INTL Europe: Politics, Economics, Military- May 2021

[Plain Jane]

April's thread is here:

INTL - Europe: Politics, Economics, Military- April 2021

March thread is here: https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/index.php?threads/europe-politics-economics-military-march-2021.596515/ Main Coronavirus thread beginning page 1337: https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/index.php?threads/main-coronavirus-thread.566780/page-1337 Conflict in Mediterranean...

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Regional Conflict in Mediterranean beginning page 73 here:

WAR - Regional conflict brewing in the Mediterranean

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/canada-reveals-it-paid-white-helmets-4-million-annually-after-it-cuts-ties Canada Reveals It Paid White Helmets $4 Million Annually After It Cuts Ties BY TYLER DURDEN WEDNESDAY, APR 21, 2021 - 10:20 PM In another stunning revelation concerning the...

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Ukraine thread beginning page 75 is here:

WAR - trouble brewing again in ukraine

No Agreement Reached On Easter Truce In Ukraine View: https://twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi/status/1388137558320758792 Putin's annexation goals are clear on the map. West to kiev, with the river as the boundry, all along the coastline to Moldavia and odessa. Leave some SCRAPS for the neo nazis...

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Main Coronavirus thread beginning page 1343 here:

CORONA - Main Coronavirus thread

https://summit.news/2021/04/27/tucker-carlson-says-people-who-wear-masks-outside-should-be-mocked/ Tucker Carlson Says People Who Wear Masks Outside Should be Mocked Asks people to call Child Protective Services on parents who make their kids wear them. 27 April, 2021 Paul Joseph Watson...

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3D-printed home in Dutch city expands housing options

A Dutch couple have been looking around their new home — a two-bedroom concrete bungalow resembling a boulder that was created using 3D printing.

apnews.com

3D-printed home in Dutch city expands housing options
yesterday



1 of 8
Exterior view showing the printer layers of the 3D-printed 94-square meters (1,011-square feet) two-bedroom bungalow resembling a boulder with windows in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Friday, April 30, 2021. The fluid, curving lines of its gray walls look natural. But they are actually at the cutting edge of housing construction in the Netherlands and around the world. They were 3D printed at a nearby factory. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
EINDHOVEN, Netherlands (AP) — Elize Lutz and Harrie Dekkers’ new home is a 94-square meter (1,011-square foot) two-bedroom bungalow that resembles a boulder with windows.

The curving lines of its gray concrete walls look and feel natural. But they are actually at the cutting edge of housing construction technology in the Netherlands and around the world: They were 3D printed at a nearby factory.

“It’s special. It’s a form that’s unusual, and when I saw it for the first time, it reminds me of something you knew when you were young,” Lutz said Friday. She will rent the house with Dekkers for six months for 800 euros ($970) per month.

The house, for now, looks strange with its layers of printed concrete clearly visible — even a few places where printing problems caused imperfections.

In the future, as the Netherlands seeks ways to tackle a chronic housing shortage, such construction could become commonplace. The country needs to build hundreds of thousands of new homes this decade to accommodate a growing population.


Theo Salet, a professor at Eindhoven’s Technical University, is working in 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, to find ways of making concrete construction more sustainable. He figures houses can be 3D printed in the future using 30% less material.

“Why? The answer is sustainability,” he said. “And the first way to do that is by cutting down the amount of concrete that we use.”

He explained that 3D printing can deposit the material only where you need it.

A new generation of start-ups in the United States also are among the companies looking to bring 3D-printed homes into the mainstream.

Fittingly, Lutz and Dekkers’ new house is in Eindhoven, a city that markets itself as a center of innovation.

The home is made up of 24 concrete elements “printed” by a machine that squirts layer upon layer of concrete at a factory in the city before being trucked to a neighborhood of other new homes. There, the finishing touches — including a roof — were added.

The layers give a ribbed texture to its walls, inside and out. The house complies with all Dutch construction codes and the printing process took just 120 hours.

The home is the product of collaboration between city hall, Eindhoven’s Technical University and construction companies called Project Milestone. They are planning to build a total of five houses, honing their techniques with each one. Future homes will have more than one floor.

The process uses concrete the consistency of toothpaste, Salet said. That ensures it is strong enough to build with but also wet enough so the layers stick to another. The printed elements are hollow and filled with insulation material.

The hope is that such homes, which are quicker to build than traditional houses and use less concrete, could become a factor in solving housing shortages in a nation that is one-third of the size of Florida with a population of 17.4 million people and rising.

In a report this month, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency said that education and innovation can spur the construction industry in the long term. But other measures are needed to tackle Dutch housing shortages, including reforming zoning.

Salet believes 3D printing can help by digitizing the design and production of houses.

“If you ask me, ‘will we build 1 million of the houses, as you see here?’ The answer is no. But will we use this technology as part of other houses combined with wooden structures? Combined with other materials? Then my answer is yes,” he said.

 

[Plain Jane]

Scuffles in Paris, different demands on display at May Day rallies across France

Police scuffled with protesters in Paris on Saturday, firing tear gas as thousands turned out across France for May Day workers' rights demonstrations.

www.france24.com

https://www.france24.com/en/tag/india/

Scuffles in Paris, different demands on display at May Day rallies across France
Issued on: 01/05/2021 - 18:05

Protesters near a burning trash bin at a May Day (Labour Day) rally in Paris on May 1, 2021. AFP - BERTRAND GUAY
Text by:NEWS WIRES
2 min
Police scuffled with protesters in Paris on Saturday, firing tear gas as thousands turned out across France for May Day workers' rights demonstrations.

A police source told AFP that far-left "black bloc" protesters had repeatedly tried to block the trade union-led march in the French capital, with 34 people detained.

Some protesters smashed the windows of bank branches, set fire to dustbins and threw projectiles at police, who responded with volleys of tear gas and stingball grenades. An injured policeman had to be evacuated, an AFP journalist saw.

The CGT union said nearly 300 May day protests were planned around the country, with authorities expecting around 100,000 demonstrators to join them in total.


The crowds held placards with different demands, ranging from the end of the nighttime curfew in place as part of coronavirus restrictions, to a halt to unemployment reforms due to come into force in July.

Members of the yellow vest anti-elite movement, which rocked Emmanuel Macron's presidency two years ago before largely fizzling out, could also be spotted at protests up and down the country.

Five people were arrested in the southeastern city of Lyon as black bloc protesters again clashed with police at the demonstration, which drew some 3,000 people despite the rain.

"There are so many motivations for a revolt that are building up -- the management of Covid, the so-called reforms that are going to take away people's ability to live, job-seekers who are going to lose their benefits," said a pensioner who gave her name as Patricia.
"We absolutely need to express ourselves," the 66-year-old said.
(AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

German police bust darknet child porn network 'with 400,000 members'

German police said Monday they had shut down "one of the biggest darknet child pornography platforms in the world" and arrested four of its members in a series of raids in mid-April.

www.france24.com

German police bust darknet child porn network 'with 400,000 members'
Issued on: 03/05/2021 - 10:52

German police smash darknet child porn network, May 3 2021. © David Gannon, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
2 min
German police said Monday they had shut down "one of the biggest darknet child pornography platforms in the world" and arrested four of its members in a series of raids in mid-April.

The platform, named as "Boystown", had existed since 2019, counted over 400,000 members and was "set up for the worldwide exchange of child pornography", federal police said in a statement.

The darknet forum allowed users to communicate with others and share graphic image and video content which included "serious sexual abuse of toddlers", the statement said.

Three men between the ages of 40 and 64 were arrested in seven raids in Germany, while a further suspect was detained in Paraguay on the request of German authorities.

The suspect in Paraguay's Concepcion region, also a German citizen, is to be extradited back to Germany on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by a court in Frankfurt.

Three of the men are accused of having managed the platform as administrators, providing technical support and advice to members on how to avoid being discovered by the authorities, while another was "one of the platform's most active users", police said.

Investigators added that the months-long, German-instigated operation had been coordinated by Europol and supported by law enforcement in the Netherlands, Sweden, the United States and Canada.

Both "Boystown" and other chat platforms were taken offline following the raids.
(AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

Right-wing wins big in Madrid regional election – DW – 05/04/2021

Hardline anti-lockdown leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso's victory deals a blow to Spain's governing Socialist Party. But she will need the support of the far-right Vox to rule the capital.

www.dw.com

Madrid voters go to the polls for Spanish regional election
Polling stations in the autonomous community of Madrid have opened, albeit with extra COVID-related restrictions. The vote is expected to be a boost for the far-right.




Special times have been allocated for just elderly voters as a precaution against COVID-19 infections

Polls opened on Tuesday morning for people across the autonomous community of Madrid, encompassing Spain's capital city and its outskirts.

The result of the election in the country's richest region where 7 million people live, out of a total population of 47 million, could have a big impact on Spain's political landscape.

The vote is also considered by many as a comment on the Spanish left-wing government's COVID-19 policies.

The right-wing incumbent leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso, who defied lockdown requests from the central government in favor of keeping the economy open, is expected to win, according to opinion polls.

However, the 42-year-old member of the conservative People's Party (PP) will most likely have to rely on support from the extremist far-right Vox party to form a viable coalition.


Watch video02:49
Spain: Tourist hotspot Madrid
Hygiene regulations for voters
Polls opened at 9 a.m. local time (8 a.m. GMT/UTC) with a two-hour period mid-morning and one hour before polls close being reserved for elderly voters.

Polling stations also enforced strict hygiene rules to those waiting to cast their ballots.
The election was called by Ayuso after she dissolved her center-right coalition in an attempt to broaden her power base.

Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that some stations were facing long queues shortly after they opened.

A reporter for the newspaper tweeted about the hygiene requirements at the polling stations.

"Voting during coronavirus means: double mask, a squirt of gel just before entering, placing your ID card on the tray without anyone touching it and everything is very well organized. There are queues, but the wait isn't very long."

A bitter campaign
Ayuso won the support of many Madrid residents for her unorthodox approach to dealing with coronavirus, preferring to keep bars and restaurants open rather than imposing a strict lockdown as the rest of the country did.

Occupancy of intensive care units in the region is higher than anywhere else in Spain and its 14-day infection rate is also above average.

The bitter campaign has split the contending parties into left and right-wing blocs with the parliamentary leader of the far-left Unidos Podemos party, Pablo Iglesias, stepping down from his role of parliamentary party leader to stand for the top job in the region.

Both Ayuso and Iglesias received death threats in the run-up to the vote, with each warning of the dangers of "communism" and "fascism" respectively.

 

[Zagdid]

EU braces for huge Biden clash as US seeks further jurisdiction into bloc in G7 talk | World | News | Express.co.uk

EU braces for huge clash with Biden as US seeks further jurisdiction into bloc in G7 talk
EUROPEAN G7 leaders will brace for a political clash with US President Joe Biden as the American administration is seeking to come down hard on the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction.
By KYLE FARRELL
PUBLISHED: 14:20, Tue, May 4, 2021 | UPDATED: 14:21, Tue, May 4, 2021

Austria's former Foreign Affairs Minister Karin Kneissl analysed the relationship between Europe and the US amid rising tensions over Russia's Nord Stream 2. The gas pipeline is set to pump Russian gas into Europe which has rung alarm bells in the White House over fears it could increase Russia's power over nations reliant on the superpower. Ms Kneissl slammed the foreign policy of the US which she says is attempting to broaden their jurisdiction in Europe by using sanctions to get its way.

Speaking to Russia Today, Ms Kneissl discussed how important the energy issue was to the US.

She said: "The energy aspect is definitely [important] and it has maybe played a more important role with Donald Trump who really wanted to see the US energy exports move on.

"But I think it has a lot to do with the way the US would like to have a say in the European energy market and the German government has been clear on many instances that they do not want to be under a US directive."

The US has opposed the creation of Nord Stream 2 by introducing sanctions on companies involved in its construction.

Joe Biden has also made contact with Berlin several times to voice his opposition to the pipeline but insists allies can "still disagree" and remain friends.

Ms Kneissl continued: "In the case of the US, their sanctions [are] a flagrant violation of international law.

"Namely that the US pushes its borders and frontiers of its own jurisdiction to other citizens and it makes daily work for a lot of people rather difficult.

"We hear in Washington all the time this new mantra of diplomacy is back.
"So far, I have not seen it, the notion of diplomacy is not fully understood in my eyes because diplomacy is not about announcing sanctions every second week.

"It means dialogue on equal terms and it's not about telling the other person what to do."

G7 leaders met on Tuesday in London in their first face-to-face meeting for two years.

Members discussed foreign threats to international rules with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab chairing the meet.

 

[Plain Jane]

France warns of retaliatory measures over post-Brexit fishing rights

The French government warned Tuesday that it was weighing reprisals after Britain set new rules governing access for French fishing boats near the Channel Islands, the latest skirmish in a deepening…

www.france24.com

France warns of retaliatory measures over post-Brexit fishing rights
Issued on: 04/05/2021 - 18:23

Seagulls surround a fishing trawler as it works in the North Sea, off the coast of northeast England on January 21, 2020. © William Edwards, AFP (file photo)
Text by:NEWS WIRES
2 min

The French government warned Tuesday that it was weighing reprisals after Britain set new rules governing access for French fishing boats near the Channel Islands, the latest skirmish in a deepening post-Brexit dispute.


"We are ready to use these retaliation measures," Maritime Minister Annick Girardin told lawmakers in parliament.

She mentioned in particular consequences involving the underwater cables that supply electricity from France to Jersey, the largest Channel island.

"I am sorry it has come to this," Girardin said, but "we will do so if we have to."

Paris and London have increasingly clashed over fishing in recent weeks, as French fishermen say they are being prevented from operating in British waters because of difficulties in obtaining licences.

In the latest move, Britain on Friday authorised 41 ships equipped with Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) technology – which allows ships to be located – to fish in waters off Jersey, a self-governing British Crown Dependency.

But this list was accompanied by new demands "which were not arranged or discussed (with France), and which we were not notified about", the French fisheries ministry said.

The measures effectively create new zoning rules for the waters near Jersey – "where the ships can go and cannot go", as well as the number of days the fishermen can spend at sea and using what machinery, the ministry added.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," Girardin said. "If we accept this for Jersey, it would imperil our access everywhere."
(AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen acquitted of hate speech charges

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was acquitted on Tuesday of breaking hate speech laws in late 2015 when she posted images of Islamic State atrocities on Twitter.

www.france24.com

France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen acquitted of hate speech charges
Issued on: 04/05/2021 - 15:35

Marine Le Pen was stripped of her parliamentary immunity over the tweeted pictures. © Lionel Bonaventure, AFP (file photo)
Text by:NEWS WIRES
2 min
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was acquitted on Tuesday of breaking hate speech laws in late 2015 when she posted images of Islamic State atrocities on Twitter.


Le Pen displayed the three images, including one of the decapitated body of American journalist James Foley, after a prominent television interviewer compared her party to the Islamist militant group.

She had previously said she tweeted the images to highlight the absurdity of the comparison and had denied any wrongdoing, calling the trial politically motivated.

Le Pen's defense lawyers said after the hearing that freedom of expression had been safeguarded.

Opinion polls show Le Pen will be President Emmanuel Macron's main challenger in next year's election.

She was charged under an article in the penal code that prohibits the dissemination of violent messages that could seriously harm human dignity.

Prosecutors had sought a fine of 5,000 euros, far below the maximum sentence of three years in jail or a 75,000 euro penalty.
(REUTERS)

See this thread also:

INTL - Le Pen Cleared of Breaking Hate Speech Laws For Posting Images of ISIS Atrocities

Le Pen Cleared of Breaking Hate Speech Laws For Posting Images of ISIS Atrocities Ludicrous charge went to court despite Le Pen using images to condemn ISIS. Published 1 min ago on 4 May, 2021 Paul Joseph Watson Chesnot via Getty Images 1 Comment Populist leader Marine Le Pen has been cleared...

www.timebomb2000.com

 

[Plain Jane]

Scotland: Paving the way to independence? – DW – 05/05/2021

Seven years after Scots voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom, the question of independence is front and center once again.

www.dw.com

With independence in play, Scotland votes in pivotal election
Seven years after Scots voted to remain a part of the United Kingdom, the question of independence is front and center once again.




Is Scotland headed for another independence referendum?

Independence isn't on the ballot at this week's Scottish Parliament election — but it's the issue at the forefront of voters' minds.

Elect a majority of pro-independence candidates on May 6, and they'll be saying yes to "indyref2" — a second referendum on leaving the United Kingdom. Deny the nationalists parliamentary control, however, and dreams of sovereignty slip away (for now).

Polling suggests the latter is unlikely, with Nicola Sturgeon's governing Scottish National Party (SNP) on course to win a plurality of seats. Should that come to pass, the party will waste no time in proclaiming a mandate for a fresh referendum.

"Scotland faces a choice of two futures. The long-term damage of Brexit and Tory cuts under the broken Westminster system, or the opportunity to secure our place in Europe and a strong, fair and green recovery as an independent country in a post-pandemic referendum," said Kirsten Oswald, the SNP's deputy leader in the UK Parliament.

Watch video03:06
Brexit sparks renewed calls for Scottish independence
Securing a second vote on secession is easier said than done, though. Before a legally watertight ballot can be sanctioned, the Scottish government must request a so-called Section 30 order from London, the legal apparatus that authorized Scotland's 2014 referendum.

This, in Sturgeon's mind, is the "gold standard" for securing indyref2 — but Boris Johnson isn't so keen. Though UK-wide public opinion looks to be shifting on the question of a second vote, the British prime minister has repeatedly rejected calls for a rerun referendum, arguing that a full generation must first elapse.

Could Sturgeon up the political pressure?
But Sturgeon believes this resistance will falter in the face of a pro-independence majority — and if not, she has a backup plan.

Sidestepping the need for a Section 30 order, the SNP would push its own referendum bill through the Scottish Parliament, inviting a legal challenge from Westminster. The UK's Supreme Court would then have to decide whether Scottish lawmakers have the legislative authority to approve a second independence vote. Experts believe it's a decision that could go either way.

"We really don't know which way the Supreme Court would rule on the question of the Scottish Parliament's competence to authorize a referendum. It's totally untested," said Kenneth Armstrong, professor of European law at the University of Cambridge.

"The British government might simply amend UK constitutional law, removing any ambiguity as to whether Edinburgh has the power to sanction an independence vote," he added.

Nicola Sturgeon has said Westminster cannot stand in the way of independence

Saddled with uncertainty, Sturgeon's indyref2 strategy has split the nationalist camp in two, with one branch favoring more strident action. Under the leadership of former First Minister Alex Salmond, the recently formed Alba Party — a pro-independence group competing with the SNP — is advocating a sharp increase in political pressure.

"Our tactics are many across widespread areas," said Kenny MacAskill, a former SNP justice secretary who defected to Alba. "There's international representations, there's legal action that can be taken and of course there's people's democracy as we begin to come out of lockdown: demonstrations and socially distanced gatherings."

Johnson isn't impervious to a ramping up of pressure — particularly if the polls show growing support for indyref2. Equally, he could decide to dig in, obstinately refusing a second referendum regardless of the political consequences. This would put the SNP in a very difficult position.

'We didn't vote for Brexit, we didn't vote for the Tories'
Assuming the legal route proves fruitless, Sturgeon would be forced to consider a so-called "wildcat" referendum: an unsanctioned ballot similar to the one staged by Catalonia's pro-independence government in 2017.

This is likely a non-starter for the Scottish leader, fearing a backlash from Brussels bureaucrats who could stymie dreams of rejoining the European Union post-secession. There are also doubts as to the viability of an unrecognized vote — opposition-controlled local authorities, who oversee Scotland's electoral process, could simply order a boycott.


Watch video04:50
Scotland's election with consequences
This lack of clarity is, for some voters, emblematic of a wider uncertainty around the independence question.

"I don't trust the SNP anymore, I don't feel like they've got a clear plan for what independence would look like for Scotland," said James Glen, who voted for independence in 2014 but now backs staying in the UK. "I'm worried that if it goes wrong, fragile working class communities like my own will feel the most pain."

Support for separation remains strong, however, and there's palpable optimism in the ranks of those demanding indyref2.

"We didn't vote for Brexit, we didn't vote for the Tories. We need independence to ensure a commitment to social justice and to do away with the incompetence, cruelty and cronyism of Westminster," said Pat Byrne, an activist in Glasgow.

"I'm not sure when, but independence is coming."

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[Zagdid]

Macron sends French gunboat to Jersey amid rising tensions with UK (msn.com)

Macron sends French gunboat to Jersey amid rising tensions with UK

Michiel Willems 1 hour ago

Tensions are rising in the English Channel today, after France sent a retaliatory gunboat to Jersey this morning to counter two British naval ships.

Two armed Royal Navy boats, the HMS Tamar and HMS Severn, were sent by Boris Johnson last night to patrol waters around Jersey amid a protest by French fishermen against new post-Brexit rules at the port of St Helier.

In a tit-for-tat move, French President Emmanuel Macron deployed one French naval boat with another on the way.

On Wednesday, France threatened to cut power to the island if the country’s fishermen are not granted full post-Brexit access to UK waters.

French fishermen have sailed in a flotilla to the Channel island to register their protest at restrictions on their access today.

In a statement released today, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to the chief minister of Jersey, Senator John Le Fondré, the deputy chief minister, Lyndon Farnham and the minister of external affairs, Ian Gorst this morning.

“The chief minister updated the Prime Minister on the latest developments with French fishing vessels around Jersey’s coast.

“The Prime Minister reiterated his unequivocal support for Jersey and confirmed that the two Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels would remain in place to monitor the situation as a precautionary measure.”

It comes after France’s maritime minister told the country’s National Assembly that Jersey had unilaterally imposed restrictions on how much time French fishing vessels could spend in its waters.

Annick Giardin believes it is in contravention to the UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal, however Jersey has accused the French government of making “disproportionate” threats against them.

“In the [Brexit] deal there are retaliatory measures. Well, we’re ready to use them,” she said.

“Regarding Jersey, I remind you of the delivery of electricity along underwater cables…even if it would be regrettable if we had to do it, we’ll do it if we have to.”

Around 95 per cent of Jersey’s electricity comes from France, with diesel generators and gas turbines providing backup.

Jersey is asking for French fishermen to provide GPS evidence that they have previously fished in the island’s waters in order to get renewed fishing licences.

Jersey external relations minister Ian Gorst said that of the 41 French boats seeking approval last Friday that only 17 were knocked back.

“We are entering a new era and it takes time for all to adjust. Jersey has consistently shown its commitment to finding a smooth transition to the new regime,” Horst said.

Brussels today backed France in the escalating row.

A European Commission spokesperson said: “Any proposed management conditions have to be notified in advance to the other party, giving them sufficient time to assess and react to the proposed measures.

“Until the UK authorities provide further justifications on the new conditions, these new conditions should not apply.”

 

[Plain Jane]

Macron sends French gunboat to Jersey amid rising tensions with UK (msn.com)

Macron sends French gunboat to Jersey amid rising tensions with UK

Michiel Willems 1 hour ago

Tensions are rising in the English Channel today, after France sent a retaliatory gunboat to Jersey this morning to counter two British naval ships.

Two armed Royal Navy boats, the HMS Tamar and HMS Severn, were sent by Boris Johnson last night to patrol waters around Jersey amid a protest by French fishermen against new post-Brexit rules at the port of St Helier.

In a tit-for-tat move, French President Emmanuel Macron deployed one French naval boat with another on the way.

On Wednesday, France threatened to cut power to the island if the country’s fishermen are not granted full post-Brexit access to UK waters.

French fishermen have sailed in a flotilla to the Channel island to register their protest at restrictions on their access today.

In a statement released today, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to the chief minister of Jersey, Senator John Le Fondré, the deputy chief minister, Lyndon Farnham and the minister of external affairs, Ian Gorst this morning.

“The chief minister updated the Prime Minister on the latest developments with French fishing vessels around Jersey’s coast.

“The Prime Minister reiterated his unequivocal support for Jersey and confirmed that the two Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels would remain in place to monitor the situation as a precautionary measure.”

It comes after France’s maritime minister told the country’s National Assembly that Jersey had unilaterally imposed restrictions on how much time French fishing vessels could spend in its waters.

Annick Giardin believes it is in contravention to the UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal, however Jersey has accused the French government of making “disproportionate” threats against them.

“In the [Brexit] deal there are retaliatory measures. Well, we’re ready to use them,” she said.

“Regarding Jersey, I remind you of the delivery of electricity along underwater cables…even if it would be regrettable if we had to do it, we’ll do it if we have to.”

Around 95 per cent of Jersey’s electricity comes from France, with diesel generators and gas turbines providing backup.

Jersey is asking for French fishermen to provide GPS evidence that they have previously fished in the island’s waters in order to get renewed fishing licences.

Jersey external relations minister Ian Gorst said that of the 41 French boats seeking approval last Friday that only 17 were knocked back.

“We are entering a new era and it takes time for all to adjust. Jersey has consistently shown its commitment to finding a smooth transition to the new regime,” Horst said.

Brussels today backed France in the escalating row.

A European Commission spokesperson said: “Any proposed management conditions have to be notified in advance to the other party, giving them sufficient time to assess and react to the proposed measures.

“Until the UK authorities provide further justifications on the new conditions, these new conditions should not apply.”

We are now in a tit for tat.

 

[Plain Jane]

UK PM Johnson's party wins in Labour party stronghold – DW – 05/07/2021

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party won the Hartlepool parliamentary seat. Ballots are being counted in Scotland, Wales, London and elsewhere."It's a very encouraging set of results," Johnson said.

www.dw.com

UK: Conservatives score shock win in Labour Party stronghold
By winning the Hartlepool parliamentary seat, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party tightened its grip on traditional Labour-voting areas. Ballots are being counted in Scotland, Wales, London and elsewhere.




The results are taking longer than usual to filter through due to the coronavirus pandemic

Britain's ruling Conservative Party has snatched a historically left-wing seat from the opposition Labour party in a tense by-election in England.

The northern English town of Hartlepool — a strongly pro-Brexit constituency, and one of the most impoverished towns in the country — has never voted Conservative since its creation in 1974.

The conservative candidate Jill Mortimer won 15,529 votes, while her Labour opponent Paul Williams received 8,589.

Mortimer won with nearly 52% of the vote; although foreseen, the loss is a big blow to Labour
Mortimer described it as a "truly historic" result.

Election analysts say it is the biggest swing of votes to the ruling party at a by-election since the World War II.

Hartlepool's Labour incumbent had quit over allegations of sexual harassment, triggering the by-election.

What are the current elections in the UK?
Britain will see results from an array of elections in the coming days. On Thursday, some 50 million voters were eligible to take part in scores of elections.

Results will cover local and mayoral elections across England and votes for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

The Labour Party is expected have some results to cheer, with Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham poised to win second terms as the mayors of London and Manchester.

The election result from Scotland's vote could have the biggest UK-wide implications. The Scottish National Party (SNP) is hoping to retain its majority in the Holyrood assembly to put more pressure on Johnson's government to agree to an independence referendum. However, if anything, the SNP looks set to lose ground, albeit still with a chance of retaining a majority.

 

[Plain Jane]

Macron’s crime-fighting record under scrutiny after killing of policeman in Avignon

French politicians and police unions voiced their indignation Thursday over an officer's killing at a known drug-dealing site in the southern city of Avignon, which reignited a debate over President…

www.france24.com

Macron’s crime-fighting record under scrutiny after killing of policeman in Avignon
Issued on: 06/05/2021 - 17:58Modified: 06/05/2021 - 18:12

A French policeman investigating a gathering at a drug-dealing spot in Avignon was fatally shot by someone in a group that he and his team approached on May 5, 2021. © Lewis Joly, AP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
4 min
French politicians and police unions voiced their indignation Thursday over an officer's killing at a known drug-dealing site in the southern city of Avignon, which reignited a debate over President Emmanuel Macron's record on fighting crime.

The 36-year-old officer and father of two was shot and killed Wednesday evening while investigating a gathering at the spot, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

The shooter remains at large.

The killing caused deep shock in Avignon, famed as the seat of Catholic popes in the 14th century and for hosting one of the world's biggest theatre festivals every July.

Visiting the scene Wednesday evening, Darmanin hailed the dead officer, whose first name was given by La Provence newspaper as Eric, as a "soldier" who "died a hero" in a "war" against drug dealers.

The attack took place in the centre of Avignon, on a cobbled street running alongside a canal.

A team of plainclothes officers sent to investigate a suspected drug deal were carrying out identity checks on a group of people when one of them opened fire, a police source told AFP.

The man fired "several times" at the officer and the others returned fire but did not manage to apprehend the shooter before he fled through the historic heart of the city, the source said.

A woman suspected of being present in the group when it was raided was taken in for questioning Thursday.

"Everything is being done to ensure that this odious crime does not go unpunished," Prime Minister Jean Castex tweeted.

Polls show that violent crime is a top concern of voters ahead of next year's presidential election, in which Macron is expected to seek a second term.

An Elabe poll last month found that 65 percent of voters were unhappy with the president's record on maintaining law and order.

In a recent interview with Le Figaro newspaper, Macron described the fight against the drug dealers that have taken over housing estates in parts of Paris, Marseille and other cities as "the mother of all battles."

"I'm fighting for the right to live in peace," Macron said.

Police union official: France ‘no longer protecting its officers’
The police have cited Avignon among one of several southern cities now afflicted by the drugs-related violence that has long plagued Marseille, a key hub in the trans-Mediterranean marijuana and cocaine trade.

They accuse the state of not doing enough to protect them as they take the fight to drugs syndicates as well as radical Islamists.

Last month, a female police employee was stabbed to death by a Tunisian radical at a police station in the Paris suburb of Rambouillet, the latest in a string of terror attacks that have frequently targeted the security forces.

>> France holds national homage for policewoman fatally stabbed in Rambouillet
Eric Ciotti, an MP for the centre-right Republicans party, accused the government of "looking the other way" while "France sinks deeper into chaos every day."

"Today we have to admit that the state is no longer protecting its officers," Frederic Lagache, a representative of the Alliance police union, told AFP on Thursday.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen also expressed anger over the killing, accusing the state in a tweet of failing the security forces.

The deputy leader of the left-wing France Unbowed party, Adrien Quatennens, argued that it was time for France to reopen the debate about legalising marijuana.
(AFP)

 

[jward]

Keepin' you in our thoughts, hearts n prayers, as always

 

[Plain Jane]

Hopes of second Scottish independence vote on 'knife-edge' – DW – 05/08/2021

Initial results in a Scottish election that could determine the future of the UK indicate that Nicola Sturgeon's SNP could fall short of gaining an overall majority to demand a second referendum on independence

www.dw.com

Scotland: Hopes of second independence vote on "knife-edge"
Initial results in a Scottish election that could determine the future of the UK indicate that Nicola Sturgeon's SNP could fall short of gaining an overall majority to demand a second referendum on independence




Nicola Sturgeon argues she can push ahead with plans for a second referendum even without the British government's backing.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's hopes of holding a second independence referendum were on a knife-edge on Saturday as initial election results showed her SNP party had failed to gain an overall majority in Scotland's parliament.

Sturgeon said she would seek to hold a new vote on splitting from the rest of the United Kingdom by the end of 2023 if there is a pro-independence majority returned to the devolved 129-seat parliament.

But it was unclear whether the Scottish National Party had picked up enough seats to govern alone.


Watch video02:35
Scotland votes in vital election for independence bid
According to the latest tally, the SNP currently has 39 seats, the pro-EU centrist Liberal Democrats four, the Conservative Party two with Labour winning just one so far.
More results will be declared later on Saturday.

Polls predicted that the Scottish National Party would form the next devolved government, but with the support of smaller parties.

Sturgeon "happy" with results so far
"I'm extremely happy that the SNP appears to be on course for a fourth consecutive election victory," Sturgeon said

"And if that is indeed the outcome of this election, I pledge today to get back to work immediately to continue to steer this country through the crisis of COVID, to lead this country into recovery from COVID.


Watch video04:50
Scotland: Elections with consequences
"And then, when the time is right, to offer this country the choice of a better future."

The Alba Party, founded by former first minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond, looks unlikely to win any seats.

Scotland's parliamentary poll was part of a series of key votes across the UK in what was dubbed 'Super Thursday' with voters in England and Wales casting ballots in local elections.

PM Johnson dismisses talk of new independence vote
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has the power to approve or reject another referendum, put his government on a collision course with the Scottish National Party.
"I don't think people want much more constitutional wrangling right now," he told reporters, echoing previous comments that the 2014 referendum vote was supposed to be a "once in a generation" event.

UK PM Johnson was in Scotland earlier this year to observe how vaccination centers were set up north of the border.

When Scottish voters were last asked the question, just over 55% of those who cast ballots rejected independence.

Speaking later in an interview with British broadcaster ITV News, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that her party may press ahead with a fresh independence referendum if the UK government fails to support one.

"If he [Boris Johnson] wanted to stop that it would be the case that he would have to go to the Supreme Court to challenge it - and that would be his decision, not mine," she said.
jf/aw (AFP, Reuters)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

www.zerohedge.com

"Will Of The Country": Huge Victory For Scottish Nationalists Sets Up Next Independence Clash With UK

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, MAY 08, 2021 - 06:30 PM
The last hugely controversial Scottish referendum on independence took place in September 2014 and showed that the Scottish population's desire to leave its three-centuries old union with England and Wales was gaining momentum. At that time it was approaching half - with the 2014 result being 55% voting to remain with 45% in favor of independence.

It's now widely believed that if the UK allowed another vote today, that margin would be much narrower, and it looks like that showdown will now come sooner than thought after Saturday's decisive election victory by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish National Party (SNP). Sturgeon's first declaration was aimed squarely at London and Boris Johnson, as she called another independence referendum the "will of the country".
Nicola Sturgeon, via The Herald

Her SNP won an unprecedented 64 seats in the Scottish Parliament, which falls just one seat short of a majority, marking a slight increase even over 2016, which ensures a legal and constitutional battle for the future of the United Kingdom will be sparked once again.
Given that the pro-independence Scottish Greens also made huge gains in what's widely considered their best performance ever, the result is a firm pro-independence majority.

Sturgeon quickly put London on notice...

An independence referendum was pledged in the manifesto of both the SNP and the Scottish Greens, and Ms Sturgeon declared: "It is a commitment made to the people by a majority of the MSPs have been elected to our national parliament."
"It is the will of the country."
"Given that outcome, there is simply no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else seeking to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future."
If the request is rejected, Ms Sturgeon said, "it will demonstrate conclusively that the UK is not a partnership of equals and that – astonishingly – Westminster no longer sees the UK as a voluntary union of nations".
She added: "That in itself would be a very powerful argument for independence."

Sturgeon further explained the vote result is a clear and urgent mandate for Scotland to push ahead with preparing for a second independence referendum to be held as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic is over.


Rabobank noted the significance of this weekend as follows:

The Scottish regional election on May 6 is potentially shaping up to have a big impact on the future of Scotland and the UK, as independence has returned to the top of the agenda. The Scottish National Party looks set to win by a considerable margin, and is then likely to claim to have gained a new mandate for a referendum. The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, will in turn continue to make the case for the union. But even when prime minister Johnson denies Scotland a second independence referendum, or employs more heavy-handed tactics to suppress 'Scoxit' sentiments, the rift between Scotland and England looks set to widen. The Scottish regional election should be viewed entirely through this prism.

In the meantime Sturgeon told her supporters that it's time to "patiently persuade our fellow citizens" of the case for an independent Scotland.


**********
My question is if the EU wants them back.

See this thread also:

INTL - Johnson Calls for UK Talks After Scottish Nationalists Win

Johnson Calls for UK Talks After Scottish Nationalists Win Sunday, 09 May 2021 07:26 AM newsmax.com Johnson Calls for UK Talks After Scottish Nationalists Win British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday invited the leaders of the U.K.’s devolved nations for crisis...

www.timebomb2000.com

 

[Plain Jane]

Street parties celebrate end of Spain's state of emergency

Impromptu street celebrations erupted in many cities across Spain as the clock struck midnight Saturday, when a six-month-long national state of emergency to contain the spread of coronavirus ended and many nighttime curfews were lifted.

apnews.com

Street parties celebrate end of Spain’s state of emergency
By RENATA BRITO and ARITZ PARRA34 minutes ago



1 of 4
People crowded and dance on the beach in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 9, 2021. Barcelona residents were euphoric as the clock stroke midnight, ending a six-month-long national state of emergency and consequently, the local curfew. Spain is relaxing overall measures to contain the coronavirus this weekend, allowing residents to travel across regions, but some regional chiefs are complaining that a patchwork of approaches will replace the six-month-long national state of emergency that ends at midnight on Saturday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Impromptu street celebrations erupted across Spain as the clock struck midnight on Saturday, when a six-month-long national state of emergency to contain the spread of coronavirus ended and many nighttime curfews were lifted.

In Madrid, police had to usher revelers out of the central Puerta del Sol square, where the scenes of unmasked dancing and group signing esembled pre-pandemic nightlife.

Teenagers and young adults also poured into central squares and beaches of Barcelona to mark the relaxation of restrictions.

“Freedom!” said Juan Cadavid, who was reconnecting with friends. “(It’s) a bit scary, you know, because of COVID, but I want to feel like this around a lot of people.”

The 25-year-old Barcelona resident was also rejoicing at the prospect of going back to work at a Michelin-star restaurant that has been closed for the past seven months due to pandemic-related restrictions.

Local restaurants will be able to serve dinner again beginning Sunday and can stay open until 11 p.m. But a limit of four people per table remains and indoor dining is limited to 30% of capacity.

With the end of the state of emergency, bans on traveling across Spain’s regions have also been lifted and many curbs on social gatherings were relaxed. Only four of the country’s 19 regions and autonomous cities are keeping curfews in place.

In spite of criticism from some regional chiefs and opposition figures, Spain’s center-left ruling coalition refused to extend the state of emergency, which provided a legal umbrella to enact sweeping anti-COVID-19 measures restricting fundamental freedoms.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said existing regulations should be enough to respond to outbreaks at the regional level as the rollout of vaccines is speeding up.

Spain’s number of new coronavirus infections in the past 14 days fell Friday to 198 new cases per 100,000 residents, although the central Madrid and the northern Basque regions have more than twice that rate. Hospital occupation levels remain high, however, with more than 1 in 5 intensive-care beds in the country treating COVID-19 patients.
___
Parra reported from Madrid.
__

 

[Plain Jane]

UK Labour leader shuffles team after disappointing elections

LONDON (AP) — The leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party shook up his top team after disappointing election results, moving his party chairwoman, economy spokeswoman and chief whip in an attempt to exert control over a fractious membership.

apnews.com

UK Labour leader shuffles team after disappointing elections
By JILL LAWLESS28 minutes ago

FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 file photo, Britain's Labour leader Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech, during the party's online conference from the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum in Doncaster, England. The leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party shook up his top team after disappointing election results, moving his economy spokeswoman and chief whip in an attempt to exert control over a fractious membership. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool Photo via AP, File)

LONDON (AP) — The leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party shook up his top team after disappointing election results, moving his economy spokeswoman and chief whip in an attempt to exert control over a fractious membership.

But the moves by Labour leader Keir Starmer spurred new recriminations in a party that has not been able to make a breakthrough against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s governing Conservatives.

Starmer late Sunday fired deputy party leader Angela Rayner from the post of party chairwoman — responsible for election strategy — and named Rachel Reeves his new Treasury spokeswoman, replacing Anneliese Dodds. Long-serving chief whip Nick Brown was replaced by Alan Campbell.

“The Labour Party must be the party that embraces the demand for change across our country,” Starmer said. “That will require bold ideas and a relentless focus on the priorities of the British people. Just as the pandemic has changed what is possible and what is necessary, so Labour must change too.”

The relatively modest changes drew criticism both from those who wanted a bolder shuffle and from those angry at the sidelining of Rayner, who is popular with the social democratic party’s left wing.

In elections last week, Labour was defeated by the Conservatives in Hartlepool, a northeast England parliamentary seat that it had held for decades, and lost hundreds of posts on local authorities across England. The results demonstrated the Conservatives’ success at winning over voters in former industrial towns who feel neglected by successive governments over several decades. Johnson’s promise of jobs and investment has helped the Tories win a clutch of seats long held by Labour.

Labour did better than expected in Wales, extending its 22 years at the helm of the semi-autonomous Welsh government. Labour’s vote also held up in big cities, with its candidates winning mayoral races in London, Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England and West Yorkshire. And the party, founded a century ago to represent the industrial working class, made gains at the local level in affluent southern areas and university towns.

Starmer was elected leader a year ago, replacing Jeremy Corbyn, who led Labour to election defeats in 2017 and 2019. Starmer, a more centrist figure than the left-wing Corbyn, has struggled to unite a party divided over how economically radical it should be. Last week’s disappointing election results have fanned the flames of party discontent.

“What we want is a strategy for winning from this leadership, because it’s clear from what happened over the weekend, particularly what happened in Hartlepool, there’s a problem with the strategy,” Diane Abbott, a Corbyn ally, told the BBC on Monday.

 

[Zagdid]

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Agrees to Early Election if U.S. Will Also Hold One (msn.com)


Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Agrees to Early Election if U.S. Will Also Hold One
Jenni Fink 2 days ago

Embattled Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko won't step down from his position, but he's open to holding an early election on one condition—that the United States hold one on the same day.

Lukashenko's election victory last August was met with protests and international outrage, including from the United States, that the vote was neither free nor fair. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, his main challenger, refused to recognize the results because of the alleged manipulation, and in October she threatened to call a strike if he didn't step down.

Lukashenko, who has been called Europe's last dictator, is serving his sixth term in office. On Friday, he said he was ready to hold an early election "simultaneously with the United States."

"As soon as the United States calls early presidential election, we will call the election in Belarus the same day," he said, according to Belta, a state-run media outlet. "We can hold this election. The United States will never agree on reelection."

After the results were announced, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo backed the protesters and criticized the election, saying it was rife with fraud. He specifically called out the restrictions on ballot access and independent observers at polling stations, as well as intimidation tactics used against opposition candidates and the detention of protesters and journalists.

This past December, the United States levied sanctions on Belarusian officials and four offices for "undermining" democracy in the Eastern European country.

"The United States continues to support international efforts to independently investigate electoral irregularities in Belarus, the human rights abuses surrounding the election, and the crackdown that has followed," Pompeo said in a statement. "We stand with the brave people of Belarus and support their right to free and fair elections."

Along with facing criticism for manipulating results to remain in power, Lukashenko has been lambasted by the international community for his violent crackdown on protesters. More than 30,000 people have been detained over five months of protests, according to The Hill.

While in exile for her safety, Tikhanovskaya has kept up her fight for a new Belarus and continues to speak out against the election.

"I know that the Belarusian people are not giving up. They have this inner demand for demonstrations because they want to build a new country. They want new elections," she told NPR in March. "This is the beginning of a second wave of protests."

Lukashenko has pushed back on calls for him to turn over power, claiming he won 80 percent of the vote. On Friday, he criticized America's election system, claiming that ballots for former President Donald Trump were discarded. He also took issue with mail-in ballots, a measure he "cannot easily" imagine allowing in Belarus.

While the United States and the European Union have refused to recognize Lukashenko as Belarus' legitimate leader, he's received support from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on Lukashenko's early-election offer but did not receive a response in time for publication.

 

[seraphima]

Here's a post from a friend in Greece:

'This is how things work. Germany / EU is forcing Greece to shut down three huge coal mines and coal-fired power units that give work to thousands of Greek workers. The excuse is "ecology and climate change".
How is this loss of power going to be replaced? By the massive import of German-made wind turbines that are being placed on every mountain and every island, destroying the once virgin landscape and ecosystem in every corner of Greece.
And what will happen to the coal mines that are of no use any more?
They will be sold for beads and peanuts to Germany that just opened its brand new coal-fired Power plant.
And who is becoming cheap labor in the German factories?
Poor immigrants from small and poor countries whose economy has been deliberately destroyed.
Conclusion: The wealth of the rich the poverty of the weak.'

The ecology and climate change cards are being used extensively in the Great Game these days, is my take.

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

www.zerohedge.com

UK Rail Disruption Caused By Train Cracks Expected To Last for Weeks

BY TYLER DURDEN
TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021 - 03:30 AM
Authored by Alexander Zhang via The Epoch Times,
The ongoing disruption to Britain’s rail services, which were caused by problems found in Hitachi’s high-speed trains, is expected to continue for weeks.


Rail companies said over the weekend that they had to suspend some services after cracks were found in some Class 800 series Hitachi trains, which are used by Great Western Railway (GWR), Hull Trains, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), and TransPennine Express (TPE).

LNER said on Twitter on Monday that the issue is “likely to be going on for a number of weeks.”

“LNER is working with Hitachi and other rail industry partners to return as many trains back into service as safely and as quickly as possible,” said a spokesman. “As investigations are continuing and the schedule for repairs is being developed, further information on timings will be released in due course.”

In a Twitter post on Monday, GWR said that “a significant number of services will be cancelled” on Monday and Tuesday, and “disruption is expected to continue for the rest of the week.”

Therefore, it said, “passengers with tickets for long-distance services are advised not to travel.”

The government said it had asked the rail industry to “urgently set out a comprehensive plan to resolve prolonged disruption.”

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said that he expected operators to “explore all options for replacement services to help people complete their journeys, and have asked Hitachi for a safety inspection plan, as well as longer term repair strategy.”

“Our focus is to ensure trains are returned to service as quickly as possible, once they are fully approved as safe. Only then can we start to rebuild a reliable and punctual timetable for passengers,” he said.

He said he would like to “thank passengers for their patience during what could be a significant period of prolonged disruption, likely to continue for some time.”
A spokesman for Hitachi said the cracks are on lifting points under train carriages, which are used during maintenance.

“Safety is our number one priority and as a precaution this continues to impact the number of trains that can run in service,” he said, adding that Hitachi’s teams were working “day and night” to solve the problem.

Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at industry body the Rail Delivery Group, described the cancellations as “disappointing” because more passengers are returning to using the train network following the easing of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus restrictions.

Asked if he knows how long the disruption is likely to last, he told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, “No, I can’t put an exact time on it and that is purely because we are going through the process and taking it extremely seriously.”

 

[Plain Jane]

French government furious over new military letter warning Macron of 'survival' of France

The government of French President Emmanuel Macron reacted with fury on Monday after a group of serving French soldiers published an open letter warning that "civil war" was brewing over his "concessions"…

www.france24.com

French government furious over new military letter warning Macron of 'survival' of France
Issued on: 10/05/2021 - 22:11

Members of the French military signed an anonymous letter published on Monday warning President Macron of a 'brewing civil war', which was hailed by the far right. © Romain Lafabrègue, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES
4 min
The government of French President Emmanuel Macron reacted with fury on Monday after a group of serving French soldiers published an open letter warning that "civil war" was brewing over his "concessions" to Islamism, weeks after a similar message from elements in the military rocked the elite.


The letter, posted on the website of the right-wing Valeurs Actuelles magazine late Sunday, echoes the one published by the same publication last month but appears to have been written by an unknown number of younger troops still in active service.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, a close ally of Macron, accused the anonymous signatories of the second letter of lacking "courage" while Defence Minister Florence Parly dismissed it as part of a "crude political scheme".

Prime Minister Jean Castex meanwhile told Le Parisien newspaper that the letter was a "political manoeuvre" by the "extreme right".


But it was welcomed by far-right leader Marine Le Pen, seen as Macron's main rival for next year's presidential election.

She had also been blamed by some in the government over the previous letter, which was signed by a handful of officers and around 20 semi-retired generals.

'Generation of fire'
"We are not talking about extending your mandates or conquering others. We are talking about the survival of our country, the survival of your country," said the latest letter, which was addressed to Macron and his cabinet.

The authors described themselves as soldiers from the younger generation of the military, a so-called "generation of fire" that had seen active service.

"They have offered up their lives to destroy the Islamism that you have made concessions to on our soil," they wrote.

They claimed also to have served in the Sentinelle security operation within France, launched after a wave of jihadist attacks in 2015.

They charged that for some religious communities "France means nothing but an object of sarcasm, contempt or even hatred".

"If a civil war breaks out, the military will maintain order on its own soil... civil war is brewing in France and you know it perfectly well," the letter said.

In contrast to the previous missive, the latest letter can be signed by the public, with Valeurs Actuelles saying more than 160,000 had done so by Monday afternoon.

'Is this courage?'
A high-ranking officer in military headquarters told AFP the armed forces would not let the letter go without a response.

"A firm reminder will be made by the command on the respect of duty," said the officer, who asked not to be named, adding that remaining apolitical was essential to maintain the military's credibility.

"One can have personal convictions but the armed forces are apolitical and have absolute loyalty to the elected president. If you feel bad, you can leave the army with a clean conscience," the officer said.

"I believe that when you are in the military you don't do this kind of thing in hiding," Darmanin told BFM television. "These people are anonymous. Is this courage? To be anonymous?"

"It is part of a crude political scheme," Parly told the same channel. "It uses all the rhetoric, the vocabulary, the tone, the references which are those of the extreme right."

Analysts say Macron has tacked to the right in recent months to prevent Le Pen and her National Rally party from exploiting a series of attacks in late 2020 blamed on Islamist extremists who recently immigrated to France.

Civil war "is brewing," responded Le Pen during a visit to western France. "In any case, it is a risk. Of course, there is always a risk of civil war," she said, adding that she welcomed the second letter as she had the first.

"It is clearly not a call to insurrection," she said. "Otherwise I would not be supporting it."
Castex had labelled the rare intervention in politics by military figures in last month's letter "an initiative against all of our republican principles, of honour and the duty of the army".

Armed forces chief of staff General Francois Lecointre said those who signed it would face punishments ranging from enforced full retirement to disciplinary action.
(AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

www.zerohedge.com

Estonia Becomes Centre Stage Of Anti-Russia Military Exercises

BY TYLER DURDEN
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021 - 03:30 AM
Authored by Paul Antonopoulos via GlobalResearch.ca,
800 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army departed from Fort Bragg in North Carolina last Friday morning for a Swift Response exercise. They were dropped into Estonia in a “joint forcible entry” operation in the early hours of Saturday. The airborne exercise is designed to test the fast response capabilities of the U.S. to defend Estonia in case of a hypothetical war with Russia. It is also part of larger NATO exercises that includes the participation of 30,000 troops doing drills with battlegroups led by the UK in Estonia, Canada in Latvia, Germany in Lithuania and the U.S. in Poland.


In effect, NATO has mobilized tens of thousands of troops right onto Russia’s border. Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about a NATO building up in Europe and Russian Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia does not threaten anyone but will not ignore actions that could endanger its interests.

On the Estonian television program Välisilm, Colonel Paul Clayton of the Royal British Armed Forces, unashamedly expressed, in the context of NATO’s military exercises, the types of pressure that NATO is attempting to impose against Russia. He admitted that the Alliance is helping Ukraine train its troops and praised the Estonian government for its readiness to devote more than 2% of its GDP to defense. He also recommended more frequent co-operation with Latvia and Lithuania. In his opinion, this is all the more crucial because NATO’s “Northern Division” is being built in Riga, which consists of military units from the Baltic States under the command of Denmark.

The NATO contingent deployed in the Baltic States is under the pretext of “countering Russian aggression.” Moscow emphasizes, under the pretext of concern for the security of the Baltic States, that NATO has in fact provocatively brought its military bases closer to Russia’s borders. The Kremlin has also repeatedly stated that it has no plans to attack, but NATO continues to grow its potential and Russia has been forced to provide an asymmetric response to its military plans.

It is for this reason at the end of April, by presidential decree, the U.S., UK, Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Czechia, Estonia, Australia and Georgia were put on a list of countries that are “unfriendly” to Russia. Although Germany and France frequently criticize Russia, Moscow recognizes that they are to some extent independent in their decision making and are not as beholden to Washington’s interests like the listed countries are.

Effectively, what Moscow does by establishing such a list is identity countries that enact policies completely aligned with Washington. Unsurprisingly, all the European Union countries to make the list are former Warsaw Pact members, and this points to two observations.

• Firstly, Russia is announcing that it does not view the European Union as a single monolith and recognises that it is a fractured organisation with many divisions. One such division is between the majority of the EU who are mostly disinterested in pursuing aggressive anti-Russia policies, and Poland, Czechia and the Baltic States, who as former Warsaw Pact members have the expressed desire to be active participants in Washington’s containment efforts against Russia.
• Secondly, Russia is once again demonstrating its flexibility by identifying the likes of Paris and Berlin as having issues with Moscow, but not at the behest of Washington and instead for their own interests. In this way, Moscow believes that it can negotiate with Western Europe, something it has failed to do with Washington and its vassal states in Eastern Europe.

By creating a list of unfriendly states (which nearly perfectly corresponds to the states involved in large scale NATO military drills on Russia’s borders), Moscow has broken Washington’s ultimatum of “us” or “them.”

By not including France and Germany on the list, Russia is recognizing that the two leading countries of the European Union have agency that can shape and influence the destiny of Europe independently from Washington.

Although the U.S., UK and its vassals are attempting to intimidate Russia through its enormous military exercises, the show of strength does not reflect the reality that will unfold in a hypothetical war as there are huge divisions within the European Union and NATO. The overwhelming majority of member states are unwilling to go to war with Russia despite enthusiasm from Poland and the Baltics, rendering the joint NATO exercises as not an accurate reflection of a real war scenario.

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

www.zerohedge.com

Le Pen Warns Macron "Danger Of Civil War" Looms If He Doesn't Handle Islamist Problem

BY TYLER DURDEN
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021 - 02:45 AM
The French government and much of the public has reacted with outrage after another open letter issued by military personnel has warned that France is headed for "civil war" if it doesn't handle its Muslim extremism problem.

The controversy was further stoked when Marine Le Pen - commonly dubbed by mainstream media as France's outspoken "leader of the far-right" - once again showed support for the letter by agreeing on the "danger of a civil war" in an apparent rallying of her base around the message ahead of next April's election where they'll seek to take on President Emmanuel Macron. Clearly a significant bulk of officer and enlisted military members agree with her stark assessment.
Marine Le Pen speaking to military personnel, via AFP

Bloomberg noted that "While Le Pen has consistently spoken out about tightening migration and the need to be tougher on Islamism, her recent comments are perhaps the most controversial to date."

The Macron government condemned the second letter issued Sunday as "crude" - which unlike the first letter written by 20 retired generals and which included signatories by some 1,000 currently serving soldiers - had anonymous authorship:

The letter, posted on the website of the rightwing Valeurs Actuelles magazine late Sunday, echoes the one published by the same publication last month but appears to have been written by an unknown number of younger troops still in active service.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said France was in danger of a civil war as it prepared to tackle President Emmanuel Macron in next April’s election.

At least 200,000 people had signed the letter by the time Le Pen commented on it. In particular Le Pen while at a campaign event on Monday had promoted the new letter as a "clear" assessment of the country's inability to combat the growing tide of Islamism.
"There is always the danger of civil war," she had said, which her opponents were quick to dimiss, and are calling out the statements as far-fetched and outrageous.

Among more controversial highlights of the letter include the line: "If a civil war breaks out, the military will maintain order on its soil because it will be asked to do so," it said while addressing Macron, according to Bloomberg. It said the active duty signatories have long been "fighting Islamism, to which you are making concessions on our soil."
Read a translation of the full letter below...
(See link)

"If nothing is undertaken, laxity will continue to spread inexorably in society, causing, in the end, an explosion and the intervention of our comrades in action in a perilous mission of protecting our civilisational values and safeguarding our compatriots in the national territory," the letter said.
"There is no more time for procrastination, otherwise tomorrow the civil war will put an end to this growing chaos, and the dead, for which you will bear responsibility, will number in the thousands."

It also calls out French leaders' "hatred" of the country's own history (a reference to the ongoing debate over French colonialism) while at the same time making accommodating statements on Islamic extremism.

And all of this comes after the shocking street beheading of 47-year old teacher Samuel Paty, who Muslim students and parents had accused of showing derogatory cartoons of Islam's founder Muhammad to his students. France and other European countries have since been rocked by similar Islamist shootings and attacks, including against Jewish neighborhoods.

 

[Plain Jane]

France is getting very interesting!

Zerohedge

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

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Michel Barnier Calls For 3-5 Year Suspension Of Immigration Into EU

BY TYLER DURDEN
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021 - 05:00 AM
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News,
Michel Barnier has called for a 3-5 year suspension of immigration into EU countries, warning that the bloc’s external borders have become a “sieve” for criminals and terrorists.


“I think we have to take the time for three or five years to suspend immigration,” Barnier told French media.

The EU’s former Brexit negotiator cited links between between immigration and “terrorist networks that infiltrate migrational flows” as part of his reasoning for calling for the shutdown, while also highlighting the issue of human trafficking networks.

The comments are particularly noteworthy because Barnier is known as a centrist – even a globalist in some ways – yet he is spouting rhetoric normally espoused by right-wing politicians.

When asked whether the comments contradicted his “moderate” reputation, Barnier responded, “The problems of immigration are not moderate. I know, as the politician that I am, to see the problems how they are and how French people experience them and to find solutions.”

However, Barnier made a point of asserting that the controls wouldn’t apply to “refugees,” despite the fact that there have been numerous terror attacks carried out in France and other European countries by refugees.

Barnier’s warning arrives while France is simultaneously gripped by the controversy of a letter penned by active duty military personnel warning President Macron that the country is heading towards civil war, partly as a result of mass uncontrolled immigration.

“A civil war is brewing in France and you know it perfectly well,” the military members warn, adding that the French government must take swift action to ensure “the survival of our country.”

France is home to millions of immigrants, many of them illegal aliens, who have refused to integrate into society and live in decrepit unruly ghettos on the edge of major cities where law and order is virtually non-existent and into which authorities fear to venture.

Such no go zones have also served to protect violent criminals and terrorists because police are often violently attacked by Islamist mobs when they try to make arrests.

Barnier is expected to challenge President Macron in next year’s elections, where he will also face stiff competition from populist Marine Le Pen.

 

[Plain Jane]

Candidate who wore headscarf on campaign flyer sparks ire from Macron party

French President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling LREM party has threatened to withdraw its support for a Muslim candidate running in June local elections after she wore a headscarf on a campaign flyer. Party…

www.france24.com

Candidate who wore headscarf on campaign flyer sparks ire from Macron party
Issued on: 12/05/2021 - 14:02

The LREM party flyer says, "Different but united for you." © via Twitter
Text by:FRANCE 24Follow
4 min

French President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling LREM party has threatened to withdraw its support for a Muslim candidate running in June local elections after she wore a headscarf on a campaign flyer. Party chief Stanislas Guerini said its values are "not compatible" with wearing "ostentatious religious symbols" on campaign materials.


French law does not prohibit the wearing of the hijab or other religious symbols in images that appear on campaign flyers.

However, a 2004 French law controversially banned the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols – including Islamic headscarves, the Jewish kippah or large Christian crosses – in public places such as schools, librairies and government buildings in an effort to safeguard French "secularism".
>> Video: Understanding 'laïcité', France's special brand of state secularism


The move to sanction La République en Marche (LREM) candidate Sarah Zemmahi illustrates the sensitivity of discussions on the role of Islam in French society. The subject has become even more fraught ahead of next year’s presidential vote, with the main challenge to Macron coming from the far right – which some say has prompted Macron to make a sharp rightward shift.

An official from Macron's party said there was no place for the overt display of religious symbols on electoral campaign documents in staunchly secular France.

“She will not be supported" by LREM, said Stanislas Guerini, the party’s general secretary, in an interview with RTL radio aired on Tuesday.

Guerini tweeted on Monday that the party's values "are not compatible" with wearing "ostentatious religious symbols" on campaign materials.

Macron – who once prided himself on the multicultural, ethnically diverse makeup of his new party after his surprising 2017 election victory – has repeatedly warned of the growing threat that Islamist "separatism" poses to French national unity.

Some politicians have expressed concern that Islamist extremists are creating separate mini-communities within France that reject the country's secular values, including freedom of religion and gender equality.

The debate over the campaign poster erupted after Jordan Bardella, the No. 2 in Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (formerly the National Front) party, tweeted a copy of the flyer with the message: “Is this how you fight separatism, Marlène Schiappa?”, directing his question to the minister in charge of citizenship issues.

Guerini responded directly on Twitter, demanding either that the flier be withdrawn or saying Zemmahi would lose the party’s support. An LREM official close to Guerini said Zemmahi would be officially informed of the party’s decision in writing.

But Guerini’s move opened up a bitter debate within the party.

“Undignified. Running after (far-right) votes will only allow their ideas to prevail. Enough is enough,” LREM lawmaker Caroline Janvier tweeted in response to Guerini.

Another LREM party legislator, Roland Lescure, expressed a more hawkish view, saying a tough stance was necessary.

“It’s an explosive subject. Political Islam is a reality, it is a simmering threat in some neighbourhoods and we have to be very firm.”
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

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France Aims To Shut British Firms Out Of EU Financial System As Fisheries Dispute Drags On

BY TYLER DURDEN
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021 - 02:45 AM
As the spat between the UK and France over access to British fishing waters - a contentious issue that nearly scuppered the post-Brexit trade deal - worsens, France has apparently decided to go for the jugular.

Last week, French officials threatened to cut off electricity to the UK-dominated island of Jersey while a "protest" staged by French fishermen nearly prompted a confrontation between British and French naval ships. Now, France is threatening to do everything in its power to scupper a EU deal that would broaden access to European markets for British financial firms.


In keeping with threats made by a French diplomat last week, Bloomberg reports that French diplomats are working to stall an agreement that would help restore some of the access British financial firms once enjoyed to European markets, which was lost when Brexit officially came into effect following the end of the transition and the start of 2021.

Though it wouldn't have much practical effect in the near term, reaching a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the EU about plans to re-integrate their financial systems is seen by the UK as a critical first step to restoring the level of access they once enjoyed. Negotiations in Brussels later this month will bring EU leaders together to further the discuss a potential deal on market access. To be sure, the EU has said that it's in no rush to restore the reciprocity rules that would restore trading rights for British financial firms.
Here's more from BBG:

At the end of March, Britain and the EU had agreed on a forum regarding cross-border financial market access. While granting so-called equivalences that would allow U.K. financial firms to do business in Europe remains a separate and unilateral process, the MoU would help speed up the process.
Since Brexit took effect at the beginning of 2021, London-based financial firms have been largely unable to operate in the bloc, forcing banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to move billions of dollars in assets and thousands of staff to the continent.

All 27 EU states must sign off on an MoU before it can be implemented. BBG says talks could begin in the coming days. But if the British are still refusing to hand out fishing licenses for the waters around the island of Jersey by then, well, they can expect the French to do everything within their power to stall talks on the MoU.

As a reminder, here's how close British and French Navy vessels came to a confrontation earlier this month (courtesy of Bloomberg).


France has accused the British government of reneging on some of its promises from the Brexit deal by refusing to hand out licenses for French fishermen in certain British-controlled fishing waters, primarily those off the island of Jersey, which lies close to the French coast.

 

[Plain Jane]

Germany must protect its Jews: Israeli ambassador – DW – 05/14/2021

Israeli-Palestinian violence should not be allowed to affect the Jewish community in Germany, Israel's ambassador to Germany has said. Chancellor Merkel condemned antisemitic attacks and rallies in the country.

www.dw.com

Germany must protect its Jews, Israeli ambassador says
As Israeli-Palestinian violence flares, the Israeli ambassador to Germany has said the fighting there should not be allowed to affect the Jewish community in Germany.




The Israeli ambassador to Germany has called on the country's authorities to protect German Jews

The Israeli ambassador to Germany has asked authorities to protect the country's Jewish community.

Ambassador Jeremy Issacharoff spoke out after Jewish synagogues were vandalized in several German cities this week. The incidents were reportedly motivated by the current violence in Israel and Gaza.

"I urgently request the German authorities to do everything to ensure the security of our community here," Issacharoff said on Friday in an interview with German public broadcaster ARD.

The Israeli government is very concerned about antisemitic acts such as the attacks on synagogues in Bonn, Munster and other cities, he said.

"The conflict in the Middle East has nothing to do with the Jewish community here in Germany," Issacharoff added.

What happened?
Three separate incidents occurred on Tuesday night in the cities of Bonn, Dusseldorf and Munster in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

In Münster, police sent officers to a synagogue where a group of men had gathered. They were reportedly shouting and burning an Israeli flag.


Watch video02:58
Women rabbis making history in Germany
Officers said the building was not damaged and 13 men had been charged with holding an illegal gathering.

In Bonn, three men between the ages of 20 and 24 were detained for burning an Israeli flag, as well as throwing rocks at a synagogue's windows.

In Düsseldorf, police said a fire was lit on top of a stone memorial for a synagogue destroyed by Nazis during the infamous Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, in November of 1938.

Who else has condemned the incidents?
Issacharoff is the latest public figure to have spoken out against the incidents, along with politicians and faith leaders.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for better protection for synagogues, while Germany's antisemitism Commissioner, Felix Klein, called for action from the police and judiciary. Catholic Bishop Georg Bätzing said such attacks were unjustifiable.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Friday's edition of the Bild newspaper, "Whoever burns Star of David flags or shouts antisemitic slogans on our streets is not only abusing the right to demonstrate but committing a crime."

"We neither want to, nor will we, tolerate the hatred of Jews," Steinmeier added.
The Initiative Against Antisemitism Gelsenkirchen, a community organization in the city, took to Twitter to announce that it had registered a public vigil to take place in front of the synagogue on Friday evening in response to Wednesday's events. Its motto: "No room for antisemitism — solidarity with the Jewish community of Gelsenkirchen."
kmm/sms (Reuters,AFP, dpa, KNA)

 

[Plain Jane]

Pro-Palestinian rally in Paris banned amid rising Israel-Gaza tensions

The Paris police prefecture on Thursday issued an order banning a Palestinian solidarity demonstration planned for Saturday in the French capital as weekend pro-Palestinian rallies were being planned…

www.france24.com

Pro-Palestinian rally in Paris banned amid rising Israel-Gaza tensions
Issued on: 13/05/2021 - 22:34

File photo of a July 2014 pro-Palestiniain rally in Paris. © Jacques Demarthon, AFP
Text by:FRANCE 24Follow
4 min
The Paris police prefecture on Thursday issued an order banning a Palestinian solidarity demonstration planned for Saturday in the French capital as weekend pro-Palestinian rallies were being planned across the world following Israel’s latest deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.


Earlier on Thursday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had asked the police to ban a pro-Palestinian protest in Paris this weekend over the conflict with Israel, fearing a repeat of clashes during a similar situation in 2014.

Activists had called the protest in the Barbès district of northern Paris to demonstrate against Israel's use of force in the Gaza Strip in response to the rocket fire by militant group Hamas at the Jewish state.

"I have asked the Paris police chief to ban the protests on Saturday linked to the recent tensions in the Middle East," Darmanin wrote on Twitter.

"Serious disturbances to public order were seen in 2014," he added, urging police chiefs elsewhere in France to remain vigilant over demonstrations.

Several peaceful Palestinian solidarity demonstrations took place in France in the summer of July 2014 to denounce an Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

On July 19, 2014 though, several thousand protesters defied a ban on a demonstration at Barbès and the rally rapidly degenerated into violent clashes that lasted for hours.

Arrest of Palestinian rights advocacy group condemned
On Wednesday, Paris police detained the head of French Palestinian rights advocacy group Association France Palestine Solidarité (AFPS) near the foreign ministry building for several hours before he was released.

Bertrand Heilbronn was arrested after he met with a French foreign ministry advisor as part of a delegation including members of parliament and representatives of trade unions and organisations, said the AFPS in a statement.

A demonstration outside the foreign ministry was scheduled for 4pm local time, but the decision to ban it was only announced at 1pm while many participants were already on their way to the site, said AFPS.

The detention of the veteran 71-year-old activist sparked outrage from several activists and political figures on the left, including Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France insoumise (France Unbowed).

Last year, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) overturned a conviction by France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, which criminalised peaceful protests by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
BDS seeks an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory.

The ECHR found that the freedom of expression of 11 BDS supporters was violated by the October 2015 ruling in Paris.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

 

[northern watch]

Pope raises alarm about Italy's precariously low birthrate
Pope Francis is adding his voice to the chorus of alarm about Italy’s falling population, which the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
14 May 2021, 02:23

The Associated Press
Pope Francis speaks at a conference on the Demographic Crisis in Rome Friday, May 14, 2021. Pope Francis added his voice Friday to the chorus of alarm about Italy's demographic crisis, calling for government policies that provide the necessary financial stability to encourage young people to stay in Italy and have families. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

ROME -- Pope Francis added his voice Friday to the chorus of alarm about Italy’s falling population, calling for government policies that provide the necessary financial stability to encourage young people to stay in Italy and have families.

Francis joined Premier Mario Draghi at a conference to draw attention to Italy’s precariously low birth rate, which Draghi warned was slowly making the country “cease to exist.”

Italy last year recorded 404,000 live births, the lowest number since its unification in 1861, worsening a steady decline that has already made Italy's fertility rate one of the lowest in Europe.

With the spike in COVID-19-related deaths in 2020, the deficit between births and deaths last year hit 342,000 — the biggest gap since the 1918 Spanish Flu and the equivalent of having lost a city the size of Florence.

“An Italy without children is an Italy that doesn’t have a place in the future," Draghi warned. “An Italy that is slowly ceasing to exist."

The pope praised the recent creation of a bonus for families after each child is born as a concrete form of solidarity to families in need. He encouraged longer-term, family-centric policies to give young families hope and confidence that they will be able to support big families over the years.

“It is urgent to offer young people the guarantees of a sufficiently stable job, security of having a home and incentives not to leave the country,” Francis said.

Italy has the world’s second-oldest population and one of the EU’s lowest fertility rates, at 1.27 live births per woman compared with the EU average of 1.53, according to 2019 Eurostat figures.

For years, leaders across the political spectrum have warned of the demographic disaster that looms with an increasingly aging population without a sufficiently broad tax-paying workforce to support them.

Draghi’s 222.1 billion-euro ($268.6 billion) coronavirus recovery plan aims in large part to address the crisis by investing in more day care centers and elementary schools to encourage families to have children. The plan also invests in digital and ecological industries geared toward young workers, while offering them help in securing mortgages so they can buy their own homes.

Francis praised these initiatives, noting that Italy is just one of many countries in Europe experiencing low birth rates.

Europe, he warned, “is becoming the ‘old continent’ not because of its glorious history, but because of its advanced age.”

Pope raises alarm about Italy's precariously low birthrate - ABC News (go.com)

 

[northern watch]

Pope raises alarm about Italy's precariously low birthrate
Pope Francis is adding his voice to the chorus of alarm about Italy’s falling population, which the coronavirus pandemic has only exacerbated

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
14 May 2021, 02:23

The Associated Press
Pope Francis speaks at a conference on the Demographic Crisis in Rome Friday, May 14, 2021. Pope Francis added his voice Friday to the chorus of alarm about Italy's demographic crisis, calling for government policies that provide the necessary financial stability to encourage young people to stay in Italy and have families. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

ROME -- Pope Francis added his voice Friday to the chorus of alarm about Italy’s falling population, calling for government policies that provide the necessary financial stability to encourage young people to stay in Italy and have families.

Francis joined Premier Mario Draghi at a conference to draw attention to Italy’s precariously low birth rate, which Draghi warned was slowly making the country “cease to exist.”

Italy last year recorded 404,000 live births, the lowest number since its unification in 1861, worsening a steady decline that has already made Italy's fertility rate one of the lowest in Europe.

With the spike in COVID-19-related deaths in 2020, the deficit between births and deaths last year hit 342,000 — the biggest gap since the 1918 Spanish Flu and the equivalent of having lost a city the size of Florence.

“An Italy without children is an Italy that doesn’t have a place in the future," Draghi warned. “An Italy that is slowly ceasing to exist."

The pope praised the recent creation of a bonus for families after each child is born as a concrete form of solidarity to families in need. He encouraged longer-term, family-centric policies to give young families hope and confidence that they will be able to support big families over the years.

“It is urgent to offer young people the guarantees of a sufficiently stable job, security of having a home and incentives not to leave the country,” Francis said.

Italy has the world’s second-oldest population and one of the EU’s lowest fertility rates, at 1.27 live births per woman compared with the EU average of 1.53, according to 2019 Eurostat figures.

For years, leaders across the political spectrum have warned of the demographic disaster that looms with an increasingly aging population without a sufficiently broad tax-paying workforce to support them.

Draghi’s 222.1 billion-euro ($268.6 billion) coronavirus recovery plan aims in large part to address the crisis by investing in more day care centers and elementary schools to encourage families to have children. The plan also invests in digital and ecological industries geared toward young workers, while offering them help in securing mortgages so they can buy their own homes.

Francis praised these initiatives, noting that Italy is just one of many countries in Europe experiencing low birth rates.

Europe, he warned, “is becoming the ‘old continent’ not because of its glorious history, but because of its advanced age.”

Pope raises alarm about Italy's precariously low birthrate - ABC News (go.com)

Maybe Pope Francis has seen the population projections that Italy will become a majority Islamic country in a few years in place of being a Roman Catholic country?

 

[Plain Jane]

Italy's Salvini avoids migrant kidnap trial – DW – 05/14/2021

The far-right politician had faced allegations of kidnapping after refusing to let a group of migrants disembark from a ship. But his legal battles are not over yet.

www.dw.com

Italy: Matteo Salvini avoids migrant kidnap trial
The far-right politician had faced allegations of kidnapping after refusing to let a group of migrants disembark from a ship. But his legal battles are not over yet.




The Italian Senate lifted Salvini’s immunity in August 2019, clearing the way for the charges
Matteo Salvini, the head of Italy's right-wing League party, should not stand trial on charges he kidnapped a group of migrants at sea, a judge in the Sicilian city of Catania ruled on Friday.

The Gregoretti migrant case
The case centered on an incident in July 2019, when Salvini stopped over 100 largely Sudanese migrants aboard the Gregoretti coast guard ship from disembarking for six days. During that t, there was an outbreak of scabies and a suspected case of tuberculosis.
The migrants were eventually allowed to leave the boat after Italy brokered a deal with other EU states.

The Gregoretti was not allowed to let rescued migrants disembark for six days in 2019

Salvini, who was Italy's interior minister at the time of the incident, stopped the migrants from leaving the ship under his so-called "closed ports" policy. He argued it was necessary to protect the country amid a surge of migrants arriving on Italy's shores.

Following the incident, Italy's Senate voted in 2020 to strip the politician of his parliamentary immunity, paving the way for the trial.

But prosecutors in Catania had asked the judge not to send Salvini to trial. They argued his decision did not violate international treaties and was not to be considered a kidnapping.

• 
  
  
  FROM SEA RESCUE TO QUARANTINE: A VISUAL DIARY FROM THE OCEAN VIKING

After leaving court on Friday, Salvini said the ruling shows that "a minister who defended the dignity and the borders of Italy is a minister who simply did his duty."

Another legal battle for Salvini
Salvini's legal battles about his "closed ports" policy are not over. He faces another trial in September in a separate but similar case.

In Palermo, he is charged with kidnapping and abuse of office for refusing to allow 164 migrants off the rescue ship operated by Spanish charity Open Arms for six days in August 2019.

"If there was no kidnapping found in Catania, I don't know why there should be any in Palermo," said Salvini.

He could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.


Watch video03:34
Europe's forgotten refugee crisis
kmm/rt (Reuters, AFP)

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

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78% Of UK Businesses Have No Plan To Require Vaccine Certificates, Survey

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2021 - 08:10 AM
Authored by Lily Zhou via The Epoch Times,
Seventy-eight percent of businesses in the UK have no plans to check evidence of vaccination, a new study indicates.


The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Thursday published the results of its survey of more than 1,000 businesses across a variety of sectors and in the UK.

When asked whether their business had any plans to require proof of vaccination from customers, suppliers, or employees, 78 percent of respondents said they had no plans to do so. Among larger firms with more than 50 staff, the number dropped to 69 percent.

Only 5 percent of the respondents said they had already implemented their own requirements for proof of vaccination, and 6 percent said they were likely to do so in the future. These were more likely to be firms with more than 50 staff. The other 11 percent said they needed more information.

Asked about what safety measures businesses expect to implement or keep in place during the next 12 months, 76 percent of the respondents chose social distancing, while 61 percent of the businesses expected to have hand sanitiser in place, and 54 percent expected to require face coverings.

Almost half (46 percent) of the firms expected continued changes to their workspace, such as screens or socially distanced desk arrangements, and 45 percent said they intended to limit access to their offices/premises.

Only 9 percent of firms expected to have no measures at all in place over the next 12 months.
The study comes as the UK approaches its final steps of the government’s roadmap to reopen the country.


Easing the lockdown in England. (PA Graphics)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said this week that the government will be “saying more later this month about exactly what the world will look like and what role there could be—if any—for certification and social distancing,” so businesses could have more clarification.
Hannah Essex, co-executive director of the BCC, said its study indicated that the government needs to hurry up.

“This research shows that government must quickly clarify what measures will be required for businesses to maintain safety standards after we reach the final stage of the road map on June 21,” Essex said in a statement.
“In particular, they must resolve the ongoing debate around the use of vaccine certification, providing clear and decisive guidance to [businesses],” she said.

“There has been a great deal of mixed signals on the issue of businesses being required to demand proof of vaccination from customers, suppliers, or employees.

“Our figures show that as it stands the vast majority of firms have no plans in place for such a scenario. So, if [the] government is indeed planning to make this a requirement in any sector, then it must act rapidly to inform businesses so that they can adjust and prepare,” she said.
“Many businesses are working on the assumption that they will be continuing with a variety of COVID-secure measures over the next 12 months including social distancing, mask-wearing, and various other interventions,” she added.

After initially ruling out the introduction of a vaccine passport, the UK government started reviewing the idea in late February and trialing a COVID-Status Certification last month.

People walking during the morning rush hour in the Canary Wharf amid the outbreak of the CCP virus in London on Oct. 15, 2020. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)
Some businesses are concerned that such a measure, if introduced, would be “challenging” to implement.

“It could be challenging for us to implement a requirement for proof of vaccination. Safety is paramount to us, but the administrative processes involved would be laborious. We would also have major HR concerns over where this would place individuals not wishing to have the vaccine due to their personal beliefs,” Gareth Jones, Managing Director of In-Comm, a training services provider, said in a statement.
“When it comes to other measures the main issue for us is that numbers are key to our sustainability and growth as a business. Actions that we have to take which reduce our number of learners take a real toll on us, so we would hope to return to our original cohort sizes as soon as it is safe to do so. Measures have to be fit for purpose as well as practicable to implement,” he added.

Phil Calcutt, Director of A&M EDM, an engineering solutions company, said: “We’re concerned that ‘vaccine passports’ would be problematic to implement. We would have no legal sanction to ensure compliance and we’d expect a test case to drag on in the courts. If the NHS and care homes haven’t been able to implement this kind of stuff, then how can businesses be expected to?”

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

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Armenia Requests Russian Military Help Over Renewed Azerbaijan 'Land Grab'

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2021 - 07:35 AM
Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war which started six months ago, the border region is again on the brink of conflict, with Armenia charging Azerbaijan with illegally sending its army deep into territory from their prior post-war settlement positions in what's being viewed as a big land grab and ethnic cleansing campaign targeting ethnic Armenian communities.

Yerevan sees the threat as imminent and dire enough that it's urging its ally and treaty partner Russia to send military assistance to push back Azeri forces. Currently Russia has a limited peacekeeping force that includes 2,000 troops as part the ceasefire agreement that ended the prior border war. Russia also has a military base in Armenia, but has previously expressed a desire to keep its friendly relations with Baku.
Last year Armenians in and around Nagorno-Karabakh set fire to their own houses ahead of handing over territory to Azerbaijan, via AFP

"Armenia said on Friday Azerbaijan had failed to fulfil a promise in full to withdraw troops that had crossed the border in a disputed incident, and it had sought Russia's military help," Reuters details.
Armenia is seeking to make the case to Putin that Azerbaijan's actions are a severe violation of the ceasefire agreement and of Armenia's sovereign land.

But so far Moscow's response has appeared muted, even after Armenia's interim prime minister penned an urgent letter to President Putin requesting the military aid:

"The Russian president said that he himself believes that the Azerbaijani armed forces should leave Armenia, and there is a more important part that was stated last night: an agreement was reached that today the Azerbaijani armed forces had to carry out these actions, that is, leave the territory of Armenia," Pashinyan announced during an extraordinary session of parliament Friday.

He explained before the parliamentary session why he didn't make an initial request for troops during a phone call the day prior:

"The reason that I did not appeal yesterday [to Putin for help] Is that the day before it was stated at the highest level that today the troops were to be withdrawn. But since the course of the negotiations showed that, in any case today, the agreement will not be fully implemented, I turned to the Russian president so that Russia would provide assistance to Armenia in this situation, including military assistance," Pashinyan said.

The Armenian Defense Ministry has accused Azeri forces of attempting "to clean the borders" in the Syunik region - or essentially ethnic cleansing.

Whether or not Armenia and Azerbaijan will renew their fierce fighting, which last year killed thousands of troops and civilians, with Armenia bearing the bulk of the casualties, remains another question. It's unclear whether Yerevan would commit without a signal of Russia's backing, which so far it doesn't appear Putin is ready to give.

 

[Plain Jane]

Potential challenger emerges to Hungary's Orban – DW – 05/15/2021

Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony plans to lead a six-party opposition challenge to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary's elections next year.

www.dw.com

Hungary's Viktor Orban faces challenge from Budapest mayor
Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony plans to lead a six-party opposition challenge to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary's elections next year.




Mayor Gergely Karacsony says Hungary is in "big trouble"

Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony on Saturday declared his plan to contest joint opposition primaries in September and October, hoping to become top challenger to Viktor Orban in general elections due next April.

Since 2010, the hardline national Orban and his Fidesz party has won three successive landslides under an election system favoring large parties and frustrating a previously fragmented opposition.

"I will run for prime minister candidate in the opposition primaries," said the 45-year-old Karacsony.

Posting a video message from his home village of Nyirtasson, 270 kilometers (170 miles) from Budapest, Karacsony said he felt "my homeland is in big trouble; our country is divided to the extreme."

Last year, the six leftist, liberal and right-wing opposition parties formed an alliance — also vowing to front single candidates against Fidesz in all 106 electorates.


Watch video26:06
Conflict Zone: Cementing authoritarianism?
A first joint oppositon primary in September will decide on three potential candidates, who will then advance to a run-off primary in early October to decide who will lead the alliance against Orban.

Karacsony is widely tipped to emerge as challenger in those ballots because three of the six parties have already signaled support for him.

He was elected Budapest mayor in 2019 during municipal elections that lead to losses for Fidesz and gains for opposition candidates in a majority of Hungarian cities.

Neck-and-neck race
Orban, an advocate of what he terms "illiberal democracy" and a firm opponent of immigration into Europe, has often clashed with the European Commission in Brussels over his authoritarianism and clamps on judicial independence, education and the media.

In 2018 an election monitoring team from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) identified "intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric, media bias and opaque campaign financing."

Current opinion polls show the opposition alliance almost neck-and-neck with Fidesz.
A Median pollster survey earlier this week put Orban's Fidesz at 40% of all voters while the joint opposition was backed by 36%.


Watch video03:40
Opposition Klubradio forced off the air
ipj/bk (AP, Reuters, AP)

 

[Plain Jane]

Greek neo-Nazi and MEP extradited to Athens – DW – 05/15/2021

Ioannis Lagos, a founding member of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, is due to serve a 13-year jail sentence. As a member of the EU Parliament, he had enjoyed immunity until late April.

www.dw.com

Greek neo-Nazi and MEP extradited to Athens to serve prison sentence
Ioannis Lagos, a founding member of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, is due to serve a 13-year jail sentence. As a member of the EU Parliament, he had enjoyed immunity until late April.




The far-right extremist Ioannis Lagos enjoyed diplomatic immunity and drew an MEP's salary while avoiding prison

Ioannis Lagos, a Greek member of the European Parliament, arrived at Athens International Airport on Saturday afternoon handcuffed and accompanied by five Greek police officers. The 48-year-old will now serve a prison sentence of 13 years and 8 months, for crimes stemming from his days as a leading member of the far-right Golden Dawn political party.

The convicted politician shouted, "For Orthodoxy and Greece, every sacrifice is worth it," as he was led before prosecutors. Despite prior pleas by his lawyers that he be jailed near Athens in order to carry out his duties as an MEP, prosecutors ordered him taken immediately to Domokos Prison in central Greece.

"Greek democracy fought and eliminated the poison of the Golden Dawn party. The rule of law stood firm against criminals," Greek government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni said regarding the extradition.

The politician's conviction stemmed from the largest trial against fascists in Europe since the Nuremberg trials that followed World War II. In it, a total of 68 individuals, including Lagos and leading members of the party, were convicted and given harsh sentences for crimes ranging from operating a criminal organization to arms possession, assault and murder.

Watch video42:36
Enemy in Brussels: What are Europe's right-wing populists after?
Lagos flouted the law as a member of European Parliament
Lagos, who was elected to the European Parliament in 2019 as a member of Golden Dawn but relabeled himself an independent, fled Greece on the day of his conviction and enjoyed diplomatic immunity in Brussels until it was finally lifted on April 27 of this year — at which point he was immediately arrested by Belgian authorities on a European arrest warrant over fears that he may once again flee.

Though he had initially resisted extradition and suggested he had been offered political asylum outside Greece, Lagos ultimately agreed to return.

The rise and fall of Golden Dawn
Founded in 1985 and registered as a political party in 1993, Golden Dawn was an unabashedly neo-fascist outfit that sought to re-establish a right-wing military dictatorship in Greece. It pushed its staunchly anti-immigrant message throughout Greece's years-long debt crisis and tapped into growing popular anger.

In 2012, the party won 18 seats in Greek parliamentary elections on an anti-austerity and anti-immigrant platform that capitalized on frustration over the economy and unemployment. It remained a powerful political force in the Greek Parliament for years, ultimately becoming the body's third-largest party after 2015 national elections.

Its popular appeal, however, began to fade among all but its most hardcore supporters as news of its criminal activities became more widely known. It failed to win any seats in the 2019 parliamentary elections.


Watch video01:46
Political murders in Athens
The murder that brought down Golden Dawn
Not only had Lagos been a founding member of Golden Dawn, he also sat on the group's central committee. As such, he held control over working-class districts in Athens where Golden Dawn members regularly assaulted immigrants, communists, trade unionists and anyone else they viewed as enemies.

One such enemy was Pavlos Fyssas, an anti-fascist rapper who was stabbed to death in September 2013. Fyssas was killed by a Golden Dawn member in one of the districts that Lagos controlled. Phone conversations from the night of the murder suggested that Golden Dawn leadership had given the order to carry out the crime.

By the time the trial — which had begun on April 20, 2015 — ended on October 7, 2020, Lagos and six other Golden Dawn leaders, including founder and longterm leader Nikos Michaloliakos, were found guilty of having run a criminal organization operating under the guise of a political party.

All but two of the party's leaders were jailed immediately. Deputy leader Christos Pappas, however, escaped police custody and is rumored to have fled to the Balkans, and Ioannis Lagos had fled to Brussels beyond the reach of Greek authorities.

The fact that he had not only avoided arrest but enjoyed his freedom — and still continues to draw his MEP salary — had been a source of embarrassment and outrage in both Athens and Brussels. Pappas is still at large.

 

[Plain Jane]

Leftist leads race for Zagreb mayor after Croatia local vote

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — The candidate of a leftist-green group has taken a strong lead in voting for the mayor of Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, dealing a blow to the ruling conservatives, preliminary official results on Monday showed.

apnews.com

Leftist leads race for Zagreb mayor after Croatia local vote
an hour ago



1 of 6
Zagreb Mayoral candidate Tomislav Tomasevic addressed the media after voting at a polling station in Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday, May 16, 2021. Local elections are being held Sunday where voters will be casting their ballots to elect local government bodies, mayors, and county heads. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — The candidate of a leftist-green group has taken a strong lead in voting for the mayor of Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, dealing a blow to the ruling conservatives, preliminary official results on Monday showed.

Tomislav Tomasevic garnered around 48% support in Sunday’s vote, while his “Mozemo!” or “We Can!” coalition won the most seats in the capital city’s assembly.

The result is a setback for the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, which had hoped to win in Zagreb after the death in February of long-serving mayor Milan Bandic. Tomasevic will face a right-wing opponent, former singer Miroslav Skoro, in a runoff vote in two weeks.

Croatia’s 3.6 million voters also chose hundreds of municipal and city councils, as well as district authorities throughout the European Union nation.

Another round of voting will also be held in three other key towns — Split, Rijeka and Osijek — where no mayoral candidate won an outright majority. The conservatives’ candidate is in the lead in the eastern town of Osijek while opposition politicians are ahead in the coastal towns of Split and Rijeka.


Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said his HDZ remains the strongest party, leading in most local assemblies, mayoral races and regional councils overall. Plenkovic described the election outcome as “victorious.”

In Zagreb, Tomasevic said the results clearly showed that citizens want a change after Bandic’s corruption-plagued two decades in power in the city. Tomasevic said that “Zagreb does not belong to an interest group.”

“The citizens said that we can!” he said late Sunday. “We can do greener, more just, more transparent, better!”

One of the best-known politicians in the country, Bandic faced a series of corruption scandals while in office. He was detained in 2014 but was still later re-elected to the post.

 

[Plain Jane]

Record number of migrants reach Spanish enclave Ceuta – DW – 05/18/2021

Thousands of migrants, many of them minors, have swum or sailed around the EU's land border with Africa. Some believe Morocco deliberately hobbled its border control measures.

www.dw.com

Ceuta: Record number of migrants reach Spanish enclave
Thousands of migrants, many of them minors, have swum or sailed across the EU's land border with Africa. Some believe Morocco deliberately hobbled its border control measures.




At least 1,000 of illegal immigrants are believed to be underage

Around 5,000 people crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta on Monday, a single-day record, Spanish officials said.

The surge came as Morocco lodged a diplomatic protest against Spain for accepting a rebel leader for medical treatment.

Thousands of young migrants, including about 1,000 minors, swam or waded across the heavily fortified border. Others floated across in inflatable dinghies or swimming rings.

At least one person drowned while attempting to cross, according to local media reports.
The arrivals were checked by the Red Cross and taken to a migrant reception center.

The Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are Africa's only land border with the European Union, making it a target for people seeking to migrate to Europe. Only 475 migrants had crossed into Ceuta between January 1 and May 15 this year.

Watch video05:20
Migrants head for Spain's enclave of Ceuta
Why is Morocco angry with Spain?
Local officials anonymously accused Moroccan border patrols of deliberately lax controls amid a diplomatic spat.

Rabat has clashed with Spain in recent weeks, after it emerged that Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali has been receiving treatment for COVID-19 in northern Spain since mid-April.

The Polisario Front militants have fought to secede Western Sahara from Morocco. Analysts have warned the spat could threaten bilateral cooperation on fighting illegal immigration. Spain has justified treating him on humanitarian grounds.

Last month, the Moroccan foreign ministry said the stance was "inconsistent with the spirit of partnership and good neighborliness" and later warned the move would have "consequences."

Mohammed Ben Aisa, head of the non-profit Northern Observatory for Human Rights, told the AP that the recent diplomatic tensions played a role in the influx, in addition to good weather and the seasonal attempts to reach Europe.


Watch video00:50
Hundreds of migrants storm the Spanish enclave Ceuta (09.12.2016)
"The information that we have is that the Moroccan authorities reduced the usually heavy militarization of the coasts, which come after Morocco's foreign ministry statement about Spain's hosting of Brahim Ghali," he said.

"The area is heavily monitored by security forces and attempts there, whether to climb the fence or swim, are usually stopped," he added.

Footage published in Spanish media showed people climbing the rocky breakwaters and running across the Tarajal beach, in the southeastern end of the city. Other videos showed long lines of young men outside Red Cross warehouse, waiting to be registered with authorities.

How has Spain responded?
On Monday, the Spanish interior ministry said in a statement that Spain "has been working tirelessly on a migration policy that concerns the whole of the European Union and Morocco, the country of origin of the people who have arrived swimming today."

It has deployed hundreds of officers in light of the arrivals to help process and return them more quickly.

Rabat cooperates with Madrid on migration flows in exchange for recurring payments and training for its police and army. The EU also relies on Moroccan intelligence for fighting extremism.

Spain does not grant Moroccans asylum status, but it does allow unaccompanied migrant children to legally remain in the country under the government's supervision.
aw/dj (AP, AFP, Reuters, EFE)

 

[Plain Jane]

Italy's Lampedusa island slammed again by migrant arrivals

LAMPEDUSA, Sicily (AP) — The tiny Mediterranean island of Lampedusa is in the throes of yet another season of migrants arriving by sea, and Ibrahima Mbaye and Waly Sarr can only watch from shore as their fellow Africans risk their lives to get here via unsafe smugglers’ boats.

apnews.com

Italy’s Lampedusa island slammed again by migrant arrivals
By ANDREA ROSA35 minutes ago



1 of 15
Waly Sarr, 30, right, and Ibrahima Mbaye, 41, center, both from Senegal, and Salvatore Di Battista fix nets on the deck of the "Vincenzo Padre" fishing boat where they work as fishermen, in the Island of Lampedusa, southern Italy, Thursday, May 13, 2021. The tiny island of Lampedusa, which is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, is in the throes of yet another season of migrant arrivals, and Mbaye and Sarr can only watch from shore as their fellow African countrymen risk their lives to get here via smugglers' boats. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)

LAMPEDUSA, Sicily (AP) — The tiny Mediterranean island of Lampedusa is in the throes of yet another season of migrants arriving by sea, and Ibrahima Mbaye and Waly Sarr can only watch from shore as their fellow Africans risk their lives to get here via unsafe smugglers’ boats.

Mbaye and Sarr arrived in Italy legally years ago and found work as fishermen on a Lampedusa-based fishing boat, the Vincenzo Padre, which has a mixed Senegalese-Italian crew. They live in town and are part of the community, whereas most other newly arrived Africans pass through, heading to destinations further north after the perilous Mediterranean crossing.

“If somebody had told me that in Lampedusa, everyday, 30 or 25 boats arrive, I wouldn’t have believed it. But now that I came here, I saw it with my own eyes,” Mbaye said during a break checking the nets as their fishing boat was docked.

Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland, and it has long been the destination of choice for migrant smuggling operations leaving Libya. Over the years, it has witnessed countless numbers of shipwrecks and seen bodies floating offshore, only to be buried in the cemetery on land.


Last week, more than 1,200 migrants arrived within a span of 12 hours, as traffickers in Libya took advantage of calm seas and warm weather to launch several decrepit, overcrowded vessels north. It was the first major influx in over a year after a COVID-19-induced lull in arrivals.

“If you take that risk, it’s because you want people back home to survive,” Sarr said. “If you have nothing back home you say ’I go, and if I die, I die. If I arrive, I’ll arrive.”

Sarr and Mbaye were lucky: Both arrived in Italy by plane with their papers in order. Sarr arrived in 2012 and joined his father, who was already working aboard the “Vincenzo Padre.”

Mbaye spent four years in Milan before arriving in Lampedusa nearly two years ago and also found work on the ship. They both earn enough to send money home to their wives and children in Senegal.

“It’s painful for me when I see young people coming here to find a better future when it’s not sure they can find it,” Mbaye said. “They come without papers, and here if you don’t comply with the rules, it’s hard to find work.”
___
Follow AP’s global migration coverage at Migration

 

[Plain Jane]

Zerohedge

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

www.zerohedge.com

"Tough On Russia" Biden Blinks - Waives Sanctions On Company Overseeing Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

BY TYLER DURDEN
WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2021 - 02:45 AM
In his continuing drive to show that he's getting "tough" on Russia, Biden has blinked. Axios' Jonathan Swan reports a major development Tuesday related to Washington's push to prevent the Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 from being completed: the US administration has moved to waive previously imposed sanctions on the company overseeing construction of the NS2, as well as its CEO. So much for the big "threat" to Europe's "energy security" - as the refrain has been endlessly for years...

Swan writes, "The decision indicates the Biden administration is not willing to compromise its relationship with Germany over this pipeline, and underscores the difficulties President Biden faces in matching actions to rhetoric on a tougher approach to Russia."
Image: Ria Novosti/EPA

While the State Department still considers the corporate entity - Nord Stream 2 AG and CEO Matthias Warnig (who is said to be close to Putin) - to be engaged in "sanctionable activity", it now plans to waive the implementation of the sanctions, Axios' sources say.

Currently the "controversial" pipeline which reaching back into the Trump administration saw US officials accuse the Kremlin of attempting to "punish" Ukraine by denying it vital gas transit fees is estimated to be at 95% completion.

Aggressive Trump-era sanctions did little to actually thwart construction even after major Swiss and other European companies bowed out under the pressure, given Russian energy giant Gazprom vowed to push through with the final construction by outfitting additional of its vessels as pipelaying ships.

"This planned move also sets up a bizarre situation in which the Biden administration will be sanctioning ships involved in the building of Nord Stream 2 but refusing to sanction the actual company in charge of the project," Axios continues.

And again this clearly contradicts the longtime US and Biden administration position that NS2 constitutes a "threat" to Europe's energy security - this despite leading EU member Germany certainly not seeing it that way. The driving fear has remained that those nefarious Russians! are always looking for major leverage over Europe and the West, and the joint pipeline will give them plenty of that.
* * *

It didn't take long at all for the Russia hawks to get raging angry.

Jim Geraghty
@jimgeraghty
So a bunch of Russians can shut down our pipelines, but we can’t shut down construction of theirs.

Joe Biden Wimps Out on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
Score a win for Vladimir Putin, as President Biden is dropping his opposition to Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
nationalreview.com

And imagine if guess who had gone this "soft" on Russia...

Jim Banks
@RepJimBanks
A week after Russian hackers shut down a U.S. pipeline, President Biden lifted sanctions on a Russian pipeline. What does Vladimir Putin have on President Biden??

 

[Plain Jane]

Germany's most notorious crime families – DW – 05/18/2021

Organized crime among Arab, Kurdish and Turkish communities has become a media obsession in Germany. Here's a lowdown on who is who.

www.dw.com

'Clan crime': The who's who of Germany's most notorious crime families 
Organized crime among Arab, Kurdish and Turkish communities has become a media obsession in Germany. Here's a lowdown on who is who.




The TV series 4Blocks told the story of a ficticious Arab mafia gang in Berlin

Organized crime among Arab, Kurdish and Turkish communities has come to play a central role in German movies and TV series. Part of that interest has been sparked by a number of high-profile heists.

On Tuesday, one of them made the headlines again when a fifth suspect was arrested in Berlin for the spectacular robbery at Dresden's Grünes Gewölbe ("Green Vault") museum in 2019, during which invaluable historical jewelry was taken.


Watch video03:45
German jewelry heist suspect arrested — Thomas Sparrow reports
In contrast to notorious motorbike gangs or mafia groups, the groups referred to in German media and by police as "clans" define themselves by their family ties and a shared ethnic identity. But critics say the term "clan crime" puts family members under general suspicion, discriminating against those among them who are not criminals. "Clan crime" makes up less than 10% of organized crime investigations.

Three young men were sentenced to several years in prison in 2020 for the theft of a huge gold coin in Berlin

The Remmos 
The Remmo family first came to police attention in 1992 with the murder of a restaurant owner in Berlin. Since then, some of the estimated 500 family members have turned the Remmo clan into one of Berlin's most notorious gangs, with a long record of violence, drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud.

The theft of a hundred-kilo gold coin from the Berlin Bode Museum in 2017 is considered to be the Remmo clan's most spectacular coup. Police believe the gold, worth more than €3 million ($3.6 million), was cut to pieces and melted. Gold particles, as well as glass fragments from the museum, have been found in apartments and vehicles and on the clothes of Remmo family members. Two young men from the Remmo family and one of their associates were sentenced to several years in prison in 2020 in connection with the theft.
Prosecutors also believe that members of the Remmo clan were involved in the above-mentioned "Green Vault" robbery in Dresden.

The Remmos belong to the Mhallami ethnic group, primarily native to southern Turkey and Lebanon. The Remmo family had fled war-torn Lebanon and came to Europe in the 1980s. The Mhallami mostly identify as Arab and are sometimes associated with Kurdish minorities.


Bushido (2nd from L.) became embroiled in a court case involving a member of the Abou-Chaker family (2nd from R.)

The Abou-Chakers
Although smaller than the Remmo clan, the Abou-Chaker family and its head, Arafat Abou-Chaker, have attracted attention from both media and authorities in Germany for a long time.
Berlin-based Arafat Abou-Chaker took over management for Bushido, Germany's biggest gangsta rapper, in 2008. The business relationship sparked a stir (and a hit movie), before turning sour 10 years later.

Bushido then got embroiled in a court case against Arafat Abou-Chaker, accusing him of coercion, threats, and harassment.  Over the years, Abou-Chaker family members have been indicted for several crimes such as intimidation, robbery and bodily injury. A Berlin court also dealt with several Abou-Chaker members over forged documents to sell an apartment block that did not belong to them.

The Abou-Chaker family is of Palestinian origin and fled from a Lebanese refugee camp to Europe when civil war raged in Lebanon. Just like other suspected crime families, the Abou-Chakers are believed to own several offices and other pieces of real estate in Germany.


Ibrahim Miri challenged his deportation to Lebanon in 2014 in court and later violated a ban on returning to Germany

The Miris 
The Miri clan consists of several families of Mhallami origin. They, too, are believed to have fled to Germany at the height of the Lebanon civil war in the early 1980s. The Miri clan, sometimes referred to as the "M-Clan," is particularly active in the German state of Lower Saxony, though criminal activities have also been recorded in Berlin, Bremen and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Members of the Miri clan have been involved in crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion and pimping sex workers. Some prominent figures of the clan are said to have close ties to the banned motorcycle gang "Mongols MC."

The leader Ibrahim Miri became well-known across Germany when he violated a ban on returning to Germany after having been deported to Lebanon in 2019. At the time, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer proposed a "Lex Miri" that would allow deported asylum seekers to be locked up when re-entering Germany.

Hundreds of police officers are involved in the major raids on criminal gangs

Al-Zein
With several thousand members, the Al-Zein clan might be one of the largest families involved in organized crime in Germany. Its supposed boss, Mahmoud Al-Zein, published his memoirs in 2020, entitled, "The Godfather of Berlin: My Way, My Family, My Rules."

In his memoir, Al-Zein provides an insight into the world of clan criminality — a world that seems to be dominated by archaic ideas of honor and strict hierarchies.

Mahmoud Al-Zein came from Lebanon to Germany in 1982. Since then, his own rules often collided with German laws: He has been convicted for drug trafficking and other criminal offenses.

Many believe that German drama series 4 Blocks is based on Al-Zein's story. The critically acclaimed series is about a Lebanese crime family and drug cartel in Berlin.
This article was adapted from German.