RiyadMedia

Britain said Saturday it will use the first leaders’ meeting of its G-7 presidency next week to seek more global cooperation on coronavirus vaccine distribution and post-pandemic recovery plans.Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host G-7 heads of state for a virtual meeting Friday, their first gathering since April 2020 and U.S. President Joe Biden’s first major multilateral engagement since taking office last month.They are meeting at a seaside retreat in Cornwall in southwestern England on June 11-13, after last year’s gathering in the United States was shelved because of the pandemic.Johnson is eager to boost Britain’s post-Brexit profile and his own international standing, after criticism of his tactics during the country’s fraught divorce from the European Union and his support for ex-U.S. President Donald Trump.He has vowed to focus his G-7 presidency on better coordinating the international response to the pandemic, as well as climate change ahead of Britain hosting a U.N. conference on climate change, COP26, in November.”The solutions to the challenges we face… lie in the discussions we have with our friends and partners around the world,” Johnson said in a statement released late Saturday.He added “quantum leaps in science” had helped produce the COVID-19 vaccines needed to end the pandemic, and that world governments now had a responsibility to work together to distribute them.”I hope 2021 will be remembered as the year humanity worked together like never before to defeat a common foe,” Johnson said.Friday’s virtual gathering will see him host the leaders of the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as the presidents of the European Council and the EU Commission.Later in February, he will also chair a virtual meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the link between climate change and conflict — the first time a U.K. leader has chaired such a session since 1992.The discussions at the meeting will inform crucial action ahead of the U.K.-hosted COP26 Summit to be held November 1-12 in the Scottish city of Glasgow, his Downing Street office said.
…

Elections are essential to ending Haiti’s longtime “political paralysis,” U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison told VOA in an exclusive interview Friday.     “What troubles us is governance by decree, governance by presidential decree that has been going on in Haiti for a period that is not normal and is ongoing,” Sison said.     US Ambassador to Haiti, Michele Sison.The ambassador told VOA that U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken “said clearly that democracy and human rights have a central place in American foreign policy.”   Sison expressed concern about recent political events in Haiti, including an alleged coup and assassination attempt against President Jovenel Moise on February 7.   Twenty-three people were arrested in connection with the plot, including Supreme Court Justice Yvickel Dabresil. Haiti Civilian Court Orders Release of Supreme Court Justice Accused in Coup Plot Yvickel Dabresil was one of 23 people arrested Sunday and accused of plotting to overthrow President Jovenel Moise   The justice was released from detention on Thursday (Feb. 11) after national outcry and international expressions of concern. Twenty others remain in detention.    When does Moise’s term end?  
 
The Biden administration has been criticized for supporting Moise’s claim his term should end in 2022.  The Haitian opposition argues his term expired on February 7, 2021.     “The superior council of the judiciary branch, who in principle has the last word on all political and judicial conflicts – has ruled that Jovenel Moise’s term ended on February 7,” lawyer Andre Michel, the representative of the Democratic and Popular sector of opposition groups told VOA.    Sison said the United States and its allies agree on the 2022 end date.    “The Haitian people elected President Jovenel Moise in November 2016. President Moise was sworn in on February 7, 2017 for a five-year term that will end on February 7, 2022. That is the same analysis that the OAS made – the Organization of American States,” the ambassador told VOA.     U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks, and Congressman Andy Levin, also a member of the committee, however, have agreed with the opposition that Moise’s term ended on February 7. They say a provisional government should be formed by members of the opposition to organize legislative and presidential elections as soon as possible.     “Feb 7th marks the end of Pres Moise’s term in Haiti. The country is in worse shape than when he began w/ rampant poverty, corruption & gang violence in which the govt is complicit. The US should join in calling for an inclusive transition that represents the Haitian people,” Leahy tweeted.  Feb 7th marks the end of Pres Moise’s term in Haiti. The country is in worse shape than when he began w/ rampant poverty, corruption & gang violence in which the govt is complicit. The US should join in calling for an inclusive transition that represents the Haitian people. https://t.co/SiFCQb3Pag— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) February 6, 2021 “With no evidence to support his claims of a conspiracy against his life, Moïse is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power,” Levy tweeted. With no evidence to support his claims of a conspiracy against his life, Moïse is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power. https://t.co/3AzphfSPaN— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) February 7, 2021 
“Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power,” Meeks tweeted. Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power. The full text of the letter: https://t.co/CDGgmpM45Lpic.twitter.com/pkuriOY5TS— Rep. Gregory Meeks (@RepGregoryMeeks) February 6, 2021  What everyone agrees on   
All political actors seem to agree on the need for elections but not on the specifics.     Moise insists that a referendum must first be held in April to approve a new constitution before holding presidential and legislative elections in September.     The opposition has said it will not participate in any election organized by Moise’s Provisional Electoral Council. It objects to the very creation of the council, which was hand-picked by Moise, with no opposition or civil society involvement.      Sison says all political actors should set their differences aside and focus on what’s best for the people of Haiti.     “Political and economic stability is only going to come when Haiti’s leaders set aside their differences. When they set aside their differences in order to serve the Haitian people. And set aside their differences also to support Haiti’s democratic institutions,” she told VOA.     “So, we share the Haitian people’s concern about insecurity and the health and education sectors and food insecurity. We share their concerns about gang violence,” she added.     US backs ‘inclusive solution’  
 
Sison said the administration is supports an “inclusive solution.”    “People have got to talk to each other. And they’ve got to find peaceful means to resolve their differences,” she told VOA. “Political polarization has affected governance. It has affected the lives of the Haitian people,” she added.    Moise has also stressed the need for unity and the setting aside of differences to resolve the political impasse.     “The battle I’m waging is not for myself, it’s for you,” Moise said in a national address hours after announcing the coup attempt. “I’m not here to lie to you today, I’m here to tell you the truth. … My brothers and sisters in the opposition, don’t let pride, revenge, selfishness keep you from working with me,” he said.   Moise’s government recently signed an agreement with the United Nations to help Haiti finance the organization of elections.    “A sum of 20 million American dollars has been deposited in a ‘basket fund’ by the Haitian government to organize the referendum and general elections. I congratulate the government for its efforts to allow the people to renew their political personnel,” Moise tweeted in French. Un montant de 20 millions de dollars américains vient d’être déposé dans le « basket fund » par l’Etat haitien en vue de l’organisation du référendum et des élections. Je félicite le Gouvernement pour ses efforts visant à permettre au pays de renouveler son personnel politique.— Président Jovenel Moïse (@moisejovenel) February 9, 2021Asked if the United States was also prepared to contribute financial assistance to the Moise government for organizing elections, Sison said “legislative elections must be held as soon as technically feasible so the parliament’s rightful role can be restored.” “Free and fair presidential elections must also be held so that a newly elected president can succeed President Moise at the end of his term,” she said.    Sison added “we ARE committed to the people of Haiti. The people of Haiti are our neighbors. We want to see a more secure and prosperous future for Haiti and for the region. It is a region that we all share.”Jean Robert Philippe contributed to this report.
…

The Italian president swore in the former chief of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, as prime minister on Saturday at the head of a unity government called on to confront the coronavirus crisis and economic slump.All but one of Italy’s major parties have rallied to his side and his cabinet includes lawmakers from across the political spectrum, as well as technocrats in key posts, including the finance ministry and a new green transition portfolio.Much now rests on Draghi’s shoulders.He is tasked with plotting Italy’s recovery from the pandemic and must immediately set to work on plans for how to spend more than 200 billion euros ($240 billion) in European Union funds aimed at rebuilding the recession-bound economy.If he prevails, Draghi will likely bolster the entire eurozone, which has long fretted over Italy’s perennial problems. Success would also prove to Italy’s skeptical northern allies that by offering funds to the poorer south, they will fortify the entire bloc.But he faces enormous challenges. Italy is mired in its worst downturn since World War Two, hundreds of people are still dying of COVID-19 each day, the vaccination campaign is going slowly and he only has limited time to sort things out.Italy is due to return to the polls in two years time, but it is far from certain that Draghi will be able to survive that long at the head of a coalition that includes parties with radically opposing views on issues such as immigration, justice, infrastructure development and welfare.Highlighting Italy’s political instability, Draghi’s government is the 67th to take office since 1946 and the seventh in the last decade alone.CABINET MIXPresident Sergio Mattarella asked him to take over after the previous coalition collapsed amid party infighting. Draghi has spent the past 10 days drawing up his plans and unveiled his 23-strong cabinet on Friday, which included eight women.Eight of the ministries went to technocrats, with the rest split amongst the six main parties that back the government — four for the 5-Star Movement, the largest group in parliament, three each for the Democratic Party, the League and Forza Italia and one apiece for Italia Viva and LEU.As finance minister, Draghi called on an old colleague, Daniele Franco, the deputy governor of the Bank of Italy, while the sensitive job of justice minister was handed to the former head of the constitutional court, Marta Cartabia.He also looked outside the political sphere for two new roles — technological innovation, which was entrusted to the former head of telecoms firm Vodafone, Vittorio Colao, and ecological transition, given to physicist Roberto Cingolani.These twin positions play into demands by the European Union that a sizeable chunk of its recovery fund should be used to promote the digitalisation of the continent and to shift away from a dependence on fossil fuels.Draghi, a reserved figure who has no profile on social media platforms, will unveil his program in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday and the lower house on Thursday.Confidence votes will be held in both chambers and with just the far-right Brothers of Italy outside the cabinet, he looks likely to win the biggest majority in Italian history.However, some members of the 5-Star Movement, which was created in 2009 as an anti-system, anti-euro protest group, have said they might vote against Draghi, threatening a party schism. 
…

The European Union on Saturday called on China to reverse its ban on the BBC World News television channel imposed in apparent retaliation for Britain’s pulling of the license of state-owned Chinese broadcaster CGTN.The EU said in a statement that Beijing’s move further restricted “freedom of expression and access to information inside its borders,” and violated both the Chinese constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The statement also said that Hong Kong’s announcement that its public broadcaster would also stop carrying BBC broadcasts added to the “erosion of the rights and freedoms that is ongoing” in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory since the imposition last year of a sweeping new national security law.”The EU remains strongly committed to safeguarding media freedom and pluralism, as well as protecting the right to freedom of expression online and offline, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information without interference of any kind,” the statement said.BBC Banned from Broadcasting in China Country’s broadcast regulator says network has ‘undermined China’s national interests and ethnic solidarity.’ While Britain is no longer in the EU, it remains a member of the Council of Europe, which oversees a 1989 agreement linking broadcasting licenses. Britain, the U.S. and foreign correspondents based in China have also expressed dismay over the BBC ban.China’s move Thursday was largely symbolic, because BBC World was shown only on cable TV systems in hotels and apartment compounds for foreigners and some other businesses. However, it comes against the backdrop of growing conflict between Beijing and Western governments over a slew of issues ranging from human rights to trade and the COVID-19 pandemic in which Chinese criticisms over foreign media coverage have played a prominent role.China’s National Radio and Television Administration said BBC World News coverage of the country violated requirements that news reporting be true and impartial, reflecting complaints over BBC reports about the government’s initial response to the virus outbreak in China. Other complaints were over allegations of forced labor and sexual abuse in the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang, home to Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups. The EU statement specifically linked the ban to BBC reporting on those topics.It wasn’t clear whether BBC reporters in China would be affected. Last year, Beijing expelled foreign reporters for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times amid disputes with the Trump administration and complaints over media criticism of the ruling Communist Party.Britain’s communications watchdog, Ofcom, revoked the license for CGTN, China’s English-language satellite news channel, on Feb. 4, citing links to the Communist Party, among other reasons.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Ofcom acted on “political grounds based on ideological bias.”Losing its British license was a major blow for CGTN, which is part of a global effort by the party to promote its views and challenge Western media narratives about China, into which it has poured enormous resources. CGTN has a European operations hub in London. 
…

An investment deal agreed to in principle between the European Union and China at the end of last year is facing criticism both in and outside the EU. Analysts point to the expected approval of the deal as evidence of Beijing’s uncanny ability to assess the power game within the EU.“If you look at China’s policy, as far as we can tell, over the last decade, toward Europe, they’re very much about dividing Europe into different sections — Central and Eastern Europe [as one bloc], Germany and France and Britain when Britain was still part of the EU [as another bloc], very much focused on appealing to these countries’ national economic self-interest. You know, it’s worked,” said Didi Kirsten Tatlow in a phone interview. Tatlow is a senior fellow in the Asia Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.Tatlow cited China’s handling of its relationship with Germany as a case in point.FILE PHOTO: China’s President Xi Jinping meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 24, 2018.“They’ve been focusing on Germany for a long time,” she said. “I don’t think China has bottomless pockets, I think it’s very, very good at playing its cards.”Beijing, she said, not only “opened its doors to car and all kind of other German manufacturers,” it has also given Berlin unusual political access. “Let’s remember Germany is the country in Europe that has had these so-called ‘cabinet meetings’ with China for years now,” adding that participation in the meetings as seen as a “high-level honor” by some.In addition to successfully cultivating ties with major powers such as Germany and France, Tatlow said, Beijing has used all the tools at its disposal, including market access, to lure other countries into its orbit. As an example, she cited China’s decision to ink a deal with Slovakia on meat exports shortly before a Beijing-hosted summit with 17 Central and Eastern European countries this week.Even so, uneasiness about getting too close to Beijing has been fermenting among EU member states, Tatlow and others say. Whether that will lead one of the 27 member states to veto the investment agreement with Beijing is still uncertain.”In theory, it only takes one country to veto the deal,” said Jakub Janda, director of the European Values Center for Security Policy, based in Prague.But, he said in a phone interview, the small and medium-sized EU countries may be reluctant to use that power because they need support from Germany and France on other core interests, such as EU agricultural subsidies for Poland, or German backing of the Baltic states in their relationship with Russia.Janda regrets that the EU, under Germany’s leadership, failed to use the negotiations on the investment deal to advance its democratic values and support for human rights, especially since Beijing’s strong desire for a deal gave the EU leverage.The EU insists there are other mechanisms in place to discuss human rights, but Janda believes Beijing will take political concerns seriously only if they are linked to trade — an area that matters to it.“If you only raise the human rights issue through the EU-China human rights dialogue channel, and you tell China what you’re doing in [Xinjiang] is genocide of the Uighur people, the response you’ll get is, ‘No, we’re not.’ And that’s that.”Speaking to an international audience gathered at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington, Charles Michel, president of the EU Council, defended the investment deal.FILE – European Council President Charles Michel is seen on a screen as he speaks with EU leaders during an EU Summit video conference, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the European Council building in Brussels, Nov. 19, 2020.“The relationship with China is an important question in Europe,” he said, suggesting that through dialogue, the EU could help pressure the Chinese government on human rights. He also credited the investment deal with bringing down certain barriers for EU companies doing business in China, including requirements on joint ventures.Still, the EU leadership’s support for the investment deal has come under fire in civil society. The proposed pact “further entrenches Europe’s existing strategic dependency on China and runs counter to Europe’s core values,” says a widely circulated open letter signed by academics, human rights activists and former politicians.Citing the Chinese leadership’s “insistence on the centrality of the Chinese Communist Party in all parts of China’s economic and social life,” the signatories wrote that “the agreement and the hopes attached to it are products of a bygone era” when there were more legitimate hopes for Chinese liberalization from within.
…

U.S. Ambassador in Haiti Michele Sison recently spoke with VOA Creole, in Creole and English. She discussed the alleged Feb. 7 coup attempt, the country’s political impasse and the Biden administration’s foreign policy focus.The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.VOA Creole: Ambassador Sison, Haiti is facing a crisis. The president, the government has just retired three Supreme Court justices. What is your reaction, especially since this happened after the government announced there had been a coup attempt against President Jovenel Moise?Ambassador Michele Sison: Good morning, Jean Robert. Good morning to all the friends of VOA. I want to let you know that the U.S. Embassy in PAP [Port-au-Prince] is following Haiti events closely. Of course, the United States is an ally of Haiti. We work for the Haitian people. We work for political stability. We work for economic stability in Haiti. We concentrate on good governance, protection of human rights and the promotion of economic growth. I also want to confirm once more the essential role of civil society has to play.So, yes, we did see the Arrete [official announcement] published on February 8, the retirement of three Cour de Cassation [Supreme Court] Justices. We are very concerned about any actions that risk undermining democratic institutions in Haiti. Now, experts are examining the official announcement to determine if it conforms to the constitution and Haitian laws.VOA Creole: How can the U.S. help the actors in conflict? I am referring to the government of President Moise and the opposition. Is there a way the United States can intervene to help resolve this crisis?Ambassador Michele Sison: What troubles us is governance by decree, governance by presidential decree that has been going on in Haiti for a period that is not normal and is ongoing. We work with our partners in the international community like the U.N., OAS, the CORE group to make the Haitian government aware of our concern that President Moise is using decrees during this period, during which there is no functioning parliament. According to the democratic laws of Haiti, the only thing that can put an end to governance by decree is organizing free legislative elections. So that Haiti has a parliament that restores its rightful role in a democracy.The people of Haiti should have the right to elect its leader and its representatives and that is the solution to this crisis in my opinion.VOA Creole: Since you mention elections, we know that the opposition will not participate in elections organized by President Moise. They say his term ended on February 7, 2021. And the Provisional Electoral Council he created – they [opposition] say was not created legally. How can the United States support an election with an Electoral Council that the opposition refuses to participate in any election with?Ambassador Michele Sison: President (Joe) Biden and Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken said democracy and human rights have a central place in United States foreign policy. That is clear. We are very concerned about any action that risks undermining democratic institutions in Haiti.VOA Creole: Do you agree that the U.S. has faced a lot of criticism due to the fact that the U.S. and the OAS and U.N. agree that President Jovenel Moises’ term ends February 7, 2022. How do you respond to that criticism? You were also criticized for not commenting when President Moise decided that two-thirds of the parliament’s term had expired.Ambassador Michele Sison: We at the United States Embassy speak to many Haitian citizens. And, naturally, many of them are very concerned, very concerned. They would like to see Haiti move forward. Especially the economy, security. Elections are essential to end the political paralysis that exists in Haiti since a long time. For more than a year. …Haitians should have their say, so they can realize their own vision for their country. We are asking all the actors in Haiti to stay focused on restoring the constitutional order. The Haitian people elected President Jovenel Moise in November 2016. President Moise was sworn in on February 7, 2017, for a five-year term that will end on February 7, 2022. That is the same analysis that the OAS made – the Organization of American States.VOA Creole: So for now, the U.S. is encouraging President Moise to hold elections. You know that the government recently signed an agreement with the U.N. for a $20 million basket fund. Is the U.S. prepared to contribute financially to the organization of elections and a referendum on the constitution?Ambassador Michele Sison: Of course, our position for a year has been that legislative elections should have been held long ago. So legislative elections must be held as soon as it is technically feasible so the parliament’s rightful role can be restored. Free and fair presidential elections must also be held so that a newly elected president can succeed President Moise at the end of his term.VOA Creole: There is a question of security so that the elections can be held. What kind of support can the United States give the national police to guarantee the security of the voters and the candidates who are campaigning for office?Ambassador Michele Sison: For a number of years, we have worked with the National Police of Haiti to reinforce their capacity to protect the citizens. That is to say, during the elections and during the entire year. Guaranteeing the security of the citizens is an essential role. We have worked with experts for over 10 years to reinforce their ability to protect the citizens of Haiti.VOA Creole: What about the deportation of Haitians, which has continued after President Biden was sworn in? ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has deported many people back to Haiti over the last days. Do you know why this decision was made?Ambassador Michele Sison: That’s a question for Department of Homeland Security, ICE. It’s a question for DHS in Washington.VOA Creole: How do you see the relationship between Haiti and the new Biden administration? Has the Moise-(Prime Minister Joseph) Jouthe government contacted you to reinforce bilateral relations?Ambassador Michele Sison: As I said, President Biden and our new secretary of state, Tony Blinken, said clearly that democracy and human rights have a central place in American foreign policy. So the United States is supporting the people of Haiti. We are working for the improvement of Haiti and the region. It’s our region, too.VOA Creole: One last question in Creole. On February 7, the government of Haiti said it uncovered a coup plot to assassinate the president. Arrests were made, 23 people were arrested, among them Supreme Court Justice (Yvickel ) Dabresil. Were you aware of this plot that President Moise announced?Ambassador Michele Sison: The United States is following the situation in Haiti with concern. We urge the political actors to address their differences peacefully. We understand that the national police of Haiti is investigating 23 people who were arrested over the weekend of February 6-7. We understand that Justice Dabresil was released yesterday (February 11). We are awaiting the results of the police investigation — the PNH (Police National d’Haiti) investigation.VOA Creole: There were two editorials in The New York Times and Washington Post about the situation in Haiti. What is your opinion on the measures they say the Biden administration should take to resolve the political crisis in Haiti?Ambassador Michele Sison: Political and economic stability is only going to come when Haiti’s leaders set aside their differences. When they set aside their differences in order to serve the Haitian people. And set aside their differences also to support Haiti’s democratic institutions.So we share the Haitian people’s concern about insecurity and the health and education sectors and food insecurity. We share their concerns about gang violence. So I would say that Haiti’s political actors have got to set aside their differences and tackle these challenges together for the good of the Haitian people.VOA Creole: Do you have a message for the Haitian people and President Moise?Ambassador Michele Sison: Today there is a political impasse and there are challenging security and economic conditions. Haiti is operating without its full three branches of government, following the expiration of the terms of most members of parliament. There has to be an inclusive solution.People have got to talk to each other. And they’ve got to find peaceful means to resolve their differences. Haiti must hold legislative elections to form a fully functioning government that is responsive to meet the needs of the Haitian people and to exit this period of irregular rule by decree. Political polarization has affected governance. It has affected the lives of the Haitian people.I want to add that we continue to call for accountability for human rights abuses and accountability on any allegations or corruption and we reiterate the need for the government of Haiti to investigate and prosecute those who are responsible for the La Saline and Bel Air violence.So let me say that we are committed to the people of Haiti. The people of Haiti are our neighbors. We want to see a more secure and prosperous future for Haiti and for the region. It is a region that we all share.There is a strong U.S. interest in strengthening Haiti’s democratic institutions and supporting the Haitian people in their desire for a more stable, secure and prosperous future.VOA Creole: Is there anything else you would like to mention?Ambassador Michele Sison: I just want to underscore – because there does seem to be some misunderstanding that our Consulate section is closed. It is not closed.We are offering U.S. citizen services, facilitating the issuance of passports, we are facilitating the adoption process for Haitian children who are headed to the United States to join their families. We are also doing priority visa cases, including priority visa cases for medical or humanitarian (cases) and students.But I have to say that the website — our embassy website — does provide a lot of useful information. Because we are doing a very methodical intake in order to protect both our Consulate employees and the clients who come to the Consular section. So they will notice enhanced social distancing and so forth, but the Consulate section is open. It is not closed.VOA Creole: Thank you, Ambassador Sison.Ambassador Michele Sison: Thank you, Jean Robert, for the conversation, and have a good weekend.
…

Canada is easing the requirements for some students from Hong Kong to stay in Canada, a reaction to crackdowns by China in the former British colony.Starting this month, the government will allow work permits to be granted to Hong Kong residents who have graduated from a Canadian university, or a similar school, in the last five years. The permits will last for up to three years. Subsequently, the students can apply to become permanent residents and eventually Canadian citizens.The move is a direct response to the National Security Law in Hong Kong. It follows moves by other countries, such as Britain, which is now allowing those with British National Overseas passports to come and stay there.Graduates who have already returned to Hong Kong can apply, as can those with education credentials from other countries, provided the diploma came from a program of at least two years.Given the current travel restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first applicants are most likely already in Canada.Activists’ arrestVancouver immigration lawyer and policy analyst Richard Kurland said the move had been expected, but the timing appeared to be related to the latest arrests of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.“Well, no surprise,” he said. “This has been on the planning books for a long time in anticipation of events in Hong Kong progressing as they have been progressing. It’s the timing of the announcement, which is key.”FILE – Shoppers walk past a Lunar New Year display at the Aberdeen Centre, which is named after the Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, in Richmond, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2021.A student from Hong Kong, who did not want to be identified for fear of reprisal, is about to graduate from a Canadian university and said she hoped the new regulations would allow her to quickly get a work permit and start her career.She said that for her family, the new regulations were a relief.“I think my family, they are happy about the policy,” she said. “They were pretty worried because of the pandemic, as well as for the future, in Hong Kong. So I guess for my family, that’s a good sign.”Infusion of energyHong Kong native Miu Chung Yan, a professor of social work at the University of British Columbia, has extensively studied the settlement of immigrants and refugees. He is also involved with the Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society, which helps immigrants from Hong Kong settle into Canadian society.He said the new immigration rules would allow an increase of energetic, young, well-trained professionals for the Canadian labor market. He also said he thought the rules would revitalize the Hong Kong and Asian communities in Canada.“So now if we can have a new group of [the] younger generation to come and join, I think that will … energize the community and also push up the economy a little bit, the so-called ethnic economy,” he said. “So I think those are good things.”FILE – Maria Law, who emigrated from Hong Kong with her family, views the skyline with her daughters from Jericho Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 26, 2021.The government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said it would create two more plans for Hong Kong residents to become permanent residents.Kurland, the immigration lawyer, said he found it surprising that the Canadian government was not revealing all the plans at once. He said the delay appeared to be tied to actions the Chinese government is taking incrementally in Hong Kong.“Rather than release the plan in its entirety, the government of Canada is engaging in a kind of communication striptease exercise,” he said. “Every time there’s a negative headline from Hong Kong affecting potential migration to Canada from either Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, or people living in Hong Kong, the communications response is to reveal one more page of Canada’s plan to absorb hundreds of thousands of people from Hong Kong to Canada.”Work, education experienceOne plan will apply to individuals who have at least one year of work experience in Canada and who speak either English or French and meet educational standards. The second program will allow those who have graduated from postsecondary schools, like a university or technical college, to directly apply to become permanent residents of Canada.It is not known when further details will be announced or when they will take effect.The government estimates there are more than 300,000 Canadian citizens living in Hong Kong. This makes it one of the largest communities of Canadians outside the country.  
…

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday he approves of U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to stop new construction of the border wall between the two countries.One of Biden’s first executive orders was to halt work on the wall, which had been one of former President Donald Trump’s first campaign promises. During his 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly insisted that Mexico would pay for it, though he later sought funding from the U.S. Congress for the project.Construction crews work on a new section of the US-Mexico border fencing at El Nido de las Aguilas, eastern Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico on Jan. 20, 2021.At his regular news briefing Friday, Mexico’s president told reporters he supports Biden’s decision, saying in the past, U.S. presidents from both parties had worked on the border wall.“Almost everyone has made their sections of the wall and now President Biden has decided that he is no longer going to build a wall on the border. So, it is historic,” said Obrador.He also urged U.S.-bound migrants to hold back from seeking to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border, now that a new U.S. administration is in place.The Biden administration also announced Friday that starting next week, the U.S. government will begin to process asylum-seekers forced to wait in Mexico under a controversial program put in place by Trump.Department of Homeland Security officials said beginning February 19, U.S. immigration officials will put in place phase one of a program to begin processing people who were placed in the “remain in Mexico” — also known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program — which forced tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to await U.S. immigration court dates on the Mexican side of the border.There are approximately 25,000 migrants with active MPP cases. 
…

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday all hypotheses regarding the origins of COVID-19 remain open, following his discussions with investigative team members about the findings during their visit to China.
 
The WHO-led international team this week completed a visit to China where they investigated the origins of COVID-19, including a visit to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where some have speculated the virus could have originated.
 
At a news conference before departing China, WHO scientist Peter Ben Embarek told reporters their initial findings led them to believe it was highly unlikely the virus originated in a lab.FILE – Peter Daszak and Thea Fischer, members of the World Health Organization team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease, sit in a car at Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, Feb. 2, 2021.But at the agency’s regular briefing in Geneva, Tedros indicated nothing is off the table.  
 
“Having spoken with some members of the team, I wish to confirm that all hypotheses remain open and require further analysis and studies,” he said.
 
Tedros also cautioned, as he had in prior briefings, that the mission would not find all the answers, but he said it has added important information that takes us closer to understanding the origins of the virus. Tedros said the mission achieved a better understanding of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and identified areas for further analysis and research.
 
He said he expects a summary of the report to be finished in the next week and when it is published, he will discuss the findings.
 
Meanwhile, Tedros said the number of reported COVID-19 globally fell for the fourth consecutive week, and that the number of deaths also fell for the second consecutive week.
 
He credited the declines to stringent public health measures being implemented. Tedros urged nations not to let their guard down and relax those measures just yet.
…

The Istanbul head of the opposition Republican People’s Party, Canan Kaftancioglu, is credited with masterminding the 2019 victory over the ruling party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the city’s mayoral elections. The stunning defeat of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party has now led Kaftancioglu to set her sights on ousting Erdogan, if she can avoid jail – as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul.
…

European Union leaders Friday signed an $814-billion package of grants and low-interest loans intended to help the bloc’s member nations recover from the record recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The package is the central component of a $908-billion recovery plan approved by the EU last year. Member nations must ratify the plan to allow the European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – to borrow funds on the market.
 
At a news conference in Brussels, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged EU nations to move quickly, because the commission will go to the market, raise the funds and disburse them as soon as possible. She expected the first of the recovery money by about the middle of the year.  
 
The 27-member governments have until the end of April to submit detailed plans on how they will spend the money. Under EU guidelines, the plans must dedicate at least 37 percent of their budgets to addressing climate change and at least 20 percent to “digital transformation” – updating their nation’s technology infrastructure. The funding will be available for three years.
 
The commission says that so far, 19 EU countries have submitted draft plans, while seven other countries have plans underway.
 
Von der Leyen also told reporters the European Commission hopes to see 70 percent of the EU population vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of summer – September 21.
…

Russia says it needs to be ready to respond if the European Union imposes harsh sanctions on the country over the arrest and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
 
Speaking to reporters Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow should be prepared to replace any of its vital infrastructure with necessary elements to counter the difficulties that Russia would face if faced with foreign sanctions.
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with a YouTube channel (Soloviev Live, February 12, 2021) earlier Friday that Moscow is ready to sever ties with the European Union if the 27-member bloc imposes harsh economic sanctions on Russia.
 
Lavrov said that his country would take countermeasures if “we again see sanctions imposed in some sectors that create risks for our economy, including in the most sensitive spheres,” adding that Russians “don’t want to isolate ourselves from global life, but we have to be ready for that. If you want peace, then prepare for war.”
 
Likely sanctions would be travel bans and asset freezes on associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which after France and Germany indicated they were willing to take measures on Russia, could be imposed as soon as this month.
 
Pressure for sanctions has intensified after Moscow expelled German, Polish and Swedish diplomats last week without informing the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who was in Moscow for a visit.
 
Navalny, 44, appeared again in court Friday for allegedly making a derogatory statement about a World War II veteran last year.
 
The hearing came after the court ordered Navalny last month to serve 2 1/2 years in prison for allegedly violating a suspended sentence while recovering from a poisoning in Germany.
 
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Navalny’s wife, Yulia, has fled Russia for Germany.
 
The Russian news agency Interfax and German daily Der Spiegel each reported her departure, quoting unnamed sources.
 
Speaking to the state-run TASS news agency, lawyers for the Navalnys could not confirm her departure and said they had no information about it.
…

Supreme Court Justice Yvickel Dabresil was released from detention Thursday, a day after a civilian court in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Croix des Bouquets ordered his release.  Lawyer Wilner Morin, president of the National Association of Haitian Judges (ANAMAH), told VOA that there were no conditions imposed on the justice’s release, and that Dabresil was back home with his family.  Dabresil was arrested early Sunday during a sting operation regarding an alleged coup attempt that was launched by the national police in conjunction with the National Intelligence Agency.  VOA Creole reporter Renan Toussaint said 20 others who were arrested with the judge are still in police custody.  Demonstrators march to protest the government of President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Feb. 10, 2021.A lawyer for those being detained told VOA he is working to get them released as well. The alleged coup plot is laid out in a video produced by the Haitian National Intelligence Service and distributed to the press. It begins with mobile phone footage of Dabresil shortly after his arrest. The images led some lawyers who know the judge and examined the video to question the legality of the operation.  On Tuesday, Dabresil was transferred out of the National Police Force Investigations Unit facility (DCPJ — Direction Centrale Police Judiciare — the Haitian equivalent of the FBI) to a facility in Croix-des-Bouquets, located 13 kilometers northeast of Port-au-Prince. A VOA Creole reporter said the judge was transferred without being arraigned.  According to a human rights activist who visited Dabresil in detention, the justice refused to respond to DCPJ questions. Because Dabresil is an officer of the highest court of law in the nation, his legal authority supersedes that of the lower court judges, according to Haiti’s constitution.  Lawyer Samuel Madistin questioned the legality of Dabresil’s arrest.  “I think the arrest was completely illegal,” Madistin said in an interview with a Haitian radio station, saying that legal procedures were not followed. According to Madistin, the justice of the peace — who is required to be on the premises before an arrest warrant is served — was absent.  FILE – A man throws a tear gas canister back at the police during a protest against Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Feb. 10, 2021.But in an exclusive interview with VOA Creole on Tuesday, President Jovenel Moise defended the operation that led to the arrests.  “The chief of the tribunal of Port-au-Prince was asked by a journalist who has jurisdiction over crimes against the state. He responded if you pull off a coup d’etat, you are a hero. If you don’t, we will judge you as a criminal in a court of law with a jury,” Moise said.  The U.S. State Department and United Nations have expressed concern about the recent developments in Haiti.  “We understand the Haitian National Police is investigating 23 individuals who were arrested over the weekend. The situation remains murky, and we await the results of the police investigation,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA. 
 
…

China’s broadcasting regulator says it has taken the BBC World News off the air for what it called “serious content violations.”
 
The decision comes one week after Britain’s broadcasting regulator, the Office of Communications, revoked the license of the state-owned China Global Television Network.  The office said the Chinese Communist Party oversees the network’s editorial policy, a violation of a British law forbidding political bodies from controlling broadcast license holders
 
On Thursday, the Chinese National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA)  said the BBC “was found to have seriously violated regulations on radio and television management” in its China-related reports, and “undermined China’s national interests and ethnic solidarity.”
 
From her Twitter feed, Australia-based BBC World News Presenter Yalda Hakim said that according to NRTA, the BBC was responsible for a “slew of falsified reporting” on issues including the treatment of the Uighur ethnic minority in the western Xinjiang region and China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In a statement posted on Twitter, the BBC said it is “disappointed” by China’s actions.
  
…

A storied Russian liberal politician has sparked an outbreak of infighting among the country’s opposition groups after mounting a scathing attack on Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny, arguing the path he would take the country down wouldn’t lead to a life free of repression.
 
“Everyone must decide whether to support Navalny or not,” Grigory Yavlinsky wrote this week. “But you need to understand. A democratic Russia, respect for people, and a life without fear and repression are incompatible with Navalny’s policies,” he added.
 
Yavlinsky, who ran twice for the Russia’s presidency, in 1996 against Boris Yeltsin and in 2000 against Vladimir Putin, founded the Yabloko party, which favors free-market economics and social liberalism. He’s been critical of Navalny in the past and this week repeated his accusation that Navalny, Russia’s most high-profile opposition politician, is xenophobic and an authoritarian nationalist.
 
The attack by Yavlinsky has split the party he founded and triggered broader opposition infighting. It comes amid signs the recent protests against the Kremlin, and demands for Navalny to be freed from jail, are not resonating with most Russians, and that the paramilitary style crackdown on the dissenters is deterring others from considering protesting or enlisting in any future political action.
 
A poll conducted by the independent Levada Center carried out between January 29 and February 2 suggests there is little public appetite for agitation. Navalny survived a near-fatal poisoning, which he blames on the Kremlin and was arrested last month in Moscow on his return following life-saving treatment in Germany.  
 
In the past two weeks, pro-Navalny supporters were on the streets in more than a hundred cities across Russia’s 11 time zones, with the largest protests mounted in the Russian capital and St. Petersburg. More than 11,000 people have been arrested at rallies opposing the jailing of Navalny, who started out as a blogger and became known as an anti-corruption campaigner.FILE – Liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky participates in a march in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, in central Moscow, Russia, Feb. 24, 2019.The poll found that just 15% of Russians would be prepared to participate in future pro-Navalny protests, four percent less than the pollster found in November 2020. The percentage rose to 17% when asked if they would join rallies to protest economic conditions. Those figures represent Russians’ lowest willingness to protest since March 2018, according to the pollster.
 
The pollster also found that only 22% viewed the recent political protests positively. Younger respondents, who tend to get their news from the Internet and non-government media sources, viewed the protests slightly more favorably than older Russians, who generally receive their news and views from government-owned or controlled channels.  
 
Government-sponsored channels have mounted unrelenting scorching attacks on Navalny and his allies, accusing them of being agents of foreign powers.
 
Among all respondents, two out of five said they view the protesters negatively. Another 37% expressed indifference to the political protests. Nonetheless, Russians do expect more political agitation in the future with 45% of people expecting more trouble, a jump from 23% last November, the highest it has been since 1998.
 
The poll findings are dismaying for Navalny supporters, who are in the process of taking stock and reorganizing to adjust for the high number of dedicated activists currently in detention. Navalny’s team last week said it intends to shift tactics and mount neighborhood flash mobs this Sunday instead of urging large numbers of supporters to take to the streets, risking more detentions and giving the security services an easy target to hit.  
 
Neighborhood flash mobs is a tactic pro-democracy activists have been using in recent weeks in neighboring Belarus.  
 
Navalny’s key aides are urging Russians to gather near their homes on February 14, Valentine’s Day, to shine torches and light candles in heart shapes. Navalny made multiple heart gestures to his wife Yulia in the courtroom where he was sentenced to two years and eight months on February 2.FILE – A still image taken from video footage shows Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny making a hand gesture forming a heart during the announcement of his court verdict in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 2, 2021.He was convicted of violating the terms of his parole from a 2014 sentence for fraud in a case his supporters, international rights groups and Western governments say is spurious and politically motivated.  
 
Opposition infighting is par for the course. President Vladimir Putin’s foes are drawn from across the political spectrum, from right-wing ultra-nationalists to old-school Communists, and with a variety of liberal groups in the middle. In 2016, an effort to stitch together a broad alliance of opposition groups, called the Democratic Coalition, was short-lived.  
 
It fell apart when the leaders, who were meant to be working together to try to gain political influence, resumed their competition and tried to elbow each other out of the way.  
 
The Kremlin gave it the coup de grace when it leaked to the government-sponsored NTV channel a video of former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, a key liberal opposition politician, and one of the founders of the Democratic Coalition, in which he was heard disparaging his political partners.  
 
Different coalition configurations were tried before and have been since, too, but keeping opposition groups marching, agitating and campaigning as one also has always been difficult and temporary. Yavlinsky’s public criticism of Navalny this week has exposed once again the splits and political animosities.
 
Navalny’s allies have urged Yabloko to expel Yavlinsky, and opposition social media forums have seen acrimonious exchanges, raising the prospect that opposition groups once again will end up squabbling and taking off in disparate directions in the run-up campaign to parliamentary elections in September.  
 
Navalny was himself a member of Yabloko, but he was expelled in 2007 over what other members saw as unacceptable “nationalist” views. In the past, the Kremlin critic has participated in ultranationalist rallies and has been critical of migrants, using language his critics say make him unsuitable to be the figurehead of the opposition to Putin.  
 
Navalny denies he is a xenophobe, and says he was expelled from Yabloko because he made little secret he wanted to replace Yavlinsky.
 
But some Yabloko leaders are infuriated with Yavlinsky’s attack, which they say is ill-timed and will put off voters. Other opposition figures say Yavlinsky shouldn’t criticize someone now in jail as a political prisoner and unable to defend himself.
 
Last week, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled former oil tycoon who emerged as a prominent critic of Putin after a 10-year spell in a Russian jail, said he disagrees with Navalny on some issues, “But when a person becomes a political prisoner he must be supported.” 
…

The suspension of the license of Hungary’s last independent news radio station has drawn international condemnation, with the European Union and media watchdogs calling the move a further attack on democracy in the EU member state. “We have expressed our concerns about media freedom and pluralism” in Hungary, which is already under investigation for flouting the rule of law, European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said on February 10, a day after Klubradio lost an appeal to keep its license. The case of the radio station “only aggravates these concerns,” Wigand added. Klubradio broadcasts mainly in Budapest. Its news and talk content is often critical of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government. Employees of the opposition radio-station Klubradio work at its headquarters in Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 9, 2021.In September 2020, Hungary’s National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) refused to extend Klubradio’s seven-year operating license, which expires on February 14, saying the station “repeatedly infringed” on the compulsory registration law by twice submitting documents late. Such violations usually incur fines and the NMHH’s announcement raised new concerns about political pressure from the government on the media in Hungary. “Another silenced voice in Hungary. Another sad day for media freedom,” Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic tweeted.Today’s ruling of the Budapest Court seals the fate of Andras Arato, president of Klubradio, listens as Judge Regina Antal delivers the verdict on the fate of the broadcaster whose license was not automatically renewed by the media authority last year in Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 9, 2021.Calling the court decision “shameful and cowardly,” Klubradio President Andras Arato said the radio station now plans to appeal the ruling to Hungary’s Supreme Court. The EU’s Wigand told a news briefing on February 10 that the European Commission was “in contact with the Hungarian authorities to ensure that Klubradio can continue to operate legally,” adding that it was checking whether the decision complied with EU law and would “not hesitate to take action if possible and necessary.” In a statement, Pavol Szalai, the head of RSF’s European Union and Balkans desk, called on the European Commission to “delay no more in investigating [NMHH’s] independence under the revised European directive on broadcast media, and in investigating the other curbs on press freedom, such as state aid to pro-government media.” Hungary is under EU investigation for undermining the independence of the judiciary, media, and nongovernmental organizations, and risks losing access to tens of billions of euros in funds from the bloc. The EU member state is ranked 89th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2020 World Press Freedom Index. Only Bulgaria, at 111th, is ranked lower among the EU’s 27 member states.   
…

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) European office announced Thursday it will partner with the European Union to deploy COVID-19 vaccines in six eastern European nations.Speaking at his headquarters in Copenhagan, WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge said the nearly $50 million program will target Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.Kluge said the program is intended to ensure equitable access to vaccines throughout Europe. “Vaccines offer a way to emerge faster from this pandemic, but only if we ensure that all countries, irrespective of income level, have access to them,” he said.UK COVID Variant Will Likely ‘Sweep the World,’ British Scientist WarnsScientists will probably be tracking global spread of mutations for at least next decade, Sharon Peacock of COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium saysKluge said the program will focus on vaccine readiness, information campaigns, supplies and training of health workers in the countries. It will complement existing EU sharing programs and the WHO-supported vaccine cooperative COVAX facility designed to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines throughout the world.Kluge also noted, with cautious optimism, that overall case incidences of COVID-19 in the 53-country WHO Europe region has declined for four straight weeks and said COVID-19-related deaths have fallen in each of the last two weeks. He said hospitalization rates have also declined.But he cautioned that the decline in cases conceals increasing numbers of outbreaks and community spread involving COVID-19 variants of concern, “meaning that we need to watch overall trends in transmission carefully and avoid rash decisions.”Kluge said the vaccination news in Europe is also mixed. He noted in the region, the total number of vaccination doses given has surpassed the number of reported COVID-19 cases — with some 41 million doses administered compared to 36 million reported cases.But he said, in 29 out of the 37 countries currently vaccinating in the European region today, 7.8 million people have completed their immunization series. That is equivalent to only 1.5% of the population of those 29 countries.”
…

The head of the Civilian Tribunal of Croix-des-Bouquets has ordered the release of Supreme Court Justice Yvickel Dabresil.  The justice was one of 23 people arrested early Sunday in connection with an alleged coup attempt. A video produced by the Haitian National Intelligence Service and distributed to the press begins with mobile phone footage of Dabresil shortly after his arrest.WATCH: Haiti protestsSorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
Johnny Fils Aime a reporter for Radio Kajou in Port-au-Prince was treated for two broken bones in his leg after an encounter with police while covering an anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 9, 2021. (VOA/ Matiado Vilme)According to a human rights activist who visited Dabresil in detention, the justice refused to respond to DCPJ questions. Because Dabresil is an officer of the highest court of law in the nation, his legal authority supercedes that of the lower court judges, according to Haiti’s constitution.    Judge Samuel Madistin questioned the legality of Dabresil’s arrest.  “I think the arrest was completely illegal,” Madistin said in an interview with a Haitian radio station, citing the fact that legal procedures were not followed. According to Madistin, the justice of the peace who is required to be on the premises before an arrest warrant is served was absent.  But in an exclusive interview with VOA Creole on Tuesday, President Jovenel Moise defended the operation that led to the arrests.VOA Creole reporter Florence Lisene filed a complaint against National Police officers who attacked journalists covering a peaceful anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince.”The chief of the tribunal of Port-au-Prince was asked by a journalist who has jurisdiction over crimes against the state. He responded if you pull off a coup d’etat, you are a hero. If you don’t, we will judge you as a criminal in a court of law with a jury,” Moise said.  Pressed on the questionable circumstances of the arrest, Moise pushed back.    “A plot against the state isn’t something that happens in a day, to invade the (national) palace, you would need a thousand people. This coup was planned. A national palace security officer was contacted by the plotters — a foreigner contacted him to plan a coup d’etat and it was so well planned that they even had an arrest warrant with the president’s name on it. We must be able to speak frankly about these things,” Moise said.WATCH: Haitian police fire tear gas on journalists Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File352p | 4 MB352p | 6 MB352p | 7 MBOriginal | 6 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioThe U.S. State Department and United Nations have expressed concern about the recent developments in Haiti.    “We understand the Haitian National Police is investigating 23 individuals who were arrested over the weekend. The situation remains murky, and we await the results of the police investigation,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA.  Jacquelin Belizaire, Renan Toussaint in Port-au-Prince, Haiti contributed to this report.
…

Journalists covering a peaceful protest against President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince were attacked by members of Haiti’s national police force with tear gas Wednesday.According to reporters, police first fired tear gas to disperse a large crowd of protesters who were marching through the streets of the capital chanting, “Jovenel’s term is over. Down with dictatorship!”After breaking up the protest, police turned on reporters, firing tear gas and spraying an unknown substance in their faces. At one point, a police unit fired tear gas into a pickup truck belonging to Radio-TV Pacific transporting at least 10 people, overwhelming it with smoke.VOA Creole reporter Matiado Vilme said members of the media had their press badges visible to law enforcement. Some wore bulletproof vests with the words “Press” printed on the front and back. When Vilme took cover behind a nearby pole, she said, she was followed by a police officer who fired a tear gas cannister at her feet.Shaken and furious, the group of journalists with cameras, microphones, mobile phones and various other reporting equipment held high, walked to the Bureau for the Western Department (Bureau Departmental de l’Ouest) to file a complaint against the police.”We spoke to the DDO (Directeur du Departement de l’Ouest, Paul Menard). We explained the situation and gave him examples of journalists who had been victimized by the police,” said Florence Lisene, a VOA Creole stringer who was one of three journalists who filed the complaint.”The only guarantee he gave us was that he was going to bring this complaint to the police chief to be examined and investigated. He also said they would investigate the police backup who committed these actions to determine what disciplinary measures are warranted,” Lisene said.VOA Creole tried to contact Menard for comment but was unsuccessful.A U.S. State Department spokesperson told VOA: “The United States has seen reports of police injuring journalists as they attempted to disperse recent demonstrations. We call on Haitian authorities to respect the freedoms of expression and association and the right to peaceful assembly, and we call on the Haitian National Police Inspector General to conduct a thorough investigation of these incidents.”The Haitian Online Media Association (ANMH) issued a statement denouncing the attack.”ANMH vehemently condemns the barbaric acts committed by the police, of which journalists were victims over the past days,” the organization said.The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) issued a statement Feb. 9 expressing concern about the police shooting Feb. 8 of two journalists as they covered a protest in the Champ de Mars neighborhood, calling for Moise’s resignation.”Haitian authorities should thoroughly investigate the shootings of journalists Alvarez Destiné and Méus Jeanril, identify those responsible and hold them to account,” CPJ said.One of the wounded reporters has undergone two operations for the injuries he suffered at the hands of police.Haiti Secretary of State for Communications Eddy Jackson Alexis commented on Twitter: “I was stunned to learn that journalist @CheryHaiti was injured today during a protest in the capital. I invite @pnh_officiel to be more careful in its interventions and invite journalists to exercise caution while working.”J’ai appris avec émoi que le journaliste @CheryHaiti a été victime lors d’une manifestation ce jour dans la capitale. J’invite la @pnh_officiel à plus de prévoyance dans ses interventions tout invitant les journalistes à plus de prudence dans ce métier.— Eddy Jackson Alexis (@Eddyjalexis) February 10, 2021A United Nations report published in September 2020 said the uptick in violence against journalists covering protests was cause for concern. Among its recommendations for protecting media workers was “strengthening training for police and law enforcement on freedom of expression, and appropriate behavior in dealing with the media.”
…

The European Union Commission’s president defended the bloc’s coronavirus vaccination strategy Wednesday amid growing criticism of delays in procurement and delivery. As Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the bloc is facing crises on multiple fronts.
Camera: Henry Ridgwell   
 
…

The Russian government has levied a fine against the U.S. government-sponsored media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for violating the country’s “foreign agent” law. The $150,000 fine was assessed by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media regulatory body.  Russia first designated RFE/RL, a sister organization of the Voice of America (VOA), a foreign agent in 2017, a step some say made its work in Russia more difficult. According to the Reuters news agency, Russia has fined the outlet several times in recent weeks. The foreign agent law gives a wide berth for the Russian government to erect bureaucratic hurdles to any nongovernmental group that receives foreign funding, Reuters reported. RFE/RL says it plans to appeal the latest fine. “We have court hearings about three times a week, and we get fined at each one,” Andrei Shary, head of RFE/RL’s Russian Service, said in an interview with the RIA news agency. “The company considers this to be unfair. Every court decision will be appealed.”
“The Kremlin’s latest move is clearly intended to limit USAGM’s ability to operate and report independently and objectively within Russia. It is unacceptable,” USAGM acting CEO Kelu Chao told VOA.  FILE – Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, attends a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 23, 2019.Congressman Michael McCaul expressed support for RFE/RL. “We’re seeing the Putin regime cracking down on free speech and on the ability of Radio Free Europe and Voice of America to operate out there in Moscow,” he told VOA’s Russian Service. “I think you’re going to see a very strong movement by the United States Congress, but I would urge that the [U.S.] president talk directly to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin about this with condemnation about the ability to have free speech in his own country and to get the truth out. And that’s what Voice of America and Radio Free Europe do,” he added.VOA Russian Service’s Danila Galperovich contributed to this report.
 
…

U.S. Coast Guard officials said Wednesday a coast guard helicopter crew rescued two men and a woman from a deserted island where they had apparently been stranded for more than a month.In a statement, the Coast Guard said the three people — later identified as Cuban nationals — were initially spotted Monday by a Coast Guard helicopter as it flew over an uninhabited Bahamian island between the U.S. city of Key West, Florida, and Cuba, while on a routine patrol.The helicopter crew said the stranded trio was seen waving. The crew dropped food, water, and a radio to establish communication.The statement says the Coast Guard dispatched a second helicopter Tuesday to retrieve them. They told officials their boat had capsized in rough waters and they were able to swim to the island. Local media reported they said they had survived on coconuts, conchs and rats.On Twitter, Coast Guard officials said a U.S. Border Patrol agent took custody of the three Cuban nationals Wednesday and turned them over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Local news reports say they were taken to the U.S. for a medical checkup.
 
…

Lithuania has rejected orders issued Wednesday from a Moscow court calling for the arrest of Leonid Volkov, an exiled ally of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. The court orders, sent via Interpol, charge Volkov with encouraging minors to participate in unauthorized rallies, which potentially carries jail term of up to three years in Russia.“Using international tools for politically motivated prosecution is a wrong practice,” said Lithuanian interior minister Agne Bilotaite, referring to Interpol, the government-funded international police network that coordinates cross-border police operations across 194 member states.Putin, Kremlin Critic Navalny Set Battle Plans for Next Phase in Struggle for MasteryRussian opposition leaders expect Kremlin crackdown to intensify but are preparing for a long-haul stand-off with Putin The Volkov warrant “raises serious doubts about Russia‘s membership in these organizations,” Bilotaite added.The Russian court, which said Volkov will be held in Russia for two months if and when he is extradited, said the warrant was issued under the Commonwealth of Independent States, an organization of former Soviet republics to which Lithuania does not belong.The arrest warrant comes after the rise of demonstrations demanding the release of Russian opposition leader Navalny, who has been jailed since January 17.In a separate development on Wednesday, Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, who was recently detained for taking part in unsanctioned rallies in support of her jailed husband, left Russia for Germany according to a source quoted by Interfax.Volkov, a strategist who manages Navalny’s regional headquarters, fled Russia in 2019 when authorities opened a criminal probe of suspected money laundering by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Navalny’s group has repeatedly called that criminal probe, among the latest of many, politically motivated.From his base in Lithuania, Volkov has been organizing protests demanding the release of Navalny, with the most recent one being planned for this Sunday.
…

European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen Wednesday acknowledged Europe was late approving and rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, saying they were overconfident vaccines could be delivered on time.
Speaking to the European Parliament, Von der Leyen, however, defended the decision to have the commission – the European Union’s executive branch – oversee vaccine orders and for all 27 EU members to roll out vaccines at the same time, saying had the bloc’s biggest states acted unilaterally, “it would have been the end of our community.”
She also defended not cutting corners on safety when it came to approval of vaccines and waiting for an additional three or four weeks for approval from the EU drug regulator, the European Medicines Agency. But Von der Leyen also said there were lessons to be learned from the process.
Von der Leyen said while they were focused primarily on the quick development of a vaccine, the EU underestimated the difficulties in producing high volumes quickly. She said, “In some ways, science overtook industry.”
She said they now fully understand the difficulties of mass production and have invested billions in improving capacity. She urged member states to plan their rollouts accordingly.
The European Commission chief also expressed regret about an initial plan to restrict exports to British-ruled Northern Ireland, which would have set up a hard border between it and EU member Republic of Ireland, reigniting tensions in that region.
She said, “Mistakes were made in the process leading up to the decision and I deeply regret that. But in the end, we got it right. And I can reassure you that my commission will do its utmost to protect the peace of Northern Ireland.
…