INTL Europe: Politics, Economics, and Military- October 2021

[Plain Jane]

UK MP David Amess stabbed to death in 'terrorist incident' – DW – 10/16/2021

The Conservative Party lawmaker was stabbed during a constituent meeting in Essex. Police have arrested a suspect and said investigations showed "a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism."

www.dw.com

UK MP David Amess stabbed to death in 'terrorist incident'
The Conservative Party lawmaker was stabbed during a constituent meeting in Essex. Police have arrested a suspect and said investigations showed "a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism."


Watch video01:44
UK lawmaker dies after being stabbed at meeting
UK Member of Parliament David Amess was killed Friday after being stabbed several times by a man who walked into his constituency meeting at a church in the seaside town of Leigh-on-Sea.

"He was treated by emergency services but, sadly, died at the scene," police said.
The UK Metropolitan police have called the attack a "terrorist incident."

"The early investigation has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism," police said in a statement published early Saturday.

What do we know about the stabbing?
The suspected assailant reportedly lunged at Amess during a meeting with voters in his constituency at the Belfairs Methodist church, stabbing him several times.

Essex police were called to the scene around 1200 (UTC), and said they arrested a 25-year-old man and recovered a knife soon thereafter.

Emergency workers had tried to stabilize Amess before moving him from the church. An air ambulance had been waiting outside the church to transport him to a hospital.

A UK counterterrorism unit has opened a probe into the stabbing. The police have urged anyone with information regarding the stabbing to come forward to authorities.

The Metropolitan police said they believe the attacker acted alone, and they "are not seeking anyone else in connection with the incident at this time."


Watch video02:51
UK lawmaker stabbed – DW's Charlotte Chelsom-Pill reports
Who was David Amess?
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Amess "a man who believed passionately in this country and and its future" and said police need to continue their investigation into the killing.

He said that "everyone was deeply shocked and heart stricken" by Amess's death. Johnson described the lawmaker as "one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics."


Watch video00:32
Johnson: Amess was 'one of the kindest people in politics'
Amess had been a Member of Parliament for Southend West, which includes Leigh-on-Sea, since 1997, but first became a lawmaker in 1983.

Unlike many in the Tory party, Amess did not study at an elite private school or university.
He worked in insurance and recruitment before graduating from local council politics to the Westminster Parliament. He was known as a hard-working and respected MP.

Amess was also a prominent Euroskeptic who campaigned for the leave campaign.
His interests, as listed on his website, are "animal welfare and pro-life issues."

Sir David Amess in the House of Commons

Amess grew up in the Roman Catholic faith and was a social conservative. He had also campaigned endlessly for Southend to receive city status while serving in Parliament.
The 69-year-old lawmaker was married and had four daughters and a son. He was knighted in 2015.

How have prominent UK figures reacted?
Politicians and prominent figures from across the political spectrum expressed shock at the stabbing and Amess's death.

Carrie Johnson, the wife of Boris Johnson, called it "absolutely devastating news" and said the lawmaker was "hugely kind and good."

UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab called Amess "a common sense politician and formidable campaigner with a big heart and tremendous generosity of spirit."


"Rest in peace David," Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted. "You were a champion of animal welfare, the less fortunate, and the people of Southend West. You will be missed by many."

"Let us remember him and what he did with his life," Health Minister Sajid Javid said while calling Amess "a great man, a great friend and a great MP killed while fulfilling his democratic role."

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney called the stabbing a "shocking and tragic incident."
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said, "this is awful beyond words."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said on Twitter that they were "shocked and saddened" by the death of Amess.

Former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted earlier in the day: "Very alarming and worrying news reports coming from Leigh-on-Sea. My thoughts and prayers are with Sir David Amess and his family."

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer tweeted that it was "Horrific and deeply shocking news. Thinking of David, his family and his staff."
Reactions also poured in from abroad.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US "send its deepest condolences" to Amess' friends and family. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Amess a "true friend of Israel" who "always stood with the Jewish community."

Stabbing comes five years after killing of Labour Party MP
The stabbing comes five years after Labour Party MP Jo Cox was killed in her northern England constituency.

"Attacking our elected representatives is an attack on democracy itself. There is no excuse, no justification. It is as cowardly as it gets," Cox's widow, Brendan Cox, tweeted on Friday after reports of the stabbing.

British lawmakers generally do not have police protection in their constituencies. Amess had shared the times and locations of open meetings with constituents on his website.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said Friday that the stabbing raises questions "about the safety of our nation's elected representatives." She ordered an immediate review of the security arrangements of members of Parliament.

Flags outside Parliament have been lowered to half-staff following the stabbing.
jc, wd/wmr (Reuters, AP, AFP)

See this thread also:

CRIME - MP Sir David Amess stabbed at constituency meeting: He has died and the perp has been arrested

MP Sir David Amess stabbed at constituency meeting Published 10 minutes ago Image source, UK Parliament Conservative MP Sir David Amess has been stabbed as he met constituents at a regular surgery. Essex Police said they were called to reports of a stabbing in Leigh-on-Sea at 12:05 BST and...

www.timebomb2000.com

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Huge Dock Worker Protests In Italy, Fears Of Disruption, As Covid 'Green Pass' Takes Effect

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, OCT 16, 2021 - 07:35 AM
Following Israel across the Mediterranean being the first country in the world to implement an internal Covid passport allowing only vaccinated citizens to engage in all public activity, Italy on Friday implemented its own 'Green Pass' in the strictest and first such move for Europe.

The fully mandatory for every Italian citizen health pass "allows" entry into work spaces or activities like going to restaurants and bars, based on one of the following three conditions that must be met:

• proof of at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine
• or proof of recent recovery from an infection
• or a negative test within the past 48 hours

Via AFP
It's already being recognized in multiple media reports as among "the world's strictest anti-COVID measures" for workers. First approved by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's cabinet a month ago, it has now become mandatory on Oct.15.

Protests have been quick to pop up across various parts of the country, particularly as workers who don't comply can be fined 1,500 euros ($1,760); and alternately workers can be forced to take unpaid leave for refusing the jab. CNN notes that it triggered "protests at key ports and fears of disruption" on Friday, detailing further:

The largest demonstrations were at the major northeastern port of Trieste, where labor groups had threatened to block operations and around 6,000 protesters, some chanting and carrying flares, gathered outside the gates.
Around 40% of Trieste's port workers are not vaccinated, said Stefano Puzzer, a local trade union official, a far higher proportion than in the general Italian population.

Workers at the large port of Trieste have effectively blocked access to the key transport hub...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1448923512337469456

View: https://twitter.com/alessiopadella/status/1448923512337469456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1448923512337469456%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fcovid-19%2Fhuge-dock-worker-protests-italy-fears-disruption-covid-green-pass-takes-effect


As The Hill notes, anyone wishing to travel to Italy anytime soon will have to obtain the green pass: "The pass is already required in Italy for both tourists and nationals to enter museums, theatres, gyms and indoor restaurants, as well as to board trains, buses and domestic flights."

The prime minister had earlier promoted the pass as a way to ensure no more lockdowns in already hard hit Italy, which has had an estimated 130,000 Covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the requirement of what's essentially a domestic Covid passport is practically catching on in other parts of Europe as well, with it already being required to enter certain hospitality settings in German and Greece, for example. Some towns in Germany have reportedly begun requiring vaccination proof just to enter stores. So likely the Italy model will soon be enacted in Western Europe as well.

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

German State Allows Food Stores To Ban The Unvaccinated

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, OCT 16, 2021 - 09:20 AM
Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News,
The German newspaper BILD reports that the state of Hesse has passed a motion that will allow food stores to decide whether they want to BAN unvaccinated people from entering.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1448715317123948544

View: https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1448715317123948544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1448715317123948544%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Fgerman-state-allows-food-stores-ban-unvaccinated


Translated, the report reads:

The pressure on the unvaccinated grows and grows!
In Hesse, all retailers, including the supermarket, can now decide for themselves whether they want to implement the 3G rule (vaccinated, tested, recovered) or the 2G rule – so far there have been no access restrictions in supermarkets to give everyone the option of basic services grant.
The Hessian State Chancellery confirms to BILD that the “2G option model” also applies to the food retail sector.

An English language report on the development notes “2G regulations refer to public places where only vaccinated persons are given the option to enter.“

The so called 3G rules still require anyone wanting to enter a building to prove they have tested negative, but the 2G rules remove that option altogether.

The German government had excluded supermarkets and stores selling essential items from most restrictions, but Hesse’s government has now put this decision into the hands of the stores.

The federal state is home to more than six million people and includes the major city of Frankfurt.


The move means that a total of eight federal states in Germany now allow businesses and event organizers to institute the so-called 2G option.

What is the goal of this move? To literally starve to death people who refuse to take vaccines?

As we have previously reported, footage from France highlights how some shops are attempting to prevent people without vaccine passports from entering, despite the fact that the country’s COVID passport law states that retailers with a surface area of less than 20,000 square meters are supposed to be exempt.

In Chile earlier this year, video emerged of an elderly woman being refused entry to a supermarket because she didn’t obtain the necessary government permission to buy groceries under the country’s lockdown rules.



Meanwhile in the UK, supermarket staff threatened to call the police after a man who was medically exempt from wearing a mask refused to wear a yellow sticker that staff attempted to place on him.

 

[northern watch]

Tens of thousands demonstrate in Rome against neo-fascists
Tens of thousands of union members and other Italians have gathered in Rome a week after right-wing extremists forced their way into the headquarters of Italy’s most powerful labor confederation

By The Associated Press
16 October 2021, 07:16

The Associated Press
Demonstrators take part in a march organized by Italy's main labor unions, in Rome's St. John Lateran square, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. The march was called a week after protesters, armed with sticks and metal bars, smashed their way into the headquarters of CGIL, a left-leaning union, and trashed its office, during a demonstration to protest a government rule requiring COVID-19 vaccines or negative tests for workers to enter their offices. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

ROME -- Tens of thousands of union members and other Italians gathered in Rome to stand up against rising fascism Saturday, a week after right-wing extremists forced their way into the headquarters of Italy's most powerful labor confederation while protesting a COVID-19 certification requirement for workplaces.

The head of the CGIL union confederation, Maurizio Landini, led the protest with other labor leaders under the slogan: “Never again fascism.” Organizers put the crowd assembled in front of St. John Lateran basilica for the protest at 100,000-strong,

Some participants waved flags reading “Si Vax,” a direct retort to the protesters armed with sticks and metal bars who trashed CGIL's Rome headquarters on Oct. 9. They were protesting a government requirement, which took effect Friday, mandating proof of vaccination, a negative test within 48 hours or proof of having recovered from COVID-19 to access places of employment.

Landini, CGIL’s secretary general, has compared the assault on the union headquarters to 1921 attacks by the newly founded Fascist party against union organizers. Fascist leader Benito Mussolini came to power the next year and later brought Italy into World War II as an ally of Nazi Germany.

Landini said Saturday's event was intended as “a demonstration that defends democracy for everyone. This is the topic.’’

The head of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CISL) trade union, Luigi Sbarra, said an attack against unions led by the far-right Forza Nuova party “made the only choice to be here, united against all types of fascism.” He called for the swift dissolution of the party by Italian authorities.

Tens of thousands demonstrate in Rome against neo-fascists - ABC News (go.com)

 

[Plain Jane]

Golden Dawn is down, but Greek far right rises – DW – 10/17/2021

A year after the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn was banned, other nationalist groups are cropping up across Greece. Extremist attacks have become more frequent in the past month.

www.dw.com

Golden Dawn is down, but far right rises again in Greece
A year after the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn was banned, other nationalist groups are cropping up across Greece. Extremist attacks have become more frequent in the past month.




Clashes between leftist and right-wing extremists have become frequent, especially in Thessaloniki

The images from a vocational school in Stavroupoli, a suburb of Thessaloniki in northern Greece, were shocking. On September 27, hooded youths dressed in black used crowbars, knives and stones against peers who had distributed leaflets criticizing the right-wing government's education policies. The attackers later gave the Nazi salute in the schoolyard.

The attack was the first in a series of similar incidents in Greece in recent weeks carried out by groups that are considered to be the successors of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, which was banned in October 2020. In Ilioupoli, another suburb of Thessaloniki, members of the youth organization of the Communist Party were attacked with baseball bats and iron chains in broad daylight. Four were injured. A neo-Nazi parade took place on October 1 in the suburb of Evosmos — and escalated from there.

Police detained and arrested 38 students following the recent incident in Evosmos

And it's not just happening in Thessaloniki: people working with refugees, members of the Movement United Against Racism and Fascist Threat (KEERFA), were also recently attacked in the Neo Irakleio district of the Greek capital, Athens.

'Far right stoking fear of uncertainty'
Konstantinos Tsitselikis, a professor who specializes in human rights and international organizations at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, told DW that the attack in Stavroupoli did not come out of the blue. "Unfortunately, there are far-right groups in many schools," he said. "They are dispersed all over the country, mostly in areas which are economically deprived, where neo-Nazi groups can easily recruit teenagers. What is worse is that some teachers tolerate this recruitment or even encourage it. It's a phenomenon that needs more attention."

Ten years ago, right-wing extremism in Greece was most visible in the greater Athens area. Golden Dawn members would hunt down people they presumed to be migrants on a daily basis in the center of the capital or the more working-class neighborhoods of the nearby port city, Piraeus.


Watch video03:44
Iranian asylum-seeker faces racist threats in Greece
But since 2018, Thessaloniki has also been a stronghold of the far-right. The development was exacerbated by nationalist rallies that took place there against the 2018 Prespa agreement, which was reached to resolve the long-standing political conflict between Greece and the neighboring country now known as North Macedonia.

Tsitselikis is very worried about the rise of right-wing extremism in Greek schools. "Students may be flexible and open to different political ideologies because of their age," he said. "But we need to look for the deeper reasons to explain why it has become an acceptable choice for young people, although there are several alternatives."

He said the familiarity with right-wing extremist ideology observed in Greece and across Europe, in political discourse and the media, was one cause. "The far-right is stoking fear of uncertainty, and in my opinion this uncertainty is the source of its strength," he said, adding that there appears to be a growing tolerance of neo-Nazi movements in Europe.

After Golden Dawn, new far-right groups step up
Tsitselikis said after the banning of Golden Dawn and the jailing of its leaders last year, the extreme right had actually gained strength in Greece, even suggesting that the conviction of the party leader and founder Nikolaos G. Michaloliakos and others had paved the way for more extreme groups such as Holy Corps and Propatria.

The Golden Dawn party was banned in 2020, but its ideology still has many sympathizers

"The extreme right undoubtedly suffered a heavy blow with the conviction of the leaders of Golden Dawn, but it had to do with the fact that it had been previously legalized in the public sphere," he said, explaining that now that there were no longer any neo-Nazis in parliament, smaller groups who are militantly against democratic pluralism had radicalized even more.

"After these changes, Golden Dawn will struggle to survive, whereas many other formations will lay claim to the public sphere and might even aim to create a new political party."

The ruling conservative New Democracy party is attempting a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, it doesn't want to scare away the moderate center-right and even center-left supporters of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government; on the other, it's also reaching out to the far right.

In the most recent cabinet reshuffle in September, the prime minister appointed as health minister Thanos Plevris — the third minister with a far-right background in the current administration. He joined Interior Minister Makis Voridis and Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis. All three began their political careers with the far-right nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) and continue to act as a link to far-right movements, alongside Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi, a right-wing hard-liner.

Ministers Makis Voridis (center) and Thanos Plevris (right) both have a far-right background

Alliance between anti-vaxxers and far-right
There also seems to be a noticeable link between people who oppose vaccinations and far-right militants, said Tsitselikis. Depending on the circumstances, he said, the far-right promotes random pseudo-resistance to certain state policies. With regard to COVID-19, right-ring extremists had exploited the ignorance and fears of a large part of the population.

"If there is an obligation to be vaccinated, or those who are not vaccinated seem to be at a disadvantage socially and economically, the response to the vaccine can take on the dimension of a resistance movement with strong political overtones," said Tsitselikis, adding that the leaders of far-right movements had succeeded in imposing their own views on such movements or adopted them as part of a general right-wing extremist ideology.

"People who enter these spaces find protection, an identity and a voice," he said. "This is a dangerous paradigm because it can easily become a central political project that challenges fundamental democratic achievements."
This article has been translated from German

 

[Plain Jane]

Russia suspends mission to NATO – DW – 10/18/2021

The Kremlin is also closing the alliance's liaison mission in Moscow. The announcement comes after NATO expelled eight members of the Russian mission to the military alliance.

www.dw.com

Russia suspends its mission to NATO
The Kremlin is also closing the alliance's liaison mission in Moscow. The announcement comes after NATO expelled eight members of the Russian mission to the military alliance.




Russia's decision to suspend its NATO mission is the latest escalation between Moscow and the trans-Atlantic alliance

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that his country is suspending its mission to NATO.

What did Lavrov say?
He said the move was a response to the expulsion of eight Russian staff at the military alliance's mission last week. NATO said the individuals expelled were in fact "undeclared Russian intelligence officers." The expulsions meant that half of the Moscow team were prohibited from working at NATO's Brussels headquarters.

"As a result of NATO's deliberate moves, we have practically no conditions for elementary diplomatic work and in response to NATO's actions we suspend the work of our permanent mission to NATO, including the work of the chief military envoy," said the foreign minister.


Watch video00:25
Lavrov: 'We suspend the activities of our permanent mission to NATO'
Lavrov, who complained that "NATO is neither interested in an equal dialogue nor in cooperation," said staff at Russia's NATO military mission in Moscow would also be stripped of their accreditation from November 1. If needed, he said, NATO could interact with Russia via its embassy in Brussels, Russian news agencies reported.

In response to the Monday announcement, a NATO spokesperson said: "We have taken note of Minister Lavrov's comments to the media, however, we have not received any official communication on the issues he raised."



Watch video00:31
Maas: 'This will seriously damage relations'
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told DW that Russia's decision to shutter its NATO mission make relations with Moscow more difficult. "We must acknowledge more and more that Russia no longer seems to be [willing to cooperate]," said Maas, who called the decision "more than just regrettable ... It will seriously damage the relationship."

In assessing the situation, former senior NATO official Jamie Shea told DW: "Of course, it's easier if there are people in Brussels that they [NATO] could talk to. But given the poor state of the relationship, this does not make a major difference.

Shea, who served as deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges at NATO until retiring in 2018, added: "These are two sides that haven't really been talking to each other very much — certainly not at the working level. And of course, as Russia shows no sign of withdrawing from Crimea anytime soon — which was NATO's condition to return to normal relations — this situation is likely to continue for a long time to come."



Watch video01:50
DW joins NATO's naval training in Black Sea
What is the current state of NATO-Russia ties?
Practical cooperation between Russia and NATO was suspended in 2014, in response to Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Nevertheless, the two have maintained open channels of communication to facilitate high-level military-to-military coordination.

The so-called NATO-Russia Council, too, has seldom met since relations between Russia and the West soured in the wake of Russian provocations, including its activities in Ukraine, its nuclear missile deployment, regular encroachments into NATO airspace and the harassment of NATO ships at sea.
js/rt (AP, Reuters, AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Denmark Reveals Cost Of Non-Western Immigration; $5 Billion Per Year

BY TYLER DURDEN
TUESDAY, OCT 19, 2021 - 03:30 AM
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News,
The net cost of non-western immigration to Denmark, after tax contributions have been deducted, has been revealed to be nearly $5 billion a year.



Yes, really.

The Danish Ministry of Finance revealed in its annual report that the cost amounted to DKK 31 billion ($4.8 billion) in 2018, a figure that leader of the opposition Danish People’s Party, Kristian Thulesen Dahl described as “astronomical.”

“The figure is based on state spending for public services related to immigration and welfare benefits received by immigrants and included state expenditures on healthcare, child care, education, and culture,” reports Sputnik.
“By contrast, tax contributions were deducted from the total.”

Apparently, diversity isn’t a strength, it’s actually a huge drain on public resources.

The majority of the money – DKK 24 billion ($3.7 billion) is spent on migrants from MENAPT nations (Middle East and North Africa plus Pakistan and Turkey), who comprise 55 percent of all non-western immigrants.

These migrants cost the state DKK 85,000 ($13,000) per person compared to just 4,000 per person from other non-western countries.

The $4.8 billion has actually decreased compared to previous years thanks to Denmark pursuing a harder line on immigration and attempting to eliminate migrant ghettos.


However, the Danish People’s Party wants to go further by “deporting 70 percent of immigrants by 2030, if they have committed something criminal, haven’t mastered Danish, or have been unemployed for a long time.”

Earlier this year, Denmark launched a new immigration policy that will ensure areas of the country have no more than 30 per cent of people from a non-western background.

As we previously highlighted, a study by academics at the University of Copenhagen found that ethnic diversity has a negative impact on communities because it erodes trust.

Seeking to answer whether “continued immigration and corresponding growing ethnic diversity” was having a positive impact on community cohesion, the study found the opposite to be the case.

 

[northern watch]

EU top official clashes with Polish PM over rule of law
The European Union’s top official has locked horns with Poland’s prime minister, arguing that a recent ruling from the country’s constitutional court challenging the supremacy of EU laws is a threat to the bloc’s foundations and won’t be left unanswered
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press
19 October 2021, 08:02

The Associated Press
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen delivers her speech Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. The European Union's top official locked horns Tuesday with Poland's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, arguing that a recent ruling from the country's constitutional court challenging the supremacy of EU laws is a threat to the bloc's foundations and won't be left unanswered. (Ronald Wittek, Pool Photo via AP)

BRUSSELS -- The European Union's top official locked horns Tuesday with Poland's prime minister, arguing that a recent ruling from the country's constitutional court challenging the supremacy of EU laws is a threat to the bloc's foundations and won't be left unanswered.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki laid bare their differences of opinion on rule-of-law principles during a heated debate with EU lawmakers.

Von der Leyen accused Morawiecki of trying to run away and escape the debate on the primacy of European law. He in turn insisted that Poles are in favor of the “power of the rule of law" and “don't believe in blackmail or paternalistic attitudes" toward their country.

“We cannot and we will not allow our common values to be put at risk. The commission will act,” von der Leyen said.

The issue is bound to dominate a two-day EU summit starting Thursday where Morawiecki will again have to face plenty of critics, including EU juggernauts Germany and France.

The two nations said that disregarding such EU rules would come at a cost.

“To think it is a simple piece of paper that you can tear up, from which you can choose what you like and what you don't,” bristled France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune. “Those are values sovereignly chosen and sovereignly shared.”

His German counterpart, Michael Roth, agreed and added that “it is very important that we send a signal to Polish society. We are by the side of all those who stand up for Europe, and that is the overwhelming majority of Poles,” he said, highlighting how the nation still overwhelmingly backs EU membership.

Relations between Poland and the EU have been rocky for years and reached a new low earlier this month after the tribunal ruled that Polish laws take precedence over those of the 27-nation bloc, which Poland joined in 2004. The ruling escalated lingering tensions over democratic standards between Poland's right-wing nationalist government and EU institutions in Brussels.

In her introduction, Von der Leyen said the Polish ruling challenges “the unity of the European legal order” and undermines the protection of judicial independence.

“The rule of law is the glue that binds our union together,” von der Leyen said.

At the heart of the dispute is the question of who should have the most power within the bloc — each individual nation over its citizens or the EU institutions over the member nations. It was the prime mover behind the exit of Britain from the EU, and it has stirred passions in several Eastern and Central European nations like Poland and Hungary.

The whole idea behind the EU is that a united front will make the 27 nations a formidable power in the world, while they would be bystanders just as individual countries. But even if member states are happy to see that power used in international relations, some abhor it when it affects them.

Morawiecki described Poland as a nation that is being intimidated and attacked by an EU whose top court issues rulings that aim to take more and more power away from its nations. He insisted that the EU must remain a union of sovereign states until all its members agree by treaty to give up more of their own national powers.

“We are now seeing a creeping revolution taking place by way of verdicts of the European Court of Justice,” he said.

Morawiecki defended his country’s stance that the highest law in Poland is the country’s constitution. He insisted that Poland abides by EU treaties and brushed off comment from opponents of his government who fear that the court’s ruling has put the country on a path to a possible exit from the EU.

Morawiecki also said he sees double standards in the EU rulings on Poland’s changes to its judiciary, noting that each country has its own judicial system, with politicians electing judges in some cases.

The European Commission has several options to try to make Warsaw comply with EU law, notably by continuing to hold up the country’s access to billions of euros in European money to help revive its economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The EU's executive arm can also start infringement procedures, or decide to activate a mechanism allowing the suspension of payments of EU money to a member country breaching the principles of the rule of law in a way that affects the bloc's budget or financial interests.

A majority of lawmakers urged the European Commission to trigger the mechanism, but several EU countries are instead pleading for more dialogue with Poland.

Von der Leyen said she is open to compromise.

“I have always been a proponent of dialogue and I will always be," she said. “This is a situation that can and must be resolved. And we want a strong Poland in a united Europe."

The Polish tribunal majority ruling — in response to a case brought by Morawiecki — said Poland’s EU membership did not give the European Court of Justice supreme legal authority and did not mean that Poland had shifted its legal sovereignty to the EU.

Morawiecki asked for the review after the European Court of Justice ruled in March that Poland’s new regulations for appointing judges to the Supreme Court could violate EU law. The ruling obliged Poland’s government to discontinue the rules that gave politicians influence over judicial appointments. To date, Poland has not complied.

Last month, the European Commission asked the European Court of Justice to impose daily fines on Poland until it improves the functioning of the Polish Supreme Court and suspends the laws that were deemed to undermine judicial independence.

Morawiecki told EU lawmakers during the debate that a disputed disciplinary chamber of Poland’s Supreme Court will be closed, because it did not meet expectations, without offering a clear timeline.

———

Raf Casert in Brussels and Vanessa Gera and Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed to this story.

EU top official clashes with Polish PM over rule of law - ABC News (go.com)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Winter Is Coming: Russia Signals No Extra Gas For Europe Without Nord Stream 2

BY TYLER DURDEN
TUESDAY, OCT 19, 2021 - 10:55 AM
The big picture was clear to anyone who bothered to keep their eyes open: back in August, when we first reported that Russian supplies of nat gas via the Yamal pipeline had collapsed and when the first stirrings of the upcoming surge in nat gas prices were emerging, we said to "call it a perfect storm of declining supplies, lack of sufficient inventories and ongoing geopolitical posturing as Russia piles pressure on EU authorities to approve the dual-pipeline Nord Stream 2 project through the Baltic Sea and into Germany, while gas shippers are running low on time and, indeed, options to keep Europe adequately supplied this winter."

Specifically, we also warned that "a worst case scenario could see European gas prices explode to suborbital levels that would make Jeff Bezos proud should the continent fail to stock up on sufficient nat gas amounts."

Indeed, that's precisely what happened in the ensuing two months

But more importantly, even though Europe is now facing a devastating cold winter with widespread blackouts, Europe's unelected bureaucrats still refuse to accept the reality in which Putin calls all the shots.

So perhaps to make it very clear what it would take to avoid a miserable, freezing winter, today Russia signaled that it won’t go out of its way to offer European consumers extra gas to ease the current energy crisis unless it gets something in return: regulatory approval to start shipments through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

In exchange for upping supplies, Bloomberg reports citing people close to state-run gas giant Gazprom and the Kremlin - that Russia wants what was clear to anyone - i.e., to get German and European Union approval to begin using the pipeline to Europe.

“We cannot ride to the rescue just to compensate for mistakes that we didn’t commit,”
Konstantin Kosachyov, a top pro-Kremlin legislator in the upper house of parliament, said in an interview, without specifying what Russia is seeking. “We’re fulfilling all our contracts, all our obligations. Everything on top of that should be a subject for additional voluntary and mutually beneficial agreements.”

Well, Russia clearly has good lawyers to find all the loopholes that allow it to ship far less gas than it has recently while remaining in compliance with its contractual terms.

To underscore the point, Nord Stream 2 said Monday its first line is full of so-called technical gas and ready to begin operation, though it can’t ship it until regulatory approval is granted. That announcement came hours after European gas prices spiked on news that Gazprom had again bid for only a small amount of capacity to ship the fuel to Europe via other routes.

Amusingly, Bloomberg spins the narrative as if it is somehow Moscow's responsibility to keep Europe warm saying that "as surging fuel costs have caused increasing economic havoc, pressure has grown on Russia, Europe’s largest supplier, to pump more. Extra Russian gas is seen as the main way to avoid an even deeper supply crunch in the middle of the winter."
Actually, the truth is that if energy prices don't plunge - and soon - the pressure will grow on Europe's politicians to find gas at any price or meet an angry mob. As for Russia, as long as it complies with its contract, if it is willing to forego on marginal profits for additional gas exports well that's entirely it's decision.

Meanwhile, amid deep sanctions targeting the Kremlin which has emerged as the "biggest western enemy" as a distraction for Hillary Clinton's catastrophic failure to win the 2016 presidency, the Kremlin has zero appetite to do any favors. Although exports to Europe are up this year from last year’s depressed levels, they lag those seen in 2019, according to the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Daily flows have dropped in October and Gazprom has been slow to refill storage facilities it owns in Europe, adding to upward pressure on prices. Russia has blamed an overly hasty shift to relying on spot markets and alternative energy sources for the crisis.

Mocking the gullible Europe, last week President Vladimir Putin suggested at an energy conference that Russia could offer more gas. But he also lamented the slow progress on getting approval for Nord Stream 2, a process that could take until well into next year. German regulators are currently reviewing its application for certification but have said their initial decision could come only in January, after which the European Commission would also have to give the go-ahead.

“If we could increase deliveries through this route, this would substantially ease tension on the European energy market,” Putin said. “However, we cannot do this so far because of the administrative barriers.”

In other words, if Europe freeze this winter it has nobody to blame but itself... and the ESG lobby of course, whose impact has led to a collapse in traditional fossil fuel investments and a decimation of Europe's legacy energy infrastructure.

 

[Plain Jane]

And on a lighter note...

Thanks but no: UK queen turns down 'Oldie of the Year' title

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch. But don’t call her an oldie. The 95-year-old queen has politely declined the honor of being named “Oldie of the Year” by a British magazine, saying she does not meet “the relevant criteria.”

apnews.com

Thanks but no: UK queen turns down ‘Oldie of the Year’ title
yesterday



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FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021 file photo, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Patron, leaves after attending a Service of Thanksgiving to mark the Centenary of the Royal British Legion at Westminster Abbey, in London. Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch. But don’t call her an oldie. The 95-year-old queen has politely declined the honor of being named “Oldie of the Year” by a British magazine. The Oldie magazine on Tuesday Oct. 19, 2021, published the queen’s response to its suggestion. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool, File)

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch. But don’t call her an oldie.

The 95-year-old queen has politely declined the honor of being named “Oldie of the Year” by a British magazine, saying she does not meet “the relevant criteria.”

The Oldie magazine on Tuesday published the queen’s response to its suggestion that she follow in the footsteps of former recipients, including former Prime Minister John Major, actor Olivia de Havilland and artist David Hockney.

“Her Majesty believes you are as old as you feel, as such The Queen does not believe she meets the relevant criteria to be able to accept, and hopes you will find a more worthy recipient,” said a letter from her assistant private secretary, Tom Laing-Baker. He ended the letter “with Her Majesty’s warmest best wishes.”

The queen, who was widowed this year, still keeps a busy schedule of royal duties. On Tuesday she held audiences with diplomats and hosted a reception at Windsor Castle for global business leaders.

The Oldie of the Year prize honors people of advanced age who have made a special contribution to public life. The queen’s husband Prince Philip, who died in April, received the accolade in 2011, when he was 90.

After the queen declined, this year’s Oldie of the Year award went to movie royalty instead: French-American actress and dancer Leslie Caron, 90.

 

[Plain Jane]

UK, New Zealand approve trade deal; hope it opens more doors

LONDON (AP) — Britain agreed to a trade deal with New Zealand on Wednesday, eliminating tariffs on a wide range of goods as the U.K. seeks to expand economic links around the world following its exit from the European Union.

apnews.com

Click to copy
UK, New Zealand approve trade deal; hope it opens more doors
By DANICA KIRKA and NICK PERRYyesterday



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FILE - Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he makes his keynote speech at the Conservative party conference in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. Britain agreed to a trade deal with New Zealand on Wednesday, Oct. 20, eliminating tariffs on a wide range of goods as the U.K. seeks to expand economic links around the world following its exit from the European Union. The deal was cemented in a conference call between Johnson and his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, after 16 months of talks by negotiators. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
LONDON (AP) — Britain agreed to a trade deal with New Zealand on Wednesday, eliminating tariffs on a wide range of goods as the U.K. seeks to expand economic links around the world following its exit from the European Union.

The deal was cemented in a conference call between U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern, after 16 months of talks by negotiators.

Although trade with New Zealand accounts for only 0.2% of the U.K.’s trade, Britain hopes it will help open the door toward membership in the trans-Pacific trade partnership.

The partnership, which includes Japan, Canada, and Vietnam, had GDP of 8.4 trillion pounds ($11.6 trillion) in 2020.

“This is a great trade deal for the United Kingdom, cementing our long friendship with New Zealand and furthering our ties with the Indo-Pacific,” Johnson said. “It will benefit businesses and consumers across the country, cutting costs for exporters and opening up access for our workers.″

In New Zealand, where it was Thursday when the announcement came, Ardern said the deal was among the best ever achieved by New Zealand and would boost the nation’s economy by about 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($720 million) as it opens the way for more sales of the country’s wine, butter, cheese and beef.https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-asia-hong-kong-seoul-bca377f88357917913952c06c2cf47bc

“This is a historic but substantial deal and it’s been achieved basically in a year,” Ardern said. “That has never been done before.”

Trade officials in the U.K. trumpeted the benefits of the deal, declaring that sauvignon blanc wine, Manuka honey and kiwi fruit from New Zealand would be cheaper for British consumers. Clothing, buses and bulldozers will also no longer face tariffs.

British farmers expressed disquiet, however, saying the deal, together with another signed with Australia earlier this year, would mean significant extra volumes of imported food at a time when labor shortages and rising costs are already hurting many U.K. farmers.

“This could damage the viability of many British farms in the years ahead, to the detriment of the public, who want more British food on their shelves, and to the detriment of our rural communities and cherished farmed landscapes,″ National Farmers Union President Minette Batters said.

“Instead of repeating the refrain that these deals will be good for British agriculture, our government now needs to explain how these deals will tangibly benefit farming, the future of food production and the high standards that go along with it on these shores,” Batters said.
Asked if the deal meant New Zealand would be less reliant on China for its exports, Ardern said diversification would improve options and resilience for its exporters.

There remain some hurt feelings in New Zealand after Britain joined what was then the European Economic Community back in 1973, leaving many New Zealand exporters feeling abandoned.

Ardern said the new deal meant that perhaps it was time to draw a line under that period of history.

Some of the details of the deal are still being finalized, and officials expect it to come into effect next year.

Johnson’s Conservative government has been focused on negotiating free trade deals around the world in an effort to boost economic growth following Brexit. The biggest prize would be a trade deal with the United States, although a deal with America seems far off.
___
Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
___
Follow all AP stories on post-Brexit developments in Britain at Brexit.
https://www.libertymutual.com/multi...cm-ddis-brd-mem-107113-190415018-4593918-3758

 

[Plain Jane]

EU leaders seek to safeguard energy supplies as prices soar

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders struggled to find a common ground during a long debate Thursday on how to ease the pain of soaring energy bills. The hours-long energy discussion at the EU leaders’ summit came amid spiraling prices that are pummeling households and businesses still reeling...

apnews.com

EU leaders seek to safeguard energy supplies as prices soar
By MIKE CORDER, RAF CASERT and SAMUEL PETREQUINyesterday



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Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel talks to journalists as she arrives for an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021. European Union leaders head into a standoff between Poland and most of the other EU member nations over the rule of law in the eastern member state. Other issues for the 27 EU leaders include climate change, the energy crisis, COVID-19 developments and migration. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders struggled to find a common ground during a long debate Thursday on how to ease the pain of soaring energy bills.

The hours-long energy discussion at the EU leaders’ summit came amid spiraling prices that are pummeling households and businesses still reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In need of immediate solutions, leaders are also seeking to safeguard energy supplies to the 27-nation bloc by speeding up the transition away from polluting fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives.

To help consumers and companies this winter, leaders agreed that tax cuts, state aid and other measures like bill payment deferrals proposed by the European Commission would be useful on both the short and longer terms.

In their conclusions, they asked the EU’s executive arm to look into the gas and electricity markets, as well as the bloc’s emissions trading program, under which companies pay for carbon dioxide they emit. The aim is to check whether manipulation of the market could have influenced the carbon price increase.

But there was no mention of setting up a joint procurement program for gas reserves, an idea recently proposed by Spain.

The talks came just 10 days ahead of the opening of a U.N. climate summit that is widely seen as the last chance to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU’s executive and its member states already are working to ease the burden of soaring energy bills on households and businesses.

She said leaders also will have to look at the way energy markets function but stressed that “in the mid and long term, it is very clear that the strategy has to be to invest massively in clean and renewable energy” produced in Europe.

The debate on spiraling energy prices also took place against a backdrop of frosty relations with Russia, a key supplier of gas to Europe.

Von der Leyen said Wednesday that with the bloc importing 90% of its gas — much of it from strategic rival Russia — “this makes us vulnerable.” Gas makes up one quarter of all European energy consumption.
https://apnews.com/article/coronavi...ealth-russia-66c72c8f7e8fc20ee35473d3c0d81306

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the energy price explosion this year the consequence “of a big geopolitical game.”

Von der Leyen has said that while Norway had raised its gas exports to the bloc to meet increased demand, Russia’s Gazprom had not gone beyond honoring its long-term contracts with the EU.

Gas prices have soared this year to 95 euros from about 19 euros per megawatt hour, affecting everything from household heating bills to farmers and food producers. The EU’s executive commission says that lower-income households are hardest hit because they spend a higher proportion of their income on energy. Many countries have already offered energy tax cuts to ease the pain.

While all leaders want to minimize the impact of soaring energy prices on their populations, they differ on how to do it.

Entering Thursday’s summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the issue of soaring energy prices should be differentiated from the long-term fight against climate change.

“I think that we should react calmly; we in Germany will do so in any case,” she said.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said his country is among those that are helping households and businesses foot rising power bills. But he added that long-term solutions must also be found.

“And in the long term, there is only one solution — invest more in renewable energy so we are less vulnerable to price fluctuations for fossil fuels,” he said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has blamed the hike specifically on the Commission’s Green Deal plans that includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and making the bloc carbon neutral by 2050.

The current crisis has reignited a debate on whether the EU should promote nuclear power projects as a way of becoming more energy independent. That could be done by making them eligible for billions of euros as part of the European Green Deal and coronavirus recovery fund.

Two years ago, leaders agreed that nuclear energy could be part of the EU’s efforts to become carbon-neutral. However, they have yet to decide whether nuclear projects can be included in the so-called taxonomy, a classification system attempting to define what activities can qualify for sustainable investment.

France recently asked for the inclusion of nuclear power in the taxonomy framework by the end of the year, leading the charge with nine other EU countries — Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Energy ministers from the bloc will meet as early as next week to continue the talks, with leaders set to reassess the situation at their next summit in December.
___
Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands.
___
Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at Climate change.

 

[Plain Jane]

Italy: Salvini faces trial for not letting migrant ship dock – DW – 10/23/2021

Matteo Salvini is accused of deprivation of liberty and abuse of authority. In 2019, he refused to let a rescue ship dock into Lampedusa, which carried dozens of migrants.

www.dw.com

Italy: Former minister Matteo Salvini on trial for preventing migrant ship from docking
Matteo Salvini is accused of deprivation of liberty and abuse of authority. In 2019, he refused to let a rescue ship dock into Lampedusa, which carried dozens of migrants.




Matteo Salvini is on trial for alleged deprivation of liberty and abuse of authority

The trial of former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini for his role in preventing the Open Arms migrant rescue ship from docking at an Italian port in 2019 began in Palermo, Sicily, on Saturday.

Salvini has been accused of deprivation of liberty and abuse of authority, for which he could face up to 15 years in prison. The trial formally began on September 15, but was postponed to October 23 to find a larger courtroom to accommodate the media, civil parties, and lawyers.

In the first hearing, the court was due to decide whether to admit the witnesses presented by the defense. Some witnesses have already been presented, including former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and other former ministers.

Salvini belongs to the nationalist League party, and served as interior minister from June 2018 to September 2019 in the first cabinet of ex-prime minister Giuseppe Conte.

Rescue vessel not allowed to dock
Spanish aid organization Open Arms had rescued more than 160 people in distress in the Mediterranean Sea over the course of three interventions in August 2019. The vessel was moored off Lampedusa, but not permitted to dock there.

The ship remained off the coast of southern Italy for about 19 days. Due to the heat, poor hygienic and living conditions on board, many migrants jumped into water and attempted to swim ashore.

Eventually, after the 19-day ordeal, the remaining 83 migrants still on board were allowed to disembark in Lampedusa after a court overturned Salvini's ban on private rescue boats entering Italian waters.

Salvini has maintained that his actions were in the national interest. He had earlier faced allegations of kidnapping after refusing to let a group of migrants disembark from a ship.

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Sweden Suspends Moderna Shot Indefinitely After Vaxxed Patients Develop Crippling Heart Condition

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, OCT 23, 2021 - 08:10 AM
Authored by Jack Davis via The Western Journal (emphasis ours),
New concerns are being raised about side effects from the Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus.


Swedish health officials have now decided that a moratorium on giving the Moderna vaccine to anyone under 31 will be extended indefinitely, the U.K. Daily Mail reported. The pause on the Moderna shots had been scheduled to end on Dec. 1.

Finland, Iceland and Denmark have taken similar steps. Norway is encouraging men under 30 not to get the Moderna shot, but is not mandating it.

For months, the Moderna vaccine has been under scrutiny because of data that shows young men who receive it are at increased risk for myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac around the heart.


The Daily Mail reported that one U.S. study that has not yet been peer-reviewed concluded that “young males under [age] 20 are up to six times more likely to develop myocarditis after contracting COVID-19 than those who have been vaccinated.”

The decision comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is putting Moderna’s plans for a shot aimed at the population from age 12 to 17 on hold due to concerns over risks of the ailments, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Although a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel on Thursday approved boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johson vaccines, there were some cautions raised, according to CNBC.


Dr. Tom Shimabukuro said there is an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis with either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, in particular after the second dose of the vaccines.

According to the Daily Mail, the data indicated the risk was 13 times greater for those getting the Moderna vaccine than for those who got the Pfizer vaccine.


Sweden’s Public Health Agency said the unpublished data linking the Moderna vaccine with the two conditions means there is “an increased risk of side effects such as inflammation of the heart muscle or the pericardium.”

“The risk of being affected is very small.”


That data has not been publicly released.

The FDA had addressed concern about the Pfizer vaccine in its statement giving it full authorization, saying that “the data demonstrate increased risks, particularly within the seven days following the second dose.”


“The observed risk is higher among males under 40 years of age compared to females and older males. The observed risk is highest in males 12 through 17 years of age,” the FDA said.

The agency noted that “some individuals required intensive care support” and that long-term information about the risks is not yet available

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Poland Will Not Be "Blackmailed" Into Accepting European Union Laws, PM Morawiecki Says

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, OCT 23, 2021 - 09:20 AM
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that his country will not bow to the European Union’s “blackmail” on deciding legal frameworks of member states, but is open to constructive dialogue.


Arriving at a summit of the 27-member bloc, Morawiecki said that Poland “was as faithful to the rule of law as others and as the EU institutions are.” He added,

“Some EU institutions assume the right to decide on issues to which they have not been entitled to decide. They assume competencies which have not been handed over to them in the treaties.”

Morawiecki said that EU laws maintain supremacy over national laws on matters transferred to the EU. “We don’t agree to the constantly broadening range of competencies but we will, of course, talk about it.”

On Oct. 7, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that some elements of EU law were incompatible with the country’s constitution. This ruling, criticized by Brussels, essentially gave national law primacy over that of the EU.

“It has to be clear: You are a member of a club, you have to abide by the rules of the club. And the most important rule of the club is that the European law is over national law,” the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, told Reuters.

Since the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party took over power in 2015, the ideological conflicts have incrementally increased.

European Parliament President David Sassoli said the Polish tribunal’s ruling challenged “the legal bedrock of our Union,” and that, “never before has the Union been called into question so radically.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen laid out three options as a response.
The first option, “infringement,” is where the commission legally challenges the verdict of the Polish court.

The second option, which is active currently, involves the withholding of funds. Warsaw will not be able to access the 36 billion euros ($42 billion) of COVID-19 pandemic recovery grants. This could lead to a further blockage of around 70 billion euros ($81 billion) set aside for development projects in the 2021-2027 budget.

The third option would be the implementation of Article 7 of the EU treaty which suspends member states of certain rights, including the right to vote on EU decisions.
Morawiecki, however, maintained his country’s stance under repeated criticism in the tense debate on Tuesday. This led to the idea of Poland exiting the bloc which the prime minister dismissed. He said that there were no plans for a “Polexit” as there is considerable support among the Polish for remaining within the EU.

A majority of European countries, including Ireland, France, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands were critical of Poland, barring staunch ally Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has not been a supporter of excessive European Union interference in the laws and decisions of member states.

“Poland is one of the best European countries. There is no need for any sanctions, it’s ridiculous,” Orban said.

Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Knapen implied the issue will soon need to be addressed.

“The time for talking is never over, but it doesn’t mean that you cannot take action in the meantime,” Knapen said. “It’s going to come soon.”

Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for finding “ways of coming back together,” and warned against isolating Poland, the largest ex-communist EU country of 38 million people.

 

[Zagdid]

Moldova declares state of emergency over gas crisis

Moldova to seek cheaper natural gas from Europe after traditional supplier Russia hiked prices.

www.aljazeera.com

Moldova declares state of emergency over gas crisis
Moldova to seek cheaper natural gas from Europe after traditional supplier Russia hiked prices.

22 Oct 2021

Moldova’s parliament has approved a government-requested state of emergency until November 20 as it tries to ease gas shortages amid soaring world energy prices.

The eternal flame at a World War II monument in the capital Chisinau has been extinguished due to gas shortages, the defence ministry said on Friday.

The country of 2.6 million people wedged between Romania and Ukraine gets gas from Russia via its pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria and Ukraine.

Head of Ukrainian state gas transmission operator GTSOU, Sergiy Makogon, told the Reuters news agency the supplied volumes “are only enough for 67 percent of Moldova’s needs”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told his Moldovan counterpart in Kyiv that Ukraine would continue pumping gas to Moldova. Moldova consumes 2.8 billion cubic metres of gas per year.

Russian gas giant Gazprom has increased prices from $550 per thousand cubic metres last month to $790 this month – a level Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said was “not justified and not realistic” for Europe’s poorest country.

“We face a critical situation,” Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said on Friday.

She told parliament that Moldova would be seeking supplies from EU countries and thanked Romania and Ukraine for already supplying some gas.

While Gazprom and its daughter company Moldovagaz last month agreed to extend their existing contract for supplies until October 31, Gavrilita said Moldovagaz “is not keeping its word”.

The company is not providing the required volumes of natural gas, she said, with Moldova receiving a third less than usual for October.

The prime minister said Moldova and Gazprom were continuing negotiations but that the ex-Soviet country had “no confidence” in the success of the talks and “must take action” or be “left without gas”.

The month-long state of emergency gives Moldovan utility company Energocom the power to secure gas from other countries.

The country’s gas shortages come amid skyrocketing gas prices that some in Europe have blamed on Moscow not providing additional supplies to put pressure on the continent.

Some experts have said Russia has boosted prices as pressure on Moldova for electing a pro-European president in Maia Sandu last year, who has said she wants to fold the breakaway region of Transnistria back into Moldova.

Igor Dodon, the former president defeated by Sandu, called the decision to put out the eternal flame a “disgrace” and accused the current authorities of seeking to save money on “sacred values”.

The country has long been divided over closer ties with the EU or maintaining relations with Soviet-era master Moscow.

 

[Plain Jane]

Hungary's Orban accuses EU, US of meddling as election looms – DW – 10/24/2021

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Brussels and Washington of backing the opposition seeking to replace him after more than a decade in power.

www.dw.com

Hungary: Orban accuses EU, US of meddling as election looms
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Brussels and Washington of backing the opposition seeking to replace him after more than a decade in power.




Prime Minister Victor Orban spoke to his supporters during an event to commemorate a 1956 anti-Soviet uprising

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces a parliamentary election in April next year, accused Brussels and Washington on Saturday of trying to meddle in Hungarian politics.

Orban told tens of thousands of his supporters at a rally in Budapest that Washington and Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros were trying to get the Hungarian leftist opposition elected using their money, media and networks.

"But what matters is not what they in Brussels, in Washington and in the media which is directed from abroad, want. It will be Hungarians deciding about their own fate," Orban said.
"Our strength is in our unity... we believe in the same values: family, nation, and a strong and independent Hungary," he said, calling on his supporters to defend his nationalist government.

Orban takes aim at EU institutions
The rally drew participants from across the country as well as from Romania, Italy and Poland.
Several Orban supporters at the rally were seen carrying Polish flags while one held a placard reading "Brussels = dictatorship."

Showing his support for Poland, Orban said the "EU speaks and behaves to us as and the Poles as if we were enemies."

Europe's "high dignitaries wanted to beat Hungarians into Europeans, liberals" and tell the citizens of Hungary, as well as Poland, how to live, he said.

Orban's anti-immigration government faces increasing pressure both in Hungary and Brussels. The EU is considering imposing financial penalties on Hungary over concerns of weakening democratic institutions and the rule of law.


Watch video01:49
EU leaders meet in Brussels as tensions flare over Hungarian law
Both Hungary and Poland have vowed to veto any EU measures to punish the other.
"Brussels would do well to understand that even the communists could not handle us. We're the David who Goliath is better off avoiding," Orban said.

Hungary celebrated a bank holiday on Saturday, marking the uprising against communist rule that erupted on October 23, 1956, and was suppressed by Soviet troops a few days later.

Marki-Zay spearheads opposition
Meanwhile, some two kilometers away from Orban's rally, thousands of people gathered in support of the opposition.

For the first time since he rose to power in 2010, Orban will face a united front of opposition parties, including leftists, liberals and the formerly far-right, now center-right, Jobbik party in next year's race.

The six-party alliance is led by small-town mayor and Catholic conservative Peter Marki-Zay.
At the separate opposition rally, Marki-Zay said that if elected, his government would draft a new constitution, stamp out corruption, introduce the euro and guarantee freedom of the press.

"This regime has become morally untenable... the momentum we have now should take us to April 2022," he said.


Watch video00:58
Hungary: Outsider to lead opposition bloc in election
mvb/fb (AFP, dpa, AP, Reuters)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Putin Lays Cards Down: Approve Nord Stream 2 To Get More Gas

BY TYLER DURDEN
MONDAY, OCT 25, 2021 - 05:00 AM
Authored by Irina Slav via OilPrice.com,
Russia could immediately increase natural gas deliveries to Europe as soon as German authorities approve the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the Financial Times reports, citing President Vladimir Putin as saying gas can be delivered “the day after tomorrow” if approval is granted “tomorrow”.


Putin said Russia could deliver an additional 17.5 billion cu m of gas if the new pipeline gets the green light. This amount, according to the FT, is equal to a tenth of Russian gas deliveries to Europe and Turkey last year and would come not a moment too soon as Europe continues to struggle to fill up its reserves ahead of winter.

However, the Russian president’s statement is also likely to spark anger in Europe since it confirms suspicions that Russia wants to withhold additional supplies for Europe until Nord Stream 2 is approved. Moscow officials have said that Gazprom was prioritizing domestic energy security, and the company itself has repeatedly stated that it had fulfilled its delivery obligations under long-term contracts with European buyers.

Earlier this week, sources from Moscow also hinted that there would be more gas for Europe if Nord Stream 2 is approved, Bloomberg reported. But, separately, speaking to Bloomberg, a Russian MP said, “We cannot ride to the rescue just to compensate for mistakes that we didn’t commit.”

Meanwhile, top Russian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and former Energy Minister Alexander Novak, have argued that Europe’s gas crisis was not the result of insufficient supply but a consequence of lower than usual inventories and bad decisions on the part of politicians.

At the same time, some in Brussels are accusing Gazprom of market manipulation to make prices rise. More than 40 members of the European Parliament from all political groups have reportedly urged the European Commission to launch an investigation into Gazprom over alleged market manipulation that could have contributed to the record-high natural gas prices in Europe.

 

[northern watch]

Portugal: Brewing political storm could bring snap election
A political storm is brewing in Portugal, where the minority Socialist government is finding it hard to win support for its state budget from other left-of-center parties
By The Associated Press
25 October 2021, 05:38

LISBON, Portugal -- A political storm is brewing in Portugal, where the minority Socialist government is finding it hard to win support for its state budget from other left-of-center parties.

The Portuguese Communist Party announced Monday it won’t vote in favor of the government’s spending plan.

The Left Bloc, another party which historically has sided with the Socialists, traded barbs with the government during recent days of tense negotiations, making the chances of the 2022 budget receiving parliamentary approval appear slim. A vote is scheduled for Wednesday.

The center-left Socialist party holds 108 seats in Portugal's 230-seat parliament. It has in the past relied on the support of its allies on the left or their abstention in votes.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has no governing powers but oversees the smooth running of the country, has warned that if parliament does not approve the budget he will call a snap election.

Prime Minister António Costa is a canny political operator whose negotiating skills have kept his two minority governments in power since 2015. A deal with the Left Bloc and other, smaller parties may still be within Costa’s grasp.

With the main opposition party, the center-right Social Democratic Party, busy with a leadership challenge, Costa could yet turn the situation to his advantage.

Portugal: Brewing political storm could bring snap election - ABC News (go.com)

 

[northern watch]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Poland Will Not Be "Blackmailed" Into Accepting European Union Laws, PM Morawiecki Says

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, OCT 23, 2021 - 09:20 AM
Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday that his country will not bow to the European Union’s “blackmail” on deciding legal frameworks of member states, but is open to constructive dialogue.


Arriving at a summit of the 27-member bloc, Morawiecki said that Poland “was as faithful to the rule of law as others and as the EU institutions are.” He added,

Morawiecki said that EU laws maintain supremacy over national laws on matters transferred to the EU. “We don’t agree to the constantly broadening range of competencies but we will, of course, talk about it.”

On Oct. 7, Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal ruled that some elements of EU law were incompatible with the country’s constitution. This ruling, criticized by Brussels, essentially gave national law primacy over that of the EU.

Since the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party took over power in 2015, the ideological conflicts have incrementally increased.

European Parliament President David Sassoli said the Polish tribunal’s ruling challenged “the legal bedrock of our Union,” and that, “never before has the Union been called into question so radically.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen laid out three options as a response.
The first option, “infringement,” is where the commission legally challenges the verdict of the Polish court.

The second option, which is active currently, involves the withholding of funds. Warsaw will not be able to access the 36 billion euros ($42 billion) of COVID-19 pandemic recovery grants. This could lead to a further blockage of around 70 billion euros ($81 billion) set aside for development projects in the 2021-2027 budget.

The third option would be the implementation of Article 7 of the EU treaty which suspends member states of certain rights, including the right to vote on EU decisions.
Morawiecki, however, maintained his country’s stance under repeated criticism in the tense debate on Tuesday. This led to the idea of Poland exiting the bloc which the prime minister dismissed. He said that there were no plans for a “Polexit” as there is considerable support among the Polish for remaining within the EU.

A majority of European countries, including Ireland, France, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands were critical of Poland, barring staunch ally Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has not been a supporter of excessive European Union interference in the laws and decisions of member states.

Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Knapen implied the issue will soon need to be addressed.

Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for finding “ways of coming back together,” and warned against isolating Poland, the largest ex-communist EU country of 38 million people.

Poland may be the next country to leave the EU

 

[northern watch]

EU says war rhetoric unacceptable after Polish PM's comment
A European Union official has said that there is “no place for rhetoric referring to war” among EU partners
By VANESSA GERA Associated Press
25 October 2021, 06:28

The Associated Press
France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, talks to Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, second right, as Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, left, speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. European Union leaders conclude a two-day summit on Friday in which they discussed issues such as climate change, the energy crisis, COVID-19 developments and migration. (John Thys, Pool Photo via AP)

WARSAW -- The European Union's executive told Poland Monday that there is “no place for rhetoric referring to war” among EU partners, after the Polish prime minister said that for Brussels to withhold cash over rule of law issues would be like starting World War III.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused the EU of making demands of Warsaw with a “gun to our head” and urged Brussels to drop its threats of sanctions against Poland.

The comments follow years of disputes over changes Poland's government has made to the country's courts. The EU believes the changes erode democratic checks and balances, and the European Commission is holding up billions of euros to Poland earmarked in a pandemic recovery plan.

When asked if Poland could use its veto power to block legislation in retaliation, for instance on climate issues, Morawiecki said: “If they start the third world war, we are going to defend our rights with any weapons which are at our disposal."

Asked about the comment at a briefing, EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the EU “is a project that very successfully contributed to establishing a lasting peace among its member states." Mamer added that “there is no place for rhetoric referring to war.”

Morawiecki faced less sanguine criticism from his Polish political opponents, many of whom are deeply worried about Poland's increasing isolation within the EU.

“I have the impression that Mr. Morawiecki has recently had some problems with English or that he has lost his mind," tweeted Marek Belka, a former left-wing Polish prime minister who is now a member of the European Parliament.

Donald Tusk, the head of the leading opposition party in Poland, reacted to the “war” comment by saying: “In politics, stupidity is the cause of most serious misfortunes.”

The government spokesman, Piotr Müller, told Polish media that the prime minister's comment amounted to hyperbole and should not be taken literally.

The nationalist ruling party in Poland, Law and Justice, has been in conflict with Brussels since winning power in 2015 over a number of matters, including migration and LGBT rights. The longest running dispute, however, has centered on the Polish government’s attempts to take political control of the judiciary.

The matter came to a head earlier this month when the constitutional court ruled that some key parts of EU law are not compatible with the nation’s constitution. The ruling by a court filled with ruling party's loyalists was made after Morawiecki asked it to rule on whether EU or national law has primacy.

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said last week that it was the first time ever that a national court found “that the EU treaties are incompatible with the national constitution.”

“This ruling calls into question the foundations of the European Union,” von der Leyen said. “It is a direct challenge to the unity of the European legal order.”

———

Sam Petrequin contributed from Brussels

EU says war rhetoric unacceptable after Polish PM's comment - ABC News (go.com)

 

[northern watch]

9 EU countries oppose market reform ahead of energy talks
Nine EU countries, including heavyweight Germany, have joined forces to say they will not support an overhaul of the electricity market ahead of an emergency meeting of the bloc's energy ministers Tuesday in Luxembourg

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press
25 October 2021, 07:06

BRUSSELS -- Nine European Union countries, including heavyweight Germany, have joined forces to say they will not support an overhaul of the electricity market ahead of an emergency meeting of the bloc's energy ministers Tuesday in Luxembourg.

The energy crisis impacting consumers' bills and businesses has been widely acknowledged by EU leaders, but setting up a common response within the bloc's 27 member states to weather its impact is proving problematic.

With the hike in energy prices expected to last at least until spring, member countries agreed last week that a series of measures proposed by the EU executive arm, including bill payment deferrals and tax cuts, should be implemented to tackle the short term effects.

But a rift has emerged between countries calling for a thorough reform of the bloc's energy market — among them France and Spain — and those who believe the crisis is only temporary and does not require radical market changes.

“As the price spikes have global drivers, we should be very careful before interfering in the design of internal energy markets," the nine countries wrote in a statement released Monday. “This will not be a remedy to mitigate the current rising energy prices linked to fossil fuels markets."

Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia and the Netherlands said transparent and competitive markets are the guarantee for competitive prices for final users.

“We need a well-integrated EU energy market that functions based on market mechanisms and good interconnections as part of the solution to strengthen the resilience to price shocks," they said,

The group called for the deployment of renewable energy sources and “further interconnection with a view to the 15% electricity interconnection target by 2030."

The main reason behind the sharp spike is an increased global demand for energy, and in particular gas. According to EU officials, gas prices have increased by more than 170% since the start of the year.

Among proposals put forward by Spain is the idea of setting up a joint procurement program for gas reserves. Currently, the EU depends heavily on imported gas, mainly from Russia.

9 EU countries oppose market reform ahead of energy talks - ABC News (go.com)

 

[vector7]

Russia Close To Using Natural Gas As Weapon, White House Says After Handing Putin Critical Pipeline

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1452809707907858436

View: https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1452809707907858436?s=20

 

[Plain Jane]

Le Pen's bid for French presidency off to stormy start as far-right pundit steals her thunder

Down in the polls and clambering for momentum as she makes a third bid for France's presidency, far-right leader Marine Le Pen suddenly finds herself on unfamiliar terrain: sharing the right-wing limelight…

www.france24.com

Le Pen's bid for French presidency off to stormy start as far-right pundit steals her thunder
Issued on: 24/09/2021 - 09:53

French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National) party leader Marine Le Pen delivers a speech in reaction to the outcomes of the second round of French regional and departmental elections, in Nanterre, near Paris, France, on June 27, 2021. © Sarah Meyssonnier, Reuters/File
Text by:Aude MAZOUE
6 min
Listen to the article
Down in the polls and clambering for momentum as she makes a third bid for France's presidency, far-right leader Marine Le Pen suddenly finds herself on unfamiliar terrain: sharing the right-wing limelight with a pundit out for glory of his own.

For months, Marine Le Pen has managed to keep pace with President Emmanuel Macron in poll after poll ahead of next April's presidential election. Whether France liked it or not, the pair appeared destined for a slow march towards a rematch of their 2017 presidential run-off duel. But after launching her 2022 presidential campaign relatively discreetly this month, the National Rally flagbearer seems at pains to inject fresh life into her third try at winning France's highest office. Instead, with combative far-right pundit Éric Zemmour elbowing onto Le Pen's turf and monopolising the media's attention, it's been tough to get a right-wing word in edgewise.

Although Zemmour hasn't officially thrown his hat in the ring for 2022, he lost his daily pulpit on the French newschannel CNews after France's media watchdog saw fit to consider his airtime subject to the same sorts of restrictions official contenders face in the name of fairness before an election. Zemmour has inundated the airwaves regardless, invited here and there to expound on immigration and Islam, his preferred themes. As he touts a new bestseller entitled "France hasn't had its last word", every date on Zemmour's book tour turns into an ersatz campaign rally. On Thursday, he took part in a controversial primetime debate broadcast on television (BFMTV) and radio (RMC) against far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, even though the latter is the only one of the pair clear about his presidential intentions.

>> Read more: Éric Zemmour, the far-right pundit who threatens to outflank Le Pen

"The National Rally finds itself today in a very uncomfortable position because the former TV pundit has for weeks been creating suspense over his candidacy and kindling media attention," Jean-Yves Camus, a political analyst who specialises in the French far right, told FRANCE 24.

With seven months to go before voters head to the ballot box, Le Pen can hardly turn to the polls for comfort. Voter intentions in her favour for next April 10's first round have dipped below 20 percent, according to multiple polling firms, for the first time in recent memory. Harris Interactive, in a survey conducted for Challenges magazine, gave her 18 or 19 percent of the vote, depending on the full slate of candidates put forward. Before the summer, that figure was a heady 28 percent. It is also well below her final score in 2017's first round, back when her 21.3 percent of the vote earned Le Pen a place in the run-off for the Élysée Palace.

'We don't give a toss about Éric Zemmour'
The National Rally camp is keen to get the word out that Zemmour is no threat.

"Nothing bothers me, I'm in my third presidential campaign and that gives me a lot of experience in this domain. The campaign is a long one," said Le Pen during a campaign stop in Isère, in southeastern France, on Tuesday. "I have the calm of battle-hardened troops."

The party brass has expressed similar serenity. "We don't give a toss about Éric Zemmour. Yes, our supporters appreciate him, but the remarks he makes won't necessarily make him a good president. Le Pen is not content to list problems – she offers solutions," National Rally spokesperson Julien Sanchez told FRANCE 24.

"I've been involved in politics for several decades," added Le Pen adviser Philippe Olivier. "I've seen many a third man appear by divine providence. Not one has made it to the finish line.
There was Jean-Pierre Chevènement (a former Socialist cabinet minister who left that party years before running for president himself in 2002), who must have been at 14 percent in the polls only to score 5 percent," Olivier recalled. "More recently, it was predicted that Yellow Vest movement candidates would throw a spanner in the works. In the end, they did practically nothing. We're pretty relaxed here at the National Rally."

And yet, one can only imagine that Le Pen isn't as zen as she claims to be. From the start of her campaign, she has spoken of favouring trips outside the Paris beltway with a handful of regional journalists in the name of privileging a high standard of debate. But she seems to have changed her tune. While Mélenchon and Zemmour geared up for their debate on Thursday, Le Pen invited the national press to join her on a trip to Moselle, in northeastern France, with one of Zemmour's signature themes on her agenda: “national preference”, or the notion of giving French citizens priority over immigrants when it comes to jobs and certain benefits.

Does Le Pen's latest tactical move spell the end of those friendly huddles on specialised subjects she had seemed so keen on for this campaign? "Not at all," according to her party.

"The strategy of mixing more targeted trips with local press sometimes and inviting national press on big campaign themes at other times will happen depending on the situation," Olivier told FRANCE 24.

Real warning signals
Since the start of her campaign, Le Pen's strategy of “speaking to regional media and keeping away from the Parisian press, which is openly hostile to her, has been rather well regarded",

Camus, the political analyst, told FRANCE 24. Le Pen, "who displayed weakness on some of the specialised subjects discussed during the (2017 presidential finalists') debate against Macron, is looking to show that she is gaining command of certain subjects, notably with her trip this week to a sawmill in Isère".

Nevertheless, "Marine Le Pen's campaign is showing real warning signs," according to political science professor Olivier Rouquan. "With her 'having said that' strategy that blends a moderate line on themes dear to far-right hearts on immigration, she winds up confusing just about everyone and diminishing herself. A segment of her supporters today identifies more with Zemmour's line, notably on immigration," added Rouquan, who is also an associate researcher at the Centre for Administrative and Political Science Studies and Research (Cersa).

He nevertheless remains prudent about the emergence of Zemmour at this stage. "There is also a hype effect surrounding Zemmour, whose scores for now remain too low to win," he said.

Lacking dynamics, dwindling finances
After poor National Rally performances in June's nationwide departmental and regional elections, Le Pen for now appears far from rekindling the old spark as she forges ahead on the presidential campaign trail for a third time – more than a decade after her rabble-rousing father Jean-Marie passed her the torch after five failed attempts of his own. In the 2022 iteration, Rouquan sees a candidate slow off the mark in mobilising her electorate.

"She isn't managing to inspire a dynamic. And I doubt that her campaign poster about ‘liberties’ will succeed in persuading an electorate ready to drop her," Rouquan added.

Of course it isn't easy to mobilise troops when the coffers are running dry. The National Rally's finances are deep in the red – it had some €22.9 million in debts on the ledger as recently as 2019, just about as much as a full two-round presidential campaign is permitted to spend under French law.

Indeed, Le Pen recently "alerted" Macron about how difficult it is to finance a presidential campaign now that candidates can no longer borrow funds from private firms or from non-European banks – like the National Rally did from Russia to finance its 2014 effort in French municipal elections.

This article has been translated from the original in French.

 

[northern watch]

 

[northern watch]

Poland plans 'radical' strengthening of its military
Poland’s ruling party leader has presented plans for a bill to “defend the fatherland.”
By VANESSA GERA Associated Press
26 October 2021, 08:49

The Associated Press
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of Poland's ruling party Law and Justice, speaks at a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, on Tuesday Oct. 26, 2021. Kaczynski and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak presented plans Tuesday for a bill to "defend the fatherland," legislation aimed at strengthening the military as the country faces migration pressure from its eastern neighbor Belarus. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's ruling party leader presented plans Tuesday for a bill to “defend the fatherland,” legislation he said is aimed at “radically” strengthening the military as the country faces migration pressure from its eastern neighbor Belarus.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who holds the position of deputy prime minister but is undisputedly the most powerful politician in Poland, said the bill is needed due to a deteriorating international situation and also to Poland's geopolitical location.

Examples he gave included neighboring “Russia's imperial ambitions” and the hybrid warfare being waged by Belarus against Poland and other European Union nations using migrants.

"If we want to avoid the worst, that is war, we have to act according to the old rule: ‘If you want peace, prepare for war,’” Kaczynski said at a news conference in Warsaw.

He argued that, as a country which lies on the eastern flank of the European Union and NATO, Poland must have a serious deterrent force and the “ability to effectively defend itself for a long time on its own.”

He noted NATO decisions take time to implement.

The bill, which still needs approval from parliament and the president, is aimed at replacing an existing one from 1967. At that time Poland was a member of Warsaw Pact eastern military alliance, under Moscow's control. Since 1999 it has been a member of NATO, and is regularly cited as one of the few alliance members that invest at least 2% of its GDP in defense.

Kaczynski said, speaking alongside Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, that he believed the changes would also benefit NATO.

Kaczynski and Blaszczak presented a plan to increase the defense budget further and to more than double the size of the military to 250,000 soldiers, up from the current 110,000. The changes do not involve a reinstatement of compulsory military service.

Kaczynski also said Poland hopes to strengthen its forces by buying U.S.-produced military equipment but would also look at European-made weapons.

Some opposition lawmakers criticized the plans, noting that they come from the ruling Law and Justice party, which they said repeatedly has weakened the military.

“It doesn’t look good,” said Cezary Tomczyk, a lawmaker with the centrist Civic Platform party. “Who purged the army of generals, colonels and majors? Who stopped the modernization of the Polish army?”

The plan to strengthen the army comes as Poland faces heavy migration pressure from Belarus. Warsaw accuses the Belarusian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging migrants from the Mideast, Africa and elsewhere to seek entry to the EU through Poland.

It also comes as Poland finds itself increasingly at odds with its EU partners, with a conflict over changes to Polish courts — which the EU sees as an attack on judicial independence — escalating this month. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the Financial Times in comments published Monday that if the EU withholds funds to Poland over rule of law issues, it would be like starting World War III.

In a separate political development Tuesday, changes were made to Morawiecki's Cabinet, with new ministers appointed for agriculture, climate, sports, regional funds as well as technology and development. Some observers said the changes involved the departures of some Morawiecki allies.

Poland has reacted to the migrant crisis by declaring a state of emergency along the border with Belarus. It has also been fortifying the border with razor wire and has deployed soldiers to help border guards. The government also plans to construct a high permanent barrier with motion sensors.

Polish border guards have also been pushing migrants back across the border, including some families with children. A new Polish law took effect Tuesday that legalizes the pushbacks.

Human rights officials have criticized Poland's state of emergency while the UN refugee agency has said that the new legislation “undermines the fundamental right to seek asylum."

———

Follow all AP stories about global migration at Migration.

———

Monika Scislowska in Warsaw contributed.

Poland plans 'radical' strengthening of its military - ABC News

 

[northern watch]

France's Le Pen visits Hungary in bid for nationalist allies
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has held talks with populist Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban in Budapest
By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press
26 October 2021, 09:05

The Associated Press
French far-right leader Marine le Pen, left, shakes hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after a joint press conference in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh)

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- French far-right leader Marine Le Pen held talks Tuesday with populist Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orban in Budapest, a meeting the two politicians said advanced the cooperation of Europe's nationalist forces.

At a news conference in Hungary's capital following the meeting, Le Pen lambasted what she said was emerging “ideological hegemony” in the European Union, and she urged deeper cooperation among nationalist political parties that favor diminishing the EU's power over its member nations.

“We have to have convergence, and this has to be our mode of existence,” Le Pen said.

The visit reflected growing efforts by both Orban and Le Pen to consolidate the European right, including politicians and parties that share their anti-immigration views and opposition to the EU exercising certain legal powers over the bloc's 27 national governments.

Le Pen offered support to Orban in his government’s conflict with the EU, which has accused Hungary of backsliding on essential rule of law commitments like media freedom and the independence of the judiciary. The EU has initiated legal action against Hungary and has yet to approve billions in post-pandemic recovery funds.

“My message to the Hungarians is hold on and keep up,” said Le Pen, who is expected to run in France's presidential election next year. “You are projecting bravery to the nations of Europe and to freedom fighters.”

Le Pen has also extended her support to Poland, which has a similar battle with the bloc. Last week, she met with Polish President Mateusz Morawiecki, a key Orban ally, on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.

After that meeting, Le Pen tweeted that she and the Polish president had discussed the “unacceptable blackmail” of Poland by the EU’s executive commission.

The bloc has accused Warsaw of undermining the independence of the judiciary and is threatening sanctions over Morawiecki’s insistence that Polish law trumps EU law.

But Le Pen on Tuesday emphasized the primacy of national laws, whether they comply with EU rules or not.

“When sanctions are used to threaten people, especially Hungary and Poland, these are all efforts for new types of European hegemony," she said.

Le Pen's meeting last week with Morawiecki shocked many in Poland since the country’s ruling Law and Justice party has long refused to cooperate with the far-right politician over her warm relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin — a sensitive topic in the country that was long dominated by Russian and Soviet rule.

Orban receiving Le Pen in Hungary's capital also represented a pivot from the prime minister's earlier reluctance to be associated with the European far-right. In a 2019 interview for American magazine The Atlantic, Orban firmly ruled out any cooperation with the French politician, saying she was “a red line."

"I have nothing at all to do with Madame Le Pen,” Orban said in the interview.

But at the Tuesday news conference, Orban called Le Pen a “sovereigntist” and praised her for extending support to Hungary in its conflicts with the EU.

He said that Le Pen would be a partner in renewing the European right, and that “this renewal can only happen if we enter into alliances with one another.”

Both politicians are preparing for key elections next spring, with Orban facing the most serious challenge to his power since he took office in 2010.

Le Pen is aiming to unseat French President Emmanuel Macron but facing a potential challenge from rabble-rousing television pundit and author Eric Zemmour, whose anti-Islam and anti-immigration rhetoric has won over some of Le Pen’s base, according to polls.

Orban met Zemmour in Budapest last month, part of a series of meetings with right-wing nationalist politicians since his ruling Fidesz party left its center-right European political group, the European People's Party, in March.

Orban declined Tuesday to endorse either Le Pen or Zemmour, saying it was a decision for the French people.

———

Angela Charlton in Paris and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw contributed.

France's Le Pen visits Hungary in bid for nationalist allies - ABC News (go.com)

 

[northern watch]

Russia ups defense ties with Belarus amid tensions with NATO
Russia’s defense chief has voiced concern about a buildup of NATO’s forces near the country’s borders, and called for stronger defense ties with neighboring Belarus

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press
20 October 2021, 12:48

MOSCOW -- Russia's defense chief on Wednesday voiced concern about a buildup of NATO forces near the country's borders, and called for stronger defense ties with neighboring Belarus.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu noted recent efforts to boost military cooperation between the two allies, including modernization of military infrastructure for shared use.

After a meeting of the two countries' military top brass, Shoigu said he and his Belarusian counterpart extended agreements on two Russian military facilities in Belarus — an early warning radar in the Brest region near Poland and a naval communications center in Vileyka near the Belarusian capital of Minsk. He didn't specify for how long they were extended.

Russia and Belarus have a union agreement envisaging close political, economic and military ties. Moscow has staunchly backed Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko amid Western sanctions triggered by Belarusian authorities' crackdown on protests following his re-election to a sixth term in an August 2020. Belarus' opposition and the West rejected the election as a sham.

In a bid to secure more Kremlin support, Lukashenko has repeatedly described Belarus as a bulwark against the West and called for boosting defense ties with Russia.

Russia's relations with the U.S. and its NATO allies have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier this month, NATO withdrew the accreditation of eight Russian officials to its Brussels headquarters, saying it believed they had been secretly working for Russian intelligence. Russia responded Monday by suspending its mission at NATO and ordering the closure of the alliance’s office in Moscow.

Moscow has repeatedly voiced concerns over the deployment of NATO forces near Russian borders, describing it as a threat to its security. Russia and the alliance also have blamed each other for conducting destabilizing military exercises near the borders.

Shoigu charged Wednesday that dozens of NATO drills near Russia's borders have been used to rehearse scenarios of military confrontation with Russia. He specifically voiced concern about a buildup of NATO troops in Poland and the Baltics, the deployment of U.S. missile defense facilities in Romania and Poland and the modernization of tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.

The Russian defense minister emphasized that NATO's activities make “a coordinated defense policy, cooperation in the development of armed forces, an increase in coordination and combat training and a shared use of military infrastructure particularly acute for Russia and Belarus.”

Russia ups defense ties with Belarus amid tensions with NATO - ABC News (go.com)

 

[northern watch]

 

[Plain Jane]

Election likely in Portugal after govt defeat in budget vote

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s parliament on Wednesday rejected the minority Socialist government’s proposed state budget for 2022, a move expected to trigger an early election and put a brake on the country’s post-pandemic recovery plans.

apnews.com

Portuguese govt faces budget vote defeat; election likely
By BARRY HATTON41 minutes ago


LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s parliament was poised to reject Wednesday the minority Socialist government’s proposed state budget for 2022, a move that would likely trigger a snap election and put a brake on the country’s post-pandemic recovery plans.

The moderate Socialists were deserted by their hard-left allies from the Communist Party and the Left Bloc who have helped shore up the government’s power over the past six years by voting for its policies or abstaining.

Prime Minister António Costa said he wouldn’t quit even if he was defeated.

“The government’s duty, my duty, is not to walk away when things become difficult,” Costa told lawmakers. “We have to face up to difficulties.”

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has no executive powers but oversees the running of the country, has warned he would call an early election if parliament does not approve next year’s government spending plan.


A vote on the budget was expected Wednesday evening. Barring an eleventh-hour deal, the government’s proposal appeared doomed.
https://apnews.com/article/coronavi...ia-pandemics-4ab47cad778beb8d4085ed71ccb6a7da

Due to constitutional requirements that must be met before an election can be held, and taking into account the Christmas vacation period, early polls would probably take place only in January.

That means a new 2022 spending program probably wouldn’t go before parliament before April.

The timetable effectively consigns Portugal to months of political limbo just when the government was poised to fire up the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic by deploying some 45 billion euros ($52 billion) in aid funds from the European Union.

A popular mass vaccination campaign has helped Portugal, for the moment, largely contain COVID-19. The way things stand, with fewer than 1,000 new cases a day since mid-September and daily deaths in single figures, the pandemic shouldn’t hold up an election in the country of 10.3 million people.

The Socialist Party currently holds 108 seats in Portugal’s 230-seat parliament. Recent opinion polls suggest it would easily win the next election but would again fall short of a parliamentary majority.

Costa, the prime minister whose political profile in the EU rose considerably during Portugal’s presidency of the bloc last year, is widely considered a candidate for an international job. A poor election result could be his cue to depart national office.

Both the Communist Party and Left Bloc lost votes in Portugal’s 2019 election, with their decline in popularity blamed in part on their support for the more moderate Socialists.

The center-right Social Democratic Party, the main opposition, is caught up in a leadership battle and has largely failed to capitalize on the government’s predicament.

The Socialists’ differences with their hard-left allies piled up this year. Key disagreements included the size of a minimum salary increase, new rules on workers’ rights in the gig economy and working from home, income tax increases, public health spending and pension entitlements.

 

[northern watch]

EU court tells Poland to pay $1.2M a day in judicial dispute
The European Union's top court has fined Poland $1.2 million a day to prevent what it called “serious and irreparable harm” to the EU’s legal order and values
By RAF CASERT Associated Press
27 October 2021, 05:58

The Associated Press
French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Poland's President Andrzej Duda shake hands before a working lunch at the Elysee Palace Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021 in Paris. The European Union's top court has ordered Poland to pay 1 million euros a day ($1.2 billion) over the country's longstanding dispute with the bloc over judicial independence. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

BRUSSELS -- The European Union upped a standoff with Poland over judicial independence and the primacy of EU over national law on Wednesday when the bloc's top court fined the recalcitrant member nation $1.2 million a day to prevent what it called “serious and irreparable harm” to the EU's legal order and values.

The European Court of Justice imposed the penalty after a weeklong war of words in which Poland told the EU to stay out of its judicial affairs while other EU member states insisted that Warsaw could not continue to hog subsidies while disregarding the bloc's democratic and rule of law principles at will.

“You cannot pocket all the money but refuse the values,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said, warning Poland not to treat the EU like “a cash machine.” He spoke at the opening of the College of Bruges, an academic well of European thinkers.

The Court of Justice decided to syphon off some of those subsidy funds, saying the daily fine was “necessary in order to avoid serious and irreparable harm to the legal order of the European Union and to the values on which that Union is founded, in particular that of the rule of law.”

The EU's executive commission had requested the penalty until the Polish government acts to improve the functioning of the Polish Supreme Court and suspends new laws deemed to undermine judicial independence.

The point of contention is the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, a body that the ruling party empowered to discipline judges. Many Polish judges view the chamber as a tool to pressure judges to rule in favor of the governing authorities.

In July, the European Court of Justice ordered the suspension of the disciplinary chamber, but it is still operating.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the European Parliament last week that the chamber will be abolished, but he gave no precise timeframe.

De Croo on Wednesday targeted Morawiecki who accused the EU of threatening “World War III” for insisting that Poland should respect the independence of the judiciary and the primacy of EU law. The Belgian prime minister said his Polish counterpart was “playing with fire when waging war with your European colleagues for internal political reasons.”

The comments follow years of disputes over changes Poland’s government has made to the country’s courts. The EU believes the changes erode democratic checks and balances, and the European Commission is holding up billions of euros earmarked for Poland in a pandemic recovery plan.

Wednesday's decision also comes on the heels of an EU summit, where Polish arguments that fundamental judicial changes the country made would not undermine the EU failed to convince key bloc leaders.

Among them was French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Paris on Wednesday.

Morawiecki’s recalcitrance crystalized in an interview with the Financial Times over the weekend. When asked if Poland could retaliate by using its EU veto power to block legislation on climate issues, for instance, Morawiecki said: “If they start the third world war, we are going to defend our rights with any weapons which are at our disposal.”

The interview did not go down well with Morawiecki’s EU colleagues. “You are playing a dangerous game,” De Croo said.

“This is about the overwhelming majority of member states – from the Baltics to Portugal - who agree our Union is a union of values, not a cash machine,” De Croo said, alluding to the fact that Poland has long been a major net recipient of EU funds.

Poland's nationalist ruling party, Law and Justice, has been in conflict with Brussels since winning power in 2015 over a number of matters, including migration and LGBT rights. The longest running dispute, however, has centered on the Polish government’s attempts to take political control of the judiciary.

The matter came to a head earlier this month when Poland's constitutional court ruled that some key parts of EU law are not compatible with the nation’s Constitution. The court stacked with ruling party loyalists gave its opinion after Morawiecki asked it to decide on whether EU or national law has primacy.

The fine imposed on Wednesday comes on top of a 500,000 euro daily fine the Court of Justice ordered Poland last month to pay for having ignored its injunction to close the Turow brown coal mine. The ruling came in a dispute between Poland and the Czech Republic.

Poland argues it cannot do without some 7% of its energy that the Turow power plant is generating. Morawiecki has indicated Poland is prepared to pay, and can afford it.

These additional burdens on the state budget come as there is a possibility Poland will not be getting some 36 billion euros ($42 billion) in EU funds earmarked for recovery from the pandemic because of the rule of law despite with Brussels.

————

Monika Scislowska contributed from Warsaw.

EU court tells Poland to pay $1.2M a day in judicial dispute - ABC News (go.com)

 

[Zagdid]

Navy sets up mobile hospital with 150 beds in Norwegian caves

The mobile hospital, which can function in the caves or head to other theaters, aims to cultivate joint processes and procedures with NATO allies in the region.

www.navytimes.com

Navy sets up mobile hospital with 150 beds in Norwegian caves
By Diana Stancy Correll
Oct 26, 05:39 PM

Personnel from U.S. Navy Expeditionary Medical Support Command and U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet stow gear as part of the delivery of an expeditionary medical facility to Bogen Bay, Norway, Sept. 25. (U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy now has an expeditionary medical facility in Norwegian caves.
The mobile hospital, which can function in the caves or head to other theaters, aims to cultivate joint processes and procedures with NATO allies in the region, according to the Navy.

Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet and U.S. Navy Expeditionary Medical Support Command spearheaded the initiative and delivered the mobile hospital to Norway’s Bogen Bay Sept. 25, the Navy said Oct 25.
“In this era of great power competition, distributing our capabilities around the globe drives down risk,” Rear Adm. Michael Curran, director of readiness and logistics for U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, said in a Navy news release. “The movement of an expeditionary hospital to Norway is a perfect example of how U.S. and allied forces provide mutual support in developing a resilient medical and logistics network.”

The expeditionary medical facility is outfitted with 20 intensive care unit beds, 130 acute care ward beds, along with four operating rooms and an emergency room. It also includes a laboratory and can administer x-ray and CT scans. The mobile hospital can take on as many as 30 hospital admissions and 36 surgical cases a day.

“Expeditionary Medical Facilities are deployable on short notice and contain many capabilities of a modern hospital,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Lucas, NEMSCOM’s director of operations, in a Navy news release. “A benefit of the EMF is its self-sufficiency and sustainability due to the variety of Civil Engineering Support Equipment present in the caves. The caves provided an excellent storage solution for quick stow and EMF deployment. The Norwegian military has been extremely cooperative and professional in the support of our mission.”

Until 2003, the U.S. Navy based two fleet hospitals, each supplied with 500 beds, out of Norway, When Operation Iraqi Freedom began, they were sent to Kuwait and Rota, Spain, in support before returning to the United States for resupply and repairs.

The fleet hospitals were replaced in 2007 with expeditionary medical facilities, which were designed with more flexibility to respond to military operations.

 

[northern watch]

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[Plain Jane]

Italy: Senate rejects anti-homophobia law – DW – 10/27/2021

The law would have made homophobia a crime that is treated similarly to racism. Right-wing lawmakers were particularly opposed to the proposal.

www.dw.com

Italy: Senate rejects anti-homophobia law
The law would have made homophobia a crime that is treated similarly to racism. Right-wing lawmakers were particularly opposed to the proposal.




Polling shows that the law had popular support in Italy

The Italian parliament on Wednesday rejected a broad anti-homophobia law.

The law would have made homophobia a crime that is treated similarly to racism, allowing for prison sentences for offenders. It sought to punish acts of discrimination and incitement to violence against gay, lesbian, transgender and disabled people.

In the Senate, the upper chamber of the Italian legislature, 154 lawmakers voted against the bill, while 131 voted in favor.

The right-wing Northern League and the Brothers of Italy parties, as well as the Vatican, were the most vocal opponents to the proposed law.

How did proponents react?
The bill passed the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, in autumn 2020. The two right wing parties opposed to the law forced a vote in the Senate after critics and proponents failed to reach a compromise.

Five Star party leader, former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, said it was clear that some members of parliament had not progressed as far as the rest of Italian society.

Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio of the Five Star Movement said it was a "disgrace" that the law failed, and said gay people were still discriminated against in Italy. Social Democrat Labour Minister Andrea Orlando also described the outcome as a "disgrace for the country."

Leader of the Social Democrats Enrico Letta said people who wanted to turn Italy back in time had won this round, "But the country feels otherwise. And that will soon become clear.

Watch video01:04
Italy’s former interior minister Salvini goes on trial
Why were people opposed to the law?
Critics of the law said it endangered freedom of expression and could lead to supposed gay propaganda in schools.

The Vatican lodged a rare formal diplomatic complaint against the proposed law in June, alleging that it breached the Concordat, the bilateral treaty between Italy and the Holy See. It said the law may lead to Catholics being prosecuted for expressing opinions in favor of traditional heterosexual family structures.

League leader Matteo Salvini said proponents of the bill had failed to reach support of critics due to their inflexibility on the law's contents.

"They said no to all compromise proposals, including those proposed by the Holy Father (Pope Francis), by associations and by many families," Salvini said.

Parliament is blocked from reopening discussions on the proposed law for the next six months, making it almost impossible to approve it before the legislature expires early in 2023.

LGBTQ rights group Arcigay says it records more than 100 hate crime and discrimination cases each year. But attempts over the past 25 years to punish acts of homophobia and transphobia have failed.

A July poll found that the law had the backing of 62% of Italians
aw/wd (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

 

[northern watch]

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

France Detains British Trawler Amid Fishing Rights Dispute

BY TYLER DURDEN
THURSDAY, OCT 28, 2021 - 01:10 PM
Authored by Simon Veazey via The Epoch Times,
French authorities have detained a British trawler for fishing in their territorial waters without a licence, amid an ongoing tussle for post-Brexit fishing rights.


The detention of the vessel came on the day that French authorities announced further retaliatory measures over Britain’s refusal to license more French trawlers to fish in its waters.

French authorities say that they have stepped up surveillance of fishing vessels during negotiations on licensing, with French maritime gendarmes making multiple checks on fishing vessels off the northern French port of Le Havre overnight.

According to the French maritime ministry two boats were fined on Oct. 27 after one failed to comply with police checks and the other was found to be without a proper licence.

English fishing industry representatives accused the French government of politicising the dispute over licenses and ramping up the rhetoric ahead of the upcoming French presidential election.

The vessel’s captain could face criminal charges, with his catch confiscated, according to the French maritime ministry.

The French government said that from Nov. 2 extra customs checks will be imposed on British goods.

European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune signalled France would be forceful in the dispute.

“So now, we need to speak the language of strength since that seems to be the only thing this British government understands,” Beaune told news channel CNews.

Barrie Deas, from the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, told the BBC that descending into a “tit for tat” relationship was “unhelpful.”

“It may be normal enforcement action but against the background of the threatening noises coming from the French government … it’s very concerning,” he said.
“There’s a presidential election coming up in France and all the signs are that the rhetoric has been ramped up ahead of that on the fishing issue.”
“It’s a bit strange because the French fleets fish much more in UK waters than we fish in their waters.

A UK government spokesperson described the threats from France as, “disproportionate,” and “not what we would expect from a close ally and partner.”

“The measures being threatened do not appear to be compatible with the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) and wider international law, and, if carried through, will be met with an appropriate and calibrated response.

The spokesperson said that the UK has granted 98 percent of EU license applications to fish in British waters.

Negotiations between Britain and the European Commission, the EU executive, over the dispute on fishing rights, have continued this week.

Additional customs checks on goods travelling between Britain and the continent via the Channel Tunnel and ferries could seriously disrupt trade flows just as businesses stock up for the year-end festive period.

 

[northern watch]

 

[northern watch]

Belarus forces US to close public diplomacy, USAID offices
Belarus has forced the closure of the U.S. Embassy’s Public Diplomacy and USAID offices in a move that comes amid the tensions with the U.S. and its allies over Belarusian authorities’ crackdown on protests
By YURAS KARMANAU Associated Press
29 October 2021, 08:01

The Associated Press
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko gestures while speaking during his visit to the Dobrush Paper Mill "Geroy Truda" in Dobrush, Belarus, Friday, Oct. 29, 2021. (Sergei Shelega/BelTA Pool Photo via AP)

KYIV, Ukraine -- Belarus has forced the closure of the U.S. Embassy’s Public Diplomacy and USAID offices in a move that comes amid the tensions with the U.S. and its allies over Belarusian authorities' crackdown on protests.

Samantha Power, the U.S. Agency for International Development administrator, said Friday that the Belarusian authorities aim to “severely disrupt U.S. development assistance and public diplomacy in Belarus by forcing the closure of facilities that house key U.S. Government operations, and by ending employment of all of USAID’s local staff and Department of State public diplomacy staff.”

She added that the move, which is effective Nov. 20, demonstrates the authorities’ “callous disregard of the interests of the Belarusian people.”

U.S. Envoy for Belarus Julie Fisher described the Belarusian authorities' decision as a reflection of their "deep insecurities about the role of diplomacy, people-to-people ties and independent civil society.”

She added that the U.S. “will not be deterred from its commitment to helping advance democracy and human rights in Belarus and to supporting the aspirations of the Belarusian people to build a more promising future in a free and independent Belarus.”

The ambassador noted that the U.S. government’s development assistance implemented in Belarus by USAID since the 1990s has supported entrepreneurship and the expansion of small-to-medium private enterprises. More recently, it provided key COVID-19 relief while Belarusian authorities were dismissive of the pandemic.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition candidate in the country's disputed August 2020 presidential vote, was forced to leave Belarus under official pressure. She expressed gratitude Friday to the U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy and USAID offices.

“They will return to new Belarus,” Tsikhanouskaya said on Twitter. “I ask them to continue work for Belarusians — we see and value this consistent support.”

Belarus' relations with the U.S. and the European Union have become increasingly tense following the country's authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko being handed a sixth term in the August 2020 vote that the opposition and the West have rejected as rigged. The election fueled massive protests, to which authorities responded with a fierce crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.

Lukashenko's government has moved methodically to squelch any remaining resistance, shutting NGOs and independent media and arresting activists and journalists.

Viktor Babariko, the former head of a Russia-owned bank who aspired to challenge Lukashenko in the 2020 vote, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in July on the money-laundering charges that he rejected as politically motivated.

On Friday, Babariko's last remaining lawyer, Yauhen Pylchanka, was stripped of his license due to alleged legal violations during the trial. Pylchanka said the move was spearheaded by the country's top state security agency, which still goes under its Soviet-era name KGB.

“The Belarusian KGB initiated my expulsion from the collegium of lawyers under a sham pretext of violation of professional ethics,” Pylchanka told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “Babariko has been left without lawyers and without any communications with the outside world, deprived of the possibility to properly defend himself.”

Also Friday, the Belarusian Interior Ministry outlawed popular messaging app channels NEXTA, NEXTA-Live and LUXTA as extremist and blocked German broadcaster Deutsche Welle and the Current Time TV channel.

———

AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington.


Belarus forces US to close public diplomacy, USAID offices - ABC News (go.com)

 

[northern watch]

 

[Plain Jane]

Prince Andrew asks US court to dismiss 'baseless' sex abuse case

Britain's Prince Andrew insisted his sexual assault accuser was out to profit from a "baseless lawsuit" against him as he asked a New York court to dismiss the case Friday.

www.france24.com

Prince Andrew asks US court to dismiss 'baseless' sex abuse case
Issued on: 30/10/2021 - 07:48

FILE - In this Sunday, April 11, 2021, file photo, Britain's Prince Andrew speaks during a television interview at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, England. AP - Steve Parsons
Text by:NEWS WIRES
2 min
Listen to the article
Britain's Prince Andrew insisted his sexual assault accuser was out to profit from a "baseless lawsuit" against him as he asked a New York court to dismiss the case Friday.

In a filing in Manhattan, the Duke of York's lawyers accused Virginia Giuffre of suing the prince "to achieve another payday" from her accusations against the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

"Most people could only dream of obtaining the sums of money that Giuffre has secured for herself over the years," wrote attorney Andrew Brettler.

"This presents a compelling motive for Giuffre to continue filing frivolous lawsuits against individuals such as Prince Andrew, whose sullied reputation is only the latest collateral damage of the Epstein scandal," he added.

Giuffre alleges Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges in 2019, lent her out for sex with his wealthy and powerful associates.

The 38-year-old sued Andrew for unspecified damages in August, claiming he sexually assaulted her more than 20 years ago when she was 17 and a minor under US state law.

Andrew, 61, has been not been criminally charged and has repeatedly and strenuously denied the allegations.

Last month, Queen Elizabeth II's second son accepted that he had been served legal papers in the case and was instructed to respond to the lawsuit by October 29.

His lawyers did so on Friday, requesting that the lawsuit be dismissed "for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted."

Alternatively, they asked that Giuffre "provide a more definitive statement of her allegations."
"Virginia Giuffre may well be a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, and nothing can excuse, nor fully capture, the abhorrence and gravity of Epstein's monstrous behavior against Giuffre, if so," they wrote.

"However, and without diminishing the harm suffered as a results of Epstein's alleged misconduct, Prince Andrew never sexually abused or assaulted Giuffre. He unequivocally denies Giuffre's false allegations against him."

Giuffre alleges that Andrew sexually abused her at the London home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

She also said he assaulted her at the New York home of Epstein, as well as at Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.

Andrew's lawyers said Giuffre "purportedly received millions of dollars" from a 2017 settlement after she sued Maxwell.

They also argued that a 2009 settlement she signed with Epstein prevented her from suing anyone else in relation her sexual abuse allegations.

A lawyer for Giuffre did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Andrew has rarely been seen in public since he was forced to quit the royal frontline in 2019 for failing to distance himself from Epstein.

Maxwell is due to go on trial in New York on November 29 on charges that she recruited underage girls for Epstein to abuse. She has pleaded not guilty.
(AFP)