last for for how long. But our stories can never be on pause.’ And my team said to me. ‘So what do we do?’ And I said, ‘well, we are going to commission some of our finest playwrights to create works for us, that, at the moment, these short plays that are between 20 and 25 minutes, that we are producing for the virtual space.’” South African actor and playwright Paul Slabolepszy says it is more important than ever that art continues to be made. He spoke to VOA on the Google Hangouts platform.   “Without art, we are, we are nothing,” he said. “We explain ourselves, our conversations come through storytelling. If we were living just with the struggles that we have with no hope, life would be terrifying. We need stories all the time. We need to connect in any way we can to feel human.”  National theaters in Algeria and Egypt are also doing live shows online, and Somalia’s National Theater recently reopened for Independence Day celebrations —and hopefully more.   Meanwhile, major theaters on New York’s Broadway and London’s West End have also gone online. Ngcobo says the Market Theater has gotten an enthusiastic response to its online offerings from people in the U.S., Europe and other African countries.    But he laments that the continent’s artistic houses could do more. His theater is communicating with institutions in Ghana, Namibia and Zimbabwe to help them go online.  “In most places around the continent, it’s very sad because some places might not have the infrastructure that you find in other countries that I’ve mentioned, and South Africa. And so we are always looking at an idea of working with countries — especially Anglophone countries,” he said.At the small theater in central Johannesburg, the doors may be closed, and the lights may be off, but the curtain will still rise.  
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Rights Activists Say Danes Unaware of Racism in Their Nation

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Rights activists on Thursday accused Danish officials of being unable to recognize racism after authorities said the killing of a biracial man by two white men was not racially motivated.
 
“In Denmark, white people are colorblind. They cannot see that racism exists. That is embarrassing,”said Jette Moeller, head of the Danish chapter of SOS-Racism, an international association.  
“Of course, racism exists (in Denmark). We know that. It has been documented for years,” said Mira Chandhok Skadegaard, an assistant professor at Aalborg University in northern Denmark.
A biracial man was killed last month on a Danish Baltic Sea island. The Danish police, prosecutor, a defense lawyer and a white friend of the victim all say a personal relationship that went wrong  between the victim and the perpetrators was the reason for the slaying, not racism.  
The 28-year-old victim, who had Danish and African roots, was found on the island of Bornholm on June 23. Two white brothers in their 20s whom the victim reportedly knew have been detained until July 22 on suspicion of murder. None have been named by authorities.  
Speculation that the killing could be racially motivated began after it emerged that the victim’s death bore some similarities to that of George Floyd, a Black man who died May 25 in Minneapolis after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes even as Floyd pleaded for air. Floyd’s death has sparked protests around the world demanding racial justice and condemning police brutality.
The Danish chapter of Black Lives Matter wrote on Facebook that “two brothers committed a racial murder on Bornholm” and posted a photo of a swastika tattoo, claiming it was on one suspect’s leg.  
“Let a judge decide” whether the slaying was racially motivated, Moeller told The Associated Press in an interview. “But it should be investigated as a racially motivated crime. Knowing those who killed him doesn’t rule out it could include some racial elements.”
Activists like Moeller see a pattern of denial in Denmark, which they attribute to rising anti-immigrant attitudes in the Nordic country. She also points out that Denmark’s freedom of expression should not be used to denigrate people, and the miss-use of that right has previously brought the Scandinavian country of 10 million into the crosshairs of Muslims around the world.
“Racism is about the effect it has on other people … One cannot use the liberty of expression as an excuse to taunt others, like Rasmus Paludan does by burning copies of the Quran,” she said.
For months, Paludan, a far-right provocateur, has been touring the country and tossing copies of the Islamic holy book in the air before burning them before immigrants. This has sometimes led to brief confrontations between onlookers and police who have been protecting Paludan.
Last month, Paludan was convicted of racism, among other things, with a court ruling that “his statements were derogatory and degrading toward a population group.” He was given a three-month prison sentence, of which two were suspended, and his licence to practice law was suspended in part for three years. He has appealed the sentence.
In September 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons showing the Prophet Muhammad. This caused wide outrage among Muslims, who generally hold that any depiction of Muhammad is blasphemous and prompted often violent protests in Muslim countries. The newspaper — one of Denmark’s largest — said it had wanted to test whether cartoonists would apply self-censorship when asked to portray Muhammad. No Danish laws were violated with the cartoons’ publication.  
It was the same daily that in January published a cartoon with the Chinese flag with what resembles viruses instead of the normal stars, sparking China’s anger. In both cases, the Danish right to freedom of speech was invoked.  
In 2017, a 16-year-old Afghan boy was set on fire by four schoolmates but race was ruled out as factor. The four teenagers were found guilty of gross violence and the Afghan boy survived with burns on his legs and chest.  
A 2018 report by the European Union pointed out that hate crimes in Denmark had quadrupled over 11 years, from 35 reported cases in 2007 to 140 cases in 2016.
In Europe, “Denmark belongs to the tough group,” Moeller told the AP. “I believe that we’re on the right track as we start to discuss it, address it.”  
She noted that a racial justice demonstration in Copenhagen on June 7 drew at least 15,000 people.  
Chandhok Skadegaard, who has been studying discrimination for decades, said Danes “are far behind when it comes to recognizing racism in our society. Sweden is several steps ahead of Denmark … as is Norway, and Finland and England.”
“People tend to not report discrimination, because they find it is not acknowledged or taken seriously by the authorities,” she said.
In 2016, Denmark made international headlines when a law was passed requiring asylum-seekers to hand over valuables worth more than 10,000 kroner ($1,500), to help cover housing and food costs while their cases were being processed. Although the center-right government behind the move said it was in line with rules for unemployed Danes seeking benefits, critics denounced the law as inhumane.  
Still, the law has not been changed under Denmark’s present Social Democratic government. 
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