Daily: 01/06/2022

Малі: російські війська розгорнулися в Тімбукту після виведення французьких сил

Уряд Малі заперечує будь-яке залучення російських найманців, заявляючи, що «російські інструктори» перебувають у країні в рамках двосторонньої угоди

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У ДБР заперечують, що Порошенко планував поїздку за кордон заздалегідь

У Бюро стверджують із посиланням на авіакомпанію, що Порошенко купив квитки 17 грудня, після того, як слідчі ДБР намагалися вручити йому повістку

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У річницю штурму Капітолію Байден звинуватив Трампа в спробі «запобігти мирній передачі влади»

Донльд Трамп, своєю чергою, заперечує, що підбурював натовп до насильства

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Повний текст ухвали про арешт майна Порошенка оприлюднять 14 січня – Офіс генпрокурора

Арешт стосуватиметься того майна, яким Петро Порошенко володіє відповідно до державних реєстрів та його декларацій

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Голова МЗС Великої Британії анонсувала свій візит до Києва

Ліз Трасс заявила, що відвідає Україну до кінця місяця, але не назвала точної дати

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Казахстан: влада та протестувальники повідомляють про загиблих учасників протистояння в Алмати

У департаменті поліції міста заявили, що десятки «учасників заворушень» у місті «ліквідовані», державне ТБ заявляє про 13 вбитих силовиків

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Rights Court Throws Out UK Gay Wedding Cake Case

The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday rejected a case brought over a UK bakery’s refusal to bake a gay wedding cake, saying British legal options had to be exhausted before it would get involved.

Plaintiff Gareth Lee, who lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2014 ordered a cake for a gay activist event scheduled shortly after the province’s assembly rejected legalizing same-sex marriage for the third time.

He asked a Christian bakery to adorn the cake with an image of bedroom-sharing characters Bert and Ernie from the US television show “Sesame Street” and add the slogan “Support Gay Marriage”.

The Ashers Baking Company, which takes its name from an Old Testament figure, took the order but then declined to meet the special requests, apologized and refunded Lee’s money.

Lee, who is British and an activist at the advocacy group Queer Space, filed a legal complaint against the bakery that was taken up by Northern Ireland’s Equality Commission, which oversees the implementation of anti-discrimination laws.

A local court found the bakery guilty of discrimination after a high-profile inquiry in the province that only allowed same-sex marriage only in 2020, the last part of the United Kingdom to do so.

That decision was upheld by an appeals court, but then overturned by the UK’s Supreme Court, which said that the bakery owners had not refused to serve Lee because he was gay, but because they objected to promoting a message that they profoundly disagreed with.

In 2019, Lee took his case to the European Court (ECHR), arguing that the Supreme Court’s decision interfered with several of his rights included in the European Convention on Human Rights.

‘Missed opportunity’

But the ECHR refused to take the case, saying Lee should have brought his arguments based on the Convention to domestic UK courts first.

“The applicant had not invoked his Convention rights at any point in the domestic proceedings,” instead relying on domestic law alone, the ECHR observed.

He thereby “deprived the domestic courts of the opportunity to address any Convention issues raised, instead asking the Court to usurp the role of the domestic courts,” it said in a statement.

“Because he had failed to exhaust domestic remedies, the application was inadmissible,” it said.

In reaction, Lee said that he was “most frustrated that the core issues did not get fairly analyzed and adjudicated upon because of a technicality”.

His lawyer, Ciaran Moynagh, said the substantive issues included in the application to the ECHR had remained unaddressed.

This, the lawyer said, was “a missed opportunity”, adding that he and his client would now consider launching a fresh domestic case.

The Christian Institute, which had supported the bakery in its fight against Lee, welcomed the decision, calling it “a relief”.

“I’m surprised anyone would want to overturn a ruling that protects gay business owners from being forced to promote views they don’t share, just as much as it protects Christian business owners,” said Simon Calvert, the Institute’s deputy director for public affairs.

The ECHR’s decision was “good news for free speech” and “good news for Christians”, he said.

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«Кремлівський жандарм став демонстративно агресивним» – українські політики про події в Казахстані

Рефат Чубаров нагадав, що чинний президент Казахстану Токаєв і його попередник Назарбаєв «не наважилися засудити РФ за військове вторгнення на територію України та окупацію Криму»

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У Казахстані не працюють кілька міжнародних аеропортів

Аеропорт у столиці, місті Нур-Султан, працює у штатному режимі

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Taiwan to Set Up $200 Million Fund to Invest in Lithuania Amid Dispute With China

Taiwan said on Wednesday it would create a $200 million fund to invest in Lithuanian industries and boost bilateral trade as it tries to fend off diplomatic pressure on the Baltic state from China.

The Lithuanian government, meanwhile, ordered the state-owned railway company not to sign a contract with a China-owned Spanish bridge builder, citing “national security interests,” the prime minister’s spokesperson told the Baltic News Service.

Lithuania is under pressure from China, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, to reverse a decision last year to allow the island to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius under its own name.

Taiwanese representations in other countries, except the unrecognized Somaliland, are named after Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.

China has recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and downgraded diplomatic ties and is pressuring companies like German car parts giant Continental to stop using Lithuanian-made components. It has also blocked Lithuanian cargos from entering China.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to China’s pressure on Vilnius in a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock after a meeting in Washington and vowed to work with Berlin and others against such “intimidation.”

Blinken said Germany and the United States agree on the importance of trans-Atlantic coordination on China “because it poses a significant challenge to our shared values, to the laws, rules and agreements that foster stability, prosperity and freedom worldwide.”

“We have immediate concern about the government of China’s attempts to bully Lithuania … China is pushing European and American companies to stop building products with components made in Lithuania, or risk losing access to the Chinese market, all because Lithuania chose to expand their cooperation with Taiwan.”

Lithuania’s export-based economy is home to hundreds of companies that make products such as furniture, lasers, food and clothing for multinationals that sell to China.

The head of Taiwan’s representative office in Lithuania, Eric Huang, said the strategic investment fund would be funded by Taiwan’s national development fund and backed by its central bank.

“We will establish the fund as soon as possible and we hope this year we will have some tangible results … I can imagine the first top priorities will be semiconductor, laser (and) biotechnology,” he told a news conference.

Taiwan has redirected 120 shipping containers from Lithuania blocked by China into its market and will take “as much as possible” more, Huang said.

Taiwan will also accelerate its approval process for Lithuanian dairy and grain exports into Taiwan and seek to link Lithuanian businesses into Taiwanese supply chains, he said.

Integrating Lithuania’s laser industry into manufacturing semiconductors in Taiwan was another possibility, Huang said.

Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Tseng Hou-jen called the Chinese pressure on Lithuania “disproportionate.”

“The U.S. and EU refer to Taiwan as Taiwan in their official documents, and China keeps quiet,” he said. “China’s action seems to have targeted what it perceives as vulnerable country, for its political gains. But giving in is not the best way in dealing with bullies.” 

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Порошенко назвав точну дату повернення в Україну

У Державному бюро розслідувань заперечили відкликання з Печерського суду клопотання про обрання запобіжного заходу п’ятому президенту Петрові Порошенку

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US Sanctions Bosnian Serb Leader for Secessionist Efforts

The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions on Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and current and former officials, adding pressure against their secessionist efforts threatening Bosnia-Herzegovina’s fragile union.

In its statement, the U.S. Treasury Department accused Dodik of corruption and threatening Bosnia-Herzegovina’s stability and territorial integrity.

“Milorad Dodik’s destabilizing corrupt activities and attempts to dismantle the Dayton Peace Accords, motivated by his own self-interest, threaten the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region,” said Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, who was quoted in the statement.

The department also imposed sanctions on Banja Luka-based media outlet Alternativna Television (ATV), which it accused Dodik of acquiring to push his political agenda.

According to Reuters, ATV criticized the sanctions as an attack on media freedom and democracy itself. Its management also denied allegations it was connected to Dodik.

“We are surprised with such a decision and regard as extremely trivial that a great state should take individual insinuations about ties between our media house and politicians as credible sources,” ATV said in a statement to Reuters.

Following the sanctions, Dodik’s and ATV’s U.S. assets were frozen, and Americans are barred from dealing with them.

Two leaders barred

In addition to these sanctions, the U.S. State Department also banned two Bosnia-Herzegovina leaders from entering the U.S.: Milan Tegeltija, a former president of the high judicial council, and Mirsad Kukic, a lawmaker and president of the Movement for Democratic Action.

On Twitter, Tegeltija called the sanctions a “result of the politics which contains a brutal political pressure.” Because the sanctions are not the result of court proceedings, he does not need to defend himself, he said.

Dodik, who serves as the Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite interethnic presidency, is a known secessionist and has become increasingly outspoken and active concerning his political goals.

He wants to reverse postwar reforms and return to the 1995 constitution.

Dodik has also increasingly followed through on succession threats of the Republika Srpska, the Bosnian Serb entity created under the U.S.-brokered Dayton Accords that ended the former Yugoslav republic’s bloody war.

Referring to united Bosnia as a failure, Dodik acted to withdraw Bosnian Serb institutions, including the army, judiciary and tax system, from central authority last month.

Dodik has made it clear the U.S. sanctions will not stop him, telling a local media outlet that “if they think that they will discipline me like this, they are grossly mistaken.”

No stranger to sanctions, such as those imposed in the final days of former President Barack Obama’s presidency blocking his American holdings, Dodik has ignored U.S. pressure. After announcing his secessionist measures last month, he said he was not afraid of the sanctions that might result from his actions.

‘Nothing serious’

Following a September 30 telephone call with U.S. envoy Gabriel Escobar, Dodik said, “It is absolutely inappropriate to threaten me with sanctions from his country. I’m already under sanctions and nothing serious has happened to me.”

The sanctions reflected the United States’ increased worry about the future of Bosnia’s peace accords, especially after Dodik’s recent attempts to unravel them. In addition to his secessionist measures, Dodik met last month with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who reportedly appeared to support his actions.

Christian Schmidt, the U.N. high representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, said these sanctions were reasonable considering Dodik’s actions. Schmidt called them “a logical consequence of the destructive and dangerous attitude in reference to his failure to meet the basic requirements of responsible leadership.”

The Dayton Accords ended a brutal war in which 100,000 people died and 2 million were driven from their homes. In the war’s aftermath, Bosnian Serb forces were accused of genocide.

The peace accords divided the country into two halves: one for the Bosnian Serbs and one for a Muslim federation.

Presently, Bosnia has experienced its most serious political turmoil since the war’s end, reigniting fears that it could again split.

Following the announcement of the U.S. sanctions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that further action was not out of the question, saying in a separate statement that “other leaders and entities linked to corrupt or destabilizing actors may also be subject to future actions by the U.S. government.”

Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.

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Australia Denies Entry to Novak Djokovic, Cancels Visa

Novak Djokovic was denied entry into Australia and his visa was canceled after he arrived in Melbourne late Wednesday to defend his title at the season-opening tennis major.  

The Australian Border Force issued a statement early Thursday local time saying Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet entry requirements and “has visa has been subsequently canceled.”

The top-ranked Djokovic flew in after receiving a medical exemption from the strict coronavirus vaccination requirements in place for the Australian Open, where he is a nine-time winner.  

Australian media reported that Djokovic’s team had applied for the wrong type of visa for a person with a medical exemption.  

Djokovic’s lawyers are expected to appeal the decision, which came after the 20-time major winner had to spend more than eight hours at the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport waiting to find out if he would be allowed into the country.  

Djokovic’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, told the B92 internet portal that his son was held “in a room which no one can enter” at the airport, guarded by two policemen.  

Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open has become a hot political topic, with many Australians furious that he was granted an exemption to enter the country.  

Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Instagram that spoke to Djokovic while he was being held at the airport and added that Serbian authorities were taking measures “so the harassment of the best tennis player in the world be stopped in the shortest possible time.”

Speculation of a possible issue with the visa emerged while Djokovic was in transit and escalated with mixed messages from federal and state lawmakers.

Djokovic’s revelation on social media that he was heading to Australia seeking a record 21st major title sparked some debate and plenty of headlines on Wednesday, with critics questioning what grounds he could have for the exemption and backers arguing he has a right to privacy and freedom of choice.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley defended the “completely legitimate application and process” and insisted there was no special treatment for Djokovic.

The Victoria state government mandated that only fully vaccinated players, staff, fans and officials could enter Melbourne Park when the tournament starts on Jan. 17.

Only 26 people connected with the tournament applied for a medical exemption and, Tiley said, only a “handful” were granted.

Among the reasons allowed for those applying for a vaccination exemption can include acute major medical conditions, serious adverse reaction to a previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or evidence of a COVID-19 infection within the previous six months.

Djokovic tested positive for the coronavirus in June 2020 after he played in a series of exhibition matches that he organized in Serbia and Croatia without social distancing amid the pandemic.

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У 2021-му Україна експортувала товарів на понад 68 мільярдів доларів – Мінекономіки

За даними відомства, вартість минулорічного експорту перевищувала цифри 2020 року на 19,05 мільярда доларів

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Влада Білорусі повідомила про видворення польського дипломата – МЗС Польщі

За словами речника, висланий дипломат був польським консулом у прикордонному місті Брест

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Britain, Europe Look to India to Counter China

China has pulled off a rapid economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the star performer of major economies in 2021 was India, which grew its economy faster. Analysts are predicting India will be the world’s fastest-growing major economy this year, too, the start of a long-term trend, they say.

The investment bank Nomura forecasts that China will grow by 4.3% in 2022 compared to India’s 8.5%. Britain and other European governments are taking note and redoubling lobbying efforts to penetrate the Indian economy and reach trade deals with New Delhi, which is protectionist and operates some of the highest trade tariffs on imports in the world.

India’s GDP is around $2.8 trillion, and forecasts suggest it could be the world’s third largest economy within 25 years.

In a bid to conclude a free trade deal with India, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is ready to relax immigration rules to ease the path for thousands of Indians to live and work in Britain. Later this month, Britain’s international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, will lead a mission to New Delhi and raise the prospect of relaxing immigration rules for Indian citizens as well as reducing the fees for work and student visas, both longstanding demands from the Indian government.

Previous British efforts to secure an ambitious trade deal with India have foundered, stretching back a decade. In 2011, then-Prime Minister David Cameron and six of his Cabinet ministers went on what Downing Street described as the “biggest trade mission in history” to India, the world’s second-most populous nation, to pitch for business.

During the trip, Cameron said he wanted to take the relationship between his country and India to the “next level” and that the “possibility is there for dramatic expansion and I believe we should seize it.” But he came back largely empty-handed, and the following year Britain slipped from 13th to 16th in a league table of the emerging economic superpower’s trade partners.

More than a year later, there had been no return visit to London from any senior member of the Indian government. The leaders of the Belgium, France, Germany and the United States have all been on visits to New Delhi since then in a lengthening line of suitors all eager for trade deals and to drum up new business.

China

With India’s current fast economic growth, despite being hit hard by the pandemic, the suitors are knocking on the door again. For Western leaders, the drive to secure closer ties with India is also being driven by a determination to use India to counter the influence of China.

One option British ministers are looking into is a scheme similar to a deal Britain has with Australia, which would give young Indians the opportunity to work in Britain for up to three years. Another option would allow Indians who graduate from British universities to remain and work after they have concluded their studies.

One government official told The Times newspaper: “The tech and digital space in India is still hugely protectionist and if we could open up even a slither of access, it would put us ahead of the game.”

Last year, Britain and India agreed to deepen cooperation and signed an Enhanced Trade Partnership, which according to British officials will generate $1.4 billion of new trade between the two nations. Britain, however, is looking for a much bigger prize, to help compensate the country for its reduced commerce with the European Union since its exit from the bloc.

Neither the U.S. nor the European Union has secured a bilateral trade deal with India, but they, too, are looking to expand trade with the emerging economic titan. The EU is India’s third-largest trading partner, accounting for $72 billion worth of trade in goods in 2020 or 11.1 percent of total Indian trade. The EU is the second-largest destination for Indian exports — 14% of the total — after the U.S., according to the European Commission.

Last May, the EU showed renewed interest in negotiating a free trade deal with India after years of off-and-on negotiations and the leaders of the bloc’s 27 nations held a virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. EU officials said concerns about China are bringing Brussels and New Delhi closer. India is also alarmed at China’s expansionist ambitions, according to Cleo Paskal, an associate fellow at Britain’s Chatham House, a research group.

In a recent paper she said, “While the Himalayas have recently become increasingly strategically active, a secure Indian Ocean is also critical for India. Approximately 90% of both Indian trade by volume and India’s oil imports pass through the area.” 

She added, “India’s strategic community has been disconcerted by increased Chinese maritime activity in the region.”

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