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“Frank” discussion between the EU and the Balkans

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“Frank” discussion between the EU and the Balkans

The President of the European Council Charles Michel received Sunday evening in Brussels the leaders of the six countries of the Western Balkans candidates for accession to the EU for a “frank discussion”. This working dinner is intended to prepare for the Zagreb summit in May.

“I hope for a frank, intense and open discussion,” he announced in a brief intervention before welcoming his guests. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Foreign Minister Josep Borrell are also participating in this informal meeting, as is Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, whose country holds the semi-annual presidency of the European Union.

“We will see how to deepen our partnership with these countries, consolidate their European prospects and give signals on the reforms to be carried out,” explained Charles Michel.

Landing in the EU will not be easy

“It is a question of initiating a political dialogue at the highest level with North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro and Bosnia, and of understanding their expectations before launching preparations for the summit of Zagreb “on May 17, said a European official. The talks will focus on the new, stricter membership procedure requested by France.

The European Commission has submitted a proposal to this effect, but it still needs to be discussed and approved unanimously by the Member States. “We all had difficulties landing in Brussels tonight (Editor’s note: because of the storm) and it is a kind of warning that to land (in the EU) will not be easy,” commented with humor the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama.

“We are very, very interested in discussing the new methodology” on the opening of negotiations, he said.

Fourth attempt

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, who also struggled to land in Brussels, used the same metaphor as the Albanian Prime Minister. “We had three European councils during which we failed to land, but we hope to succeed on the fourth attempt,” said Nikola Dimitrov.

The hope is that this new procedure will be approved by the member states for the Zagreb summit and that the agreement will open negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. They already started with Montenegro in 2012 and Serbia in 2014.

Donald Trump accused of judicial interference in favor of a friend

Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa
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Donald Trump accused of judicial interference in favor of a friend

Donald Trump was accused on Tuesday, February 11 of flouting the principle of the separation of powers, after an exceptional intervention by the United States Department of Justice to soften a required prison sentence against Roger Stone, one of his longtime friends.

This interference by the highest authorities of the ministry in this file caused a wind of revolt among the four prosecutors who were investigating the case: all announced in a resounding way to withdraw.

Roger Stone was convicted in November 2019 of lies to Congress in connection with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 American election. His sentence is to be announced on February 20 by a federal judge, after an advisory opinion from the prosecutors.

On Monday, in their sentencing recommendations, the latter suggested a sentence of 7 and 9 years in prison against Roger Stone, a 67-year-old political consultant and loyal to the Republican president.

“Miscarriage of justice “

But, on the night of Monday to Tuesday, Donald Trump responded by denouncing in a tweet a “very unfair situation” and a “miscarriage of justice”.

Without a clear link between cause and effect, the four prosecutors who had requested the initial sentences, Aaron Zelinsky, Jonathan Kravis, Adam Jed, and Michael Marando, announced Tuesday their withdrawal from the Stone case in a motion sent to the judge. They did not give an explanation for their decision, but one of them resigned from his post.

Suspected of having pressured supposedly independent prosecutors, Donald Trump denied any intervention. “I did not speak to them,” he reacted from the White House, adding that he had “not been involved at all”.

But the recommendations were “ridiculous”, “shameful” and “an insult to our country,” he insisted. In the evening, the American president attacked the federal judge who will have to pronounce the sentence against Roger Stone.

” Abuse of power “

The opposition immediately denounced political interference in this judicial file and even raised the possibility of an “abuse of power”. The President (Democrat) of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, denounced a “scandalous” decision by the Trump administration which “affects the rule of law”.

Confirmation of orders from above, the Minister of Justice asked on Tuesday afternoon for a “much lesser” sentence against Roger Stone, on the pretext that the initial recommendations “would not be suitable or would not serve the interests of justice “.

In this document, “amended and additional recommendations from the government”, the ministry cites the example of a sentence between 3 and 4 years, “from 37 to 46 months”, a duration, according to him, “more suitable to the penalties typically imposed in obstruction cases ”.

“The Department of Justice and Minister Bill Barr are ready to ignore the advice of career prosecutors […] after a midnight tweet from the president attacking the proposed sentence, “ Adam Schiff said in a statement. Democrat who led the prosecution team during President Trump’s removal from office in the Senate.

The Justice Department has said that this decision was made before the tweet from Donald Trump.

Trump already accused of obstructing justice

The President has already been charged with obstructing justice in the Russian investigation, including the dismissal of FBI director James Comey, who was investigating foreign interference in the 2016 election, at the start of his term.

And if after twenty-two months of investigation, special prosecutor Robert Mueller had declared that he had found no evidence of collusion between Moscow and Donald Trump’s campaign team in 2016, he had not, however, exonerated the Republican billionaire on suspicion of obstructing justice.

In this case, the president also sacked his then Minister of Justice, Jeff Sessions, accusing him of not protecting him enough. The appointment of the current minister, Bill Barr, was seen as Donald Trump’s desire to put someone loyal to him as head of the Justice Department.

Roger Stone is among the six members of the entourage, more or less close, to the president to have been charged or sentenced in the wake of the Russian investigation.

Coronavirus on the Diamond Princess: repatriated passengers, others are patient

Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa
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Coronavirus on the Diamond Princess: repatriated passengers, others are patient

The number of positive cases of the new coronavirus identified on the cruise ship Diamond Princess in quarantine near Yokohama (suburbs of Tokyo) has risen to 355, announced Sunday the Japanese Minister of Health.

“So far we have tested 1,219 people, and 355 have tested positive,” Katsunobu Kato said in a morning political broadcast on the NHK public broadcaster. , 73 are symptom-free, he said.

More than 3,700 passengers and crew were cruising on this vessel when a passenger disembarked in Hong Kong several weeks ago were found positive for the coronavirus previously appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan. This initial case on the ship led to the quarantine of the Diamond Princess in a port in Japan. Since then, over the days and tests, the number of cases has continued to increase.

Diamond Princess passenger quarantine is scheduled to end on February 19, but recent developments could affect this schedule.

Those affected are transferred to specially equipped hospitals in Japan, while the other confined passengers try to occupy themselves, sometimes with objects sent from outside. Aun Na Tan, a passenger of the “Diamond Princess” from Australia, tweeted on Wednesday a package containing a set of Uno, two sachets of pearls, threads of scoubidous, puzzles and treats.

Matthew Smith, an American lawyer who is also on board, made up his mind to document the quarantine by sharing photos of the meals served on board.

Evacuated passengers

The US government has decided to evacuate its healthy nationals. A plane must be specially chartered in order to repatriate them to the United States for a quarantine of 14 days on two military bases. About 350 American citizens remained on the boat on Saturday.

The Hong Kong government also announced on Saturday that it would take over some 330 nationals on the ship to repatriate them by air.

Australian media have reported that Canberra is also considering the option of evacuation.

In addition, in addition to 355 cases of the ship, the Japanese authorities confirmed that 53 other people on Japanese territory had been infected with the coronavirus in different regions, with traceability difficult to establish for an increasing number of cases.

Experts believe that “patients affected by the coronavirus can now appear anywhere in Japan” and that citizens should take as many precautions as possible (wash their hands very frequently, wear masks, disinfect objects, etc. ).

The death toll from mainland China caused by the new coronavirus approached 1,700 on Sunday, while the first death outside Asia was reported on Saturday in France.

SC hearing on removal of Shaheen Bagh protestors today

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SC hearing on removal of Shaheen Bagh protestors today

The Supreme Court will hear the petition against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Shaheen Bagh on December 15 last year demanding that the Center and others be directed to remove the protesters sitting on the dharna. The apex court had filed a petition asking the central government to remove the protesters who were protesting in the Shaheen Bagh.

Protesters have been demanding the withdrawal of CAA for more than two months in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh. During the last hearing on Shaheen Bagh, the Supreme Court said that no public place could be staged indefinitely. Even then there was no order to clear the road. The next hearing of the matter was set for January 17.

Then a bench of Justices SK Kaul and Justice M Joseph had said that there is a law and people have a complaint against him. The case has been adjourned to court. Despite this, some people are protesting. They have the right to protest but you cannot block the roads. Such areas may not have periodic tours for an indefinite period of time. If you want to have a demonstration, it must be at the destination for the demonstration.

The apex court had said that the demonstration has been going on in Shaheen Bagh for a long time but it should not be an inconvenience to others.

The bench also said that it would not issue any instruction without listening to the other party. The court then fixed the next hearing on February 17.

Longowal van accident: Captain gives thanks to student for saving life of 4 children

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Longowal van accident: Captain gives thanks to student for saving life of 4 children

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has commended Amandeep Kaur, a 9th class student of the same school who saved the lives of four children who showed bravery after a van of a private school in Longowal, Sangrur. The Captain has tweeted that this is the way to brave this student. The Captain has said that he will meet this brave girl soon.

Let’s say four children were killed in the accident, but the remaining 12 children in the van were rescued. Amandeep Kaur was also riding in the van at the time of the accident. He was the first to know of the fire. He broke the van’s glass and took out four children.

In fact, when the student got out of the van, he had some bad breath and told the driver but he did not talk. After that, the fire went out. But the student broke the glass and dragged the four children down and took the children away. He told that the driver did not run away but kept trying to rescue the children. But the fire was burning.

Rail blockade: Trudeau cancels visit to Caribbean, emergency meeting Monday to resolve crisis

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Rail blockade: Trudeau cancels visit to Caribbean, emergency meeting Monday to resolve crisis

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will not attend the Caribbean Community Heads of Government (CARICOM) Conference in Barbados this week, having decided to stay in the country to try to find a solution to the railway dam crisis which has disrupted the transport of passengers and goods for several days.

In a statement sent to the media in the early evening on Sunday, his office indicated that Canada will be represented at CARICOM by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francois-Philippe Champagne.

Mr. Trudeau was originally scheduled to be there Monday and Tuesday. He was to take advantage of this meeting to promote Canada’s candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Security Council in 2021-2022.

In the wake of this change of plan, in order to find a solution to the “ongoing disruptions affecting infrastructure across the country, the Prime Minister will meet tomorrow [Monday] the Incident Response Group to discuss the next steps Said the office of Mr. Trudeau.

On Twitter, the Prime Minister added that he has invited some of his ministers, Marc Miller, Carolyn Bennett, Marc Garneau, Bill Blair, Chrystia Freeland, Pablo Rodriguez, and Bill Morneau, to this meeting of the Case Response Group incident.

Rail transportation is disrupted in several regions of the country due to demonstrations by members of indigenous communities who have been blocking railways for several days, notably in Tyendinaga, east of Belleville, Ontario, in Kahnawake, near from Montreal, as well as Listuguj, in Gaspesie.

The protesters want to force the end of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project in northern British Columbia. They support the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation who oppose the pipeline project.

To resolve the crisis, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller spent the day on Saturday negotiating and speaking with the Tyendinaga Mohawks “to achieve a peaceful resolution of the situation,” said the bureau. minister Sunday evening.

“Minister Bennett has had several conversations with Hereditary Chiefs Wet’suwet’en over the past few days,” he said in the message from the Prime Minister’s Office. She committed to meeting them at a time convenient to them, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s commitment. Minister Garneau met with his provincial and territorial counterparts late last week. He closely monitors the effects of the current blockages on the rail network and maintains constant communication with CN, CP and Via Rail.”

“We remain in close contact with other levels of government and our partners,” said Mr. Trudeau’s office. “Our priority remains the safety and security of all Canadians and the prompt resolution of the situation in order to restore service to the entire rail network, in accordance with the law.”

Ottawa doesn’t want another OKA

The federal government does not believe that police action to dismantle Aboriginal roadblocks that hinder railways. Canada economy is a good approach.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller explained on Sunday that police interventions in Oka in 1990 and Ipperwash, Ontario in 1995, both of which ended with the death of one person, must be used warning.

“We have the experience of Oka 30 years ago when the police intervened and a person died [a policeman]. My question to Canadians, to myself and to my fellow politicians, whatever the party, is it that we do the same old things and we repeat the mistakes of the past or do we take time to do this well? ” he told The Globe and Mail on Sunday.

The Montreal minister believes that the resolution of this crisis which paralyzes part of the Canadian economy will require dialogue.

“These are peaceful people who want a peaceful resolution,” he told the Global network on Sunday. And we cannot have a peaceful resolution without dialogue.”

Indigenous protesters are blocking railways near Belleville, Ontario, Winnipeg, Kahnawake, near Montreal, as well as in the Gaspe Peninsula. These protesters want to force the end of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project in northern British Columbia. They support the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in British Columbia who oppose the pipeline project.

Canadian National has obtained a court injunction to end the blockade at Belleville, which prevents the transportation of passengers and freight in this important rail corridor. The OPP has spoken to protesters in the past few days but has not enforced the injunction. Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer called for police action and criticized Aboriginal protesters. Minister Miller, however, praised the police’s conciliatory approach.

“For those who want an intervention, I tell them to learn from history,” he told the Globe. Each of these crises begins with injunctions. What I hear from indigenous communities when we talk about the rule of law is that for them, the rule of law has been invoked over and over again to perpetuate what they consider to be historical injustices.”

Marc Miller met with members of the Tyendinaga Mohawk community near Belleville on Saturday. Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett is scheduled to meet with First Nations leaders in British Columbia on Monday.

Layoffs

The Canadian National said Sunday by email to the QMI Agency that about 450 of its employees were affected by notices of temporary layoffs due to the paralysis of its railways, particularly near Belleville. About 1,000 workers could temporarily lose their jobs if the crisis persists, CN warned.

MAIN DEMONSTRATIONS OF SUPPORT FOR WET’SUWET’EN HEREDITARY CHIEFS ON SUNDAY

The dam of the CN railway track by the Tyendinaga Mohawk community, east of Belleville, Ontario, which greatly affects the transport of passengers and goods, continued for 11th day, Sunday.

Other demonstrations of the same kind, that of the Mohawks of Kahnawake which disrupts the commuter train service on the Candiac line of Exo, and that of Listuguj, in Gaspesie, started a few days ago, also continued.

In addition, there were other occasional demonstrations, including one in Saint-Pascal, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, where some 20 people blocked a railroad track for a few hours, as well as others in the Winnipeg sector. , in Manitoba.

In eastern Prince Edward Island, protesters gathered and slowed traffic at the entrance to the Confederation Bridge to show their support for the hereditary chiefs of the Wet ‘First Nation suwet’en from British Columbia.

The contribution of black soldiers recognized by the Netherlands

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The contribution of black soldiers recognized by the Netherlands

I allow myself a brief break from the coverage of the American political scene to underline the recognition by the Netherlands of the contribution of a black battalion to the end of the German occupation.

You probably already knew that racial discrimination and segregation did not prevail in American society, it was also found in the troops.

During the Second War, the armored battalions were separated, there were units for white soldiers and others for black soldiers. Before they could prove themselves, they were often assigned manual tasks. Among these works which did not require any particular skill, we find the painful work of recovering the bodies of soldiers who died in combat.

A recent research project on the Black Liberators of the Netherlands provides much more information on the history of soldiers of color. At the origin of this project, we find the efforts and the collaboration of the Dutch historian Mieke Kirkels and the black soldier Jeff Wiggins.

Wiggins belonged to the unit of black soldiers who helped to bury nearly 20,000 soldiers, 172 of whom were soldiers of color. The son of a sharecropper from the South, he enlisted to escape the Ku Klux Klan. Returning to the country, he was determined to forget this chapter of his life until Kirkels joined him in 2003. Reluctant at first, Wiggins then confided in the historian. Their discussions will lead to the publication of the book From Alabama to Margraten: Memories of Grave Digger Jefferson Wiggins .

The collaboration between the Dutch and the American will be even more fruitful since it will lead the author to continue her research and to inspire other researchers. It was in this context that the Black Liberator Project was born.

So it was this latest project that led to last week’s commemorations in Washington. In the presence of one of the few survivors of black soldier units, the Netherlands thanked the colored soldiers for their courage, sacrifice, and determination to make freedom triumph.

I was interested in the journey of the survivor present at the ceremony. James W. Baldwin is now 95 years old, but his memory still seems very good and his words deserve our attention.

Military times

If above I illustrated the thankless role of Wiggins and the members of his unit, with Baldwin we obtain more information on the Blacks who fought. He remembers the liberation of 23 cities!

What contributes to the importance of the sacrifice, but also to the paradoxical character of the colored soldiers within the troops, is that the rights for which we fought in Europe, the Blacks themselves did not always have them in the States -United.

Beyond historians and leaders, many people in the Netherlands are now making sure to preserve the memory of the contribution of black soldiers to the liberation of their country. Families go as far as ensuring the maintenance of the graves of those of them who have never returned to the country.

If you are interested in the stories of these soldiers, click here to access an article from the Military Times site. The history of discrimination and segregation is always shocking, especially when people are asked to risk their lives to preserve rights elsewhere that they do not enjoy at home. Fortunately, we will be inspired by black soldiers and then lead the battle for the recognition of civil rights in the United States.

Possible to reconcile family and politics, says Paul St-Pierre Plamondon

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Possible to reconcile family and politics, says Paul St-Pierre Plamondon

The candidate for the leadership contest of the Parti Quebecois (PQ) Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will put his campaign on pause for three weeks in order to take his paternity leave, he revealed in an interview with The Eastern Herald.

He and his partner want to demonstrate that it is possible to reconcile family and politics.   

“I am pregnant with the second, I will give birth in about three weeks,” said her partner, Alexandra Tremblay.   

“But there it is, the window, and we’ve been working for the renewal of the PQ since 2016; renewal is taking place, ”says the woman who is busy getting her life companion elected, who was in the leadership race that crowned Jean-Francois Lisee in 2016.

Already the parent of a 21-month-old girl, the couple dreams of attracting more talent and women to politics.   

“I’m going to take my paternity leave. During this time, I will not give an interview. When I get home, I close the phone, and if I don’t, my wife tells me. There are many young families who will recognize themselves in this. It is legitimate to take care of giving time to your children. It is not because I am less determined or less competent because I take care of my family. If we don’t get this message across, how can we rally the next generations? How can we bring women into politics? I think we have to get it across, the message, we have to be consistent, ”says Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon. 

The PQ at a crossroads

A group convinced him to dive again in an attempt to become the 16th PQ leader. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says he relies on a group of 200 supporters.   

“The race is not one among many, it is the race where we will choose to write a new chapter”.   

No more dithering: He undertakes to hold a referendum in a first mandate.   

“Independence, we must not just talk about it, but act!” Exclaims the candidate.   

“Because it’s legitimate, then you can’t always be on the defensive. We have a great project and we must put it forward with vigor, pride, dignity, and dynamism. There is no longer any reason to reject it ”.    

His partner agrees.   

“It’s a very big commitment. It is a very big sacrifice for the family, for the time that we will not spend with the family and financially. Paul quit his job. I’m not doing it for Paul; I do it because I believe in it! Because I think there is a window at the PQ, that it must be seized, ”explains Ms. Tremblay. 

A race for four

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon suggests that there may not be four candidates at the finish line, Sylvain Gaudreault, Frederic Bastien and Guy Nantel are also in the running.   

“It is not certain that it will be four!” There are the signatures, there is the funding, there is also the game of support ”, underlines the one who already has the experience of a race for the leadership of a party.    

“Yes, notoriety in politics is a factor, but is it really a skill, notoriety? I think it is one factor among many, “he said, speaking of the candidate Guy Nantel.    

“This campaign will focus on who, as a leader, is capable of rebuilding the PQ and embodies the future,” concludes candidate St-Pierre Plamondon.

Despite legalization, the Pot Block is not extinguished

Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa
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Despite legalization, the Pot Block is not extinguished

MONTREAL | It is not just the PQ and the Liberal Party that will be looking for a leader this spring.

Even if article 1 of his program, the legalization of cannabis, has become reality, the illustrious Bloc Pot considers it more relevant than ever and is looking for the rare pearl to carry his new message.  

The new leader of the small party will be appointed in May by the members, who are currently claimed to number 500, but who are likely to be more numerous on polling day. Since last week, the Bloc Pot has been very active on social networks to recruit new members.

“People think it’s a settled question, but on the contrary. Legalization is dysfunctional, “ardently defended Hugo St-Onge, an activist from the start who wore the colors – green as of course – of the party in the previous provincial elections.

Bold political agenda

The spokesman for the political party has it especially against the decisions of the Legault government, which raised the legal age to buy marijuana to 21 years and which generalized the prohibition of smoking on the street at all of Quebec. This is why, according to him, the fight is waged on the provincial political scene, even if legalization was decided in Ottawa.  

“Since legalization, consumers are even more stigmatized than before. Consumers can more easily be evicted from their homes. The fines are even more severe if we are arrested, “denounced Mr. St-Onge, who believes rather that the police should sign an” armistice “with the dealers so that they can enter the legal market.  

For this, the party’s program specifies that production licenses should be distributed by a Quebec board rather than by the federal government, allowing an artisanal culture, to the detriment of the big companies, which dominate the industry at present.  

Resolutely camped on the left, the Bloc Pot sees with a good eye that the State, via the SQDC, is involved in the sale and profits from it. But the party still thinks that consumers should, at the same time, have the right to grow their own grass at home.  

A serious party

Obviously, you really have to smoke some good to believe that the Bloc Pot can elect a single candidate in 2022, even Hugo St-Onge recognizes this. However, that was never the objective.  

“Being a party allows us to be invited to debates, meet the candidates of other parties and advance our ideas without being registered as lobbyists”, he continued in a tone that could not be more serious, to get it wrong with that of a tie politician.  

Because voters would be wrong to believe that the Bloc Pot is a fanciful party, like the legendary Rhinoceros Party.  

“Twenty years ago, when the party was founded, people looked at us like extraterrestrials because we advocated legalization …” was pleased to recall Hugo St-Onge, who earns his living by making the accounting of a festival between two electoral campaigns.

Serious collision in the La Verendrye wildlife reserve

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Serious collision in the La Verendrye wildlife reserve

A woman is in critical condition following a collision between a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a truck on Route 117 in the La Verendrye wildlife reserve, Sunday afternoon.

The driver of the SUV traveling north lost control of her vehicle around 1:15 pm in the Lac-Pythonga sector. She then spun around, and the truck following her in the same direction could not avoid her.

An SUV passenger was seriously injured in the accident and transported to the hospital. The Sûrete du Quebec feared for its life. The driver and another passenger in the SUV sustained serious injuries, but their lives were not in danger. They were also taken to a hospital center.

Also Read Coronavirus on the Diamond Princess: repatriated passengers, others are patient

The truck driver suffered a nervous shock.

Route 117 was completely closed to traffic in the La Verendrye wildlife reserve due to the collision.

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