, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20210311IPR99707/
EUROPEAN UNION WARNS OF SANCTIONS OVER UGANDAN ELECTION RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
As Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni bore down on rights groups and the opposition, the European Union (EU) Parliament responded with the threat of sanctions against Ugandan individuals and organizations they hold responsible for abuses during the recent general election.
Museveni apparently sparked the EU backlash when he instructed the Ministry of Finance, in a letter dated January 1, to suspend the activities of the Democratic Governance Facility, a basket fund of European countries that bankrolls most Ugandan civil society organization that work on governance, rights and related themes.
The development is the latest in the fallout between the West and Uganda government that has seen President Museveni and a number of his senior officials castigating unnamed Western powers over what they call interference in the affairs of Uganda.
In a televised address about Uganda’s security following several reports of operatives kidnapping citizens, especially opposition supporters, Museveni accused foreigners of interference in the country’s affairs.
“I read in the newspapers about the EU Parliament sanctioning some Ugandans from traveling. For anybody to think that Africans are dying to go to Europe is something that shows lack of seriousness. Well, personally I need a lot of persuasion to leave Uganda. Why would I want to leave Uganda?” he asked rhetorically.
On Feb. 11, the European Parliament adopted a resolution deploring the Jan. 14 elections which they called neither democratic nor transparent. They condemned the excessive use of force by the police and armed forces during the election and their growing interference in political affairs.
They called for all those arrested and detained for participating in peaceful political assemblies or for exercising their right to freedom of expression and association to be released immediately and unconditionally and have their charges dropped. The text was approved by 632 votes in favor, 15 against and 48 abstentions.
More than 50 people were killed in the melee that followed the arrest of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, on Nov. 18, according to the State. Hundreds more were injured and thousands arrested during the elections.
The imposition of sanctions would be a major blow to Uganda government operations since the EU is Uganda’s biggest development partner and gives more than US$130,000 in aid annually. The EU individual members also give substantial funding to Uganda.
Ukrainians are ready to join the European Union and NATO. Survey.
Ukrainians are ready to join the European Union and NATO. Survey.
Published in
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2021 COMECE Spring Assembly: EU Bishops to meet with European Commission’s Vice President Margaritis Schinas
2021 COMECE Spring Assembly
EU Bishops to meet with European Commission’s Vice President Margaritis Schinas
Delegates of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union will participate in the COMECE Spring Assembly to be held in a digital format on 17-18 March 2021 with the participation of European Commission’s Vice President Margaritis Schinas. The focus of the Assembly will be: Covid-19 recovery, Migration and Asylum policies, Freedom of Religion inside the EU.
In the context of the first anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused the death of more than 2,5 million people across the globe, the Bishops of the European Union will exchange on the current status of the recovery process in the EU and its Member States.
Bishops will also discuss on how to better promote a people-centred and value-based approach in EU policies, which has become even more urgent due to the socio-economic impact deriving from Coronavirus.
The participation of European Commission’s Vice President Margaritis Schinas will allow the EU Bishops to analyse the state of play of the “open, transparent and regular dialogue” between Churches and EU institutions as enshrined in Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
The meeting will also be an occasion for the Bishops to restate some concrete policy recommendations to be considered in view of the future negotiations on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. These recommendations are contained in a statement elaborated by the COMECE Working Group on Migration and Asylum in December 2020.
In the light of various national concerns towards the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion inside the EU, the Bishops of the European Union will also reflect on how to address future challenges to this fundamental right.
Journalists and media operators interested in conducting remote interviews with the Bishops are strongly encouraged to contact COMECE Media and Communication Officer.
Coming up: Covid-19 variants, data protection, AI | News | European Parliament
, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/eu-affairs/20210311STO99728/
COVID-19: a continued call for international solidarity and equity
28th Standing Committee of the Regional Committee (SCRC), Third Session (virtual, 10-11 March 2021)
Statement, 12 March 2021
Exactly one year after COVID-19 was characterized as a pandemic, the Twenty-eighth Standing Committee of the Regional Committee for Europe (SCRC), on the occasion of its third regular meeting on 10–11 March:
- wishes to express its heartfelt sympathy and solidarity with all people, families and communities who have been directly or indirectly affected by this pandemic, which has to date reached the level of nearly 41 million confirmed cases and 900 000 registered deaths in the WHO European Region;
- appreciates the dedication and sacrifice of frontline workers throughout this pandemic in protecting and saving lives wherever possible and at a high personal cost;
- is mindful of the negative collateral impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of other health conditions, including mental health and noncommunicable diseases;
- acknowledges the devastating impact of the pandemic on all sectors, including people’s livelihoods and countries’ economies, as well as the social consequences and the setbacks for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals;
- is aware that the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences have exacerbated social and economic inequities and have hit severely the most vulnerable;
- reminds that personal protection measures (frequent hand hygiene, physical and social distancing, respiratory etiquette, use of masks if ill or attending to someone who is ill, and environmental cleaning and disinfection at home) are a cornerstone for COVID-19 control and prevention;
- welcomes the development and production of vaccines in record time, effectively protecting people from the serious health effects of COVID-19 and preventing health systems from collapsing;
- while acknowledging the importance of vaccines as an effective measure of fighting the virus, also notes the wide gap in access to vaccines between countries in the European Region as a stark reminder of persisting inequities;
- recalls that no single country is safe until all countries are safe and that economic and social recovery is only possible if disparities in vaccination coverage, both regional and global, are addressed; and
- commends individual countries and subregional organizations that have demonstrated international solidarity and have effectively contributed to and supported other countries in procuring and deploying vaccines, including through the COVAX Facility.
In this context the SCRC, acting on behalf of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, calls upon Member States to:
- adhere to the general principles of international solidarity, multilateral cooperation and cross-country coordination at all levels to successfully contain and control the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its impact;
- help wherever possible to ensure that health care workers and other frontline workers as well as vulnerable groups across the Region can be prioritized in national vaccination strategies and that national health systems are stabilized;
- apply whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to contain further spread of the virus within communities and across borders;
- within a national context, commit to early, fair and equitable access to quality and safe testing, treatment and vaccination for COVID-19, which are free at point of use, whilst at the same time maintaining access to essential health services, including mental health and non-COVID-19 related services; and
- further step up their preparedness capacities, including the International Health Regulations (2005) core capacities, plan for the recovery phase and prepare for any future health emergencies.
Expressing its highest appreciation to the WHO Regional Director for Europe for the leading role that WHO/Europe has taken in supporting Member States throughout the pandemic and coordinating actions among them, the SCRC calls upon the WHO Regional Office for Europe to:
- continue to use its convening power to advocate for timely and universal access to vaccines and facilitate international cooperation and solidarity in the pandemic response;
- further coordinate action at regional and country levels to contain and control COVID 19 and mitigate its impact;
- maintain a dual-track approach so that support is provided to countries in addressing post-COVID-19 conditions, the collateral effects of the pandemic and maintaining access to essential health services, with the aim of leaving no one behind;
- assist Member States in improving their understanding of the virus, adopting evidence-based public health measures and providing the population with reliable and comprehensive information on COVID-19 treatment and immunization;
- take proper account of the lessons learned in the European Region from the response to this pandemic to help end its acute phase and build resilience and better preparedness for future emergencies, using the all-hazard and hazard-specific approaches; and
- contribute to building back better our health and social care systems in the light of current and future pandemics.
India-US-Japan-Australia Quadrilateral initiative explores partnership with EU
The first Summit of the India-US-Japan-Australia Quadrilateral initiative, or Quad, held on Friday explored a partnership with Europe amid the group’s idea to create a free, open rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
While three European nations — France, Germany and the Netherlands — have announced their Indo-Pacific visions envisaging wide-ranging ties with India, the European Union is in the midst of formulating its own Indo-Pacific strategy.
At Friday’s meeting, the four leaders of the Quad nations explored the possibility of joining hands with Europe where various states are drawing up plans to expand their engagement with the Indo-Pacific region, ET has learnt. “The plan is still at the nascent stage and the Quad is exploring the possibility to form a partnership with the EU,” a highly placed source told ET.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his trip to Portugal in early May for the India-EU Summit is expected to focus on forging partnership with the European Union for the Indo-Pacific region.
In a blog published on Friday coinciding with the Quad Summit, European Commission vice president and high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrell emphasised that the EU has a big stake in the Indo-Pacific region and should do its part to keep the regional order open and rules-based by stepping up engagement with India.
“Within the Indo-Pacific, India certainly plays a pivotal role. The EU and India have long shared a commitment to the rules-based international order and democracy … India has also decided to invest more in its relations with the EU, driven in part by China’s growing assertiveness and Brexit, requiring New Delhi to no longer see London as its sole entry point into dealing with ‘Europe’…,” according to Borrell.
Borrell said, “The next big opportunity to take EU-India cooperation forward will come in May, in Porto, when we should have a Summit with all EU27 heads of state and government attending, together with Prime Minister Modi, the President of European Council and the President of the European Commission. At that occasion, we hope to launch an EU-India Connectivity Partnership. It should cover the areas of digital, energy, transport and human connectivity, with the EU and India working bilaterally, but also by converging our efforts to better connectivity with third countries and regions.”
Borrell was equally emphatic about Beijing and noted that the EU is re-balancing its relations with China based on a strategy of treating China as a “partner, competitor and rival”.
“With China, we have a complex and demanding agenda, mixing cooperation on global issues with pushback where needed and a focus on reciprocity and strengthening EU resilience. We need to engage China because it does not make sense to ignore this great power. However, we need to engage while keeping our eyes wide open. I remain in close contact with state counsellor/foreign minister Wang Yi to pass EU messages and expectations on the bilateral and multilateral agenda. And together with President von der Leyen, I will submit a report on the state of implementation of the EU’s China policy to the March European Council,” Borrell wrote.
But Asia is big and diverse and should not be reduced to looking only at China, quite the opposite, Borrell said.
“In recent years, we have strengthened and diversified our ties with Japan, India, South Korea, Asean, Australia and New Zealand, complementing our traditional strong economic relations with more cooperation on foreign and security policy,” he wrote.
Borrell said the intention is for the EU to set out, in the coming months, a common vision for its future Indo-Pacific engagement.
Consumer fraud affects 1 in 4 Europeans
FRA’s ‘Crime, safety and victims’ rights’ report reveals that:
- Consumer fraud – over one in four people (26%) in the EU were cheated or misled about goods, items or services purchased in the five years before the survey. Young people and those with higher levels of education experienced more online fraud. This may be because they shop more frequently online.
- Online banking fraud – nearly one in 10 (8%) experienced online banking or payment card fraud in the five years before the survey. Rates vary significantly between countries. This probably reflects national differences in the use of online banking and payment cards.
- Vulnerable groups – people with disabilities or serious health problems experience more fraud. Some 14% were victims of online banking or payment fraud compared with 6% of people without disabilities, in the five years before the survey. In addition, 36% of people with disabilities or serious health problems were victims of consumer fraud, compared with 23% without.
- Worry about fraud – around six in 10 people worry about online banking or payment card fraud (63%) or theft of personal items such as a mobile phone, wallet or purse (62%). Women, people with less education, the unemployed and those who struggle to make ends meet tend to worry more about crime. This can because crime affects these groups more, as it is more difficult for them to recover, financially and psychologically.
FRA calls on EU countries to improve consumer protection and guarantee victims of fraud can access their rights.
Countries should ensure that victims can report fraud easily, the police effectively investigate fraud, and vulnerable victims receive the support they need.
The findings draw on responses to FRA’s Fundamental Rights Survey from 35,000 people across all EU Member States, North Macedonia and the United Kingdom.
The survey ran from January to October 2019.
‘Saint Maud’ Review: An Unsettling and Fantastic Story of Trauma and Religion
Rose Glass makes a massive directorial debut with her sinful story that can shock any audience.
The Buchtelite is continuing to review movies that are on the radar for Oscar nominations. The second movie in this series is “Saint Maud,” written and directed by Rose Glass.
Saint Maud explores uncomfortable topics such as trauma, PTSD and religion to highlight the horrors that in-home nurse, Maud, played by Morfydd Clark (“Crawl,”) experiences after she suffers a traumatic experience at the hospital she used to work at, Maud turns to religion in a very unhealthy and obsessive way that is starting to affect her everyday life and actions. After that experience, she takes care of patients who are in Hospice and wish to pass away at home. She is placed with a blunt and eccentric patient named Amanda, played by Jennifer Ehle (“Zero Dark Thirty,”) who is a former dance prodigy and does everything that Maud is morally against. Maud becomes dangerously obsessed with trying to save Amanda’s soul with religious practices and actions that lead to her growing insanity.
Saint Maud is a movie that is best watched with very limited knowledge of the plot and characters when going into it. The most interesting aspects of the story are the surprises and turns that Maud makes while she is going through the journey of trying to save Amanda and her sinful soul.
The pacing of this film truly stands out. It is a shorter film with only 84 minutes runtime, but it carries a punch of impact. The movie is wrapped up in the final seconds that perfectly demonstrate Maud’s journey throughout the entire film.
Morfydd Clark’s performance is astonishing throughout the entire film with how perfectly she encapsulates the character of Maud and the complete transformation she makes during the film. Her performance is one of the best female horror performances of modern–day cinema. She is easily put on the list with big names such as Toni Collete for “Hereditary,” Florence Pugh for “Midsommar,” Anya Taylor-Joy for “The Witch” and Lupita Nyong’o for “Us.”
Rose Glass makes her directorial debut by leaving the horror community speechless. She is leading the way for more women to be included in the horror movie scene that has been dominated by male directors for many years.
Gore and violence can be a very tricky subject and can be very hard to master without being too little or too much. “Saint Maud” has the perfect amount of gore and violence that can make an audience feel disgusted and uneasy. Audiences can still stay engaged in the storyline and not feel the need to turn the movie off due to excessive violence that many horror films gravitate towards.
A24 never fails to put out terrifying and unsettling horror films even when faced with huge delays and limited theater releases. “Saint Maud” still holds the same terrifying experience even when having to watch the movie from home and not in a large movie theater making it the perfect movie to watch during COVID-19.
Overall, “Saint Maud” does an amazing job of being able to crawl under the skin and use the most distressing experiences to make audiences as uneasy as possible. It is important to note that this is a very dark movie with heavy subject matter that may not be suitable for all audiences. Saint Maud is rated R for gore, heavy violence, sexual content, and strong language.
Grade: A-
Saint Maud is available to stream through Epix Films and Amazon Prime.
America’s Book Lover Patzi Gil Celebrates her Talk Show’s Anniversary Interviewing Best-selling Author Tasha Alexander
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