Selasa, 15 Februari 2022

Ukraine crisis: Biden and Johnson say still hope for diplomatic agreement - BBC News

Ukrainian soldiers and civilians inspect weapons during a defence drill
Future Publishing

The US and UK leaders have said not all hope is lost for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis but warned the situation remained fragile.

In a 40-minute call, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson agreed a deal was still possible despite a chorus of warnings of imminent Russian military action.

Russia has always denied plans to invade Ukraine, despite massing more than 100,000 troops on the border.

On Monday its foreign minister said diplomacy was "far from exhausted".

As part of diplomatic efforts to ward off a possible invasion, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz is to meet Russia's President Vladimir Putin later on Tuesday.

After being criticised for a slow initial response, Mr Scholz met the Ukrainian president in Kyiv on Monday, saying there was "no reasonable justification" for the Russian military build-up.

More than a dozen nations have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine, and the US has said aerial bombardments could begin "at any time".

But in their conversation, Mr Biden and Mr Johnson said there remained a "crucial window" for diplomacy and for Russia to step back from its threats towards Ukraine, according to a Downing Street statement.

"The leaders emphasised that any further incursion into Ukraine would result in a protracted crisis for Russia, with far-reaching damage for both Russia and the world," the statement added.

Mr Johnson reportedly said that the UK was prepared to do everything it could to help, to which Mr Biden responded: "We're not going anywhere without you pal."

Mr Johnson is expected to hold a Cobra meeting on Tuesday to discuss the UK's response to the pressures.

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In a defiant speech to the nation on Monday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky declared 16 February - a date cited by US officials as a possible day on which Russia could attack - a "day of unity", and praised the strength of the Ukrainian military.

"We have something to respond with. We have a great army... this is an army many times stronger than eight years ago."

But he said he wanted to resolve all issues through negotiations and diplomacy.

The Ukrainian president ended his speech on an optimistic note: "Now you may think it's darkness all around. But tomorrow the sun will rise again over our peaceful sky."

In other developments:

  • The US is urging all Americans in Belarus and the Russian-backed Moldovan breakaway region of Trans-Dniester to leave immediately, citing unusual and concerning Russian military activity around Ukraine
  • The Pentagon said Russia was increasing military deployments near the Ukraine border and that President Vladimir Putin had many options available if he wanted to use military force
  • The US embassy in Kyiv is being completely evacuated and relocated to the western city of Lviv
  • The Russian defence minister told Mr Putin that some of the country's military drills near Ukraine's border had already ended and others were coming to a close
  • Russia's envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, said Russia would respond if its citizens started being killed, including in Ukraine's rebel Donbass region. Russia has granted citizenship to more than 700,000 people in Donbas
  • And asked whether there was a chance for agreement with the West, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the "possibilities are far from being exhausted, they certainly should not continue indefinitely, but I would suggest continuing and ramping them up".

Mr Lavrov's comments, made in a meeting with Mr Putin, are being seen as a clear concession that talks could ease the tensions. But analysts say that without either side moving over the thorny issue of Ukraine potentially joining Nato, there is still deadlock.

The Kremlin says it cannot accept that Ukraine - a former Soviet republic with deep social and cultural ties with Russia - could one day join Nato, and has demanded that this be ruled out. Nato's members have rejected this request.

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2022-02-15 07:24:19Z
1260207353

Senin, 14 Februari 2022

Trudeau vows to freeze anti-mandate protesters' bank accounts - BBC News

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act to crack down on anti-vaccine mandate protests.

Mr Trudeau said the scope of the measures would be "time-limited", "reasonable and proportionate" and would see the military deployed.

Without a court order, banks will be able freeze personal accounts of anyone linked with the protests.

Mr Trudeau faces widespread criticism for his handling of the protests.

What began as a protest against a new rule that all truckers must be vaccinated to cross the US-Canada border, or quarantine upon return, has grown into a broader challenge to all Covid health restrictions.

"This is about keeping Canadians safe, protecting people's jobs," he told a news conference on Monday.

Mr Trudeau said the police would be given "more tools" to imprison or fine protesters and protect critical infrastructure.

He told reporters the legislation would be applied temporarily and in a highly specific manner.

Critics have accused Mr Trudeau of hypocrisy given that he voiced his support for farmers in India who blocked major highways to New Delhi for a year in 2021, saying at the time: "Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest."

Mr Trudeau's invoking of the Emergencies Act comes as demonstrations across Canada enter their third week.

On Sunday, law enforcement cleared anti-mandate protesters at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor - a critical pathway for Canada-US trade - after a week-long stalemate.

Hundreds of protesters remain in Canada's capital city.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at Monday's news conference that banks would be able freeze personal accounts of anyone linked with the protests without any need for a court order.

Vehicle insurance of anyone involved with the demonstrations can also be suspended, she added.

She said they were broadening Canada's "Terrorist Financing" rules to cover cryptocurrencies and crowdfunding platforms, as part of the effort to end the protests.

Police officers walk away from demonstrators during a protest by truck drivers over pandemic health rules and the Trudeau government, outside the parliament of Canada in Ottawa on February 11, 2022
Getty Images

"It's all about following the money," she said.

The Emergencies Act, passed in 1988, demands a high legal bar to be invoked. It may only be used in an "urgent and critical situation" that "seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians". Lawful protests do not qualify.

Speaking on Monday, Canada's Justice Minister David Lametti said the government believes these conditions have been met.

He argued that the "crisis" is national in scope and exceeds the power of existing laws and Canada's provinces to respond.

But Carlton University International Affairs Professor Leah West said she was sceptical the protests had risen to the level of national threat.

"I have serious doubts that this definition is met," she tweeted.

"Can it truly be said the security of Canada is threatened by largely non-violent protests? Certainly, our sovereignty and territorial integrity are not at risk."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a Conservative, said he supported the federal government.

But the premiers of Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan said the emergency powers were not needed in their regions.

Before Mr Trudeau's announcement, Quebec Premier Francois Legault said invoking the Emergencies Act would "not help the social climate".

"We really don't need to throw oil on the fire," he added.

Asked about Mr Legault's comments later on Monday, Mr Trudeau said only that his "focus was on Canadians". 

To invoke the law, Mr Trudeau must consult with the premiers of all affected provinces, before putting the move before Parliament. If the act does not pass a vote there, the proclamation will be revoked.

Opposition Conservatives in Parliament denounced the move. Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner said that "to date, Trudeau has been virtually unresponsive on illegal blockades".

"His 'last resort' is actually his first foray. He needs to make a case as to why this extreme measure is necessary particularly in light of his lack of action."

Jagmeet Singh, leader of the centre-left New Democratic Party, called the Liberal prime minister's move "proof of a failure of leadership" and accused him of allowing protests "to go on for weeks and weeks without doing anything about it".

But he said that his party will support the resolution, most likely allowing it to pass through the minority Parliament.

Protests are ongoing in various parts of the country.

In Ottawa, the nation's capital, between 400 to 500 trucks have been parked in the city centre for 18 days.

Protesters have paralysed parts of the city, mainly on streets around parliament. The city of Ottawa declared a state of emergency over a week ago.

Weekend protests have also taken place in cities across Canada, including Toronto and Winnipeg.

On Monday, police in Alberta announced that 11 protesters at Coutts - on the US-Canada border - had been arrested and a cache of firearms were seized.

The demonstrations have been both disruptive and expensive. The trade disruption caused by the week-long partial closure of the Ambassador Bridge and other trade routes has been estimated to cost some C$380m ($300m; £221m).

Though the Emergencies Act has never been used before, an earlier iteration of the law, called the War Measures Act, was invoked in 1970 by Mr Trudeau's father, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, to suspend civil liberties.

The senior Mr Trudeau used the now-defunct legislation in response to a political kidnapping by a Quebec terrorist group, known as the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ). More than 1,000 troops and military tanks descended upon the francophone province as a result.

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2022-02-14 23:13:54Z
1294992624

France explosion: Newborn baby among at least seven killed in blast and fire - Sky News

At least seven people, including a newborn baby, have been killed following an explosion and fire which broke out in southwestern France.

The newborn baby was one of two children killed during the incident, according to local media reports.

The French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, is expected to travel to the scene later today.

At least seven people, including a newborn baby, have been killed following an explosion and fire which broke out in southwestern France.

The newborn baby was one of two children killed during the incident, according to local media reports.
Image: The French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, is expected to travel to the scene. Pic: SDIS66
At least seven people, including a newborn baby, have been killed following an explosion and fire which broke out in southwestern France.
Image: Pic: SDIS66

He wrote on Twitter that he gave his "full support" to the emergency services, adding: "Thoughts to the victims and their loved ones."

The Pyrenees-Orientales fire and rescue department said the explosion took place in the heart of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque at around 1.30am.

It then caused a fire in the homes above a series of shops.

Images shared by the force online show the charred remains of an apartment block, with debris spilling out onto the street.

More on France

Medical teams were also on the scene as more than 85 firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.

Minister Olivier Dusspot travelled to the scene and echoed Mr Darmanin's tribute.

"Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. The state is on their side," he said.

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2022-02-14 12:00:00Z
1297949722

France explosion: Newborn baby among at least seven killed in blast and fire - Sky News

At least seven people, including a newborn baby, have been killed following an explosion and fire which broke out in southwestern France.

The newborn baby was one of two children killed during the incident, according to local media reports.

The French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, is expected to travel to the scene later today.

At least seven people, including a newborn baby, have been killed following an explosion and fire which broke out in southwestern France.

The newborn baby was one of two children killed during the incident, according to local media reports.
Image: The French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, is expected to travel to the scene. Pic: SDIS66
At least seven people, including a newborn baby, have been killed following an explosion and fire which broke out in southwestern France.
Image: Pic: SDIS66

He wrote on Twitter that he gave his "full support" to the emergency services, adding: "Thoughts to the victims and their loved ones."

The Pyrenees-Orientales fire and rescue department said the explosion took place in the heart of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque at around 1.30am.

It then caused a fire in the homes above a series of shops.

Images shared by the force online show the charred remains of an apartment block, with debris spilling out onto the street.

More on France

Medical teams were also on the scene as more than 85 firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.

Minister Olivier Dusspot travelled to the scene and echoed Mr Darmanin's tribute.

"Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. The state is on their side," he said.

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2022-02-14 11:56:06Z
1297949722

Potential breakthrough as West may concede: Ukraine to drop NATO to avoid war with Russia, says diplomat in UK - City A.M.

Ukrainian Armed Forces in Eastern Ukraine

Ukraine may consider dropping its ambition to join NATO to avoid war with Russia, its country’s ambassador in the UK has suggested.

Vadym Prystaiko told BBC Radio 5 that the country would, due to threats and blackmail, consider “serious concessions” including removing the goal of joining the NATO alliance from the Ukrainian constitution.

It comes as armed forces minister James Heappey warned against extending NATO’s “collective security” to a non-member and Boris Johnson is due to join last-ditch diplomatic efforts in Europe.

Heappey said the deterrence of Russia needed to go beyond economic sanctions, but that NATO’s “defensive” operations were “very different” from offering its collective security to a non-member “especially with the very real possibility that the alliance fractures as a result”.

Writing in The Times, Heappey said: “NATO has always been a defensive alliance that sovereign nations have chosen to join for their collective security. NATO does not attack others.

“Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, NATO has deployed beyond its borders to Afghanistan in response to an attack on the United States; played a role in counterinsurgency and counterpiracy missions in sub- Saharan Africa, Iraq and the Indian Ocean; and played an important part in stabilising the Balkans after the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

“I would argue, however, that these are all very different from offering the collective security of the alliance to a non-member especially with the very real possibility that the alliance fractures as a result. It would also be exactly the pretext Putin needs to claim that he’s responding to western aggression on his borders.”

As Ukraine is not a NATO member and allies in the defence alliance have said they would not join fighting in Ukraine but have bolstered forces in neighbouring nations and are threatening widespread sanctions.

Downing Street conceded Moscow could be planning to invade “at any moment” but the Prime Minister will hold talks with world leaders before a trip to Europe during this week’s “window of opportunity” for de-escalation.

The UK and other NATO allies have urged their citizens to flee Ukraine and some airlines have cancelled flights to Kyiv amid growing concerns that the estimated 130,000 Russian troops amassed on the border could be poised to attack.

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2022-02-14 07:04:13Z
1276982704

Kamila Valieva: Russian figure skater can continue to compete in Winter Olympics after failed drugs test - Sky News

A Russian teen accused of doping has been cleared to compete in figure skating at the Winter Olympics.

Kamila Valieva had failed a test for a banned substance, raising questions over whether she would be allowed to take part in her next event on Tuesday.

A sample from the 15-year-old was taken on Christmas Day - and on 8 February, it returned positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication.

What is trimetazidine - the drug at the centre of the Beijing Olympics doping scandal?

Kamila Valieva completed a clean run through of her short programme in practice on Sunday
Image: Kamila Valieva completed a clean run-through of her short programme in practice on Sunday

A separate investigation led by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency will determine whether the Russian skaters can keep the gold team medal they won with Valieva's help.

Why did the court rule in Valieva's favour?

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cited "exceptional circumstances" for its decision, including Valieva's status as a "protected person" under the World Anti-Doping Code and "serious issues" in the "untimely" process of notifying her of her result.

More on 2022 Olympic Winter Games  ​​​​​​​

The definition of a "protected person" includes athletes who have not yet turned 16 at the time of a doping violation.

The court also said preventing her from competing in the Games would cause her "irreparable harm".

It upheld a decision by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency to lift her provisional doping suspension - which had been appealed by the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Skating Union.

WADA criticised the ruling, saying the CAS panel decided not to apply the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code, which do not allow specific exceptions for "protected persons".

Valieva is pictured in Beijing on 6 February. Pic: AP
Image: Valieva is pictured in Beijing on 6 February. Pic: AP

US 'disappointed' by the decision

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it is "disappointed" by the message the ruling sends.

"Athletes have the right to know they are competing on a level playing field," said chief executive Sarah Hirshland.

"Unfortunately, today that right is being denied.

"This appears to be another chapter in the systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia."

If the Russian figure skating medal is revoked, the US would be in line for gold, having won silver in the competition.

The 15-year-old faces being expelled from the Games. Pic: AP
Image: The 15-year-old was deemed to be a 'protected person'. Pic: AP

Valieva will now compete in the women's single event on Tuesday - for which she is a favourite for gold.

Her positive doping test was only revealed last week after her medal win.

Why was Valieva's test result delayed?

The CAS said the delay hampered Valieva's ability to "establish certain legal requirements for her benefit".

When the result came to light, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency immediately suspended her, then lifted the ban a day later.

WADA blamed the Russian agency for the six-week delay in the test result, saying it failed to tell the processing lab in Sweden that it needed to be fast-tracked.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency will also lead the longer-term investigation that will determine whether Valieva can keep her medal - but WADA will be able to appeal the decision if it is not satisfied with the outcome.

WADA has also said it wants to investigate Valieva's entourage.

Travis Tygart, chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency, said: "Only time will tell if she should be competing in these Games and whether or not all of her results will be disqualified."

American 1998 Olympic champion figure skater Tara Lipinski said "this will leave a permanent scar on our sport".

ANALYSIS BY TOM PARMENTER, SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Carry on skating. Standby for the backlash.

The decision to allow Kamila Valieva to carry on skating means the issue of Russian doping is likely to be THE story of yet another Winter Olympics.

It will provoke every clean athlete and coach to wonder why they go to such lengths to prove they are clean.

There’s no doubt the Russian 15-year-old is a victim in all of this.

She was only three years old when her country hosted the Sochi Games in 2014 and were found to be carrying out one of the most blatant doping operations in the history of the sport.

The rationale behind allowing Russian athletes to compete under the flag of their Olympic Committee since that scandal has always been unsatisfactory - for many within Olympic sport it is now intolerable.

When she skates in the individual competition in Beijing on Tuesday everyone watching will know Kamila Valieva has failed a drugs test, even though it was before this Olympic competition.

The timing of this whole situation is difficult given the grave situation on the border of Ukraine but sport needs to have integrity.

The Winter Olympics in particular need to continue reclaiming their integrity - but this decision is preventing that from happening.

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2022-02-14 08:48:45Z
1269108933

Minggu, 13 Februari 2022

Ukraine crisis: Boris Johnson plans further talks with world leaders as Downing Street warns of 'critical juncture' - Sky News

Boris Johnson will hold talks with world leaders this week in an attempt to bring Russia "back from the brink" of war, as the Ukraine crisis enters a "critical juncture".

Number 10 warned on Sunday evening that its intelligence "suggests Russia could be a planning an invasion of Ukraine at any moment", warning of "disastrous consequences".

Although the crisis on Ukraine's border had reached "a critical juncture," there remained a "window of opportunity for de-escalation and diplomacy", Downing Street said.

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'We're not gonna run away'

The prime minister is expected to continue diplomatic efforts in another trip to Europe this week and US President Joe Biden was on Sunday invited to visit Ukraine, following a phone call with country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A statement from President Zelensky's office quoted him as saying President Biden's arrival would be "a powerful signal and contribute to de-escalation".

During the call the White House said both men agreed to keep pushing both deterrence and diplomacy to try to stave off a feared Russian military offensive.

It comes as Ukraine on Sunday called for talks with Russia and other members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) within 48 hours.

More on Russia

Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Moscow had failed to respond to questions raised on Friday under the Vienna Document, a series of agreements between the 57 members of the OCSE.

"Consequently, we take the next step," he said on Twitter.

Warning of 130,000 Russian troops massed

On Sunday Ukraine pledged 16.6 billion hryvnia (£435 million) to keep its airspace open to commercial flights after Dutch airline KLM said it would stop services to the country and Germany's Lufthansa contemplated following suit.

Two thirds of the 298 passengers killed when Malaysia Airlines MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014 were Dutch citizens.

President Zelenskyy on Sunday urged calm amid intensified warnings of a Russian invasion in the coming days, saying as he had seen no evidence of that, even as the US warned of 130,000 Russian troops massed outside Ukraine.

Map Ukraine/Russia

However, Ukraine's state air traffic service advised airlines to avoid routes over the open waters of the Black Sea from Monday to Saturday due to Russian naval exercises taking place there.

Read more:
This is why the escalating Ukraine crisis affects us all
Defence sec says complacency from some has 'whiff of Munich'
What the Minsk agreements could help avert a Russian invasion

Canada, which has the world's third-largest Ukrainian population after Ukraine and Russia, also temporarily withdrew
its Ukraine-based military personnel to an undisclosed destination in Europe, due to "complex operational environment linked to Russia's unwarranted aggression against Ukraine."

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Russia conflict divides families

'Back from the brink'

A Downing Street Spokeswoman asserted that the prime minister would "work tirelessly alongside our allies to get Russia to step back from the brink".

Number 10 did not confirm which world leaders the Mr Johnson hoped to speak with, but it is understood he is keen to engage with Nordic and Baltic countries.

Labour said at the weekend that ministers must learn lessons from the "chaos" of the Afghanistan evacuation to help people fleeing Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion.

Just as the Mr Johnson attempts to help de-escalate tensions on the Ukrainian border, he is also grappling with tensions running high at home, with critics saying he is distracted by the partygate police investigation.

The prime minister must answer a legal questionnaire sent to him by officers investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties, which could ultimately see him being fined if he is found to have broken the law.

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2022-02-13 22:39:56Z
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